Mine Was The "Hometown Advantage"

I REALLY WAS IN THE THICK OF THINGS WHEN IT CAME TO SPORTS COVERAGE AND GOOD BOOKS

MINE WAS THE "HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE"

     A lot of things that occur these days, (don't ask me why) that are in any way remarkable, and good for my complexion, are the inspiration of happenstance. Just this week in fact, I've been pleasantly re-introduced to some of my past, because of our plethora of cats at Birch Hollow. Where there's a cat, well sir, there's sure to be claw marks, fur to layer upon my sweater and pants, and why yes, a hair ball trail.
     Suzanne has forced me to deal with some of my "paper" clutter, at Birch Hollow. Actually, she had to move my chair the other night, to mop-up a hair-ball, yacked-up by one of our cats, Beasley, I think, and accidentally knocked the lid off a wooden box that contained some personal archives; letters and correspondence from some of my writing colleagues, I've connected with since my early days working in the Muskoka media. On Suzanne's "Currie's Antiques" page on Facebook, we ran an image of a letter sent to Suzanne and I (Suzanne taught with Wayland at Bracebridge High School), by author friend, Wayland "Buster" Drew, as a thank you for a newspaper review I wrote of his book "Willow," which he adapted from the George Lucas screen play of the same name. He explained that the coming movie, to be released soon, would be quite entertaining as well. Lucas, creator of the Star Wars franchise, was a friend of the Bracebridge author; as he was, with Ron Howard, having done the same, writing the companion book for his movie, "Corvette Summer," some years earlier. You can check this out on her facebook page, and my latest column about "some things in my hometown I was finished with yet!!!!" Suzanne handed me the box, when my chair was shoved back in place, and told in no uncertain terms, to sort out what was to kept, and what was just a mitt-full of useless paper, having no real keepsake value. After all these years, my wife still doesn't really get me, when it comes to archival stuff. The paper heritage I can never, ever part with. Like the envelopes that my letters came in, that were addressed by these same colleagues, a few, rightly so, ranking of considerable celebrity. One of the pieces, illustrated above, is a print-out advertising leaflet, sent out to media outlets by sport's author, and friend, Ross Brewitt. He used it with my compliments for his national book promotions, and it featured a column I wrote for Gravenhurst's "Muskoka Today," the magazine published by the dynamic duo of Hugh Clairmont, and son Mark, when their office was in the former Orange Lodge on First Street, in Gravenhurst. I was happy to find this page, because I foolishly recycled my back copies of Muskoka Today, that carried my image, as a column-head, that had been sketched for the paper (on Hugh's request), by well known Canadian artist, and print-maker, Frank Johnston. What an incredible honor for me, because I consider Frank Johnston one of this town's, and district's finest artists. It's also fair to say, he was a known Canadian artist / print maker, who was hired by many heritage sites across the country, to capture their historic architecture in watercolors. He did a portrait of his friend Harold Town, and in return, Town did a painting of Johnston. Gads, and here is my face, from the mind and hand of this talented artist.
     You might remember his amazing large watercolor paintings of steamships, in Muskoka Bay, that used to hang in Sloan's Restaurant, on Muskoka Road. Frank was also the printmaker for Group of Eleven abstract artist, Harold Town. Frank's house was located on upper Hughson Street. Frank was well known for his art prints, and amazing all occasion cards, that were printed at his Gravenhurst studio. When Hugh and Mark began the paper, in the mid 1990's, Hugh begged a favor from Johnston, asking him to do character profiles in pen, of all the columnists who would be part of the Muskoka Today publication. I do believe there was strong beverage that sealed the deal between publisher and artist. Or at least that was the usual deal maker, or breaker, depending on quantity of libation. I was thrilled to see how Frank interpreted a mug like mine, and well, here it is, still preserved after all these years. Gosh I enjoyed working for Hugh and Mark back in those first few years of the new publication, and the scrums that used to occur almost daily, when readers and sundry other supporters, dropped by for a friendly visit; mostly to trade stories with Hugh, which were always shared, amazing, and most often, worth writing down for posterity.
     I look in the mirror these days, and I don't see a sport's guy looking back. What happened to me? I lived for sports, and as a reporter / photographer in my early media days, I was always at either the rink, the ball diamond, curling club, golf club, or soccer pitch. Looking back at this promotional piece, Ross Brewitt was using, as part of his advertising package, reminds me just how hooked-up I was to athletes, and those who wrote about them. I remember the bitterly cold night, I met up with Brewitt, on behalf of Muskoka Today, when he was attending a book signing, at the former Reader's World, on Manitoba Street, in Bracebridge. It was in the late fall, because the copies Suzanne and I had Ross sign, were for Christmas gifts to our respective fathers, hard to please when it came to the normal fare of presents suitable for old hockey-loving geezers. Brewitt's books worked perfectly. I remember Ross being a little disappointed that night, because turn-out had been poor, due to the storm-front brewing over the region. We had a good visit anyway, and we talked a lot about former Detroit Red Wing, Roger Crozier, who I was associated with at the time, as a researcher, for the soon to be announced Crozier Foundation, and a book deal I had initiated that autumn season with Roger's approval. The book project, that I spent hundreds of hours working on, was published in a downsized version, via Muskoka Publications. The American Bank that Roger was working for, known as MBNA, carried on with the book, in an expanded format, with staff archivist Charlie Wilson, of Wilmington, Delaware, and I, as the two researchers, working with two other well known American sports authors, to, as they say, bring the project home. When Roger died, the book, half done, was shelved for reasons unknown; but thankfully, my part of the project was published, and approved by Roger, a year earlier. When Brewitt and I weren't yapping about Roger, that stormy night (because he had worked with Roger, as a media representative, when the Bracebridge born netminder, played with the Buffalo Sabres), we'd crack up, airing our remembrances of former Toronto Sun columnist, Paul Rimstead; also a former Bracebridge lad, who was known as a highly skilled and talented sports writer, in his early days working at the Toronto Telegram.
