TOP CLICKS: The week that was in viral stories

Article content

The Toronto Sun takes you straight to the heart of the action.

Whether it’s local news, provincial and national politics, or the worlds of celebrity and sports, we have you covered.

Some stories set the world on fire. And these ones are the most popular online stories from the past seven days, clicked on by Sun readers like you.

Here are our top stories:

Former Blue Jays slugger selling personal items on Facebook after ‘blowing fortune’

Jose Canseco may have been one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but the former slugger appears to have taken a hit, financially speaking.

Canseco, who played one season for the Blue Jays, has posted several personal items on Facebook Marketplace in an attempt to raise some quick cash, Dan Bilicki reported.

A personalized signed poker table, ostrich leather boots and flashy wheel rims are just some of the Canseco gear up for sale, with much of it in like-new condition.

The two-time World Series champion earned an estimated $40 million in his career, but Canseco fell from grace in the late ’90s during the MLB steroid scandal and blew most of his earnings before filing for bankruptcy in 2012.

The goal this time around is for the six-time all-star to raise enough cash to help fund his new venture, PX40/40, which aims to “revolutionize the art of power-hitting and swinging, not just in baseball and softball but also on the golf course.”

LILLEY: Trudeau’s team goes all in on Carney while Clark implodes

It’s been a week since Brian Lilley wrote his column on Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts and Katie Telford all backing Mark Carney, so it likely came as no surprise to you, dear readers, when Carney launched his campaign to be Canada’s next Liberal leader and prime minister a few days later.

While the PMO or Trudeau’s chief of staff denied their involvement with Carney’s team, Lilley wrote otherwise, noting that Trudeau, Butts, Telford and Navdeep Bains — who reportedly also made calls to key Liberals to throw their support Carney’s way — all have history voting as a team.

Trudeau’s inner circle choosing Carney is clearly meant as a slap to Chrystia Freeland, the other big name in the race, and arguably the former Bank of Canada governor’s only competition after former B.C. premier Christy Clark bowed out with arguably the worst pre-launch.

Potential candidates have less than a week left to decide if they will enter the race, which will conclude March 9.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Wife of Pittsburgh Penguins player steps up after older fan steals puck from kid

The second part of this story will give you renewed faith in humanity — but only after you can get past the first frustrating part.

A young fan eventually freed a puck caught in some netting during a recent Pittsburgh Penguins game, but an older fan decided to be a bit of a jerk and snatch the puck away from the kid before giving it to his grown granddaughter, according to Bilicki.

Naturally, that prompted the entire section of the arena to boo the man, with chants of “Give him the puck” continuing before the puck-stealer got up from his seat and got into a heated exchange with the young fan and his mother.

But here’s where the good news comes in — the unidentified wife of one of the players grabbed a game puck she had stashed in a family room locker and gave it to the boy, prompting cheers from the crowd.

Eagles fan who abused female Packers supporter in viral video banned for life, could lose job

A Philadelphia Eagles fan will be watching the rest of the team’s NFL playoff run nowhere near the stadium from his couch after he was caught ruthlessly verbally abusing a female fan of the Green Bay Packers.

But a lot more has followed since video of the man’s rant-y rampage went viral — which was shared by the woman’s fiancee, Alexander Basara, in an attempt to identify her verbal attacker whose abuse he described as “unprovoked” and “uncalled for,” according to Bilicki.

The Eagles fan was later identified as Ryan Caldwell, who was fired from his job as a DEI-focused consultant after the company launched a “full investigation” into the incident.

That sounds like the kind of karma most were hoping for but when Caldwell issued a statement, apologizing for his actions, he also insisted his “actions were not without provocation.”

And several internet sleuths discovered that Caldwell may not be lying.

Was it all an act, just to get more viewers?

RIGHT DISHONOURABLE: Scandals that defined the Trudeau era

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s nearly decade-long time in office was defined by a regular stream of scandals, faux pas and controversies.

So Bryan Passifiume looked back at some of his biggest blunders, goofs and scandals committed by the Trudeau Liberals over the years. Enjoy!