50 SHADES OF (RUDY) GAY.
When word came down that the Toronto Raptors had acquired Rudy Gay from Memphis for Ed Davis and Jose Calderon, I threw up in my mouth. This is an obvious sign of desperation by Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo. Why give up your veteran point guard on the last year of his deal and a fine young power forward who makes half the NBA minimum in exchange for an overrated, incredibly mediocre small forward who makes 18 million dollars a season? The numbers don't lie. Rudy Gay IS Demar DeRozan. He's only two inches taller than DD, but his game is pretty much the same. Both average around 17 points a game, while taking 15-16 shots. Neither can shoot the three, which is a problem since one is a shooting guard and the other is a shooting forward. Both are average jump shooters, although Gay is below average this year at 40.8% from the field. Neither is a particularly good defender, rebounder or passer. So, I'll ask again. Why did the Raptors acquire Mr. Gay?
Here's why. After messing up with the likes of Jason Kapono, Jermaine O'Neal and Hedo Turkoglu, Colangelo is under the gun. His job is on the line, and he has to do something. I expect he will trade Andrea Bargnani prior to the Februrary 21st deadline, and then the Raptors will look like an entirely different team, even more dependent on the scoring prowess of Gay and DeRozan. Kyle Lowry, who is good friends with Gay, inherits the point guard position, with John Lucas III as the only backup. Derozan can be spelled by rookie Terrence Ross, while Gay is backed up by Alan Anderson and Landry Fields. Amir Johnson is the fulltime power forward and rebounder, but there's little depth in the post. Right now it's Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy at center, with rookie Jonas Valinciunas and, eventually Bargnani coming back from injury. Not exactly a stellar lineup that instils fear in the opposition.
So, you have a lack of depth in the backcourt, a lack of depth in the paint with too few rebounders, and four or five guys who have limited NBA experience, thrust into roles they are unprepared for. The coach, Dwane Casey, is a defense-first kind of a guy who now has to change the offensive system from a pick and roll to a hybrid fast-break-and-hope-for-the-best kind of offense. And when you've lost your two best shooters (Calderon shot 47% and 42.9% from downtown, Davis was a 55% shooter) you had better hope that somebody gets hot, and that somebody HAS to be Rudy Gay. The highest paid player on the team, the guy you gave up two solid, popular players for is now under the microscope. My stomach is queasy just thinking about it.
UPDATE: A few days after I questioned whether Phil Mickelson, at the age of 42, still had what it takes, he goes out and shoots the lights out in Phoenix. He needs a birdie on either of the last two holes to shoot a 59. I guess he read my blog and became inspired. Your welcome Lefty!
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
A-ROD IS A FRAUD.
In the 1998 finale of "Seinfeld", Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is on the stand in the courtroom when suddenly George's father jumps up and yells "How could you pay 15 million dollars for Hideki Irabu?" If "Seinfeld" aired today, the line would be "How could you pay 275 million dollars for Alex Rodriguez?"
Yes, leave it to A-Rod to upstage the biggest sports story of the year, the Super Bowl. He craves the limelight, and now he's got it for all the wrong reasons. He had stated, in 2009, that he took PEDs between 2001 and 2003, while with the Texas Rangers. He basically got a pass from Major League Baseball. No suspension, thanks to his explanation and promise not to do it again. And while the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were all linked to steroids, A-Rod's image didn't take much of a hit at all. In fact, he claimed, fraudulently, that he was going to be the all-time "clean" homerun champion.
But one thing A-Rod failed to do was his due diligence. If you're going to cheat, you need to make sure that the people who are helping you cheat can be trusted NOT to blow the whistle on you. That means their private notes may no longer be private if they fail to pay their bills, or piss off employees who might have access to these notes. And that's what happened in Miami, where, according to these notes, A-Rod was a regular visitor to the clinic that supplied PEDs which include HGH (Human Growth Hormone). This year, Major League baseball will test for HGH. Strangely enough, while PEDs may have contributed to A-Rods 647 career homeruns, they may have also accelerated the deterioration of his hips, of which one has already been surgically repaired, and the other is about to be. Yes, decreased joint flexibility is one of the many side effects linked to steroids along with liver and kidney issues. Obsession with body image is another. Sounds like A-Rod could be the poster boy for what's wrong with PEDs.
I first met Alex (as he was known then) in 1994 when he was an 18 year old rookie with the Seattle Mariners. Even then, he had a swagger about him that would suggest that he KNEW he was a great ballplayer and future Hall of Famer. He probably knew he was going to date Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson and a bevy of other beauties whose names I've forgotten (and he probably has too). Rodriguez came off as arrogant, snarky and somewhat insecure. When he signed an enormous contract with the Texas Rangers for $250 million, he became even worse. In 2007, against the Bluejays, teammate Jorge Posada hit a pop up with two outs and Rodriguez at second. As he rounded third, A-Rod yelled "Mine", at Jays third baseman Howie Clark, who let the ball go, thinking his teammate had called him off. The Yankees ended up winning the game, but Jays manager John Gibbons called it a "bush league move". Nobody could recall ever seeing that stunt pulled at the Major League level. Leave it to A-Rod to pull off a stunt that nobody had ever tried before.
Now the question remains: Should A-Rod go into the Hall of Fame? In my mind, he got a pass from baseball when he "came clean" a few years ago. But now, even though he never failed a drug test, A-Rod is tainted. Just like the others from the steroid era, he's viewed as a cheater and a liar. He said he's never had any association with the lab in Miami and he's never taken PEDs since 2003. Mounting evidence suggests otherwise. Major League baseball will investigate, and unless somebody spoils all the samples and the records get lost in a fire, they should have enough to permanently ruin his reputation and keep him out of the Hall of Fame, just like the others.
In the 1998 finale of "Seinfeld", Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is on the stand in the courtroom when suddenly George's father jumps up and yells "How could you pay 15 million dollars for Hideki Irabu?" If "Seinfeld" aired today, the line would be "How could you pay 275 million dollars for Alex Rodriguez?"
Yes, leave it to A-Rod to upstage the biggest sports story of the year, the Super Bowl. He craves the limelight, and now he's got it for all the wrong reasons. He had stated, in 2009, that he took PEDs between 2001 and 2003, while with the Texas Rangers. He basically got a pass from Major League Baseball. No suspension, thanks to his explanation and promise not to do it again. And while the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were all linked to steroids, A-Rod's image didn't take much of a hit at all. In fact, he claimed, fraudulently, that he was going to be the all-time "clean" homerun champion.
But one thing A-Rod failed to do was his due diligence. If you're going to cheat, you need to make sure that the people who are helping you cheat can be trusted NOT to blow the whistle on you. That means their private notes may no longer be private if they fail to pay their bills, or piss off employees who might have access to these notes. And that's what happened in Miami, where, according to these notes, A-Rod was a regular visitor to the clinic that supplied PEDs which include HGH (Human Growth Hormone). This year, Major League baseball will test for HGH. Strangely enough, while PEDs may have contributed to A-Rods 647 career homeruns, they may have also accelerated the deterioration of his hips, of which one has already been surgically repaired, and the other is about to be. Yes, decreased joint flexibility is one of the many side effects linked to steroids along with liver and kidney issues. Obsession with body image is another. Sounds like A-Rod could be the poster boy for what's wrong with PEDs.
I first met Alex (as he was known then) in 1994 when he was an 18 year old rookie with the Seattle Mariners. Even then, he had a swagger about him that would suggest that he KNEW he was a great ballplayer and future Hall of Famer. He probably knew he was going to date Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson and a bevy of other beauties whose names I've forgotten (and he probably has too). Rodriguez came off as arrogant, snarky and somewhat insecure. When he signed an enormous contract with the Texas Rangers for $250 million, he became even worse. In 2007, against the Bluejays, teammate Jorge Posada hit a pop up with two outs and Rodriguez at second. As he rounded third, A-Rod yelled "Mine", at Jays third baseman Howie Clark, who let the ball go, thinking his teammate had called him off. The Yankees ended up winning the game, but Jays manager John Gibbons called it a "bush league move". Nobody could recall ever seeing that stunt pulled at the Major League level. Leave it to A-Rod to pull off a stunt that nobody had ever tried before.
Now the question remains: Should A-Rod go into the Hall of Fame? In my mind, he got a pass from baseball when he "came clean" a few years ago. But now, even though he never failed a drug test, A-Rod is tainted. Just like the others from the steroid era, he's viewed as a cheater and a liar. He said he's never had any association with the lab in Miami and he's never taken PEDs since 2003. Mounting evidence suggests otherwise. Major League baseball will investigate, and unless somebody spoils all the samples and the records get lost in a fire, they should have enough to permanently ruin his reputation and keep him out of the Hall of Fame, just like the others.
Monday, 28 January 2013
HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN.
It wasn't THAT long ago was it? Serena Williams and Roger Federer were the best tennis players in the world. Phil Mickelson was challenging Tiger Woods as the world's number one golfer. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were the cream of the crop in the NBA, having won three straight NBA titles between them. Those were the days, eh? Well, those days are long gone. This past weekend was a prime example.
Both Serena and Roger are 31 years of age. Both will defend their Wimbledon titles this year, but it's quite possible that neither will win another Major, and that would be a shame. Federer was stymied in the semifinals at the Australian Open, while Serena only managed to make it to the quarterfinals before she was ousted. Both could be passing the torch sooner than later as players like Djokovic and Andy Murray, who are younger and stronger, seemed to have surpassed Federer. As for Serena, she's still the best female player on the planet, but injuries have taken their toll, and let's face it, she's been playing high level tennis for 15 years. It's only a matter of time before Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and even American Sloane Stephens, who beat her in Australia, take over.
Phil Mickelson is in a similar position. His last Major was the 2010 Masters, but since then, the 42 year old has been rather average, especially when you compare him with Tiger. Even though he won the 2012 AT&T at Pebble Beach, "Lefty" has finished tied for 36th, tied for 65th and missed the cut in his last 3 Majors. With so many good young players out there (and Tiger), Phil had better pick his game up and fast. He's got another 7 years before he's eligible for the Senior Tour. Watching him play at Torrey Pines this week, it's pretty obvious that he's just not the same guy who won 3 Masters and a PGA Championship.
The real changing of the guard is taking place right before our very eyes in basketball. The Boston Celtics won 5 straight Atlantic Division titles, thanks in large part to Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. This year, the Celts are floundering below the .500 mark. Allen is gone (to Miami of all places) and Rondo is out for the year with a torn ACL (or is it the MCL, I can't remember). There's talk of blowing the Celtics up and starting all over again because of the advanced ages of Pierce and Garnett. Even though Boston beat Miami in double OT yesterday, they will NOT win the Atlantic Division, not the way the Knicks and Nets are playing. Same goes for the Lakers, who, despite the presence of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, will likely NOT win the Pacific division this year (they've won it the last 5 years in a row). Coach Mike D'Antoni did help figure out a way to beat OKC yesterday, but, like the Celtics, L.A. is just too old and too slow for today's NBA. In fact, they're a better team when Kobe Bryant DOESN'T score 30 points a game. He's had 14 assists in each of the past two games and the Lakers have won both.
Why are the Leafs just now figuring out that Phil Kessel is not going to be their go-to guy? He looked great for a while last year on a line with Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak, but then Lupul got hurt and the rest of the season went for a dump. This year, Kessel can't score, likely because Lupul only lasted a few games before going down with a broken arm. This is the same problem the Leafs had when Mats Sundin was here. They couldn't surround him with talented players, and he had to perform solo most of the time. Kessel is a good player who can average a point a game PROVIDED he's got some help. It'll be interesting to see what GM Dave Nonis does. Should he trade Kessel or make a deal for someone who can complement him on the forward line?
Finally, while the aforementioned athletes and teams start to slip from their lofty perch, let's all hail Tiger Woods, who's playing golf as if he's got Lindsey Vonn waiting for him at the nearest Waffle House. His game is so much better than anyone elses, I would be shocked if he didn't win at least one Major this year. The kind of shotmaking I witnessed this past weekend tells me that Tiger is, perhaps, a better player now than he was in his "prime". Every shot, including his tee shots on par 3s, has a chance of going in the hole. That, my friends, is scary good. We may be witnessing the most dominant athlete of any sport in any era. All he has to do is win the Masters in April, and he's on his way to immortality.
It wasn't THAT long ago was it? Serena Williams and Roger Federer were the best tennis players in the world. Phil Mickelson was challenging Tiger Woods as the world's number one golfer. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were the cream of the crop in the NBA, having won three straight NBA titles between them. Those were the days, eh? Well, those days are long gone. This past weekend was a prime example.
Both Serena and Roger are 31 years of age. Both will defend their Wimbledon titles this year, but it's quite possible that neither will win another Major, and that would be a shame. Federer was stymied in the semifinals at the Australian Open, while Serena only managed to make it to the quarterfinals before she was ousted. Both could be passing the torch sooner than later as players like Djokovic and Andy Murray, who are younger and stronger, seemed to have surpassed Federer. As for Serena, she's still the best female player on the planet, but injuries have taken their toll, and let's face it, she's been playing high level tennis for 15 years. It's only a matter of time before Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and even American Sloane Stephens, who beat her in Australia, take over.
Phil Mickelson is in a similar position. His last Major was the 2010 Masters, but since then, the 42 year old has been rather average, especially when you compare him with Tiger. Even though he won the 2012 AT&T at Pebble Beach, "Lefty" has finished tied for 36th, tied for 65th and missed the cut in his last 3 Majors. With so many good young players out there (and Tiger), Phil had better pick his game up and fast. He's got another 7 years before he's eligible for the Senior Tour. Watching him play at Torrey Pines this week, it's pretty obvious that he's just not the same guy who won 3 Masters and a PGA Championship.
The real changing of the guard is taking place right before our very eyes in basketball. The Boston Celtics won 5 straight Atlantic Division titles, thanks in large part to Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. This year, the Celts are floundering below the .500 mark. Allen is gone (to Miami of all places) and Rondo is out for the year with a torn ACL (or is it the MCL, I can't remember). There's talk of blowing the Celtics up and starting all over again because of the advanced ages of Pierce and Garnett. Even though Boston beat Miami in double OT yesterday, they will NOT win the Atlantic Division, not the way the Knicks and Nets are playing. Same goes for the Lakers, who, despite the presence of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, will likely NOT win the Pacific division this year (they've won it the last 5 years in a row). Coach Mike D'Antoni did help figure out a way to beat OKC yesterday, but, like the Celtics, L.A. is just too old and too slow for today's NBA. In fact, they're a better team when Kobe Bryant DOESN'T score 30 points a game. He's had 14 assists in each of the past two games and the Lakers have won both.
Why are the Leafs just now figuring out that Phil Kessel is not going to be their go-to guy? He looked great for a while last year on a line with Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak, but then Lupul got hurt and the rest of the season went for a dump. This year, Kessel can't score, likely because Lupul only lasted a few games before going down with a broken arm. This is the same problem the Leafs had when Mats Sundin was here. They couldn't surround him with talented players, and he had to perform solo most of the time. Kessel is a good player who can average a point a game PROVIDED he's got some help. It'll be interesting to see what GM Dave Nonis does. Should he trade Kessel or make a deal for someone who can complement him on the forward line?
Finally, while the aforementioned athletes and teams start to slip from their lofty perch, let's all hail Tiger Woods, who's playing golf as if he's got Lindsey Vonn waiting for him at the nearest Waffle House. His game is so much better than anyone elses, I would be shocked if he didn't win at least one Major this year. The kind of shotmaking I witnessed this past weekend tells me that Tiger is, perhaps, a better player now than he was in his "prime". Every shot, including his tee shots on par 3s, has a chance of going in the hole. That, my friends, is scary good. We may be witnessing the most dominant athlete of any sport in any era. All he has to do is win the Masters in April, and he's on his way to immortality.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
GRETZKY FOR PRESIDENT? I HOPE NOT.
