Road apples

No, I'm not talking about the classic album by the Tragically Hip (sorry Darcy). I'm talking about the genuine article. I'm talking about that brown, round, full-of-oaty-goodness equine product that one finds on the road when horses have been, er, doing their thing.

Why, you ask?

Well, I was walking home from the office t'other day. En route I noticed a number of not-so-pleasant reminders of the fact that the Toronto Police Service still has a mounted unit - that is to say, I nearly stepped in a couple of flapjacks as I crossed the parking lot next to my building.

Wow. Those are some big horses.

Then I asked myself a question. The city seems to have vast numbers of bylaw officers patrolling every square inch of the Greater Toronto Area, hunting out those scofflaws who dare take Rover out for a stroll in the nearest park without immediately bagging their beloved pooch's toxic waste. Who watches the watchers? It would appear that there isn't anyone following these officers (and yes, the horses themselves are deemed officers of the law) and issuing tickets.

Maybe there's a law-enforcement exception to the city bylaw re public pooping. I suppose to test that theory we'd have to see a human officer try it. Er...no; maybe I'll just leave you with that less-than-wholesome image stuck in your head.

dum-de-dum-dum...

On a completely unrelated note, I read in the papers (yes, I still read newspapers from time to time) that the NBA has approved the transfer of the lowly Seattle Super Sonics to Oklahoma City. Now, in the history of the NBA a number of teams have moved without changing the team name. That's why we have such incongruously named teams as the Los Angeles (formerly Minneapolis) Lakers, the Utah (formerly New Orleans) Jazz, and let's not forget the Memphis (formerly Vancouver) Grizzlies. On the other hand, some pro teams change their name when they move, usually hoping to attract a whole new generation of fans (and sell a boatload of new replica jerseys), but often hoping people will forget years of suckage. Think of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, the Québec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and, of course, the California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons/Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars.

To complete my thought (finally!): I can't possibly be the only person on the planet who's wondering whether the new name for the OK City team will be the Bombers. Can I?