A telling tale of Hump, and of us

Hump, Hump, Hump.

If you’d only asked.

Maybe that night in Rome when you and Luke Jackson were hanging out on the street outside the hotel wondering if there was anywhere cool to go, you could have said: “Hey, dude. What should I do with my life?” But, no, you had to ask: “Hey, dude, know anywhere we should go?”

I would have told you: Find a nice woman, a normal woman, someone who was, you know, not famous for any discernible reason other than, well, I have no idea why she was famous.

Nor do I really care.

But it sure sounds to me as if you got played. Like a fiddle. Good guy swept up in a bit of a whirlwind and it sure didn’t work out, did it?

Someone got rich off that circus of a wedding and I can’t imagine it was you. Magazines paying money to have the pictures? Stupid celebrity TV shows caring? My goodness gracious, Hump, what were you thinking.

As an aside to Irregulars, a disclaimer: I like Hump. Quite a bit, actually. Good guy. Some Stage Father/Mother issues but a lot of pro athletes have those and maybe he was a bit naïve because of it.

Not a Mensa guy but who among us is? His heart was always in the right place, it seems. Except for this time around.

Sure, I bet he loved What’s Her Name quite a lot. I’m sure he had a lot of fun playing the guy in a girl-dominated relationship, if I know Kris he liked being Kris in the Kim and Kris dynamic.

But who’s to blame for that?

I’m tired – and you should be, too – of this whole TMZification of our lives and times. Who gives a rat’s bum whether Kris Humphries is dating some interweb floozy only famous for being famous? Do we really need to know? Do we really need to follow them on almost every step of the way to the alter just because we’ve heard of them and some trashy TV show says we should?

I believe back in day – you know, almost three months ago – we let out a big yawn about the Hump nuptials and may have mentioned that of all the things going in the world the “romance” might have been the most inconsequential thing of all. It was boring then, it’s boring now.

And, sadly, I think it says more about us than it does about them that there are so many out there who care today that the marriage didn’t last as long as the NBA lockout and is the butt of jokes the twitterverse wide.

That said, I feel bad for Hump; she got richer and more famous (for no apparent reason), he got dumped.

I should have found him a nice girl that night on the street in Rome.

 

 

 

 

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.

-

 

 

And now the end of the weekend mail

Good job, folks.

And a couple of nifty lists to do during the week, when things look like they might slow down greatly.

Much appreciated.

-

Q: Dire straits Doug!? We can't have that.

I was wondering, looking back on your career as a grunt, were there any unexpected surprises, good or bad, that never really crossed your mind as possibilities when you were considering a career as a grunt? Was there anything that you were completely unprepared for or things that role models didn't mention because they felt you should 'experience' it rather than be told about it?

Thanks

Dominique K, Ottawa

A: Best surprise I got? When former People’s Wire Service sports editor Ross Hopkins told me I’d be covering the 1992 Barcelona Olympics because never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be good enough, or work somewhere big enough, to get that kind of gig. Six Games later with maybe a seventh to come and I’m still excited that I made it that far.

Now, I’ve had some good friends prepare me for pretty much everything I do but I don’t think it was ever made clear to me how difficult some deadlines might be and how hard it is to write clear, concise, entertaining and informative copy in mere minutes. They can tell you it’s hard but until you have 19,000 people screaming and an entire story changing in seconds and you have to file now, you can’t understand it.

Oh, and, of course, no one ever saw this interweb thing coming, did they?

-

Q: OK, you sound desperate, so how's this? Have you ever actually been at, or been involved in, a real Bun Toss? If so, is it fun?

Tim H, Windsor

A: Last time I was at anything where buns were tossed, playfully, mind you, I was the groom.

Other than that, haven’t been in a lot of food fights. Think it’s one of those things that sounds better than it actually is.

-

Q: Hello Doug. When Brian C. says he wants to "acquire the right pieces, the correct pieces to keep adding", how do you interpret that? If he's not looking to do much with free agency this fall, and if he's not banking on draft picks next spring because they're the proverbial "crap shoot, must be trades, right? What's left?

How do you see this team progressing? Or do you you?

Thanks again for the blog!

David M, Ottawa

A: I can see him exploring some trade stuff and he did make specific mention of another draft pick after the 2011-12 season so he sees that as a piece, as well.

But I see the progression – for good or bad – coming simply from the maturation of a young group that wasn’t sure what it was doing at times last year. With DeRozan, Valanciunas (eventually), Davis, maybe Bayless if he develops, Amir Johnson they do think the natural growth of the group will lead it to improve. Plus, no one’s sure what kind of impact Dwane Casey may have.

I still say they need a stud at the three before they can make any major step, though. And that’s where Bryan’s going to have to hit a home run.

-

Q: A basketball related question! As you mentioned, the Bills have a large, loyal and passionate fan base and the pucks here in the GTA have a passionate following, both despite years of ineptitude. How about Basketball? Hats off to and an acknowledgement of the loyalty and passion of us irregulars, but my perception is that we are a little more "reserved" than the aforementioned fans. What NBA team has a fan base as blindly loyal, passionate and "intense" as the NFL Bills and the NHL Leafs?

