“I just see the ball and run and try to catch it. I’ve been running and catching baseballs since I could walk…”

That’s what Toronto Blue Jay, Colby Rasmus told the Toronto Star and I know exactly what he means. I started playing when I was a little boy and loved the game right away.

“The more I think about it, the more it messes me up.”

That is how he finished the thought… and I know exactly what he means by that as well. I think we all do. Whether you are or were an athlete at any point in your life or not you have no doubt been in situations where the things that are supposed to be easy for you become terribly difficult.

Maybe it’s writer’s block or parallel parking or pouring the perfect beer, it doesn’t matter. Once you get all up in your own head, you’re screwed.

It can be hard to step back and realistically evaluate the expectations of professional athletes sometimes. To take a second and recognize that there is a lot of pressure that comes with doing your job in front of tens of thousands of people every night and hundreds of thousands or more on TV at the same time. And yes, pro athletes like Colby Rasmus make a lot of money to deal with that pressure and perform. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

If it was easy I would be doing it.

Rasmus is 25 years old now – 7 years after he was drafted in the 1st round by the St. Louis Cardinals. There was a time when he was the youngest player on the team in St. Louis, he didn’t fit in with the veterans who knew what they were doing and how to deal with the media and pressure and everything that comes with being a big leaguer. Now he’s just another 20 – something in a Blue Jays clubhouse that looks like a group of friends playing baseball. It’s a group of players that he should fit in with a lot better. Maybe he’s not as outgoing or enthusiastic as Brett Lawrie or JP Arencibia – but he can hang with them when it comes to playing baseball and it’s good to see him smile on the diamond.

Sure, there’s still a lot of pressure. Heck, I wrote that he is one of the most important 2012 players in my Blue Jays season preview at TheReviewsAreIn. Rasmus has also admitted that he doesn’t really feel comfortable in the “go, go, go” mentality of big cities. He’d rather hunt and fish and hang out at home (next door to his parents and down the street from his grandparents). But by all accounts he is getting comfortable in Toronto and is ready to let the past go and become the 5 tool player that scouts and fans have drooled over for years.

And as a fan, I hope he does because this kid has everything it takes to be a very special baseball player and we’re lucky to have him.

#GoJaysGo

Usually when I’m writing here it’s not that hard. But, this time is different.

It goes like this, I’m a straight dude that played a lot of sports when I was younger. I loved it and wouldn’t trade away those memories or experiences for anything in the world. In all of my experiences though one thing that I never went through was a teammate coming out.

Now that I’m a little bit older and I’m reading stories about young men who say that the hardest part about coming out was telling their teammates I start wondering what it would have been like to experience. I know that in the mid to late 90’s when I was most involved in team sports it was not a locker room environment that looked super enlightened. We were dumb teenage boys and nobody really worried about telling us to be any different. We made fun of each other. We encouraged toughness and manliness and discouraged and made fun of any signs of weakness, failure and anything that wasn’t macho and Alpha.

I would like to think that as a group we would have been welcoming and supporting and inviting to a teammate if they had come out and told us that they were gay. But I don’t know how it would have gone down.

Soccer player David Testo waited years to come out. And while I feel lucky to have spoken with him and written about it earlier this year, I wish I would have asked him about the environment when he was a kid. Did he ever think about coming out when he was younger? Was it kids like me that made him hold off? He told us that he believes we won’t see more athletes coming out until we see a more accepting society.

I would like to believe that the time is coming. That our youth are much more accepting and educated and ready to show the world that being a gay athlete is okay. Just like being a gay accountant or actor or waitress or CEO is okay.

It’s not right that it falls on our young people to lead us… but I think that’s how it is going to be.

I can only hope that stories being shared by young athletes like Scott Heggart will show us that things can change. And that campaigns like You Can Play (spearheaded by the Burke family) will show the mainstream that the time has come for everyone to feel invited and included.

I’m still scared that I haven’t said what I wanted to say. Or that my message isn’t clear.

When I was 15 I’m not sure I would have been strong enough to stand up for a gay teammate. And because of that I’m not sure it’s fair for me to ask every 15 year old out there to be strong and supportive and welcoming… but that’s what I’m doing. It’s what I’m asking of everyone, of every age.

