Oh, I know what you're thinking this morning. Hockey. Even I'm thinking about it, what with the hoopla around the Leafs opener, the Senators in town, and live text commentary on the website.
But for now, I'm here to get the puck outta here with a tour around the other sports linkage, starting with -- the Raptors. They're back, but Rafer, he's real gone. Some guy named Mike James is real in. Doug Smith's got all the details, and Dave Feschuk chimes in:
"Babcock took a step in the right direction, even if it was a backtrack."
On to baseball. Let's call the playoff roll. Cards win 8-5, and it wasn't that close. Pale Hose win 14-2 and yes, it was that close. Yanks put up four quick ones then cruise to a 4-2 W that was really quite dull but mercifully didn't take us up to the pumpkin hour.
8-5. 14-2. 4-2. I love the playoffs. But this was like the first drink on Foam Night at Senor Frog's. Will somebody please get this party started?
And on that note, I've never been sure what Sportsnet's in-studio heads bring to a U.S.-based broadcast -- familiarity? CanCon requirements? Something to keep Warren Sawkiw off the streets? If it's going to result in less McCarver or a reduction in Fox's A.D.D. production values, I'm all for it. But it doesn't, so I'm not.
Okay, enough harrumphing. The Tigers have hired Jim Leyland, which can only mean one thing: the non-smoking signs just got taken down in the Detroit clubhouse.
Now here's a good read, courtesy of David Grossman: A high-school football player who seems as capable of winning a Hec Crighton Trophy as a Nobel Prize.
In football, Arland Bruce III is an Argo, and a good one, but last weekend he was on the sidelines in Kansas City, watching the Chiefs: "It was perfect. Get a victory here, go home, be on the sidelines at the Chiefs game and talk to people you know and get some gifts. Gloves, hats. It was cool."
It's a World Cup qualifying break, starting this weekend. Get your schedule here, get your obligatory Sven's-latest-crisis story here, and oh, I was wondering when (and where) this week's Toronto soccer stadium story was going to show up.
Today's fascinating stat: Only two games on this weekend's NFL slate have a spread over 3 1/2 points. Which means that, if you've already taken Indianapolis (14 over the 0.9ers) and Denver (a TD over unbeaten Washington) in your suicide pool, you've got a tight call this week.
Tonight's fascinating schedule: Tonight's Yankees-Angels game is a 10 p.m. start. Guess they don't want to overlap too much with the Leafs opener.
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