Author Archives: Noah Stewart

Heartbreak for Canadians

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If you love baseball and you’re from Canada, then maybe you’ve been to a limited number of games as the only team in Canada you can see is the Toronto Blue Jays, but their farm team, the Vancouver Canadians are outperforming them by a landslide. Their season and postseason has finally come to a conclusion, with many positive takeaways you can make about the teams play this season, but also be devastating for the ugly turn of events in the Canadians final game. 

The Vancouver Canadians were going head to head with the Spokane Indians in game 4 of their playoff series, with Spokane holding a death grip on their series lead, as they were up 2-1. I don’t know about you but I truly had hoped going into game four that the Canadians would push hard enough, to bring it to a win or go home game here in Vancouver, but you know that not everything can go your way.

Good thing this game wasn’t here at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver, as it would’ve absolutely hit your heart like a rocket. It was one of the most exciting games of the season, as the season was on the line and the game could not have been closer throughout. If you watched the game, then you would have been seeing doubles on the pitcher’s mound, as both pitchers, Michael Prosecky and Grant Rogers, each had 5 hits allowed along with 5 strikeouts, and they each only allowed one run in their stint.

With the game slowly coming to an end, you got to see something any baseball fan loves to see, extra innings, how could you not love even more baseball, heck I know for sure do. Top of the 10th inning, the Canadians were up to bat and needed to bring in some momentum, and they did by grabbing a run off a sacrifice fly from Jace Bohrofen, giving Vancouver the slight edge over Spokane. You know a one run lead is never safe is baseball, and boy did Vancouver ever royally blow this one. Cole Carigg would score off an infielders choice to even up the score, and it wasn’t looking good for Vancouver as bases were loaded. What could go wrong? Everything that you thought could go wrong, went wrong. Geison Urbaez was in to pitch, and you know how you don’t wanna hit the batter by pitch? Well, that’s exactly what happened.

The Spokane Indians would go on and advance, and this loss hurt badly, as this was Spokane’s first league title since 2008, a whole 16 years. You know, at least the Vancouver Canadians made the playoffs unlike the Toronto blue Jays this year, so you should hold some hope going into next year’s season.

Richmond Night Market 2024

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Have you ever been in a mall? Well, I think almost everyone has at some point, unless you were born yesterday, then that’s a different story. But you’ve definitely been to the mall, whether it’s indoor or outdoor, it kinda has everything you have ever needed. But sometimes, you notice all the good shops are closing early, well I might have found you the perfect nightlife activity that is better than any boring ol mall.

The Richmond Night Market is open until October 14th, with hours being 7pm to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays, and stat Sundays, while on regular Sundays and stat holidays being 7pm to 11pm. It is located on 8351 Bridgeport road, right next to Bridgeport station, making it an easy trip if you can’t drive.

Wondering how much it’s gonna cost ya? Admission is only $8.50, and you can bring your kids 7 and under, or even grandma and grandpa 60+ for free! Even better, you can get yourself a zoom pass, and I know you’re probably thinking “what is that” and for only $40, you can get one and that means you can skip the lines and enjoy the fun, granting you five admissions.

It has been around for 24 years, and if you haven’t heard about it before, then you need to check out the Richmond Night Market. This year’s theme is ‘Summer Sweet Dragon’ honouring the year of the dragon. As you see the sun slowly set, then that means it’s time for you to check out the Night Market as it clashes with the majestic dragon.

The Richmond Night Market was created to honour asian traditions and celebrations, with founder Raymond Cheung feeling as their was absolutely nothing to do in Richmond, after dinner, so he wanted to create a bonding event for all families, friends, and it’s perfect if you can’t figure out what you want to do for date night!

If you enjoy some casual shopping, or maybe you like unique new foods and drinks you’ve never even heard of before, the Richmond Night Market has everything you need. How could you not love a summer happy hour? You can special deals for under $10 on meals such as and not limited to, mango strawberry shaved ice, sushi taco california roll, and you could even try out their deep fried oreos! From plenty of games and over 600 different variations of food, to upping your aesthetic with trendy fashion and over a hundred retail booths to check out. What are you waiting for? This is something everyone needs to experience at least once in their lifetime, so you should make sure you visit, before it closes on October 14th 

Falcons fly free in Philly

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Imagine this, there’s two minutes left in your football game, and you have a 98% chance of winning, basically guaranteeing your win. You’re 15 yards away from scoring again as you lead by three, as you look to make it a two score game. You’re the quarterback and you see your all pro running back open in the flat, ensuring you have what you need to win, until he drops the ball after it hits both his hands, leaving the door wide open for the other team to come back after settling for a field goal. Well, this wasn’t made up, this was the Philadelphia Eagles reality last night.

