In the finals

Yeah, it's curling again. Deal. This will be brief.

I've watched Brad Gushue curl a few times this week. I'm not saying he's curling badly. The team is shooting pretty damn good. Having said that, there have been times I've been convinced that Gushue melted his gold medal from the Olympics, recast it as a horseshoe and had it implanted somewhere in his body.

You need some luck in this game and Gushue has had his share. For all the complaining about all the dirt and debris on the ice causing rocks to "pick" (move in a way they're not supposed to) I think the karma gods have favoured Gushue more than his opponents. He won at least one, if not two or three games when opponents' rocks did things they weren't supposed to because of debris. So that's why he's going to the final. I didn't think it would happen, but then again, I didn't think he would win the Olympics let alone the Olympic trials.

It's been an odd Brier to watch, to be honest. There's been startling small crowds. All the bitching and moaning about ice conditions. Some real animosity between teams (They try to hide it, but you certainly get the feeling that the Alberta and Manitoba teams don't like each other very much.

And then there was the unique spectacle of watching the Third from Alberta crack a broom in two over his knee after missing a few shots during a big game. You see stuff like that in hockey or baseball. First time I've ever seen that in a curling game.

It's been a weird, weird Brier.

And if Gushue wins it, I think they might just declare him dictator for life in Newfoundland. If he actually took over the Liberal leadership, the party might have a chance in the next provincial election.