Our quasi-traditional, early-afternoon look at tonight’s Raptors game.
TORONTO (3-7) at PHILADELPHIA (6-4)
Wells Fargo Center
TIPOFF: 7 p.m.
TV: TSN; RADIO: FAN590
Probable starters
Toronto: Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Dom McGuire, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas; Philadelphia: Jrue Holiday, Jason Richardson, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Kwame Brown.
Key backups tonight
Toronto: John Lucas III (has to provide some relief for Calderon), Amir Johnson (needs to provide energy, scoring); Philadelphia: Spencer Hawes (big man can hit the boards), Nick Young (he can fill it up in a hurry).
Previous meeting
Philadelphia 93, Toronto 83
Nov. 10 at Toronto
Raptors were a whopping 2-for-20 from the floor in the second quarter of the game. And were outscored a mere 32-7.
What happened this morning
Same old, same old
Not much in the way of news, everyone who’s out for Toronto remains out. Starters won’t change, rotation won’t change, effort can’t change or they’re in trouble.
Dwane Casey was most impressed by his team’s defensive “disposition” the other day against Orlando; not sure if a corner has been turned but it was more like the style he wants them to play.
Yes, they want to score easily in transition, there’s no better way to do that than after getting stops, turnovers and steals.
Well, one thing happened
According to people in the arena at the time, a stray bird flying inside the Wells Fargo Center during Toronto’s shootaround defecated on the court.
Make of that what you will.
(The stuff you learn, eh?)
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew
The Sixers continue to wait for Andrew Bynum, the Big Lebowski wannabe is now injured a bit more after sustaining a knee injury while – get this – bowling.
Oh, and it’s his “good” knee that’s swollen and causing him pain; he still hasn’t done as much as run a bit on his previously injured joint. He’s not likely to play until at least the middle of January.
It takes all kinds
Would you do this, as I was asked?
“Do u think the Raptors should sign Kenyon Martin for the minimum and waive Ed Davis? He says he'll play for anyone.”
Eyes rolled, guffaws stifled, second Yeungling ordered.
-
What they’re saying
The offering this morning from the Philadelphia Daily News?
So the Grey Cup is in town, the pucks are doing whatever the pucks are doing, the NFL rumbles on, the NBA season is getting into full swing with all kinds of storylines and what’s big news?
The Blue Jays!
Perfect.
If yesterday wasn’t their best day in more than a decade, I don’t know what was.
And that’s a way to create some buzz around your team and still some winter thunder.
So, with a dearth of Raptors news and not a whole lot going on in the NBA and yesterday a terribly quiet day, lots of little things to think of.
Like …
-
I think my new favourite phrase in sports is “plausible baseball judgement.”
That was part of Bud Selig’s reasoning when he decided the 12-player blockbuster between the Blue Jays and Miami Marlins could go through and it’s about perfect isn’t it?
Doesn’t have to be “sound” judgement or even “good” judgement, just “plausible.”
I’m not entirely sure what that means, which makes it perfect. It gives everyone an out, a way to cover their butts, just about anything can be described as plausible and it’s just a way of making a decision without really making a decision.
Imagine if we moved it from one sport to the other?
Do you think David Stern would have said it was “plausible” basketball judgement when the Raptors traded Vince to the Nets?
How “plausible” is it that the pucks poohbahs – on both sides – have the best interest of the game and the fans in mind as they lollygag towards some inevitable settlement?
Toronto drafts Rafael Araujo? That wouldn’t pass the Plausible Test, would it?
So there you have it: If something odd happens, or something bad happens, or someone does something that creates all kinds of questions and concern, just say:
“Hey, it’s plausible (fill in the blank) judgement, let’s move on."
Very cool.
-
I have no clue who Amy is but I’m glad she’ll have a choice of transferring to San Francisco, Chicago or New York for her job and that her very long, very loud conference call went well Monday morning.
And people in airport lounges should be a whole lot quieter.
-
When in Philly, listen to what Philly has to offer and there’s no disputing Patti LaBelle’s got some singing chops, is there?
-
So, what about the Raptors?
Yesterday was a day off so there was no news and talking to a couple of people made it sound like it was a wonderfully boring day.