You gotta love Monday night football, no matter who is playing, I feel like the action is always interesting and I never thought the Atlanta Falcons would triumph and rally like they did in Philly. If you watched, then you know the game started at a slightly slower pace than usual, with the first score being a field goal by Atlanta, four minutes into the 2nd quarter. They would land another field goal later in the quarter, but you know you can’t win off field goals, unless you’re playing the Giants. Jalen Hurts of the Eagles used his legs to create an 80 yard drive capped off by a Devonta Smith 7 yard touchdown.

I was pretty unamused with how the first half went, no turnovers, just Ray-Ray McCloud throwing a punch, for getting his mouthguard snatched, you have to admit, that’s pretty entertaining. The game was relatively even throughout the rest of the matchup, with the Eagles protecting and proving themselves, holding a lead in a once again close game, as they just barely edged the Packers last week, only winning by 5.

Eagles have the ball in the red zone and are in the closing moments of starting the season off at 2-0, all you need to do is throw it to Saquon Barkley, you’d think that would be easier than it actually was, as Saquon butterfingers drop the pass as it hits both hands. If you know Kirk Cousins, you know you can’t leave time on the clock against him, and the Eagles royally screwed up with that one. Cousins drove down the field with authority, finding Darnell Mooney for a pair of 20 yard receptions, winding up to Drake London being open in the endzone, and now the Falcons lead after having a 2% chance of winning earlier in the game.

Jalen Hurts would look to prove himself, but if you didn’t know, Hurts has led the league in turnovers since 2023, so you kinda know where this is about to go, Hurts drops back and make a braindead decision to go deep almost immediately in their drive, throwing a perfect pass, but to the wrong team. Jessie Bates would pick him off, sealing the win for the Falcons. This wasn’t just any normal victory, as whether you believe it or not, this is the first time that Atlanta has beaten the Eagles in Philly, since 2012, as the Falcons fly free in Philly.

Etsy is coming to Vancouver!

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I don’t know about you but I love shops or online stores that sell a magnitude of things, you can buy homemade jam and a graphic t-shirt in the same cart, the opportunities are endless. Especially if you’ve seen or bought something from etsy, then you know that it’s a never ending black hole of products. Heck, I love buying stuff from etsy, not just because it’s custom and unique, but because I know the money is going to someone who deserves it, you just can’t go wrong with etsy.

But what if I told you that etsy isn’t just an online commodity, but it will also be a pop up shop coming to Vancouver, whether you believe it or you don’t, it’s true! The Vancouver Etsy Co. Fall pop-up will be taking place right here in Vancouver at the Robson Square Ice Rink, on September 21st from 10am-5pm, and it’s a one day event that you will not want to miss. Take a look at last years event!

You can do all your online shopping, in person! Just imagine this, there’s over 100 hundred vendors and entrepreneurs of all ages, looking to sell you exactly what you want, right in front of you. It’s like you’re on the etsy app doing your shopping, but without the grueling holdup of patiently waiting for your package to come, when instead you can have it shipped to hands in the matter of seconds.

If you don’t know too much about what etsy is, but want to attend the event just so you can see what it’s all about, trust me, you most definitely won’t be walking away empty handed. From personalized t-shirts, candles, and art, to homemade food, jewelry, and vintage items, the possibilities of what you might take home is truly endless. You’ll be able to freshen up your fashion style, and freshen up the house with the sweet, calming aroma of a sweetly scented candle. 

Not only are you supporting local businesses, but you are also attending the event free of cost, now how sweet is that. Even if you just want to browse, there’s no pressure to drop any money, just go! Have a furry little friend? Bring ’em’ round as Lucky Tail will be offering treats along with water in their Pet Corner, as they will also showcase Canadian dog toys/treats for sale, it’s a can’t miss event for you, and your pet! Remember the day but checking out Magik Moments photobooth, with digital photos being available immediately via email! 

If you were considering going, I hope this article was the final straw in your decision and you’ll check it out, because I know I will be there. Head down to 800 Robson Street at the Robson Square Ice Rink on September 21st, anytime from 10am to 5pm, to bring home literally anything you want! Let your creativity run wild!

