Junior women, leagues settle lockouts and some good old TV

We really have to come up with another name for this thing given the dearth of Raptors stuff in here of late.

But we still manage to get it done every day.

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There’s quite a story developing down in Chile that we’ll pay closer attention to as the week unfolds.

The Canadian junior women finished the first round of the world championships with a perfect 3-0 record (they knocked off the defending European champions from Italy in the their third game) and head into the second round today.

You don’t know a lot of these young women – I don’t know a lot of these young women – but they are off to a rousing start down there and have every chance to make it to the knockout quarter-finals and the medal round.

Junior, or age-group, global basketball doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves, or warrants. It’s the breeding ground for future success and while you may not recognize the names Nirra Fields or Michelle Plouffe or Wumi Agunbiade at the moment, what they’re doing now could very well make them quite popular at things like Olympics and world championships over the next decade.

May as well jump on the bandwagon now so you’ve got front row seat in the next five or six years.

The junior women get Russia today, Japan tomorrow and the United States on Wednesday before we figure out what their quarter-finals and playoff round chances are.

Stick around, I see a developing basketball story and we could sure use one.

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Okay, the Pat Gillick speech at the Hall of Fame made me tear up; the Roberto Alomar speech sounded like a thank-you session at the Academy Awards.

Found it kind of interesting that Alomar singled out Cito Gaston while Gillick paid homage to scouts and personnel staffs.

Guess it’s got to do with history and your place in the game but I’d rather here stories than heartfelt thanks.

Wouldn’t you?

I will have to admit though, the ceremonies were among the best I’ve seen, I love the Field of Dreams/Woodstock outdoors event with people in lawn chairs on the ground watching.

It’s kind of informal and like a true celebration rather than being some stilted black-tie affair in ballroom or some hall.

The parade of Hall of Famers was long but not horribly so, it was very cool to see guys like Yogi and Al Kaline and Ferguson Jenkins.

Cements home the point that the national Baseball Hall of Fame eclipses all others, in my opinion.

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So, for some reason I found myself sitting at the desk for a minute early Sunday morning typing instead of on the deck and the TV’s on.

Super Son has some early-teens show going and it’s rather boring and predictable and I wonder why we can’t have Sunday morning shows like this any more.

And whatever happened to Tom and Jerry and Underdog and all those other ones anyway?

Ah, the good old days.

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So, is there anything to learn from the NFL lockout being settled for the folks in the NBA?

I don’t think so.

The two systems are so different, it’s virtually impossible to suggest the NFL deal could be matched in the NBA. The non-guaranteed nature of contracts, the signing bonuses that count against the cap and the greater revenue total really make it incomparable.

And that’s not even getting into the whole legal quagmire that existed until today through the decertification and no recertification process (I guess that’s something like a legal do-over?) and the various court appeals that dragged on and on.

So, yes, it’s good that the NFL is back – at least I guess it is, I’m not much of fan since all my fall and early winter Sundays are usually spent watching the HOTH – but to think that there’s a lesson to be learned on the NBA side is, I think, a bit of stretch.

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This is either delicious or disgusting, I’m not sure which.

The beancounters are all done their stuff in the 30 league offices and – lo and behold – revenues were up 4.8 per cent across the league, which means salaries are up 4.8 per cent across the league, which means the total Basketball Related Income was $3.817 BILLION last season.

That’s a whole lot of money they can’t figure out how to split and it kind of sickens one to think there seems to be an overwhelming feeling that games will be missed while they dither and hum and haw over how to split that pot equitably.

I am not at all against businesses trying to make a profit, nor am I against employees trying to maximize salaries and hang on to what they have.

I am dead set against that kind of money being at the root of a work stoppage.

Here’s Asch’s story on the situation.

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Hey, guess who’s Baseball Boy all week?

Yep.

Been conscripted to do games Tuesday night and Thursday, was already ready scheduled for the Texas series here on the weekend and with the Mighty Rockies working out tonight and opening the post-season on Wednesday, it’s going to be a week of ball.

I’m eventually going to tire of it.

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You check out the Canadian Open on the weekend? Good showing by the Hadwin kid in front of the home crowd and when he made those three birdies in a row on the back to get back into contention, had to move from the deck to the couch to check it out.

Too bad he came up short but, coming from a guy who walked the final round in ’04, I’m sure there was an electric feeling in the air.

Now, I know – and you should know – it’s tough enough to win any PGA Tour event, there are simply too many great players out there and too many variables that could work against you. To win one on home soil, with the inherent pressure, attention and expectations of the audience, is proving too much to handle.

It doesn’t mean that these guys can’t play, or that they won’t eventually win on Tour; it’s just a monumental task, everything has to go just perfectly and it doesn’t.

Too bad, would have been a helluva story.

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Comments

[Mich G.]

