Category Archives: Sports
Superbowl Sunday Epic Giveaway
The Superbowl is this Sunday, which means men (and women) around North America will be tuning into the clash of two titans – the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. While they tune into the big game, they will likely be enjoying great food, beer and likely gambling… well I always gamble on the Superbowl anyway. Who doesn’t bet on how long the national anthem will be?! Pays 1.9 usually!
But, let’s pretend for a second you don’t have Superbowl plans… or let’s even pretend you have Superbowl plans but they are likely going to involve you, your couch and some beers cheering by yourself or with your neighbour… we can’t have that! That’s just not the way the game needs to be enjoyed!
Instead… how would you like to enjoy the game with NFL all-time sack leader Bruce Smith and Former Titan/Eagle Jevon Kearse, with a bunch of Buffalo Bills cheerleaders hanging out around, with beer, tailgating food and a crowd that is so into the game, you’ll feel like you’re there! How about if we add in a live performance by Big Wreck, who quite frankly will be a lot better than a horrible lip synced show by that old bag Madonna? Now let’s add in the fact that this is a NFL sponsored Superbowl party in Canada… and you get to watch it on a bunch of HD TVs at The Sound Academy. This all sounds incredible right? Right… and what will this all cost you? Well, if you want to buy tickets it will cost you $46…
But what if you could get in for free?! AND what if you could also bring a friend?!?! Interested? Obviously. Don’t deny the excitement you’re feeling right now. Just don’t. It’s not worth it. Get up and scream at the screen how excited you are. I’ll give you a minute.
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..
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Okay… a little much. But I appreciate the enthusiasm.
So here’s what I’ve got… 2 pairs of tickets to giveaway to the event and winning is going to be quite simple. A simple tweet gets your name in the hat for a pair... “The 2012 Superbowl Champions will be ________! @zachbussey http://bit.ly/wGHifr #CanadasXLVI” adding in the missing information as to who you think will be the winner. (Your answer is important because I’m going to bet with the consensus, hehe.)
But don’t hesitate! This opportunity closes on Saturday evening and the winners will be able to pick up their tickets from the media pickup outside the event.
Oh and PS… there’s one other pair up for grabs via @TalkBackShow… check it out here.
2012 Love A Heart Auction: Bachelor Buying Guide
You’ve had time to digest the Bachelorette Buying Guide, so now it’s time for the men. Oh wait, you don’t know about the Love a Heart Auction? Fine, let me tell you about it…
The Love a Heart Auction is a bachelor/bachelorette date auction that raises funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The auction will again be held at The Hideout at 484 Queen St. West, from 8PM on till morning on Thursday, February 9th. The auction will be split in two, with 5 men and 5 women auctioned at 9:30, and the remaining 5 men and 5 women auctioned at 11:30. A total of twenty people will be up for grabs all for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Cash was the only accepted payment last year, so I imagine the same will occur this year. To find out more details, or to confirm your attendance, you’ll want to click here.
But if you want my insight into the men for sale, let’s have a look shall we?