If your goalie or second baseman or left D or point guard or quarterback is gay it doesn’t matter. They are still part of your team. We are all taught that your team is your family. And we all need to support our families.

Whether you are gay, straight, bi, unsure, or not ready to decide: If you can play, you can play.

Let me clear that up a little. Softball, I want to play softball in Toronto.

It’s been a few years since I was on the field but I believe that I still have a lot to offer to the right team.

Check the stats:

• Age: 30
• Bats: Right
• Throws: Left
• Height: 5 feet 11.5 inches
• Weight: 170ish
• Build: Athletic

What I Bring To The Table:

• Wheels: That’s right, I can still get on my horse and get around the bases. Balls in the gap are triples.
• A Canon: As a former pitcher I’ve got some juice in my left arm and I am happy to use it to get the ball in quick from the outfield or across the diamond from third to first.
• IQ: I’ve been in love with baseball for 25 years and consider myself a student of the game. Situations have been played through my head over and over and over again.
• Hard Line Drives: I’ve never been a big fly ball guy and I see that as a good thing. I use the whole field, keep the ball away from the defense and move people around the bases.
• Passion: There is no place I would rather be than on the baseball diamond.
• Enthusiasm: I am one of the most encouraging dudes you will ever see on the field. I high five and compliment and ass slap like it’s my mission.

Note: Since I’ve started working with a couple pretty awesome performance supplement companies (MuscleTech/Six Star Pro Nutrition) and quit the smoking I’ve started to work on getting back into great shape again with chin ups, pull up, push ups, running, etc. and great products. I’m gonna be something to see!

I’m not trying to brag or anything, but I think I would make a pretty bad-ass addition to any team in the city as an athletic outfielder or corner infielder.

If you would like to see my highlight reel I can ask my mom for the photo album from little league and I’ll scan the pics.

If you want to talk to my agent about having me try out or join your team leave a comment here or tweet at me.

More than anything I just want to be part of a team again. I want to feel the grass under my shoes and the bat in my hand and the ball in my glove. If you have a team that plays in Toronto or know someone that does please let me know.

In the famous words of every umpire ever, “Play Ball!”

Okay, so we won’t actually get the selections and final rankings and pairings and brackets until later today and then the play-in games don’t start until Tuesday in Dayton, OH… but it’s here!

In fact, it’s so here that I’ve already posted the 3rd annual March Madness Widow Survival Guide over on my blog. This year we’ve got a list of 5 suggestions to help those of you who may feel a sense of abandonment or suffer from a lack of attention during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Have a look.

I know that I am (by far) the most excited member of the photojunkie.ca family right now. I may be the only excited member of the family to be completely honest. But I DON’T CARE. It’s such an amazing time of year with upsets and Cinderellas and heartbreak and comebacks and young men sweating blood for a shot at glory. This is by far my favorite single elimination sports tournament of the year. The Super Bowl may be a big game, but as a tournament, it doesn’t touch March Madness.

Now, if you’re going to pay even a little bit of attention this year you’re going to need a team to cheer for. There are 68 teams at the start of this thing, so you will have a lot of options.

If you want to pick a front-runner who could last a while in the tournament I would suggest having a look at (1)Kentucky, (2)Syracuse, (3)Kansas, (5)Missouri or (7)Ohio State who all sit in the current top 10 rankings.

If you’re scared of top teams who may lose, stay away from (8)Michigan State, (11)Baylor and (19)Florida.

And if you want to be my friend at all from now until April 2 DO NOT CHEER FOR (6)DUKE!

I’ll be cheering for the University of (4)North Carolina as I do every year. And I think I’ll also show some love to (10)Murray State who have played their way into a top 10 spot in the rankings this year.

This is a great sporting event that last 3+ weeks. It makes young men famous. It breaks grown men’s hearts. And it puts a smile on my face.

So, find a website (yahoo, espn, cbs) that has a bracket game to play in. Set the PVR to record your regular prime time shows. Buy french fries, chicken wings, chips, beer and other junk foods and get ready friends… the Madness is here!

