R.I.P Ottawa Lynx

One of the things I didn't get to do during my time in Ottawa, was to watch a Lynx game. Now that they're leaving the Nation's capital, my chances of seeing them play are a little slim.

The Ottawa Lynx are a Minor League Baseball team that compete in the International League. They began play in 1993 and won the IL championship in 1995. During the last 13 seasons, the Lynx have been affiliated with three Major League teams. In 2007, they will become affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies. Currently, they are part of the Baltimore Orioles farm system. However, they will mostly be remembered as the Triple-A affiliate for the Montreal Expos. During their association with the Expos, Ottawa fans got to see future stars such as José Vidro, Matt Stairs and Javier Vazquez.

The Lynx were once very popular but the over the last few years, attendance and interest have dropped significantly. It's so bad that the Lynx have the worst attendancee record in the entire minor league system (and that's covering a number of levels and leagues). There has always been talk about the Lynx leaving Ottawa; and now, it will happen next year.

Following the 2007 season, the Lynx will be relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania. It's no surprise to those who live in Ottawa. Having lived there, I can tell you that no one will even notice.

So why did professional baseball ultimately fail in Ottawa? When the Lynx started, Ottawa was considered as a "minor league" town. The Senators were just getting started, the CFL's Rough Riders were just abysmal, and the most successful teams were the Junior hockey clubs; the 67s and the Hull Olympique. Since then, the pro sports scene in Ottawa has changed. The city is slowly becoming a "major league" town. This is due in large part to the Senators and the success they have had. In any major league town, minor sports will never succeedd. For example, look at Toronto's hockey structure. The Maple Leafs always sell out while the Majors, Ice Dogs, Battalion and Marlies can barley get any fans. Now combine this idea with some recent poor seasons by the Lynx, and the fans just stopped coming.

So now that the end is near, I hope that the citizens of Ottawa will at least come out just to enjoy the benefits of a baseball game during a summer day or night. Once the Lynx leave, they won't be able to find something like that again.

The Hek

Watch This Show!

It's called Kenny vs. Spenny.

It airs on CBC at different times so check the local listings.

The concept: Every week, two best friends have competitions with each other. At the end of the show, the loser of the competition has to do something humiliating.

What is amazing is the great lengths these two will go to win the weekly competition.

Check it out.

The Hek

Fill in The Blanks......again!

1. If I could be naked with anyone, it would be_______________

2. J.K Rowling is a ___________ writer.

3. The team to beat in the NFL this year is the ______________

4. My dream car would be _________________

5. The best age for someone to get married is _________________

6. The best song ever recorded by Public Enemy is_______________

7. Carrots are ________ for you

8. I am _______ for Jackass 2

9. The one novel everyone should read is________________

10. Beta was a ________ idea

Thanks for filling in the blanks and be sure to catch Episode Seven of the Audio Circus.

The Hek

The Last Days of Summer

Normally at this time, I would be getting ready to move back to Ottawa. Of course, that is no longer the case. It has not hit me just yet but, I have the feeling it will very shortly. Meanwhile, there is something that has been bugging me for a while.

Ever since I graduated from Carleton, many people have inundated me with the same question:

"Now that you're finished University, what are you going to do now?"

Every time I'm asked this, I feel this immense pressure to come up with this clear, concise answer or else people are going to think I won't be able to handle the "real world."

The truth is that I really don't know what will happen now. Obviously, I'm looking for a job in the media. However, I don't know when, where or how this is all going to happen. Anything is possible and anything can happen.

Now that I've given the answer in a public forum, I hope that the questioning will stop. Believe me when I tell you that it is important to have patience. Also, when something does occur, I'll let you all know about it.

The Hek

-Check out Episode Seven of The Audio Circus podcast-

NEWS: WWE Releases Kurt Angle

Kurt's body has taken a lot of damage over the years. Because of his devotion to the business, he has never really taken time off to properly rest and recuperate. He's also going through a divorce and an addiction to pain killers which, is a result of all the bumps he's received in the ring.

If he can get his life back in order, you can expect him to be back in wrestling (hopefully, with a lighter schedule) within six months to a year. That is of course, if Angle actually takes time to straighten things out.

The Hek

'Suvivor' Plays the Race Card

In a desperate attempt to boost its falling ratings, Survivor has decided to split contestants into teams based on their race. There will be four teams; Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Needless to say, this is just asking for trouble.

If the goal of Mark Burnett was to get attention for the new season, then by all accounts, he has succeeded. But let's face it: If anything "racially charged" occurs, you can bet that CBS will make sure it doesn't go to air. Basically, the concept is just to get notice while that actual episodes, will be very controlled for fear of losing sponsors.