Hey Doug,

You should check out Teletoon Retro, my two young boys (5 and 8) are getting a great education in animated TV thanks to Bugs and Tweety, Tom and Jerry, Casper, He-man, Thundercats, GI Joe, Spidey, etc...

Its great.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

$3.817 billion, eh? Looks like NBA basketball-related income is right up there with Province of Ontario lottery-related income. But, of course, nobody is making any money here. Nobody. Times are tough.
Any Doug Smith baseball-related IGBTs this week maybe? Cheers.

Blogger's note: Oh, I presume so

[Lorie]

Hi Doug!
And do you remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine says to Jerry that his knowledge of high culture comes from Bugs Bunny cartoons? Who among us, eh? Doug, didn't your love of Rossini begin with that iconic 'Rabbit of Seville' episode. To say nothing of Strauss' and "Die Fledermaus" where Bugs gets even with one of the tenors. And who can forget the award-winning "Kill the Wabbit" episode when Elmer Fudd sings to the tune of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries"? (Be vewy quwiet, I'm hunting wabbits". They say 90% of us got our initiation to the classics (both music and literature) via Merrie Melodies. And the other 10% are lying. I ask, what - if anything - was learned by watching "Saved By The Bell"? Cheers! And Go Canada at the FIBA U-19 Championships!!!

[Mr. Cook]

I thought this might be of particular interest to you, and the others that post here during the season, it's an article about anonymous commenting, pack mentality and the internet as a forum for vitriol-spewing-self-made-critics: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/24/internet-anonymity-trolling-tim-adams

[ed]

As you had a chance to uncover some of Travis Snider's character, if you get a chance to cover a Bret Cecil Game try to find out what kind of dude he is. He looks crazy with his mowhawk and pork chops but seems to be a down to earth guy - does he read before games or does he show up late on his Harley?

[Cluck Kent]

Last time for this I promise. I can't imagine caring less about 'Halls of Fame' unless it is for nurses or doctors or scientists or someone who actually makes a contribution to something worth while. Baseball, football, basketball, hockey are all games, kids games. It's a last hurrah ego boost and another way to pick the fan's pockets. Was I the best of the best to play tiddly-winks? Gosh I hope so.

Bugs? Ok so what are your 5 favs? Lorie hit a few, but what about the 'hats' episode? Marvin the Martian? Or how about the one that didn't have Bugs but had the singing frog - Hello my darling, hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal

Classics, every one.

[Lorie]

@Cluck Kent:
You mean this one?
http://youtu.be/4HAjhtPZGDY
Delightful, no?
Ribbet! I mean, Cheers!

[doug]

I thought Robbie's speech was a good one , as there was the language barrier which even he acknowledged and having watched him and and his interviews over the years he is never one to disclose much,...so his speech I felt was totally within his character...the baseball HOF is one of the best out there, it's set-up, presentation are top-notch, and i am a fan of it's voting process...although I feel this year they got it wrong in voting Blyleven in, he to me is a example of a guy with longevity and not excellence, he was never nor would he ever be considered the #1 pitcher on a staff...he's a sabermetrics inductee, and there is no way he should have been voted in....

[doug]

you know speaking of Hall of Fames to me if there were only a x amount of spots available, and for someone to get voted in someone else would be displaced presents a interesting point of discussion,,,,as Alomar would displace someone easily, whereas with Blyleven who would he replace??...it's what makes the Top 50 basketball players list of all time so interesting, as players are shuffled on and off the list..be interesting if halls had the same numbers cap....

[Tim H.]

OK, so who'll be the first to name all of the 'characters' in the video clip - in order!??

[JHK]

So roughly 4 billion... and they are fighting over something like 3 % of that amount... which is roughly 120 million or so...
Not sure how much difference it would make to one's salary which is already in a 'too-much' state...
Send some food/water to 3rd world nations with that money...

[doug]

you know people that say players make to much...just don't understand it's the entertainment business, do actors deserve what they make??...you want a example of what other people make, that pales with athletes...this is a excerpt from Peter King's column today, that puts it in perspective..

"One of the great things about vacation is it lets you catch up with reading. This gem came from Andrew Goldman's interview with Judge Judy in the June 26 New York Times Sunday magazine: Judge Judy works five days per month ... and makes $45 million a year.

Judge Judy Factoid II: Her 24,000-square-foot home in Connecticut contains a snoring room -- an extra room for guests who snore."

and don't forget charlie Sheen was making 2 million a episode, plus residuals, look at the list of what people make athletes are no different...as it is the entertainment biz...it is what it is and they deserve every penny...

[Cluck Kent]

@lorie
And there was a link to the entire cartoon. I had to watch. I suppose it's been several decades. Still hilarious.
Thanks!

[Avinash]

Hya Doug, how about calling it "Doug Smith's round ball blog?"