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Wilder Weir @WilderWeir Wilder hosts a show on Cosmo TV called “Oh So Cosmo“. The guy has the white tshirt look down pat… something I’m working on but still a while away. Also can anyone confirm that his teeth are indeed that white?! Cosmo is no small feat so I assume there’s going to be a solid market for him. Wilder will sell for around $325. |
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Brock McLaughlin @BrockMcLaughlin Returning from last year is Brock – the only bachelor you’re sure to get sex from if that’s what you’re after. It’s kind of funny when you look at the lineup this year because Brock isn’t the pretty boy on the list. Expect a shirt with one or two buttons done up. If you’re younger, now is your chance to live out your Twilight fantasy. Brock picks up where he left off in 2011, sells for $425. |
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Sheldon Levine @40Deuce I think this shirt says it all. Show him the money ladies! (I don’t believe he’s still mustached, so you can spend a little more now, relax.) He works as a community manager at Sysomos which is probably a cool job. Rumour has it he’s pretty good in bed too. That’s good for a couple extra bucks ya? Sheldon is likely to be put up in the first round, and for $120. |
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Dan Levy (Not Eugene Levy’s Son) @TheDanLevy Dan is a returning auctionee from 2011. Friendly, and very talkative, Dan is a ball of energy. Dan has balls in that he’s in a group of auctionees that many look straight out of a magazine. Which may give him an edge overall. Familiarity will also play to his advantage as he’s a recognizable character. Dan tops what he did last year and secures $120. |
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Scott Cavalheiro @ScottCavalheiro When I Googled Scott, this image came up and it only seemed fair to post it. (Bigger image here, no pun intended). He’s an incredibly charismatic guy, so expect to be entertained… but that being said, unless the evening is equal opportunity, I hope all the guys leave their shirts on. Charisma goes a long way, so he sells for $400. |
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Jeff Cole @iamjeffcole Jeff Cole is the community manager at Lou Dawgs, a late night food spot routinely frequented by social media folks. I don’t know much about him, other than that and he clearly plays guitar. So in terms of bidding, he’s going to have to be a wild card here. As the wild card, I’ll predict he sells for $100. |
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Mike Bradwell Wide Receiver for the Toronto Argonauts As one of two sports figures in the auction, he will clearly come with fans. Granted the two sports are Canadian Football and Lacrosse… so to me, almost not sports… but even pseudo prosports players become drool worthy when you’re female at a bachelor auction. That, and he’s not terrible looking. CFL Fanettes will buy him, so he’ll sell for $1550. |
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Kerry Morrison @kmore Kerry is the CEO of EndloopMobile, which makes mobile apps. He was supposed to come on @TalkBackShow, where I would have found out how often app developers get laid… but alas, I have no answers. CEO is always a nice title though, so that’s worth some bucks folks! CEO Life Whattttup? No $.99 app here, he’s selling for $180. |
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Matt Roik Toronto Rock Starting Goaltender As mentioned above, he plays lacrosse professionally… and as mentioned further above, that’s kinda a sport. I’m pretty sure @shankell is responsible for this one, so lacrosse fans make sure to thank her. Oh, and by the way he’s the one on the right, not the tool on the left. You’re welcome for clearing that up. Girls here’s your best bet to date a proish athlete, sells for $850. |
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Bachelor 10 Is Currently a Nobody Well, there’s supposed to be 10 bachelors, and only 9 have been posted… which means we don’t know anything about him yet. But needless to say, he’s probably going to be a stud… I mean, look at that hairline… Mmm mmm. Bid high folks! Sells for nothing. |
Hennessy Sports, Ontario vs Quebec, McGuinness Gaudet
Saturday night I had the great opportunity to attend the first major boxing event in Ontario in many years. The card was styled in a Quebec versus Ontario series of matchups designed to showcase talents from both provinces. Montreal, Quebec is currently the boxing capital of Canada and Hennessy Sports looks to change that and bring boxing back to Ontario and recapture the Boxing Capital here in Toronto.
Hennessy Sports invited me to join them for the evening as a VIP at the event, sitting a mere 20 feet away from the ring and with full VIP Ringside access for me and two guests. What can only be described as amazing, was the experience we were treated to that night. Our private box was located right beside the back rooms and the boxers would routinely walk by, and even hang out in our box while talking to trainers, coaches and fans in the stands. It was incredible.
I had never been to a boxing match before, but have watched a ton of boxing over the last 5 years. Considering I knew about many of the Hennessy Boxers, I obviously backed them throughout the night and was happy that of the 3 boxers I knew well, they all won! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Abdullah Ramadan (Notice the VIP Guest? Haha.)
First on the card was Natasha Spence (2-0-1, 2KOs) vs Lucia Larcinese (4-7). A short four round match where Natasha aggressively dominated Lucia and when the final bell rang, remains undefeated. Next up, Dillion Carman (1-0) against Gord Franjic (Debut). Gord was overweight and definitely seemed overmatched just by looks alone. Well we sure weren’t wrong! About 30 seconds in, Dillion lands a pair of huge hits and Gord drops to the ground. He gets up after an 8 count and steps up, again being pounded in the face by Dillion. And down he went, TKO. The match lasted all of 40 seconds. Hilarious.
