HIT THE POST WITH CJAD'S RICK MOFFAT, VOICE OF THE ALS & THE CANADIENS

Would your wife put up with you going back to work little more than 12 hours after the birth of your son? I know Mrs. M's answer! But then again, she wasn't raised in a football family like Ashley Smith and Mrs. M isn't married to a pro football player (though I did survive a year goofing off at practise with the Bishop Whelan Spartans of Lachine in Grade 10 circa '76).

Congrats to Ashley and Damon Duval on the birth of their second son Hunter who apparently has some of Grandad's fullback in him given the 9-pound, 2-ounce birthweight! He should be ready for the Canadian draft in 2029 and from Larry to Brad to Hunter, that could be 3 generations of Smith family Alouettes. I'd love to see it.

Duval's long distance hits from 50 and 51 yards out have me wondering...what's the longest he's ever hit in a game? Damon insists back in high school he once pounded a 58-yarder. But I love this...in practise...he once connected from 72 yards. That makes a Damon a threat to score any time the Als hit their own 45 yardline. This I gotta see.

Is Mats Sundin gonna cry like Brett Favre when he announces his retirement? I know you can get bleu blanc rouge kleenex at some dollar-stores. Would seem appropriate. I wonder if Bob Gainey ever considered sending Mats Sundin fishing with Carey Price in the BC wilderness rather than letting the procrastinating Swede stay on his home turf.

Funny how so many people around the CFL expected the pride of St. Leonard Danny Macioccia to be the first CFL head coach to feel the axe yet Charlie Taafe and Doug Berry, two more former Als, could feel the sting of job hanging first.

Als o-lineman Josh Bourke tells me he's still got friends on the Packers, and its not unusual to see him wearing Green Bay gear from his 18 months as Pack property...but he says seeing Favre in a Jets uniform is going to be weird. Got that right. Like The Flower in a Rangers jersey, or worse...the Nordiques.

One CFL assistant coach tells me the Als o-line youth movement is really paying off, but some around the league suggest Calvillo's just getting rid of the ball quicker. Hey, if he's got a man open in the endzone, I'm all for that. AC's never thrown 16 TD passes in the first 6 games of a season. That's a deadly pace that threatens pro football records!

Less than a month from the Canadiens annual golf tournament, my swing's in mid-season form. Unfortunately for me, that's midseason hiking form. I spend all Monday tramping through the bush of the Hillsdale Woodside course at the Miriam Foundation's annual tournament. Stephane Quintal was there and had an awesome day smacking the ball. The big question for Ed Philion, Tony Proudfoot and our new buddy Maxime Clermont (a great guy who's firm Clermont-Cloutier can help your company be more efficient) when we got good wood on the ball was...'was that an oak or pine you just hit?' If only Thunder-Monkey could swing through the trees to retrieve for me.