Canada Day Thoughts And Some Other Quick Hits
Officially launching the comeback with some musings on Canada the great, a dud of an NHL Free Agency, trouble in Queens and more...
Happy July 1! Or, rather, Happy Canada Day!
I hope all of our readers and subscribers up North have the best day celebrating. You sure do have a country, a history, a culture and a set of values to be proud of.
And I want to lead off this newsletter by celebrating Canada in my own way, too.
After all, this is the country that gave us Wayne Gretzky, maple syrup, Tim Hortons, Connor McDavid, Niagara Falls, Poutine, James Cameron, how to be ultra polite and friendly, Alanis Morissette, and the Toronto Maple Leafs sucking every single year.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist that last one.
But, seriously, I love Canada. It is a special, unique and breathtakingly beautiful country. I spent some time in Toronto in 2018 and I just fell in love with the place. I’d move there in a heartbeat. It had the feel of a big city but the warmth of a small, cozy town. Toronto has something for everyone and it quickly became one of my favorite places on the planet.
People really aren’t kidding when they say Canadians are the friendliest and nicest people you will ever meet, either. Everywhere I went I was met with warmth, a smile and an abundance of kindness. I remember meeting a couple at Real Sports - has to be one of the coolest sports bars of all time, by the way - while watching the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights. We hit it off and the next day they insisted I join them on a brewery tour of Steam Whistle Kitchen. And, if that wasn’t generous enough, they then took me to a Blue Jays game. We had a blast. I met another guy - again at Real Sports - who insisted on sharing a mouthwatering buffet of food with me. I am not lying when I say that I experienced similar acts of kindness every single day I was in Canada.
Toronto is just a really cool place overall. The food is to die for. The city itself is vibrant and thriving with a boatload of rich cultural offerings. Toronto Island Park offers a perfect and beautiful escape from city life. And everything in the city just seemed so clean and safe.
There is also no shortage of fun to be had there, especially for sports fans. The iconic Hockey Hall of Fame is a must. I went multiple times throughout my stay. Taking in a Blue Jays game is also a whole lot of fun - and I recommend going into the TD Club for a game. Now that’s how you watch a ballgame. It is just a shame that Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant in Toronto is no longer open. It was in a perfect location, close to the ballpark, and I had the best meatloaf I’ve ever had on my first visit there. Even though Wayne Gretzky’s is no more, you won’t struggle to find a good time in Toronto. It is just a truly incredible city.
Oh, and did I mention that the Poutine is freaking good?! The first time I ever sampled Poutine I felt as though a party was being thrown in my mouth. The combination of the thick gravy with the delicious cheese curds and the saltiness of the crispy french fries was beyond delectable. Poutine is making the cut on my final meal menu.
If you haven’t been to Toronto, or anywhere in Canada for that matter, I strongly urge that you book a trip and soon. You won’t regret it.
Anyway. As much as I would love to go on about my love of Canada all night, there are a few other quick hits I want to fire out there…
One final thing on Canada Day - the Blue Jays really need to make those beautiful red jerseys and caps they wear on Canada Day a more permanent fixture in the jersey rotation. Those red uniforms are truly special, and they look so damn good in action. I wouldn’t be mad at all if the Jays decided to wear red on select dates throughout the year. Those jerseys deserve to be brought out for more than just one day.
Also, beating the Yankees 12-5 to be a game back of first place in the AL East wasn’t a bad way to celebrate Canada Day.
I thought Rogers Centre was going to explode when George Springer hit that grand slam in the seventh inning. Talk about a special day in Toronto.
There was a lot going on in the sports world today. Or, rather, there should have been.
I think it is safe to state that today’s NHL Free Agency was the most boring and uneventful in recent memory. This date in the calendar is normally must-watch TV all day long. However, this year, I stopped really paying attention after the first hour or so.
After all, this year’s Free Agency class was hardly blockbuster to begin with. So, when you consider that three of the biggest names available all re-signed with the Florida Panthers before Tuesday, not to mention that Mitch Marner landed with the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade on Monday, there wasn’t really a whole lot to get excited about once Free Agency officially got underway.
Brock Boeser could have potentially spiced things up but, instead, he decided to play the role of party pooper by re-signing with the Canucks. The Rangers sending defenseman K’Andre Miller to the Hurricanes for defenseman Scott Morrow, a 2026 First Round pick, and a 2026 Second Round pick was arguably the highlight of the entire day.
Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot going on.
NBA Free Agency has also been somewhat of a dud too. And am I the only one sick of all the LeBron stuff? He’s one of the best to have ever done it, but there is always drama with that guy.
Although, I will say that the NBA outdid the NHL on Tuesday. Damian Lillard getting waived and stretched by the Bucks was a true shocker, even more so when you consider that Milwaukee did that in order to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract. I don’t think anyone saw any of that coming.
I’m more of a hockey guy than I am a basketball guy, but the NHL lost the faceoff to the NBA this year when it came to Free Agency intrigue. Let’s hope next year is a lot more exciting.
Man, the Mets are an absolute mess right now. They’ve lost 13 of their last 16 games and were swept by the freaking Pirates over the weekend. Yes, the God damn Pirates. Worst still, New York was outscored 30-4 by Pittsburgh.
The pitching is a mess. The bullpen is taxed. And the offense, which was supposed to be a real strength of this team, has been maddeningly inconsistent. And let’s not even get into the runners in scoring position problem.
This team has more than one fatal flaw. If serious reinforcements and upgrades aren’t acquired at the Trade Deadline, then I’m not sure another deep postseason run should be expected. We have seen a large enough sample size to be really concerned about the Mets, and what their ceiling may well be in 2025.
Let me finish this newsletter with a quick update….
It has been a couple of weeks since I opened up about my mental health struggles, and my inability to fire up the laptop and write anything for this site. I promised in that piece that I would be back, so I apologize for then taking my sweet time in actually writing anything.
I just needed a bit of extra time to compose myself and to truly get my confidence back. It has taken me some time and a lot of adjusting just to put this newsletter together.
But, with that said, it has felt good to get the train back on the tracks and I look forward to getting back into a consistent routine from here on out. I will start sending out baseball content on the new ‘Around The Bases With Andrew’ newsletter on Tuesday. If you only want newsletters from The Steele Sports Bar, or if you are only interested in baseball content, I will send out details tomorrow on how you can pick and choose which newsletters you get in your inbox. It is all pretty simple.
I have a ton of baseball stuff to catch up on, so it should be a busy week.
And, with that, I’ll see you tomorrow.
Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