View from our Box
Then we got into a good one, Lionell Thompson (@lonniebthegreat) vs former Olympian Abdullah Ramadan. Lionell is a hot prospect with an undefeated 9-0 career going in at only 26… meanwhile Ramadan is 44. Ramadan, pictures above is actually in insane shape and the match was pretty tight. However, Lionell won and continues to be undefeated. Two more matches followed with Jeremy Abbott taking on Harrison McBain and then Brandon Cook taking Darren Fletcher. Both matches were exciting and built the crowd up well.
Finally, we got into the co-feature… an all out war between Samuel Vargas (@s_vargas_) (Ontario) and Ahmad Cheikho (Quebec). The crowd was really into this battle and punches were flying both ways. One minute Cheikho had knocked down Vargas, the next minute Vargas was laying Cheikho out. After several rounds of intense fighting, a few major hits to Cheikho finished him and Vargas retained his undefeated status – 8 and 0 now. (Cheikho actually couldn’t continue due to an arm injury.)
The final match, 12 rounds between Logan Cotton McGuinness (@LocoPugilist) versus Benoit Gaudet should have been the most exciting of the matches – it was a title belt fight, Super Featherweight. Unfortunately as it turns out, Benoit Gaudet is a runner and spent 11 rounds running around the ring. Every time Logan would swing, Gaudet would start running away. It was brutal for 10 rounds, until finally some punches were landing. Now… I can call Gaudet a pussy in terms of him being a boxer – I fully realize he could knock me into Summer 2013 if he wanted to, but in terms of boxing McGuinness, he was the worst. His game seemed to be ‘retreat’. I hated him and so did the crowd. So in the 11th round, when McGuinness landed a pair of punches, and Gaudet dropped like he’d been hit by a truck – the Hershey Centre errupted into cheers and screams of joy. Ding ding ding, all over. TKO.
This was one of the best experiences in a live sporting event I’ve ever had and I wanted to thank Hennessy Sports again for hooking me up! This was the first event of what is sure to be a great future for boxing in Ontario. The Hershey Centre was filled to capacity, and it’s not hard to think that the next event will be held at a larger venue like the ACC! When that time comes, I highly suggest checking it out! It’s an amazing environment. I’d suggest following Hennessy on Twitter and Facebook to be kept in the loop to future events!
Boxing Returns to Ontario!
People are sometimes shocked to learn that I’m a boxing fan. Mostly because I hate MMA. I get why people might be shocked to learn this… but it just seems like 95% of MMA is who can mount the other man and hold him there for as long as possible and periodically stroke him with their fist. If I wanted to watch that, there’s a whole internet that could provide me with ‘safe for TV gay porn’.
Boxing is so much better. I might even become a boxer one day! They’ll make a movie about me called “The Pugilist Case of Rocky Bussey” where all my life I never once prepared for a fight, until one day in my late 50s I realize it’s my calling. Actually, I do have a little bit of a secret desire to learn a little bit one day. Always good to be quick on your feet and with your hands. ;)
Anyway, I’ve noticed a severe lack of boxing in Toronto. In fact, in all my years in Toronto, I haven’t even heard of any events! Until now… October 22nd at Hershey Centre in Mississauga! This is a big event put on by Hennessy Sports, and features a card that’s designed to be a ‘Quebec vs Ontario’ series of matches. Montreal is the boxing capital of Canada, this is supposed to take some of the glory back to Ontario! While not in Toronto directly, this is the first step to bringing boxing to venues like the ACC.
Co-Headlined by a Super Featherweight matchup between Ontario’s Undefeated (15-0-1 with 7KOs) Logan McGuiness versus a world championship challenger and Quebecer, Benoit Gaudet and also with Undefeated Samuel Vargas of Mississauga taking on Ahmed Cheikho of Montreal in a walterweight match up. Others on the bill include Lionell “Lonnie B” Thompson, Dillon Carman, Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook, Ibrahim “Firearm” Kamal, Natasha Spence, and Jeremy Abbott vs Harrison McBain.
You can purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.
OR!
You can win some through me! The great folks at Hennessy Sports have hooked me up with several pairs of tickets to giveaway! So here’s how to possibly win:
1. 1 entry: Follow Hennessy Sports on Twitter. Then comment here.