And considering what’s ahead – three road games in four days – and what’s behind them – check the minute for Calderon and DeRozan since that Utah game a week ago – a day of nothing but a flight isn’t a bad thing at all.
One little item, though, and I don’t have all the details but I do have enough.
I understand Kyle Lowry landed back in his hometown early last evening and immediately got to work, collaring a couple of friends and teammates to go out and deliver about 300 turkey baskets to Philly families heading into the Thanksgiving holiday.
Best part of it?
No one knew. He did it without any pre-event fanfare, it was set up without the team knowing and it wasn’t done for measure of self-aggrandizement.
Good on him.
-
If you get the chance, the Field House Sports Bar under the arch next to the Reading Terminal and about 100 metres from my hotel is a fine place for a quiet Philly evening.
Solid menu of drink and food, loads of TVs and close. That’s a helluva trifecta.
I can’t truly speak to his managing bonafides – I’ll leave that to Griff and those with the smarts to do it – but I remember the night he almost got into a fistfight with Ted Lilly and he’s the no-nonsense kind of guy you’ve got to love.
I did cover a few games he managed in Toronto back in the day and he was personable and affable and chatty and the only thing the Seamhead Grunt are going to be miffed about is that he talks about a million miles a minute and it’s going to cause some transcription nightmares for pre- and post-game scrums.
But the immediate reaction to the story should be:
How cool is this! Gibby’s back!
And, surely, Alex has to be done now, doesn’t he?
The big thing now is for the team’s front office to leverage this great week with a pre-Christmas ticket sale blitz that no one’s seen around these parts since the 1990s.
Yeah, things are really looking up in Cleveland, no?
And I know everything should be taken as one thing at a time and there’s no real reason to connect one thing to another but this is now three years in a row that the kid has missed a large chunk of his season; it may not really be cause for concern down there but maybe it should be at least a little.
It’s a troubling trend.
-
Quick Philly story, and pardon me if it’s been told before.
It’s the year the HOTH win their first playoff series and the workload is, well, tremendous.
We finish Game 5 in New York on a Friday and the first game here is on Sunday and The Current Comeback Writer Of The Year and I schlep our tired selves onto to a train down here, with a whole lot of work to do.
It’s a last minute hotel booking and we’re somewhere in Rittenhouse Square for the first time.
Well, back then you could still find a fresh air room and I’m thinking, okay, many hours of work ahead but at least I won’t have to go outside too often.
Well, tired as we are – and it’s a tiredness that’s a bit self-inflicted – we get to the hotel (a Sheraton, if I remember) and my friend is first up to the desk while I, grumpily, wait.
Imagine my surprise when I overhear that it’s some kind of green-friend, ecologically-lovely hotel where there is no fresh air anywhere on the premises.
She looks aghast, and a tad sheepish.
“Oh, oh. The guy behind me isn’t going to be impressed.”
I immediately get on the phone and make arrangements to move to the Marriott.
You can’t get too high after a win and can’t get too down after a loss so, congrats, good game Sunday, let’s move on to the next one.
After this, of course.
-
THREE POINTERS
Saturday’s call worked out
I’m pretty sure Dwane didn’t want to ride Jose for about 43 minutes – including the entire second half without a break – or to use DeMar for 38 or Andrea for nearly 40, especially on a back-to-back.
But at leas they were fresh because none of them played even 40 after the coach pretty much waved the white towel Saturday afternoon in Boston
Sometimes, he told us after the game, the bigger picture needs to be in focus.
“When I took those guys out (In Boston), it was a two-point game, the game was in the balance but I knew DeMar needed a blow, I knew our guys needed a blow to go back in in the fourth quarter. Hell, before I could get them back in, Terry hits three threes and it was over so I went ahead and left the young guys in.
“For our young players to learn, they have to get minutes on the court but today we needed a win. Nothing against Terrence, I should have probably got him more today but he had his day yesterday. Today was about coming through with a ‘W.’”
That’s playing to your strengths and knowing when to take a shot.
-
Amir Johnson’s no Ray Allen … yet
Sure, there was some cringing when Amir hoisted that corner three on a key possession late in a close game and no one was holding his breath more than Dwane Casey.
