Author Archives: alifeofknuckleballs

Talking Candiotti and baseball on TSN 1040

Had the opportunity to chat baseball and about my book “Tom Candiotti: A Life of Knuckleballs” on Vancouver Canadians Game Day with Rob Fai on TSN 1040.

Here’s the part of the program where I talked about the book and about the Blue Jays:

To me, there’s no comparison with Tom Candiotti on the 1991 Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey on the 2015 team. As I’d mentioned on the program, Candiotti in 1991 was looked upon to lead the young pitching staff (one that included rookies Mike Timlin and Juan Guzman as well as youngsters David Wells and Todd Stottlemyre). His innings took pressure off of the bullpen as well as the other starters. Candiotti, in fact, nearly won the 1991 American League ERA title – losing it to Roger Clemens in the final week of the season. (Candiotti, who led the ERA race in late September, finished at 2.65 while Clemens was at 2.62.)

As for Dickey? As I’d noted, he’s basically a six-inning pitcher and he might not even be part of the postseason starting rotation (assuming Toronto makes it to the playoffs).

I got cut off when I was talking about rooting for a guy like Candiotti, but what I’d wanted to say there was that how can one not root for the guy? He was a guy who went undrafted, developed elbow problems that required surgery before he even got to the big leagues, underwent Tommy John surgery and became the second player to ever appear in the majors after the operation, and reinvented himself by throwing a knuckleball after two seasons in the bigs where he was a conventional pitcher. The guy nearly won the ERA title twice, and finished his career with more than 150 victories. How can one not root for a guy like that? Had social media existed then, his story would have been more recognized and remembered.

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Fast Food Review: McDonald’s Western BBQ Burger

Jun 12

Posted by alifeofknuckleballs

(This post originally appeared on my food review blog, “Let’s Eat Out Once A Week.”)

McDonald’s so-called “Great Canadian Taste Adventure” of 2015 continued June 10-June 16 with the “Alberta” Western BBQ Burger.

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I was at the Langley Walnut Grove location on 88th Avenue, and on this evening the wait was extra long – not sure what was going on in the back. Apparently, the staff felt it too and, on their own volition, they gave me a “free fries” voucher for my next visit.

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This burger was actually delicious! The BBQ sauce was very tasty, with crunchy frizzled onions. I liken this burger to Triple O’s Smokehouse Burger from several months ago. This McDonald’s Western BBQ Burger tasted just like it – very yummy indeed! It was actually a very simple burger, but delicious.

At this Langley location, this Alberta burger combo was C$8.29. I would imagine, based on past experience, if I were to go to the McDonald’s in Vancouver, it would be 10 cents more expensive (and 30 cents extra for the same item in Richmond).

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McDonald’s Western BBQ Burger Combo (includes fries and medium drink) – C$8.29 (combo price at Walnut Grove Langley location)

Anyway, I liked this burger, more so than the Ontario burger from the week before. I guess it’s a good thing that McDonald’s will have it for just a week, though. It could be addictive, and I wouldn’t want to stop by Mickey Dee’s on a regular basis to get it. According to the McDonald’s website, this Western BBQ Burger “brings you the taste of the Prairies with sweet and smokey BBQ flavour.” Can’t argue with that, and if I were to make a comparison, then Alberta’s burger flavour is definitely better than Ontario’s, based on what McDonald’s has been serving.

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And oh, they had flatscreens showing Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals on this night at this particular Langley location. I caught parts of the second period – and saw Tampa Bay’s tying goal (though I missed Chicago’s opening score from just a few minutes earlier) – before taking off. Good burger, hockey game, and a good place to relax for a little bit. Not bad at all!

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Fast Food Review: McDonald’s Cottage Country Chicken Burger

Jun 7

Posted by alifeofknuckleballs

(Originally posted on my food review site, “Let’s Eat Out Once A Week.”)

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So, McDonald’s came out with this Ontario Cottage Country Chicken burger which was available only between June 3th and June 9th. According to the signs on their menu, McDonald’s is supposedly providing customers with this “great Canadian taste adventure” where they’ll be introducing flavours inspired by different regions of Canada. They were kicking things off with “Ontario” and then doing “Alberta” the following week and finally “Atlantic” after that.

I got this so-called Ontario burger, the Cottage Country Chicken burger combo. Now, it cost C$7.99 at the Richmond McDonald’s location that I was at… but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 20-30 cents cheaper elsewhere. As I’d found while doing some McDonald’s food runs for some buddies recently, the same item would cost 20 cents extra in Richmond compared to Vancouver. Then, it would be 10 cents less in Langley, compared to Vancouver. For example, I picked up the Maple & Bacon Poutine for a couple of people recently, from different locations, and found that in Vancouver it was C$4.59 but in Richmond it was C$4.79. The “Buy One Get One Free” online app coupon that I used, where I ordered a six-piece nuggets along with a Quarter Pounder burger, also featured different prices: C$4.89 in Langley, C$4.99 in Vancouver, and C$5.19 in Richmond – all for the same, identical items!

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Anyway, with this “Ontario” specialty, I thought the only good thing about it was this Muskoka sauce in the burger. I’m guessing it’s some sort of maple syrup-flavoured barbecue sauce that’s good on chicken. According to the McDonald’s website, this burger featured “crispy seasoned Ontario-raised Chicken and a smokey Muskoka sauce [that] bring the cottage to you.” I’ll admit the sauce was good – I initially thought it was some kind of hot mustard sauce – but the rest of the burger was pretty ordinary.

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I suppose eight bucks wasn’t too bad… but given my recent past experiences, I would say it probably costs you 20 cents cheaper at some locations in Vancouver. Maybe 30 cents less in Langley.

