On money, food and training camp details (again)

For a time when there’s precious little really going on, we seem to be full of mildly interesting stuff today.

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So, where’s Jay?

Chicago, with the rest of the league’s coaches for their annual pre-season get together buntoss.

They talk about points of emphasis in rules this season, player comportment, some financial matters concerning pensions and retirement funds that are way, way, way over my head.

I do not believe there is or was a seminar on how to properly and reverentially treat the daily media. Sadly.

But it would have been interesting to hear the discussion about officials and points of emphasis and refereeing in general.

We’re all expecting a lockout of refs at the start of the season – although my man Sheridan reports here that maybe things will get moving – and how the coaches deal with the replacements will have a lot to do with how games are reffed.

There is no question some of those guys can be quite intimidating and while I’m sure the refs will talk a good game about not being bothered by someone yelling at them, consistently harsh treatment from angry coaches during the course of a game could turn a call or two.

I’m absolutely certain the league will lay down the law with the coaches – and the players – about treating the replacements well; whether they do or not is not something anyone can predict.

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JENNIFER BAIN PHOTO

Yes, you can also get the veggie dog on a bun if you like.

I’m sure you’ve all checked out this story on our site, written by a legitimate writer who knows about food and was at the same hot dog thingy I was at yesterday.

Me? I just like to eat.

So my opinion may not carry as much, um, weight, but what the heck.

I’ve got to tell you, I’m quite okay with the dog that’s covered in pulled pork and the pizza one’s not too bad, either.

Seriously. Cheese and pepperoni on a hot dog. Brilliant, I tell ya. Brilliant.

Not that I had a bite of every one that’s available – I believe my body would have rebelled had I bitten into the veggie one served on, get this, lettuce! – but as I’m standing there chowing down, I’m looking around and for the life of me, I cannot find the concession stand dedicated to Mssrs. Colangelo and/or Gherardini. Guess that’s coming later, right?

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Other things I didn’t see but wish I did:

An Andrea Bargnani pasta bar.

Maybe they could play that ridiculous commercial on some endless loop that makes fans feel like they’re prisoners at Guantanamo being sensory-deprived or something.

The Morris Peterson Snickers sales point.

After all, that was like oxygen to him for a while.

Oak’s Room.

Yes, Charles was some kind of culinary magician; I would have loved to see what he could have cooked up given the chance. Would have had to be a printed menu, though, wouldn’t want him standing out in the concourse peddling his wares verbally.

Big Kitchen’s Big Kitchen

That’s what they used to call John Thomas so why not let him show off his skills. Knowing John, there’d be some good eats.

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Let’s go over this one more time for those who may have missed it.

(And I don’t imagine it’s the last time we’ll do it).

As part of training camp in Ottawa at Carleton, there will be a public scrimmage, on the Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m.

There is no ticket information out there yet; when they decide what they’re going to do, we’ll let you know.

But, other than that? No access.

They don’t open the workouts even to us (except for the last half hour or so), they roll the bus right up to the back door of the gym and unless you happen to spot a Raptor someone strolling the streets, I doubt you’ll see any of them around.

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Times are tough in Miami, Ira reports here, with layoffs and salary cuts and all sorts of economic bad news.

Think Dwyane Wade’s noticing with his impending free agency just around the corner?

The Miami one’s just the latest in a bunch of things that don’t bode well. Teams are cutting scouts, paring staffs, eliminating advance scouts and doing all manner of belt-tightening that we’re all going through in the regular world.

A bad thing? I don’t think so and it’s a topic we’ll get into more deeply in the next few days.

How about here? Well, there have been no massive layoffs but no substantial raises.

Times are tough, but not as tough as some places, it seems.

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Back to the food.

After the dogs and the donuts – yeah, little Tiny Tom-ish delights made in-house – we’re ushered upstairs to the bar area to sample some of the other stuff that’s for sale.

There’s a Cuban sandwich, the prime rib sandwich, the sushi, the stir fry (or so I’m told, far too close to veggies for me), the pulled pork and it’s a veritable cornucopia of good eats.

They’ve got stuff from every team -- the hoops, the pucks, the baby pucks and even stuff they sell down at BMO Field for the soccer.

I didn’t, however, see the Taser Fries on the table. Guess they just forgot ‘em.

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A minor correction to yesterday’s note about Belinelli.

It’s not, I was told, a news conference, per se. He’ll work out, we’ll wander over, visit with him after and that’ll be that. No TV, probably no huge revelations, but, yes, a media availability.

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Most of you know I’m not one to revisit history very often, especially the revisionist kind but a couple of comments caught my eye yesterday. The ones that told me how Jose’s hamstring injury might have been caused by his groin problems.

