Tag Archives: sports

Rio 2016 Olympic Moment: Nikki Hamblin and Abbey D’Agostino

Everyone loves the Olympics. Even the harshest critics among us can find a feel good human story once in a while. As we all experience the Olympics I’ll attempt to share a favourite moment.

Nikki Hamblin and Abbey D’Agostino are both middle distance runners competing in Brazil this summer. During their 5000 metre qualifying race Nikki and Abbey collided with Abbey bearing the brunt of the collision. What followed was what we all hope for (deep down at least). They showed what we like to call “Olympic spirit”.

Rio 2016 Olympic Moment: Miguel Duran Navia

Everyone loves the Olympics. Even the harshest critics among us can find a feel good human story once in a while. As we all experience the Olympics over the next two weeks, I’ll attempt to share a favourite moment.

Here’s my first moment:

Welcome! Episode #18: Morgan P. Campbell

The following post was originally posted on my Girth Radio-Welcome! page last week. Take a look at it HERE.

Morgan P. Campbell is an award-winning sports writer with the Toronto Star. He has written about the Canadian Football League, MMA, Boxing, Baseball and even rugby. In this episode we talk about Campbell’s journey playing football with Northwestern University to writing for Canada’s largest daily newspaper.

We discuss racism in sports (specifically baseball), football and the issue of concussions, and even steroids in professional and amateur sports.We also discuss the future (and current state) of newspapers.

Enjoy!

Listen below:

Girth Radio
MixCloud 
iTunes
Google Play Music
Stitcher 
TuneIn
You can also subscribe to the podcast via RSS Feed if you’re so inclined.

PitchTalks: Pre-Spring Training Edition

Last night, Toronto’s baseball faithful enjoyed one of the most entertaining editions of Pitch Talks to date.

Alexis Brudnicki shared her deep insights and knowledge about Canadian International Baseball. I always appreciate the early speakers and panelists. Most of the time they bring a new and fresh perspective on the sport.

alexis brudnicki | pitchtalks | karimkanji

Alex Seixeiro and Scott Cullen shared their thoughts on the upcmoing fantasy baseball season. I’m not a huge fantasy player. However, there were tons of people in attendance who had their nerd caps on. It was an amazing sight to behold.

alex seixeiro and scott cullen | fantasy baseball | pitchtalks | karim kanji

Finally we had the pre-season Blue Jays banter with Scott MacArthur, Mike Wilner, Jamie Campbell and Gregg Zaun. And this panel DID NOT disappoint. Zaun, in fact, stole the show. He shared stories of his time with the Baltimore Orioles (getting put in his place by Cal Ripkin Jr.), Florida Marlins (World Series champs) and Toronto Blue Jays (helping JP Arencibia learn to become a major league catcher). Zaun was uncensored and in the mood to share with fans of the best sport in the world.

gregg zaun | pitch talks | karim kanji

If you’re a fan of baseball in Toronto (or Canada for that matter) then Pitch Talks is the place to be. What are you waiting for?!

Here are some more photos from last night:


 

#FollowFriday – @PitchTalks

Pitch Talks - TED Talks with grass stains
Pitch Talks – TED Talks with grass stains

Think TED Talks with grass stains.

That is the message that greets you when you visit PitchTalks.ca. And you WILL visit that website. It’s one of the best new things on the internet today.

If you’re a baseball fan, this site is for you.

If you’re a sports fan, this site is for you.

If you’re a Toronto sports media fan, this site is for you.

And if you want to attend a PitchTalks go to the next one.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_byT4yQdNXM?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Toronto Is Awesome: Reason #6 – Sports

This is my sixth article in the Toronto Is Awesome series. I would love your comments, thoughts and future suggestions for this series.

Say what you will about Toronto’s professional sports teams (yes we know they historically “suck” – I am still a die hard Jays fan) there is still one thing that you cannot deny: Toronto is a sports town. And not just professional sports.
No matter the season, we are an active city.
Rain or shine, cyclists can be found navigating the streets of (mostly downtown) Toronto; kids play soccer in the summer and hockey in the winter; swimming and martial arts classes are filled throughout the year and baseball diamonds are busy many weekday summer nights.
Sports. Ya gotta love this town!
toronto sports teams
toronto sports teams

Best Baseball Podcasts

A friend of mine was bemoaning the state of sports radio in Toronto when I suggested that he look at podcasts as his source of sports talk “radio”. He’s a hockey and baseball fan. I can’t help with hockey because I’m only a fan every 4 years (hello Olympics!). So here are my favourite baseball podcasts:

And there are only two worth your time. And they are both brought to you by the same folks who brought to you the best damn sports mobile app of all time: The Score.

