How many games makes a legitimate season; oh, and "boo!"

 

Okay, what now?

No basketball, no baseball, more than enough pucks writers that they don’t need/want me. Football? Bills have come and gone, Argos are inconsequential winding up another horrid season.

What’s a fellow to do?

Boss? Got any ideas?

-

One thing to do this week, though, is to wait and see when David and Billy come to their senses, get back to the bargaining table and finalize a deal that seems to be all but done.

Don’t know when that’ll be – Tuesday? Wednesday? – but everything I read suggests they are so close on everything, even a split of the BRI that it’s nonsense to think they can’t get it completed in a couple of days.

But where does that leave us?

Tell you one thing: They may have “cancelled” two more weeks of games last week when talks broke off again but that’s little more than semantics.

The schedule was never going to be as it was even when they first cancelled games, they weren’t going to pick up from the first available date and simply go on as if nothing had happened. What David is doing is cancelling days and time, there will be an entirely new schedule out and the one everyone’s been looking at will be nothing more than a footnote in history. You can completely ignore it right now.

So, if they do get a Dec. 1 start – and they can do it if they get some deal done this week or even at the start of next week, I’d think – how many games does it take to have a feeling of legitimacy to the season?

Would 50, like they did in 1999, work?

Do they need 60, or even 65 to make it worthwhile, and to make it feel like it’s real?

I’d say they need at least 60, and 68 would be even better and if they do start in early December and push the end of the season back a week or 10 days, they can get to that number.

And since I am of the opinion that the regular season is about a dozen games too long anyway, a 70-gamer would be about perfect.

Agree?

-

There really isn’t a lot of music that makes you wistful for Halloween, is there?

This work?

-

By all accounts, and I was typing the weakly weekly Monday morning thing while it was going on, the Bills In Toronto festival of football turned out okay.

People, I’m told, cheered for the right team at the right time, which I presume has everything to do with how well Buffalo played, which was a change from the previous three years.

Even George Wilson, who was absolutely correct in his assessment of the game early last week, was impressed, as 8-Ball’s Owner says here.

Now, I do have one suggestion, and this goes for every fan at every game who even contemplates it:

Stop The Wave!

Forever.

Now.

Immediately.

It’s old, boring, not at all funny any more and someone needs to come up with something else. Please.

The game itself?

By all accounts of friends I talked to who went it was a good one, lacking in drama, of course, because of the one-sided nature but there were enough big plays – on both sides of the ball – that you could forget how utterly inept the Redskins were.

Now at 5-2, the Bills are tied with New England atop the AFC East, currently hold the tiebreaker, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be in the playoff hunt for weeks and weeks to come.

And being a fellow without much to do, workwise, maybe I need to talk to the Tall Foreheads about doing a bit more.

I hear Orchard Park is a garden spot this time of year.

-

Okay, was trying to probe the recesses of the mind to come up with old Halloween stories and, really, just one came to mind.

It was never that big a deal, actually; sure, I imagine I was cute little costumed urchin eons ago but we weren’t a family to do the whole ‘decorate the yard, scare the other kids’ kind of thing.

We did get up to no good a few times, though, “borrowing” pumpkins from neighbourhood porches and seeing how it cool it was when they exploded after being tossed on the road.

One year?

Well, one year, and I had to have been in my early teens, me and a buddy (hello, Ezio!) decided to borrow a pumpkin to save for Nov. 1.

We’re behind the Watson’s hedge on one of the crescents off the street, well back in the bush, when a neighbour dude comes walking down his drive.

We figure the jig is up but, no, guy is trying to get away from his house because he’s had a physical confrontation with his mom and there’s like real blood flowing.

Yeah, no Halloween prank there and I guarantee you I’ve never run as fast as I did from behind that hedge to my house and not sure I even tried to explain to mom and dad why I was so scared.

Think I just ate candy, made up some story about why I was out of breath and left well enough alone.

Never did borrow another pumpkin, never did hide a hedge again.

-

Not sure how many of you may have noticed, or known, but the NBL Canada kicked off its first-ever regular season on the weekend.

Quebec beat Moncton and Oshawa to open the season and, again, by most accounts it was a big success. Games were good, calibre was okay (I didn’t see it in person so I’m going to reserve judgement until I can get to either London or Oshawa soon) and the attendance was all right (first game, according to reports drew about 650 in Quebec).

This truly is a season of baby steps but I would suggest if you’re in one of the seven league cities, or close enough to make the trip, that you take in a game. Would love to hear what you think about it and it’s probably something that deserves a little support. It’s not easy starting a new league anywhere at any time, this is a rather daring undertaking.