He was the greatest hockey player of all time, but would Wayne Gretzky be any good as President of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Well, that depends on his role. Will he be a front man? A figurehead? Or would he actually be involved in the day-to-day operation of the team. If it's the latter, then I say "no". What the Maple Leafs need now, more than ever, is stability. They just elevated Dave Nonis to the role of General Manager (but not President) to replace the dearly departed Brian Burke, who held the dual role. Coach Randy Carlyle is in his first full year as coach. The team is fairly young, and the potential for playoff success is there (I know you've heard that before).
Most importantly, the Maple Leaf brand is now under new ownership, and that could cause the biggest problem that Gretzky could face. In the past, Gretzky has been a minority owner/coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, and was pretty much given carte blanche, until they started losing money as well as games. Remember, Gretzky spent four years as the coach of the Coyotes and missed the playoffs all four years. Wasn't that one of the problems the Leafs had with Burke? With Team Canada in 2002, he was The Great Gretzky, General Manager of our Olympic Hockey team. He only had to answer to Canadians, which was no problem, especially after Canada won the gold medal in Salt Lake City. In 2006 in Turin, with Gretzky at the helm, Canada had a lousy preliminary round (3-2) and lost 2-0 to the Russians in the quarterfinals.
If he ever took the job with the Maple Leafs (and denials are running rampant as of this writing) he'd have to battle that two-headed ownership monster Bell/Rogers. Do you think that's something that appeals to him, especially after what he went through in Phoenix? Hardly. Think about it, how could Gretzky help the Maple Leafs? He can't sell more season tickets or suites or jerseys. He can't command more money for TV rights or commercial time. He'd probably better suited as Prime Minister of Canada rather than President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I can't imagine watching the Leafs lose another game and then see the media go running after Gretzky and Nonis, trying to get a 15 second soundbite or a quote for the newspaper.
Gretzky has plenty to do with his life, and plenty of time to choose a job in hockey that suits him. He turns 52 on Saturday, has five kids (2 of whom still live at home) and has his home in Thousand Oaks California up for sale for a cool 14.9 million dollars. He runs a wildly successful Fantasy hockey camp in Las Vegas every February where 65 campers pony up $11,000 each to skate with Wayne and a number of former NHLers. The proceeds to to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. He also owns a winery that sold some 35,000 cases of wine last year, a clothing line, and is a pitchman for banks, watches, hot drinks, video games and shoes. Does he really want or need an office at Bay and Front so he can oversee the operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs? After the way the Coyotes and then the NHL treated him a few years ago, probably not. Wayne doesn't need the Leafs, and the Leafs certainly don't need Wayne. Just the thought of Gretzky sitting where Burke used to sit and slamming his fist on the table when the Leafs give up a goal makes me shudder. That's not the way the Great One should be remembered.
He was the greatest hockey player of all time, but would Wayne Gretzky be any good as President of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Well, that depends on his role. Will he be a front man? A figurehead? Or would he actually be involved in the day-to-day operation of the team. If it's the latter, then I say "no". What the Maple Leafs need now, more than ever, is stability. They just elevated Dave Nonis to the role of General Manager (but not President) to replace the dearly departed Brian Burke, who held the dual role. Coach Randy Carlyle is in his first full year as coach. The team is fairly young, and the potential for playoff success is there (I know you've heard that before).
Most importantly, the Maple Leaf brand is now under new ownership, and that could cause the biggest problem that Gretzky could face. In the past, Gretzky has been a minority owner/coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, and was pretty much given carte blanche, until they started losing money as well as games. Remember, Gretzky spent four years as the coach of the Coyotes and missed the playoffs all four years. Wasn't that one of the problems the Leafs had with Burke? With Team Canada in 2002, he was The Great Gretzky, General Manager of our Olympic Hockey team. He only had to answer to Canadians, which was no problem, especially after Canada won the gold medal in Salt Lake City. In 2006 in Turin, with Gretzky at the helm, Canada had a lousy preliminary round (3-2) and lost 2-0 to the Russians in the quarterfinals.
If he ever took the job with the Maple Leafs (and denials are running rampant as of this writing) he'd have to battle that two-headed ownership monster Bell/Rogers. Do you think that's something that appeals to him, especially after what he went through in Phoenix? Hardly. Think about it, how could Gretzky help the Maple Leafs? He can't sell more season tickets or suites or jerseys. He can't command more money for TV rights or commercial time. He'd probably better suited as Prime Minister of Canada rather than President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I can't imagine watching the Leafs lose another game and then see the media go running after Gretzky and Nonis, trying to get a 15 second soundbite or a quote for the newspaper.
Gretzky has plenty to do with his life, and plenty of time to choose a job in hockey that suits him. He turns 52 on Saturday, has five kids (2 of whom still live at home) and has his home in Thousand Oaks California up for sale for a cool 14.9 million dollars. He runs a wildly successful Fantasy hockey camp in Las Vegas every February where 65 campers pony up $11,000 each to skate with Wayne and a number of former NHLers. The proceeds to to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. He also owns a winery that sold some 35,000 cases of wine last year, a clothing line, and is a pitchman for banks, watches, hot drinks, video games and shoes. Does he really want or need an office at Bay and Front so he can oversee the operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs? After the way the Coyotes and then the NHL treated him a few years ago, probably not. Wayne doesn't need the Leafs, and the Leafs certainly don't need Wayne. Just the thought of Gretzky sitting where Burke used to sit and slamming his fist on the table when the Leafs give up a goal makes me shudder. That's not the way the Great One should be remembered.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
WILLIE O'REE. THE JACKIE ROBINSON OF HOCKEY.
Last Friday, an important milestone was largely overlooked by the sporting media and public. The headlines were taken up by Lance Armstrong, Manti T'eo, the upcoming NHL season, the NFL playoffs and many other stories. Sadly, the 55th anniversary of the appearance of the first black player in the NHL went unnoticed.
On January 18, 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first man of colour to suit up in an NHL game when he was called up by the Boston Bruins for a game at the Montreal Forum. The Bruins won 3-0 that night, and the next day's newspapers reported on the game, but not the social impact that Mr. O'Ree had on it. Nothing about O'Ree breaking the colour barrier or becoming the Jackie Robinson of the NHL. In fact, according to O'Ree, it was no big deal. The week before, he had played in the same building wearing the jersey of the Quebec Aces, so the fans and media were well aware of him, and didn't think the colour of his skin was worthy of any extra attention. It wasn't even a big deal in Boston, but it should've been.
At the time, Boston was, and is still known as the most racist city in North America. In 1958, eleven years after Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's colour barrier, the Red Sox STILL hadn't added a black player, even though they had the first opportunity to sign Robinson, and later, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. The Red Sox owner, Tom Yawkey, was a noted bigot who eventually gave in and allowed Elijah (Pumpsie) Green to be the first black to wear a Red Sox uniform, even though Green was an average utility infielder, rather than a budding superstar. I guess Yawkey didn't want to make his white players look bad. Either that or he wanted the fans to believe that white guys like Ted Williams would always rule the roost in the Hub, despite the fact that every other baseball team had supremely talented black players.
O'Ree only played two games in 1958 for the Bruins, but came back in 1961 to play 43 more, compiling 4 goals and ten assists for the last place team. In his travels, he heard plenty of racial taunts, especially in places like Chicago, where they would yell for him to "Go pick some cotton". Since O'Ree was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and played in the Quebec Senior League, he was rarely the subject of racist taunts. Other black players, such as the Carnegie brothers, Herb and Ossie, along with Manny McIntyre, were tremendously talented, but never got the same chance as O'Ree, who was traded to Montreal after the 1961 season without explanation. Many wondered if it was Boston's racist attitudes that led Bruins GM Lynn Patrick and coach Milt Schmidt to give up on O'Ree, but Willie himself said it was his most bitter moment. He never returned to the NHL, and it was another 13 years before another black, Mike Marson of the Washington Capitals, would grace an NHL roster. That led to the likes of Bill Riley, Tony McKegney, Grant Fuhr, Ray Neufeld, and many more getting their opportunity.
But racism doesn't just go away. It's not like you can get the government to spend money to reduce or eradicate racism the way they might try with homelessness or unemployment. Tax cuts will not stop racism. The fact is, today's technology can making it worse. Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward, who is black, knows that all too well. Last April, after his overtime goal eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs, Ward was the subject of taunts on Twitter from racist Bruins "fans". If you really want to read them, click here. http://chirpstory.com/li/6781
When Willie O'Ree first met Jackie Robinson in the early 50s, he was a young shortstop who eventually went to the Milwaukee Braves training camp in Waycross, Georgia. He had a pretty good camp, but left to pursue his career in hockey. When Willie told Robinson that he was a pretty good hockey player too, Jackie replied "Blacks play hockey? Really?" Little did he know he was talking to a young man who would be, like Robinson, the FIRST of his race to integrate a professional sport. You can draw a line from Jackie Robinson to Rosa Parks to Martin Luther King to President Barack Obama. But you must also include Willie O'Ree in that group. He helped blaze a trail, just like the others. And he had to do it in a place like Boston.
Willie O'Ree is 77 years old and lives in California, where he starred for many years in the Western Hockey League with the Los Angeles Blades and the San Diego Gulls. He played until he was well into his 40s, and scored 328 goals in the Western Hockey League. He was hired by the NHL as it's director of youth development for it's diversity task force. He also received the Order of Canada in 2010. Not bad for a guy who was legally blind in one eye, yet still became the first of his race to play in the National Hockey League some 55 years ago.
Last Friday, an important milestone was largely overlooked by the sporting media and public. The headlines were taken up by Lance Armstrong, Manti T'eo, the upcoming NHL season, the NFL playoffs and many other stories. Sadly, the 55th anniversary of the appearance of the first black player in the NHL went unnoticed.
On January 18, 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first man of colour to suit up in an NHL game when he was called up by the Boston Bruins for a game at the Montreal Forum. The Bruins won 3-0 that night, and the next day's newspapers reported on the game, but not the social impact that Mr. O'Ree had on it. Nothing about O'Ree breaking the colour barrier or becoming the Jackie Robinson of the NHL. In fact, according to O'Ree, it was no big deal. The week before, he had played in the same building wearing the jersey of the Quebec Aces, so the fans and media were well aware of him, and didn't think the colour of his skin was worthy of any extra attention. It wasn't even a big deal in Boston, but it should've been.
At the time, Boston was, and is still known as the most racist city in North America. In 1958, eleven years after Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's colour barrier, the Red Sox STILL hadn't added a black player, even though they had the first opportunity to sign Robinson, and later, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. The Red Sox owner, Tom Yawkey, was a noted bigot who eventually gave in and allowed Elijah (Pumpsie) Green to be the first black to wear a Red Sox uniform, even though Green was an average utility infielder, rather than a budding superstar. I guess Yawkey didn't want to make his white players look bad. Either that or he wanted the fans to believe that white guys like Ted Williams would always rule the roost in the Hub, despite the fact that every other baseball team had supremely talented black players.
O'Ree only played two games in 1958 for the Bruins, but came back in 1961 to play 43 more, compiling 4 goals and ten assists for the last place team. In his travels, he heard plenty of racial taunts, especially in places like Chicago, where they would yell for him to "Go pick some cotton". Since O'Ree was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and played in the Quebec Senior League, he was rarely the subject of racist taunts. Other black players, such as the Carnegie brothers, Herb and Ossie, along with Manny McIntyre, were tremendously talented, but never got the same chance as O'Ree, who was traded to Montreal after the 1961 season without explanation. Many wondered if it was Boston's racist attitudes that led Bruins GM Lynn Patrick and coach Milt Schmidt to give up on O'Ree, but Willie himself said it was his most bitter moment. He never returned to the NHL, and it was another 13 years before another black, Mike Marson of the Washington Capitals, would grace an NHL roster. That led to the likes of Bill Riley, Tony McKegney, Grant Fuhr, Ray Neufeld, and many more getting their opportunity.
But racism doesn't just go away. It's not like you can get the government to spend money to reduce or eradicate racism the way they might try with homelessness or unemployment. Tax cuts will not stop racism. The fact is, today's technology can making it worse. Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward, who is black, knows that all too well. Last April, after his overtime goal eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs, Ward was the subject of taunts on Twitter from racist Bruins "fans". If you really want to read them, click here. http://chirpstory.com/li/6781
When Willie O'Ree first met Jackie Robinson in the early 50s, he was a young shortstop who eventually went to the Milwaukee Braves training camp in Waycross, Georgia. He had a pretty good camp, but left to pursue his career in hockey. When Willie told Robinson that he was a pretty good hockey player too, Jackie replied "Blacks play hockey? Really?" Little did he know he was talking to a young man who would be, like Robinson, the FIRST of his race to integrate a professional sport. You can draw a line from Jackie Robinson to Rosa Parks to Martin Luther King to President Barack Obama. But you must also include Willie O'Ree in that group. He helped blaze a trail, just like the others. And he had to do it in a place like Boston.
Willie O'Ree is 77 years old and lives in California, where he starred for many years in the Western Hockey League with the Los Angeles Blades and the San Diego Gulls. He played until he was well into his 40s, and scored 328 goals in the Western Hockey League. He was hired by the NHL as it's director of youth development for it's diversity task force. He also received the Order of Canada in 2010. Not bad for a guy who was legally blind in one eye, yet still became the first of his race to play in the National Hockey League some 55 years ago.
Monday, 21 January 2013
HABS SUCK. SO DOES BELICHICK.
If Saturday night's pre-game ceremony is any indication, it's going to be a long, painful hockey season in Montreal. To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the Habs put on a 13 minute show that was about as overdone as my Mom's roast beef. Montreal is already the capital of standing ovations, and they clearly went overboard on Saturday as they introduced the trainers, therapists, video coordinators, assistant coaches, players not dressed, players in uniform and, finally, after more than 30 introductions, 5 former Habs captains who passed a flaming torch to one another until Jean Beliveau handed it to current captain Brian Gionta. By that time, however, the crowd was clapped out, and the ovation was far quieter than it should have been. Next time, let's get the P.A. announcer to tell the fans to "hold your applause until everyone has been introduced". The ceremony was so stagnating, the Maple Leafs remained in their dressing room throughout, and then burst onto the ice with energy, while the Habs players likely cramped up waiting for the ceremony to end. And, oh yeah, the Habs lost, which they will many more times this year. Last place in the East a season ago, they'll be lucky to finish any higher this season. Better go and sign PK Subban, and fast.
The Goofball of the Week award goes to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who not only was outcoached by Baltimore's John Harbaugh, but also stiffed CBS for the mandatory post-game interview.
This isn't the first time Belichick has acted like a sore loser. At the end of Super Bowl XLII, Belichick left the field with one second left in the game, rather than have to congratulate Giants coach Tom Coughlin on his victory. He did the same a few years ago against Cleveland's Eric Mangini, after Mangini blew the whistle on him for "Spygate". Let's face it, the Belichick era in New England could be coming to a close. Twice yesterday he chose a conservative game plan by having his team punt, rather than try field goals from 51 and 52 yards. Now, I know the wind was blowing, but come on. Stephen Gostowski had hit on his last 9 straight field goals, and had hit a 53 yarder earlier in the year. If you're not going to let him kick, at least go for it on 4th down. As well, Belichick and Tom Brady showed terrible clock management late in the first half, having to kick a field goal rather than get one more play off in the dying seconds. Oh well, at least we won't have to see his sour puss and headphones-over-the-hoodie look anymore (see above).
