Important early work to be done; and a movie correction

Holy smokes.

It’s Aug. 30?

Where’d the summer go?

Oh yeah, to Lords and Horse Guard’s Parade and Olympic Park and The Ship and The Swan and, of course, The Cheese.

Anyway, the point is that now that it’s getting close to Labour Day – and the start of school – it’s almost getting time for the lads to start rolling back into town to have the “informal” workouts that precede training camps for almost every basketball team on Earth.

And it’s left us to wonder:

Who’s going to organize stuff – or who has organized stuff during the summer – for the HOTH as they get ready for their first full camp under Dwane Casey.

For all that this team is, it’s still relatively young and there are more than a few new pieces to get acclimated and, frankly, the earlier they get together in the gym, the better.

The September workouts (which by rule cannot be held under the auspices of the team’s full coaching staff; wink, wink) can be of vital importance to many teams in many ways and no team can really benefit more than the one in Toronto.

The workouts truly are relatively informal, coaches do not script them, they include more scrimmaging than I imagine they’ll get in the week of training camp and it’s when relationships between new teammates are forged, both on and off the court.

I remember back in the day when this team was bordering on good and everyone would be in town by the first week or two of September and they’d all be in the gym every day, hanging out and getting up shots and either getting to know each other or getting re-acquainted after a summer off. Those were huge days in building cohesion and relationships that made the season just a little bit better.

I can imagine – and I haven’t spoken to a player or a coach in a few days because they’re all still scattered around the world it seems – that everyone starts rolling back into town the middle of next week and by the start of the second week of September, everyone’s here and working together.

It’s hugely important and it’s when things like on-court leaders emerge, it’s when players see how new guys work and there’s a little bit of Follow The Leader going on. If this guy’s in the gym, that guy wants to be in the gym; if this guy says everyone be here at 2 p.m. and everyone’s there at 2 p.m., you can hear about some leadership being developed.

Yes, the true work on Xs and Os begins Oct. 1 when Dwane and his staff get their mitts on the team; but equally important work begins away from the prying eyes of the coaches.

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Oh boy.

Remember the other day when I had the temerity to suggest Caddyshack was perhaps tied with Bull Durham as the best sports comedy ever?

Well, The Slightly Less Tall Partner In Crime of the Tall Expat you met – kind of – early this month took umbrage, as she would.

No, it’s not tied because:

No Kevin Costner.

That, of course, means nothing to be but a No Susan Sarandon point might have hit home.

You can’t have a mechanical groundhog as a major character.

It was mechanical?

The presence of that guy who played Ted on Mary Tyler Moore. I don’t like him.

One of the great thespians of all time in that role, we shall agree to disagree.

And most important … no baseball.

Yes, yes. That is true; I am suitably chastised.

So …

(And, fair warning, there is a bad word in here but you try to find a good Bull Durham clip without one, I dare ya)

Yes, it is the best sports comedy ever. Indeed.

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Another day on the links, another day of no cart crashes and nothing untoward occurring, although I will fully admit that when I went out bogey-bogey and Super Son went out bogey-par I was a tad miffed.

But any day that includes a four-hour round of golf and then wings at the local cannot ever be bad.

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So, finally a night arrives with couch time available and it’s nice to relax and watch mindless TV and what happens?

Not only is Modern Family a repeat, but also it’s a repeat of one a guy saw on the plane less than two weeks ago.

Instead of entertainment, it’s white noise.

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What’s more difficult to comprehend or, more accurately, what do you care less about:

HRR?

Or

BRI?

Thank goodness I’m not at all interested in the machinations of another sport’s collective bargaining process and don’t have to learn one single thing about it.

Now, I don’t want the pucks to go away because I fully understand the impact it has on people who work in or around the arena and billionaires fighting with millionaires while normal folks get hurt really sucks.

But, man, every time I see a story about negotiations, I yawn, close my eyes and think ‘wow, am I ever glad I don’t have to deal with any of that crap this year.’

Still, those folks who run restaurants and bars around the arena and the men and women who work as ushers and concession workers and the rest of it are going to get screwed again if there’s a pucks lockout and that’s truly bad.

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Mail?

Please, sir (or madam), I want more.

Click. Write. Send.