He had one of those “no, no, no; okay, great shot” when Johnson made just the fifth three-pointer of his career (I’d imagine a lot of the earlier ones were mostly buzzer-beating halfcourt heaves) at a vital point in the fourth quarter.
It was one of those shots that in theory makes some sense, Johnson’s been working on his shooting range for years, he’s got a much smoother delivery and he was wide open.
Still …
“Jose is probably the only one who would pass me the ball at the three-point line. The one thing about the shot is, I didn’t hesitate, I just caught and shot the ball.”
But I’m thinking it’s a cold day in Hade before he jacks up another one.
-
The kid’s going to be all right
Andrew Nicholson, that is.
Some guys just have a knack for the ball and for scoring and if there’s one thing to take away from the first time I’ve seen Nicholson play, it’s that he’s always going to be able to get baskets.
He’s still quite slight – and that’s going to work against him until he grows into his body or extends his shooting range to the three-point line – but there’s an awful lot to like about his game.
And on that atrocious Magic roster, he’s going to get some playing time for sure and that’s only going to help hasten his development.
-
More?
A little bit.
-
Arrrrrrgooooooosssss!!!!
Been saying for a while I hoped that team got some support and what it got paid off with that big win in the Eastern Final yesterday.
It’s sure to make this week a bit better and since The Tall Foreheads asked to me to write some hoopla and scene stuff on Friday and Saturday it’s going to make my life a tad earlier.
We’ll get into more Grey Cup as the week goes on – this will be about the seventh I’ve been involved in at least on the periphery – but I don’t think I’m going to hear this week about how the city isn’t turned on by the event.
Sure, there will be pockets that don’t care a whit about the football game and ancillary party but don’t tell that to people who are right around the game and the scene downtown.
They’ll have fun, it’ll be a gas and it’s going to be a fair bit better because the home team’s involved.
Plus, Beebs is coming!!!
(Yawn).
But this guy is going to perform as well so that’s going to be very cool; it’s too bad I can’t see Gordon Lightfoot at the game, I’ll be scribbling post-basketball and hopefully finding some cool house party to go to.
-
I’m sure the hundreds of thousands of people who were on the route loved Sunday’s Santa Claus parade here.
But, really, it’s mid-freaking-November!
Far too early.
-
Speaking of over-reaction or doing things that don’t make a lot sense, wasn’t the firing off of confetti after a Sunday afternoon win over the Orlando Magic a bit much.
Yeah, I thought so, too.
If they persist, they should turn the cannons or whatever they are around and shoot it into the crowd. That’s far better than littering the court, I’d suggest.
-
Do I do The Palm tonight to run into some old friends across the bar or do I listen to whatever you give me for Philly?
And yes, I’ll search out some joint in the Reading Market for cheesesteaks at some point.
I don’t think there’s a person connected with the NBA who didn’t hope Brandon Roy would come back and at least be something close to his former self.
He was never going to be the Brandon Roy we came to know in Portland – although he always controlled a game with guile more than athleticism – but his comeback was something we were all watching with great interest and cheering for at some level.
Now? Now he’s going to have another scope on one of his knees and you have to wonder if this is the final cut.
Hope not and it’s too bad the story has to end this way, or at least be derailed for a few weeks.
Given the history, you probably saw that one coming Saturday afternoon, no?
The TD Garden is where Raptors go to die, it’s been forever thus and I don’t think anyone would have been too shocked at the result.
But the best thing about the NBA is there’s always another came that comes up quickly and forgetting the recent past is often the wisest course.
-
THREE POINTERS
He’ll get it but …
Yes, Jonas Valanciunas is going to be a good one, you can just see it.
But one of the harshest lessons the young fellow is learning is when to be assertive and when not too and it’s costing him playing time.
His first two fouls Saturday – and I’ll give you that the second one might have been dubious – were committed 94 feet from the basket he was defending and that’s not good enough.
He needs to pick his spots more carefully when he decides to crash the offensive boards; it’s all well and good to give the effort, it’s not all well and good when that effort is obviously for naught.
