Good night in a great gym; Ryerson's got something going on

Now, that was a delightful night.

Thanks to Ryerson men’s coach Roy Rana, got tipped about the Rams-Dawson College game at the new facility at the old Maple Leaf Gardens and, I’ve got to tell you, it’s some joint.

Perfect size, well lit, well appointed, convenient and I’d imagine just what the doctor ordered for an inner city university to help with recruiting and to give the kids a first-class facility to work out and play in.

The final fruits of my labour will be here or in the paper in the next couple of days but let me tell you, it was a good night catching up with friends watching university basketball and it’s something I have to do more of this season.

Aside from the first-class facility – and I tell you, the gym and the arena and the common areas are top notch in every regard – seeing the enthusiasm of the fans even if the game wasn’t so good (Ryerson drilled Dawson College, coached by Wayne Yearwood, and it was great to see an old national team guy and catch up but Dawson’s only had its team together for three or four days so there was no big surprise there) was pretty impressive.

I know, and you know I know, that CIS basketball for both men’s and women’s gets short shrift here and in the mainstream media all over the city and it’s too bad.

The games may not be the best played, there are flaws in the talent level for sure, but the enthusiasm is genuine, the competition intense and it’s a fun night out.

Yeah, I’ll find ways to get stories that aren’t about games, but wherever you are, if you get a chance to take in a CIS game, you should.

And if you’re in Toronto, you really need to see what they’ve done to that building that was, frankly, a dump as a hockey/basketball facility at the end of its long run.

I was as dubious as anyone about them turning it into a grocery store with a gym and an arena on top of it but they did a masterful job.

It’s going to be great for Roy and Carly Clarke, the Ryerson women’s coach, when it comes time to recruit, it’s going to be great for the players who will be given every opportunity to improve their skills in a first-class facility and it’s got to be good for the city.

I just hope they find a way – maybe with some giant high school tournament or something like that – to make it possible for more athletes to use it, it’s that good.

Heckuva night, actually. Saw a Henchman, caught up with former Mac coach Joe Raso, chatted with both Carly and Roy for my story, said hi to Wayne and a handful of others and got to see a game.

Can’t beat that with a stick.

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All I know about TIFF12 at the moment is that if they have a screening of a movie called Looper and it’s not about a caddy, I’m worried.

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Oh, yeah!

Raptors news!!!!

Since you know better than anyone that nothing’s really done until it’s done and I’m told this is not quite done yet, take that under advisement.

But, there will be a non-guaranteed camp invite to Jamaal Magloire in the offing as there will be to Chris Wright, a 6-8 forward who spent some time last year with the Golden State Warriors.

Word on Wright is that he’s a tough-nosed competitor, offensively limited but if you have to practice against him every day, you better be ready to work because he will go at out at every turn.

Am also hearing there might be one or two more guys invited to camp – no names, they’re sifting through a few – but mostly they’d be as warm bodies on non-guaranteed deals.

Now, if the right opportunity came about they might guarantee someone a deal but it’d have to be for the minimum – they are out of cap space and split most of their exceptions on Aaron Gray, John Lucas and Alan Anderson – so that’s probably going to limit the field.

If you’re an NBA veteran looking for work right now – and I guess the two biggest “names” out there today are Leandro Barbosa and Mickeal Pietrus although some might put Josh Howard on that list – I’m not sure a minimum-value deal on a team like Toronto is going to be at the top of your list.

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So as part of this new big-shot gig at school Super Son has to come up with a sax solo to play this week.

He’s trying to figure out what he’d like to work on the other day an all of a sudden comes up with this and, this ain’t bragging, he can bring it.

And who doesn’t like a little Moondance in their life?

I’m telling you, Van Morrison’s good. Very good.

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And you all were pretty good on the mail yesterday but once I get this Ryerson thing written this morning, I’m going to have some time.

So …

You know the drill.

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Hey, seamheads?

How about this Yankee collapse and how happy are you about it?

Sure, the Orioles deserve all kind of credit for playing a bit out of their heads but I’m sure there are those among you a bit gleeful at what’s going on with the Evil Empire.

And remember when I said September baseball is special because what’s at stake?

With first place in the division on the line, the Yankees got five in the top of the eighth to get into a 6-6 tie in Baltimore last night and then caved as the O’s got four in the bottom – three home runs, two by right-handed hitters off righty relievers – to win and jump into a tie for first.

Great game, great drama and if it happened in April, May, June or the summer, barely anyone would notice.

