the 4th star

Listen up people. The 4th Star is going to the Olympics!

That’s right. Barring any serious illness or unforeseen circumstance, yours truly will be navigating the busy sidewalks, crowded venues, and general unpleasantness that will no doubt be associated with the cluster-fudge that is the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. I’ll only be there for a few days, but be sure to check in regularly for updates on the countless verbal disagreements I expect to have with various people from at home and abroad. I’ll fill you in with the schedule as we get closer to departure. Things that I’m pumped about include:

1. The mark-up on a white-hot chocolate at Starbucks. They’re already like eight bucks. Can I afford to drop a $20 on those bad boys so it looks like I drink coffee and am cool that way?

2. I have nothing to base this on, but I have the feeling Canadians will be the ones who annoy me the most. That reminds me, I have to go to The Bay and Roots to gear up. Actually, screw it. I can get by with a Beaver Canoe sweatshirt.

3. Blood doping.

As for events, it looks like we’ll be hitting up some speed skating and possibly curling (though not 100 per cent sure on that). Speed skating will be fun, just ’cause there might be a Manitoban or two competing. I plan on bringing my skates, just in case. Really looking forward to the curling, though. Will there be a difference between watching a game at the Heather and watching a game at the Olympics? Doubt it. Regardless, it will give me a chance to do catch up on some reading. Or my sleep. There was talk of attending a hockey game but it turns out no one really cares about that sport.

Skate and destroy.

On the Hustler & Lawless show last night, CJOB sports director Bob Irving suggested that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers board of directors — or rather the selection committee put together by the board of directors — will recommend that Joe Mack be named the club’s new vice president of football operations today. Gathering steam on that suggestion are two stories from national media websites, this one and this one. That’s where things are there.

Locally, the Free Press has not been so quick to jump in the Joe Mack waters (and yes, you can’t say or write that guy’s name without using the full handle). In today’s hard copy, they point out the two choices the Bombers BoD has in front of them. The Sun paints the same picture in today’s edition, but throws its editorial support behind Jim Barker — like the front office hire is a civic election or something.

This afternoon, as the two national reports settle in, the Free Press has taken a more cautious path and is not ready to declare Joe Mack the *winner* of the Winnipeg job. Smart, considering how well that approach served them in recent Blue Bombers media circuses. The Sun has followed suit. That’s not surprising, considering how they were burned on the Mike Kelly return story last month. No matter what happens in the coming hours, an announcement looks like it’s coming this week.

Sadly, I can’t really comment on either guy as I’m not really well-versed on my Ghosts of CFL Front Offices, Past or Present. I can say this, though: For a franchise that has made more bad decisions than good ones over the last 20 years, the pressure to get this hire right is intense. The fan base will go berserk if the guy they bring in leaves (or gets shuffled out the door) in two years. Judging on resumes alone Barker seems like the safe choice, given the fact he’s not 25 years removed from a CFL management position. On the flip side, though, how cool would it be for the Bombers to introduce Joe Mack to this music? Yeah, I’ll buy season tickets if they do that.

PS: Try getting that song out of your head for the rest of the day.