Pick Of The Day:
DET +5.0 over PHO (NBA)
PHI +9.0 over LAL (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
MEM -5.5 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
CHI -3.0 over TOR (NBA)
NYK +13.0 over PHO (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
DAL -2.o over PHO (NBA)
UTA +7.5 over SAS (NBA)

Picks Of The day:
ORL -1.o over LAL (NBA)
NYK +5.5 over DET (NBA)
POR -4.5 over NOK (NBA)
MIN +2.0 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
DET -6.5 over NJN (NBA)

The Day That Christmas Stood Still

The year was 1971 ... and it was, and still is to this day, the best football game I have ever seen.

A shout out to the Victors and the Vanquished ... for the impression both sides left with me that day ... regarding what's important in this world.




Picks Of The Day:
MIA +1.0 over LAL (NBA)
DAL -7.0 over PHI (NFL)
MIA -2.5 over NYJ (NFL)

Picks Of The Day:
PIT -3.5 over BAL (NFL)
DEN -3.0 over CIN (NFL)

Picks Of The Day:
NYK +3.0 over PHI (NBA)
TOR +5.0 over SEA (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
POR -3.5 over TOR (NBA)
CHA +7.0 over UTA (NBA)
NYK +5.5 over CHI (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
DET +3.0 over CLE (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
TOR +9.0 over LAC (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
PHO -13.5 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
GSW -2.5 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
PHO -3.0 over SAC (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
NJN -2.5 over TOR (NBA)
LAL -4.5 over HOU (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
ORL -9.5 over TOR (NBA)
CHA +11.0 over CLE (NBA)
LAC +3.5 over UTA (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
TOR +8.5 over MIA (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
POR +8.5 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
CHI -9.0 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
MIA +7.0 over LAC (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
NYK -3.0 over TOR (NBA)
NJN -5.5 over PHI (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
BOS +2.5 over TOR (NBA)
MIN -1.5 over DEN (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
DAL -10.5 over TOR (NBA)
ORL +2.5 over SEA (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
SAS -4.5 over SEA (NBA)
LAK -4.5 over NJN (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
ATL -3.5 over TOR (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
TOR +2.5 over CLE (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
ORL -3.0 over MEM (NBA)
TOR +9.0 over UTA (NBA)

Picks OF The Day:
NYN -1.5 over BOS
DEN -9.5 over TOR

Picks Of The Day:
DAL -5.0 over MEM (NBA)
CHI +8.0 over SAS (NBA)
LAL -8.0 over TOR (NBA)

They Don't Come Any Better Than This

Would like to throw a simple shout out to a woman named MaryAnn Johanson for her short review of a 'close to perfect little (motion) picture' sandwiched in time between my two all-time favourites. The years were '72, '73 & '74, the A's were in their heyday; the Dolphins ruled the world; the Knicks were captioned aptly and forever by Marv, "and here comes Willis"; the Greatest of All Time was on the comeback trail; the "Original Six" were still clearly visible in the rear view mirror; MSG was the epicentre of the known universe; and, classic Hollywood films were being made every year. What a time to be young and a fan in North America.

Pick Of The Day:
GSW -5.5 over TOR (NBA)

Discipline

My favourite definition for this word is one I have yet to see published in a dictionary. First explained to me years 25 years ago my Bob Knight, it best encapsulates the values I associate with the word in a positive light. Modified slightly over the years, today my version reads as follows:

Discipline - n. Doing what you have to do, The way it needs to be done, Every time.

Pick Of The Day:
SAC -7.0 over TOR (NBA)

Pick Of The Day:
ATL +4.5 over TOR (NBA)

Picks Of The Day:
TOR +7.0 over SAS (NBA)
MIA -2.5 over PHI (NBA)
LAL +1.5 over SEA (NBA)

Where the heart is ...

Dabbling in different projects from time to time is an interesting way to occupy oneself, particularly during a slow period, so-to-speak. But, nothing quite matches the feel of returning to what you know you're comfortable with already; like wearing an old pair of slippers around the house after experimenting with a new pair of kicks.

While different can be new and exciting, familiar is where the bread gets buttered day to day.

Picks of the Day:
NYK +3.5 over IND (NBA)
LAC -4.0 over PHO (NBA)

When the train pulls out of the station

It's been my experience in life that when this happens and it's a train you really wanted to catch there's a good reason you didn't make it to the station on time. Everything happens for a reason ... the best trades are the ones never made ... and, the grass isn't always greener in someone else's backyard. Best to turn the page and move on. More often than not ... the next train leaving will end up taking you to a better destination than the one that left without you.

To paraphrase Henry David Thoreau, "If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams those dreams will become reality."

Pick Of The Day: Clev -3 vs NO (NFL/1-0)
RTD/'06: 6-2 (+3.9 units)

Choosing spots carefully

In no other professional sport is it quite so important to let the daily "action" pass you by without getting greedy than in Major League Baseball (MLB). A 162 game regular season schedule is a grind for all concerned. Every year, however, as the fall arrives, a couple of interesting games pop up on the radar too good not to attract serious attention. The Blue Jays are a very live "dog" tonight with a healthy A.J. Burnett (finally!) on the mound and might well "bark" loudly in Game 1 of their final West Coast swing this season.

