JohnF

A single cylinder 4 stroke makes the most sense if you want a bush beater, a workhouse. But if you want to be quick and nimble the 2 strokes are probably better. Better fuel consumption on most 4 strokers too. Of course, I'm kinda out of touch but I doubt things have changed all that much, other than more power and longevity. JF

Ah, you saw them kick a couple of those pucks out from behind Jiggy, did ya? Us Leaf fans were hoping no one else would notice. JF

Cliff, welcome to the information age. Whoda thunk when we were 10 years old that we'd have the power of the internet at our fingertips during our lifetimes? It's a wonderful tool but it sure has shrunk our world, and changed our standards of social interaction. Our brave new world seems to have different rules about privety of information. Unfortunately today's parents will probably be just as guilty as us at indulging the kids, allowing the downhill spiral of our behavioral standards to continue. Perhaps it's not really downhill, just natural social evolution. I wonder what 2060 will be like. JF

And the new truck, and the new boat, and the new tv .... seems to me his wife and dog should be gettin' real nervous. JF

That's very strange because usually the smarter people are in the minority. JF

That's as good an explanation for CRCR as I've seen yet. And I notice the CRCL contingent is forging ahead again in the BC dept. Last night I thought the traditional CRCRers were overtaking us. Frankly I think the poll will favour the CRCR types if the numbers get high enuf. Apparently it's just us lefty crankers who are paying attention. JF

When someone invents C&R hunting I'll try it. I wish I knew more about wild life photography. JF

Put Dawg to work on replicating 'em. JF

I just knew there'd be someone like you show up. JF

I didn't figger handedness was relevant here given the variety of tsyles used by right handers alone. JF

Dunno if I've got this right cuz I've never initiated a poll before but here goes: There's a thread on the go now about grip and cranking style that's getting lots of input. It would be interesting, for me at least, if we do a head count on methodology. JF

I've been thinking that most natural righties who crank right are thumbing the reel with the right thumb. Hence the need to change hands. Now I'm getting the idea that some of you (most?) are thumbing with the left hand which means no switch. If you're a natural lefty then I could see thumbing with the left hand. I'm confused. And I'm not clear on why Garry says someone like me who thumbs right handed but cranks left is naturally going to hold the reel in the wrong position. What difference does it make whether the crank is up or down for the cast? Seems to me the important thing is for the reel itself not to be up so the wrist can get the proper flex action. JF

I picked up a pair at Gander Mtn for $20. They look good. I wore them every day for 3 weeks in Mexico. Dropped 'em off the peak of my cap twice and wore 'em in the pool at least half a dozen times. They came thru it all unscathed and still working great. I'll feel a whole lot better the day they fall into the lake or get sat on than if they had cost hundreds of bux. JF

Most of us see a difference between 230 on a sled and 230 in a car. Or at least I sure do. In fact I've never done 230 on a sled. The antiques I used to ride in the 70's wouldn't go that fast. The most exciting ride I had was when the track disintegrated under a modified 440 F/A that was turning up around 100 mph (we think). In any case speed on a sled is different than speed in a car to me. Of course today's sleds are a lot better sprung. JF

Friday and Saturday will be interesting. A Devils rematch and the Habs. Mebbe after that I'll feel safe getting cocky. JF

And the productivity level in Ontario will spike. JF

The joy of being a fan is that age is irrelevant. In fact I find that the older I get the more I know about hockey. JF

Trust the naysayers to parrot the parade theme whenever the Leafs enjoy a little success. One can only wonder what kind of angst we'd see if the Leafs ever actually got into contention. There'd be many a gnashed tooth. JF