Still, after years of witnessing how dividing races can lead to problems such as a Civil War, Burnett could have come up with something better. For example, why not make teams based on nationality. You could have a Team Canada, Team USA, or Team Mexico. It doesn't have to be countries. Teams could also be divided by states or areas of the U.S. (Midwest, North, South, Westcoast, Eastcoast, etc). If it was done that way, audiences would tune in and cheer on their team. It would be a sense of national or state pride.

Regardless, I'm still not watching the program.

The Hek

Bring Back the CBC Butterfly

I've always been fascinated with how radio and television networks were able to produce content in a time when there was no advance technology or, dozens of computer graphics programs to choose from. It's the same type of quality we see today; but back then, things had to be creative, yet simple. With that in mind, for your viewing pleasure, here are some old station ids.

Believe it or not, in the 1960's, the CBC's logo was not the "circle shaped thing" we have today. Instead, it was a rainbow butterfly. It was created to advertise the fact that CBC was broadcasting in colour.



There were those who felt that the butterfly was too similar to the NBC peacock. Personally, I think it was just a coincidence.



Regardless, both butterfly and peacock are clearly better then what ABC had.



In the 1980's, the BBC had a neat way of coming up with filler between programs. A clock, a voice over, a neat graphic, and light music. It was perfect if you were settling down or, needed a bathroom break.



Finally, a PBS id from the early 70's. Not as advanced as what they have now but, straight, simple and to the point.



The Hek

DX vs. nWo?!

I Found this on Live Audio Wrestling. Is the WWE really considering this?

I don't know if its real or fake. Regardless, it is possible to pull this off. Sure, the match will probably be sloppy but, the buyrate will go through the roof.

The Hek

Billy's Birthday

See this guy...

It's his birthday today. He's turning 22 on the 22nd. So if you see this man, buy him a beer. He's known to frequent downtown Ottawa and the State of California.

The Hek

Check out Episode Six of The Audio Circus

Watch It or Avoid It

After a nice weekend of not having to worry about my "paying job," here are some films to check out, and one particular film you should avoid to watch at all costs.

What to Watch:

El Mariachi (1992) directed by Robert Rodriguez; a perfect balance of artistic and commercial merit.

Waking Ned Devine (1998) directed by Kurt Jones; a fun little comedy which shows the "positive side" of fraud.

What to Avoid:

Well.......this film (taken from Mirrorstone's Reflections). I don't think the director even read the original script.

The Hek

Be sure to check out Episode Six of The Audio Circus Podcast

10 Weeks later.....

After some ups and downs, I have finished my "paying job." For the next few weeks, I will still do some odds and ends for my employer. However, the bulk of the work is complete.

Now, I've held this job for the last six years and its paid a good chunk of the University bill. But, its not what I want to do in life and I'm crossing my fingers I don't have to go back there for a seventh year. To be honest, I'd rather be unemployed then work another ten weeks, next year.

So starting Monday, the job search fully resumes. My main goal next week, is to find a temp agency that specializes in media related jobs. Of course, I'll also be applying to as many jobs as I can. By the way, for those keeping track at home, I've applied to 25 jobs and have only had one application that actually got a response.

Honward Oh!

Whoops. I mean, Onward Ho!

The Hek

Blue Jays trade Eric Hinske to the Red Sox

And what do the Blue Jays get in return? Cash and/or a player to be named later. The "player to be named later" will be based on how well Hinske does with Boston. If he does well, the Jays get a player; if he fails to live up to expectations (which, is why he was mostly a benchwarmer this season as well as in 2005), the Jays receive some beer money.

Granted, Hinske is not a huge loss for Toronto. However, let's review the transaction:

The Jays give up a player for practically nothing, to a division rival no less.

Alright, let's see where this goes.

The Hek

Name That Planet

A group of international astronomers will take a vote to decide if they should change the requirements for something in space to be labeled as a planet. If the vote favours the changes then, three new planets will be added to our solar system. This will bring the total number of planets to 12 and force a lot of astronomy text books to be thrown out.

In the meantime, the question as to what to name these new planets, has become a hot topic with some. One astronomer has suggested that one of the new planets be named "Xena," after the warrior princess.

I don't agree with Xena but, I do agree we should name the planets after television characters. Besides, Greek gods and goddesses are so "yesterday."

Having said that, here are my suggestions:

Planet Springer
Planet Colbert
Planet Stratus

I think I'm on to something.

The Hek

When Debates Get Personal

Found this clip off of Inside The CBC.com.

Be sure to watch it in its entirety. All I have to say, is know when to draw the line when you make fun of people's weight.

Click here to watch the clip

The Hek

Canadian universities refuse to participate in Maclean's school ranking

Interesting.

