The lack of civility in the stands can be troubling

I really, really, really don’t get some sports fans.

Sorry.

We were in Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday – a couple of Dads and a couple of Super Sons – and, let me tell you, in some respects it was like nothing I’ve experienced in quite some time.

Look, I’m fine with over-the-top support of the home team, or any team, even if I don’t have the level of passion that many do.

I appreciate, even if I don’t quite understand, painting ones face, wearing a jersey, going all out to show support that players can’t really hear.

I understand Argos-Ticats and the rivalry; I get that it’s a team representing a city, with bragging rights or something on the line.

That’s cool, it’s part of being a fan, I guess and to each their own.

But what I saw was a level of aggression, a bit of stupidity, people itching for confrontation rather than a good game or a big play and it was, in some ways, troubling.

Tell me why a kid in his 20s – sober, by the way – would greet every significant play for the home team but standing up, looking directly at a group of supporters a row down and a few seats away and swearing at them? Like, I mean letting them have it with both barrels. Entirely to provoke them, it’s not like they knew each other anything. This was unnecessary provocation and it quite easily could have escalated.

Of course, it didn’t because, finally, someone challenged the loudmouth and momentarily shut him up and for a long time, it was a far more enjoyable evening.

That doesn’t even touch on the impact of beers and liquors to increase the level of testosterone. It doesn’t touch on the guy who shed his shirt for some reason known only him and whatever secret sauce was in the plastic cup he was drinking from.

We understand the influence of booze to make someone feel bold, to take away inhibitions, to somehow make it okay in a muddled mind to challenge others rather than just have fun. That’s going to happen, it detracts from the night but isolated incidents are inevitably going to happen.

Whatever happened to simply cheering? Loudly, at appropriate times, with the odd boo for a bad call or something like that?

What happened to civilized behaviour where you interact with the people you’re with and those around you as some kind of brothers-in-arms, not as friends, exactly, but as like-minded sports fans?

Used to be fun to go to a game, and I’m sure in many instances it still is. But with idiots who try to make it personal, rather than a shared experience, I can’t imagine it’s nearly as much as it once was.

Too bad.

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So most of yesterday was spent figuring out what the hullabaloo would be like if the Raptors got rid of a guy who mattered.

Seriously.

People need to relax.

James Johnson is a fifth-year player about to be on his third team who doesn’t quite seem to “get it” often enough.

I have nothing against him personally, he was always cordial and willing to chat and a nice enough guy. But, folks, if you’re worried that the team you cheer for can’t absorb the loss of James Johnson, the issues go waaaaaaaaaaay beyond James Johnson.

-

What else with the Raptors?

They played a summer league game last night, I’m told. They’ve got a buntoss meet-and-greet with the new guys here today. That’s about it.

-

So it’s about 30 C outside when I walked Super Dog about 6 a.m., thick with humidity, it’s supposed to get to 36 C, feel like about 44 C and I’m a tad fed up.

Luckily, I’m hearing from One Of The All-time Greats that it’s 15 C, cold wind, rain lashing the windows in London and I’m thinking, “bring it on.”

End of rant.

-

Yeah, kind of figures with the way things have been going all season that Jose Bautista would screw up his wrist on a swing.

Not a hit by pitch or a dive after a line drive or a slide at some base.

A swing.

Man, that sucks. Here’s the best team player in Toronto, biggest star any of the teams have, he’s helped carry a team devastated by injuries to pitchers to at least some level of competitiveness for the post-season and then, this.

Sucks, eh?

-

In case you missed it – and I can’t imagine how you did – today’s the day the Knicks have to match an offer for Jeremy Lin or let him go for nothing.

Big decision, financially and otherwise, and no real indication which way they’ll go.

I’ll say this again about Lin, whose story you have to be more than familiar with now: He is an intriguing player who was a far better story and marketing piece last season. He may turn out to be very good, he may turn out to be quite average, I don’t for a second think a 25-game stretch is a bit enough sample size to say definitively either way.