-

Oh yeah, this is Buddy, one of the great pets of all time and a close personal friend. This was a year ago and, with no disrespect to Buddy’s folks, I imagine this would scar a dog’s psyche for years.

Kinda cut, though, in a shake-your-head kind of way.

-

 

 

Comments

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Morning Doug,
I'll see your Werewolves and raise you this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thH3qnHTbI
Happy apple bobbin', eh. Cheers.

[Lorie]

Happy Hallowe'en Morning, Doug!
Well, I'll see your Werewolves, Monsters and raise you some Ghosts! (Try to beat a ghostly video with Peter Falk, Danny DeVito and a future U.S. Senator!) Spooky Cheers!
http://youtu.be/KvkKX035484

[Alan C.]

Doug, thanks for the NBL Canada plug, and I will be attending (and reporting on) Oshawa's home opener on Thursday. I am very curious about the quality of play, and really hope it's good, as the price ($18 main stands) is certainly right. As an added bonus, my son is friends with Tut Ruach, Oshawa's point guard and York U. grad. I think its that sort of local connection that will really help this league.

[SheikYurbouti]

I was seeking The Alan Parsons Project's musical version of The Raven, but bumped into Vincent and had to attach a bigger classic instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7zR3IDEHrM

[eric]

Hey Doug, some ideas of things to cover: amateur athletics, european basketball or winter ball (find a team with a bunch of Jays). I'd love coverage of any of em, especially european basketball and winter ball.

[Mel Preston]

I am not that optimistic about a deal being that close Doug. I think as big an issue as BRI at 50/50 or 52/48 is this soft cap/ hard cap issue. They are not close on that and the owners say they want it. The players aren't interested in a soft cap with high penalties as that in effect operates as a hard cap. If they settle that then the BRI is within reach. But I am really pessimistic. The players should listen to the NHLers who have been through this. It is not worth losing a season over. It is the owners league. If they really want the hard cap, they will get it. The agents and GMs will find a way to make sure players get paid well regardless of the system. As Bill Guerin said, "the only thing worth losing games for is guaranteed contracts". And the players have that. Hope I am wrong about being so pessimistic though.

[David in Oakville]

What to do?

Hmmm.... you are a well traveled man who enjoys a good pint and a fine meal. A paragraph or two each post with recommendations of things to see, places to eat and where you have tippled in your travels would suit me just fine.

Otherwise, you could play secret spy and keep tabs on what Colangelo has for lunch.

[Mike kovacs]

This 'kills' the rest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRJfIPiJGY

[sam]

Run this by the Tall Foreheads at the home office....something to keep you occupied during the lockout, and it has all the ingrediants for a fascinating read and travelog.
Doug Smith's Beer Tour of Canada. A few years ago my girlfriend and I decided sampling beer from across Canada was a noble pursuit. So far we've visited 5 Provinces and sampled beer from NL, PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec and Nova Scotia, as well as the home province of Ontario. (Personal Favourite so far is from Quidi Vidi brewery....)
That should keep you busy - and the irregulars entertained. . . . .
Cheers

[Mr. Cook]

In the big days of Vince I made a trip down for a final pre-season game on October 31st, dressed up as Raptor in fact, to catch the shenanigans. For a late-teen at the time it became one of the most memorable halloweens ever as Vince dunked one of his baseline-jump-to-the-front-of-the-rim-duck-under-the-rim-and-reverse-dunks. I was about 19 feet away. Man, that kid could play. Too bad the man he turned into couldn't. Though I would like to, in retrospect, give him some credit: I now suffer from the same injury that was known as 'jumper's knee' for him--a tibial band issue. It is extremely painful. I injured mine during a half-marathon in May and to this day if I go down a set of stairs the wrong way I have to ice it down and take a day off. I'm sure that won't change anybody's mind and certainly he made some poor choices along the way, but I can say with some certainty that that is about as crappy an injury as anyone can sustain if they have to run and jump a lot.

[Tim H.]

"What’s a fellow to do?

Boss? Got any ideas?"

How about an IGBT for poker? Or darts? They are shown on 'sports' stations, so they must be sports, right???

(PS - Just had to add IGBT to my dictionary, so that it wouldn't keep showing up in red!)