Every year when the rankings came out, the administration at Carleton would always be on the defensive. In fact, there was one year when the school's president sent an e-mail to every single student, urging them to ignore what Maclean's had reported. Frankly, no one on the campus (except for the editors of the student newspaper) really cared about the rankings. What's really odd is that Ottawa U which, usually tended to get good marks, has stated that they will not take part; while Carleton, is still part of the survey.

In all honesty, I never considered the Maclean's rankings when it came to time to choose a school. The fact of the matter is that each school, provides their programs differently. Some schools focus more on the sciences while others, focus more on the arts. Considering the source of the data (i.e. random students), should be enough reason for people to be a little skeptical of the results. One student's experience is going to be different then any other student.

To be fair, Maclean's did make a good effort in helping young people make a tough decision. However, there were some factors that were not even considered and some, that should not have even been included.

The Hek

Check out Episode Five of The Audio Circus Podcast

Old Time Radio Network

If you're looking for something interesting to listen to this weekend, try the Old Time Radio Network. It's a website that offers free access to old radio shows from the 30's and 40's. Right now, I'm listening to Dragnet.

The sound is not that great but, the programs are creative and entertaining.

Have a good weekend.

The Hek

Battle of The Titans: RACCOON RAMPAGE

The following contest is scheduled for one fall.

Introducing first; from the Canadian forest......



And their opponents; hailing from the land of the rising sun.....



80's Canadian Cartoon vs. Pom Poko

The Hek

You've been Haiku'd!

tasting jealousy in bulk
with a hint of spite
makes my waist large

The Hek

Fill In The Blanks

Paris Hilton makes me want to_________

The best song to listen to while driving is____________

If I was given the choice of Labbat or Molson, I would choose___________

Stephen Harper is a ___________ Prime Minister - (Be nice.)

The next time the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup, will be in the year__________

Braveheart was a __________film

The best Star Wars film was_______________

The best city in Canada is____________

I can do ___________ cartwheels in a row

You do the hokey-pokey and_____________

The Hek

Death From Above 1979 announce split

Now that is a darn shame.

DFA1979 had a unique sound and created a pretty good following for themselves. In a world where many radio stations fulfill their CanCon requirements by playing nothing but Bryan Adams, Shania, Celine and the Hip, DFA1979 proved to skeptics that Canadian music can be fresh and creative.

When a band splits there are both positives and negatives. The positive side is that the band ended without losing any popularity or dare I say it (and this term is overused), selling out. The negative side is that there won't be anymore DFA1979.

-Be sure to catch Episode Four of The Audio Circus-

The Hek

Sweet Tunes

I'm listening to Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap on Radio One.

Today, he's playing his favourite Billboard Number One hits. Check out this awesome playlist:

True Colours - Cyndi Lauper
Seasons in The Sun - Terry Jacks
Dancing Queen - Abba
Jive Talkin' - The Bee Gees
Will It Go Round in Circles - Billy Preston

And that's just the first hour.

Here's two things I learnt from the show:

1. Seasons in The Sun was a song originally intended for The Beach Boys. It was recorded by the band but never released. So Terry Jacks released his own version and it went right to the top.

2. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet was just a "work song" that Randy Bachman did as a way to keep his skills sharp. When the manager of the record label heard it by sheer accident, he demanded that Bachman put the song on BTO's next album and have it released as a single. Bachman reluctantly agreed and figured that BTO would turn into a laughing stock. In his opinion, the song was of poor quality. In the end, the song rose to number one and became a classic.

The Hek

Jockey suspended for head-butt

Think you're having a bad day?

Next time it happens to you, don't act out your frustration like jockey, Paul O'Neil.

When I first heard about the story, I thought the article was referring to the former New York Yankees' right fielder which made no sense given that the guy was close to six feet. However, the baseball O'Neil did have a bit of a temper. But I doubt he took it this far.

(For the full story, click on the title.)

The Hek

Wear your Red on Friday

As some may know, I do not support war in any way, shape or form.

However, in light of the four Canadians who lost their lives in Afghanistan today, I would ask that we all wear a little red on Friday. It will show our support to the men and women who sacrifice their lives so that one day, we can all live in a world of peace and harmony.

(If you respectfully choose not to, that's alright.)

The Hek

Go Canada Podcasts

The Audio Circus is now listed on CanadaPodcasts.ca. This website is the directory for any type of podcast that is produced in the country. There are so many cool shows listed here. There's also links to all of CBC radio's podcasts as well.

Check out the page for The Audio Circus.

Now comes the part where I plan to send off some promo e-mails. If you already listen, I apologize for taking up space in your inbox.

The Hek