Allan F, Burlington

A: Back in the day, I probably would have said Indiana but once the Pacers fell into disarray, people stayed away in droves.

I guess the two that come quickly to mind are Portland, where they are rabid in support of the Blazers, and Oklahoma City, where every game seems to be an event to the people.

And the fact anyone went to see the Knicks for about the past six years surprises me a bit, although the Garden is still apparently a drawing card.

-

Q: Doug. If we revisited Naismith's original 13 rules, which one would you like to see reimplimented?

How about Rule 5? If a player gets a second foul he(or she)sits until the next basket.

Rule 7? 3 consecutive fouls by a team, 2 points awarded?

Beatles vs. Stones? Which group ripped off black R and B artists the most?

Bob E, Kanata

A: These rules? Make for an interesting night, wouldn’t it?

Anyway, I like yours, that’s for sure, but part of me wouldn’t mind:

No. 12: The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.

-

Q: So Doug, there seem to have only been a scant few ballers who lamented that the "little people" will be out of work as well, though they greatly outnumber the hardcourt heroes.

If you please or are willing, how about a list of top-something good, bad, strange or funny moments you've had with the folks who won't be cashing their comparatively small paychecks? Angry ushers, helpful barmaids, clumsy ticket-takers, smokes stolen with towel boys, any way you like, cheers.

Jonathan M, Tokyo

A: Well, there’s a very nice woman on the scorer’s table in Minnesota who brings us cookies at the start of every game, the nice woman in the press room in Phoenix always insists that the Suns will buy us dinner instead of paying the $10 or so and I’d say almost all of ‘em are nice and pleasant and quite helpful.

There was one time, in Charlotte, I believe, where a very nice woman was somewhat startled when Stumpy let loose a vulgarity because his chair got stuck or something like that. Kind of comical in a ‘you had to be there’ kind of way.

But there are also over-officious ushers and security people – hello, Dallas! – who think a uniform and a name badge allows them to hold us up from getting to our seats or doing our jobs because the big-shots in the front row might be trying to get to their seats. That type of person irks me to no end.

-

Q: Hey Doug. I've been avoiding the greater bulk of lockout negotiations like the plague. I really genuinely love basketball; even as a 20 year old who has never played a game of organized basketball, I still wake up some mornings having dreamed of playing with Lebron, Nash et al. I think the media has clearly spun this as a fight between owners and players, leaving us to pick a side in the matter.

It's hard not to draw some comparisons to this whole 'Occupy' movement - the proletariat 99% versus the elite 1%. Except the players are not the 99%; they sit firmly alongside the owners in that 1% while the real 99% are folks like you and me. I don't believe that all basketball fans would prescribe to the 'Occupy' mindset - one need only compare the courtside guests at the Staples Center versus say, the Palace at Auburn Hill to see that not all fanbases are created equally.

But won't these 'small market' teams - the Detroits, the Milwaukees, the Charlottes, the New Orleans, etc. - who seek to change the collective bargaining agreement to better their chance at not competing at a basketball level, but on a financial level, see the greatest backlash by fans who seem a heckuvalot closer to being average, '99%' Joes than Jack Nicholsons?

Does the league think that playing this fight out as long as possible is going to have a great affect on a place such as New Orleans where it's ever-shrinking fanbase lives ludicrously close to the poverty line?

In short, what the hell are the NBA and NBAPA thinking by playing this fight out at a time when more and more people are starting to take a legitimate look at the wealth distribution in the world? Seems like a perfect storm.

Would love to hear your take, O' Financial Wiz Doug. Cheers!

Andrew P, Toronto

A: The fallout is going to be immense, I’m sure there are fans across North America so ticked off by this ridiculous fight over unimaginable amounts of money that they’ll never come back. And, truth be told, I might not blame them.

What are they thinking? I wish there was an easy answer to that question. They seem more intent on protecting wealth and making points than they are about trying to appease the people who actually pay the freight – the fans.

-

Q: Hi Doug. When you sit down at your computer in the morning, coffee and slippers and all that, where do you get your basketball news from?

Jeremy W, Telkwa

A: It really depends. There are several web places I look – Ken Berger at CBS is a must-read for lockout stuff; My Man Sheridan’s site can be a good clearing house; there’s always ESPN and Sports Illustrated and during the season I always check out that papers of the teams that are coming in, or have just, played the HOTH.

And so begins the weekend mail

And a fine good day to you all.

One more shot to get in tomorrow’s mail if you like, or to send stuff for next week ‘cause it looks like it’s going to be slow around these parts.

-

Q: So just wondering...if the powers that be do not come to an agreement today (but I'm hoping that this is a moot question by the end of the day) what would be the last possible date to settle before having to call off the whole season?

And my apologies if this question has already been asked in an earlier posting.

Joanne W-F, Etobicoke

A: Well, as I recall, it was early January in 1999 and they were still able to piece together that lockout-shortened 50-game season so there would appear to be some time. However, the commish has been much more strident, it seems, in not only threatening longer “cancellations” so I would imagine the sabres would be rattled in mid-November as a “do it now or the entire year is gone” kind of ultimatum.

