Garth Mcqueen 12/03/2004 09:22 AM CTFS is No. 1 - again Named best in North America for third time BY GREG FURMINGER, Tribune Staff Local News - Thursday, December 02, 2004 @ 09:00 Well Mark, yesterdays Tribune foretold the fortunes of our glorious team. It is no coincidence that this was Front Page. Once again Mark, I congratulate you on your great vision. You spoke very early in the year, when you acquired the Italian Flu, that "from these hands I pass the torch". Well Mike has held the torch up high (probably to find the way to the bar..it's pretty dark in the lounge at 3:30pm), as the CTFS team climbs the mountain of success. We were in 16th place going into last nights game. Game Stats: CTFS 15 Cheers: 7 Ends CTFS 5 Cheers 3 Lead 110% Second 120% Third 90% Skip 80% It was showdown time in the old curling rink last night. The nights lineup had a repeat of last years championship game. Sammy (the skip) had fire in his belly and a stealy focus to his eyes. Oh, he wanted revenge. Well it seems there was one more night in Canadian Tire's Two Magic Nights...the special was extended to Dec 2. Sammy should of recognized the trouble he would be in when he saw that Mike and I were practising our hit and roll behind cover shots in the warm up. This would be called upon many times in the game (good thing it worked in practise). We stomped on their dreams in the first end by taking 4. We teased them some more by giving up 3 and then we let the hook sink deeply into their hopes of victory by tossing them another 3. By the end of three we were down 6-4.....had them right where we needed them. Mauro decided to have some fun by only taking 2 in the fourth to tie the game. I know I have been pretty hard on our skip's (I have used the term skip...you can put in any name you want..neither one has hit it) inability to draw to the button, but I thought they could hit the house at least....(maybe next year). Back to the fun the part Mark. After the fourth end we couldn't contain ourselves any longer. It is hard to hold back on the throttle when your team is this good. Needless to say we took 3 of the next 4 ends exploding for 11 points. Mauro and Bruce were excellent in putting up the guards during this time. They really have the soft weight down. I know I heard Bruce say to Mauro that it was soft all the time, so I think they practise. Now on the other hand we have Mike. Mr. I Have Learned the Lingo Milinkovic, now feels comfortable in yelling out the sweeping instructions. His timing needs a little work....for example.....When one throws the kind of weight that would knock over two transports (or Blake and Rob), you wouldn't think you would call on your sweepers. Oh no, not our new professional curling lead. He let out a blast that would have sunk a sub in the canal and ten feet down the ice, he was yelling, Hurry, Harder, Sweep Sweep. I dare say that Bruce and I looked at each other and understood..... Mike had become a curler. Mark, the team eagerly awaits your arrival. Mike has set the bar pretty high. He automatically buys a round or two and he has fallen in love with the peanuts. We are 3-2-1 and probably near the top 10. The team expects you take us where we need to be. See you next week!!. Mark Pioli 12/03/2004 09:45 AM Pioli turns down deal to return to TNC - Thursday Night Curling curling.com wire reports WELLAND (Dec. 2, 2004) -- Mark Pioli has rejected a deal that would have allowed him to return to the Thursday Night Curling Season. "Mark indicated to me that he is no longer interested in resuming his career at this time," Piolis' bartender, David Peshko, said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. The C-Flight Trophy winner needed to let the league know by Dec. 2 so he could be moved from the injury list to the suspended list by the deadline. "Mark Pioli has declined to accept the terms of his reinstatement," a Curling spokesman said. CTFS spokesman Garth McQueen wouldn't comment, saying the matter is between Pioli and the Milinkovic. Pioli, 40, stunned his team by hurting his back shortly before CTFS opened training camp in October. CTFS filed a lawsuit in federal court against the lead, seeking the $5 a week an arbitrator ruled he owes the team for breaching his contract. Pioli is fighting the decision. He is now enrolled in a 17-month course at the Niagara College, studying darts and bowling. The talks to allow Pioli back into the league involved a promise to return to the ice next season and to re-enter the TNC drug program immediately, including being tested on a regular basis. "The TNC sought assurances that Mark is indeed committed to playing," Pioli has social-anxiety disorder and was a spokesman for an anti-depressant. He said marijuana helped him after he stopped using the anti-depressant. Garth McQueen 12/03/2004 09:51 AM Oh, I think you are ready.... I can sense the pent up frustration.... We were only kidding about the No Sex before playing thing!! Bruce Clark 12/03/2004 10:02 AM Mark: A somewhat accurate review of the game. As I reflect back on the "Pioli Papers" for the season 2004/2005 thus far what has struck me is the repetitive theme of the high percentage the the lead and 2nd have scored according to Garth. Of course this is a variation of Einstein's famous equations: e=mc(squared) Energy, mass, and the speed of light. Einstein's famous equations says that mass m is equivalent to energy E, and the amount of energy contained in a piece of mass is equal to the mass multiplied with the square of the speed of light, c. Without the fact described by this equation we wouldn't be around since the energy we obtain from the Sun is generated by converting mass to energy in the process of nuclear fusion. Garth has altered this equation somewhat. Energy = # of pregame beers minus # of times they have thrown the correct shot as called Mass = lead and 2nd's fat butts - # of slimfast downed square of the speed of light = how quickly the get to the bar (186000 miles per second)* number of times they indicated that they would buy a round only to renege at the last minute(186000) So it equates to this. e=100 - 0 = 100 m=(to big to measure) - 0 = to big to measure c=0 Without the fact described by this equation we wouldn't be the champions that we are (according to Garth) since the energy we obtain from the lead /2nd is generated by converting mass to energy in the process of nuclear fusion. (garth's ass dropping those bombs after wings and beer.) George Jensen 12/03/2004 10:13 AM You guys crack me up! Thanks.