Mike McEwen has been making a mockery of the men's world curling scene this season, but the 31-year-old Manitoban, whose trophy case is filled to overflowing, has yet to win Canada's most cherished curling prize: The Brier. In fact, the closest McEwen has even got to the Brier has been watching it on TV.
That might change this year. In back-to-back years, McEwen and his rink of third B.J. Neufeld, second Matt Wozniak and lead Denni Neufeld suffered heartbreak in the final of the Manitoba men's championship.
Favoured going into the final in 2010, they lost to veteran Jeff Stoughton. Favoured again in 2011, they lost again to Stoughton, who not only went on to win the Brier in Halifax but the world championship in Regina.
So while Stoughton continued to pile up the silverware and the memories, McEwen and Co. have been settling for cash - gobs of cash. The Winnipeg-based rink won three of the first five World Curling Tour titles to start the 2011-12 season, losing in the final in one and in the quarter-finals of another. They were runaway leaders in the money race, with more than $70,000, and moved to No. 1 in the world rankings. George Karrys, in the Toronto Sun, said rivals have begun referring to the foursome as "McWin."
But no matter how many thousands of dollars McEwen and mates bank this season on the cash circuit, the season will be a failure if McEwen again fails to reach the Brier. Since he's ranked No. 1 in the world, he'll undoubtedly be the No. 1 seed in the Manitoba championships in February. But that means little; he was the No. 1 seed last year until Stoughton's experience and a little bit of luck handed McEwen his only loss of the week - in the winner-take-all final.
Losing back-to-back finals to Stoughton hurt, and McEwen made a thoughtless comment in the immediate aftermath of his 2011 loss, saying "We still believe we're the best chance Manitoba has to win a Brier." Ouch! He quickly apologized to Stoughton and Co., telling Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun that "I shouldn't have said it, and I didn't really mean it. It was one of those things that came out.
"Hopefully, it will be our time in the future," he said.
Judging by the team's quick start to this season, the future is now. The Brier, with Stoughton likely in the way again, awaits.
Comedy writer Jerry Perisho: "The Oakland Raiders signed wide receive T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Tuesday. He finished signing his name early Wednesday morning."
Perisho again: Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the LA Dodgers. That's a little like a demolition derby driver agreeing to sell what's left of his wreck.
Norman Chad in the Washington Post, on player safety in the NFL: "Isn't the whole point of football to hit the other guy really, really hard? If you don't want people hitting each other, they should just play backgammon then."
From Steve Harvey's Bottom 10: " Minnehaha defensive end Brian Robison was fined $20,000 for kicking Green Bay guard T.J. Lang in the groin during the previous week's game. Robison insisted he did not "maliciously aim for genitalia," but would not say whether his errant kick was off to the left or to the right."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "An Illinois man is on trial for killing someone who wouldn't buy him Avril Lavigne tickets. A Toronto man faces similar charges after someone bought him Argos tickets."
Currie again: "A suggestion for St. Louis reliever Mike Rzepczynski should he ever meet Finnish curler Markku Uusipaavalniemi. Buy a vowel."
TNT's Conan O'Brien, on the Mets moving in the walls at Citi Field to pad the home-run count: "Call me old-fashioned, but isn't that what steroids are for?"
Headline at TheOnion.com: "Theo Epstein disgusted to find Cubs playing in old stadium with weeds growing all over walls."
CBS's David Letterman, among the top 10 things that lasted longer than the Humphries-Kardashian marriage: "Every one of Brett Favre's retirements."
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "The NBA lockout reached its 125th day Wednesday, or to put it in terms the players can relate to: 1.7 Kardashian marriages."
Rice running back Jayson Carter - a 4-foot-9, 135-pound walk-on - has yet to see any action this season. Cracked Perry: "Maybe they're saving him for third-and-short."
Janice Hough, of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "Peyton Manning told reporters that he's spending every day in rehab and hasn't given up on playing in a game in 2011. Colts fans who have been watching the team this year and watching (potential No. 1 draft pick) Andrew Luck responded "Peyton, take it easy. Spend time with your family and don't push it ..."
Hough again: Free-agent lefthander Jamie Moyer, who is about to turn 49, has been throwing for scouts recently and apparently stands a good chance of being offered a big league contract. Moyer's goal, to be the first MLB player whose age is a higher number than the speed of his fastball."
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
