Hardly a thriller but at least something was on the line

That was a dog of an all-star game, wasn’t it?

Over before it really began and I cannot imagine anyone in the world expected Justin Verlander to get lit up for five runs in the top of the first, pretty much rendering the next few hours moot.

But the National League now gets home field advantage in the World Series and, you know what, I’m fine with it.

Sure, it’s an all-star game and maybe not everyone’s at the highest level of intensity all night but it does add a level of competitiveness that might otherwise be absent. If you listen to players, they do care who wins and some of that has to do with what’s on the line.

It’s not the olden days, when there was no inter-league play and there was a true rivalry between the National and American leagues but putting some kind of edge on the game can’t hurt.

I’d much rather something like home field decided in a contest rather than by some arbitrary method like alternating years or record.

I guess regular season record would be the second alternative but the baseball schedule is so unbalanced, I’m not sure that’s fair. I can see it in the NBA, where the schedule is at least a bit more balanced and it’s records of the two teams in the final that determine who has Game 7 at home.

Now, as all-star games go, I’d probably have a tie at the top of the list between baseball, where there is some strategy and no hitter or pitcher wants to be embarrassed on such a grand scale, and basketball, where the first three quarters or so are for show before a fourth quarter can be quite entertaining and competitive.

Hockey? It’s never got anything approximating an “edge.”

Football? Yeah, right. It’s so far fourth it can’t even see third.

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Theme week digression time.

Been a few days of US Armed Services sitcom memories, hasn’t it?

Well, M*A*S*H* is the gold standard and that’s not even open to debate.

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Well, Mr. Stein got someone else on the phone last night and found out it didn’t take long for Jerryd Bayless to make a move.

Bayless is off to Memphis – no terms – and while it’s kind of tough to see a good guy go, it’s just part of doing business.

Raptors needed the money on the offer sheet to have a cushion to do their other deals, there’s a logjam at the positions he plays here and was just time to go, I guess.

Not sure it’s a huge on-court loss for Toronto. They have two proven NBA point guards in Calderon and Lowry, they have DeRozan, Fields and the rookie Ross they want to develop at shooting guard and I don’t know how happy Jerryd would have been as a fifth or sixth backcourt guy.

Good for him that he found a landing spot quickly, hope he likes barbecue and blues. A bunch of time at BB King’s or the Rendezvous isn’t a bad time at all.

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Oh yeah, the qualifying offer to Sonny Weems is off the table, too.

Not entirely sure why, it was worth next to nothing (about $1 million I believe) and was non-guaranteed but it’s gone.

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I read somewhere early this morning that the Dwight Howard Saga should end today.

Seriously. I did.

Can’t come soon enough if it’s true.

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I think I’m going to need a big decompression day sometime soon so if you wanted to start the mail today, that’d be greatly appreciated.

Think we’ll have a moratorium on Nash questions and “why Fields” queries, okay? Thanks.

Click. Write. Send. As usual.

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Hey, we’re coming to Montreal and Rama, I see.

Rama caught be a bit by surprise, hadn’t heard about moving the intra-squad game – guess it’s a bit of a show for a different audience and had a grown a bit stale at the end of a week of training – but Montreal was kind of rumoured for a bit and I’m glad they got it taken care of and announced.

Great city, as we know; was a great event when we were there a couple of years ago and kind of looking forward to getting back there.

Plus, we’ll have the added bonus of sitting around the media room telling “What if Nash did this” stories and I can get some inside stuff on Landry Fields.

The last training camp rumbling I heard was Halifax, not sure where that sounds but it’s going to be another cross-Eastern Canada kind of month. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Oh yeah, Winnipeg gets Minnesota and Detroit in a pre-season game as the league expands its global tours to include a game other than one featuring the Raptors or Steve Nash.

Guess it makes sense with the Timberwolves for the geographic reason and I would assume the game would draw a sizeable crowd.

I’m just wondering when they’re going to make the Grizzlies go play somewhere up here; Vancouver would be sweet, no?

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Not sure how I missed this but yesterday there was some kind of celebration of the 2015 Pan Am Games that are coming here; three years from opening day and can you feel the excitement?

No, me neither.

For what I’ve gathered and read about the games, a truly second-rate multi-sports event in the global sense, they are stuck in a morass of political bickering and delays and unknown costs to the taxpayer.

Maybe they get it all worked out and maybe there’s a buzz a couple of years from now but at this moment, they are so far off the radar, I’m not sure spending even a dime to tell people it’s three years to kick off was a good idea.

Yes, if there is a legacy of first-class facilities for youngsters to use in the future, that’s a good thing; hands up anyone who thinks that’s going to come without some significant cost. If at all.

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Comments

[gdr]

Did Fields sign the offer sheet yet? I haven't been able to find a definite answer. I read that the Knicks are still a 50/50 chance of matching, is that accurate in your opinion?

Blogger's note: Don't know if it's actually signed yet, it will be; and it was Bryan who said 50-50, take it for what it's worth

[SY]

If people think the contract for Fields is crazy.......NY is thinking of matching it.....http://www.hoopsworld.com/new-york-knicks-consider-matching-fields.

[GM]

If Memphis plays an exhibition game in Vancouver, I can only imagine the frosty reception they'd get. I'm seeing lots of retro- Vancouver Grizzlies hats worn around town these days, but I don't think that translates to liking the current squad. It's like imagining Ray Allen will get a nice reception when he returns to Boston.

In all these silly (American-based) updates and power rankings, nobody is mentioning Valanciunas. Not saying that the Raps will catapult into a top ten team, but surely it would move them up a couple of notches one would think. If he were drafted this year, would he have gone in the top five? It seems no American prognosticators know he's coming. He's still coming, right?

Blogger's note: He is coming and the consensus I'm hearing from people -- significantly people who have no vested interest in the Raptors and whose opinion I respect -- is that he would have been a top 3 pick, at worst, this season. No idea if they're right but they are firm in their opinions

[Dave]

Thanks for the clearing up of my question, Doug. I see a few of your irregulars are sick of the question about offers. Sorry, folks. I, contrary to some belief here, think the Feilds offer is great, and I really want fields here. I also think that whoever that J is that posts novellas about ridiculous player metrics from statistic websites and other diatribes has too much time on his hands.... At least he's not insulting....

[D-Mac Ottawa]

@Dave, Stick around awhile and you'll find those novellas are generally dead on, very much worth the read, insightful, entertaining, rarely "about ridiculous player metrics", and you're right – they're never insulting. Quite the contrary. And for the record, I'm with you on wanting to see Fields get signed, immediately; on't want to even think about what Plan D might be at this point, though I hope there is one (or two). Cheers.

[DougSmith]

You think the MLB all-star game deciding home field advantage is a good idea??!! Wow. How much is Bud Selig paying you?

Blogger's note: Seeing as I'm still here reading stuff like this, obviously not enough

[J]

@ Dave:

Or just trying really hard to avoid doing the things he needs to be doing. =)