Canada is a healthy second place in the medal standings for the 2015 Pan Am Games. Toronto is finally warming up to the event in its city. And the ending to the men's baseball gold medal game even got some U.S. people to pay attention to the tournament.
Then again, many in the U.S., the country leading in the Pan Am Games medal standings, might have heard about the Pan Am Games because of Kanye West.
The idea of West playing at the closing ceremony was met with scorn in many circles. Canada has no input in which artists play the Pan Am Games, though the organizers have Canadian Serena Ryder on the bill along with Pitbull.
Toronto Mayor John Tory thought there were 2 Canadians on the bill, including West. Perhaps Tory confused Drake, who is Canadian, with Kanye West.
How are we suppose to remember who is Canadian if John Tory can't remember?
Pitbull makes sense being an American of Cuban descent. And many in Canada would rather have a Canadian headliner.
Canada defended its gold medal in men's baseball with an exciting 7-6 win in 10 innings over the United States.
The extra innings rule starts an inning with runners on 1st and 2nd. The American team scored twice in the top of the 10th inning, but Canada scored 3 runs. The final 2 runs came on a play with 2 throwing errors.
Peter Orr, who you might remember from the World Baseball Classic teams, scored the winning run for Canada. Glad to see Canada find success in the Pan Am Games that they can't find in the World Baseball Classic.
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Canada won its first ever gold medal in basketball in the Pan Am Games as Kia Nurse led the way with 33 points as Canada's women's basketball team defeated the United States 81-73.
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In the 2011 Pan Am Games, Canada won 119 medals, 30 gold. So far in 2015, Canada has won 146 medals, 54 gold. Home pride only goes so far; talent counts but like 2010 in Vancouver, there is that extra incentive.
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Even with Kanye West, Pitbull, and Serena Ryder, the closing ceremonies of the 2015 Pan Am Games will not air on television in the United States. The ceremonies will be on ESPN3.
Those in the States that can get a CBC signal can watch the CBC coverage. The ceremony starts Sunday at 6:45 pm Eastern. The program will also feature fireworks from the CN Tower.
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As a devoted listener of CBC Radio One's World At Six and World This Weekend, the newscasts are shorter during the Pan Am Games to allow for updates from the games. Of course, CBC is carrying the lion's share of coverage on television.
One of those TV voices in the radio coverage has been the voice of Steve Armitage. You might recall that Armitage and Mark Lee were let go by CBC Sports in cutbacks thanks to the loss of NHL money and continued cuts in funding from the federal government.
We assume Mark Lee is also back though we have not been able to track down that information.
Lee and Armitage were the 2 play-by-play voices for the CFL on CBC after the network laid off Chris Cuthbert during the NHL lockout in 2005.
I have missed Mark Lee on the NHL telecasts as he was one of the few voices not brought over in the Rogers takeover.
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