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The world junior hockey championship starts this weekend in Saskatchewan. In Canada, this is a big event drawing corporate support, filled ice rinks and TV coverage.
Anywhere else, it has all the national impact of a game of Pooh Sticks.
Canada is going for its sixth consecutive title, but let's be honest. Other than maybe the Americans, Swedes or Russians, it's kind of like beating up on your baby brother.
Champ change
Major League Baseball announced this week that the New York Yankees must send $25.7 million US in luxury tax to the commissioner's office by Jan. 31 as a penalty for busting through the salary cap. A big hurt it isn't.
Principal owner George (It Only Hurts When I Laugh) Steinbrenner will get around to it as soon as he empties the change jar in his condo closet.
Grampmobile
Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has come out of retirment to drive for Mercedes next season.
Not to suggest that Father Time might be tapping Schumacher on the shoulder, but in his first test with the team, he completed two circuits of the track before he realized he'd forgotten to turn off his left turn signal light.
Glutton for punishment?
Offensive lineman Taylor Robertson has decided to stay with the Argos through 2011 saying: "Our offensive line ... is a close group on and off the field."
Mostly off, as it turned out. But, nice to know everyone enjoys watching the team's defence sweat.
Meantime, the Argos are the only team in CFL history with an offence that spent so little time on the field, it might qualify for inclusion in the CFL pension plan.
Rant of the day
Trading Roy Halladay may make sense from a baseball perspective.
From a fan perspective, it stinks. Brandon Morrow and Kyle Drabek may be stars of the future, but right now they couldn't draw ants to honey.
A life-long season-ticket holder says he is giving up his four seats behind home plate. He can't afford to keep all four himself and, while he used to sell some to friends and business associates last season, he couldn't even give them away. So, he gets stuck with the bill -- and it's not even tax deductible anymore.
A team doesn't have to always win, but it does always need to offer hope that someday it might. The Jays stopped doing that years ago.
Not to mention, the team cheaped out by not offering season-ticket holders who renewed early the free trip to spring training as it once did. Instead subscribers were offered free tickets (which Rogers couldn't sell anway) to the Buffalo Bills game at the dome.
The Blue Jays used to make season-ticket holders feel special but now, says our acquaintance, they don't even bother to telephone and ask why, after decades of loyalty, he is not renewing. It's enough to make a fan wonder: If the team doesn't care, why should they?
Dogs 'n' pony show?
A horse named Zenyatta ran second to Serena Williams in voting for the top female athlete of the year. Animals occassionally have received votes in The Associated Press awards, including 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, which placed 81st among the top 100 athletes of the century.
If animals can win people awards, does it work the other way? Because if it does, there are at least a couple of Tiger Woods girlfriends who might qualify for Madison Square Garden's Westminster Kennel Club Show.
After all, it says right on the invite: All Breeds. Bitches welcome.
BILL.LANKHOF@SUNMEDIA.CA