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Comments

[LeeZ]

Can't wait to check out the new Ryerson facility. One of my own "super-sons" (sorry for the trademark infringement; you've patented Super-Son, right?) has fled the coop and now attends that august institution, leaving me an empty nester, so I'll use the new Ryerson gym as an excuse to go visit him. And Canadian college ball can be amazing. Couple of weeks ago I saw the Carleton Ravens take on UNLV, who are ranked in the top 20 in most pre-season polls, and it went down to the wire. Carleton actually led most of the way. Now, every Canadian team isn't Carleton, but still...

[sam]

I'm a little surprized that Barbosa and Pietrus are still without a team. I feel certain that either player will get a job - but I wonder if thier salary demands won't price them out of the NBA market.

[Sharkey]

Doug, Moondance is excellent. But why not shoot for the stars with Jungleland? The best rock and roll sax solo of them all.

Blogger's note: Grade 11, baby steps; that's the big leagues

[LeeZ]

Do I smell a Top Rock Sax Solos of all time top-10 list???
Jungleland would definitely be on it. Not sure Moondance would make the cut, although it's a great solo. How about Bowie's Young Americans? Or Aja by Steely Dan? Brown Sugar? Bring it on, Irregulars. Doug, your two cents?

Blogger's note: If Lou Reed's Take A Walk On The Wild Side isn't on the list, we can't have a list

[Lorie]

Nice story about Ryerson, Doug. Always enjoy some CIS coverage. And for people here who live in a town where there's a university or college, check out the schedules of their men's and women's basketball or volleyball or field hockey or ice hockey games for a fun and economical family outing. And yes, the basketball talent level isn't NBA - or even NBL - but there is passion for sports that can be enjoyed at so many levels of performance.

And...a bit more Van if that's okay? No big sax presence. But for my brown-eyed daughter - the first song I sang to her - on her birthday.
http://youtu.be/1tRvgFEU-Ek

[Lorie]

@LeeZ and Doug:
Okay. Here's some sax. May not be the best ever, but in my opinion it should be on the list.
http://youtu.be/lSIw09oqsYo
Cheers!

[Ryan]

Maybe it's just me, but when I see teams like Tampa Bay and Baltimore leapfrog the Blue Jays in what's the toughest division in baseball... it makes me a bit angry. This team has far more resources at it's disposal than those other teams, or at least it should in theory. The Blue Jays now are the only team in the AL East who hasn't legitimately competed for a playoff spot in the last decade.

So good on Baltimore but I gotta say, it makes the Blue Jays look that much worse since there's really no reasonable argument at this point for why the Blue Jays are where they are.

If Baltimore and Tampa Bay can compete, the Blue Jays should be able to too. If they don't improve significantly in the off-season, forget about fans coming to the SkyDome anymore.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Great minds thinking alike... "Baker Street" and "Jungleland" were in my head even before the Daze of Irregular Sax was brought to the table here.
The Blues Brothers: "Sweet Home Chicago". Sonny Rollins: "Misterioso". Anorther Steely Dan at ya: "Deacon Blues". Foreigner: "Urgent". Gerald Albright: "Georgia on My Mind". Sade: Smooth Operator".
Not a particularly fine song, but that single sax rif a long 4 minutes into "The Year of the Cat" still hits straight home for me.
Check out the theme from "Body Heat" by the great John Barry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn1sKPeT4to
And one more for the road, hit it Mick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z_KSV_Jrdc&feature=related
Cheers. Here's to some great sax for everyone tonight.

[larry lukeeborg]

ain't nothing like good sax!

[doug]

there is good taste in music on this blog....and some of these tunes I have forgot about, like Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street that is a sweet tune, I think Jungleland is the king for sax solos...I truly appreciate bands that incorporate "different " instruments in their tunes, that is why I am such a big fan of Supertramp....have to hand it to Loblaws and Ryerson for the job they did at the old Gardens,...also i see Loblaws is refurbishing a old building on the northeast corner of Bathurst and Lakeshore, I am fairly new to Toronto, so not sure what it was in it's past life, but good to see it being saved as well....Lou Reeds Take a Walk on the Wild side is truly classic stuff, i need to get back to listening to more tunes, time to turn off the commentators and listen to tunes well watching games, it is what I use to do all the time....and I smell a Rosanne rosanna danna bit here "whats wrong with good sex oh Sax nevermind"...cheers...

[doug]

oh I forgot to mention. thanks for your comment on the Canadian men's wheelchair b-ball team yesterday...I would look forward to a article by you on the team as well as on Patrick Anderson as I believe if I remember correctly he lives in the T.O. area...good luck boys tomorrow in the gold medal game.. and too bad their such a well kept secret...ok cheers..