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Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2007 41 Surrounded Tavares OHL MVP By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER NOWHERE TO HIDE: Several Oakville Trafalgar players (in black) gang up on Notre Dame ball carrier Travis Sebastiao in Tuesday's opening game of the Halton high school senior boys' rugby season. OT, led by a two-try effort from Tom Labenski, pounded the Irish 38-3. Former Loyola end getting shot with Saints By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Two seasons ago, Pat MacDonald viewed long-snapping as a way to crack the lineup of the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Now, it might be his ticket into the National Football League. The 25-year-old inked a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints last weekend and will attend the club's rookie camp later this month with hopes of earning a special teams spot for the upcoming season. MacDonald, a defensive end during his high school football days at St. Ignatius of Loyola, said he developed his long-snapping skills in the summer of 2005 because he real- ized he wouldn't get much playing time as a university freshman otherwise. "I knew I wasn't going to see the field as a defensive lineman, and I wanted to travel and get on the 40-man roster, so the only way to do it was to specialize in long-snapping," said the 6-foot-2, 247-pound MacDonald. "Anyone Pat MacDonald can do it. It's just a combination of the willingness to do it... and my athletic ability as someone who's slimmer. A lot of the guys who do it are heavier offensive linemen who can't cover downfield, and that's part of my advantage -- my ability to go downfield." That ability drew interest from the Saints, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars. MacDonald showcased his skills with a nine-minute video that he posted on YouTube.com, sending the link to the NFL squads, and reached an agreement with the Saints Sunday. "It had various things," MacDonald said of the YouTube video. "I did some combine stuff... the 40-yard dash, bench press, 20-yard shuttle, showing change in direction, some short snaps and long snaps at certain angles, and then I included my highlight video from game film the last couple of years." John Tavares talks about being a normal kid. And on Thursday afternoon, having just got in the door from school, the 16-year-old is on the phone, bouncing between calls. Sounds normal enough. Except Tavares isn't talking about what he's doing tonight, not about the test coming up in school or the pretty girl that caught his eye at school. He's fielding calls from reporters wondering what's next? After all, in the past year Tavares has been featured in Sports Illustrated not once, but twice -- including a story featuring 10 athletes with the potential to be great in their sport. He's been on the cover of The Hockey News, billing him as the next `Next One.' And he broke the junior goal scoring record of a guy named Gretzky. You know, just like we did when we were kids. After a relatively calm three weeks since the Oshawa Generals' season ended -- which means he's only had to talk to reporters about whether or not he'll play lacrosse, another sport he dominates -- the latest blitz of calls is to ask him about being named the Ontario Hockey League's most outstanding player. At the age of 16. In just his second year of junior hockey. "It's definitely a great achievement," he said. "I'm going to enjoy it and I'm hoping to repeat it." That would sound like quite a task for anyone else but, after what Tavares has accomplished in the OHL, few would doubt it. After entering the OHL amid a storm of controversy under a newly-created (for him) exceptional player rule, Tavares won the league's rookie of the year. Now that award has company with the Red Tilson Trophy, following a season in which he scored a league-high 72 goals and had 134 points in 67 games. See MacDonald page 43 See National page 42 Join Us For Golf This Season! Limited number of memberships available! Associate Membership.................................................$299.99 Weekday Membership ............................................ $2,499.99* Weekday & after 1:30 on weekends Membership $2,899.99* Full Introductory Membership............................. $3,899.99* *Includes: driving range; club storage & cleaning plus use of pull cart; lockers & computerized handicapping. · 36 Championship Holes · Home of the Canadian Open Qualifier · Complete Premier Practice Facility · Golf Clinics, Jr. Golf Camps & Private Coaching taught by Qualified Professionals · Best Golf Pro Shop in the Area! Pro Shop & Golf Course NOW OPEN! 905-336-3660 Visit Us Online: www.hiddenlakegolf.com