-

Q: Doug. I am really enjoying the TV and music memories and trivia you have been throwing our way. Here's a debate - originals vs remakes, and sometimes multiple remakes. I loved the black and white superhero series "Superman" (George Reeves) and "Batman and Robin," (Adam West) with their basic (non)special effects and tongue in cheek entertainment. I just lapped it up as a rug rat. But then Christopher Reeves in the movie series, and the latest TV reincarnation Smallville proved that reincarnations can be successful, as did "The Dark Knight."

So let the debate begin! Special effects or acting? Classic Hero or Misunderstood Brooding Human with real feelings? Black and White for the memories of childhood awe and excitement or Man-Cave appropriate adrenaline rush?

Allan F, Burlington

A: No way.

It stops and starts with Adam West, George Reeves and the oldsters. I have to admit I’m pretty sure I have been able to sit through an entire episode of Smallville but I don’t know that I could without screaming “Great Ceasar’s ghost!”

And the Batman stuff is way too dark for me; I love the campy nature of the old time stuff.

-

Q: Since the Bills are in town and Bills-backers are optimistic once again, how but a rundown of the best Bills teams of all time?

Mark T, Niagara Falls

A: Well, my immediate thought was the team that cost me the least amount of money back in the day when there’d be the odd weekly wager on the NFL. Not that anyone I know would know of a Niagara Falls saloon where that might be possible to accomplish, would he?

I still say the first Super Bowl team, 1990, was the best. Kelly, Thomas, Lofton, Smith, Talley, Conlan, Bennett, Odomes.

Oh, and Norwood.

Of course, because I’m old, I’d probably have to split my vote with the Jack Kemp AFL teams but not too many of us would remember those. Or old War Memorial Stadium, right?

-

Q: Hi Doug. Do think that the extended break away from the rigours of the game might be beneficial to some players in terms of letting their bodies recover from chronic injuries, fatigue, etc.?

Thanks,

Ed S, Hamilton

A: Without a doubt and that may ultimately be a good thing in the long run. But is the converse also not true: Would an extended break allow some of the less-disciplined among them go a bit to seed and therefore take it longer for them to get up to speed once a season begins? And would that lend itself to some bad games/players early in the season?

-

Q: FIBA 2016 Olympic qualifier at Toronto 2015 Pan Am games? Could it happen?

K J, Toronto

A: Oh, they wish.

I suppose it could conceivably happen, and I know Canada Basketball and the Games organizers would love it to because it would add huge interest to the Pan-Ams, but FIBA Americas sees the men’s qualifier as its biggest cash cow and unless the organizers hand over a barrel of two of money – maybe three or four, actually – it’s got no chance of happening.

But if there’s a Sugar Daddy out there who wants to pony up, I know FIBA will gladly take whatever cash it can get its hands on.

Got a bushel or two of bills lying around?

-

Q: Hey Doug. My question is about the average player's financial aptitude. Do you have any sense of how prepared most players are for a situation such as this? Are very many of them truly worried that they won't be able to make ends meet the longer the lockout continues. Do many of them plan their impeding early retirement?

Peter F, Mississauga

A: Let’s play a game:

Let’s say you work in a business with 450 or so other employees of varying ages, levels of intelligence and salaries. Among that group, you are sure to find at least a few who have no clue about financial planning and people who, if they lost their jobs, would be destitute in the blink of an eye.

Same pretty much for the NBA, you’ve got some guys who are bright and plan for the future, you’ve got some who are bright enough to know they have to hire people to help them to prepare for the future and some who are absolute spendthrifts who have no clue about getting ready for the impending end of the careers.

My sense is that the overwhelming majority of players fall into the first two categories and that we hear more about the latter group because they are better “stories.”

I also know that his current group has been warned for years to not only save for this year but for the future as well so if they screw up, it’s entirely on them.

-

Q Doug, it's game 7. You're the manager of one of the teams. Amongst Henry Rowengartner, Nuke LaLoosh, Kit Keller, Ricky Vaughn or Mel Clark, who would you want to start for you? Or how would you use each of these pitchers to lead you to victory if they were in your bullpen?

Felix T, Loughborough, UK

A: It doesn’t matter how I’d think about using them, actually. And I’d tell all of ‘em to sit down, pull up a chair and watch greatness at work because they would not be needed, they could prepare the champagne for the celebration.

I’d give the ball to one guy and one guy alone:

Sidd Finch.

But if I had to take one of your list to start, it’d have to be Nuke, right? Annie would have him ready.

-

Q: Regarding the HOTH adding some high profile free agent. Given the change in the coaching and especially the fact that there has been zero opportunity to put those players already signed through any form of practise or game situations might the specific needs to be found in a not so high profile free agent still be a little difficult to quantify? Presumably, if the guy is not a "cornerstone" kind of player his value then would be measured more in the intangibles, work ethic, leadership or maybe even a fount of levity in the dressing room. All stuff that is fairly particular to the human dynamic of the rest of the team and coaching staff.