Jonas is going to very good – he’s shown all kinds of promise at both ends of the court – but he’s also got to gain that invaluable experience that will make up for the vagaries of youth.
He hasn’t yet, but it’s only been nine games. And the first few minutes Saturday afternoon were a prime example.
-
What’d we say?
So, you look at this week – Orlando, Philly, Charlotte, Detroit – and you remember in the season preview when we said the season could come down to taking care of business against teams of equal or lesser talent.
Well, this is the first big week.
Never would we say “they’re supposed to win” because we all know that’s somewhat ridiculous given how hard it is to win a game on any given night but between today and next Friday, I think we’ll find out a few things about this group.
-
Another new look
I’m not sure how long it lasted – Super Son and I were into the natchos by then (hello, Jack Astor’s at Square One) – but the backcourt combination of Jose Calderon and John Lucas III kind of caught me by surprise.
I can see using two of the three point guards in short spurts when all three are available; I’m not sure you can massage the minutes well enough to keep them both fresh when there are only two.
I can understand it from the point of view that they probably needed to do a heat check with Lucas and see what he’d give you offensively (and he did give them some juice at moments) but I don’t imagine we’ll see a lot of that until Lowry gets back.
-
And a wee bit more?
Just a little, I have to get cleaned up and to the arena; these 1 p.m. starts are great in that you can write leisurely and decompress and still be home for the evening but they’re tough on the mornings.
-
So the latest issue of The New Yorker arrives, it’s a slow Saturday night and time to leaf through it because it’s always got some wonderful stuff in it.
And a nice long profile of Robert James Ritchie was really good.
Robert James Ritchie?
Yeah, Kid Rock.
And since he’s a close personal friend from that one halftime on the loading dock at the Palace of Auburn Hills, why not …
-
You know you’re up way too early on a Sunday when you walk Super Dog, decide you’re too lazy to actually make coffee and get to your favourite Starbucks (hello, Hurontario and Harborn) and it’s still closed!
-
Bit of a to-do before the big game this afternoon; I think the Raptors may finally officially announce the worst kept secret around the franchise and tell us what Jamaal Magloire’s actual title is.
He’s been around practice for about a week helping the coaches work with the big men and there will be – as we’ve said for weeks – some community role for him as well.
It’ll be cool to have a former player directly associated with the city working for the team; Jamaal’s highly regarded around town and he can do some very good work with the youth of the city while representing the team.
Good for him. And good for them.
-
Some Irregulars will know that summers are spent trying to teach Mighty Red Tigers and whatever other incarnation of the ball club we have each year.
It’s a gas, I think it’s an honourable thing to do and seeing kids be better baseball players in August than they were in May while trying to get them to understand they need to play for the guy sitting next to them is rather admirable, if I do say so myself.
Teaching kids – baseball, basketball, computers, music, pucks, whatever – is rewarding not only for them but for the guy doing it, too.
Besides, a coach’s meeting or six over the course of the winter or spring isn’t a bad way to kill a night.
I’m proud of my boy DC; we may have to raise a glass in celebration next weekend ‘cause I’m sure there’ll be some Grey Cup revelry going on.
-
This one was left over from the weekend – there are a couple of others we’ll touch on, too, as the week unfolds – so here you go:
Q: Hi Doug. What would Steve Nash said back when you were writing that story on him in training camp if you had told him that he would be reunited with Mike D’Antoni within a month?
Thanks
Trevor B, Saskatoon
A: My best guess?
“What are you on? Crack?”
-
Yes, we’ll be here about 1 p.m. for the iGBT but I’m going to need continuous Argo updates, please. And once again, my big wish would be that the monitors on press row had access to other TV channels.
Enjoy this while I figure out if there’s a stool to sit on and watch the big tilt this afternoon.
We’ll be back with something tomorrow morning (there don't seem to be many questions left to get to) and, of course, the IGBT for the Magic tilt.
-
Q: Hi Doug. So I see by his tweets and his blog that Chris Sheridan thinks you and your team did a terrible job filling out the All-Star nominees and calls the ballot "a joke". They even name the selection committee members - so look out there may be upset fans around the world looking for you!