Now, I’m no doctor but neither are you and I refuse to believe that a minor groin injury suffered on Aug. 22, 2008 somehow had something to do with a hamstring injury suffered on Jan. 2, 2009, after 31 NBA regular season games, I don’t know how many practices, and that’s not even mentioning eight pre-season games.

Sorry, but to link the two is, in my opinion, ludicrous.

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Pretty sure you all saw this about the pre-season and TV, either when I alluded to it the other day or when the team announced it yesterday.

But five pre-season games on TV? That’s big, and I believe, unprecedented.

Trouble is, as I’ll remind you a few times between now and then, it’s pre-season and there’s precious little to learn.

Comments

[petro]

Here you go John...

You learn something new everyday... and I played a role in that for you.

Won't tease you with medical docs... just some friendly encyclopedia info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_meniscus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medial_meniscus

[doug]

some of you people need to get a grip....if I sign for a NBA team and they in turn tell me I can't play for my country ever I would go and tell them to pound salt (exceptions are like with Dirk this year and coming off a injury or Ginobli or Garbo and his situation etc) ...look at soccer my god its not the teams season that motivates these guys its playing for their countries....its the same mindset NIMBY's have, they buy a house they feel they own the neighborhood, get real....you buy a player for the SEASON not his whole life, Turko's not even hurt if anyone bothered to watch the game today..and Jose as well as every NBA player moreorless this season have multiple nagging injuries...a player signs a contract for the SEASON to that team, and the teams know if they continually tell a player he can't play in international competitions then that player will be gone...so get over it, it's a non-issue...

[Erc]

We'd all love to see Nash playing for Canada. Bet the folks in Pheonix wouldn't.
If an NHL star refused to play for Canada in the Olympics, we'd lynch him.
Yes, we'd like Turk and Bargs and the rest to play for no one else but Toronto. Ain't gonna happen and probably shouldn't.
Injuries can happen any time a player steps on the court and accidents can happen any time period.
Let em play and stop the nonsense. Jose got hurt. He's wisely giving it time to heal this off season. We'll see him back with Spain again in the future. Good for him on both counts.

[Richard]

Thanks Doug for the ever informative blog - today appears to be anatomy and physiology class.

Commentator Doug, I totally agree with you. It seems that same people that say Nash MUST play for Canada are the ones that say Raptors players should not be allowed to play for their home countries.

[matt]

you tried and failed petro. the menisci are cartillage, not ligaments. they serve as a cushion and to increase the range of motion of the ball and socket joint. has nothing to do with the argument at hand, but you shouldnt try to prove people wrong when theyre right.

[Peter]

To John,

Wikipedia, is not an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia's can't be edited by the average joe.

[Duncan Biggins]

Hey Doug, is it just me, or do you answer every question with some variation of "no big deal", "everything is fine", "no reason to worry", etc. I realize that most of the readers that contact you are total reactionaries, but reading your mail bag and responses to comments, I feel like I always already know what you're going to say; no big deal. How about instead of publishing vapid questions with even more vapid answers, you attempt to provide some actual basketball insight. Here's an idea: when some kid sends you a question about Turkoglu's minor knee problem, instead of offering a dismissive one-liner, you write a thoughtful response about the context of the injury, the existence or lack thereof of a prior history of the same type of injury, etc. I think a silent majority of your readers would appreciate that. Take a look at the last few weeks of your blog, and ask yourself: if I was a Raptors fan with a functional brain, why would I read this blog?

[Alex]

Just a side-note to your response to WSG, but it wouldn't be the case in the NFL (not that they play for their national countries anyway though....)

[Tabber]

Um, Erc, several hockey players have refused to play for Canada in recent years, and I don't recall a single lynching yet. Just another uninformed post from you - congrats on maintaining your reputation!

[petro]

Matt

Ooops... my bad for overlapping my thoughts too quickly... you are absolutely correct... miniscus is a cartilage.

Bottom line... plantar fasciitis and meniscus injuries are linked... especially with those athletes who wear orthotics.

[Erc]

Duncan Biggins, ding, Ding, DING!

[John]

"Here you go John...

You learn something new everyday... and I played a role in that for you.

Won't tease you with medical docs... just some friendly encyclopedia info."

Sorry petro, I was being a jerk the other day. I know of both the medial and lateral meniscus. In fact I've torn my medial meniscus twice. They are bits of cartilage in the knee and not ligaments as you had labelled them. I just thought it was funny that you were using lots of big fancy anatomical terms yet didn't seem to fully understand what you were describing. As I said I was a jerk about it and probably should have let it slide.