10 statements; 10 of my responses.
Yes, it is time for the always popular ‘True or False’ game.
Rules and directions are not necessary.
Let’s get started.
1) There was a pay raise last month for the B.C. Lions.
TRUE
On June 1st, 2023, the minimum wage in B.C. increased by $1.10 an hour going from $15.65 an hour to $16.75.
Does this mean the Lions no longer have to play a ‘nickel’ defence?
The Lions head into their first bye week of the season with a 4-1 record and in first place in the CFL’s West Division.https://t.co/WBEMSG7s5K
— Province Sports (@provincesports) July 10, 2023
2) The Edmonton Elks are the worst team in CFL history.
TRUE
Name another pro football team that has lost 20 straight home games (a streak of nearly four years (Oct 12, 2019) at 1,371 days and counting).
There isn’t one; in fact, after blowing another one Thursday night, a 37-29 loss to Hamilton, the Elks are in the company of the St. Louis Browns for the longest home losing streak in North America’s four major professional leagues.
Edmonton fans carpooling the last time they won a home game.#CFL pic.twitter.com/l4cPFYWQAm
— CFL Super Late News ● (@CFLLATENEWS) July 14, 2023
By the way, the Elks have also lost 10 straight games overall and 0-6 this year, their worst start in franchise history.
More losses are coming as their next three games on the schedule are at Winnipeg, home against B.C. and home against Winnipeg.
Edmonton Elks tie 1953 St. Louis Browns’ all-time pro sports record with 20th consecutive home losshttps://t.co/dIyOddIP0y#CFL #Elks #GoElks #ElksCharge pic.twitter.com/soZpfM5rsz
— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 14, 2023
3) Jared Young of P.G. will remain with the Chicago Cubs for the remainder of the season.
TRUE
This will be performance-based but his call-up this year is different from 2022. Last year, he was promoted from the Iowa Cubs in September when rosters increased. This year, the first baseman was brought to Chicago in mid-season after batting .326 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs in 52 games with the Triple-A farm club in Iowa. Young, who just turned 28, is batting .200 with Chicago (6-for-30) with one homer and five RBIs but this is just a small sample size.
“I am trying to stay in the moment,”: PG’s Jared Young eyeing more success with @Cubs
| https://t.co/3oJdtWHQBY #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WindyCity #Chicago #ChicagoCubs #CubsNation #MLB pic.twitter.com/Nw3dXdRTi5— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) July 12, 2023
4) The Toronto Blue Jays will miss the playoffs this year.
FALSE
The 50-41 Jays will not win the A.L. East but they should be good enough for one of three wild card berths just like last year.
Toronto and Houston hold down the final two spots (behind Baltimore) but are only a game ahead of the Yankees, two in front of Boston, four up on Seattle and five ahead of LA Angels and Minnesota.
The Jays are 9th out of 30 MLB teams in pitching ERA (3.85) and seventh in batting (.259)
SUN SPORTS ROUNDTABLE: Grading the Blue Jays at the All-Star Break https://t.co/aJQTtAe5cP pic.twitter.com/w6ln32RqNq
— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) July 11, 2023
5) The LA Angels will trade the world’s best baseball player Shohei Ohtani before or on the August 1st deadline.
FALSE
The sensible thing to do would be to deal him to the highest bidder and start planning for the future rather than potentially get nothing in return at the season’s end.
However, sensible and the Angels do not go hand in hand and haven’t in many years.
Column: If reeling Angels truly care about building for a championship?
Trade Shohei Ohtani https://t.co/8zmWZNA0zS
— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) July 8, 2023
6) The Toronto Maple Leafs will trade William Nylander before the end of the year.
TRUE
After the deal the Leafs will just have three core forwards to blame for their misery: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should still have a decent trade market for Nylander despite the underwhelming return for Alex DeBrincat in the Senators trade to Detroit. https://t.co/853mkqbfBg
— NHL Trade Talk (@nhl_tradetalk) July 10, 2023
7) Connor Bedard will lead the Chicago Blackhawks to the 2024 playoffs.
False
Bedard, who turns just 18 on Monday, should be the hands-down winner of the Calder Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year) but he will be wearing a Blackhawks jersey, not a Superman cape. Chicago missed the playoffs by 36 points this year. With Bedard in the lineup, that number will be reduced by more than half, down to 15.
F Connor Bedard will wear jersey number 98 for the Chicago Blackhawks. Number never worn before in team history. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/U3fMDy3qhB
— NHL Jersey Numbers (@NHLNewNumbers) June 28, 2023
8) The Prince George Cougars will win the BC Division in the 2023-24 WHL regular season.
TRUE
The Cougars get a break being in what appears to be the weakest division in the league.
They may only end up with the third or fourth-best record in the Western Conference but who has the roster to beat them out in the BC Division?
Kamloops may be the Cougars’ biggest challenger but they went all-in last season and will take a tumble in the win column, the question being by how much?
Vancouver, Kelowna and Victoria were all behind P.G. in 2022-23 and those teams appear to be in a rebuilding phase.
Just two of the four divisions in the league have just five teams, and P.G. benefits from being in one of them.
Here’s a look at the 8️⃣ Cougars from 2022-2023 who are participating at NHL Development Camps! pic.twitter.com/SDZ2vskGgH
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) July 11, 2023
9) The New York Jets will be the most improved team in the AFC.
TRUE
The Jets went 7-10 last year and ended on a six-game losing streak without a bona fide quarterback.
With Aaron Rodgers calling the signals that should be worth three or four extra victories and finishing the win column in double digits should be enough for a post-season berth.
Aaron Rodgers Set To Appear On Hard Knocks With New York Jets https://t.co/gknw4iR9ot
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 12, 2023
10) This week’s Hart Attack column was the best ever!
FALSE
But, are you in agreement it was a close second?
Taking Note:
Will K.C. bring sunshine to Wild? . . . Patience pays off for Herauf . . . Giants confirm that they need head coach https://t.co/rqZNvGqpI9
— Gregg Drinnan (@gdrinnan) July 14, 2023
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
A New York Yankees game was postponed because of smoke. What? A Snoop Dog pre-game concert?
*Comedy writer Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver
The Athletic reports James Harden is “determined” to have a trade work out so he can be with the Clippers for the 2023-2024 season. Guess Harden wants to add another to the long list of teams he hasn’t won a championship with.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California
Elton John gave what he says was his final performance in Stockholm after 50 years of touring. Then he received a text message from Tom Brady that began, ‘Not so fast…’
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Reuters reports an alligator bit off the arm of a Florida man who had tried swimming across a lake to avoid arrest. Police said when the suspect got to shore he was unarmed.
*Comedy writer RJ Currie of Winnipeg
Hartley Miller is the news and sports supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. After growing up in Winnipeg, he has lived in Prince George for the last 44 years and completed his 10th season as the radio colour commentator on the Prince George Cougars home games. Hartley is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes).
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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