A digression, having found myself involved in B-fords' own version of the IGBT (with our Mayor as guest of honour) it strikes me that this whole live blogging thing is really going mainstream. Which, ordinarily, would cause my inner rebel to then avoid any form of live blogging anywhere, however, given that my initial exposure to this kind of thing was the ORIGINAL IGBT I can take comfort in knowing that whilst it remains available, I can, with clear conscience continue to enjoy and learn from the best one.

Thanks for what you do.

Doug T, Brantford

A: I do think they will be looking for more of a “character” guy than a stud and someone who might help one of the youngsters emerge as the voice of the team. That said, they would love to find a combination of skill and chemistry because I think this team needs to get just a wee bit older, if you know what I mean. But as has always been the case with Bryan, he’ll put a lot of stock in a players’ personality and ability to fit in with the current group.

Now, the IGBT? Yes, I do believe we might have been cutting edge, I certainly have seen enough copycats around our business – and the world as a whole – and it makes me feel a tad proud. Hope the Irregulars do, too, and we’ll have to find some way to push the envelope whenever things get back to normal.

Are getting close to getting going?

So, are we close?

Every single report out of New York last night suggests they are within striking distance of a lockout settlement and today will be the most important day there’s been in an effort to get the league back on track.

(Forget for a minute all the other “most important days” this is “really, really, really, really the most important” day).

What’s it mean?

Well, if you listened to Bryan during the Ed Stefanski Bun Toss and Introduction Ceremony on Thursday, it may not mean a flurry of activity right off the bat, regardless of what the new rules are.

The big guy sounded a note of caution – all while not mentioning specifics or players or even uttering a name lest he run afoul of David and his fine machine – about quickly adding significant names to his roster.

“Let’s just say that to go out and spend money this summer just to spend money would be probably swimming against the current of what the plan is actually about. And the plan is to acquire the right pieces, the correct pieces to keep adding to this nucleus that we have.

“If we feel like there’s a better opportunity in a subsequent free agency period to do that, then you move forward with sustained organic growth.”

Quite aside from the use of the phrase “sustained organic growth” the point he was making was that he likes the core group, knows he’s getting Jonas Valanciunas a year from now, wants to give Dwane Casey some time to fiddle with the guys he has and may not make some huge splash.

Good idea?

How do the kids put it?

Meh.

I do think he has to do something of at least minor significance as much to appease the fans as anything. He does only have 10 guys under contract so there has to be four or five additions – or returns in, perhaps, the case of Reggie Evans – but it doesn’t sound like any of those additions will be top-tier free agents.

Of course, he could have just been blowing smoke and has grandiose plans up his sleeve – and you know he’s been thinking and tinkering and planning for weeks – but the immediate impression is, if this lockout gets settle – things will proceed at a somewhat slow pace around the HOTH.

Now, there is every possibility this thing falls entirely apart sometime tonight – it’s happened before, even with such a huge sense of optimism – but I have this sneaking suspicion that tomorrow morning we’ll be scouring the lists of free agents to see who might help here and trying to dissect what the new order looks like for the HOTH.

Hope so, at least.

-

What a great Game 6, no?

Sure, there was horrific defence (Mighty Rockies early in the season came quickly to mind) and some zany relief pitching (can’t anyone here throw a dang strike?) but for sheer drama, it was one of those great “instant classics” they’ll be probably repeating on TV sometime this afternoon.

And it sets us up for one of the best things in all of sports:

A Game 7.

Nothing beats it, does it?

Winner-take-all, everyone stressed and feeling the pressure and it’s stunning to me to watch who emerges as the hero, or who tries to do too much.

Kobe? Six-for-24 was it?

(A digression, sorry).

The one thing to watch for tonight is the bullpens, which had been the hallmarks of these two teams right up until about the idle of Game 6.

Now? Spent. Worn out. Tired arms and if gets us a 14-13 game, I would be quite fine with that.

But it would also be cool if some pitcher found some depth in his arm to throw six or seven gutty shutout innings and cement himself as a big-game kind of guy.

Now, I know managers have a tendency to talk about preserving careers and not wanting to use someone even in a Game 7 who might be risking something in the future but if I’m an athlete, I don’t care how sore I am or what the long-term repercussions might be: If I’ve got one shot to help my team win a championship, I trade off the future for the present.

No one knows if they’ll ever get back to such a stage, to sit it out because you might be worried about next year or something is just silly to me.

Take the ball, gut it out, it might be the only chance you get.

-

People!

Mail! Now. Put down your coffee or paper or bagel or whatever and do something. We are almost in dire straits over here.

-

Maybe the best part of the end of Game 6 last night?

Joe Buck’s call.

The “We’ll see you tomorrow night” call after the Freese homer in the 11th.

Same words his Dad used in 1991 on the Kirby Puckett game-winner in that epic Twins-Braves Series. Not sappy at all, just a good call.

Now, if we get a “I can’t believe what I just saw” tonight, that’d be fine with me.