     Thinking back to that meeting, gads, how neat it is to realize, that I would soon convince Brewitt, that because his writing style and humour, were so close to what Paul Rimstead had, as crowd-pleasing writing traits, that he should strongly consider, carrying-on with a plan to write a biography of former Toronto Maple Leaf, Eddy "The Entertainer" Shack. Rimstead had died a short time before, and had been priming his good friend, Eddy, to get-on with the long overdue hockey biography. I was so pleased, when Ross got back to me, that Eddy had whole-heartedly agreed it was a good idea, to revitalize the book idea, initiated first by Rimstead, or "Rimmer" as he was best known to his Toronto Sun readers. (Rimmer also wrote for the Calgary Sun and the Edmonton Sun). As a matter of irony, the night I was supposed to attend the book launch, in Toronto, it was a dark and stormy night in our region, and the snow was so blinding, I couldn't have made it past the town limits, before being turned back. I had first met Brewitt, on a similarly precarious stormy night, a few years earlier, and when I had my next chance to attend a book signing, one that I had played a minor role, son-of-a-gun, weather got in the way of what would have been an historic moment for me.     Eddy was always a favorite player in our house, when I was growing up. My mother liked three players in the National Hockey League. Jean Beliveau even if he played for the team she despised, Frank Mahovolich, and it didn't matter what team he played for, and yes, "Clear the Track," Eddy Shack. And I loved to read any Rimstead column, that he had written about his friendship with Eddy. There's a great photograph, in the tribute book published after Rimmer's death, entitled "Damn-it Rimstead," showing the columnist and his bride, Miss Hinky, positioned in a wooden barrel, with Eddy Shack, appearing by design, to be on the brink, just about to tip over Niagara Falls; the nostalgia-oozing location where they were married. Of course it was a staged photographic background, but it was a great character profile of two legendary Canadians, and a somewhat bewildered bride, at one of the most famous landmarks in the country; Niagara Falls.
      From that first meeting with Mr. Brewitt, it was obvious we would work on other projects to come down the pike. I was able to book him for a special celebrity fundraising dinner, being hosted by Roger Crozier, at the former Bracebridge Centennial Centre. It was a sold-out event, and Roger got an exceptional roasting from my old friend, Ross, who shared a lot of Buffalo Sabre anecdotes with the large crowd in attendance. Ross Brewitt, by the way, has long been a revered after-dinner speaker for celebrity sports dinners
       Ross sends me his most recent sports columns, run today, by numerous high profile publications, and we still chat back and forth which reminds me, just how far I've slipped myself, from active sports reporting and even casual viewing, when it comes right down to it. I can't really explain why, except for the fact we don't have cable television, and we can't bring in CBC where I used to occasionally watch Hockey Night In Canada. The Harper Government helped encourage the CBC to cut the juice, for transmitting their signal to our region, and even though we are close to Toronto, and the GTA is a short drive south, we can't pull in the station. I did get to watch some NFL games this year, on CTV, and the Super Bowl, but not much else. I shouldn't have to pay for CBC to bring me Hockey Night In Canada, which was a tradition for our family from my childhood. As I'm too cheap to buy a daily newspaper, all I get these days, is the brief sports overview on the nightly CTV news. I'm getting most of my sports thrill these days reading Brewitt's columns, which now, has become a tradition by itself.
     I was such a sports nut, when Suzanne and I were married, that I used to insist on the television being placed by the window of the house we were renting, so I could sit out in the cold and snow, in a lawn chair, to watch the Grey Cup, pretending you see, that I was in the bleachers for the big game (I couldn't afford to attend the games, that's for sure. Not much has changed since then!) So there I was, covered in layers of newly fallen snow, drinking my beer out of a paper bag, and loving every minute of it! While Suzanne sat in her cozy front room alcove, knitting me a sweater. Just not fast enough.
     I was mildly amused and moderately pleased today, to hear that popular Detroit Red Wing Coach, Mike Babcock, has inked a deal to coach next season, in Toronto; an infusion of experience and toughness the beleagured Maple Leafs have needed for many, many years. Sure it cost many millions but considering the Leafs seldom have any open seats at their games, it can be said with some integrity, they've got the money, so why the hell not invest it wisely. Babcock a proven winner, and the Leafs have become legendary losers. Much good can come from this investment, if that is, management let's the man do his job without unnecessary intrusions upon what I'm sure will be a savvy recovery plan, for a team voted most-in-need of something, anything, anything at all, to end the decades of untold suffering. From the early chatter out there, this move is being praised by Leaf fans, and heck, you never know; I might whip out my old blue and white for the coming season, and turn this non-sports thing on its ear. I sure would like to be a sports fan again. Maybe this is the pivot of the turn-around. A new coach.