Delicate relationships are well-handled by true pros

Well, not sure how long it’s been since there’s been a more difficult road day, that’s for sure.

Nothing like getting off a plane to shockingly sad news and then trying to deal with it.

And, you know what, the horrible news of Randy’s passing did affirm one thing in my mind:

This truly is a little family.

Sure, we have squabbles and there are goofy uncles you don’t want to deal with on a regular basis and other relatives you tend to ignore, but when things go bad, we’re there for each other, however we can be.

Dear friends call and they are wonderful voices to hear, you sit and read the tributes in tears on a stool and you can almost hear the people speaking the words.

The shock and sadness isn’t going to dissipate for a very, very long time; there will be more tears before will be celebrations (and the night we all finally get together to sit around and tell stories will be, in the words of the young ‘uns, epic) but through it all, there will be friends.

Good, supportive, caring friends and yesterday made me proud to know the people I know.

I think one of the things that amazed me the most – actually, knowing the people involved “amazed” might not be the right word – was the outpouring of emotion from athletes and sports administrators.

We live in far too confrontational a world when it comes to sports journalists and the subjects they cover and write about; too many of us tend to be hypercritical and look to expose flaws with some measure of glee.

Doesn’t have to be that way, not at all.

Don’t get me wrong: If there is reason to criticize or write critically, it has to be done and I know from having worked side-by-side through all those Olympics with Randy that he was more than willing to do it.

But there is a way to do it calmly and with reason and logic; to not go off half-cocked and be one of the screamers who bring our craft into disrepute.

Subtlety is an art and Randy had it; he could rail in his own way against boorish administrators and government agencies and even athletes when it needed to be done but he did in a way that earned him even more respect from the athletes he covered.

He broke hard news and wrote hard stories and at the end of the day, there were no hard feelings.

If only we all had that deft touch.

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Anyway, no “more” today, just handful of little things that makes it a bit shorter than usual, it’s been a tough time.

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Guess what? Somehow the satellite in the bar did not reach deep enough into space to pluck out the signal from the Raptors-Hawks tilt which means one very good thing pour moi:

I missed the final Camo Jersey night and I’m not all that upset with that.

But it also means that Three Pointers are virtually impossible to do; I’ll wait to read your comments after reading Cathal’s gamer to find out what went on.

I do see that I missed Solo’s career game, I missed Gary Forbes back at the point and I missed a whole lot of scoring. Looks from a distance like the HOTH kind of ran out of gas, or something, late in the game after playing the Hawks tough into the middle or so of the third quarter.

Anything else I miss?

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How about this.

A guy sleeps in a little bit – kind of a tossing and turning night and I just knew you could find something from the Law and Order franchise on TV about 3 a.m. – so that means a later than usual trip to the lobby for coffee and fresh air.

But sometimes fate intervenes and you strike up a conversation with a cool guy from London who’s off to Belize fishing and you trade short bios, he finds out about the Olympics and now …

Well, now if I go to the area of London known (and pardon me if I spell any of this stuff incorrectly) as Belgravia and visit the Grendadier and then wander over to either Wilson Muse or Kinnerton to find the Windsor Castle, I’m going to have some cool pub nights.

(That, of course, is if I can figure out how to store such information in this little iPhone thingy).

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So I see they’re taking the all-star game back to New Orleans in 2014 and I’m entirely cool with that. I’ve come to really enjoy the city, we had a great time there a couple of years ago and with the city still coming back, it’s nice to go somewhere where the money spent can really make a difference.

And, yes, I’d much rather go somewhere to all-star weekend than have it in Toronto and, trust me, I’m not sure all the people who ask incessantly about why the Raptors don’t host it truly understand what it is.

It is a weekend of events for league “partners” and there are scant few tickets to any of the events available to the general public. If you own a hotel chain, or one of the cool clubs downtown you might reap some benefits; if not, there will be as much inconvenience as anything.

Now, aside from the logistical nightmares – the back-of-house at the Air Canada Centre is woefully inadequate, the convention centre needed for the JamFest is booked, I believe, through 2014 or 2015, the league always likes to go to warmer weather places with new arenas or some other ownership tie-in – all that all-star weekends generally mean for regular folks is a chance to see stars from afar and to be not invited to the biggest of events.

It strikes me that this is one of those cases where people want the game to validate the city and themselves. And that’s not really worth it.

Oh yeah, more New Orleans news with new owner Tom Benson suggesting the team will change its name, although maybe not ‘til the start of the 2013-14 season at least.

Benson, who owns the NFL Saints, hasn’t given any hints as to what he’d like it to be and there’s all kinds of suggestions floating around.

Best one I heard, by far?

The Sinners.

Won’t happen but how cool would it be if it did.