I'm still learning baitcasting but I discovered the same thing. I like doing it left handed. In a pinch I can handle righty but prefer left. Sometimes it feels like I'm gonna toss the whole rig in the drink when I really snap one out the way I was taught. Perhaps it comes back to the hockey thing that they talk about in golf. So many of us grew up playing hockey left handed that we just find it natural. Hence so many left handed Canuck golfers. And perhaps that's why so many of us prefer left handed baitcasters. I was talking to a tackle shop owner from New Jersey and he said that there's not much call for lefties in casting gear in his market. He figgered that was why I got such a good deal on the LH Calcutta in Ohio. There was a righty in the same model right beside it for $199. What I've discovered is that to find LH ya gotta go slightly up the scale ladder. The cheaper reels are only RH. But then perhaps that isn't such a bad thing if it means we start out with slightly better equipment. By all accounts a crappy BC can sure ruin an otherwise nice day. Keep yer eyes peeled. I've bought a Quantum Energy PTi (the rainbow looking one) and a Calcutta 201B for $100 each in the last year or so. By all accounts those are decent deals. But I'm a neophyte. What do I know. JF

Dunno how much is part of a grand plan and how much is just plain luck arising out of desperation, but there are glimmerings of hope after only one game. Yeah yeah, I know, one game ain't a season, but there was plenty to like in it. Jiggy looked calm, cool and confident. Phaneuf was certainly a presence, and when the others learn to watch for him moving in on the offense he's gonna get some up close onetimers at the net. Sjostrom (shoostrom???) was all there and made his presence felt. The rest of the guys seemed a little more aggressive with some solid stand up clean hits à la Phaneuf (Schenn particularly). Kessel still needs to become more of a team guy and move the puck sooner, but he sure has some nifty moves. As all the Leaf detractors are quick to point out, the Devils suck lately, although it's good to remember that sucking and all they're still at the head of the Atlantic bunch, for now, and something like 4th overall. If we can believe even a little of Wilson's joyful bleating about fellowship and leadership Phaneuf et al seem to have brought some new energy to the team, in the dressing room and on the ice. The test will be how long it lasts. Anyway, last night was a good time to be a leaf fan. JF

Combine mebbe??? JF

And I feel every one of those 39 years. In fact there are times it feels like I've been selling real estate almost that long. JF

I'd like to see Kaberle, and perhaps some filler, traded for a big strong centre, preferably of the first line kind. JF

Been trying to remember since this thread first appeared. I think my first job was in around 1955 when I took on my first paper route delivering the London Free Press. At the same time I was cutting lawns and later started doing some baby sitting. No recollection of the money but it was long enuf ago to be irrelevant. Lawn cutting led to a summer gig running a Snapper for a commercial lawn care guy and then around age 15 I started working as a stock boy and carry out at the local grocery. Then a summer in a park tourist food booth. Learned a little meat cutting during the grocery years and that got me two summers with a packing plant. Didn't actually get to do any cutting but made a lot of bologna and sausage and put in many hours on the hog kill floor. Be glad to share bloody stories with any of you who care to listen and wanna become vegans. Then I did a summer on railway spare gang, a summer of pouring concrete, a summer on road construction and then two summers of university summer school trying to fast track my degree. During this time I was working full/part time fixing lawn mowers, snowblowers and sleds. In looking back it seems that there were too many work summers for the years I was in school but I definitely had all the jobs. The above jobs were interspersed with the full time jobs below as I cast about "finding myself". My first grown up job at age 19 fresh outa high school was back at the Freeps in the circulation department. That got old really quick and I took a turn in insurance claims adjusting. I wasn't hardassed enuf for that and packed it in to go into computer work. I ran an IBM 360/20 and was studying programming. Didn't take long to figger out I was meant to work with people, not machines, and so it was back to university for a few more years. In 1973 I talked my wife into dumping everything and heading for Europe. We backpacked around there for months until the wanderlust was sated. I was offered a job running a motorcycle shop in France but she wasn't interested in staying so on we went. When I got home my sled racing experience got me a job offer in the Rupp sled distribution business. After a couple of years having too much fun for it to feel like a real job I figgered out that the sled industry was gonna get real small real fast so I bailed and got a real estate licence in 1975. That licence has kept me in groceries, cars and mortgage payments ever since. It'll do until I figger out what I really wanna be. If you find this account confusing think of how it was for me. JF

I'm too old to still be looking for adventure. The idea of being one tremor away from oblivion is not for me. Mebbe in my youth. My Excel triple header is exciting enuf nowadays. JF