But if I’m the Knicks, I match. I don’t worry about the third year because you’ve got two years to figure it out and that’s eons. And I don’t want to hear a whisper about the contract being “untradeable” because none are. If we’ve learned nothing over the past few years, it’s that anyone can be dealt no matter what they’re being paid. That’s can’t be an issue; I think it has to come down to whether New York thinks he’s going to be really good, or a bit above average.

Tough call.

The “poison pill” aspect of the deal and why it’s so bad probably hasn’t been explained here well enough and I’m sorry for that.

If a player joins a new team after signing an offer sheet, the cap hit is the average of the three seasons regardless of the annual salary – which is why, for instance – the Landry Fields deal here is about $6.3 million a season over three seasons.

But if the player’s original team matches, the cap hit is under terms of the deal; that is, if the Knicks would have matched on Fields, they would have been dinged about $5 million in the first two years and somewhere near $9 million in the third, when a far more punitive tax system will be in place under terms of the new CBA.

Same thing with Lin, it averages out if he lands in Houston, it’s a burdensome third year tax-wise if he stays in New York.

 

 

Comments

[J]

@John:

Yes and no.

First, just so we don't confuse the use of "poison pill" with the Poison Pill Provision, let's describe the rule by its actual name: the "Gilbert Arenas" Provision (or GAP, for convenience). To prevent another potential source of confusion for other readers, the GAP was created in the 2005 CBA.

You are correct that the GAP targets the 1999 CBA loophole that allowed other teams to automatically poach RFAs if a sufficiently large offer was made. Thus, the GAP does provide teams with more leverage in keeping their own RFAs than prior to the 2005 CBA.

What you left out is the following scenario (for the sake of convenience, I'll be using current figures, but with the GAP redacted). For argument's sake, let's pretend the Knicks are below the cap by $14+ mil. Without the GAP, the best three-year offer the Rockets could make to Lin would have been $42.9 mil ($13.7 mil, $14.3 mil and $14.9 mil). While over the Early Bird exception, the Knicks could still match due to their cap space, with the cap hit each season being the exact salary value for each year. Now, un-redact the GAP. The best three-year offer the Rockets could make to Lin is still $42.9 mil, but due to the GAP, the first two years max out at $5 mil and $5.2 mil, with the third year bloating to a whopping $32.6 mil ($0.1 mil off due to rounding). This is the perfect example of how the GAP allows for a "poison pill" effect. In a situation that would have allowed the Knicks to easily match under the 1999 CBA, the provision creates a disincentive to match by creating potential cap and tax issues in the third year.

Thus, while the GAP does restrict player movement in some scenarios, it also promotes player movement in other scenarios.

[GM]

I generally agree with you that there are no untradeable contracts. And then I think of Eddie Curry. I think a caveat has to be that the player is at least capable of playing and isn't getting an obscene amount of money. I like Lin as a player but if he becomes an ineffectual player who gets no playing time (I doubt that will happen, by the way), then I could see his contract being a roadblock to being moved.

[Liam Scott]

I took my son to the Ti-Cats home opener last year. He was 6 at the time. I specifically bought the most expensive seats hoping to avoid nastiness. I'm not unaccustomed to a good rowdy crowd (I've seen the Bills in Buffalo, watched Colombia vs Brazil soccer in Bogota, spent a night at the Gold Range in Yellowknife, and once saw Glasgow Rangers play Glasgow Celtic, in Glasgow, on an Easter Sunday) but this was ugliness on a new level. The language I could handle, but by the end of the first quarter, we'd had a fight go over top of us; a drunken person be stretchered out against his will after falling down the stairs beside us; had beer spilled on us twice and thrown at us once; and my lad been hit by a flagpole three times; the second two were deliberate after I said something the first time. On the way out I said something to the usher. He said "You should think twice before bringing a kid to a Ti-Cats game". Funny, I haven't seen that phrase in any of their marketing material.

[Mark]

Doug, alcohol actually decreases testosterone. Of course the level of testosterone in someone's blood has little to no correlation with being an idiot at sporting events.

[Jarrod]

Hey Doug - I just read that Alan Anderson will be back. Any word on this?