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Update: Yikes… As it turns out, I was wrong about the prices in Vancouver. Apparently, at the main Vancouver location I go to, the display sign for this “Ontario” burger there read eight-something (I understand it said C$8.69?!?!!). Meanwhile, at that Richmond location that I was at – a place that normally had its items 20 cents more expensive – it was C$7.99?! Again, these are the prices of the combo, which included the fries and medium drink. Weird.

2nd update: Apparently, at that Richmond McDonald’s location, the C$7.99 price I paid was just for the first day or so. I found out several days later that their sign was changed to say C$8.89 and my comment about this “new” or “updated” price is that the Cottage Country Chicken burger simply isn’t worth it!! Mediocre and overpriced. It was about a dollar difference – so not a big one – but still… if you’re paying nearly 10 bucks for lunch (including tax, this “updated” price becomes C$9.35), you might as well get something more decent than this.

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Tags: Cottage Country Chicken, McDonald's

Fast Food Review: McDonald’s Maple & Bacon Poutine

May 31

Posted by alifeofknuckleballs

(This post originally appeared on my food blog, “Let’s Eat Out Once A Week.”)

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I stopped by at McDonald’s wanting to get a salad and hang out for a bit to use their free WiFi,… only to notice their display signs at the till and on their menu board that they were having this “new” Maple & Bacon Poutine.

I’m not sure anymore what’s “new” or what’s recycled at McDonald’s since I don’t keep up with their items, but I did get suckered into wanting to try this poutine. So, scrap the salad idea.

This maple & bacon poutine featured French fries with cheese curds and gravy, along with bacon pieces, maple BBQ sauce, and maple brown sugar. It cost C$4.59 plus tax.

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McDonald’s Maple & Bacon Poutine – C$4.59

The poutine was okay, with plenty of gravy. It was certainly better prepared and better tasting than one of their other ones that I had the previous summer. I think, for me, the thing that stuck out the most was the amount of gravy they put in there. And the price was all right too, less expensive than the specialty poutines that Triple O’s has (their Smokehouse poutine was six bucks plus tax). Oh, I also got a pop too, as McDonald’s was having its summer special with all soft drinks at a buck.

As for the all-important question of whether or not I would have this McDonald’s maple & bacon poutine again… I suppose I would, but the best thing would be to have more salad. That was the original purpose of this trip – until I got suckered in by the in-store advertising. These types of poutines can get addictive so it’s best to not even think about them.

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When: May 2015
What: Maple & Bacon Poutine; pop
Where: McDonald’s
How Much: C$4.59 + C$1.00 (total C$5.87 including tax)

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Food Review: Tacofino Taco Bar (Downtown Vancouver)

Apr 21

Posted by alifeofknuckleballs

(Originally posted on my food review site, “Let’s Eat Out Once a Week.”)

Lamb Birria and Fish Taco

It was time for another meetup with Valerie as part of our regular foodie get-together. This time, we picked Tacofino Taco Bar in Gastown on Saturday.

They open at 5 p.m. and when we got there, it was around that time and not busy yet. But soon enough, all of the tables were taken – Tacofino Taco Bar is THAT popular!

Both Valerie and I were impressed by the modern design in the interior. We really weren’t sure what to expect but we found the atmosphere nice and cozy.

We were served water and handed the menu right after we were seated. After having a few minutes to discuss our ordering strategy, we decided to share a Fish Taco, Lamb Birria, and Salmon Ceviche. Then it was time to sit back and chat as we waited for the food.

The Salmon Ceviche, according to Valerie, is prepared in a way that the salmon actually isn’t cooked but is marinated in lime juice and served with tortilla chips – and makes for a great appetizer. She was right, as I thought that it tasted delicious.

As for the tacos, we split them so that we could share them!

I really liked the lamb birria, as it was really juicy and dripping all over my hands! I wasn’t the only one with that problem, as Valerie also had the same thing happen to her! But she agreed that it was a great taco. As for the fish taco, boy, it was really nice and crunchy. It was served with pacific cod, salsa fresca, and chipotle mayo. I loved it!

Apparently, when Tacofino first opened, it was just a simple food stand in Tofino, BC, and then soon enough a restaurant-style establishment was opened here in Gastown. When you first walk in here at this Gastown location, you see the “Burrito Bar,” which has a different menu and is for takeout. Then you walk through the store – or the “blood alley square” as it’s called – you enter the Taco Bar where we ended up sitting. The “Burrito Bar” is open daily at 11 a.m., but the Taco Bar opens at 5 p.m. Like I said, at the Taco Bar it’s a nice and cozy place to have a conversation with your friends and enjoy some decent food. Valerie and I discussed quite a few interesting things on this evening – we both talked about how we like to be challenged with thought-provoking topics and we roll our eyes when people talk about juvenile pranks and “jokes.” Fun times for sure!

Oh, we then decided to try both items on the dessert menu, the Churros and Lime Curd Vaso. I had some familiarity with churros but not the lime curd vaso, which turned out to be a delicious cake-type dessert that had three layers, including lime at the bottom. It was great.

The churros, meanwhile, were these hot little cinnamon donut things that were hollow inside but they tasted nice. It wasn’t too spicy.

It was another great evening of good food, awesome conversation, and just fantastic to catch up. The service was good too – even though it got really packed by 5:30, I thought we got pretty good and attentive service. We didn’t have to wait long for anything. And as far as whether or not we would return again – always the big question when it comes to reviewing food places – both of us figured we would. Tacofino Taco Bar is a definite winner!

When: Saturday, April 11, 2015
What: Fish Taco (C$6), Lamb Birria (C$7), Salmon Ceviche (C$10), Churros (C$6), Lime Curd Vaso (C$4).
Where: Tacofino Taco Bar, Blood Alley Square, 15 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1C8
How Much: C$16.50 per person (before taxes and tips)