The new Warriors of Vancouver

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The time has finally arrived, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) Daft went down, and the Vancouver Warriors have shifted the tide with their two first round picks, and I’m here to tell you who exactly is joining this Warriors squad. I’ve had the opportunity to be a media member for the Vancouver Warriors last year, so I learned quite a bit about the sport and the team, and this roster is easily playoff calibre, led by former NLL Coach of the Year, Curt Malawsky.

Heading into the draft, head coach Curt Malawsky went in with an iron sharpens iron philosophy. The team went on a run in the final stretch of the season, winning 6 of their last 8, so drafting the right prospects could be the missing pieces of the puzzle for the Warriors.

The Warriors were selecting 4th in this year’s draft, and the bench boss in Curt Malawsky wanted the best player available, and he got em. Coming out of Ontario, is a man you are going to want to familiarize yourself with, his name is Johnathan Peshko. He is a force to be reckoned with as the 6’4 midfielder had 58 goals in his collegiate career at John Hopkins University.

You can’t lie, that’s a great pickup in the draft and Vancouver had a successful first round pick, and I was ready for the next second round pick to commence, until Malawsky decided to shake things up like shaking a snow globe. The Vancouver Warriors made a trade, the best part of draft night! They traded away Brock Haley, for the 6th overall pick in this year’s draft, plus a second round pick in next year’s draft. Now the Warriors had another first round pick and created some great momentum.

They decided to select a hometown hero in Remo Schenato, who played for the Coquitlam Adanacs of the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League, being the first player in this year’s draft to be selected NOT straight from college. The Warriors have a lot of veteran and star defenseman, as they will be able to mentor the young d-man in Schenato. The BC native played a huge role in bringing home the 2024 Minto Cup, being a solid leader of his team.

I don’t know about you but these are some great pickups, and head coach/general manager Curt Malawsky is slowly assembling the Avengers, but in his case, he is assembling the future Warriors of Vancouve

Comedy is coming to South Surrey

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Are you an enjoyer of comedy? When deciding on a movie or a new tv show, do you look to see what productions have great comedic factors in them? Well I know I sure do, comedy has to be one of my favourite genres. Whether it be dry comedy in a show, to seeing a stand up performance live, it’s exactly what I wanna see to have a good time. Who doesn’t like having a good belly laugh or even a slight chuckle. No need to wait any longer if you’re from Vancouver, as the inaugural South Rock Comedy Festival is going down this upcoming weekend.

This weekend only, from September 19th-21st, the first ever South Rock Comedy Festival will be running through South Surrey and White Rock. Don’t worry if you can’t get out to a certain event, as there will be 6 venues participating!  Those locations include; Oceana Parc Playhouse, Beecher Place, Ocean Park Hill, Leon’s Cafe, Elgin Hall, and Galaxie Public House. With over 50+ comedians taking center stage to give you a good laugh, there truly is something for everyone and you don’t want to miss it!

The South Rock Comedy Festivals propel comedians from all around B.C, Canada, and even some acts from the states, to advance their career. The festival’s goals include encouraging comedians to push creative boundaries, to offer opportunities for mentorship and learning, to collaborate with local businesses, and support community initiatives. If you are wondering how much it might cost you, I’m here to tell you that single show passes are only $15-25. If you are wanting to see some more shows, and save some money, a two show Friday or Saturday pass is available for $38, a three show pass is available for $55, and the largest amount being a five show pass for $80.

The team behind this festival will leave you amazed with their expertise and experience, as one co-chair member, Eric Lapointe, is a former executive for ‘Just for Laughs’ and ‘Cirque du Soleil’ will bring his past experience to the table, delivering you an awesome day of shows all across South Surrey. This is something you wouldn’t want to miss, especially being able to say you went to the inaugural South Surrey Comedy Festival. You’ll be able to see the likes of Sonic Radio DJ Alex Carr, HBO and CTV’s very own Dave Nystrom, and many more! There’s something waiting for you just around the corner!

Was the UFC Sphere event a hit or a miss?

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If you find yourself being an avid UFC fan like myself, then you definitely didn’t miss the once in a lifetime event on Saturday, Noche UFC 306 which celebrated Mexican Independence Day, and was it ever a good card. Even if you are in the casual fan category, you probably tuned in Saturday night just because it was just a card you wouldn’t wanna miss, as UFC President Dana White said this will be the only event held at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1833538837563510962

Now personally, I haven’t been to the Sphere yet, but I have been itching to go, it’s a need not a want as there truly is no other arena like this one. Well if you’re from Vancouver you could say that it looks like Science World due to its spherical architecture, but the inside is a totally different landscape.

