Omega Editorial #3 - June 25, 2008

WELCOME TO THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
We are officially entering the worst time of year. TV-wise, I mean.
Now that the basketball season has ended (why did I think the Lakers would win? I bought into the Kobe Bryant hype) and hockey’s been over for almost a month, I’ll be counting down the many days until football starts. No, not the CFL. I said football.
Sure, there was a time when I liked the CFL. As a kid it seemed so simple to me. In the CFL they pass more, so it must be better.
I still remember asking my grandad, the only other sports fan in my family, who would win a game between a CFL team and an NFL team. I understand now that it was a silly question, but he didn’t have to point and laugh like that.
So anyway, we now have months of baseball and golf ahead of us. We all know that watching a baseball game on TV is like watching paint dry, but what about golf? It’s certainly gaining popularity, but only old people and fools get excited to watch it.
On that note, be sure to check out Marty Hastings’ column about how golf is the most exciting sport on television (p. 11). I know Marty isn’t an old person, so I guess that only leaves one alternative.
We’ve got a bit of an environmental flavour to this month’s issue. Melissa Rombough has a run-down of what took place in Kamloops during Canadian Environment Week. It’s on page 3.
(Look up and to the right. There you go.)
And Percy Hébert came back from his trip to Mexico and California with some beautiful, heart-breaking photos of how plastic and other garbage in the Pacific Ocean affects marine life.
In fact, Percy took the lion’s share of the photos in this issue. I’ve had to credit him so often that I’ll never forget how to put an acute accent (´) over an “e” for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately Mr. Advice Guy wasn’t able to submit anything this month. He’s been really busy with his new job, but he promises to get something in next month’s issue.
Send him your questions and give him some material. I’m tired of listening to him whine about how no one ever sends him anything.
To help take the sting out of the absence of an advice column, I’ve brought back the “sports history” column that Lucarotti and I used to do. I’ve tried to highlight the most important events from July, but it’s a little bit daunting to do an entire month at once. Sorry if I missed anything.
Let me know what you think of the “sports history” column. If people are enjoying it, I’ll make sure to keep it up. So check it out and give me some feedback. Just watch out when you get to July 1, 1996. That’s the day that the worst event in the history of professional sports took place.
We’ve also got a short story for you this month. Or at least we have the first half of a short story. I’d love to get some feedback about whether or not you like the idea of a fiction section. And if you have anything you’d like to see published there, send it to me.
Now I guess I have to sign off again. I’m still not completely comfortable doing this. My “seeya” last month just didn’t feel right.
Brian Huntley, the author of this month’s short story, assures me that I can get away with “cheers”. I’ve never been much of a “cheers” guy, but I’m willing to try anything once.
Cheers