Robert Deveau

For some people, watching sports is casual. A leisurely Saturday afternoon spent trying to unwind from the week-long stress known as the work week. However, for others, sports is a dedicated passion. For some people, there is no off-season. Our nights are spent watching a certain sport and our days are spent talking about that same sport.

We argue and debate about who should trade whom and what teams are underachieving. Of course, we are always right, regardless of the facts.

If you are as passionate about your sport as I am about mine, then maybe you should consider starting a blog. Starting a sports blog is much easier than you might think.

Step one: Begin writing.

That’s right, before you sign up for any accounts, before you learn the first thing about how to start a blog, you will need content. Here is the good news, you do not need to be a Pulitzer prize winning author, you just need an opinion and a lot of passion. Start by creating about 3-5 articles of about 400 words each and save them on to your favorite word processing software.

Step two: Set up the accounts you will need.

You should probably learn the ropes by using a simple blogger, squidoo, or wix account. All of these options, and probably others, are suitable for beginners. As you progress however, you will want to own your own blog. To do this, you will need to pay for hosting and register a domain. This should cost you no more than about $30 per year, but will make up for itself through pride of ownership. for this purpose I use namecheap for both my domain purchases and hosting.

Step three: Practice Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is the practice of making your websites easier for the search engines to find, and even more importantly, more appealing to them. The more appealing your blog is to them, the more likely they are to send you traffic.

First, tell your friends about your blog. Traffic begets traffic: If they see you getting traffic already, they will send you more. Second, link to your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media accounts. This will give you additional surf traffic, plus some coveted backlinks from highly ranked sites. Third, write articles and submit them to the article directories, just like this one.

Blogging is the best way to show the world how passionate and knowledgeable you are about your topic. Take the time to do it, and do more research on how to do it well. This introductory article will help you, but you should strive to master your craft, just like professional athletes have mastered theirs.

The Nylons perform on their farewell tour

Last night, I went to see my first Nylons concert in over 25 years. Although I’ve loved the band all those years, I’ve hadn’t had the opportunity to see them live in all that time.  My time finally came, and it was well worth the wait.

This was a very different band from the first time I saw them, Micah Barnes is gone, Billy Newton-Davis is gone, unfortunately, Marc Connors, Paul Cooper and Arnold Robinson are no longer with us.  Instead, Gavin Hope (baritone), Garth Mosbaugh (tenor & alto), and Tyrone Gabriel (baritone & bass) joined Claude Morrison (tenor), the only remaining original member, on the Milton stage.

I wasn’t expecting a concert that was as good as the clips I’d seen on YouTube and, indeed, good as the concert I saw in Hamilton almost 25 years ago.  However, I am pleased to say that they exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.  The new singers, if you can call them new after more than 20 years, were exceptional.   Not only were they very talented singers, but comfortable performers as well.

In the old days of the Nylons, we would have expected more dancing, more doo-wop and less chatter.  But this was a more subdued, intimate, and personal performance.  What was in evidence this night, was pure vocals.  In fact, it is safe to say that overall, this is a better group of singers than the “classic” nylons lineup.  As the original members left the band, they seemed to be able to select from a larger group of singers encompassing a wider vocal range.

The lack of stand up performing,  (see photo above) was likely due to two injuries in the band.  Elder statesman, Claude, seemed to be nursing a lower body injury, while newcomer Tyrone recently had undisclosed health issues that lead to the postponement of a number of previous performances.

Still, those minor setbacks didn’t stop these men from delivering a performance that thrilled a sell-out Milton, Ontario crowd. They deftly mixed many old classics, Silhouettes, Up the Ladder to the Roof, Dream, among others with newer selections from their most recent album, Skin Tight. Personally, I’m a great fan of the late Marc Connors, I happen to think that he was the greatest singer that Canada has ever produced, but through most of the concert, I didn’t miss him.  This is a testament to the talent of this lineup.

There are no individuals in The Nylons, as there might have been during the Micah Barnes, and Billy Newton-Davis days.  This group harmonized and charmed the audience into a comfort that, combined with the intimate venue, many would agree is a fitting send off from one of Canada’s great artists.