And, did you see last night that, until Freese, there had been three game-winning homers in a Game 6 of World Series all-time, each indelibly etched in my mind because, like many of you I presume, I saw them all.

There was that Puckett won, there was Carlton Fisk urging his shot down the left field line at Fenway to stay fair (one of the great pictures of the era, no?) and, of course, the Joe Carter one back in ’93.

Not bad company for Freese, is it?

-

More Ed Stefanski.

Nice guy, that’s for sure. Self-effacing and self-confident at the same time, well spoken, calls himself a gym rat and when he was asked to describe himself, this is what came out:

“I’m extremely positive, my motto is accentuate the positive and work on the negatives.

“It’s never the end of the world for me, I’m even keel. I never get too high or too low. I plan things, I’m a big planner, a big whiteboard kind of guy, putting my ideas up there. I think executing the plan is the crucial part. Once you’ve executed the plan, no one knows what the results are.”

Not bad attributes, actually. Quite okay with the even-keel nature, there’s never really any sense getting all worked up -- high or low – on a regular basis. You do your best, trundle along each day hoping the plans you put in place work out and do your thing with the same outward impression.

Sure, it’s okay to rejoice or seeth inside, far better to let your public face remain calm.

-

Okay, this whole scraping-the-frost-off-the-windshield thing at 5:30 this morning can stop at any time.

Waaaaay too early for that, isn’t it?

-

 

 

A whole lot of sports to digest, finally

What’s this? All kinds of “legit” stuff to talk about?

That ought to keep some of you happy.

-

Finally, they got a guy and now we can get on with … well, with waiting for the game to come back.

But at least there’s Ed Stefanski to talk about, the new executive vice-president of basketball operations (I see ginormous business cards to get the mouthful on) for the HOTH, signed, sealed and ready to meet the masses later this morning.

His job?

Let’s call him Another Set Of Eyes And Ears and you really can’t have enough of ‘em in the Raptors front office.

As mentioned in the story, the front office was not unlike the roster – thin – and having another guy around certainly can’t hurt.

He’s doing to do what a lot of sports front office types do, offer advice on players and acquisitions, chat to agents and other execs, be a sounding board for coaches and his boss.

He’s not going to come in and make a huge impact, that job – whatever it’s called – isn’t designed for that.

It’s designed to be a guy on a team, one piece of many and the fact that Ed’s got a wide and varied background – New Jersey, Philly, Wharton School grad, connections with agents, players, other coaches, organizations, sure isn’t going to hurt.

I’m sure there will be gaffes in the front office and successes, some deals will be good and some will be bad. It’s the way the game operates and anyone who thinks one guy is going to make some immediate impact or prove to be the difference-maker doesn’t quite understand how the game works.

If you were to go through the past of every significant NBA exec, you’d find some head-scratching moves that didn’t work out at all. You’d also find most have been parts of teams that have had success.

You hire a guy, trust his judgement and his past experience and hope the advice he offers works out well.

There are no sure things but I’d don’t mind them having a guy who’s been around the league for a couple of decades, someone who’s been with an organization that played for two championships, someone who knows the game.

What can it hurt?

-

Lou Williams!

Not sure if any of you heard the little hit I did with McCown and Brunt on Wednesday night but the name of one NBA free agent I’ve heard the HOTH have, or had, interested in completely escaped me.

Now, I don’t if they still do – I heard the name way back before the lockout hit and no one was allowed to talk about players – but his is one name that was kicked around.

Doesn’t mean he’s going to sign, doesn’t mean they still want him but it was the kind of guy they began the process thinking about.

That could all change, of course, given the specifics of the new CBA and that’s why it’s impossible to determine what these fellas might have in mind.

I will say this: I do think Bryan has positioned them financially and with roster openings to make moves quickly regardless of the new CBA.

Of course, we don’t know what that will be so it’s all guesswork right now.

-

What? Some of you take yesterday off?

Mail, people. Please. Here.

Now that they want a couple of questions answered to run in the Saturday paper, I’ve got to get started before the stools are even in place on a Friday afternoon so get to it, ok?

-

What to make of this 15-hours-of-talks between the league and the union that broke up about 2 a.m. Thursday?

Well, various reports suggest they made some progress on the “system” issues – tax, length of contract, annual raises and the like – but never got around to the split of the Basketball Related Income, which remains the elephant in the room.

But, I’m going to trust guys like Ken Berger at CBS Sports, Howard Beck at the Times, My Man Sheridan and B. Mahoney of the AP; they all sense something more good than bad went on.

But the fact is, we’ve been down this road before.

Remember the overwhelming sense of optimism about two weeks ago, when everyone figured they had the split done and were ready to wrap things up?

Not so much.

Anyway, much better news yesterday and they’re back at it this afternoon. Wake me when they have a deal.

-

Appropos of nothing and just to prove we can’t go a day with being all sports, did you know Morey Amsterdam passed away on this date?

And the whole “TV theme songs without lyrics” list grows.

-

I know there will be a fair amount of angst among some Torontonians about the Buffalo Bills stuff and how the fans who come out are as much about other teams than they are the Bills and how it’s not nearly the same at the Rogers Centre as it is at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Duh!