This spectacle was different from any other Sphere event though, as I don’t know about you but I couldn’t think of any other circumstance where a Sphere event had been televised before, with the only thing that could come to mind being this years NHL Draft, so UFC was put on a pedestal, and they had to pop out and show out. You could’ve actually been lucky enough to walk away with $25,000 by just watching the event, as prior to each fight, a 90 second short film would be projected and set the tone for the upcoming fight, by highlighting Mexico’s contribution to combat sports and mixed martial arts, as well as shining a spotlight on Mexican Independence Day. I can’t lie, that was a big hit as I felt like I was in the arena watching an in your face immersive experience. 

https://twitter.com/SphereVegas/status/1835366265172766721

Now let me tell you why I think the event was a slight miss, or why some aspects were weaker than others. First off, I thought it may have been only my TV, but if you were watching then you probably noticed how odd it sounded. For some fights, the crowd volume was so low and you could really only hear the corners of the fighters coaching, and it felt like we were in the Apex in Vegas rather than the Sphere. The huge LED screen created a problem for sound waves to travel properly and it was picked up funny on the broadcast. I feel like during the fight, the huge screen could’ve been put to way better use, as the fights were displayed on two rectangular screens with the rest of the LED display showcasing scaffolding and ‘Noche UFC’ I just wasn’t a fan whatsoever.

While I could go on and on about the nitty gritty of stuff I didn’t like, I can appreciate the event that we got, as it was truly unlike any other UFC event I’ve ever tuned in to. The fights were top notch as well, as you got to see two new champions be crowned, as well as a potential fight of the year contender, it was a burn the house down, slug fest, type of night. Yes, you might say that there were no finishes on the main card, but you have to appreciate that every fight had great or interesting moments from start to finish. Do you think the UFC Sphere was utilized correctly, or do you think Dana White dropped the ball? Or maybe you’re right with me and your opinion is directly in the middle, either way, you won’t see something like this for years to come, so appreciate it while you have it.

Blue Jays leave Cardinals in the dust

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If you’ve been watching the Toronto Blue Jays this year, then the expectations are at an all time low this eason, with fans like you and me wondering if manager John Schneider is gonna get the boot by the time the season wraps up. But don’t you worry about that just yet, as the Blue Jays have added another series sweep to their shortlist of success, and it wasn’t against a bottom of the barrel team, but a team fighting for a playoff spot.

Last night concluded the three game series with the Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals, and if you missed it then you will regret it, as Toronto outscored the Cardinals, 14-7 across the three game weekend matchup.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the march to October for the MLB playoffs, then don’t you worry, I’ll fill you in. The Cardinals are balanced out as they sit just below .500 win percentage on the season, pretty average eh? Well they would’ve been above the middle mark if it wasn’t for your Toronto Blue Jays taking them for a walk in the park, for three consecutive days. The Blue Jays aren’t gonna have enough drive in them to fight for a playoff spot.

Imagine your favourite team, can’t accomplish anything or celebrate the small things, but finally you can get hyped for a good reason, a Blue Jays series sweep. You’ve seen them sweep the Los Angeles Angels a couple times this year, but even they are worse than the Blue Jays, so do you really count that as a celebratory moment? Because I don’t. But this sweep is different, this one meant something to us fans.

It was a nail biter in the final game of the weekend series, as it was anyone’s ballgame, literally. The two prior games were toss ups as well, as the kickoff game went into extra innings, up to the 11th inning. How could you not love an extra inning baseball game. I remember watching the Dodgers play late at night and being able to stay up with my dad past my bedtime, till the game ended, oh how I miss it.

Yesterday’s game was all tied up at 2 a piece entering the 8th inning, with the Blue Jays near the top of their rotation, ready to shift the tide of the game. This Blue Jay team has a lot of new faces and names, you should familiarize yourself with one new stud though, Nathan Lukes, or as I like to call Nathan Nukes. Lukes was the leadoff hitter and it was his time to shine with one out and one man on base. He didn’t disappoint as he blasted a double to left field, with George Springer on the jog to home, making it a 3-2 game. Here’s a little fact that might make this a bit more interesting for you, but Lukes didn’t hit a double off a no-name pitcher, but it was actually his former teammate from Triple A, Andrew Kittredge. Talk about revenge served best on a platter, and this platter just so happened to be an easy hittable ball for Lukes.

Even with the Blue Jays down and out of playoff contention, there is still plenty of hope for next years and onwards, especially with all the young stars making their names known, that you’ll be watching for years to come. The Toronto Blue Jays were able to fly faster than the St Louis cardinals, but can they take down the Rangers in their next series? What do you think?

