You've got to be kidding me!

I was going to post about ANZAC day today but 1) I didn't have the time, and 2) I noticed this article online. Now, it's just a normal article reporting on a normal occurance in the NBA.  But what struck me as odd - and no doubt if you read it the same thing happened to you - is the name of the player:

Metta World Peace.  No, you're not reading that wrong.  That's a name.  First name: Metta.  Surname: World Peace.  It took me a quick wikipedia search to figure out who it used to be (Ron Artest, though that name may not mean much to most people) and find out the reason.

Now, I thought Chad Ochocinco changing his name was a bit funny (though also incorrect, as far as I know; he's number eighty five not number eight five), but this is bordering on the ridiculous, especially for a player who was "at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game," (quote from Wikipedia).

Watch what happened here:

To be fair, it was obvious he was provoked into the whole thing, but as a professional you have to show restraint (I think the commentators even say as much), and his going into the stands pretty much turned that into a riot.  World Peace indeed, but maybe he's changed.

A Couch Potato's Dream

This week marks the one time of the year when the three major sports teams that I follow are all playing. Yes, that's right, the baseball season is about to begin and the hockey and basketball seasons are coming to a close. Could this be the first year that all three of Toronto's sports teams make the playoffs in their repsective leagues?

For starters, the Raptors seem to have a playoff spot locked up, with the only question being: will they be seeded fourth, third, or – less likely – second. After taking care of Washington and Miami (the two teams they are fighting with for that third spot) this week, it looks good that Toronto will have a fairly high seeding come playoff time. They have 10 games left and are 3 games behind 2^nd place Cleveland and 6 games back of 1^st place Detroit (who they play twice). I am particularly impressed with Anthony Parker. The Raptors did not fare so well when he was out with an ankle sprain. He's not a big scoring guy, but he's a team player (as are most of the Raptors) and he is one of the major reasons for the team's successes this year.

The Leafs are not so much a lock. They are right in the think of the playoff hunt. As of this writing, they are one point out of eighth with one more game to play than the eigth place Monteal Canadiens. As my friend Rich tells me, it will likely come down to the final game of the season when Toronto and Montreal face off in Toronto. No doubt that game will be well watched throughout the 401 corridor. It would be nice for them to get in as I will no doubt hear it from all the Canuck bandwagon jumpers out here in B.C. who are all have all become born again hockey fans after a season in which the Canucks failed to make the playoffs.

The third team - the Blue Jays - hasn't played a single game yet this year, but they look to have a good chance. After last year's 2^nd place finish in their division (albeit 10 games back of the Yankees and 8 games back of the wildcard winner.), they have made some upgrades (Frank Thomas) and gotten rid of some problems (Ted Lilly – incidentally I was at the game when he and Manager John Gibbons allegedly exchanged fisticuffs in the tunnel to the dugout). Last year started bringing back feelings of '92 and '93, so I hope they can build from that.

I check all of my sports scores at Yahoo Sports. There are many other sites including the NHL site, the NBA site and the MLB site.