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Comments

[sam]

Hello Doug,
Sorry to hear the sad news about your colleague. From all I've read he was a talented and well respected man. His passing is a huge loss for amateur sports in Canada. Condolences to Mr Starkman's family at home and at the Star.

You didn't miss too much last night. The HOTH were over matched and seemed to just wear down.

[JHK]

I hate hindsight but imagine if we didn't get those wins over the C's and Hawks and perhaps the Nuggets a while back - we'd be 2nd in line to land A. Davis mathematically. Just sayin'.
Anyways, have you heard/seen the 'Slip screen' incident from the Nets broadcasters Ian and Tzar?
Tzar twitted that it was all jokes for fun but I don't believe it.

Blogger's note: No, I haven't

[Juan]

Doug
I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend.

Blogger's note: Thanks

[Tory Mellonia]

Do you agree with Jack Armstrong's statement that the Raptors trade their draft pick if they land in a spot below 5?

Blogger's note: Under the right circumstances, yep

[ditch]

I'm sure you'll receive scores of posts like this so there's no need to post or respond to this, Doug. I want to offer you my sincere condolences on the loss of your pal.

If I might offer a thought expressed by Ron Sexsmith, "All in good time, the bad times will be gone. All in good time."
May it be so.

Blogger's note: A great thought; thanks

[TLI]

I feel badly that I didn't know or recognize Randy Starkman's work better while he was here. I have no doubt that the personal connections I have always felt for Canadian athletes are largely attributable to his efforts - a case, I expect, of minding the story and not the teller. But the outpourings of loss and the tributes from our Olympians have been truly startling to me; I never would have guessed at such strong bonds between the athletes and a journalist. There's only one way to win such respect. Amazing.

Doug, your own most heartfelt words of grieving also help us to properly appreciate what we all have lost with Randy's passing. Bless you for that.

[Wilber]

I enjoyed his work. My thoughts with you and the Star family on your loss.

[LeeZ]

Doug, if you were a card carrying member of Tank Nation (which I know you're not; neither am I, for that matter), and you could sit only one man to increase the number of pingpong balls, whom would you sit?
a) Bargs
b) Calderon
c) Casey.

Blogger's note: If Dwane got "flu-like symptoms" it might work out

[LeeZ]

@JHK: Truly bizarre. Never seen a play-by-play guy open up a can of whoop ass on his colour man. They're trying to pass if off as a joke, but there's NO WAY. Here's the scoop: (and as an ironic aside, I just this week taught the slip screen to the youth basketball team I coach. Timely or what!) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/ian-eagle-mike-fratello-nets-announcers-awkward-video_n_1428711.html

[Pascal LeBlanc]

My condolences to Mr. Starkman's family, you and all the people at the Star. When times are tough we sometimes find the strenght to inspire others and this little piece you wrote truly inspired me.

[joeu]

Hello Doug,

I'd like to offer my condolences on the passing of Randy Starkman.

I knew him only through his work for The Star, but his passion and dedication to "the story" was evident, and I am saddened by the news.

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:
Although I read Randy's work only sporadically, the tributes, and your own well-put words - yesterday and today - make me realize what a tragic loss this truly is.

My condolences to his family, and to his family at the Star.

Take care.

[Mike K.]

I actually saw a commenter on another blog suggest "New Orleans Hurricanes" as the new name for the Hornets - I can only hope they were joking. The best suggestion I've seen is to let New Orleans take the Jazz name back, and have Utah become the Saints.

[avinash]

My condolences on your loss Doug. Too young to go, but it's never our call.

[JT]

So the Raps did get spanked as I predicted yesterday.

Blogger's note: Yeah, you went way out on the limb with that one. Well done

[grits]

I didn't know Randy, but I did have a connection, however small. My daughter's class was doing a Flat Stanley project at the same time as Randy recruited a Flat Stanley from Allenby Public School. (http://thestar.blogs.com/olympics/2010/01/heres-flat-stanley-hes-a-hero-to-school-kids-around-the-world-you-can-learn-more-about-him-here-check-out-some-of-his-adv.html) Well, my niece was working as Sports Editor for the Whistler Question during the 2010 games and she agreed to take on our Flat Stanley, at the same time Randy traveled with his to Vancouver/Whistler. I'm sure there were other Flat Stanley's at the games, but I only kept track of my Daughter's and Randy's. And then my niece was lucky enough to meet him at the games. My condolences to you and Randy's family.

[Michel G]

The exchange between Ian Eagle and Mike Fratello was just a joke. Remember, these two have been calling Nets games for a while. They're bound to go loopy once in a while.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/yes-exchange-ian-eagle-mike-fratello-nets-broadcast-a-joke-article-1.1062656

[brad]

Doug, sorry to hear about your loss, it sounded like it really hit home, but very thoughtful comments. Had a friend pass away recently, death is nothing like the drama in the movies, in real life it just feels empty and it sucks.