Highlights, lowlights and New Year's Eve memories

So, do you look back today or forward? Recap or predict? Remember or resolve?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Maybe look back today and look forward tomorrow?

Sounds good to me.

And herewith are five rather memorable moments, good and bad, of the calendar year that’s wrapping up.

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The last shot

For all the good stuff that Chris Bosh did for his seven years in Toronto – and surely we can all agree he did an awful lot of good – the fact that his final moment at the Air Canada Centre as a Raptor was that missed tip that would have won the Golden State game in such dramatic fashion is a shame.

Seeing him lying on the court in frustration, watching the Warriors celebrate Nellie passing Lenny and the Raptors losing a crucial game was tough, wasn’t it?

Now, we didn’t know he’d break his face in Cleveland a couple of nights later and never wear the uniform again but in hindsight, that was a tough way to go out.

Ball

‘Nuf said?

Not really. The whole Hedo Turkoglu saga was one that made 2010 memorable on a few levels.

He had some good nights, lots of bad ones, and the “ball” post-game interview with Jack Armstrong will be the enduring memory of a good signing that went terribly wrong, awfully quickly.

A feel good win

Raptors 106, Lakers 105

Toronto gets a good whistle with seconds left, Kobe misses at the buzzer (I swear it was going in from my angle) and it was the most electric the arena was in the calendar year.

The non-trade

Remember the excitement everyone felt in the summer when Jose and Reggie were off to Charlotte for Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw?

Well, would you do that trade today?

Would everyone be comfortable with Jarrett Jack as the starting point guard, no Jerryd Bayless, no Reggie and a rather portly Diaw and Chandler providing interior defence perhaps at the expense of Ed Davis?

I wonder. Not sure I would.

The one no-show

Biggest game of the year, as it turns out. Playoffs on the line, a chance to salvage a terrible last half of the season, huge home crowd wanting something to cheer about.

Bulls 104, Raptors 88.

Season over.

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Oh yeah.

Remember I told you about the crazy deadlines that forced me to write an early plugger story on Fridays and meant we had more than a few papers published without the game story in them?

Well, they’re gone. Back to normal tonight and barring anything crazy, the gamer will be in every edition.

You’re welcome.

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My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who gave me Pappas Brothers Steakhouse and St. Arnold’s.

Well done.

Or medium rare, I mean.

Oh, you know what I mean.

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Hey, how’s that junior pucks thing going?

None of my hotels have ESPN18 so I can’t see a highlight.

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Speaking of:

Q: This may have been covered before, but I'll give it a shot. I grew up playing many sports and gained an appreciation for all of them. While I enjoy watching/following some (hoops) more than others, you seem to show nothing but disdain for the pucks. Why is that? Perhaps you could compare the two sports to each other in light of clarifying your love/hate perspective of the two?

Dave M, Calgary

A: I don’t think it’s “disdain” as much as it is a desire to mock. You have to admit, the media sometimes goes, you know, over the top with its love for the pucks and its desire to bring every miniscule morsel of information breathlessly to the public.

And I love the fact a team that hasn’t sniffed a Stanley Cup in almost half a century can evoke such passion; it’s crazy.

For the game itself? I don’t understand the intricacies of it well enough to offer any comment on the various styles and skill levels of the players or teams so maybe it is a case of mocking that which you do not know.

But it’s fun.

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I guess the only thing approximating news with the HOTH (that’s Heroes Of The Hardcourt for all those who ask) was that Jose, Jerryd and Sonny all sat out practice yesterday in Dallas.

Can’t see any way that Sonny suits up tonight against the Rockets, the other two will most likely be game time decisions but we’re going to wander down to shootaround later this morning to see what’s up.

Go to the twitter thing and check later, I’ll put up any news I get.

Oh, if neither Calderon nor Bayless can go, it’ll be Leandro Barbosa as the starter and, Jay keeps telling us, Julian Wright as the backup point guard.

I’d kind of like to see that.