2. 1 entry: Like Hennessy Sports on Facebook. Then comment here.
3. 1 entry: Tweet “@HSportsCanada I want to see live boxing here in Ontario on #October22!”
The Focus Challenge
A few weeks ago I was invited to partake in the Ford Focus Challenge… a day long event of testing and learning about the features of the new 2012 Focus. Now I was interested, but unfortunately I don’t drive, so I proposed the alternative of bringing someone along to be the official driver… I think I actually may have positioned it in Green Hornet – Cato terms. Fortunately they were open to it.
So last Tuesday, @cdot_in_tdot and I got to participate against some great people including @jaycanadian, @keriblog, @cellguru, @wondermoms_ca, @jessehernick, @malindadenbok and others. Meeting at Ultra to sign in, and grab a little brunch we got to meet some of the team at Ford and the competition. I realize now that I signed something that I didn’t actually read… hopefully I still retain my name or whatever… I’ve already had enough trouble with other Zach Bussey’s showing up, I think I’d be pretty enraged if a Ford Zach Bussey hits the roads.
At this point were taken to Ontario Place where we get our cars for the day, and also participate in an obstacle course. We’re also given iPod Touch’s to film some of our day… Calvin and I are competitive and we were determined to win… so with the obstacle course, the key was not hitting any pylons, but we decided for not hitting pylons and speed (speed wasn’t tracked, we tracked with the iPod and on one of our tries we got 27 seconds.) Oh and never hit a pylon!
That same run, we apparently were ‘exceeding driver and car capabilities’, though, both driver and car handled incredibly! For 180HP, that car had some serious GO!
After that the “rally race” of sorts began… essentially it was going destination to destination to learn more about the car, while trying to be good driver. The car actually gave ‘awards’ for eco driving. Much like a video game, you could get achievements and points. Gaming mechanics in car is a very solid idea!
We also got puzzle pieces at each completed challenge to help us with the final quiz… (Pictured at the bottom of this post).
It was at the Havencrest Riding Academy(get it? Horse power?) in Oakville where the only really bad thing happened… see they have fences there… and those fences have a rope that runs around the top. These ‘ropes’ have a purpose… to shock the fuck out of people! Well, maybe not people… the horses I guess… but damn I got hit hard and for about 10 minutes my right arm was completely numb! The above photo is from two days after the event, and it’s since then cleared up mostly, but you can see the dark spot where I was hit with the electricity and my skin was breaking around it. Crazy! Now before you say anything… I didn’t know it was electrified! They apparently had these signs warning against it, but I have vision similar to Superman and I didn’t see them… Electricity is my kryptonite.
Anyway, that was the only bad experience of the day. The rest was fantastic. Ford really took care of us and treated everyone really well. We tested out the self park system built into the Ford Focus (and I imagine other cars soon?), which was so amazing. Honestly the spot was tiny, only slightly bigger than the car yet this thing did it with no problems. Then afterwards, free Starbucks. We learned that the car has a lot of recycled material in it, jean especially. Has a unique feature for parents called MyKey which allows a parent to set limits on the car such as volume, speed, seat belt reminders etc.
And the “MyFord Touch” voice controlled system + touch screen was really cool too – albeit it has a bit of a learning curve. “Lucy” as we called her, wasn’t much a fan of mine at first… but over time she grew on me and started to respond to me better. I considered it foreplay and only after a while was she warmed up to really respond to me. Then we got along fine.
As a non-driver, this car actually made me want to become one haha. As a passenger though, I can say that without a doubt it would be a nice car to ride in!
At the end of it all, back to Ultra for dinner, drinks and to fill out the end quiz. With the full puzzle, we had all except for one answer correct we think… so we waited to see who won the day… and the winners were Calvin and I! We’re each getting an iPad 2!
Ford really treated us well, which is why this post is very complimentary. It was a very good day, lots of laughs, great food and a unique experience! If you’re in the market for a new car, I can safely recommend the Focus! The features are incredible. In fact, if you’re thinking of buying… take me with you on a test drive! I can show you all the different features built in. I’m basically a Focus Expert now.
Learn more about the Focus here. And make sure you follow @ammar_ammar of Ford.