Of course it isn’t.

No way people in Toronto can match the enthusiasm of a Bills crowd, won’t happen in a billion years. They’re not the same kind of audience, not fuelled by the same passion, they haven’t been camped out in parking lots for hours getting ready.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.

Now, I do presume more people might be more excited and boisterous this time around because the Bills do seem like a fun team to watch and the game does have some significance but matching The Ralph?

Ain’t going to happen in a month of Sundays; fans here are not cut from the same cloth, they don’t have the same vested interest in the team.

Took a drive down there yesterday (here’s the first of a trio of stories that will eventually appear) and when I told the guy at the border where I was going and why, he wanted to talk about the Bills and knew right away they’d lost all three regular season games up in Toronto.

Stopped at a Starbucks out near the stadium to do a little work because I was way early thanks to little QEW traffic and a smooth Peace Bridge experience and when I told the nice lady what I was doing, she wanted to chat about the Bills and their foray to a foreign land.

The Bills are the topic down there, people of all ilk live and die with their successes and failures. Here? Just another team playing a game people get to see once a year.

Don’t be at all surprised that the players see it as a bit of a nuisance, and some will tell you it’s not the same.

-

 

 

And now for a little Raptors news

Guy goes to do football and basketball breaks out.

It appears the Raptors are actually getting some work done during the NBA lockout.

According to league sources, they could name Ed Stefanski the executive vice-president of basketball operations by the end of this week.

I’ll get back with more as soon as we can.

Big game, little event, and a couple of boneheads

Am toddling off the Buffalo today to set the scene for the big NFL match coming to Toronto on Sunday and got to thinking:

Are neutral site games such a big deal any more?

I mean, if you’re in a major city like Toronto (where the Mayor isn’t nearly as well liked as she is in Hazelville; nyah, nyah, nyah) is a visit from a team like the Bills to play a regular season game something that’s important?

Can’t imagine it really is any more, although Silvio at the Rogers Centre tells me here that ticket sales are up, which I would think has to do as much with the Bills not sucking as it does any sense of “event.”

Back in the day, when you couldn’t see basketball, baseball or hockey games every night from the comfort of your home or every game every Sunday either in some local or on that same couch, it would be a big deal when something new and exciting came to the city.

I imagine there were people who very much looked forward to, say, a visit by the Buffalo Braves to the Gardens back in the day because it finally presented a chance to see something live that you couldn’t normally see.

Now, so many people don’t care about the drive to Buffalo, games are so prevalent on your television every night, the sense of big time event seems to be gone.

That’s not to mean it’s not a good thing that they’re here to play, though.

(Speaking of, we’ve got a little poll thing going on over at the Facebook Bureau; I know some of you are adverse to it and that’s cool, there’s not much there that you can’t get here, but if you want to take part, we’d be glad to have you. If the ‘likes’ increase, the Tall Foreheads are happy and if they’re happy, I’m happy and we know it’s all about me).

Anyway, back to the Bills.

It’s certainly not going to be like a “real” NFL game because all the ancillary stuff can’t match what you can do in a parking lot at, say, Orchard Park and that’s what makes it a unique experience for so many of you.

I guess the thing that makes it a bit hum-drum for some is that it’s not really a one-off event. They’ll be back n ext year, probably, and the year after that and they’ve already been here three times so the draw has to now be the game, rather than the event.

I’d imagine promoters would have a difficult time drumming up much interest if the Bills were their usual below-average selves; they’ve kind of been rescued by a quick start to a traditionally average team.

And that’s what’s making this a special game, not the event.

-

So it’s 5:25 a.m. when I get in the car to start the journey (Niagara Falls and then Buffalo to continue to my role as Mr. Football) when I learn there’s something called:

National Sleep In Day!

How could no one have told me?

People!

Here’s the deal, I’d appreciate some warning when it’s:

National Take The Afternoon Off And Go Golfing Day.

Figure that’s a biweekly occurrence in the spring, summer and fall, right?

National The House Buys Many Rounds Day.

In celebration of regularity.

National Don’t Leave The Couch Night

Oh, wait. We celebrate that often. Never mind.

National Super Son Does Everything Around The House Day

May never happen but a guy can dream, right?

National The Leaves Magically Disappear From The Backyard Day.

See “a guy can dream, right?”

What have you got?

-

Man, are we getting old or what?

It was 25 years ago today – a quarter of a freaking century – that Bill Buckner let that ball go through his legs in Game 6 of the Red Sox-Mets World Series.

Now, Irregulars will know I was a bit of a Bosox fan back then, sitting quietly in Super Dad’s living room watching by myself, a small bottle of champagne at the ready.

Wonder what kind of vinegar that’s turned in to?

Anyway, the Buckner news – and I’d almost forgotten about the Bob Stanley wild pitch that preceded it that was almost as disgusting – got me thinking about the major gaffes we’ve seen in the game, not including Tony LaRussa’s mental meltdown with his bullpen and phone the other night.

Fred Merkle?

Ever hear of him?

Well, it’s detailed here and if Buckner’s a goat, Freddy Boy might be the goat of all time.

