The good, bad and ugly in sports

let’s get to it.

The Good - Oh, Ohtani. Shohei Ohtani, the California Angels’ hitting and pitching stud is having perhaps the best season in MLB history. The American League leader in home runs is also one of the AL’s best pitchers, but his performance in a late July doubleheader in Detroit was stunning: A one-hit, complete game shutout in the opener, and two home runs in the night-cap. Wow! Just wow!

The Bad - The Edmonton Elks are becoming a punch line. The Canadian Football League team set a professional sports record by losing their 21st straight home game - a stretch going back to 2019. The Elks play in a city calling itself the “City of Champions.” Uh, right.

The Ugly - The spectacle of Bo Bichette rounding first base, changing his mind about going to second, and then limping to a halt when something popped in his right knee was an ugly scene for Blue Jays’ fans. Bichette, the team’s best hitter, was expected to miss about 10 games in early August, something the Jays definitely didn’t need if they hope to make the playoffs.

The Good - Summer MacIntosh has to be, hands down, our country’s female athlete of the year for 2023. She won two gold medals at the World Aquatic Championships in Japan in July

Barracuda Provincial Results

(200-metre butterfly and 400-metre medley), adding to the two golds she won last year. She also anchored Canada’s 4x100-metre medley relay team.

The Bad - Canadian soccer fans had high hopes for our country’s women’s national team, at the FIFA World Cup. But a 4-0 thrashing by host Australia eliminated the Canadians, who were one of the favourites after winning gold at the 2020 Olympic Games (played in 2021 in Tokyo).

The Ugly - Bo Bichette’s haircut.

The Good - How amazing is Max Verstappen’s recent performances on the world Formula One racing circuit? He won seven consecutive races, giving his Red Bull team 12 straight victories and the question these days is not will Verstappen win the race, but by how much?

The Bad - All Bo Levi Mitchell had to do to wrap up a recent victory for Hamilton Tiger-Cats was take a knee to run out the clock. However, he decided to take the snap and plunge into the mass of humanity on the line. Ouch! Someone landed on his leg and he suffered a fracture. Bad play. Bad decision.

The Ugly - While all teams in the American League East are over

.500, their ugly cousins - the A.L. Central - limp along in mediocrity. One team, likely Minnesota or Cleveland, will by default qualify for the playoffs, possibly with a sub-.500 record.

• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “According to a recent poll, Draymond Green was the Warrior that Cavaliers fans hated most - by a wide margin. Title that one: Not Everybody Loves Draymond.”

• Headline at fark.com: “The Savannah Bananas have a rule that a foul ball caught by a fan is an out. Two outs in the ninth? This is why you bring your glove to the game.

• Steve Simmons of Sunmedia, on the $360 million six-year contract signed by Jaylen Brown of Boston Celtics: “Jaylen Brown will be paid more than the Canadian Football League next season.”

• Headline on the Canadian parody website The Beaverton: “Blue Jays fan times bathroom breaks for when team has run- ners in scoring position to ensure he doesn’t miss any action”

• Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver, after the Pac 12 football conference lost five teams to rival conferences: “What is the Pac-12 Network going to show now - Three’s Company reruns?”

Results for the Biggar Barracuda Swim Club at the 2023 Provincials this past July 29-30 in Saskatoon.

Cody Doering: 200m Free Bronze. 50m Fly 5th. 100m Fly 4th. 100m Free Bronze. 200m IM 6th. Relays: three silver and a gold.

Kieran Massie: 100m

Breast 7th. 100m Back 5th. 200m Breast 7th. 50m Fly 9th. Relays bronze.

Everett Dowson: 100m

Back 5th. 25m Fly 4th.

100m Free 10th. 50m

Back 8th.

Jaxon Dowson: 100m

Back 6th. 50m Breast 7th.

100m Free 9th.

Presley Steeg: 50m Back

12th. 100m Breast 10th.

Jakob Thomas: 100m

Free 11th. 50m Back 12th.

50m Free 12th.

Adriana Sanchez: 100m Back 9th. Relays: bronze.

Abigail Dowson: 200m

Free 11th. 100m Back 11th. 100m Breast 11th.

Valeria Sanchez: 100m Breast 9th. 100m Free 11th. 100m Back 11th. 50m Free 11th.

Jim Reiter, MLA

Rosetown-Elrose Constituency

215 Main Street, Rosetown

Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00

• Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, on the NFL’s Hall of Fame game between the Jets and Browns: “If you watched that game to the bitter end the other night (raises hand, mutters ‘guilty’), then you really must reevaluate the way you parcel out your time.”

Tel: 306-882-4105

Fax: 306-882-4108

Toll free; 1-855-762-2233

E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net

Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0

Please call with questions or concerns

• Another one from Steve Simmons: “Should they change the name of the Edmonton Elks to the Edmonton L’s?” Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

Jim Reiter, MLA

Rosetown-Elrose Constituency

215 Main Street, Rosetown

Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00

Tel: 306-882-4105

Fax: 306-882-4108

Toll free; 1-855-762-2233

E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net

Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0

Please call with questions or concerns

(Submitted Photo)

Tips to pick the right time to retire

Professionals work hard to achieve both shortand long-term goals. Retirement certainly qualifies as a long-term goal, and many people spend decades building and investing in a nest egg that they hope will help them enjoy their golden years to the fullest extent.

The decision regarding when to retire is affected by a host of variables, so what’s a good time for one individual may not be ideal for another. However, professionals on the cusp of retirement can consider these tips as they try to pick the right time to retire.

• Consider age-related benefits. Both the United States and Canada feature government-sponsored retirement income programs and it behooves individuals to familiarize themselves with the rules of those programs so they can maximize their benefits. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) allows individuals to begin receiving full CPP benefits at age 65, but they also can get a permanently reduced amount the moment they turn 60. The CPP also allows people to receive a permanent increase if they wait until turning 70 to receive payment.

• Pay off your debts. Carrying debt into retirement can be risky. In general, it’s ideal to pay off all debts, including a mortgage and car payment, before retiring. Doing so can provide more financial flexibility and make it easier to manage unforeseen expenses, such as those incurred due to health problems.

• Consider your retirement living expenses. It goes without saying that a sizeable nest egg will be a necessity for anyone hoping to live comfortably in retirement. But the tricky part is figuring just how big a nest egg might need to be. In such instances, individuals can speak with a financial advisor and discuss what their retirement living expenses will be. Conventional wisdom based on the Consumer Price Index suggests individuals will need to replace between 70 and 80 per cent of their preretirement income after calling it a career. But even that figure is not set in stone, as rising inflation, such as the rapid spike experienced in 2022, can quickly put retirees in financial jeopardy. By estimating the expenses they might

306•951•8446 have in retirement, individuals can begin to see just how close or far away from retirement they may be. Budget for inflation so any spike in living expenses can be easier to manage.

We will REMOVE any Junk Car or Truck CA$H Paid on the Spot!

Many individuals recognize that there’s no perfect time to retire. But a few simple strategies can help professionals make the best decision possible.