on the Tom Tomorrow weblog on the Rugby World Cup, currently heading into the Semi-Finals in Australia. “I only wish you all could have seen the South African side singing its anthem before each of its games. This was something beyond words for me: the entire team, multiple cultures, side by side, black and white — all belting out words of peace and freedom in four languages (Xhosa, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English), merging multiple melodies and diverse histories into a single voice, sung with a pride and sincerity and optimism that brought me to tears, every time.”

developed a bit over the weekend: Canada qualified for 2003 World Cup in Australia by beating Chile 29-11 in Santiago. This cemented first place in the Americas group, meaning that Canada will join New Zealand and Wales, who didn’t have to qualify since they made the Semis of the last RWC. This is great because if they had come second in the group, they would have joined a much more difficult group. Wales is a grand old Rugby nation, but they are definitely beatable.

baseball is moving towards a settlement, and one that includes a promise not to eliminate any teams before 2006. I notice no language against moving a team, which means that the Expos may very well be toast. I hope not!

to the “new” building? The Canadiens won their first round series against Boston last night! It’s not that rare an event for the 8th seeded team to beat the team seeded first, but nonetheless it was a stunning victory by a team that may lack strength on paper but makes up for it in heart. In the old days of the Montreal Forum, once the ground zero of hockey in the world, it was said that the ghosts of Canadiens past gave the home team a little nudge, a bonus no others received even in other storied buildings like the Boston Gardens or that other Garden on Carlton St. in Toronto (both also defunct). Perhaps those ghosts have found their way to the Molson (soon Bell) Centre. Next: the Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes.