PONDERABLES
Will there ever be a more exciting weekend of NFL football?
Given that Donald Trump is a thoroughly despicable individual with absolutely no redeeming virtues, do the 70 million wrong-headed Americans who support him do so in spite of that fact or because of it?
THINGS I FIRMLY BELIEVE
One of the more lamentable effects of the COVID-19 epidemic is the two years of normalcy stolen from children.
If the city of Toronto devoted as much industriousness and budget to clearing away snow windrows thrown up by its plows as it does to installing little-used and traffic-snarling bike lanes, life in the city would be a lot more pleasant.
ERIN O’TOOLE’S PAINFUL PRESS CONFERENCE
After being elected Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole got away to a bad start enunciating positions and has continued to taper off. Last Monday’s press conference was particularly painful. I lost track of the number of times he evaded the question whether he supported the truckers’ so-called “freedom convoy.” And he was asked three or four times whether he intended to meet with them when they arrived in Ottawa. His pathetic non-answer to the first question was consistently something along the lines of “everyone should be vaccinated … but vaccinations shouldn’t be mandated.” When finally forced to to answer the second question he stated he didn’t think the Leader of the Opposition’s role included meeting with protestors. But in typical O’Toole style he’s since changed his mind and has said he will meet with some of the truckers. O’Toole needs to heed Rex Murphy’s advice that fudge is a fine candy but not good policy.
Also, given the election review report the party just released, it’s hard to imagine Peter MacKay isn’t licking his chops while preparing for the next leadership convention, which most pundits think will be sooner rather than later.
THE MOST IDIOTIC RULE IN SPORT
The NFL overtime rule allowing the team having first possession of the ball to win the game if it scores a touchdown or a safety is actually beyond idiotic; it’s incomprehensible. Both teams should have at least one possession of the football. This insane rule really comes down to a playoff game being decided by a coin toss. The so-called “justification” for the rule seems to be that if one team can’t prevent the other team from scoring on their first opportunity it deserves to lose. That’s the same as saying if a goalie doesn’t stop the first shot in an NHL shootout the other team immediately wins the game.
A DIFFERENT-LOOKING NHL LEADERBOARD
Jonathan Huberdeau, Alex Ovechkin, and Nazim Kadri have joined Connor MacDavid and Leon Draisaitl among the NHL’s top five point-getters, and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider is leading the league in goals. Such changes certainly make the season more interesting and are good for the game. But it should be noted that Sydney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Scheifele (who were all among last season’s leading scorers) have missed a lot of games..
AMY SCHNEIDER WILL BE MISSED
Amy Schneider’s scintillating run of consecutive Jeopardy! wins ended on Wednesday at 40, second only to Ken Jennings’ likely unattainable string of 74. Amy will be sorely missed, not just because of her prodigious knowledge about a stunning array of topics, but also because she was an enormously likeable contestant.
Joining Jennings and Schneider in the top four Jeopardy! regular-game winners are Matt Amadio with 38 and James Holzhauer with 32. The regular-game money winner leaderboard is: Jennings $2,520,700; Holzhauer $2,462,216; Amadio $1,518,601; and Schneider $1,382,800. Their average daily winnings are: Holzhauer $76,944; Amadio $39,963; Schneider 34,570; and Jennings $34,064. Holzhauer’s commanding lead in this category is because he frequently bet his entire bankroll on Daily Doubles; which, because he’s a professional gambler, isn’t surprising.
The all-time money winner, at $4,938,436, is Brad Rutter, who is virtually unbeatable in tournaments. Had it not been that contestants were limited to five wins when Rutter was on the regular show, his total would be considerably higher. Joining Rutter in the overall top five are: Jennings $4,370,700; Holzhauer $2,962,216; Amadio $1,518,601; and Schneider $1,382,800.
Like all Jeopardy! fanatics, I can’t wait for these five players to face off in the next GOAT (greatest of all time) tournament.