STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – CANUCKS SITUATION – Despite my well known opinions on the pandemic, I will be the first one to say that if the Vancouver Canucks have a few players end up in the ICU then the National Hockey League and all other sports need to put an end to their seasons and not resume until we reach zero Covid cases. This is still a developing story, but the fear mongering was ratcheted up to a fever pitch over the weekend despite scattered stories the illnesses weren’t quite as serious as national sports media were proclaiming. The fact we can’t even get an accurate report on the situation just feeds further skepticism amongst those who haven’t taken this seriously from the beginning.

2 – SOME CANUCKS ON IV – Here’s what I know when it comes to players being hooked up to IV: Many years ago when the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers were taking on the Portage Terriers in the ANAVET Cup, the SJHL team was stricken with a nasty bug that affected upwards of a dozen players and the MJHL team won the series. One Yorkton player spent part of a day in hospital hooked up to IV so that he could play that evening. So, IV doesn’t necessarily mean the situation is dire. Being bedridden for three or four days at home isn’t a vacation and can be concerning but if you aren’t sick enough to be admitted to an ICU ward in the hospital then you really aren’t at the point where people should be worried about your life.  

3 – SCARY – Some of the reporting coming out of Vancouver is that the players say it’s ‘scary’. I don’t doubt this for a second. Even speaking for myself, I’ve been surrounded by fear for over a year now so in the event I catch the virus and start to have some difficulty with it, I think it would be perfectly normal to sink into thoughts of death. When you have professional athletes who are invincible feeling most of their lives but have had it drilled into their head that if they get a flu bug they could pass away, I think it would be extremely scary to find yourself in a situation where you are lethargic for a few days. I know I’ve had countless instances since the Fall where I’ve had a bit of a runny nose or a headache and I’ve momentarily panicked wondering if I have the dreaded Covid. It’s safe to say this virus lives rent-free in all of our heads regardless of whether or not we contract it.   

4 – FITZGERALD/FREEMAN – Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman ended up in the public eye last summer when he announced he contracted Covid and dealt with a high fever (never hospitalized) and prayed to God that he not be taken. He was not only spared from death, but also spared from the much promoted long term health effects as he ended up winning the National League MVP Award. A miracle. NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald didn’t get as much attention, but he missed two games and lost nine pounds during his fight with Covid. Fitzgerald was concerned enough about his immediate future that he changed his will. So this does screw with your mind there is no question about that. Which is why we need accurate reporting and not fear mongering.  

5 – CANCEL THE SEASON – I saw a mainstream sports media person advocate for canceling the Vancouver Canucks season on Monday and that’s fine if that’s the high horse you wish to sit on but don’t expect me to have any sympathy if the CFL cancels the 2021 season and radio stations send their shutdown cheerleading play by play guys packing out to the unemployment line. Hey, you asked for it. As one left winger preached at me not that long ago: livelihoods can be rebuilt. Lives can’t. I’m sure that will provide great comfort as you wonder how next month’s bills will be paid.

6 – SPANISH FLU REVIEW – In 1919, the NHL canceled it’s Stanley Cup final series because of the pandemic and 37-year-old defenseman Joe Hall actually died from it four days after the series was abandoned (they had played 5 games). To compare to Covid, the Spanish Flu didn’t discriminate based on age the way Covid has. In Canada, we’ve had about 20,000 people pass away although those numbers can be challenged to some degree because of the dishonesty when it comes to reporting. The Spanish Flu killed 50,000 Canadians and it’s assumed even more than that because of the difficulty to keep accurate records in a non computer age. My Great Grandfather died of tuberculosis contracted as a result of the Spanish Flu. He was 32 and he didn’t go quick like the majority of those who have passed away in this pandemic. It was a long, drawn out illness.  

7 – OHTANI – In the same inning on Sunday night, Shohei Ohtani threw a 101 mph fastball which was deemed to be the hardest thrown pitch by a starting pitcher so far this season and then he also hit a ball 115 mph which was the hardest hit home run of the season. I’m a diehard ball fan and for as much as there is wrong with the game, I am still likely to watch all year. Ohtani is the game’s biggest and brightest star and he’s the most unique player of my lifetime. Yet, if you are only a casual baseball observer there is a real chance you have no idea who he is. Major League Baseball couldn’t organize a two car parade.

8 – OTHER EARLY HEAD SCRATCHERS – TJ Zeuch threw four shutout innings against the Yankees on Sunday afternoon and hadn’t even reached 70 pitches yet he was removed from the game. In a month or so when the Blue Jays are lamenting how tired their bullpen is, we should remind them of this game. Saturday night, Twins starter Jose Berrios and Brewer hurler Corbin Burnes each had their own no-hitters going through six innings. Byron Buxton homered off Burnes in the top of the seventh and he was, promptly, taken out of the game. Berrios never came out for the bottom of the seventh and the bullpen lost the no hitter in the eighth.

9 – BARKLEY FOR PRESIDENT – Charles Barkley upset a lot of hateful people over the weekend with a dose of truth surum on live television during the NCAA March Madness broadcast. If most of us would just take what Barkley said to heart, the world would be such a better place and we could vanquish all of these politicians (both in Canada and the United States) who have done their best to wreck all of our lives for their own selfish agendas. If you missed it, here’s what Barkley said: “I think most White and Black people are great people. I really believe that in my heart but I think our system is set up where our politicians, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, are designed to make us not like each other so that they can keep their grasp of money and power. They divide and conquer. Americans are stupid following our politicians.  Whether they are Republican or Democrat, and their only job is ‘Hey let’s make these people not like each other. We don’t live in their neighborhoods, we all got money, let’s make the Whites and Blacks not like each other, let’s make rich people and poor people not like each other. Let’s scramble the middle class’. I truly believe that in my heart.” If you’ve done any amount of research on Barkley, you’d have a hard time figuring out if he’s Republican or Democrat. He has been outspoken against both sides since he retired and that tells me the man is genuine.

10 – PAUL PIERCE – Cancel culture claimed former NBA star Paul Pierce early this week as ESPN dropped him from their basketball coverage after he posted a video on Friday that showed him in the presence of apparent exotic dancers. For this incredible immoral act there can be no coming back. The reality is that if Pierce was Andrew Cuomo it would be fine. Our society is very selective on who we wish to hold to high standards. Don’t feel bad for Pierce, though. My guess is he resurfaces on a non-mainstream media platform and be as popular as ever. More and more people are choosing to support outfits like Barstool Sports over the traditional sources like ESPN with each passing day. I can tell you, myself, that I don’t watch a lick of mainstream sports media coverage beyond actual game play. That includes muting or finding an alternative to fill the time during intermissions and I’ve never felt better mentally.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)