[Dee from Sauga]

Hey Doug,

So how about this lockout huh? Here's some basketball related topics to shoot around with you - I was on another website reading basketball news and read something interesting. Turns out the Nets are interested in talking to former Rocket/Spur Mario Elie about replacing Mr.More SHATS himself SMITCH!? I didn't see anything about him leaving the team - especially since he just joined them last year. Who's going to babysit Cousins should Elie leave? Do you think he's matured enough to be without Elie's guidance? Is there any news you have on Valanciunas? The web is running dry and I'm trying to branch out internationally basketball wise.

Thanks for running the site even with little news!

D

[Bill]

Did you read about Kim filing for divorce against Hump? Your thoughts?

[Andy]

DAVE!!! I have just the idea for you.
Can you cover some Euro Hoops? Tell us what are the big name teams, big name players, throw in a couple of videos of each highlight of the teams playing. Tell us what the teams are struggling with and their needs. Tells us about the players... it'll be educational.

Perhaps EuroHoop can come to Canada!

[Mike kovacs]

Here is the laugh for today. Kris should have known better don't you think? http://thestar.blogs.com/stargazing/2011/10/report-kim-kardashian-is-about-to-file-for-divorce.html

[Tim H.]

Re: NBL

For those people not living close enough to one of the NBL cities to attend in person, you can watch a webcast of games:

http://nblcanada.pointstreaksites.com/view/nblcanada/watch-nbl-canada-online

I'm not sure if they webcast all of the games, or only select ones. You can watch the two KEBS games that were played already at the site.

[bill bean]

your thoughts on Hump's marital problems?

[LeeZ]

Always great to hear Warewolves, 'cause it gives me a chance to listen to one of the all-time underrated greats of rock and roll, who died WAY too soon. His last album, The Wind, is his crowning achievement. What a moving tribute to his life and career. Will bring you to tears at times with its beautiful melodies and lyrics. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026GIDZU/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1320088738&sr=8-45

[The J]

You can all list your songs, but if it isn't Michael Jackson's Thriller, I ain't listening.
I remember my parents renting a VCR so we could watch that one. No not renting a video, renting a VCR. I was a kid and the ending was incredibly frightnening at the time. So that one rules for me.

-
I think part of the BRI issue is becoming a question of saving face or a moral victory for the players. They are losing so much, and this where they've decided to make their stand. I think things will progress next time they are ready for more cancellations. Once a few more games are in jeopardy they will likely brake. Though, it might take the NBA throwing them a bone (maybe 51-49, or step back on another issue), so the players can save some face, and they can all pretend to be happy. Might sound crazy, but in the end of the day they must know they can't win, and probably a lot of them just want to play and save those paycheques.

[Boko]

I'm more pessimistic than most ... If they can't have a 30 game schedule, they shouldn't have any at all ...

[RinTinTin]

This one is for Buddy. For a K9, he rocks the outfit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6m43yiBewg

[D-Mac Ottawa]

@sam, One vote from me for the '1892' label from Quidi Vidi! Cheers!
And @lorie, does Snoopy trump Falk, DeVito and a future senator? (BTW, who was the future senator there? I'm still trying to figure that one out... was that Rick Moranis looking a lot like Al Franken, or was that really Al Franken?)
Anyway, a little Snoopy music, maestro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj6IAYlST-c&feature=related
And Spooky Cheers to you too!

[doug]

now this is a great line....Humphries and Kim K are divorcing after 72 days of nuptial bliss and what is her quote, it's a classic..."I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned."...what after 72 days??, nothing like giving it the old college try....

[doug]

@Mel preston the hard/soft cap is already been decided by all accounts...there will be the same old system in place with teams paying a increased cost in luxury tax, before it was dollar for dollar over, now $1.50 for every dollar over, and then other thresholds at certain points....the last major snag is the BRI, which perplexes me, surely (and quit calling me shirley), someone has mentioned or tried to in the negotiating a room , a system in regards to the BRI along these lines....first year of the deal it is at 52%, 2nd year 51.5 etc until it hits the 50% mark after the 4th year of the deal....it would benefit both sides, in that revenue would increase, so players are in effect not losing anything, and the owners are gaining the 50/50 split they so desire, it's a win/win for both sides and allows the stalemate to be broken with to me a viable compromise...surely (I know there's that dam shirley again) this had to have been discussed

[Tanisha Cook]

i agree it is time to step up and figure something out. I know my friends and i would love to see a game start asap and December would be a great Christmas present. But do you really think that they would shrink the calender to 50 games again.... I mean there's more teams now and 70 games would be a decent season. I believe that the players would get some of their motivation and team tactics. well lets keep our fingers crossed.