I watched an awful lot of sports on TV this past weekend (Hey, it's my job and I take it seriously!) and I was particularly impressed with three of the telecasts.
1) NFC Championship game (FOX) Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. These two are absolute magic. I much prefer Buck doing football over baseball (He's still not as good as his late father, Jack Buck) and with Aikman, he has maybe the best analyst in all of TV sports. As good as Summerall and Madden in their prime.
2) Raptors-Lakers (TSN) Matt Devlin and Sherman Hamilton. Regular analyst Jack Armstrong has laryngitis, which allowed Hamilton to step in and do a very nice job alongside Devlin. It's nice to hear another voice, especially a guy who played recently and is a solid, experienced broadcaster. Of course, it helps when the home team wins over Kobe, Nash and company. Still, a very enjoyable telecast.
3) Leafs-Canadiens (CBC) Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson. The mark of a good broadcast team is their ability to take a sloppy, uneven game with the crowd totally out of it, and make the game appear exciting. Kudo's to these two, who, after several months of inactivity, sounded in mid-season form despite a terrible game in front of a crowd that had little gas left in the tank after that endless pre-game ceremony.
Honourable mention to the many NBC broadcast teams, who combined to give the Peacock network some scintillating Opening Day ratings, including a 2 share, which is massive for hockey in the U.S. With the exception of the Winter Classics of the past, that's the highest overnight rating for NBC hockey. So much for the threat of fan boycotts and slow ticket sales. It's like the NHL never left.
If Saturday night's pre-game ceremony is any indication, it's going to be a long, painful hockey season in Montreal. To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the Habs put on a 13 minute show that was about as overdone as my Mom's roast beef. Montreal is already the capital of standing ovations, and they clearly went overboard on Saturday as they introduced the trainers, therapists, video coordinators, assistant coaches, players not dressed, players in uniform and, finally, after more than 30 introductions, 5 former Habs captains who passed a flaming torch to one another until Jean Beliveau handed it to current captain Brian Gionta. By that time, however, the crowd was clapped out, and the ovation was far quieter than it should have been. Next time, let's get the P.A. announcer to tell the fans to "hold your applause until everyone has been introduced". The ceremony was so stagnating, the Maple Leafs remained in their dressing room throughout, and then burst onto the ice with energy, while the Habs players likely cramped up waiting for the ceremony to end. And, oh yeah, the Habs lost, which they will many more times this year. Last place in the East a season ago, they'll be lucky to finish any higher this season. Better go and sign PK Subban, and fast.
The Goofball of the Week award goes to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who not only was outcoached by Baltimore's John Harbaugh, but also stiffed CBS for the mandatory post-game interview.
I watched an awful lot of sports on TV this past weekend (Hey, it's my job and I take it seriously!) and I was particularly impressed with three of the telecasts.
1) NFC Championship game (FOX) Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. These two are absolute magic. I much prefer Buck doing football over baseball (He's still not as good as his late father, Jack Buck) and with Aikman, he has maybe the best analyst in all of TV sports. As good as Summerall and Madden in their prime.
2) Raptors-Lakers (TSN) Matt Devlin and Sherman Hamilton. Regular analyst Jack Armstrong has laryngitis, which allowed Hamilton to step in and do a very nice job alongside Devlin. It's nice to hear another voice, especially a guy who played recently and is a solid, experienced broadcaster. Of course, it helps when the home team wins over Kobe, Nash and company. Still, a very enjoyable telecast.
3) Leafs-Canadiens (CBC) Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson. The mark of a good broadcast team is their ability to take a sloppy, uneven game with the crowd totally out of it, and make the game appear exciting. Kudo's to these two, who, after several months of inactivity, sounded in mid-season form despite a terrible game in front of a crowd that had little gas left in the tank after that endless pre-game ceremony.
Honourable mention to the many NBC broadcast teams, who combined to give the Peacock network some scintillating Opening Day ratings, including a 2 share, which is massive for hockey in the U.S. With the exception of the Winter Classics of the past, that's the highest overnight rating for NBC hockey. So much for the threat of fan boycotts and slow ticket sales. It's like the NHL never left.
Friday, 18 January 2013
MUST SEE TV? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH.
Ten minutes into the Oprah-Lance Armstrong interview, I turned to my wife and asked "Do you want to keep watching?". "No, I've seen enough of this creep" was her response. Instead, we turned over to "American Idol", which featured some OK singing, and a dynamite diva clash between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey (with poor Keith Urban caught in the middle). After a while, we turned back to the Armstrong interview, but he looked exactly the same. Always be wary of someone who won't look you in the eye. They're probably lying. Armstrong was not contrite, hardly apologetic and seemed to be controlling the pace of the interview. Although Oprah did a pretty good job interviewing him, she hardly held his feet to the fire, as a good journalist certainly would. Part Two airs tonight. I, for one, will not be watching.
Tomorrow we're back to hockey, so pretend it's October and the season is just beginning. I expect the first few weeks will feature sloppy hockey, and maybe a few injuries because players are nowhere near in game shape. Travel could be an issue as well, although teams in the East have it much easier. The New Jersey Devils, for example, have to travel only 11,659 miles this year, while the Minnesota Wild have over 31,000 miles to cover. The key may end up being how many days off the players will get. A compressed schedule will make for more injuries and less recovery time. John Tortorella of the Rangers has gone on record as saying he's penciled in 23 off days for his team. That's because the Rangers only have 6 back-to-back situations all season, compared to 12 for teams like Detroit and Chicago. Also, the Rangers are a bus ride away from places like Long Island and New Jersey and a short train ride to Philly and Washington. My concern for the NHL is that it can't afford to lose any of it's star players. All they need is for a Crosby, Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos to get injured, which will happen more than likely. Not that a pulled groin is a career-threatening injury, but it's the kind of injury that put a guy on the sidelines for a few weeks. And in a shortened season, teams can't afford to lose a key player for any substantial length of time.
Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers is the latest in a long line of big men who gets fouled a lot because he's a lousy free throw shooter. In the tradition of Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal, Howard's shooting percentage is better from the floor than it is from the foul line. Last night he went 5 for 13 from the foul line, and missed two key free throws with his team trailing the Miami Heat by a pair and less than two minutes to go. The Lakers never scored again, and lost to the Heat 99-90. If the secret to beating the Lakers is hacking Howard whenever the opportunity presents itself, the cat is out of the bag. Basketball allows a smart coach to substitute certain players in strictly so they can commit a foul. Fouling Howard gives that team a chance to get the ball back without giving up two points. A no-brainer if there ever was one. Howard shoots free throws at about a 50% success rate. The league average is around 75%. You do the math.
My NFL picks for this weekend are the New England Patriots, who will beat Baltimore 34-31, and the San Francisco 49ers, who will run roughshod over the Atlanta Falcons, 30-14. New England and San Fran in the Super Bowl. There you go. Have a great weekend, and let me know how part two of that Lance Armstrong interview goes. I'll be washing my hair.
Ten minutes into the Oprah-Lance Armstrong interview, I turned to my wife and asked "Do you want to keep watching?". "No, I've seen enough of this creep" was her response. Instead, we turned over to "American Idol", which featured some OK singing, and a dynamite diva clash between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey (with poor Keith Urban caught in the middle). After a while, we turned back to the Armstrong interview, but he looked exactly the same. Always be wary of someone who won't look you in the eye. They're probably lying. Armstrong was not contrite, hardly apologetic and seemed to be controlling the pace of the interview. Although Oprah did a pretty good job interviewing him, she hardly held his feet to the fire, as a good journalist certainly would. Part Two airs tonight. I, for one, will not be watching.
Tomorrow we're back to hockey, so pretend it's October and the season is just beginning. I expect the first few weeks will feature sloppy hockey, and maybe a few injuries because players are nowhere near in game shape. Travel could be an issue as well, although teams in the East have it much easier. The New Jersey Devils, for example, have to travel only 11,659 miles this year, while the Minnesota Wild have over 31,000 miles to cover. The key may end up being how many days off the players will get. A compressed schedule will make for more injuries and less recovery time. John Tortorella of the Rangers has gone on record as saying he's penciled in 23 off days for his team. That's because the Rangers only have 6 back-to-back situations all season, compared to 12 for teams like Detroit and Chicago. Also, the Rangers are a bus ride away from places like Long Island and New Jersey and a short train ride to Philly and Washington. My concern for the NHL is that it can't afford to lose any of it's star players. All they need is for a Crosby, Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos to get injured, which will happen more than likely. Not that a pulled groin is a career-threatening injury, but it's the kind of injury that put a guy on the sidelines for a few weeks. And in a shortened season, teams can't afford to lose a key player for any substantial length of time.
Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers is the latest in a long line of big men who gets fouled a lot because he's a lousy free throw shooter. In the tradition of Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal, Howard's shooting percentage is better from the floor than it is from the foul line. Last night he went 5 for 13 from the foul line, and missed two key free throws with his team trailing the Miami Heat by a pair and less than two minutes to go. The Lakers never scored again, and lost to the Heat 99-90. If the secret to beating the Lakers is hacking Howard whenever the opportunity presents itself, the cat is out of the bag. Basketball allows a smart coach to substitute certain players in strictly so they can commit a foul. Fouling Howard gives that team a chance to get the ball back without giving up two points. A no-brainer if there ever was one. Howard shoots free throws at about a 50% success rate. The league average is around 75%. You do the math.
My NFL picks for this weekend are the New England Patriots, who will beat Baltimore 34-31, and the San Francisco 49ers, who will run roughshod over the Atlanta Falcons, 30-14. New England and San Fran in the Super Bowl. There you go. Have a great weekend, and let me know how part two of that Lance Armstrong interview goes. I'll be washing my hair.
Thursday, 17 January 2013
LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS.
Two great sports stories landed on my lap in the past 24 hours. One had to do with the bizarre "hoax" surrounding Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o and his alleged girlfriend who had allegedly died of leukemia. The other has to do with Tiger Woods, who, depending on which news agency you want to believe, has either proposed to ex-wife Elin Nordegren, or is banging superstar skier Lindsey Vonn. Or both. Hey, it's not out of the realm of possibility with Tiger.
Let's begin with Manti Te'o, who, up until last September, was a very good linebacker at Notre Dame and that's about it. The Fighting Irish weren't expected to be very good this year, but the heartwarming story of Te'o seemed to inspire the Irish and turn their season around. They went undefeated this year and, led by Te'o, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, captured the attention of an entire nation. Te'o had told the media the story of his girlfriend Lennay Kekua, who had been in a terrible auto accident and then was diagnosed with leukemia. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, she was in the hospital in California and in a coma and he talked with her every night on the phone, sometimes falling asleep to the sound of her breathing. But wait, the story gets even better. After the "real" death of his grandmother in Hawaii, Te'o claims Lennay passed away just a couple of hours later, turning a single tragedy into an unfathomable series of events which would be told, in detail to Sports Illustrated and then several other noted media outlets. The outpouring of sympathy from football fans around the country was incredible. Notre Dame went on to an undefeated season and was ranked #1 before losing the BCS Championship to Alabama a couple of weeks ago.
Yesterday, Te'o claimed he was the victim of an elaborate hoax. I, and many others believe he was the perpetrator of this hoax. He lied about having a girlfriend and then continued to lie. The website www.deadspin.com broke the story by doing what's called "research". What they discovered was that Te'o chose the wrong profession. He should've been a screenwriter because he concocted one of the greatest stories ever. To have an imaginary girlfriend is one thing. To have her contract leukemia and then be involved in a serious car accident and die just hours before (or after) his "real" grandmother passed away is difficult to get one's head wrapped around. The kid is projected to be a first round draft pick in the NFL, but how do you go after a guy who pulled off such an elaborate hoax? I guess if he's a good enough player, teams will look the other way. Me? I wouldn't want to have this guy as a teammate. What a creep.
Along the same lines, the great Tiger Woods doesn't need to invent girlfriends. He has (or had) plenty of them. Real live women, not a figment of someone's imagination. Back in November, there was speculation that Tiger and recently retired skier Lindsey Vonn had something going after meeting in Vail, Colorado, where Vonn's brother taught Tiger's kids how to ski. Now, according to sources in Salzberg, Austria, Tiger's private plane made a stop there on Sunday, and then left for Abu Dhabi the next day. Vonn happened to be in Salzberg for a TV interview at the same time. Coincidence? Not likely. Then, the next day, it was reported by the National Enquirer that Woods had proposed to ex-wife Elin Nordegren during Christmas, and even gave her a ring. No word as to whether she accepted or not, but the Enquirer reports that she is considering the proposal ONLY if Tiger agrees to a 350 million dollar anti-cheating clause. Now, say what you will about the Enquirer, but they broke the story that Tiger was cheating well before Elin attacked Tiger with a golf club in November, 2009. Speculation is that Elin read or heard about that article, confronted Tiger about it, and then when she had text-message evidence of his dalliances, she grabbed the 60 degree wedge and proceeded to demonstrate the full swing "cut shot" on him while he tried to escape in his Escalade.
Now, I know Lindsey Vonn is a fine looking woman. She's 28, divorced and available. But is she worth 350 million dollars? I expect we'll find the answer to that question very soon. Boy, the sports world just gets more and more bizarre, doesn't it?
Two great sports stories landed on my lap in the past 24 hours. One had to do with the bizarre "hoax" surrounding Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o and his alleged girlfriend who had allegedly died of leukemia. The other has to do with Tiger Woods, who, depending on which news agency you want to believe, has either proposed to ex-wife Elin Nordegren, or is banging superstar skier Lindsey Vonn. Or both. Hey, it's not out of the realm of possibility with Tiger.
Let's begin with Manti Te'o, who, up until last September, was a very good linebacker at Notre Dame and that's about it. The Fighting Irish weren't expected to be very good this year, but the heartwarming story of Te'o seemed to inspire the Irish and turn their season around. They went undefeated this year and, led by Te'o, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, captured the attention of an entire nation. Te'o had told the media the story of his girlfriend Lennay Kekua, who had been in a terrible auto accident and then was diagnosed with leukemia. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, she was in the hospital in California and in a coma and he talked with her every night on the phone, sometimes falling asleep to the sound of her breathing. But wait, the story gets even better. After the "real" death of his grandmother in Hawaii, Te'o claims Lennay passed away just a couple of hours later, turning a single tragedy into an unfathomable series of events which would be told, in detail to Sports Illustrated and then several other noted media outlets. The outpouring of sympathy from football fans around the country was incredible. Notre Dame went on to an undefeated season and was ranked #1 before losing the BCS Championship to Alabama a couple of weeks ago.
Yesterday, Te'o claimed he was the victim of an elaborate hoax. I, and many others believe he was the perpetrator of this hoax. He lied about having a girlfriend and then continued to lie. The website www.deadspin.com broke the story by doing what's called "research". What they discovered was that Te'o chose the wrong profession. He should've been a screenwriter because he concocted one of the greatest stories ever. To have an imaginary girlfriend is one thing. To have her contract leukemia and then be involved in a serious car accident and die just hours before (or after) his "real" grandmother passed away is difficult to get one's head wrapped around. The kid is projected to be a first round draft pick in the NFL, but how do you go after a guy who pulled off such an elaborate hoax? I guess if he's a good enough player, teams will look the other way. Me? I wouldn't want to have this guy as a teammate. What a creep.
