The South Bayview Bulldog

Defensive legend Bobby Baun was at the Toronto Sports Card Show held Sunday at the Amsterdam Brewers on Esandar Drive in Leaside. Here he signs one of the many off beat items put before him by fans. Baun played 11 seasons with the Leafs and contributed to victories in four Stanley Cups. (Those were certainly the days). Baun was supposed to have Johnny Bower with him at the card show but the elder statesman of Leaf veterans phoned in with a sore back. He has promised to attend on another date.

WINNING GOAL WITH FRACTURED ANKLE

Baun is remembered as one of the hardest and cleanest hitters of his time. As Wikipedia records it, Baun was not considered an offensive threat as a defenceman but did perform heroically in 1963–64 NHL season Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. On April 23, 1964, having fractured his ankle earlier in the game, he returned in overtime and scored the game-winning goal. The Leafs won the next game 4–0 to win the best of seven series and secure their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

The GoodLife Marathon and Walk is underway in Toronto and it is a decidedly damp occasion for the thousands participating. Rain is forecast all day. There are many road closures. Yonge is closed between Finch and Davenport, a decision with effectively cuts the City in half for those using cars. There will also be lane restrictions in a perimeter but perhaps not solely including Bayview Avenue, South Kingsway, Lake Shore Boulevard and Finch Avenue. Road closures from Hell 

New photographs of Princess Charlotte are released by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, to mark her first birthday. Report by Conor Mcnally.

Five street robberies have occurred on streets in west central downtown in the past two weeks and police want to put a stop to it. They say two men, at least one armed with a firearm, robbed victims in the area bounded by Harbord Street to the north, Spadina Avenue to the east, Queen Street West to the south, and Markham Street to the west  Personal items of various types and cash were taken.  The robberies occurred between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m.  The men are black and the first is of light complexion, 20-25 years of age, 5’11”, with a thin build, and wearing dark clothing. The second is 20-25 years of age, 5’8”, wearing dark clothing.

Excitement runs high among fans as the name Austin Matthews flies across the nation. Such giddiness might be hard to reckon coming out of low-key announcements like sports drafts. But hope spring eternal for a winning season and as the linked CBC story recalls, this is the first time the Leafs have drawn first since the 1985 selection of Wendell Clark. Really. CBC

The Women’s Network of St. Anselm’s Catholic Church Parish Spring Fling Craft Sale is tomorrow, Sunday, May 1, 2016.

This is graphic video of culverts being lifted up out of the road bed and washed aside by flood waters near Linedale Texas about 100 km from Dallas. The authentic Texas commentary that goes with it is entertaining too.

This car got away from someone in the Leaside Village at 85 Laird Drive Saturday morning and ploughed through a window at Tim’s. A man sitting at a corner table (below) where the car struck was showered with glass and shaken but otherwise unhurt. Best guessing is that the driver thought the vehicle was in reverse.

Or so says inveterate local explorer and outdoorsman Rudy Limeback in this Friday tweet.

#dlws a rare wind from the east, and i smell the Peek Freans cookie factory at O'Connor & Bermondsey, all the way over here in #Leaside

— Rudy Limeback (@rudydotca) April 29, 2016

St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Spring Fair drew several hundred people Saturday and saw many sales among the count;ess personal, household and baked goods on sale. Lorna Krawchuk, whose many duties include keeping a count of those waiting for the doors to open at 11 a.m. recorded 200 fair-goers waiting this year. Many more came later. Through the doors of Lamb Hall onto St. Cuthbert’s Green, a two-barbecue- cooker lunch was well patronized. Tasty sausages on buns were sold for a mere $2.50 each. The pleasant weather, as seen in the video above, saw many people sitting at tables or on the grass as an energetic collection of children played. The Green is a nicely sheltered retreat. It is hidden behind the old stone wall that separates it from the traffic of Bayview Ave. Like St.Cuthbert’s itself, the Green is celebrating 125 years in 2016.

Alain Bellemare

Bombardier’s CEO Alain Bellemare is vowing to “fix the problem” on what he called “the train side” during a company news conference Friday. Many will wonder frankly if Mr. Bellemare truly knows what “the problem” is. The amount of time lost in the exquisite non-performance of his company might easily suggest that no one at Bombardier has a clue. Toronto’s streetcars are years late. Years. For Mr. Bellemare to say he will get “the problem” fixed without even pretending to explain it is feckless.