Blogger's note: Bryan certainly wasn't definitive but the possibility exists for sure

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Some pretty interesting reading and great musical choices today, thanks one and all.
Yes, @Bruce, even the most soused diehards feel they can afford to be a bit generous when they're up 21, but, in case of dramatic comeback, you'd best be prepared to make like @Geoff Read and doff your Argos jersey if you value your jewels.
And no, sadly, I don't believe our lack of civility has bottomed out quite yet. But, like all good Raps fans, we can always hope.
Actually, can't wait to see what shakes out for the Raps between now and October. If nothing further happens, they're going to be more fun to watch than last – and they were already a good deal more fun to watch last year than they were the year before. If something further does happen, well, they could be downright exciting, but again, I'm making like a Raps fan...
When you off to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Doug? You know you won't need to worry much about OT events at the Games if the constabulary are as consistent (and officious) there as they are at a Sir Paul + The Boss do. Cheers.

Blogger's note: Depart Monday night; a kazillion things still to do but figure first pint some time mid-afternoon Tuesday after 6 or 8 hours at Heathrow

[Slodrive]

More unfair commentary about Ivor Wynne. Damien Cox wrote a more scathing piece a number of years ago. At least his seemed to cite some actual issues. Almost seems after every Toronto - Hamilton game at Ivor Wynne, some T.O scribe sounds off about the oh-so-brutish louts in the stands. Generally, the truth is that incidents in the seats are hard to come by. Sure, a night-game against a rival may have spawned more, but lets face it...of the 24,000-and-change there, who much 'uncivilized' behaviour was there.

Given that I attend a good 5-8 games there every year, I can tell you that these incidents are few and far between.

However, one can see how Toronto writers may simply be unfamiliar with loud, engaged fans.

Blogger's note: Sir, or madam, I wrote what I saw; provocative, rude, ill-mannered, ridiculous behaviour aimed at people rather than the game. Don't care if you think it was isolated, it was my reality. And entirely bush league.

[john]

FIFA Safety Regulations, article 8, section 3.
A basic requirement in order to hold a Footy Match.

“The sectors for the fans of the two opposing teams shall be kept as far
away from each other as possible. Partitions separating these sectors
from other spectator areas shall be particularly strong and stable. The
sector for away fans shall have its own entry point. The route to this
entry point should cross as few of the routes used by other spectators
as possible.”

Can someone please explain the difference between not being able to even enter the same stadium through the same entrance and yelling obscenities at the guys wearing visiting jerseys in the home team stadium? Don’t get me wrong, both are complete and utter morons, I just don’t see where one is given license to brawl in the name of passion and the other is just an idiot.

[Dave]

Agreed that JJ didn't quite get it yet, but there are a few guys in the league who don't get it for a while, but are worth having when they finally do.....we let Hump go before he got it and now he is a good player...(not 2yrs, 24 mil, but good)...what about ZBo? He is great and didn't get right away.... I'm not too upset, but it will sting if JJ ends up getting it....Cousins is sure to get it at some point...and Sac will be happy they waited...

[DH]

Doug,

Why James Johnson instead of say Linas Kleiza. Is it attitude, or is it outlook on potential? Do the Raps think he has peaked. The I ask is I see Johnson giving the team more versatility and athleticism. Kleiza's a better scorer but Johnson the better defender. Besides you can prolly fetch mid 1st round pick for Kleiza and dump the higher salary.

[Peter]

I see that we've added number 9 and number 3. If it's not too much work, could we get a list of other notable Raptor 9's and 3's? I know that you often provide us with this, and I'm not sure if you have access to a database or if you just do that by memory. It's often fun.

Blogger's note: Hmm. Top of my head, 3s were Zan Tabak and Chauncey and, I think, Loren Woods. 9s? Pape!!! And Joey Dorsey. I'll check others when I find my media guide

[brad]

I like the Fields signing and don't think the contract was overly high - he seems like a MLE kind of guy that his average contract was pretty close to that.

But one thing seems for sure, he's one funny dude - guessing there will be a lot of great one-liners or stories for the media to write about.