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{ "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" 22 - PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 4, 1999 W330 3 SH de Named #1 Newspaper PORT PERRY STAR SHON in the 1999 Readers Choice Awards by more than pr Over 30 different species... 3 off 15 minutes from Port Perry. on with 96% of popular vote Call for directions! Pihis coupon ) rye Coupon expires over Port Perry This Week 655-5236 July 31/99 Round robin contest begins Brooklin Redmen start playoffs with win vs. Oshweken v ~~ The Brooklin Redmen and the Oshweken Wolves met last Thursday in game 1 of a home and home round robin playoff game, which will also include the Akwesasne Thunder as the teams who, finished first, second and seventh play in this format. The Redmen dominated the match, winning 16-6. The other playoff series feature the St. Catherines Major Athletics Vs the Peterborough Lakers and the Brampton Excelsiors Vs the Six Nations Chiefs in a best of 7 series. The top two teams in the round robin and the winners of the best of seven series move on to the next round. 12 goals for Williams Last week's game featured the same teams who two nights earlier played the final regular season game in the Major Series this year. That was a game where the Redmen won 34-5 and where sniper Shawn Williams racked up 12 goals and nine assists to give him the 1999 Major Series scoring championship with 90 points, 11 better than the defending champ, John Tavares of the Akwesasne Thunder. The Redmen picked where they left off with a goal by Jaret Bilich two and one half minutes into the contest. six unanswered goals in the first. The Wolves were able to respond with two of their own in the last three and a half minutes of the first frame sending the teams off with the Redmen up 6-2. Series resumes this week The second period was a reflection of the first as Steve Toll scored 16 sec- onds in and the Redmen took a 10-3 lead into the second intermission. The Wolves did most of their scor- ing in the third as they put in three goals behind Rob Blasdell but the home team countered with six of their own to run away with the game and registered a final score of 16-6. The game itself lacked flow as ref- erees Martin and Brockie called 105 minutes in penalties on the night, 68 against the Redmen and 37 on the Wolves. The game also featured three fights including Dan Ladoucuer against Ellis Hill in the first and Gary Rosyski against Mike Gatt in the second and Rosyski again later in the second against Ruston Johnson. These same two teams met again last night at Hamilton Mountain Arena and the Redmen return to Iroquois Park on tonight at 8:30 to play the Akwesasne Thunder in the continuation of the round robin for- The Redmen pressed on and scored mat. There's little sympathy out there for - TT Tm TEE ey At Large Port Perry's Todd Healey takes a look at today's world of sports There's something about these dog days of summer; perhaps it's the heat, maybe it's the humidity, but whatever, something seems to turn brain matter into mush this time of year. Just ask Major League umpires. They've made more bad career decisions in the past two weeks than + Dennis Rodman on a binge in Vegas. For the record, the umps were fearing for their jobs once the collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of the sea- son, and therefore they chose an en masse resignation tactic which would take effect Sept. 2. The thinking was that they would get a severance Maa aa EE SS SA I SN RT A package and then immediately create a new associa- tion in hopes of garnering a new deal. The general impression among the umpires was that the suits in the Commissioner's office would pale at the thought of "scabs" working the pennant drive and playoffs. Brilliant business savvy. Now we know who bought all that Edsel stock. To say this ploy blew up in their faces would be too kind. As we speak, Bud Selig, the Commissioner of baseball, has gleefully accepted some 23 of the 56 res- ignations, the union is fractured with infighting (even the wives are slinging mud) and the umpires have sued Major League Baseball in an effort to get their resignations rescinded. If the umps were hoping for public sympathy and support on this one, they've once again miscalculated badly. Popularity of umpires among fans is at an all- time low. Most umps are viewed by Joe Fan as being increasingly belligerent, confrontational, and worse still, incompetent. The inconsistent strike zone has been an issue for the last few years, and the discrepancy of strike zones * between leagues has been highlighted during intra- league play. But maybe the most damning of all for the umpires in the minds of the paying public is their deplorable physical fitness. Eric Gregg, Ken Kaiser, Rocky Roe, to name but a few, are to thin what Kramer is to ballet. A) bd, a Ad a bib i Ever seen Eric Gregg hustling down the first base line to "get a good look" at a trailing line drive? The only part of Gregg that is ever in a hurry is his blood pres- sure. The general feeling is that if an umpire is physical- ly unable to get into position to make a call, then the chances of him getting the call right are greatly decreased. But there's more to it still. No matter how poorly an umpire performs, his contract cannot be terminat- ed under the present agreement. He may not receive the plum assignments, like the all-star game and play- offs, but he is still employed. Not so with the players. Call it natural selection, Darwinism, survival of the fittest, what have you, the best and only the best play- ers are on that field. It's the Shania Twain syndrome. If it wasn't for her looks and her marriage to the top record producer in the industry, she'd still be singing at the Deerhurst by night and slinging coffee by day. In other words, given the right circumstances, talent counts for very little. The Commissioner of baseball and the fans of base- ball are sending the umpires a very strong message. A message that maybe it's time that umpires were judged by their work and not their seniority. Hey, the only umps that are against that system are the ones with their dead weight halfway out the door. It's time for them to make the smart call.