And I know for years Buckner, a former batting champion and pretty darn good ballplayer who probably should be remembered for things other than one error, took some umbrage at the abuse he was dealt.

Well, imagine how Fred felt when he woke up one day and saw this.

Yes, newspapering may never be the same; we should find ourselves a good sports cartoonist.

-

First call for mail, folks.

Please do your thing here, it’s much appreciated, as always.

-

Okay, debate time.

On this day in 1962, The Rolling Stones recorded their first demo tape (it wasn’t the version we know now but you get the point).

On this day in 1965, the Beatles were invested with their MBE’s (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by The Queen.

Now, I don’t know about you, but as a wee tot and into my mis-spent youth years, there used to be a discussion every now and then:

Beatle fan?

Stones fan?

Not sure that then, as you can now, you could swear allegiance to both; if that was the case for Irregulars Of A Certain Vintage, which side did you come down on?

Me?

Beatles. All the way.

-

 

 

Good series and a good table tennis story

Hmm.

Getting to be a time of many, unrelated little items.

Hope you don’t mind.

-

This is turning into one pretty good World Series, no?

Outside of that one blowout, it’s been the best one in a while and I really hope it gets to a Game 7; that kind of drama is a perfect way to end a season.

Even casual sports fan friends seem to be interested, which flies in the face of the commonly held perception that you need big markets or traditional teams to generate a lot of buzz.

Never quite believed that; I don’t really care about ratings because I’m not in that business. I do care about competitive series with compelling storylines and figure that’s enough for the true fan. Remember Cleveland-Atlanta? Anaheim-San Francisco?

Hardly Yankees-Dodgers or Red Sox-Mets but all of them turned out to be great series that caught the attention of everyone and laid waste to the feeling that no one will care if it’s not “big name” teams.

Of course, this story from last night about a breakdown in communications between the dugout and the bullpen was the big sidebar of the evening.

Seems Tony LaRussa called down, the noise was too loud, wrong guy got up and it was a total schmozzle.

Seeing how I can get in touch with about anyone in the world through the magic of the bbm and phone, you’d think that would be the least of the worries in a major league baseball park.

Here’s what they might want to do: Since LaRussa uses more relievers in more matchups than any manager I can remember, maybe about the sixth inning everyone should get up and get loose.

Just in case.

-

From the Department of Your Favourite Grunt As Susan Lucci …

Heartfelt congrats to our boys and girls over at the photo department for copping Best Blog Award at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards last night.

As you know, they do great work; I’ll get ‘em next year. No disgrace in losing to that group, they really do fantastic work.

-

A question.

Are we in such a hurry as a society that people can’t wait for me to get off an elevator on the ground floor before they go rushing in?

Just wondering.

-

This, folks, might be as good as there’s been in this whole NBA thing from one of the most under-rated general columnists out there.

We miss Dave D around the game.

A lot.

-

Story time.

So, I make one of my few forays down to the Mother Ship yesterday (life seems to be keeping me away) and plunk myself down amid the Tall Foreheads ‘cause my desk is just south of Queen’s Quay and I need to be close to chat during the NFL thingamabob we do.

Anyway, for some reason you don’t need to know (well, if you insist, it’s because TTN is the wire-service code for table tennis) one of the big shots mentions that some tennis table icon (Kjell Johansson of Sweden) has died and there’s a story on the wire.

Now, perhaps because I’ve written marathons and tennis and golf and NFL more in the last two weeks than I’d care to mention, it got me thinking about my one brush with big league ping pong.

It’s at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics – I’m there for The People’s Wire Service and we are all things to all people – and this dude from Canada, Johnny Huang, somehow pulls of a miracle upset of some dude from Sweden, with the King of Sweden or some luminary of that ilk, in the crowd.

Well, now Johnnny’s in the quarter-finals and we all race over to cover the next big match/game/set/period/quarter, whatever it is. As you can imagine, the collective table tennis intelligence of the five or six of us caught up in Huangmania is rather limited so we’re figuring we watch, we talk to him, we write some compelling tale of greatness.

Doesn’t Johnny go and lose the quarters and we’re all waiting to chat with him and lament his loss while praising him for prior glorious ping-pong triumphs.

We’re in the mixed zone, tape recorders at the ready, when Mr. Huang comes and goes, blows us off and we’re told something to the effect of “he doesn’t want to talk.”

Blown off. By a table tennis player. A guy in a sport who should be so willing to get his game and name out there he should come to your room to be interviewed if that’s easier.

We register somewhat vociferous angst over this turn of events, Mr. Huang comes back to chat and all’s right in the world.

First and last table tennis story I think I ever wrote.

Some day soon: The time the PR flak lost the medal winning boxer in Barcelona and how Stephen Brunt might have saved my career.

And thanks to the magic of youtube …

-

We love our Mayor and the people in Big Neighbour To The East don’t.

Nyah, nyah, nyah.

Long Live Hazelville.

-

Oh yeah, reports are now that we don’t get an “indefinite” postponement of the NBA season, we’re going to get a couple more weeks chopped off the season today.

