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Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
CFL Week 14 Recap: Seven Weeks Left
In the CFL season, the Labour Day Weekend batch of games is often followed by a few rematches on the following week. Week 14 is also a pivotal week, as the season becomes two-thirds done, with only seven weeks left to go. While we did get a pair of rematches, Week 14 actually began with the Montréal Alouettes hosting the BC Lions, the latter being the one team who did not participate in the Labour Day Weekend festivities. This was a battle between second place teams in their respective divisions, but despite this, the teams were leagues apart in the overall standings. Even though the Lions were on the road, I (and probably many other fans) expected a lopsided win in favor of the road team.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks
I can't believe it. This upcoming season will mark the 30th anniversary of the debut of the then-named Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. I was eight years old when the team debuted, I was barely getting into hockey as a whole, but I definitely remember the buzz over the Mighty Ducks. A year prior, Disney's Mighty Ducks film hit theaters, and it was due to the big box office numbers that the team came to fruition. I've lived in Southern California since I was three years old; at the time, I was attending elementary school in Anaheim, and I fondly remember the Mighty Ducks' NHL debut being a huge moment for the city--a key part of the league's expansion wave in the 1990s.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 13 Recap: The Fruits of Labour
Labour Day Weekend is treated as the biggest week of the CFL season, and for good reason. It's the weekend where all of the rivalries take place--where the biggest statements are made, and where the most surprising moments become etched in the memories of many fans. In the shortened 2021 season, Labour Day Weekend took place early in the season, but with the season back to fully normal, the holiday weekend's batch of games are back in their annual scheduled position: often taking place prior to the season's home stretch.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB Pennant Race 2022: Braves Moving Closer, Tight AL Central
Who doesn't love the month of September?! As every baseball fan knows, September is the ultimate month in the MLB season; it's the final countdown, the last chance for teams to make their mark and qualify for the postseason. It's a different race now--instead of 10 teams qualifying, it's 12. Three division winners and three Wild Cards, meaning that more teams are in the hunt in the vital month of September. The increased population of postseason teams makes for a much more intriguing race, and here are some of the stories that have developed with 31 days left in the season.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back: The World Heavyweight Championship
Among the long list of things I love about professional wrestling: the belts. Different promotions have had some cool-looking belts over the years, but IMO, the best looking belt in all of wrestling was the one used as WWE's World Heavyweight Championship during the beginning of the Ruthless Aggression Era. The belt actually had a long history dating back to the 1980s, as it actually served as the National Wrestling Alliance's top prize before gaining more steam as the main belt for World Championship Wrestling.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB August 2022 Review
Well, this is it. We have finally reached the home stretch of the 2022 MLB season. The regular season will come to an end on October 5, 2022, which is a Wednesday, meaning that the season has 35 days--an even five weeks--remaining. August has been quite eventful for us baseball fans, and here are some of the things that occurred during this pivotal month.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Marvelous Career of Nathan MacKinnon (So Far)
I cannot believe that this upcoming NHL season will be Nathan MacKinnon's tenth in the league. Tenth. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I still remember the buzz surrounding MacKinnon near the tail end of the shortened 2012-13 season, which ended without a postseason berth for the Colorado Avalanche. At first, it was believed that the Avs would draft Seth Jones, but then the team's interest shifted to MacKinnon. I watched that year's draft, because the Avalanche had the #1 overall pick in the draft, and of course, we decided to draft Nathan Raymond MacKinnon, born in the Nova Scotian capital of Halifax on September 1, 1995, but served as one half of the NHL's Cole Harbour duo with the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes
After the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first Stanley Cup, hockey fans such as myself ended up going over a year without our favorite sport. I've been a hockey fan since I was a little kid, but to be honest, the moment I loved hockey the most was that 2004-05 season...because there wasn't one. I've experienced lockouts in other sports, but this was different. When hockey was gone, it felt like something was missing. It felt too quiet. It felt like a piece of myself was missing. WWE helped fill that void, but even so, with hockey gone, it was still too quiet for my liking.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing WWE's Brand New Women's Tag Team Champions
The main event of this week's Monday Night Raw featured the finals of the anticipated WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament, which consisted of eight teams competing for the vacant titles. The tournament started on the August 8 episode of Raw, and originally consisted of the following teams: Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai, Tamina & Dana Brooke, Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark, Sonya Deville & Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah, Shotzi & Xia Li, Alexa Bliss & Asuka, and Nikki A.S.H. & Doudrop. The tournament lasted three weeks and came to an end this week, and in what is considered a stunning surprise, Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah defeated Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to capture the vacant titles.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 12 Recap: Back in the Saddle
When a team hits a rare lull, many wonder how said team will respond. Will they get back on track? Will it serve as just a blip on the radar? Or will the lull continue and turn into a skid? Those were the looming questions that hit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who were coming off their first loss of the season in Week 10, and a bye on Week 11. The first test came on a Thursday evening in Winnipeg, as the Bombers hosted the Calgary Stampeders in a West Division battle. It looked a bit shaky for the Bombers, as they actually trailed at halftime. It was only by one point, but still, it wasn't looking good. However, the Bombers did manage to take the lead late in the fourth, and as a result, they won 31-29 over the Stamps. A shaky return to play, but still, a win is a win.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Six of the best North Wales golf courses, but who's counting?
North Wales’ golf courses boast some of the most spectacular scenery you’ll find anywhere in the United Kingdom and thousands of people flock to the coastal resorts of Rhyl, Prestatyn and Llandudno every year.
By Steve Harrisonabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning
I remember the 2003-04 NHL season very vividly; for positive reasons and for a negative reason. The season started a few months after I graduated from high school, and I remember being elated and stunned when Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne joined the Colorado Avalanche. As an Avalanche fan, I was salivating, but unfortunately, the acquisitions didn't help the team get over the hump and get back to that glory that they achieved three seasons prior. The negative reason was a big one, the dreaded "l" word was looming: lockout. There were talks of a lockout coming after that season, but I tried my best not to dwell on that. As I've done for my whole life, I focused on the positives, and one of them was the sudden rise of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