Drunk Jays Fans

Otherwise known as DJF, this podcast and blog provides everything a Toronto Blue Jays fan could ask for. The writers of the blog also provide everything you don’t want to hear such as why the Jays suck this year. Answer: Too many crap players. Writers Andrew StoetenDustin ParkesDrew Fairservice, and Scott Lewis provide amazing analysis that most writers and sportscasters ignore because of timelines, word count or just plain ignorance about the sport of baseball.

The DJF podcast is just as delightful. However, be careful. The content is NSFW so wear a headset if you listen to it at work or at home around kids. One thing you will notice is two things: Firstly, the crew are not shills for the team or ownership. Which means they tell it like it is. Secondly, they always provide insightful analysis no matter the colour of their language. So it’s both entertaining and educational.

Screen Shot 2013-08-27 at 9.35.38 AM

Getting Blanked

My favourite part of this baseball blog is the My Approach series by Drew Fairservice. If this is all the baseball you read then you will be 1000 times smarter than anyone else you listen to in Toronto sports radio – never mind your baseball drinking buddies. Drew has interviewed a dozen or so of the top baseball stars of today asking them about their approach to the game. He sometimes interjects the interview with thoughtful analysis backed up by stats and videos. You will be hard pressed to find better baseball writing anywhere else.

The Getting Blanked podcast is the best baseball podcast around. These guys know their baseball and can talk about it just as well as they can write about it. Expect analysis of breakout players, Mike Trout, the most underrated players, Mike Trout, thoughts on stats and moneyball and even everyone’s favourite player, Mike Trout. Oh, expect to hear the boys trashing Toronto’s baseball beat writers and radio hosts for being lazy…and stuff. If you want to be a well rounded and knowledgeable baseball fan, then the podcast and the blog are a must. And the bumper music they play is outstanding too!

What podcasts do you listen to?

I’m in the need for some new and inspiring podcasts to listen to. I’m a Blue Jays and MMA fan.  I’m also an entrepreneur and a social marketer. So the podcasts reflect this.

Here is what I currently listen to:

Drunk Jays Fans – brought to you by the guys from The Score’s mosts popular blog on your Toronto Blue Jays.

ESPN UFC Podcast – from across the pond in England. This is one of the most unbaised podcasts on MMA around.

Freakonomics Radio – from the blog and book of the same name.

Humble and Fred Radio – because sometimes I need to relax and just have some unadulterated fun.

Q: The Podcast – Jian Ghomeshi is the best interview today.

The Ricky Gervais Podcast – Gervais is not actively podcasting these days. But when he does, it’s golden.

Six Pixels of Separation – Mitch Joel’s weekly conversations are very enlightening. And the monthly Media Hacks is entertaining and informative.

Spark – Nora Young helps us understand how our lives are being transformed by technology.

This American Life – Some of the best stories of people and their lives from south of the 49th.

This Week in Startups – Jason Calicanis is entertaining and his interviews and weekly news roundups are a must listen for all entrepreneurs in the tech space.

Under The Influence – Terry O’Reilly uses his unique story-telling style to bring today’s marketing and advertising trends to Canadians.

Wiretap – One of the best shows by CBC.  Jonathan Goldstein’s unique brand of humour and his band of characters always brings a smile to my face every week.

What’s your favourite podcasts? And why? Please share. Thanks!

Sports & Social Media with Anthony Zanfini

Over at thirdocean.com is the original version of the following post.

I have known Anthony Zanfini since 2010 when he was a guest on a panel I hosted as part of the short-lived but very successful Social Media Show (SMS). We finally got back together again after more than 2 years. And this time, he came into the thirdoceanTV studios.

Anthony has had the opportunity to work with top Canadian brands in online travel (Expedia.ca), confectionary (TicTac), women’s magazines (Canadian Living), insurance (Intact Insurance) and sports/apparel (Nike).

In this episode we chat with Anthony about:
– What him and his team at Ambit are doing with Nike Hockey in Canada.
– The role of social media in leagues such as the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
– How teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays are using social media though campaign such as Tweeting Tuesdays.
– What trends to look out for in 2013.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmgx620vQGc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Connect with Anthony on Twitter at @AnthonyZanfini.

You can connect with me on Twitter at @karimkanji.

You can also connect with thirdocean online at thirdocean.com and on Twitter at @wearethirdocean.

And finally, if you want to watch all our shows feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel at http://sqz.co/Zc47WyL

New podcast in my ears

Many of you know I love listening to podcasts. Almost everyday I’m commuting 2-3 hours per day. So I spend most of this time listening to podcasts such as This American Life, Wiretap, This Week in Startups, and even the UFC ESPN Podcast.

Last week I discovered another podcast: Humble and Fred Radio.  I wasn’t a big listener of theirs when they where on the radio here in Toronto. However, these guys are gold. They are funny and raw. Besides their random musings they also have amazing interviews. Recently they had Toronto Blue Jays long time announcer Jerry Howarth on.  This was one of the best interviews I have ever heard.

Great job guys! And congrats on your new deal with Corus.

What podcasts do you consider required listening and why?