Note: For the first time since 1946 (wow!) Harvard will be playing in the March Madness Tournament. And do you know who went to Harvard? Jeremy Lin!

Check out this great video that some cool dudes put together as the world looks for, The Next Linsation.

The play-offs are coming, the play-offs are coming! Get your hashtag ready!

It’s here, it’s here.
It happened, it happened.
It’s coming, it’s coming.
I’m so excited!

It was announced last week that Major League Baseball will be adding a 2nd Wild Card team to the playoff system this season. That’s HUGE news. Especially in markets like Toronto.

Here’s how it breaks down (unless I’m totally misunderstanding everything) – the 3 division winners in each league continue to move to the play-offs as per usual. The best 2nd place team becomes the 1st Wild Card team AND the new wrinkle, the former Wild Card runner-up now becomes the 2nd Wild Card team.

This is the kind of thing that baseball fans in Toronto have been dreaming about for years. Hell, I’ve been writing about it for years and even proposed my own changes here on the blog on October 7, 2009 “Reviewing My Would Be Changes To The MLB Play-Offs”.

However, none of that matters now (other than the fact that my idea is still brilliant) as we are finally moving forward! Baseball isn’t the worst at change… but they certainly aren’t the best either. And this is change. And it could be the start of even more change!

Here’s what things would look like based on the 2011 end of season standings. The division winners are numbered 1, 2 and 3 based on record and the existing Wild Card team is marked as number 4. All 8 existing play-off teams are highlighted in yellow.

The new Wild Card team is marked with the number 5 and highlighted in red.

It goes like this. The new Wild Card teams (Boston and Atlanta) would play the existing Wild Card teams (Tampa and St. Louis) in a 1 GAME PLAY-OFF to see who moves on to the next round. That game will be hosted by the 1st Wild Card team and will be crazy exciting.

So, what does this mean for the Blue Jays?

It means that the time is now to capitalize on young talent, an increasing budget and the energy and buzz that is surrounding the team.

If the play-offs weren’t already the “real” goal for the head office in 2012, they better be now. If they were waiting to make a move because it didn’t really make sense… it makes more sense now.

I know that by my own graphic and evidence the 2011 Blue Jays weren’t really close to being that 2nd Wild Card team… but we weren’t as far off as the Orioles, Padres, Marlins or Astros.

Spring Training is always a great time of optimism and hope for baseball fans. And now there is one more thing to be excited about.

The Play-Offs!

A couple of weeks back, I took a stroll through Graffiti Alley where I found this pair of bunnies. That reminds me, Easter is around the corner, which also reminds me of how yummy Cadbury mini eggs are.

On Friday night, my boys, Juan Sanchez and The Bullet held an epic party at Locus 144 in Liberty Village. This duo also known as Speedboats and Big Explosions killed it with some dope beats and wild shenanigans. I was there to capture the night with a photobooth.

I was out in Port Hope last weekend for Josh’s birthday. This is where I met Indy, his family’s dog. As everyone was still sleeping indoors, I was out skating on the pond and doing a photo shoot with this beautiful dog.

On February 25th and 26th, 2012, we celebrated the 6th annual Podcamp Toronto at the Rogers Communications Centre, Ryerson University. Just as in years past, I spent the 2 days mingling with and photographing the organizers, volunteers, speakers, sponsors and attendees who all make this wonderful unconference possible. This year, I teamed up with the fine folks at Jugnoo who jumped on board to sponsored me at the event. Thanks Jugnoo!

As always this is a labour of love, please feel free to use the portraits for your Twitter and Facebook.

I present you with the Podcamp Toronto 2012 Portraits Series. (You can view 2010 and 2011 here)

Orange has always been a favourite colour of mine, even before Tangerine Tango was named the 2012 Pantone Color of the Year. So of course I was excited to see some orange leathers in Roots Canada SS12 collection. What immediately caught my attention was the Kristina Bag that was made from Prince Norwegian leather. I instantly commented on how amazing it would be, if it was available in men’s wallets. A pet peeve of mine has always been the lack of imagination and colour in men’s leather wallets and over the last year, I had been on the lookout for a wallet that popped.