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Speaking of Houston, here’s what Jonathan’s got today in the Chronicle.

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I’m trying to think which of the three New Year’s Eve games these guys have played was the most memorable and it was easy.

We’re in Washington in ’97 for what should be a dull night except that before the game, Darrell Walker says Tracy McGrady, then a rookie, better smarten up or he’d be out of the league in three years. Yikes. News to write. Ugh.

So we do, work a bit harder than expected and there’s a concert going on in the arena after and I can still remember sitting in the media room listening to Gladys Knight (sans Pips, as I recall) warble Auld Lang Syne.

And then it’s back to the hotel to ring in the New Year except – get this! – the lobby bar is closed and 1998 was welcomed with two Miller Lites out of the minibar. Livin’ large!

The other two New Year’s were rather ho-hum.

New Orleans in ’07, a quick walk up Bourbon Street was something everyone needs to see once. Just once.

Home to Denver in ’09. Boring.

And that’s it, a rather ho-hum New Year’s Eve history.

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Comments

[GM]

* Can't say I was feeling excitement over the trading of Calderon. I was saddened. But I also thought Chandler would have been a good fit. If they could have done the deal with Jack and Evans for Chandler and Tubbo, I would have been excited.
* As a non-hockey fan, let me give my side of the story. After years of thinking I hated hockey, I realized not too long ago that I don't. I just don't care about it. It's fine for those who like it. It sometimes comes across as me hating it but that's just a reaction to the incessant reporting of it and its omnipresence in sports bars. But I find it interesting that most Canadians love it. If they were born in another part of the world, chances are they wouldn't love it. So do they love it because it's a great sport, or because they're conditioned to love it? I feel that me being taken with basketball is more honest because there isn't exactly a culture of it here. We basketball fans have to actively seek it out and it's not a point of conversation with coworkers and strangers, so there must really be something to it. Also, I find that too many hockey fans feel threatened by basketball. I don't get that. It's not a zero-sum game. People can (and do) like both sports. You don't need to just pick one.
* I'm kinda happy seeing Turkoglu doing well. I can't figure it out, though. I think it must be the system that suits him. So it's surprising teams don't institute a system that maximizes the strengths of their personnel. Phoenix and Toronto didn't, to their detriment.
* Speaking of stats, I get the impression Carlesimo doesn't so much watch the game as pour over the stats at halftime. He just spews out endless stats when interviewed at the half.
* I'm able to watch the game tonight so I'm sure it'll be a stinker. Hopefully not.

[doug]

yea when i watched it's a Mad x 3 World again I was stunned Jerry Lewis in a cameo , the Stooges, Three Stooges,

[doug]

I sent that last message before it was done...how i do that it perplexes me...anyways talking about Mad x3 World plus do you know that it would have been better...as Ethel merman's part was originally written for Groucho Marx but he wanted too much money....so they re-wrote his part and Stan Laurel was asked to participate but never wanted to do it without Hardy plus it's premiere in New york was done with Kennedy family members there a week before his assassination..(thanks wikipedia thats interesting stuff) ....Lighthouse there a good old Canadian band, how many members have they had?? there like our version of Chicago..you wanna know what Canadian singer I can't stand, i don't know why but I have to turn the radio as soon as i hear him David Clayton Thomas....just tripe to me...

[brad]

Happy New year Doug!

Good recap of the year - Hedo's 'Ball' comment was definintely the one that stands out, along with the Chris Bosh debacle and the dissapointment in missing the playoffs in that Chicago game - well, frustration.

Lets hope 2011 shows a little more promise for the Rap's future!

[Lorie]

Totally agree about David Clayton Thomas. And as he attended the same high school I did, albeit several years ahead of me, struggled with the notion that it was poor school spirit to dislike his music as vehemently as I did. To this day, if I hear Spinning Wheel, I'm immediately compelled to mute the volume, turn the dial and but oddly can suddenly recall the combination to my locker at The Haig. (28-6-35 for you doubters)