Lorenagade #5000 (left) and Cinder Hella #86 'er (right).

I had the pleasure of catching my second ever Terminal City Rollergirl Flat Track bout between the Faster Pussycats and the Bad Reputations--mind you, the Reputations also were in the first bout I caught.

This time around there was a lot more mayhem; more bodies flying and a lot more carnage.

How does one prepare for something like Flat Track Rollerderby and how does one cool down?

I decided to ask a member from each team; "Cinder Hella #86" from the Bad Reps and "Lorenagade #5000" from the Faster Pussycats.

It's always difficult when someone passes away and even more so when it's unexpected.

Bob Ackles, the man single-handedly responsible for the renaissance of the B.C. Lions, passed away early this morning of a heart attack according to TSN.

He was 69-years old.

One of the many things that can get my blood boiling is the self centeredness of Toronto when it relates to sports.

Having the Canucks play a game vs. Toronto at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday a few years ago to appease the fans in the East.

Seeing the Leafs' pursuit of Eric Lindros as the lead story on Sportsdesk (remember Sportsdesk?) for a month straight even after it was clear there would be no deal.

The examples are seemingly endless.

Fans of three down football also have a reason to get their hate on for T.O. as a group of Torontonian businessmen (including Ted Rogers) are attempting to bring a National Football League team to the "Center of the Universe" and that has people around here irked.

I know soccer players dive more than Greg Louganis; I know 2-0 is considered a blowout and 0-0 draws happen more often than not, but I still think soccer is a fantastic sport.

Last year I caught a couple of games for the U-20 World Cup at Swangard and again, I was in awe of the "Beautiful Game".

On the world stage there are two major soccer tournaments, the World Cup being one and the 2008 Union of European Football Associations' (UEFA) European Football Championship (Euro 2008) being the other.

Since the tournament is based in Europe -- Austria and Switzerland to be exact -- the time difference means that games that are in prime time there are in the early and late mornings here.

Although you couldn't tell from the chilly Abbie afternoon, the summer is near and so is the start of the C.F.L. season.

B.C. Lions have had a little over a week of training camp and are prepping for the first exhibition game in Saskatchewan.

Here are some pics from Saturday's noon session.

I'll have to be honest, I had never attended a Roller Derby event and didn't know what to expect.

The Terminal City Rollergirls, Vancouver's first female roller derby league, were holding a bout between the Riot Girls and the Bad Reps and judging from the long lineup to get in, they had a cult following.

Played on a flat track, two teams place five players aside consisting of:

A Jammer, who lines up 20 feet behind the other players and is the only one who can score--Jammers' helmets are adorned with a star.

A Pivot, who wears a striped helmet and is the last line of defense against an advancing Jammer.

Three Blockers who essentially lead block for the Jammer while hindering the opposition.

Once the Jammer laps the pack once, points are awarded for every enemy player passed and the opposition can prevent the Jammer from passing by hip or shoulder checking--no chop blocking or hitting from behind is allowed.