Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA Finals Champions Nike Locker Room T-Shirt

After an amazing run, the goal of being crowned NBA Champions has finally happened in Toronto.  I’m excited, the city is excited, and the country is excited.  Of course now comes the fun part of parties, parades, and wearing Championship merchandise.  My first piece of Championship merchandise is this Nike t-shirt; the official Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA Finals Champions t-shirt.  It’s a locker room shirt, meaning it’s the same version the team got to wear after beating the Golden State Warriors.  All Raptors merchandise is selling like crazy, with long lineups outside stores.

I wanted to post some pictures of this official t-shirt because unfortunately a lot of counterfeit merchandise has also been made throughout the year.  This shirt was made in Nicaragua, and comes with two stickers on the side; 1. NBA logo hologram and 2. Nike Official Locker Room.  The quality of the shirt is very good with a thick material and the screen printing is nice and clean.  My only complaints about the shirt is that it comes in white (which will eventually get dirty), and that the Nike swoosh is screen printed and not embroidered.  Other than that, this is an amazing collectable and one that I will be proud to wear for years.

Raptors:

www.raptors.com

Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA Champions!

I've been a Raptors fan since 1995, and finally after so many years I get to experience a Championship title again in Toronto.  I am so happy.  #WeTheNorth

Brazil vs. Chile 2013 Friendly

Well this news came out of nowhere for me, but Brazil will play an international friendly against Chile in Toronto Canada on November 19^th 2013.  I heard about this last night, but I didn’t think it was true because I hadn’t seen any news about this game before.  Usually they advertise a big game on TV and in the newspapers but not this time.  I had doubts at first, but then I did a little investigation and found out that indeed Brazil was coming.  I’m still not sure if it’s their A team (superstars; Neymar Jr., Dani Alves, David Luiz, Marcelo, etc), but since it’s an international friendly week by FIFA, it seems possible that those stars are coming.  Either way, I’m still excited and just bought my tickets for the Gillette International Soccer Series game.

My first MLB ball

So here’s a picture of my first MLB baseball that I caught at a Blue Jays game.  This ball represents something I never thought would happen to me.  Catching a ball to me is as good as winning the lottery because it’s something I will always remember and cherish.  Of course growing up in Toronto during the 90’s made me a baseball fan and being able to catch a ball was always a dream of mine.  Well this dream finally became reality on July 7^th, 2013, aka JP Arencibia bobblehead day.

I’ve always considered myself unlucky when it came to things like this.  I mean from the games I have gone to in the past, I would always see someone else catch a ball a few rows down, but never me.  So I figured I might as well give up on even hoping of catching a ball.  Then my day finally came and it felt like it was meant to be.  I was sitting in leftfield and the stadium was full of people.  There was also a very tall guy in the next row across that I figured would probably get a ball if he jumped.  My only advantages were that I was sitting near the steps and that the people in front of me hadn’t arrived yet.

Then suddenly it happened in the top of the first inning: the Twins player was at bat and as he hit the ball foul, I could see it heading towards leftfield.  It all happened in slow motion and the ball looked like it would fly past me, but then it suddenly curved and everyone around me raised their hands to grab it.  It then dropped and landed in the empty seat in front of me.  I looked around and saw that no one was going to grab it, and then I looked at it in the folded-up seat.  I was literally in shock for a few seconds, until I heard my friend’s voice telling me to grab it.  Without even thinking I grabbed it and raised it up high and started yelling with delight.

This felt like it lasted for a while, as everyone around me clapped.  I then sat down, and it all came to me, as I realised that I finally caught a ball.  Alright, I didn’t actually catch it in the air, but it was as good as it gets for someone with little luck as me (literally landing at my feet).  Catching a major league ball feels a million times better than paying for a ball that someone else caught, so to me this is now one of my most prised possessions.  Now every time I see this ball and hold it in my hands it serves as another reminder of why I love baseball.

Playmakers

With another season of baseball about to start I thought it would be appropriate to showcase a baseball themed toy.  I came upon Playmakers MLB toys one day when I was in a toy store looking for anything interesting.  This toy instantly caught my attention because I love baseball.  When I was a kid I used to collect baseball cards, and I know if these toys were around back then I would also have collected them.  Playmakers are made by McFarlane Toys, a company that has been making sports figure toys for years.

This time around, McFarlane Toys offers MLB players in a 4inch scale.  For the first series some of baseball’s current fan favourites were included such as Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Beckett, and many more.  Most players come in two versions, either batting or fielding; though pitchers and David Ortiz only come in one version.  Each sports figure is highly poseable because they have over 20 moving parts.  The version I have is of Derek Jeter in a white pinstripe Yankees uniform.  The quality of these toys is really impressive when compared to the price they cost (Canadian retail $9.99 plus tax), and the size they come in.  These toys are a great collectable and will be fantastic to have around once the new MLB season begins.

McFarlane Toys:

www.mcfarlane.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDh6griDDpo

Toronto Maple Leafs Exhibition Home Opener 2010 - Coke Zero Fans First

For a couple of years now Coca Cola has been offering hockey fans here in Toronto the chance to win free tickets to go watch a Maple Leafs exhibition game.  Canadians love their hockey and to go watch a Leafs game is like being able to go watch a baseball game at Fenway Park, a football (soccer) game in Santiago Bernabeu, or a basketball game at the Staples Center.  While I’m not a huge hockey fan, I have been following the boys in blue since the early 90’s when they had Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.  So to finally have a chance to go watch the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, and have gold seats/tickets made me feel overwhelmingly euphoric.

Ordinarily these tickets are very expensive to buy, despite the fact that the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.  A friend of mine once told me that parents put the names of their babies on a waiting list with hope’s that one day their kid (as an adult) will be able to buy season tickets.  Win or lose Toronto loves the Leafs.  So when I finally got to the ACC, despite it being the new home of the Leafs it wasn’t so much the building that made it all exciting but seeing all the fans and how much they love and support our team that made it special.

The inside of the ACC is very stylish and clean, and the staff was kind and courteous (maybe because it was the first game).  The seats were comfortable and the view was better than any television coverage can match.  My only complaint about my visit was how expensive food and beverage was, but I guess it’s no different from any other sports stadium I’ve been to.  Although the Leafs lost that night 5-0, I still had lots of fun and even got to see a fight up close and personal.  So here’s hoping the Leafs have a wonderful 2010-11 season this year, all-the-way! Go Leafs Go!

Toronto Maple Leafs:

http://mapleleafs.nhl.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAK5SEci9bA