Along the same lines, the great Tiger Woods doesn't need to invent girlfriends. He has (or had) plenty of them. Real live women, not a figment of someone's imagination. Back in November, there was speculation that Tiger and recently retired skier Lindsey Vonn had something going after meeting in Vail, Colorado, where Vonn's brother taught Tiger's kids how to ski. Now, according to sources in Salzberg, Austria, Tiger's private plane made a stop there on Sunday, and then left for Abu Dhabi the next day. Vonn happened to be in Salzberg for a TV interview at the same time. Coincidence? Not likely. Then, the next day, it was reported by the National Enquirer that Woods had proposed to ex-wife Elin Nordegren during Christmas, and even gave her a ring. No word as to whether she accepted or not, but the Enquirer reports that she is considering the proposal ONLY if Tiger agrees to a 350 million dollar anti-cheating clause. Now, say what you will about the Enquirer, but they broke the story that Tiger was cheating well before Elin attacked Tiger with a golf club in November, 2009. Speculation is that Elin read or heard about that article, confronted Tiger about it, and then when she had text-message evidence of his dalliances, she grabbed the 60 degree wedge and proceeded to demonstrate the full swing "cut shot" on him while he tried to escape in his Escalade.
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
WHAT TO WATCH TOMORROW, OPRAH OR IDOL?
In the days prior to our 500 channel universe (or is it 5000 now?), instant downloads and PVRs, Thursday night was THE night to watch TV. ABC used to have the best lineup of all, with Happy Days at 8 pm, Laverne and Shirley at 8:30 and Three's Company at 9. The lineup was so popular that the other networks, NBC and CBS, put their WORST shows on Thursday because they knew they didn't have a chance of garnering decent ratings. Once the ABC lineup hit the skids in the early 80s, NBC took over the Thursday night lineup with Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, Cheers, L.A. Law, Seinfeld, ER, Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace and The Office, to name 10. Today, "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS is the top Thursday night show, but just hold on a minute.
Tomorrow is, to steal an old line from NBC, "Must see TV". In this corner, at 8 oclock on FOX, it's the second night of the 12th season of American Idol, featuring a potential catfight between a couple of big time Diva's. Singer Mariah Carey, best known for her voice and two other wonderful attributes is one of the Idol judges. Another is singer/rapper Nicki Minaj, best known for her, ahem, enormous bottom and outrageous outbursts. The story goes that the two got into a screaming match during one of the taped auditions, and Carey told Barbara Walters that it was an "unsafe work environment". Minaj then taunted Carey on Twitter by saying "I guess it hurts 2 have the producers tell u to ur face that Nicki is the best juidge we've had since Simon". Ouch! I hope like hell these two duke it out on TV. For sure I'll be watching tomorrow, and I don't even like American Idol.
Then, at 9 pm, I'm going to head up the dial to Channel 91, which I've discovered is the home of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Unless Minaj and Carey are throwing haymakers at each other, I just HAVE to see the Lance Armstrong interview. Not that I expect much, but since Oprah has already interviewed David Letterman, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Jamie Foxx (a two parter!), this is a huge coup for her. She's teased us a little already, and has said that the interview will be cut into two parts, and aired on back to back nights, Thursday and Friday. I'm really interested in seeing her interview "technique", and what, if anything, she can get out of Armstrong. If that doesn't hold my interest, I may have to go get my "Happy Days" boxed set, and watch the episode when Fonzie, waterskiing in his leather jacket, actually "jumps the shark".
I doubt that any self-respecting NHL manager reads this blog or watches me on TV, but thanks to whoever for telling the Maple Leafs that it might be good PR if they actually allowed fans into their training camp practice. Tomorrow morning at 10:15, the Air Canada Centre will open it's doors to the public and allow the hoi polloi to sit and watch. First come, first served for 20 thousand people. I wonder how many will show up. I also wonder if the club will offer one dollar hot dogs and 50% off merchandise to their incredibly loyal and patient supporters. It certainly would be a lovely gesture and let's face it, the Leafs need to start making some money if they hope to meet payroll (Ok, that was a joke).
You may know that I'm a Chicago Bears fan and that I'm pretty happy to see them hire Marc Trestman as their head coach. Trestman won two Grey Cups with the Alouettes, but is best known for his work with quarterbacks such as Bernie Kosar, Rich Gannon and Hall of Famer Steve Young. With that in mind, the Bears are hoping that Trestman can turn Jay Cutler around. The Bears have missed the playoffs in five of the last six years despite adding stars like receiver Brandon Marshall and signing running back Matt Forte to a long term deal. Trestman runs a West Coast style offense, much like the one he oversaw in San Francisco when Young and Jerry Rice led the NFL in passing offense (288 yards per game) in 1995. If the Bears can shore up their offensive line and give Cutler time to throw, the Trestman move could be just the ticket.
In the days prior to our 500 channel universe (or is it 5000 now?), instant downloads and PVRs, Thursday night was THE night to watch TV. ABC used to have the best lineup of all, with Happy Days at 8 pm, Laverne and Shirley at 8:30 and Three's Company at 9. The lineup was so popular that the other networks, NBC and CBS, put their WORST shows on Thursday because they knew they didn't have a chance of garnering decent ratings. Once the ABC lineup hit the skids in the early 80s, NBC took over the Thursday night lineup with Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, Cheers, L.A. Law, Seinfeld, ER, Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace and The Office, to name 10. Today, "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS is the top Thursday night show, but just hold on a minute.
Tomorrow is, to steal an old line from NBC, "Must see TV". In this corner, at 8 oclock on FOX, it's the second night of the 12th season of American Idol, featuring a potential catfight between a couple of big time Diva's. Singer Mariah Carey, best known for her voice and two other wonderful attributes is one of the Idol judges. Another is singer/rapper Nicki Minaj, best known for her, ahem, enormous bottom and outrageous outbursts. The story goes that the two got into a screaming match during one of the taped auditions, and Carey told Barbara Walters that it was an "unsafe work environment". Minaj then taunted Carey on Twitter by saying "I guess it hurts 2 have the producers tell u to ur face that Nicki is the best juidge we've had since Simon". Ouch! I hope like hell these two duke it out on TV. For sure I'll be watching tomorrow, and I don't even like American Idol.
Then, at 9 pm, I'm going to head up the dial to Channel 91, which I've discovered is the home of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Unless Minaj and Carey are throwing haymakers at each other, I just HAVE to see the Lance Armstrong interview. Not that I expect much, but since Oprah has already interviewed David Letterman, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Jamie Foxx (a two parter!), this is a huge coup for her. She's teased us a little already, and has said that the interview will be cut into two parts, and aired on back to back nights, Thursday and Friday. I'm really interested in seeing her interview "technique", and what, if anything, she can get out of Armstrong. If that doesn't hold my interest, I may have to go get my "Happy Days" boxed set, and watch the episode when Fonzie, waterskiing in his leather jacket, actually "jumps the shark".
I doubt that any self-respecting NHL manager reads this blog or watches me on TV, but thanks to whoever for telling the Maple Leafs that it might be good PR if they actually allowed fans into their training camp practice. Tomorrow morning at 10:15, the Air Canada Centre will open it's doors to the public and allow the hoi polloi to sit and watch. First come, first served for 20 thousand people. I wonder how many will show up. I also wonder if the club will offer one dollar hot dogs and 50% off merchandise to their incredibly loyal and patient supporters. It certainly would be a lovely gesture and let's face it, the Leafs need to start making some money if they hope to meet payroll (Ok, that was a joke).
You may know that I'm a Chicago Bears fan and that I'm pretty happy to see them hire Marc Trestman as their head coach. Trestman won two Grey Cups with the Alouettes, but is best known for his work with quarterbacks such as Bernie Kosar, Rich Gannon and Hall of Famer Steve Young. With that in mind, the Bears are hoping that Trestman can turn Jay Cutler around. The Bears have missed the playoffs in five of the last six years despite adding stars like receiver Brandon Marshall and signing running back Matt Forte to a long term deal. Trestman runs a West Coast style offense, much like the one he oversaw in San Francisco when Young and Jerry Rice led the NFL in passing offense (288 yards per game) in 1995. If the Bears can shore up their offensive line and give Cutler time to throw, the Trestman move could be just the ticket.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
DID LANCE TRY TO PUT ONE OVER ON OPRAH?
Suppose you are Lance Armstrong and you're looking to salvage your image. You want to confess your sins to a sympathetic interviewer, but in such a way that the public feels sorry for you. You have your choice. You can call "60 Minutes" and risk getting grilled by Scott Pelley or Leslie Stahl or Steve Kroft. You could call Barbara Walters and be part of a prime-time network show that will eventually make you (and the viewers) cry. Or you could call Oprah. This was a no-brainer for Armstrong, who agreed to be interviewed by Winfrey on Monday at HIS home in Austin, Texas. Oprah says she prepared over 100 questions for Armstrong in a wide-ranging interview that will be broadcast in two parts, on Thursday and Friday nights. On "CBS This Morning", Oprah responded to the Armstrong interview by saying
"I would say he did not come clean in the manner I had expected. It was surprising to me."
Hmmm. Hearing that, I'm not sure I want to watch this supposed "confession" by Armstrong. How did Oprah let him off the hook? Remember, we're dealing with a guy who cheated, then lied, then cheated some more, then lied, then denied and NOW he wants to come clean, but under HIS terms. Apparently, Armstrong would be willing to testify to the Department of Justice (blow the whistle) on cycling officials and official's from the U.S. Postal Service team because he wants to compete in recognized triathalons and other events (not cycling). The World Anti-Doping Agency, which suspended him for life and stripped him of his 7 Tour De France titles, said today that he must confess under oath if he wants to seek a reduction to his lifetime ban from sports. Hey, if you're a cheater and a liar, is it really a stretch to become a stool pigeon or a rat?
But back to the Oprah interview for a second. Ms. Winfrey is a pretty smart cookie. She knows that the Armstrong interview was much coveted, and she got it. The interview has been recorded, so now the marketing begins. CBS This Morning got some tidbits today. A few leaks from unidentified sources have caught the attention of the public, and now the speculation begins in earnest. What happens to the millions of dollars that the Postal Service spent sponsoring Armstrong's team? Does Armstrong have to return that money? (According to CBS News, he is in talks to return money to the Postal Service). During the Winfrey chat, according to sources who were not authorized to speak about the interview, Armstrong rebutted the claim that he was the leader of a doping program. He said he was just doing what his teammates were doing. Of course, these are the same teammates who blew the whistle on Armstrong (see Landis, Floyd) in 2010. Will Armstrong cooperate with the Department of Justice and finger those cycling officials and sponsors who turned a blind eye during all those Tour De France titles?
There are so many questions that need to be answered, but the big one should be the first question: Did you take performance enhancing drugs? It's like when Jay Leno had actor Hugh Grant on the Tonight Show a few nights after Grant had been arrest for lewd conduct after hooking up with a call girl. Leno asked the question everybody wanted the answer to: "What the hell were you thinking?" I'd like to believe that would be the first question Oprah asked Armstrong on Monday. Somehow, I get the feeling she couldn't or wouldn't muster up the courage to ask that right off the bat. Pity.
During his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong rebutted the claim that he was a leader of the doping program, saying he just did what his teammates were doing, according to the two people who did not want their names published because they are not authorized to speak about the interview.
Now Armstrong and possibly his longtime agent, Bill Stapleton, are seeking to repay several millions of dollars of the more than $30 million the Postal Service spent sponsoring the team, as part of their cooperation as witnesses in the case, said the person with knowledge of the matter. (CBS News first reported Armstrong was in talks to return money to the Postal Service.) The Department of Justice is considering whether to join the case as a plaintiff and is close to making that decision, the person said.
Suppose you are Lance Armstrong and you're looking to salvage your image. You want to confess your sins to a sympathetic interviewer, but in such a way that the public feels sorry for you. You have your choice. You can call "60 Minutes" and risk getting grilled by Scott Pelley or Leslie Stahl or Steve Kroft. You could call Barbara Walters and be part of a prime-time network show that will eventually make you (and the viewers) cry. Or you could call Oprah. This was a no-brainer for Armstrong, who agreed to be interviewed by Winfrey on Monday at HIS home in Austin, Texas. Oprah says she prepared over 100 questions for Armstrong in a wide-ranging interview that will be broadcast in two parts, on Thursday and Friday nights. On "CBS This Morning", Oprah responded to the Armstrong interview by saying
"I would say he did not come clean in the manner I had expected. It was surprising to me."
Hmmm. Hearing that, I'm not sure I want to watch this supposed "confession" by Armstrong. How did Oprah let him off the hook? Remember, we're dealing with a guy who cheated, then lied, then cheated some more, then lied, then denied and NOW he wants to come clean, but under HIS terms. Apparently, Armstrong would be willing to testify to the Department of Justice (blow the whistle) on cycling officials and official's from the U.S. Postal Service team because he wants to compete in recognized triathalons and other events (not cycling). The World Anti-Doping Agency, which suspended him for life and stripped him of his 7 Tour De France titles, said today that he must confess under oath if he wants to seek a reduction to his lifetime ban from sports. Hey, if you're a cheater and a liar, is it really a stretch to become a stool pigeon or a rat?
But back to the Oprah interview for a second. Ms. Winfrey is a pretty smart cookie. She knows that the Armstrong interview was much coveted, and she got it. The interview has been recorded, so now the marketing begins. CBS This Morning got some tidbits today. A few leaks from unidentified sources have caught the attention of the public, and now the speculation begins in earnest. What happens to the millions of dollars that the Postal Service spent sponsoring Armstrong's team? Does Armstrong have to return that money? (According to CBS News, he is in talks to return money to the Postal Service). During the Winfrey chat, according to sources who were not authorized to speak about the interview, Armstrong rebutted the claim that he was the leader of a doping program. He said he was just doing what his teammates were doing. Of course, these are the same teammates who blew the whistle on Armstrong (see Landis, Floyd) in 2010. Will Armstrong cooperate with the Department of Justice and finger those cycling officials and sponsors who turned a blind eye during all those Tour De France titles?
There are so many questions that need to be answered, but the big one should be the first question: Did you take performance enhancing drugs? It's like when Jay Leno had actor Hugh Grant on the Tonight Show a few nights after Grant had been arrest for lewd conduct after hooking up with a call girl. Leno asked the question everybody wanted the answer to: "What the hell were you thinking?" I'd like to believe that would be the first question Oprah asked Armstrong on Monday. Somehow, I get the feeling she couldn't or wouldn't muster up the courage to ask that right off the bat. Pity.
During his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong rebutted the claim that he was a leader of the doping program, saying he just did what his teammates were doing, according to the two people who did not want their names published because they are not authorized to speak about the interview.
Now Armstrong and possibly his longtime agent, Bill Stapleton, are seeking to repay several millions of dollars of the more than $30 million the Postal Service spent sponsoring the team, as part of their cooperation as witnesses in the case, said the person with knowledge of the matter. (CBS News first reported Armstrong was in talks to return money to the Postal Service.) The Department of Justice is considering whether to join the case as a plaintiff and is close to making that decision, the person said.
Monday, 14 January 2013
WHY HAVEN'T NHL PLAYERS APOLOGIZED?