Pick Of The Day: Tor (Burnett) +155 @ Laa (MLB/0-0)
RTD/'06: 6-1 (+4.9 units)

And so it starts, again ...

Tonight marks the kick-off of the official 2006-2007 National Football League (NFL) regular season. A special time of year for this pundit ... when summer ends, fall starts and the unofficial sports' calendar gets turned over.

Pick Of The Day: Pit -1.5 vs Mia (NFL/0-0)
RTD/'06: 5-1 (+3.9 units)

Hmmm ...

Whenever I read the sports section of a daily newspaper, it's fascinating to me that most columnists have never played or coached the game at a high level in the sport they are employed to write about. This makes no sense to me. Would you get advice or hope to gain meaningful insight about how a medical procedure works from a novelist who may have written several stories about "operations, illnesses or disease" and is literate? I don't think so. What compels someone who has never played or coached at a high level to believe s/he has an accurate understanding about how a specific sport works without having been active in that arena her/himself? Next time you are reading your daily rag, ask yourself the following question: "What expertise does this person have in her/his life - as an athlete or a coach - that indicates to me s/he has the foggiest idea what s/he is talking about in their column?" If the answer is, "I don't have a clue", then I suggest you stop wasting your time and find someone else to entertain or educate you about the world of athletics with first-hand experience in that field, on the court, field, gym or rink. Former elite-level athletes or coaches are the only people who should be writing columns in the sports section of daily newspapers. No one else.

The trick is, finding one of us who is literate enough to communicate effectively with the masses.

Pick Of The Day: Tor +2.0 vs Ind (NBA/4-1)
RTD/'06: 4-1 (+2.9 units)

Best Picture

Deservedly, Crash was selected as this year's best picture by the American Academy of Motion Pictures. Decades from now, it will still be remembered as a seminal work in understanding what ails North American society in the early 21st centrury. Almost unbelievably, 140+ years after Mr. Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation we are not yet out from under the insidious socio-economic sickness that is racism, with it's multitude of tentacles and perspectives. Under-stated, intricate and precise, Crash will rank among the best films of its genre for generations to come. Kudos to Canadian-born director Paul Haggis for the fine piece of art he's created.

Pick Of The Day: Sas -4.5 @ Lal (NBA/3-1)
RTD/'06: 3-1 (+1.9 units)

Perseverance

What stops most people from succedding in life? Giving up too soon. Nothing more and nothing less.

Pick Of The Day: Dal -3.5 vs Pho (NBA/2-0), Tor -1.5 vs Bos (NBA/2-0)
RTD/'06: 2-0 (+2.0 units)

Playing The Hand You're Dealt

Each 'hand' in life has a maximum and minimum value when evaluated objectively. The 'trick' is to play each one with equal gusto and bravado, regardless of whether attacking or defending. Winning and losing are transitory and, therefore, irrelevant. What remains of substance, though, is how you played the game.

Pick Of The Day: Chi -2.5 Nyk (NBA/1-0)
RTD/'06: 1-0 (+1.0 units)

Philosophy

According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, these are the meanings for this word:

philosophy n, pl -phies 1: a critical study of fundamental beliefs and the grounds for them 2: sciences and liberal arts exclusive of medicine, law, and theology (doctor of ~) 3: a system of philosophical concepts (Aristotelian ~) 4: a bisic theory concerning a particular subject or sphere of activity 5: the sum of the ideas and convictions of an indivivual or group (his ~ of life) 6: calmness of temper and judgement

Understanding the different dimensions of philosophy is vital for those who wish to live a substantive life, seamlessly integrating "thought & action" in a productive way for themselves and their communities.

It's a tremendous word when you think about it.

Pick of the Day: none
RTD/'06: 1-0 (+1.0 units)

Accuracy

Inaccurate terms, like "black", "white", "yellow" and "red", pertaining to distinct ethno-cultural groups, are meaningless in 2006. We are all different shades, tints and hues of Brown, the singular colour of the entire Human Race. This is the only answer moving forward.

Right To Play is a marvellous organization - www.righttoplay.com - endorsed by Olympic Champions. Support the foundation.

Pick of the Day: Det -2.5 @ Clev (NBA/0-0)
RTD: 0-0 (0.0 units)

Inspiration

Read this wonderful quote yesterday by Canadian Olympic Champion, Clara Hughes, before she went on to capture her first Gold Medal (Women's Long Track Speed Skating, 5000 m, Torino 2006):

"At the point where I feel like I'm going to collapse, I want to have the courage and the capacity and the ability to fight and to attack the race. I want to be able to get myself to that point and then I want to execute that and not give in to the pain. I think I can handle a lot of pain. I think I've demonstrated that, but that doesn't help me when it's going to happen again, you know, where I feel like my heart's going to explode and my lungs are burning and my legs can't even support my own weight. To actually go beyond that and to go harder in the last third of the race is something I don't even like talking about since it's so hard. That's my goal, to get to that point, and to be able just to attack as if I am fighting for my life. That's it. That's all I want."

To me, it made all the difference.

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