Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.
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76 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2013 WINE SPORTS THE SECRET of a happy life is to marry your second wife first. I realize that this is not a prescrip- tion for everyone, but from my personal experience it seemed to have a certain Aristotelian logic. I courted my first wife with champagne and kippers, which worked well as a breakfast treat, and I proposed to her one evening in our London flat in 1970 over a bottle of Château Haut Brion 1954. Michael Broadbent, the author of e Great Vintage Wine Book, rated the 1954 vintage as "not very good but not wholly bad." He gave it one star out of a possible five. Of that particular wine he noted, "Unimpressive in cask. Austere and fair acidity." In hindsight, I should have been warned. A word to the wise for those who want to follow my example: choose a stellar vintage. In the giddiness of the moment of committing myself to marriage at the tender age of 32, I can't say that I recall what that wine actually tasted like. But in retro- spect I should have chosen more wisely — the wine, that is. Being superstitious, I lay the blame for the ultimate collapse of my marriage on a wholly forgettable bottle. at, and my frequent trips to wine regions around the world, my obsessive need to collect wine labels and using the bidet to soak them off — all of this, and other factors, led to a gradual, glacial parting of the ways. (Today, however, we are on good terms and can even enjoy a glass of wine together.) For my second marriage, I was determined to be more mindful of my wine choice when it came to popping the question. It was New Year's Eve 1996 and Deborah and I had been invited to see in the new year at a black-tie dinner in a downtown Toronto hotel. I am not a New Year's Eve type of person, but in the past this pseudo-celebration had always been a watershed in my relationships. I had been thinking of proposing to Deborah in the coming weeks but was con- sidering a variety of more romantic scenarios than a hotel ballroom with dozens of people in funny hats blowing noise-makers. But the evening was so excruciatingly dull that I indulged in more champagne than was probably good for me. e idea of staying awake until midnight was a challenge. So, on the spur of the moment, I slipped to the carpet on bended knee and asked Deborah to marry me. e mood of the party changed immediately and we had a marvelous evening receiving congratulations and more champagne from our fellow revellers. I kid her now that I slipped off the chair in my champagne-sodden state and said, "Will Bring on the Gambling WHAT A FUSS about basically nothing. Rep- resentatives from four major professional sports leagues (NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL) all trekked to Ottawa to implore the Senate not to pass Bill C-290, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Sports- Betting). e private member's bill, introduced by NDP MP Joe Comartin, passed third reading unanimously in the House of Commons in 2012. If the Senate does the same it would legalize betting on single sports events in Canada. At present, Canadians have to wager on at least three games at a time, known as parlay betting. All three have to win for the gambler to score a big re- turn. e thinking is that it would be difficult to fix all three matches, greatly reducing the possibil- ity of tampering. But if the Bill passed, said Paul Beeston, president of the Toronto Blue Jays, "every strikeout or error, and the game's integrity would be open to question — play by play, day aer day." Maybe — if the Internet didn't exist. But gam- blers can already make single-game bets with on- line sites. Granted, they might have trouble collect- ing any winnings, a prob- lem that a government-run single-game system would eliminate. But it's safe to say that the existence of single-game betting hasn't destroyed sports yet. Comartin sponsored this Bill so his riding would benefit financially. He foresees a multitude of Americans crossing into Windsor to place sin- gle-game bets in the local casino. "My bill," he says, "would allow the provinces to police this unregu- lated market, and in doing so, reduce the influence of organized crime." I'm with Comartin. I doubt that gamblers of pre- vious good character would suddenly start trying to fix games. People who want to gamble will do so, one way or another. Why not have the government tax the system and use the money to help build new facilities. at would be a winning bet. Popping the Question? Pop the Right Cork Maybe it's just superstition, but the auspicious selection of a wine can herald greatness, as our wine columnist knows all too well News flash: Single-game betting is already available online. Any new law changes zilch > GAMBLERS CAN ALREADY MAKE SINGLE- GAME BETS WITH ONLINE SITES AND, SAFE TO SAY, THE EXISTENCE OF IT HASN'T DESTROYED SPORTS YET PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAMPAGNE DRAPPIER Paul McLaughlin has followed sports as a writer, broadcaster and playwright for many years. OCCASION: Marriage Proposal BUBBLY: Drappier Carte D'Or Brut