I know they want us to believe the lockout wasn't their fault. I know they want to point the finger of blame at the owners exclusively. I even understand the NHLPAs mentality in not accepting any blame for the work stoppage. But come on! No apologies from the players? Not one? I'm not talking about "We're sorry this had to happen". That's not an apology. At least Gary Bettman apologized. And several of the owners have as well. Most seem to be truly sorry, and want to make it up to the fans by offering special deals on tickets and merchandise. Not the players. Several of them tweeted thanks to the union and the mediator in the hours after a deal was done. But none of them spoke directly to the fans by saying "I'm sorry", and that's a shame. Maybe they truly aren't sorry for what has transpired. Maybe the players think they did everything they could. They wanted to play hockey, but the big bad owners locked them out. Well, guess what? That doesn't wash with me. You guys are heroes to many. Yes, you're the reason we watch the NHL, not the owners. So why doesn't somebody have the balls to stand up and say, or tweet, an apology to all hockey fans for putting us through this nonsense? You want me back? Say you're sorry. Show some class.
While we're on the subject of hockey, why is it that just about every NHL team except the Maple Leafs is allowing the public to watch training camp practices? The Leafs have a lovely little practice rink called the "Mastercard Centre" on Kipling Avenue near the Lakeshore in Toronto. When training camp opened yesterday, the media was allowed in, but the fans were forced to stand outside the rink and try and catch a glimpse of their heroes through the windows. Why? Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to welcome the fans back by allowing them into the practice? With Brian Burke now gone, shouldn't the new guy, Dave Nonis step in and change the rules so that the Leafs appear a little more fan friendly and a little less corporate? I mean, really, are they worried some fan is going to video the workouts and then sell the footage to other teams? You've already kept the most ridiculously loyal fan base in all of sports waiting for four months. Why not throw them a bone? It certainly would go a long way in mending fences. Mind you, the Leafs never did care much about their "fans". They charge outrageous prices for tickets and concessions and merchandise and people STILL pay through the nose, despite all the losing. Hey Leafs, why not hire a few more security guards, let the fans into the rink and acknowledge their presence? Maybe, just maybe, the players will appreciate it and actually talk and listen to their loyal supporters.
How about that Brian Burke news conference on Saturday? I was stunned to see that MLSE actually allowed Burke to host this little going away session. You just fired the guy's ass and now you're letting him get in the last word in YOUR OWN BUILDING? Who does that? It gave Burke a chance to tell everyone how shocked he was and also allowed him a few parting shots at members of the media who had gotten under his skin during his four year tenure. We learned absolutely nothing from this conference, except to confirm that Burke still harbours many grudges. And as far as his new role as "Senior Advisor", somebody must've made that one up at the last second. Burke will have absolutely NO say in the hockey operations. He says he'll start looking for another job in the NHL, but I'm not sure any team is ready to jump at the chance to hire him. Maybe USA hockey needs a guy like Burke. At least this time he won't be distracted by his NHL job.
I know they want us to believe the lockout wasn't their fault. I know they want to point the finger of blame at the owners exclusively. I even understand the NHLPAs mentality in not accepting any blame for the work stoppage. But come on! No apologies from the players? Not one? I'm not talking about "We're sorry this had to happen". That's not an apology. At least Gary Bettman apologized. And several of the owners have as well. Most seem to be truly sorry, and want to make it up to the fans by offering special deals on tickets and merchandise. Not the players. Several of them tweeted thanks to the union and the mediator in the hours after a deal was done. But none of them spoke directly to the fans by saying "I'm sorry", and that's a shame. Maybe they truly aren't sorry for what has transpired. Maybe the players think they did everything they could. They wanted to play hockey, but the big bad owners locked them out. Well, guess what? That doesn't wash with me. You guys are heroes to many. Yes, you're the reason we watch the NHL, not the owners. So why doesn't somebody have the balls to stand up and say, or tweet, an apology to all hockey fans for putting us through this nonsense? You want me back? Say you're sorry. Show some class.
While we're on the subject of hockey, why is it that just about every NHL team except the Maple Leafs is allowing the public to watch training camp practices? The Leafs have a lovely little practice rink called the "Mastercard Centre" on Kipling Avenue near the Lakeshore in Toronto. When training camp opened yesterday, the media was allowed in, but the fans were forced to stand outside the rink and try and catch a glimpse of their heroes through the windows. Why? Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to welcome the fans back by allowing them into the practice? With Brian Burke now gone, shouldn't the new guy, Dave Nonis step in and change the rules so that the Leafs appear a little more fan friendly and a little less corporate? I mean, really, are they worried some fan is going to video the workouts and then sell the footage to other teams? You've already kept the most ridiculously loyal fan base in all of sports waiting for four months. Why not throw them a bone? It certainly would go a long way in mending fences. Mind you, the Leafs never did care much about their "fans". They charge outrageous prices for tickets and concessions and merchandise and people STILL pay through the nose, despite all the losing. Hey Leafs, why not hire a few more security guards, let the fans into the rink and acknowledge their presence? Maybe, just maybe, the players will appreciate it and actually talk and listen to their loyal supporters.
How about that Brian Burke news conference on Saturday? I was stunned to see that MLSE actually allowed Burke to host this little going away session. You just fired the guy's ass and now you're letting him get in the last word in YOUR OWN BUILDING? Who does that? It gave Burke a chance to tell everyone how shocked he was and also allowed him a few parting shots at members of the media who had gotten under his skin during his four year tenure. We learned absolutely nothing from this conference, except to confirm that Burke still harbours many grudges. And as far as his new role as "Senior Advisor", somebody must've made that one up at the last second. Burke will have absolutely NO say in the hockey operations. He says he'll start looking for another job in the NHL, but I'm not sure any team is ready to jump at the chance to hire him. Maybe USA hockey needs a guy like Burke. At least this time he won't be distracted by his NHL job.
Friday, 11 January 2013
HABS-LEAFS RIVALRY: THE GOOD 'OL DAYS.
In 1993, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one high-sticking penalty away from facing the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final. One missed call. And then, of course, that Gretzky fellow had to go and ruin it all. It could've been an all-Canadian final between two of the most storied franchises in the history of the sport. Most importantly, it would be an opportunity to exact revenge for Maple Leaf fans who had been tormented and tortured by their Montreal counterparts. Thanks a lot, Kerry Fraser.
20 years ago, the Maple Leafs were roaring through an incredible season, the likes of which had not been seen for many years. In their two meetings with Montreal the Leafs had won both, 5-4 in Montreal and 4-0 in Toronto. But the Toronto-Montreal rivalry had cooled by then. Don't forget, the two teams only played each other twice a season (The Leafs were in the Western Conference at the time), so the possibility of them meeting in the Stanley Cup final was almost too much to bear. Canadians were giddy with the thought. And let's face it. The Leafs were a much better team than Montreal in '93. They would've won the Stanley Cup that year. Of course, you know the real story. The L.A. Kings, much to the delight of the NHL and many American fans, went to the final instead of Toronto, and the Habs-Leafs playoff rivalry had to be put on hold again.
Not since the spring of 1979 have the Leafs and Habs met in the playoffs. Back then, the rivalry was at it's peak. It was no longer a six team NHL, and Montreal was in the midst of winning four straight Stanley Cups. But the Leafs were an up and coming team. There was also the political rivalry. The controversial french language Bill 101 in Quebec led many Habs fans, anglophones, to leave La Belle Province in favour of Ontario, home of the Leafs. This fueled the rivalry even more because Ontarians now had foreigners in their midst, and when it came to hockey, if you were a Habs fan in Ontario, you were viewed with suspicion. In Toronto, they played a recorded version of O Canada, and a few dozen people might sing along (in English). But in Montreal, singer Roger Doucet, clad in a tuxedo, belted out our National Anthem in both official languages "live", and got the crowd going before the puck was even dropped. It was many years before the Leafs allowed anthem singers.
As good as the Maple Leafs were, they should've been even better. Since Harold Ballard refused to call the WHAs bluff, the Leafs lost a lot of good players to the upstart league. Men like Dave Keon, Paul Henderson, Bernie Parent, Rick Ley and Jim Harrison were cast aside. Had they remained, Toronto may have had a better chance against Montreal. In the spring of 1978, the Leafs won two playoff rounds and then faced the Habs in the semi-finals. They had no chance. Montreal swept the Leafs aside, outscoring Toronto 16-6. A few weeks later they won their 3rd Cup in a row. The following spring, The Leafs and Habs met once again. This time it was the quarterfinals, and while the Habs won the first two games at home, the next two at Maple Leaf Gardens would speak volumes. On April 21st, the two teams went all the way to double overtime before Cam Connor (a former Toronto Marlie) scored the winner. The next night, the two teams once again went to overtime before Larry Robinson (a former Kitchener Ranger) eliminated the Maple Leafs. Even though the Habs were known as "The Flying Frenchmen", there were plenty of good anglophones from Ontario. Steve Shutt, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey and Mark Napier come to mind.
The rivalry will never be the way it once was, and that's a shame. But the legacy lives on. If , by chance, the Leafs and Montreal EVER meet in a playoff series, you won't believe the excitement and the passion. I got to experience it first hand. But that was a long, long time ago.
In 1993, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one high-sticking penalty away from facing the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final. One missed call. And then, of course, that Gretzky fellow had to go and ruin it all. It could've been an all-Canadian final between two of the most storied franchises in the history of the sport. Most importantly, it would be an opportunity to exact revenge for Maple Leaf fans who had been tormented and tortured by their Montreal counterparts. Thanks a lot, Kerry Fraser.
20 years ago, the Maple Leafs were roaring through an incredible season, the likes of which had not been seen for many years. In their two meetings with Montreal the Leafs had won both, 5-4 in Montreal and 4-0 in Toronto. But the Toronto-Montreal rivalry had cooled by then. Don't forget, the two teams only played each other twice a season (The Leafs were in the Western Conference at the time), so the possibility of them meeting in the Stanley Cup final was almost too much to bear. Canadians were giddy with the thought. And let's face it. The Leafs were a much better team than Montreal in '93. They would've won the Stanley Cup that year. Of course, you know the real story. The L.A. Kings, much to the delight of the NHL and many American fans, went to the final instead of Toronto, and the Habs-Leafs playoff rivalry had to be put on hold again.
Not since the spring of 1979 have the Leafs and Habs met in the playoffs. Back then, the rivalry was at it's peak. It was no longer a six team NHL, and Montreal was in the midst of winning four straight Stanley Cups. But the Leafs were an up and coming team. There was also the political rivalry. The controversial french language Bill 101 in Quebec led many Habs fans, anglophones, to leave La Belle Province in favour of Ontario, home of the Leafs. This fueled the rivalry even more because Ontarians now had foreigners in their midst, and when it came to hockey, if you were a Habs fan in Ontario, you were viewed with suspicion. In Toronto, they played a recorded version of O Canada, and a few dozen people might sing along (in English). But in Montreal, singer Roger Doucet, clad in a tuxedo, belted out our National Anthem in both official languages "live", and got the crowd going before the puck was even dropped. It was many years before the Leafs allowed anthem singers.
As good as the Maple Leafs were, they should've been even better. Since Harold Ballard refused to call the WHAs bluff, the Leafs lost a lot of good players to the upstart league. Men like Dave Keon, Paul Henderson, Bernie Parent, Rick Ley and Jim Harrison were cast aside. Had they remained, Toronto may have had a better chance against Montreal. In the spring of 1978, the Leafs won two playoff rounds and then faced the Habs in the semi-finals. They had no chance. Montreal swept the Leafs aside, outscoring Toronto 16-6. A few weeks later they won their 3rd Cup in a row. The following spring, The Leafs and Habs met once again. This time it was the quarterfinals, and while the Habs won the first two games at home, the next two at Maple Leaf Gardens would speak volumes. On April 21st, the two teams went all the way to double overtime before Cam Connor (a former Toronto Marlie) scored the winner. The next night, the two teams once again went to overtime before Larry Robinson (a former Kitchener Ranger) eliminated the Maple Leafs. Even though the Habs were known as "The Flying Frenchmen", there were plenty of good anglophones from Ontario. Steve Shutt, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey and Mark Napier come to mind.
The rivalry will never be the way it once was, and that's a shame. But the legacy lives on. If , by chance, the Leafs and Montreal EVER meet in a playoff series, you won't believe the excitement and the passion. I got to experience it first hand. But that was a long, long time ago.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
THE WORST FIRING IN MAPLE LEAF HISTORY.
The late Harold Ballard left a legacy of mismangement that's difficult to surpass when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ballard, like Brian Burke, was the face of the franchise. He loved getting his name in the paper, loved being the bombastic blowhard that threatened the media and loved taking credit for making the Maple Leafs a profitable team. They didn't call Maple Leaf Gardens the "Carlton Street Cashbox" for nothing.
The funny thing is, Ballard would've fired Brian Burke EXACTLY the same way the corporate hacks at Rogers/Bell Media did. With one exception. He would've taken away Burke's parking spot, changed the locks on his office door and made sure there were TV cameras present while Burke was fumbling for his keys, trying to figure out what was going on. That's because Ballard loved great theatre. He used to appear regularly on the post-game TV show "Overtime", which was during the CHCH-TV Maple Leaf broadcasts in the 1970s and 80s. His quotes were often outrageous, and he never met a minority he didn't dislike (Swedes, Russians, Women). Had there been twitter in Ballard's day, he would've made Mark Cuban look like Mr. Goody Two Shoes.
Ballard's greatest example of shoddy ownership was his treatment of coach Roger Neilson. Dubbed "Captain Video" because of his early use of tape to break down plays, Neilson had replaced Red Kelly behind the Leaf bench in 1977 and immediately helped lead his team to a quarter-final victory over the New York Islanders on an overtime goal by Lanny McDonald. The fact that they lost in four straight to Montreal was a moot point. The Leafs were back, and Neilson was the guy. But the following season was a tough one, and the Leafs couldn't get anything going until mid February when they began a four game losing streak and the fans and the media started to grumble After all, this team had beaten the Islanders last year, and now they couldn't beat the Atlanta Flames or the Minnesota North Stars. Soon, Ballard was threatening to fire Neilson if the team didn't improve. After suffering a loss in Montreal during a televised game (Leaf games were only on twice a week in those days) Ballard was tracked down by CHCHs Dick Beddoes, who asked him point blank if he was going to fire Neilson. When Ballard said "Yes, he's gone", all hell broke loose.
That was March 1, 1979. When fans and Leaf players found out that Neilson had been fired, they protested en masse. How could Ballard fire the man that helped grow the Leafs into a potential powerhouse? Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull and Mike Palmateer were all in their 20s. They were a team on the rise. I was a reporter for CKFH radio at the time, and Bob McCown sent me to the Gardens to track down Neilson and Ballard and GM Jim Gregory to get the story. Instead, we found Roger standing around waiting to be fired. There was no press conference. Roger had to tell everybody he had been fired. I remember chasing him down the stairs at the Gardens after coming out of the Executive Offices. It was crazy.
Ballard's decision to fire Neilson was so abrupt, he had nobody to coach the Leafs a couple of nights later. He figured out too late that you can't fire your old coach unless you've got a new coach ready to take over. But nobody wanted to take over this team, so Ballard had to go back to Neilson and devise a plan. His idea was to not reveal who the new Leaf coach would be, keep everybody guessing, and then have Neilson go behind the bench on Saturday night WITH A PAPER BAG OVER HIS HEAD. Only when the TV cameras zoomed in would Neilson pull the bag off his head, much to the shock and delight of the Gardens faithful. There was only one problem. Neilson wouldn't go for it. He accepted his old job back, but came out sans sac papier. When he walked out of the corridor and behind the Leaf bench, the Gardens erupted. The Leafs went on to beat the Flyers that night, and then won their next four in a row. Unfortunately for Neilson's second tenure, it didn't last long. After the Leafs were swept by the Canadiens (again) in the playoffs, Neilson got the boot for good. He only coached two seasons in Toronto, but will forever be remembered as the guy who was fired on a Thursday night and re-hired on a Saturday morning.
