HOT CORNER: Football Saturday in Summerside

It is a great day for football in Summerside as two P.E.I. championships are taking place at Eric Johnston Field.
The predicted sunny skies and cool temperatures should make for good football weather.
The Ed Hilton Bowl features the host Summerside Waterwise Spartans facing the Cornwall Timberwolves.
The Papa John’s P.E.I. Bantam Tackle Football League championship game gets underway at noon.
The defending-champion Spartans are the underdogs against the Timberwolves, who handed the Spartans their only two losses of the regular season.
Anything can happen in a one-game showdown, and it will not be a surprise if the Spartans pull an upset.
Cornwall and Summerside also hook up in the Potato Bowl following the Hilton Bowl. That varsity matchup may be a little more predictable.
The undefeated Summerside Cooke Insurance Clippers are favoured against the Timberwolves. The Clippers, barring a collapse, should prevail.
It will be a great day of football, and fans are encouraged to take in the action.

Curling
Everything is ready for some great curling over the next week as the Road to the Roar Pre-Trials event begins at Eastlink Arena on Monday.
There are two spots available for each the men and women in the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Olympic qualifying event in Ottawa in December. That chance to compete for an Olympic berth will make for some great curling.  
There are 14 men’s teams and 14 women’s rinks, including some of the best teams in the nation.
P.E.I. fans will be happy to see Seven Mile Bay native Adam Casey and his Saskatchewan rink competing. He will have his hands full with the likes of the John Morris, Pat Simmons and Glenn Howard teams.
Over on the women’s side, names like Shannon Kleibrink, Sherry Middaugh and Krista McCarville will be amongst the favourites.
With 28 teams and only four advancing to Ottawa will make for some great curling over the next week. Good luck to all involved!

World Series
It was a World Series to remember, and without doubt one of the most memorable in a long time.
The Houston Astros’ first-ever championship was great for baseball, and shows that homegrown teams are the future of the sport.
This series had the Los Angeles Dodgers and their league-high $242-million payroll against the 18th highest-paid team – Astros. Houston had a payroll of $124 million before the addition of Justin Verlander.
To be fair to the Dodgers, included in that $242 million, is over $78 million to Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir and Andre Ethier, who are either hurt or out of baseball.
Draft and develop your own is the way to go in baseball, and the Astros are the best example of what success teams can have. Just four years ago, the Astros lost 111 games and were the laughing stock of baseball.
Players like Jose Altuve and George Springer are now stars amongst a star-studded lineup that should be contenders for some time.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is encouraging teams to get their financial house in order, and be more diligent with free-agent spending.  
The New York Yankees are a great example of a once free-spending team that has shifted gears to the draft and develop way. The Detroit Tigers have trimmed over $100 million off their payroll by trading high-priced stars for prospects as they try to build a winner like the Astros.
It is the way to go these days, and one of the long-term benefits is that the game will remain affordable for fans to attend. Hopefully, all teams may see the benefits of building from within like the Astros. Looking ahead, 2018 spring training is only 102 days from now.
Have a great week!

Joe MacIntyre is a Summerside resident. His column appears every Saturday. Comments and suggestions can be sent to [email protected].