Last week, I got an email with the subject line, “Ask and you shall receive … from Roots.” To my surprise, the email was to inform me that Roots decide to create me a custom wallet made from the new orange leather they were using in the SS12 collection. Needless to say I was shocked and thrilled. The next day I picked it up from their offices here in Toronto and was thrilled with the results. The leather is so soft and smells heavenly. I have since discovered after hopping into the Eaton Centre store that the wallet was fashioned around the Small Zip Around Wallet also made with Prince Leather. This goes to prove that there are advantages to making your products here in Canada. Thanks Roots Canada for the wallet, it’s wonderful.

A week ago Friday I went down to the Rogers Centre to pay my phone bill and stop at the box office to get myself an early 30th birthday present… but when I got to the window at 2pm to buy a pair of opening day tickets I was given the worst (and best) news ever – the game was already sold out.

It’s bad news because I want to go to that game! I really want to go.

It’s good news because it means that there will be 50,000+ people at the Rogers Centre on April 9, 2012 to watch the home town Blue Jays take on the Boston Red Sox at 7:07pm.

Needless to say, I was a little broken hearted. I’ve only been to 1 opening day and that was 7 years ago when the Red Sox came to town and Slash played the national anthems (that was awesome) and the Trailer Park Boys threw out the first pitch (not quite as awesome) and I paid $70 each to a scalper for 2 seats in the 9th row of the 100 level halfway down the 1st baseline.

I love the things that a new baseball season brings. I’ve written and talked about that fact a billion times. But one of the things that I’m most excited about is that my friends want to come to games with me. Rannie and I hit one game together in the 1st row last summer and I would love to take him again (I’m going to turn him into a huge sports fan over time) and teach him more about the game and players that I love.

6 weeks can seem like an eternity or almost nothing. My gut tells me that for me it will feel like both.

ps. I didn’t get that hat, so if you wanted to surprise me I wear either a 7 ⅛ or 7 ¼ full back.

pps. I will gladly go and sit with any of you at a baseball game. Let me know when you want to hit the stadium and we will try to make it happen. Whether you are from Toronto or will be visiting, whether you are a Blue Jays fan or happen to root for your own home team, I would be totally into it.

Thanks again to the Blue Jays for giving us pictures of Ricky Romero and JP Arencibia and the rest of the boys of summer at spring training. See more at the bluejays.com spring training album.

Talk to you soon kids.

Remember, March Madness is coming…

Was walking up Bay Street from Union Station last week, when I caught a brief glimpse of the Bay Street bus through the smoke.

When I first met Matt in 2003, he wasn’t of legal age and I was still blogging on the Moveable Type platform, cause WordPress didn’t exist. Over the years since then, I have been fortunate enough to see Matt build an amazing company and grow in to quite the successful man. Matt is one of PC World’s Top 50 People on the Web, Inc.com’s 30 under 30, Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web, and Vanity Fair’s Next Establishment, yowzers, that’s quite a list. Last week, Matt was in Toronto for a few meetings and I snapped this shot of him after a wonderful brunch together at the Drake, before he hopped on a plane to NYC.

When Matt isn’t on a plane, this Texan, originally from Houston, calls San Francisco home. You can find Matt online at Ma.tt and on twitter at @photomatt. If you are blogging with WordPress, you have this fine looking man to thank for it.

PS: Your red WordPress hooded sweatshirts are pretty hot, I have got to order one of these.

Last week, I was given an opportunity to check out the Canadian AutoShow at the Toronto Convention Centre. It was my first time at the AutoShow and walking into the convention centre was quite an amazing. Usually when you go to a trade show, you are faced with rows and rows of booths from different companies, but of course being the automotive industry, their wares are a little larger than what would fit in a regular 10 x 10 booth. Needless to say my mind was a little blown by the enormity of the Auto Show spanning across both the North and South Convention Centre floors.

In the past couple of weeks, Ford Canada has been trying to make an impression on the social networks and they kicked it off with a #FordBlue Party at Liberty Grande. It was your usual Brand party, with flowing drinks, delicious food and prizes and other activities for it’s guests, as well as a room full of cars for people to pawn over. You can see my pictures over here.