The late Harold Ballard left a legacy of mismangement that's difficult to surpass when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ballard, like Brian Burke, was the face of the franchise. He loved getting his name in the paper, loved being the bombastic blowhard that threatened the media and loved taking credit for making the Maple Leafs a profitable team. They didn't call Maple Leaf Gardens the "Carlton Street Cashbox" for nothing.
The funny thing is, Ballard would've fired Brian Burke EXACTLY the same way the corporate hacks at Rogers/Bell Media did. With one exception. He would've taken away Burke's parking spot, changed the locks on his office door and made sure there were TV cameras present while Burke was fumbling for his keys, trying to figure out what was going on. That's because Ballard loved great theatre. He used to appear regularly on the post-game TV show "Overtime", which was during the CHCH-TV Maple Leaf broadcasts in the 1970s and 80s. His quotes were often outrageous, and he never met a minority he didn't dislike (Swedes, Russians, Women). Had there been twitter in Ballard's day, he would've made Mark Cuban look like Mr. Goody Two Shoes.
Ballard's greatest example of shoddy ownership was his treatment of coach Roger Neilson. Dubbed "Captain Video" because of his early use of tape to break down plays, Neilson had replaced Red Kelly behind the Leaf bench in 1977 and immediately helped lead his team to a quarter-final victory over the New York Islanders on an overtime goal by Lanny McDonald. The fact that they lost in four straight to Montreal was a moot point. The Leafs were back, and Neilson was the guy. But the following season was a tough one, and the Leafs couldn't get anything going until mid February when they began a four game losing streak and the fans and the media started to grumble After all, this team had beaten the Islanders last year, and now they couldn't beat the Atlanta Flames or the Minnesota North Stars. Soon, Ballard was threatening to fire Neilson if the team didn't improve. After suffering a loss in Montreal during a televised game (Leaf games were only on twice a week in those days) Ballard was tracked down by CHCHs Dick Beddoes, who asked him point blank if he was going to fire Neilson. When Ballard said "Yes, he's gone", all hell broke loose.
That was March 1, 1979. When fans and Leaf players found out that Neilson had been fired, they protested en masse. How could Ballard fire the man that helped grow the Leafs into a potential powerhouse? Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull and Mike Palmateer were all in their 20s. They were a team on the rise. I was a reporter for CKFH radio at the time, and Bob McCown sent me to the Gardens to track down Neilson and Ballard and GM Jim Gregory to get the story. Instead, we found Roger standing around waiting to be fired. There was no press conference. Roger had to tell everybody he had been fired. I remember chasing him down the stairs at the Gardens after coming out of the Executive Offices. It was crazy.
Ballard's decision to fire Neilson was so abrupt, he had nobody to coach the Leafs a couple of nights later. He figured out too late that you can't fire your old coach unless you've got a new coach ready to take over. But nobody wanted to take over this team, so Ballard had to go back to Neilson and devise a plan. His idea was to not reveal who the new Leaf coach would be, keep everybody guessing, and then have Neilson go behind the bench on Saturday night WITH A PAPER BAG OVER HIS HEAD. Only when the TV cameras zoomed in would Neilson pull the bag off his head, much to the shock and delight of the Gardens faithful. There was only one problem. Neilson wouldn't go for it. He accepted his old job back, but came out sans sac papier. When he walked out of the corridor and behind the Leaf bench, the Gardens erupted. The Leafs went on to beat the Flyers that night, and then won their next four in a row. Unfortunately for Neilson's second tenure, it didn't last long. After the Leafs were swept by the Canadiens (again) in the playoffs, Neilson got the boot for good. He only coached two seasons in Toronto, but will forever be remembered as the guy who was fired on a Thursday night and re-hired on a Saturday morning.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
SIX REASONS WHY BRIAN BURKE WAS FIRED.
Was I shocked? Yes. Not by the decision, by the timing. Who fires their President and G.M. before the season started? Oh yeah, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Remember, this organization has a history of making ridiculous, head scratching moves, so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Burke was dumped entering the 5th year of a six year contract.
Here are the top six reasons why they fired Burke.
1) LOSING. I don't care how nice a guy you are, or how successful you were with other organizations. If you don't win, you're a loser. Brian Burke as GM of the Leafs was a loser, plain and simple. His teams never made the playoffs during his four year reign. In any other business, if you can't win after four years, you are gone. Unless you're the consummate "yes" man, which Burke is not.
2) NEW OWNERSHIP. Is it possible that Burke rubbed the new ownership group the wrong way? Sure. Did they think they could get him to change his ways? Probably. When they realized that it was going to be difficult working with him, did they then decide he wasn't the right guy for the job? Absolutely. If Burke was the face of the franchise, and he always had the sourpuss look on his face, how were you going to change him? Even when the Leafs were winning, Burke didn't appear to be a happy guy. Once the new ownership group was in place, it was only a matter of time before they decided it was time for a new man, a guy who was UNLIKE Brian Burke. In Dave Nonis, they have that guy. When there's a personality clash between ownership and management, it's rare that ownership backs down.
3) LUONGO. The story may never come out, but I believe the new ownership really wanted to get Roberto Luongo, and Burke didn't want to make the trade, or spend the money, or whatever. With the Bluejays having made such big news by acquiring a bunch of expensive and talented players, the Leafs were left holding the bag. Once it was apparent that the NHL lockout had ended, the Leafs HAD to get back on the front pages and take the focus away from the Bluejays. By firing Burke, they're back on the front pages. If they acquire Luongo, we can expect the Bluejays news to be pushed to the back burner for a while anyway.
4) USA HOCKEY. I've been bitching for a few years about the fact that Burke and Ron Wilson were allowed, by MLSE, to manage and coach the U.S. Olympic team while STILL working for the Maple Leafs. This was a conflict of interest that was overlooked by many people, and it definitely affected the Maple Leafs. Instead of Burke using all his energy to make the Leafs a better team, he used some of it to create a U.S. squad that came within a goal of winning the gold medal. Thank goodness for Sidney Crosby. Still, had the U.S. won the gold in Vancouver, with Burke as G.M., how would Maple Leaf fans have responded? Not very kindly, I'm sure. When your two greatest accomplishments are Stanley Cup winning GM (Anaheim) and Olympic Silver Medalist (U.S.A.), you've got a lot of 'splainin' to do to your Maple Leaf fan base.
5) ARROGANCE. I've been called arrogant before too, but in Burke's case, he had nothing to be arrogant about. When you've won a Stanley Cup you can be that way. When your team makes the post season, you can walk around with a chip on your shoulder. But when you swagger into a job by using words like "truculence" and "testosterone", it sounds like you're trying to turn your team into an extension of yourself. Burke seemed to enjoy battling it out with the media, rather than allow his coach, or some player to be the "face" of the franchise. By contrast, Bryan Colangelo with the Raptors and Alex Anthopoulos of the Jays, are a lot more low key, and even "media shy" to an extent. I wouldn't describe either one of them as "arrogant". Remember, neither has gotten his team to the playoffs either.
6) RUMOURS. Depending on who you believe, Burke was doing stuff that he shouldn't have been doing. Maybe ownership knew about it. Maybe not. When you're winning, these things get swept under the rug. When you're losing, these are the issues that eventually get you fired. Maybe one day we'll find out the REAL story behind the Burke firing, besides the fact that his teams couldn't win.
So there you go. 4 years, no playoff appearances. The Brian Burke era was not as successful as the Floyd Smith era (1989-1991). At least he got his team to the playoffs....once.
Was I shocked? Yes. Not by the decision, by the timing. Who fires their President and G.M. before the season started? Oh yeah, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Remember, this organization has a history of making ridiculous, head scratching moves, so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Burke was dumped entering the 5th year of a six year contract.
Here are the top six reasons why they fired Burke.
1) LOSING. I don't care how nice a guy you are, or how successful you were with other organizations. If you don't win, you're a loser. Brian Burke as GM of the Leafs was a loser, plain and simple. His teams never made the playoffs during his four year reign. In any other business, if you can't win after four years, you are gone. Unless you're the consummate "yes" man, which Burke is not.
2) NEW OWNERSHIP. Is it possible that Burke rubbed the new ownership group the wrong way? Sure. Did they think they could get him to change his ways? Probably. When they realized that it was going to be difficult working with him, did they then decide he wasn't the right guy for the job? Absolutely. If Burke was the face of the franchise, and he always had the sourpuss look on his face, how were you going to change him? Even when the Leafs were winning, Burke didn't appear to be a happy guy. Once the new ownership group was in place, it was only a matter of time before they decided it was time for a new man, a guy who was UNLIKE Brian Burke. In Dave Nonis, they have that guy. When there's a personality clash between ownership and management, it's rare that ownership backs down.
3) LUONGO. The story may never come out, but I believe the new ownership really wanted to get Roberto Luongo, and Burke didn't want to make the trade, or spend the money, or whatever. With the Bluejays having made such big news by acquiring a bunch of expensive and talented players, the Leafs were left holding the bag. Once it was apparent that the NHL lockout had ended, the Leafs HAD to get back on the front pages and take the focus away from the Bluejays. By firing Burke, they're back on the front pages. If they acquire Luongo, we can expect the Bluejays news to be pushed to the back burner for a while anyway.
4) USA HOCKEY. I've been bitching for a few years about the fact that Burke and Ron Wilson were allowed, by MLSE, to manage and coach the U.S. Olympic team while STILL working for the Maple Leafs. This was a conflict of interest that was overlooked by many people, and it definitely affected the Maple Leafs. Instead of Burke using all his energy to make the Leafs a better team, he used some of it to create a U.S. squad that came within a goal of winning the gold medal. Thank goodness for Sidney Crosby. Still, had the U.S. won the gold in Vancouver, with Burke as G.M., how would Maple Leaf fans have responded? Not very kindly, I'm sure. When your two greatest accomplishments are Stanley Cup winning GM (Anaheim) and Olympic Silver Medalist (U.S.A.), you've got a lot of 'splainin' to do to your Maple Leaf fan base.
5) ARROGANCE. I've been called arrogant before too, but in Burke's case, he had nothing to be arrogant about. When you've won a Stanley Cup you can be that way. When your team makes the post season, you can walk around with a chip on your shoulder. But when you swagger into a job by using words like "truculence" and "testosterone", it sounds like you're trying to turn your team into an extension of yourself. Burke seemed to enjoy battling it out with the media, rather than allow his coach, or some player to be the "face" of the franchise. By contrast, Bryan Colangelo with the Raptors and Alex Anthopoulos of the Jays, are a lot more low key, and even "media shy" to an extent. I wouldn't describe either one of them as "arrogant". Remember, neither has gotten his team to the playoffs either.
6) RUMOURS. Depending on who you believe, Burke was doing stuff that he shouldn't have been doing. Maybe ownership knew about it. Maybe not. When you're winning, these things get swept under the rug. When you're losing, these are the issues that eventually get you fired. Maybe one day we'll find out the REAL story behind the Burke firing, besides the fact that his teams couldn't win.
So there you go. 4 years, no playoff appearances. The Brian Burke era was not as successful as the Floyd Smith era (1989-1991). At least he got his team to the playoffs....once.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
WHO DESERVES INDUCTION TO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME?
Tomorrow at 2 p.m., the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will announce their 2013 inductees, and there's quite a bit of drama expected. You see, with the exception of broadcaster Tom Cheek, writer Paul Hagen and three men voted in by the Veterans committee (all deceased), it's possible NOBODY gets voted in by the Baseball Writers of America this year. In what should've been a lock cinch for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, 2013 might end up being the year of the underdog....or the nobody. Early polling suggested that neither Clemens nor Bonds would get in this year, despite their incredible numbers. The looming presence of Performance Enhancing Drugs casts quite a dark shadow over these men, and that could turn out to be beneficial for the likes of Jack Morris, Mike Piazza and possibly Tim Raines. A player must receive votes on at least 75% of the ballots cast, which makes the Baseball H.O.F. the toughest Hall to gain entry to. Back in 2002, Ozzie Smith was the only player to be voted in. In 1996, no eligible player received a three-quarters majority from the voters. In 1988, only Willie Stargell was inducted. My prediction: Jack Morris will sneak in with just over 75% of the votes and nobody else will reach that lofty mark.
And it doesn't get any easier next year as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas join the ballot for the first time. If you think Bonds, Clemens, Sammy Sosa and the rest of the 2013 eligibles are in tough this year, wait until 2014. Maddux gets in for sure next year, and Glavine might well join him. I mean, how often do you get two 300 game winners on the same ballot? (Don't answer that, I haven't checked)
Today on Facebook, I posted a little something about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their quest for an elite goaltender. Perhaps they should make a serious bid for Roberto Luongo. Within minutes of the posting, dozens of responses flowed in. It's as if hockey fans in general and Leafs fans specifically, have been in hiding for the past four months. Of course, nobody was talking hockey unless it was lockout talk. Now, the shackles have been removed and folks can predict trades, signings, line combinations, minor league call-ups, all the good stuff that's been missing. Some people say that hockey defines us as Canadians. This is a pretty good indicator that they're right. The amount of work still to be done prior to the start of the NHL season is incredible. It's a mad dash to get everything done at all levels of an organization. For Leaf fans, it's a 48 game sprint to see if they can make the playoffs. Even if they do, it won't be an accurate measuring stick as to how the organization is doing. We'll still need to see how they perform over a FULL season, taking injuries, slumps, etc. into consideration. With James Reimer and Ben Scrivens as their starting goalies, the Leafs will need an awful lot of help to make it to the post season. Bobby Lou might be just the guy they need to get them there. It doesn't matter how much they'll spend on him, the Leafs HAVE to improve their goaltending.
Outside of Pittsburgh, there hasn't been much talk surrounding Sidney Crosby. I for one am dying to see how he's recovered from his concussion problems. Having not played for quite some time, Crosby is fully recovered and, if you believe the TV commercials for Sport Chek, has been working out like a madman as he attempts to come back and regain the form that made him the BEST player in the game. Call it a blessing in disguise, but had the season started on time, all eyes would've been on Crosby's every shift. As for now, there are other things to focus on. I predict Crosby will have a breakout season. Over 100 points while showing flashes of the Crosby of old (37 points in 22 games last year). And don't forget. He's only 25 years old. Here's hoping he's got another 10 years in this game.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m., the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will announce their 2013 inductees, and there's quite a bit of drama expected. You see, with the exception of broadcaster Tom Cheek, writer Paul Hagen and three men voted in by the Veterans committee (all deceased), it's possible NOBODY gets voted in by the Baseball Writers of America this year. In what should've been a lock cinch for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, 2013 might end up being the year of the underdog....or the nobody. Early polling suggested that neither Clemens nor Bonds would get in this year, despite their incredible numbers. The looming presence of Performance Enhancing Drugs casts quite a dark shadow over these men, and that could turn out to be beneficial for the likes of Jack Morris, Mike Piazza and possibly Tim Raines. A player must receive votes on at least 75% of the ballots cast, which makes the Baseball H.O.F. the toughest Hall to gain entry to. Back in 2002, Ozzie Smith was the only player to be voted in. In 1996, no eligible player received a three-quarters majority from the voters. In 1988, only Willie Stargell was inducted. My prediction: Jack Morris will sneak in with just over 75% of the votes and nobody else will reach that lofty mark.