Around the office, the deal is I can’t jump in a write too much about the NBA until something actually happens but even then it is a rather taxing endeavour.

As I was telling Tall Foreheads, not sure what the fourth paragraph of any story would be.

First: League cancels more game.

Second: No new talks scheduled.

Third: Dispute about how to share $4 billion or so in revenue.

-30-

-

 

 

 

Games go on, except the ones that will be cancelled

You know, of course, that the Pan-Am Games are going on now down in Mexico, right?

And if ever a multi-sport game has fallen further out of the public eye, can’t imagine what it is.

Now, you know we think we need to better support our Olympic sport athletes a bit better than we do, which is just about every four years or so, but I honestly cannot get excited about the Pan-Ams, even though they are Olympic qualifiers in a lot of events.

Why?

Not sure exactly, probably has to do with the overblown menu of sports I honestly don’t care about – water skiing, bowling, roller skating – along with the fact a lot of the top athletes in the other sports take a pass on the Games.

It could also simply be a matter of Games Malaise that’s hit us all. We are devoutly interested in the Olympics because, well, because they’re the Olympics but in this day and age, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to fit in Pan Ams or Commonweaths or anything else perceived as second-rate.

That is not to take away from the skills of the athletes or their dedication to their sports; it’s just the way it is right now. In fact, we should probably give more credit to the men and women who set their life’s athletic goals as Pan Ams or something like that because they certainly aren’t doing it for any glory or real financial gain.

It probably doesn’t bode well for the fact the next Pan Ams, in 2015, are here in Toronto because if few are paying attention now, can’t see there being a lot of momentum built up to grab the attention of the casual fan.

I did cover a Pan Ams once, back in 1999 in Winnipeg as part of a too-big Mother Star team because we were rich at the time and figured we needed to track athletes from there to the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

I have nothing against Winnipeg, it’s quite a nice city if you don’t mind fist-sized mosquitoes and black flies and the odd minus-400 degree winter weather. Actually it was one of the best eating Games I’ve been at because they have a handful of excellent restaurants.

But I do recall swaths of empty seats at almost every venue and a level of disinterest as the Games droned on that was troubling.

I did, however, see Stubby Clapp become Stubby Clapp by hitting a wind-blown popup down the right field line in a ball game against the United States and I do remember some roller hockey guy testing positive for dope – roller hockey!!!!! – but that might be about it.

Can’t wait for 2015.

-

Oh, look.

A list.

From the mail.

Well done.

Q: Hi Doug, here’s a second TV question in as many days. What are your top three TV theme songs, without lyrics, that you catch yourself “singing” every now and again? My top three have to be Law and Order (including the wolf sound at the end), Barney Miller and of course Benny Hill (maybe Night Court as well). Of course they’re usually sung during a lonely road trip or in the shower so I can’t account for how well they’re performed. Thoughts?

Heath M, Toronto

A: Not sure about Benny Hill, although it does get raves when it plays over bloopers on the scoreboard at these games I used to cover.

But I will give you Law and Order and add these three:

And you can probably throw a blanket over ‘em to say if they’re first, second or third:

(And if you or any other Irregular starts humming these during the day, I’ll take the blame).

Jim, Rocky, Dennis, Beth and a catchy tune.

Yes, it has a lot to do with my crush on Tina Fey

This might be the best, if I had to pick one.

-

What will they cancel over at NBA Headquarters today?

You know it’s coming and the prevailing opinion of the people I read is that the league will cancel the regular season “indefinitely” or “until further notice” or something nebulous like that.

It kind of has to be open-ended, I guess. It’s another shot across the bow from David Stern, a message that no one’s getting any money at any specific time.

Such an announcement will do nothing for the fans but do you think they really care? I’m not sure they do at all, certainly nothing they’ve done so far would indicate that’s the case.

Anyway, I guess it also doesn’t put any kind of firm deadline on things – like “if we’re going to try to start Dec. 1, we better have a deal by Halloween” – and that doesn’t matter, either, because even deadlines haven’t spurred these two sides to action.

All it really means is that, likely, we’re all going to have to write stories this afternoon dredging up the old facts and boring financial minutia of the collective bargaining talks.

Yawn.

-

So, it would appear I’m going to be Mr. Football this week, lucky readers.

And if we end up with some 6-3 dog of a game on Sunday, the level of disgruntlement will be off the charts.

-

Now, I remember Reggie Jackson’s three home run game in the 1977 World Series – each on the first pitch of the at-bat, as I recall – and that stood as the single best individual offensive performances I cold recall.

Until now.

What Albert Pujols did Saturday – three homers, five hits 14 total bases – is now the gold standard and should cement him as the greatest hitter in the game today.

Of course, going hitless on Sunday just shows you part of the beauty of the game – great one night, a non-factor the next – but for one game, he stood above them all.

Wish I seen it in person, wish I’d seen Jackson’s in person, too, but now when you’re talking all-time great moments, there’s a recent one to recall.

Of course, it might not make up entirely for his botched cutoff play in Game 2, but what the heck.

-