Time is ticking for Tua Tagovailoa

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If you’re an avid football fan like myself, then you probably have been sharing the same weekly experience=ce as me. Which is, watch football on Sunday, watch football on Monday, and watch the week’s kickoff game on Thursday. Well if you watched this week’s edition of Thursday Night Football, you would’ve seen something that we have seen many times before, and it’s no celebration.

If you didn’t know, Tua had an injury riddled 2022 season, missing out on more than a quarter of the season, due to concussions. After that season, he had a brief talk with his family and friends about the consideration of an early retirement. Ultimately, Tua decided to continue playing the game he loves, competing in a full season during 2023 and leading Miami to the playoffs, which led to Tagovailoa getting a MASSIVE contract extension.

Things were looking bright for the future of the Miami Dolphins and their former top five pick in Tua Tagovailoa, until it took a turn for the worse.

During Thursdays east coast matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. It was a casual game as the Bills were winning with ease, and the Dolphins were a finger tips away from scoring to shorten the lead, as star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa scrambled for a first down, and if you were tuned in, you’d know this didn’t end well whatsoever.

Instead of sliding like any normal quarterback would do to avoid injury, Tua dove head first with his head hitting a Bill’s defender right in the chest. Tua would react to the hit but slowly curl up as he has yet again suffered another concussion, as he was in a fencing position once again, which means his arms were in an unnatural position, correlating to his head injury. You know football is a physical sport, but there are ways to prevent injuries such as the brand new guardian cap you can wear in game as an extra protective layer. Every player has their fair share of bumps and bruises, but this now Tua’s third concussion in recent years.

I love football, heck I played it myself for over a decade, but any real fan like you and I, would know this is absolutely devastating to watch. It has been such a recurring event in Tua’s career, and I genuinely think his time is up. He’s young, he’s willing to compete for his team by putting his body on the line, but it gets to a point where it becomes straight up unhealthy. Tua truly needs to reconsider his career as he is too young to endure all these head injuries and continue moving forward. We must embrace the career and short legacy of Tua Tagovailoa, before it’s over for good.

From rain-city, to the sunshine state

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You may or may not have known that Vancouver is referred to as rain city, and if you live in Vancouver then you know that name is spot on. But what if I told you there’s an athlete who began in a rainy city, and has now made his name known all the way down to the sunshine state of beautiful Miami, Florida. 

You may wonder who it may be, and I’m here to tell you, it’s Jevon Holland, also known as the snowman. Holland began his football career in his hometown of Coquitlam, right here in B.C. If you are from Canada and you wanna play in the NFL one day, then his story should bring you hope that you can be just like him one day. 

Holland was drafted back in 2021 by the Miami Dolphins in the 2nd round of the NFL draft, the earliest any B.C. born player has been drafted. Holland is arguably one of the best safeties in the league now, as he has an astonishing 240+ tackles in only 40 games played. If you saw the blowout game last year when the Dolphins ripped apart the Denver Broncos 70-20, then you would’ve seen history, as Holland had forced three fumbles in the game, the most any Miami player has gotten dating back to 1991.

If you’ve then record breaking contracts being handed out like candy by the NFL teams, then you’d expect Jevon Holland to be next up to get paid, right? I would only hope so since in the teams first game of the 2024-25 season, he saved the teams a** hard, and saved it well. The Jaguars were piecing up Miami, as they marched down into the red zone, with a scoring opportunity right in front of their very own eyes. That was until Holland made a game saving play doing what he’s best at, forcing fumbles. He punched the ball out of the Jaguars hands, which basically won them the game, as Miami won on a game winning field goal. 

He put his name in more than one history chart though, as what i’m about to tell you is even more impressive. Last year, in a game against the New York Jets, the Jets attempted a hail mary at the end of the second half, heaving the ball downfield, as it was caught on the one yard line, but it wasn’t by a jet, it was Jevon freaking Holland. He leaped in the air like a gazelle, and ran like he was actually Usain Bolt, taking charge for a 99 yard pick 6, the second longest in Miami Dolphins history.

Personally, I think Holland is not just one of the best defensive players on his team, but undeniably one of the top three safeties in the league. With many hefty contracts being on the come out, you should expect to see a nice new salary next to his name. Do you think he deserves a big extension, or have I not convinced you to hop on the Holland train. Whether you agree or disagree, just know you’ll be hearing his name a lot this season, and there’ll be no rain in the sunshine state.