And it doesn't get any easier next year as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas join the ballot for the first time. If you think Bonds, Clemens, Sammy Sosa and the rest of the 2013 eligibles are in tough this year, wait until 2014. Maddux gets in for sure next year, and Glavine might well join him. I mean, how often do you get two 300 game winners on the same ballot? (Don't answer that, I haven't checked)
Today on Facebook, I posted a little something about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their quest for an elite goaltender. Perhaps they should make a serious bid for Roberto Luongo. Within minutes of the posting, dozens of responses flowed in. It's as if hockey fans in general and Leafs fans specifically, have been in hiding for the past four months. Of course, nobody was talking hockey unless it was lockout talk. Now, the shackles have been removed and folks can predict trades, signings, line combinations, minor league call-ups, all the good stuff that's been missing. Some people say that hockey defines us as Canadians. This is a pretty good indicator that they're right. The amount of work still to be done prior to the start of the NHL season is incredible. It's a mad dash to get everything done at all levels of an organization. For Leaf fans, it's a 48 game sprint to see if they can make the playoffs. Even if they do, it won't be an accurate measuring stick as to how the organization is doing. We'll still need to see how they perform over a FULL season, taking injuries, slumps, etc. into consideration. With James Reimer and Ben Scrivens as their starting goalies, the Leafs will need an awful lot of help to make it to the post season. Bobby Lou might be just the guy they need to get them there. It doesn't matter how much they'll spend on him, the Leafs HAVE to improve their goaltending.
Outside of Pittsburgh, there hasn't been much talk surrounding Sidney Crosby. I for one am dying to see how he's recovered from his concussion problems. Having not played for quite some time, Crosby is fully recovered and, if you believe the TV commercials for Sport Chek, has been working out like a madman as he attempts to come back and regain the form that made him the BEST player in the game. Call it a blessing in disguise, but had the season started on time, all eyes would've been on Crosby's every shift. As for now, there are other things to focus on. I predict Crosby will have a breakout season. Over 100 points while showing flashes of the Crosby of old (37 points in 22 games last year). And don't forget. He's only 25 years old. Here's hoping he's got another 10 years in this game.
Monday, 7 January 2013
WAKE ME UP WHEN THERE'S HOCKEY, BUT NOT AT 5 A.M.
When my phone buzzed in the darkness yesterday morning, my immediate thought was "Oh, oh, something's wrong". You know how you are. Disoriented, groggy and confused. What day is it? Did I oversleep? Only when I reached for my glasses and read the screen did I snap out of my fog. A tweet from TSNs Bob McKenzie said "Lockout is tentatively over" Now, I was awake, and since my body was used to getting up early for Canada's games at the World Junior Hockey Championship (and how did that work out?) , it felt like a good time to check out the twitter, turn on the TV, make a pot of coffee and hunker down for a Sunday morning of post-lockout hockey talk with men and women who had spent 113 days in captivity, waiting to be set free. The fact that a majority of those days were spent in the relative comfort of midtown Manhattan shouldn't take away from the fact that they had to chase guys like Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr around in the hopes of getting a scrap or two, knowing all along that there wouldn't be a settlement until the very last minute. Didn't I tell you there would be NHL hockey this year? Oh ye of little faith.
Frankly, I'm surprised they did a deal on January 6th. If they wanted to, the NHL could've squeezed even more out of the players by waiting another few days, but it seemed right that a marathon negotiating session would take place all through Saturday night and into Sunday morning, and that folks would be scrambling to get on the air to get the news out to those of us who happened to be awake. As it was, TSN had anchors Brian Mudryk and Kate Bierness stay all night long to provide updates at the top and bottom of the hour. The crew in New York, reporter Ryan Rishaug along with Aaron Ward, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreiger had been standing by all night, waiting for any word from the negotiations. When the word came down at 5:12 a.m., all TSN personnel that weren't already working were dispatched to the studio so that James Duthie, Darren Pang, Mike Johnson and the ubiquitous Bob McKenzie could "break down" the deal and get us up to speed on what needed to be done before they drop the puck on the shortened season. It was TV at it's best, especially early on a Sunday morning.
The rest of the day went as expected. The Raptors, who looked great in the 2nd quarter against OKC, had a bit of a meltdown before halftime and trailed the Thunder by two. In the third quarter, the Raps fell apart for the second game in a row, and began to look like a team that's 12-22. Perhaps the talk of "playoffs" was just too much to bear. Demar DeRozan looked like he had taken two steps back after looking like a potential all-star for a while. He shot 4 for 16 yesterday and 3 for 11 in the loss to Sacramento. He's also a 22 percent shooter from 3 point land, which tells me he should NEVER take a 3 point shot, even though he's the "shooting" guard on this team. Let's face it, when Allan Anderson and Amir Johnson are your top two scorers (27 and 19 pts) you've got a problem. The homestand continues this week with games against Philly, Charlotte and Milwaukee on Sunday. The Raps need to win 2 of those 3 or else the fans will start paying more attention to hockey, and we don't want that.
Finally, I feel sorry for the Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin III. It was pretty obvious that RG3 was in rough shape, his knee encumbered by a bulky brace which made it impossible for him to run with any speed or shiftiness. His counterpart on Seattle, Russell Wilson, had no such health issues and led the Seahawks to a 24-14 win, and a date with Atlanta next week. There's talk that RG3 might've have risked his long term health for short term benefit by playing yesterday but that issue comes up all the time in pro sports. If the player wants to play and has been medically cleared to play then he's going to play. The question is, did Dr. James Andrews the noted orthopedic surgeon actually give Griffin the green light to play? If his knee doesn't respond to treatment and there's damage that needs to be repaired, the Skins might rue the day they allowed RG3 to play. Let's hope he makes a full recovery. When healthy, he's one of the most exciting players in the NFL.
The BCS Championship goes tonight and I like the Alabama Crimson Tide to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 24-21.
When my phone buzzed in the darkness yesterday morning, my immediate thought was "Oh, oh, something's wrong". You know how you are. Disoriented, groggy and confused. What day is it? Did I oversleep? Only when I reached for my glasses and read the screen did I snap out of my fog. A tweet from TSNs Bob McKenzie said "Lockout is tentatively over" Now, I was awake, and since my body was used to getting up early for Canada's games at the World Junior Hockey Championship (and how did that work out?) , it felt like a good time to check out the twitter, turn on the TV, make a pot of coffee and hunker down for a Sunday morning of post-lockout hockey talk with men and women who had spent 113 days in captivity, waiting to be set free. The fact that a majority of those days were spent in the relative comfort of midtown Manhattan shouldn't take away from the fact that they had to chase guys like Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr around in the hopes of getting a scrap or two, knowing all along that there wouldn't be a settlement until the very last minute. Didn't I tell you there would be NHL hockey this year? Oh ye of little faith.
Frankly, I'm surprised they did a deal on January 6th. If they wanted to, the NHL could've squeezed even more out of the players by waiting another few days, but it seemed right that a marathon negotiating session would take place all through Saturday night and into Sunday morning, and that folks would be scrambling to get on the air to get the news out to those of us who happened to be awake. As it was, TSN had anchors Brian Mudryk and Kate Bierness stay all night long to provide updates at the top and bottom of the hour. The crew in New York, reporter Ryan Rishaug along with Aaron Ward, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreiger had been standing by all night, waiting for any word from the negotiations. When the word came down at 5:12 a.m., all TSN personnel that weren't already working were dispatched to the studio so that James Duthie, Darren Pang, Mike Johnson and the ubiquitous Bob McKenzie could "break down" the deal and get us up to speed on what needed to be done before they drop the puck on the shortened season. It was TV at it's best, especially early on a Sunday morning.
The rest of the day went as expected. The Raptors, who looked great in the 2nd quarter against OKC, had a bit of a meltdown before halftime and trailed the Thunder by two. In the third quarter, the Raps fell apart for the second game in a row, and began to look like a team that's 12-22. Perhaps the talk of "playoffs" was just too much to bear. Demar DeRozan looked like he had taken two steps back after looking like a potential all-star for a while. He shot 4 for 16 yesterday and 3 for 11 in the loss to Sacramento. He's also a 22 percent shooter from 3 point land, which tells me he should NEVER take a 3 point shot, even though he's the "shooting" guard on this team. Let's face it, when Allan Anderson and Amir Johnson are your top two scorers (27 and 19 pts) you've got a problem. The homestand continues this week with games against Philly, Charlotte and Milwaukee on Sunday. The Raps need to win 2 of those 3 or else the fans will start paying more attention to hockey, and we don't want that.
Finally, I feel sorry for the Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin III. It was pretty obvious that RG3 was in rough shape, his knee encumbered by a bulky brace which made it impossible for him to run with any speed or shiftiness. His counterpart on Seattle, Russell Wilson, had no such health issues and led the Seahawks to a 24-14 win, and a date with Atlanta next week. There's talk that RG3 might've have risked his long term health for short term benefit by playing yesterday but that issue comes up all the time in pro sports. If the player wants to play and has been medically cleared to play then he's going to play. The question is, did Dr. James Andrews the noted orthopedic surgeon actually give Griffin the green light to play? If his knee doesn't respond to treatment and there's damage that needs to be repaired, the Skins might rue the day they allowed RG3 to play. Let's hope he makes a full recovery. When healthy, he's one of the most exciting players in the NFL.
The BCS Championship goes tonight and I like the Alabama Crimson Tide to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 24-21.
Friday, 4 January 2013
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL....BUT NOT IN EUROPE.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson HAD to endure racist taunts if he hoped to survive. He certainly wanted to fight back, but Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey wanted Robinson to be passive as the first man to break baseball's colour barrier. Had Robinson fought back, the civil rights movement for African Americans would surely stall and perhaps even die right there. Fast forward to 2013. North American sports, for the most part, are devoid of racist chants by spectators, thanks in large part to Jackie Robinson. In Europe, however, racism at soccer matches is an ongoing concern and yesterday, something was done about it. AC Milan, playing a "friendly" at 4th Division Pro Patria, had their non-white players targeted with racist chants from a mini-mob of spectators. Apparently this type of behaviour is tolerated in certain parts of Italy. AC Milan's star midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng, who is black, refused to take any more abuse from the crowd, and in a stunning and courageous move, picked up the ball while in play and punted it into the section where the abuse was coming from. He then took off his shirt and slowly walked off the field, refusing to play the rest of the game. His teammates soon followed in a show of solidarity that may have finally forced the authorities to clamp down on this type of behaviour. You see, the crowd at Pro Patria, rather than booing or whistling their disapproval actually CHEERED Boateng for his actions. This public endorsement of Boateng's gesture may be just what UEFA and all member clubs need to install tough new policies.
But there is another school of thought here. Some feel that, rather than giving in to the racists by refusing to play, players should remain on the pitch and let the authorities do their job. The problem is, security varies from venue to venue, and the local constabulary is sometimes loathe to get involved with fans who are hurling racial epithets. And while it's true that the game should not be taken hostage by a handful of animals who espouse hate, the safety of the players should be paramount. What happens when a mini-mob turns into a larger group of hundreds, or even thousands of angry, racist spectators? For his part, AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said his team would walk out again if one of their players were racially abused. He also urged other teams to stage walkouts if their players were similarly abused.
There's one big problem, though. UEFA has a policy that will see players and coaches fined or suspended for expressing anti-racist resistance. Instead of walking off the pitch, players are told to tell the referee, as if he's going to do something about it. It's this ridiculous policy that has many players thinking about, but not doing anything about the racist taunts. UEFA is sending the wrong message here. If they had a policy with some actual teeth, the racist chants would stop and the players wouldn't have to suffer the indignities they've faced.
Prosecute the offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Make all fans aware that this is unacceptable behaviour and maybe there will be some finger-pointing in order to identify the perps. Today, Italian police arrested a 20 year old man who was involved. Hopefully, more arrests will follow.
Here is a link to yesterdays incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXyqFZ_fghI&feature=player_embedded
And this isn't just a problem in Italy. Racism is everywhere in Europe. Choose a country and there has likely been an incident or two. Poland, Ukraine, and especially Russia, where there's a potential problem brewing in St. Petersburg for the 1st leg of the Euro Cup on February 14th. The local club, Zenit will play Liverpool and some Zenit supporters, on their website, have shown their lack of support for black players by posting letters such as this: "We're not racists but we see the absence of black players at Zenit as an important tradition." the letter said. "We are against representatives of sexual minorities playing for Zenit." So, imagine what it will be like in the stands when Liverpool trots out Glen Johnson, Rahim Stirling and Daniel Sturridge for that Euro Cup match in front of a number of spectators who may be inclined to abuse those black players. If UEFA and FIFA are smart, they'll fire a pre-emptive strike by ensuring that there will be peace in St. Petersburg. If ever there was a time for a strong policy that will curtail and eventually eliminate racism, now is that time. There were no such policies, moral or otherwise, back in 1947 to protect Jackie Robinson from racist taunts. Let's see if the world of professional soccer in Europe and beyond pays any attention to our history.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson HAD to endure racist taunts if he hoped to survive. He certainly wanted to fight back, but Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey wanted Robinson to be passive as the first man to break baseball's colour barrier. Had Robinson fought back, the civil rights movement for African Americans would surely stall and perhaps even die right there. Fast forward to 2013. North American sports, for the most part, are devoid of racist chants by spectators, thanks in large part to Jackie Robinson. In Europe, however, racism at soccer matches is an ongoing concern and yesterday, something was done about it. AC Milan, playing a "friendly" at 4th Division Pro Patria, had their non-white players targeted with racist chants from a mini-mob of spectators. Apparently this type of behaviour is tolerated in certain parts of Italy. AC Milan's star midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng, who is black, refused to take any more abuse from the crowd, and in a stunning and courageous move, picked up the ball while in play and punted it into the section where the abuse was coming from. He then took off his shirt and slowly walked off the field, refusing to play the rest of the game. His teammates soon followed in a show of solidarity that may have finally forced the authorities to clamp down on this type of behaviour. You see, the crowd at Pro Patria, rather than booing or whistling their disapproval actually CHEERED Boateng for his actions. This public endorsement of Boateng's gesture may be just what UEFA and all member clubs need to install tough new policies.
But there is another school of thought here. Some feel that, rather than giving in to the racists by refusing to play, players should remain on the pitch and let the authorities do their job. The problem is, security varies from venue to venue, and the local constabulary is sometimes loathe to get involved with fans who are hurling racial epithets. And while it's true that the game should not be taken hostage by a handful of animals who espouse hate, the safety of the players should be paramount. What happens when a mini-mob turns into a larger group of hundreds, or even thousands of angry, racist spectators? For his part, AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said his team would walk out again if one of their players were racially abused. He also urged other teams to stage walkouts if their players were similarly abused.
There's one big problem, though. UEFA has a policy that will see players and coaches fined or suspended for expressing anti-racist resistance. Instead of walking off the pitch, players are told to tell the referee, as if he's going to do something about it. It's this ridiculous policy that has many players thinking about, but not doing anything about the racist taunts. UEFA is sending the wrong message here. If they had a policy with some actual teeth, the racist chants would stop and the players wouldn't have to suffer the indignities they've faced.
Prosecute the offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Make all fans aware that this is unacceptable behaviour and maybe there will be some finger-pointing in order to identify the perps. Today, Italian police arrested a 20 year old man who was involved. Hopefully, more arrests will follow.
