One of the reasons I like the TEAM 1040 sports radio is because of the wide range of sports talk shows.

I know the emphasis is on the local scene but I also like hearing about other sports too.

That's where shows like ESPN's early morning Mike & Mike show and "The Jungle" with Jim Rome come in.

I like hearing about the local teams but I also like hearing about American college football and basketball and MLB as well.

I particularly like "The Jungle."

Rome is an acquired taste and can be grating if you aren't used to his style.

Yes, he's extremely sarcastic; yes he ridicules his callers if he doesn't agree with them and yes there is a lot of dead air; still it's easily one of my favorite shows.

It was a mixed bag of emotions for the July 18, 2008 CFL game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the B.C. Lions.

Echoing a number of callers who phoned into the postgame show on the TEAM 1040, I was disheartened to find out only 37,000 and change showed up to the game that also served as a public memorial to late-Prez and CEO Bob Ackles. (Pics inside)

Photo courtesy of the B.C. Lions.

I remember back in the nineties when we used to go to B.C. Lions games; we would buy nosebleed seats and sneak down to the lower section.

B.C. Place was so empty back then the security guards didn't really care.

When I caught the Western Final back in 1999, the announced attendance was only around 29,000 if memory serves me correctly.

Under 30,000 for a West Final? Numbers unheard of considering the last few Western Finals under the Dome have been near capacity (but not sold out).

We've come a long way baby.

I have yet, in my 3 year reign of abuse here at Beyond Robson, told you about a magical little gathering called Sunday Soccer at McLean Park, home of Sunday United. For what must be 7 years we've met at 3pm almost every single Sunday (in the winter we play on the gravel field at the school). Given the often insane number of drunken hipster flailing around in the blistering heat wearing short shorts and tight jeans, it can get a wee bit crowded. Sorry if you feel like I've stolen a piece of your life for not telling you about the best game of 'balance the Pacific Pilsner in one hand while running at top speeds' in town, but I'm pretty sure you need to either a) own a motorbike, b) be in a shit-hot Vancouver noise-band, c) go to Emily Carr, d) have either a beard, a boyfriend with a beard, or a really ironic t-shirt on, or e) be an eccentric Vietnamese bottle lady/bootlegger, an 80 year old Korean man nicknamed Kip Winger, a little kid, or some crazy european castaway who never passes the ball. Also suggested but not required are any of the following:

-Djarums
-a ridiculous headband
-witty banter/extensive knowledge of obscure Italo space disco
-some sort of fancy fig tapenade
-war paint
-a bottle of cheap but slightly eccentric alcohol, such as Baby Duck, Scnapps, Rice Wine, Cooking Sherry...
-free spirited alt-moms
-fixie

Like I mentioned earlier, I caught my second Terminal City Rollerderby bout and it was wild to say the least; even more so than my first bout. Here is a sample of the action.

* Denotes photos from Flickr user Bob Ayers.

Lorenagade #5000 (left) and Cinder Hella #86 'er (right).

I had the pleasure of catching my second ever Terminal City Rollergirl Flat Track bout between the Faster Pussycats and the Bad Reputations--mind you, the Reputations also were in the first bout I caught.

This time around there was a lot more mayhem; more bodies flying and a lot more carnage.

How does one prepare for something like Flat Track Rollerderby and how does one cool down?

I decided to ask a member from each team; "Cinder Hella #86" from the Bad Reps and "Lorenagade #5000" from the Faster Pussycats.