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Comments

[sam]

How can anyone argue with the brilliance of Ted Knight in Caddy Shack.
Now, how about a Fresca?

Many years ago I had a customer suggest to me at the end of August that the summer had come and gone and in his words mention, " I am somewhat remiss that I haven't done any summery things"
Aside from my 2 weeks in NFLD, trips to cottages, the odd game of golf and the comfort of my deck - I feel the same.

[Heath]

Arguments for the later...all though, I am all over Bull Durham as the best sports comedy ever.

Nudity

As a young man that was all that mattered, but as I got old, Annie was pretty sudective and sexy

Chevy, Bill,and Rodney were relevant at the time

Rodney was a perfect foil for that Ted character, Chevy was actually cool and not a bumbling goof (I'll say Fletch'esq), and while Bill Murray's character isn't even close to his best, his ball washer scene while checking out the octogenarians is a classic.

The main character, et al.

No idea of his name but he ended up as a bad cop on an L&O SVU episode. The girl he liked was the underage girl from Animal house. The caddyshack manager is Clark Griswald's boss in Christmas Vacation...the list is endless

Zen putting

Who hasn't done Chevy's "na na na na na na na na na na na na" while goofing around on the warm up putting green

Chocolate bars

Have we ever looked at them in the same way?

[Lorie]

Hey Doug!
Oh, yeah. Bull Durham's the best for lots of reasons - and the first eight or so indeed have much to do with the presence of one Kevin Costner. (C'mon, that "I believe...." speech he delivers to Annie...so...ummm...purrrfect.) But Bob Uecker ("...juuust a bit outside...") absolutely made the Major League series of movies for me so I have to put them in my list of Top Five Sports Comedy Movies. Rounded out with Caddyshack and Dodgeball: (it is a sport, right?) A True Underdog Story.
http://youtu.be/jqBFhF4haXM
And summer? Well, the kids may be heading back to school and the nights are a bit coolish (and the surest sign of fall around these parts is the sight of the Western Mustangs already hard at work for hours everyday on the TD Waterhouse practice fields) but I hear we're all going to be outside on our decks barbecuing the turkey this Thanksgiving, so don't pack up the chaise lounges, speedo and rotisserie accessories just yet. Cheers!

[Dave B]

Thanks for the information on the possible reuniting of the Raptors. It seems that last year several players waited until the last minute to report. Will all the players show up in early September or will some of the players (like Jose) spend as much time at home as possible? Do you see anyone on this team who will call the team together and organize these informal workouts?

I saw this article yesterday:
"Approximately eight players from the Pacers worked out together last week in Los Angeles. The entire coaching and training staff also went to Los Angeles.

“That’s a sign of a team that wants to improve,” said Donnie Walsh.

The week together also became a bonding experience, going out to dinner and playing pickup games against other NBA players."

The key point is that all the coaching staff was there. If a team travels to another destination, does it make it easier to disguise it as something other than a practice?

Move this to the mailbag if you wish.

Blogger's note: Yeah, it does a bit. I know Raptors coaches were out and about all of August working with players; unsure how many in one place though

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Sadly overlooked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfR62ijVnmU
Have a nice day. Do summery things... fast. Cheers.

[doug]

I have to disagree as Caddyshack is my favorite and the point of the mechanical groundhog is not valid as any sci-fi flick or any movie made within the last 10 years with blue screens etc would make every movie now not be valid...Durham is a classic but it is full of cliches and baseball has so many opportunities to make fun of...whereas the genius behind caddyshack is it is mocking golf and does a fine job of it as golf presents far less opportunity or characters to mock to me....so Caddyshack wins hands down in my book, Durham is just part of the rest of the bunch...cheers

[doug]

@D-Mac good one...thats a good call also I prefer Semi-Pro over Bull Durham, as it encapsulates all that was the ABA, a contest that actually has a winner and the owner can't pay, that is the ABA and Semi-Pro a classic ...Bull Durham far to easy to write and make...cheers

[Penguin]

Bull Durham for sure, but a close second would be the first of the Major League movies.

[Angela]

Just thought I'd throw one into the mix. Maybe not the best sports movie of all time, but Canadian and very entertaining: Men With Brooms.