Here is a link to yesterdays incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXyqFZ_fghI&feature=player_embedded
And this isn't just a problem in Italy. Racism is everywhere in Europe. Choose a country and there has likely been an incident or two. Poland, Ukraine, and especially Russia, where there's a potential problem brewing in St. Petersburg for the 1st leg of the Euro Cup on February 14th. The local club, Zenit will play Liverpool and some Zenit supporters, on their website, have shown their lack of support for black players by posting letters such as this: "We're not racists but we see the absence of black players at Zenit as an important tradition." the letter said. "We are against representatives of sexual minorities playing for Zenit." So, imagine what it will be like in the stands when Liverpool trots out Glen Johnson, Rahim Stirling and Daniel Sturridge for that Euro Cup match in front of a number of spectators who may be inclined to abuse those black players. If UEFA and FIFA are smart, they'll fire a pre-emptive strike by ensuring that there will be peace in St. Petersburg. If ever there was a time for a strong policy that will curtail and eventually eliminate racism, now is that time. There were no such policies, moral or otherwise, back in 1947 to protect Jackie Robinson from racist taunts. Let's see if the world of professional soccer in Europe and beyond pays any attention to our history.
Thursday, 3 January 2013
ADMIT IT. THE U.S IS BETTER THAN WE ARE.
When it comes to hockey, Canadians are pretty confident that no other nation shares their love and passion for the game. Certainly not the Americans. Yet, when it comes to the World Junior Hockey Championships, it'll be the U.S. taking on Sweden for the gold medal, while Canada is relegated to a bronze medal matchup against the Russians. Why? Because in a one game showdown anything can happen. In fact, sometimes the best team DOESN'T always win. You can point your fingers all you want at the Canadian effort, the coaching, the goaltending, the lack of scoring, etc. The bottom line: The Americans were better and deserved to win. Now, had it been a best-of-seven series, maybe Canada wins, maybe not. But full marks to the Americans, who, in the 33 years since they won the gold medal at the Lake Placid Olympics, have caught up to, and in some cases surpassed their hockey playing Canadian cousins.
I was there for the Miracle On Ice. To me, it was the greatest underdog performance of all time. A bunch of U.S. college kids taking on the World Champion Soviet Union featuring Tretiak, Kharlamov, Fetisov,, Krutov and Mikhailov. Nobody, not even the relatives of the U.S. players, thought they had a chance against Russia. They were hoping, at first, to just keep it close. But a funny thing happened along the way. With the Russians leading 2-1 in the dying seconds of the first period, Tretiak allowed a soft goal with one second left in the period, allowing the Americans to tie the game 2-2. It was at that moment that U.S. fans started to believe that maybe the Russians weren't that great after all. Of course, you know the rest. Tretiak was replaced in the Soviet goal by Myshkin and the Americans eventually stormed back with two goals in the third to beat the mighty Russians. Two days later, they defeated Finland to win the Olympic gold. Were the Americans the better team against Russia? Absolutely not, but they played with confidence and passion and they had the home crowd behind them. Even ABC Television didn't think the Americans would win as they showed the game on tape-delay that evening, even though the game was played "live" at 5 p.m.
So, rather than bury Canada for not winning another WJC, let's praise the Americans. They beat Canada back in 2010 for the title. They won it all back in 2004 as well. And since Canada has now gone 4 straight years without winning a gold medal, it looks as if our dominance at the WJC is finally over. Should we be happy with a bronze medal if we can beat the Russians on Saturday? Sure. It used to be that anything less than a gold medal was considered a failure. Not anymore. I, for one, will get up early to watch Canada play Russia. The Russians want to salvage a medal in front of their home crowd. Canada wants to prove that today's loss was a fluke, and that they deserve to be among the top 3 teams in the world. Good Luck to our boys.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has announced that this will be his last season, which means it's time to rank him among the all-time great linebackers. He's the only LB to have over 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in his career, but he doesn't quite make the grade as #1. Here are my selections.
1) Lawrence Taylor. I don't care if he played MLB or OLB, L.T. was the greatest. Period.
2) Dick Butkus. He revolutionized the MLB position and instilled a fear in opponents that was palpable.
3) Ray Lewis. He has the numbers, and won a Super Bowl (He was MVP) But he only gets a bronze.
4) Jack Lambert. He had a great supporting cast, but was dominant in the middle for many years.
5) Mike Singletary. Had Otis Wilson and Willard Marshall alongside, and was scary good at MLB.
6) Bobby Bell. A terror for KC in the 70s. Next to L.T., the best OLB I've seen. Punishing hitter.
7) Jack Ham. Underrated and undersized. Perhaps the smartest OLB. Great pass defender.
8) Joe Schmidt. 4 time NFL defensive player of the year as MLB for Detroit Lions in 1950s.
9) Ted Hendricks. "The Mad Stork" was a great pass rusher and, at 6'8", tough to pass over.
10) Willie Lanier. Part of Hank Stram's KC Chiefs, he was as feared as Butkus in the middle.
And there you have it. Ray Lewis needs to have a helluva playoff run to move up in the rankings.
When it comes to hockey, Canadians are pretty confident that no other nation shares their love and passion for the game. Certainly not the Americans. Yet, when it comes to the World Junior Hockey Championships, it'll be the U.S. taking on Sweden for the gold medal, while Canada is relegated to a bronze medal matchup against the Russians. Why? Because in a one game showdown anything can happen. In fact, sometimes the best team DOESN'T always win. You can point your fingers all you want at the Canadian effort, the coaching, the goaltending, the lack of scoring, etc. The bottom line: The Americans were better and deserved to win. Now, had it been a best-of-seven series, maybe Canada wins, maybe not. But full marks to the Americans, who, in the 33 years since they won the gold medal at the Lake Placid Olympics, have caught up to, and in some cases surpassed their hockey playing Canadian cousins.
I was there for the Miracle On Ice. To me, it was the greatest underdog performance of all time. A bunch of U.S. college kids taking on the World Champion Soviet Union featuring Tretiak, Kharlamov, Fetisov,, Krutov and Mikhailov. Nobody, not even the relatives of the U.S. players, thought they had a chance against Russia. They were hoping, at first, to just keep it close. But a funny thing happened along the way. With the Russians leading 2-1 in the dying seconds of the first period, Tretiak allowed a soft goal with one second left in the period, allowing the Americans to tie the game 2-2. It was at that moment that U.S. fans started to believe that maybe the Russians weren't that great after all. Of course, you know the rest. Tretiak was replaced in the Soviet goal by Myshkin and the Americans eventually stormed back with two goals in the third to beat the mighty Russians. Two days later, they defeated Finland to win the Olympic gold. Were the Americans the better team against Russia? Absolutely not, but they played with confidence and passion and they had the home crowd behind them. Even ABC Television didn't think the Americans would win as they showed the game on tape-delay that evening, even though the game was played "live" at 5 p.m.
So, rather than bury Canada for not winning another WJC, let's praise the Americans. They beat Canada back in 2010 for the title. They won it all back in 2004 as well. And since Canada has now gone 4 straight years without winning a gold medal, it looks as if our dominance at the WJC is finally over. Should we be happy with a bronze medal if we can beat the Russians on Saturday? Sure. It used to be that anything less than a gold medal was considered a failure. Not anymore. I, for one, will get up early to watch Canada play Russia. The Russians want to salvage a medal in front of their home crowd. Canada wants to prove that today's loss was a fluke, and that they deserve to be among the top 3 teams in the world. Good Luck to our boys.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has announced that this will be his last season, which means it's time to rank him among the all-time great linebackers. He's the only LB to have over 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in his career, but he doesn't quite make the grade as #1. Here are my selections.
1) Lawrence Taylor. I don't care if he played MLB or OLB, L.T. was the greatest. Period.
2) Dick Butkus. He revolutionized the MLB position and instilled a fear in opponents that was palpable.
3) Ray Lewis. He has the numbers, and won a Super Bowl (He was MVP) But he only gets a bronze.
4) Jack Lambert. He had a great supporting cast, but was dominant in the middle for many years.
5) Mike Singletary. Had Otis Wilson and Willard Marshall alongside, and was scary good at MLB.
6) Bobby Bell. A terror for KC in the 70s. Next to L.T., the best OLB I've seen. Punishing hitter.
7) Jack Ham. Underrated and undersized. Perhaps the smartest OLB. Great pass defender.
8) Joe Schmidt. 4 time NFL defensive player of the year as MLB for Detroit Lions in 1950s.
9) Ted Hendricks. "The Mad Stork" was a great pass rusher and, at 6'8", tough to pass over.
10) Willie Lanier. Part of Hank Stram's KC Chiefs, he was as feared as Butkus in the middle.
And there you have it. Ray Lewis needs to have a helluva playoff run to move up in the rankings.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
TEAM CANADA? WHY NOT TEAM RYAN?
Doesn't everybody know a hockey player named Ryan? Ryan is the "Bobby" of the 21st century. Just look at our Canadian team at the World Junior Hockey Championships. There's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Strome and Ryan Murphy, three of the best players on the team. The Captain of our Spengler Cup team is Ryan Smyth. In previous years, we've had Ryan Ellis, Ryan Murray, Ryan O'Reilly, and Ryan Getzlaf representing Canada. A quick check of NHL rosters yields Ryan Miller, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Whitney, Ryan Malone, Ryan Suter, Ryan Callahan, Ryan O'Byrne, Ryan Wilson, Ryan White, Ryan Carter, Ryan Russell, Ryan Reaves, Ryan Potulny, Ryan McDonagh and Ryane Clowe (the only guy who spells his first name differently). That's 23 Ryan's, and I'm sure I missed a few Ryan's along the way as I didn't include guys who might make the big league squad (whenever they decide to play).
Back in the days of the six team NHL, there were no players with the first name Ryan. Same goes for Tyler, Cory, Cody or Matt. Lots of Bobby's though. Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke, Bobby Schmautz, Bobby Smith, Bobby Holik, Bobby Bauer. And that doesn't include all the Robert's and Bob's and Roberto's (Bobby Lou) who, in the hockey world, get a "y" stuck to the end of their names. Guys named Ryan don't have to worry about that. The "y" is already there.
And as the New Year unfolds, what will become of the NHL? As I've said all along, once they couldn't get in an 82 game schedule, the plan all along was to salvage the season with a 50 game schedule. The owners didn't want to dick around with a 70 or 60 game sked. It was going to be 82, 50 or nothing, and there's no way they will allow the season to be entirely scrapped. Just like the teachers in Ontario and any other dispute involving unions, it usually goes down to the last minute of the last hour of the last day of the deadline. I suspect that will happen in the next few weeks, or whenever the so called "deadline" is. As long as they're playing by January 20th.
This has been one of the most interesting NFL seasons in a long time. Four rookie quarterbacks are in the playoffs. Andrew Luck, RG3, Russell Wilson and Colin Kapernick. Last year's hero, Tim Tebow, was a complete bust, mainly because the Jets never played him. The two favorites for Comeback Player of the Year also happen to be the finalists for the NFL MVP. I'm talking about Peyton Manning, who returned after missing an entire season with 4 neck surgeries, and led his new team, the Broncos, to the AFC West title. And Adrian Peterson, who returned from major knee surgery to ALMOST set a single season rushing record, while getting the Vikings into the playoffs on the last day of the season. If I had a vote, I'd take A.P.
It's also great to see teams like Washington, Seattle, Cincy and Atlanta IN the post season, while Pittsburgh, the New York Giants and Dallas are on the outside looking in. Parity? Sure looks like it.
The NBA season is shaping up to be a great one as well, although I'm not sure the Raptors are good enough to make the post-season. Certainly not after starting 4-19. These next six games at home will go a long way in determining what kind of squad they have, especially without Andrea Bargnani. So far, they've won 7 of 8 without the big 7 footer, so that should tell you something. Meanwhile, between the Clippers, OKC, San Antonio, Dallas, and the Lakers, the West looks awfully powerful. In the East, I like the way the Knicks are playing, and if Chicago ever gets Derrick Rose back, they'll be a force, but who can beat Miami? The Heat seem to be going through the motions on some nights, but they all know not to burn themselves out during the regular season. You've got to have something left in the tank if you want to be a playoff powerhouse. I'd love to see a Heat-Lakers final, but even more than that, give me a Lakers-Clippers playoff series. That would be one for the ages.
Doesn't everybody know a hockey player named Ryan? Ryan is the "Bobby" of the 21st century. Just look at our Canadian team at the World Junior Hockey Championships. There's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Strome and Ryan Murphy, three of the best players on the team. The Captain of our Spengler Cup team is Ryan Smyth. In previous years, we've had Ryan Ellis, Ryan Murray, Ryan O'Reilly, and Ryan Getzlaf representing Canada. A quick check of NHL rosters yields Ryan Miller, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Whitney, Ryan Malone, Ryan Suter, Ryan Callahan, Ryan O'Byrne, Ryan Wilson, Ryan White, Ryan Carter, Ryan Russell, Ryan Reaves, Ryan Potulny, Ryan McDonagh and Ryane Clowe (the only guy who spells his first name differently). That's 23 Ryan's, and I'm sure I missed a few Ryan's along the way as I didn't include guys who might make the big league squad (whenever they decide to play).
Back in the days of the six team NHL, there were no players with the first name Ryan. Same goes for Tyler, Cory, Cody or Matt. Lots of Bobby's though. Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke, Bobby Schmautz, Bobby Smith, Bobby Holik, Bobby Bauer. And that doesn't include all the Robert's and Bob's and Roberto's (Bobby Lou) who, in the hockey world, get a "y" stuck to the end of their names. Guys named Ryan don't have to worry about that. The "y" is already there.
And as the New Year unfolds, what will become of the NHL? As I've said all along, once they couldn't get in an 82 game schedule, the plan all along was to salvage the season with a 50 game schedule. The owners didn't want to dick around with a 70 or 60 game sked. It was going to be 82, 50 or nothing, and there's no way they will allow the season to be entirely scrapped. Just like the teachers in Ontario and any other dispute involving unions, it usually goes down to the last minute of the last hour of the last day of the deadline. I suspect that will happen in the next few weeks, or whenever the so called "deadline" is. As long as they're playing by January 20th.
This has been one of the most interesting NFL seasons in a long time. Four rookie quarterbacks are in the playoffs. Andrew Luck, RG3, Russell Wilson and Colin Kapernick. Last year's hero, Tim Tebow, was a complete bust, mainly because the Jets never played him. The two favorites for Comeback Player of the Year also happen to be the finalists for the NFL MVP. I'm talking about Peyton Manning, who returned after missing an entire season with 4 neck surgeries, and led his new team, the Broncos, to the AFC West title. And Adrian Peterson, who returned from major knee surgery to ALMOST set a single season rushing record, while getting the Vikings into the playoffs on the last day of the season. If I had a vote, I'd take A.P.
It's also great to see teams like Washington, Seattle, Cincy and Atlanta IN the post season, while Pittsburgh, the New York Giants and Dallas are on the outside looking in. Parity? Sure looks like it.
The NBA season is shaping up to be a great one as well, although I'm not sure the Raptors are good enough to make the post-season. Certainly not after starting 4-19. These next six games at home will go a long way in determining what kind of squad they have, especially without Andrea Bargnani. So far, they've won 7 of 8 without the big 7 footer, so that should tell you something. Meanwhile, between the Clippers, OKC, San Antonio, Dallas, and the Lakers, the West looks awfully powerful. In the East, I like the way the Knicks are playing, and if Chicago ever gets Derrick Rose back, they'll be a force, but who can beat Miami? The Heat seem to be going through the motions on some nights, but they all know not to burn themselves out during the regular season. You've got to have something left in the tank if you want to be a playoff powerhouse. I'd love to see a Heat-Lakers final, but even more than that, give me a Lakers-Clippers playoff series. That would be one for the ages.
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