Kyle Lowry, Walter White, March Madness and More

By Michael Cusden in Big Green Egg, Food, Kids, Media & Entertainment, Sports, Toronto
march 16 cover image

Well it’s Mid-March and we are officially a year into this mess known as the pandemic and now the media is pushing the arrival of the third wave. Cool.

Does anyone else feel like March 2020 and March 2021 have merged? Thank goodness I have an Instagram feed to remind me that the last 12 months existed. Seriously, if I close my eyes, I can instantly go back to this time last year and it feels like it is now. We were on the kid’s March Break, or March Broke as I was calling it, and trying to navigate staying busy with the boys.

It’s been a year since signing up for Disney +. It’s been a year since I started playing Red Dead Redemption. It’s been a year since I watched no March Madness.

Anyways, how are you? How is life going for you? Gotten your vaccine yet?

How about a brain dump?

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My Son Actually Picked The Biggest Upset in NCAA Basketball History

By Michael Cusden in Sports

umbc upset

The following story is as true as it is hard to believe.

It’s always easy to look back once history has been made and say, I called that, but sometimes, it’s just how it goes. As we head to the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio, something I thought would never be mentioned again, came up today while I walked the kids to school.

The something that came up? Well it’s a tale that Harry may hold over me for the history of time. He made a choice and then changed it thanks to something I said.

  • A true, Dad, I can’t believe you stopped me from predicting history.
  • Dad, remember the time I made that pick and it came true and you used your bias to sway me?
  • Dad you owe me money.

What the hell am I talking about? Well as they say on the National, first a little back story.

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Kevin Garnett Loves Toronto and Super Chill Canada

By Michael Cusden in Sports, Toronto

kevin garnett, toronto

From a GQ interview. Had to highlight Kevin Garnett’s remarks about Toronto, Canada and the Raptors.

What about Toronto makes it distracting?

What I love about Toronto is that there’s always something new and vibrant going on. A place might close at 2, and tomorrow it will close at 4. It’s a city of a bunch of hole-in-the-walls. There are a bunch of spots that you don’t really know of that’s here and there. I love cities like that, like Madrid is similar, where you can just find spots to eat and lounge. My first time in Toronto was my draft and it was a great experience. I’ve always considered it like home. I spent my own money to come up there to relax. I love Caribana. I always enjoyed that weekend. It’s always been fun. I’ve enjoyed Whistler. I’ve been to Calgary a couple of times. I enjoy Canada. Canada is super chill and I’m a chill guy. I like to chill.

 

The Raptors have the best record in the Eastern Conference right now. Do you believe in them this year?

I don’t know, man. I gotta see, man. DeMar [DeRozan] is having a hell of a year. I saw Kyle [Lowry] recently and pulled him aside to give him some words of advice. I know Dwane [Casey]. It’s all about believing, man. They have to believe in their own work. They’ve put a lot of work into this year, and they have to continue to believe in that work. They’re a different team, they’re playing at a different level and they just have to continue to believe in that. It’s got to start with Kyle and DeMar. Everyone else will follow.

Read the full interview with KG.

In Our House It’s All About The Blue Jays #OurMoment

By Michael Cusden in Kids, Sports, Toronto

blue jays family

Dad did the Jays win last night?

Did Joshie hit a home run?

Did Pillar make a crazy catch??

Can we go to another game?

These are all daily questions in our house. From April until October, the Toronto Blue Jays take over the chatter in our family and it was a perfect storm of events that got us to that point.

First, our boys are of the age where baseball becomes fun and interesting. Harry (6) went to his first game two years ago and has been hooked ever since.

Charlie (3) just wants to do and like what his big brother likes, so it was easy for him to become a Junior Jay.

They play in the backyard. Harry has entered the world of organized teeball and baseball. Their Nana has been doing her best to promote her Jays fandom for years. It was bound to stick at some point.

Second, we moved back to Toronto in 2014. That meant hearing about the Jays in the news more. That meant actually being able to go to the games. That meant getting caught up in the hype very easily.

Third, that hype. The Jays are good. They are really good. That makes everyone excited to the point where we watch almost every game on TV now. I certainly did not do that a few years ago. Forget House of Cards, my wife and I end up watching Buck and Pat.

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So you combine seeing the game through the eyes of your kids, being close to the action and the team challenging for a World Series and that is how it all went down.

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