Then last week, I was asked by Ford to come out to media day at the Autoshow to shoot their cars for their new Flickr stream. It was a super fun experience and it was great getting into the AutoShow and taking pictures without the swarms of people getting in your way. In total, I ended up uploading 461 photos from the Ford and Lincoln areas at the Autoshow. Shooting the cars on the floor and various fun details on the cars. Let’s just say that Ford has a lot of vehicles in their 2013 lineup.

Their big media reveal was their 2013 Ford Fusion. But from chatting with others online, there seemed to be a lot of interest surrounding the 2013 Shelby GT500. Personally though, as much as a sporty car and a compact car are pretty nifty, If I was gonna pick up a new vehicle it would probably be more along the lines of the 2013 Ford Escape. Luckily, after I uploaded all my photos to flickr, some magical elf went into the account and put all the cars into various photo sets, so you too can see take a peak at your favourite Ford models.

Of course, the Autoshow has been running all week and comes to a conclusion this Sunday. We’ve got a pair of tickets for you to check out the Autoshow first had, courtesy of @FordCanada. I’ll be drawing for the tickets tonight at Midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Last Friday, Ford held a unique event, the #FordBlue at the Liberty Grand which showcased Fords new line up one week before the Canadian AutoShow. Here are some shots from the shindig.

Walking passed Union Station earlier today, taking in all the construction for the station revitalization. It’s all a part of a $640-million project to expand Union Station and create a new GO Transit concourse and expanded retail space. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

We shouldn’t require a special day to profess our love for those special people in our lives. It should just be something that happens naturally day to day, in what we say, in what we do and how we conduct ourselves with one another. Although I don’t have a special someone in my life right now, I’m blessed to have my family and friends who I know care for me. I love you, today and always.

We’re here in the middle of February and while we have said goodbye to the NFL season we are now preparing to say hello to Major League Baseball as Spring Training camps open in the next 2 weeks. We are also getting closer and closer to conference championships and March Madness on the NCAA basketball calendar.

Note: I can’t wait for March Madness and I’m already brainstorming the March Madness Widow Survival Guide 3.0

We also can’t forget that we are right smack dab in the middle of the NHL and NBA seasons with more excitement and tension building each day.

The NBA All-Star rosters have been announced and some of the best players in the game will head to Orlando for a weekend of shooting, dunking, stars and sunshine. I have no idea who will win the dunk contest this year… but I really hope that there’s no car on the court.

Note: It’s a shame that Andrea Bargnani has been injured so much this season because he would have been an All-Star the way he was playing.

The NHL is getting closer and closer to the trade deadline… an unofficial holiday in Canada and one of the more stressful days for players, coaches and fans all over the league. February 27th will be a big day in the world of sports fans. It always is.

Note: Canadian hockey fans will have multiple options for day long reporting on deadline day. Remember that being loyal to one network may actually hinder your access to knowledge.

The thought of having March Madness and Spring Training going on while basketball and hockey come down the stretch in play-off races all at the same time is almost overwhelming. There are so many highlights, stories, stats and scores. It’s hard to keep track of.

If I can recommend anything to you let it be The Score Mobile. It’s a life saver for fans on the go. And even at home when one game is on the TV and the scores you need aren’t scrolling across the screen.

The “Late Winter” isn’t an official season, but for sports fans it’s the busiest season. Get your chips and dip and popcorn ready kids. It’s all happening!

Have fun!

What a boy wants and what a boy needs? well if that’s what you are looking for, Max Valiqutte might be able to help you out, cause part of his job is about faorcasting consumer trends and advising his company on what people want. Aside from the speaking, consulting and media appearances, Max is also on the board of the Canada Media Fund. Handsome face and amazing CV, Max is quite the catch, but you haven’t seen anything until you have seen Max belt out Kelly Clarkson’s, Since You’ve Been Gone, at karaoke. He is a man after my own heart.

Of course you can follow Max on twitter @maxvaliquette

Last week, I worked from The Abbott in Parkdale. It’s a cute little coffee shop at Spencer and King. It has free wifi, friendly staff and great coffee, with lots of room to sit and work or leisurely read your newspaper.