Win #9!! 🙏🏻❤️#CanadianRecord #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/sxx7RNsotf
— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 16, 2019
Brooke Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, MI on Father's Day. Henderson now has 9 LPGA titles, the most in Canadian history. Henderson had previous tied Sandra Post, George Knudson, and Mike Weir.
The latest win was her third on Father's Day; her father is her caddy.
Henderson has a long way to go since she is only 21.
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CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage
There were 4 Canadians in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft, a new Canada record. There were 6 Canadians drafted in the 2019 NBA draft, a new record for any country, surpassing the 5 from France in 2016. The previous Canada record was 4 players in 2014.
RJ Barrett from Mississauga, ON was drafted 3rd overall by the New York Knicks. Barrett played for Duke University and is the godson of Canadian basketball icon Steve Nash.
Barrett was the highest Canadian picked since Andrew Wiggins went first overall to Cleveland in 2014. Anthony Bennett went first overall also to Cleveland in 2013.
Player | Hometown | College | NBA team | Overall pick | |||||||||||||||||||||||
RJ Barrett | Mississauga, ON | Duke | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Toronto | Virginia Tech | Brooklyn | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Brandon Clarke | Vancouver | Gonzaga | Oklahoma City | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Mfiondu Kabengele | Burlington, ON | Florida State | Brooklyn | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ignas Brazdeikis | Oakville, ON | Michigan | Sacramento | 47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Marial Shayok | Ottawa | Iowa State | Philadelphia | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Clarke got traded from Oklahoma City to Memphis; Kabengele got traded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles Clippers during the NBA draft. |
Alexander-Walker's cousin is Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Kabengele is the nephew of Dikembe Mutombo.
There were Canadians left over after the NBA draft (think undrafted players such as Fred VanVleet) such as Luguentz Dort from Montréal who went to Florida State; Lindell Wigginton at Iowa State still hoping to be the first NBA player from Nova Scotia (Dartmouth); Oshae Brissett at Syracuse from Mississauga, ON. The Raptors signed Wigginton, who will play in the Summer League.
This is the 10th consecutive NBA draft where at least one Canadian was picked.
The NBA champion Toronto Raptors couldn't draft any of the Canadian players since the Raptors didn't draft until #59 in the second round with Dewan Hernandez (University of Miami). Toronto traded its first-round pick for some guy named Kawhi Leonard.
Toronto Raptors fans will have an additional reason to celebrate Canada Day if Kawhi Leonard comes back to Toronto. Canada Day is the start of the free agency period with a 6-hour window on June 30 starting at 6 pm EDT.
"I think for us, there is nothing more that we can do. We've done it. The city has done it. This franchise [has] done it. The coaches have done it. My teammates have done it. We've done our job. The best way to recruit somebody is to just be yourself over the course of the year, and I would assume that he knows what is here and what makes this place special." — Fred VanVleet after winning the NBA title.
NBA rules allow that Toronto can offer Leonard a 5-year deal in the $190 million U.S. neighbourhood. That is a year and some $50 million more than any other team can offer. Taxes can be an issue but the exchange rate can give Leonard about 20% more value. The relative good news for Raptors fans is that Leonard will either pick Toronto or the Los Angeles Clippers.
There is talk about the Raptors getting a visit in Ottawa but there are no details.
CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage
When Bud Selig was trying to get MLB back in Milwaukee after the National League team left for Atlanta, Selig got the Chicago White Sox to play 9 games in 1968 and 11 games in 1969 at County Stadium in Milwaukee.
The Brooklyn Dodgers played games in Jersey City. The NBA Kansas City Kings played some games in Omaha.
The idea of half the Tampa Bay Rays season in Montréal is a bit far-fetched for a number of reasons. The proposal does open the gates to the obvious solution: move the Rays to Montréal.
The lease in Tropicana Field, the worst MLB facility, expires at the end of the 2027 season. That would give plenty of time for Montréal to build a new downtown stadium in Griffintown.
MLB forced the Expos to play 22 games in San Juan for the last 2 seasons in 2003 and 2004. The Expos had to go at one point from San Juan to Seattle.
The Rays could play 22 games eventually but could start with 7-10 games at Olympic Stadium until a new downtown stadium is built. They won't be the Expos until 2028 but there would be a path to MLB baseball back in Montréal.
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
The NHL also starts its free agency time on Canada Day. None of the Canadian teams are expected to have a John Tavares type signing. For the second year in a row, the Winnipeg Jets lost its trade deadline acquisition after giving up its first-round pick.
Calgary voters say no to 2026 Winter Olympics
CanadianCrossing.com Olympics coverage
Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy won the bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Calgary was in the driver's seat for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The city held a plebiscite on November 13, 2018 and 56.4% voted against the bid.
We heard Alberta complain about a bad economy. The building of Olympic structures would have brought in good jobs to Calgary and even tourist money. The city and province would have received financial help for buildings that have to be built anyway.
The International Olympic Committee would have easily picked Calgary over Stockholm and Milan-Cortina, Italy. Stockholm finished second in the decision announced in Lausanne, Switzerland. Sweden has never hosted the Winter Olympics.
Twitter capture: @brookehenderson
photo credit: CBC News Network
logo credit: Montreal Expos/MLB
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