With apologies to the ladies, who already have three big-time events under their belts, the 2007-08 curling season effectively begins this week in Quebec City, where an elite men's field will compete in the BDO Classic Canadian Open — the first leg of the World Curling Tour's Grand Slam.  The women, meanwhile, will be in New Glasgow, N.S., for the Sobeys Slam — their fourth and final major. But most eyes will be on Quebec, where an absurdly deep roster, including defending champion Kevin Martin, Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue and Brier title holder Glenn Howard, will battle for a $100,000 purse.  With competition for a spot in the Olympic trials already heating up, the men's Slams — a big part of the qualifying process for the Vancouver Olympics — promise to deliver plenty of drama in the months leading up to and following the Canadian championship season.  CBC Television is your home for the Grand Slam of Curling in 2007-08, beginning with coverage of the Canadian Open semifinals on Dec. 1 (7 p.m. ET) and the final on Dec. 2 (1 p.m. ET).  To preview the action in Quebec City and beyond, CBCSports.ca spoke with CBC curling analyst Mike Harris about the storylines to watch.  One of the big questions heading into last season was how Edmonton's Kevin Martin and Calgary's John Morris would get along after the latter agreed to give up his job as a skip to throw third rocks for the former. The resounding answer: just fine, thank you.  Despite having their sights set on the Olympics three years down the road, the pair were an immediate smash, winning three of the four Grand Slams — Howard took the other — and topping the WCT money list with $176,000 in winnings. All that cash helped soothe the hurt of being bounced in the Brier playoffs by Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton.  And guess what? Martin and Morris — along with second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert — are off to a hot start again this season, with a 30-7 record and a pair of titles in their first six spiels.  "When it comes to the money events, they've got a handle on things," Harris says. "Top to bottom, they're as good as anyone."  If the surname Koe sounds familiar, it's because skip Jamie was the early surprise of the 2007 Brier, leading his Territories rink to a 4-0 start before hitting the wall and finishing out of the playoffs at 5-6.  Now it's Jamie's big brother who's turning heads. Edmonton-based Kevin is the talk of the WCT after capturing two titles in his first five spiels to shoot to the upper crust of the money list. Plus, he's one of only four skips to have already clinched a spot in the Olympic trials. The rest? Martin, Howard and Randy Ferbey, otherwise known as the Big Three.  "I've seen [Koe's rink] at a couple of events this year, and they seem ready to take that next step and move up the ranks," Harris says. "People will take notice of how good they are."  Kevin Koe may be the surprise of the young WCT season, and Ferbey and Martin are still among the top dogs, but another Edmontonian (tough town, eh?) is also making a name for himself: Two-time reigning world junior champion Charley Thomas has a respectable 22-15 record in the first six events of his second season on tour, and has already earned a cool $15,000.  Time will tell whether Thomas has acquired the strategic smarts to match his considerable talent, an essential combination if he wants to hang with the big boys. But, hey, not a bad start for a 21-year-old.  "They haven't won anything yet, but they're off to a good start for a young team," Harris says. "If they keep improving, they're going to have a really good chance."  Brad Gushue may not yet be in the upper echelon of men's skips, but he's in the conversation. The 27-year-old Newfoundlander was so-so in last year's Grand Slams, going an aggregate 10-11, but he rebounded to reach the final of the 2007 Brier, where he briefly put a scare into Howard before succumbing by a score of 10-6.  The good news for Gushue — the reigning Olympic gold medallist, you might have heard — is that his strategic knowledge is still catching up to his vaunted shot-making skills, suggesting the best is yet to come.  While Gushue is breaking in a new lead this season — Olympic veteran Jamie Korab was ousted in favour of David Noftall — it doesn't seem to have slowed his team's progress: They're 20-7 to start, including a title at the season-opening Baden Masters in Switzerland.  "As long as Brad and [third] Mark Nichols are at the back end, they'll be fine," Harris says. "Winning gives you confidence, and they'll do a lot of that on the east coast, where they're the big fish in a small pond."  When the International Olympic Committee granted curling full-medal status for the first time at the 1998 Games in Nagano, it set in motion a major shift in the way teams go about their business.  Whereas in the past, the Brier was seen as the pinnacle of men's curling in Canada, the Olympics quickly turned into the big prize, with teams being formed in three- and four-year cycles to make a run at the Games. That in turn provided an enormous boost to the WCT and its Grand Slam events, which players like because they're a major source of rankings points in the race for Olympic trials berths. (The sweet paydays don't hurt, either.)  "The importance of the Grand Slams to the players has been a big change," Harris says. "A lot of that has to do with how many points you get toward earning a trials spot. That's the big carrot."  With more at stake than ever as Vancoucver prepare to host the 2010 Games, the Grand Slams are drawing star-studded fields made even more luminous by the fact that — like the trials, and unlike the Brier — the tournaments are not beholden to regional representation. That means fans get to see intraprovincial rivals like Martin and Ferbey square off.  "The nice thing about the Slams is you're always going to see two of the best teams in the world competing in the playoffs," Harris says. "That's why we're excited to be covering it. We know we're going to get great games in the semifinals and finals."
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