ON THE MARK.

SUPERSTARS WANTED IN TORONTO

Even if we aren't going to see the Leafs at the ACC this fall, there will be plenty of firepower down on Bay Street.  Rush, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan and Neil Young are coming, which will be nice for the old folks, but we need to have a young up-and-coming Canadian to cheer for, and I don't mean Justin Bieber (who's also coming to town).   The real feature this fall will be the "Face Off" featuring the next great Canadian superstar athlete (we hope).     Like it or not, 21 year old Milos Raonic  is "that guy" and the "Face Off" is designed to showcase the kid to folks willing to pony up anywhere between 35 and 150 bucks.  Since Raonic is from nearby Thornhill, why shouldn't GTA folks get a glimpse at the future (we hope) Grand Slam champion?   And if Raonic isn't enough to draw you to the ACC next month, there's the recently retired Andy Roddick, who beat him in Memphis in 2011 and was inconsiderate enough to retire this year without giving Raonic a chance to beat him in a re-match.  Why did he retire?  Have you seen Roddick's wife, actress Brooklyn Decker?  She would be the only reason I would show up.    Also on the bill, Serena Williams and Aggie Radwanska, who played each other in this years Wimbledon final.  I wouldn't want to be the linesman in that one.

Exhibition tennis matches are, by and large, a joke.  Many years ago, a young and exciting Andre Agassi (when he wore a hairpiece) was supposed to play an exhibition at Maple Leaf Gardens in February.   Why he signed up for it, I'll never know, but the day before the match was scheduled, Agassi pulled out.   The next day the newspapers had a picture of him lounging by the pool in Florida. Nice.    Tennis players are famous for pulling out of matches, but when it comes to these exhibitions, they're legendary.  Agassi was supposed to play this past summer at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, but begged off a few days before the match, claiming back spasms, and sent Michael Chang in his place.  That's the beauty of these exhibitions.  If one over-the-hill former star can't make it, there's always somebody else.   Can you imagine paying good money to see Neil Young in concert, only to find out he had back spasms and would be replaced by 54-40?  Can you say refund?  I knew you could.

I can't wait for the baseball playoffs to begin.  I'm going with the Atlanta Braves over St. Louis and Baltimore to beat the poor, poor Texas Rangers in the two "play in" Wild card games. 

I hope the Bluejays make a decision on manager John Farrell soon.  There are a lot of talented managers who would look good in a Jays uniform, including Texas' Ron Washington, who might get the boot if the Rangers are eliminated early from post-season.  After two straight World Series defeats, Washington's job is on the line.  Personally, I would love to see Terry Francona manage the Jays next year, but I think he'll go to Cleveland.  If that's the case, let's get Sandy Alomar Jr. over here.   He was interviewed two years ago before Farrell got the job and if the Indians don't hire him, Alex Anthopoulos would be well served to get him to Toronto.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend, and don't forget to watch Sportsline every day at 5 pm on CHCH TV.  That's followed by Square Off at 5:30.    Enjoy!