Are there league requirements that your committee has to adhere to? For instance, Sheridan kept harping about how ridiculous it was to list Omri Casspi while far more deserving players were omitted.
Joe S, Kingston
A: Yeah, I saw Chris’s critique, guess he lost my phone number or e-mail address to talk about it. Too bad.
Yes, there are league requirements, we need to find a minimum of three players from each team to put on the ballot and, yes, I’ll give you Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao from the Cavs and then who? Maybe we missed on Casspi but he’s at least as worthy as, well, who? Alonzo Gee? Tristan Thompson? Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Chris’s other rant, about Damian Lilliard would have been, you know, accurate, if he had taken the time to call any of and found out that we do the ballot before the regular season begins and traditionally only include that year’s No. 1 draft pick for ceremonial reasons more than anything.
Did we miss on Casspi? Maybe. Does it matter in the long run? Not a whit.
-
Q: Hello Doug. Well, Monday's titanic trade sure messed up Tuesday's paper as far as Raptor's coverage; that improbable win and Jose's first career triple double sure didn't get front page coverage. Now truthfully, I couldn't tell you what page the game story was on because all the Blue Jay fans in my neighborhood seemingly snapped up the ever-decreasing number of papers delivered to my local outlet, but I'm guessing it was tucked somewhere on a back page, in the bottom corner, where the high school sports scores are listed. Anyway, it was a great win and a nice milestone for Jose.
Now, the question: I was watching (I think it was) Jack Armstrong interview Amir Johnson on the court post-game and in the background saw Mr. Jim LaBumbard leaving the court with a basketball in his hands. Now is that a normal part of his duties, was this particular ball being 'saved' because of Jose's achievement or maybe it was a case of something else entirely? Thank you!
Lorie P, London
A: Nice catch in the background of TV shot. That was indeed Jim wandering off with the game ball and it was indeed him getting for Jose to mark the triple-double. Things like that don’t happen often and it’s certainly not part of the job description but Jim knew the magnitude of the performance and figured Jose would appreciate a keepsake. And I’m sure he did.
-
Q: Hey Doug: I was listening to the halftime radio show of a Pistons game last night (not by choice - it just happened to be on when I got in the car). They had one of the staff of the Pistons on, talking about 'metrics.'
He said that he categorizes shots as 'valuable,' 'less valuable,' etc.
The most valuable shot, according to him, was a free throw - he stated, that historically speaking, free throws were made 75% of the time, much higher than any shot. That was why it was so important to get to the rim.
The next shot from within the restricted area, zero to three feet from the net, which has a very high success rate.
Next was the three-pointer. I may have forgotten the exact percentages, but it was something like 37% for threes, which would be the equivalent of 52% for twos, in order to score the same number of points.
The least valuable shot, to him, was what he called a 'wood' shot - inside the three-point line, but out of the paint.
Do you agree with his evaluations? Would you change the order?
Thanks again for all the time and energy you put in, just to keep the Irregulars happy (and others, unhappy)!
Tim H, Windsor
A: I wouldn’t change a thing, actually; and all my friends in the advanced metrics world would unquestionably agree with me.
I’ll give you a little anecdote, locally: The DeMar DeRozan shot chart looked, in large part, like a “DO NOT DO THIS THING” last year, he took far too many long twos for anyone’s liking. That’s why they are insistent that he either get to the rim or go back a step or two and shoot a three this year, it makes far more sense. Whether he does it or not remains to be seen but it’s something they want him to do.
Same with Rudy Gay, who takes too many long twos for anyone’s liking, despite his skillset.
-
Q: Hi Doug. With the way Caldron is playing it's only a matter of time until PG controversy questions are going to come up. Now, clearly, there is no controversy, but it’s becoming fairly obvious that Jose and Lowery are 2 out of the team's 4 if not 3 best players. A point could also be made the Jose has been their best player over the last 3-4 games (since Lowery went down). You cannot play one of your top players for 20 min a game, especially after he posts a triple double.
Also, Jose is a PG, playing him at 2 next to Lawry for 5 min doesn't fully do justice to him.
Any idea how to solve it, or how is the team planning to go about it?
Can Lowery play the 2 for extended periods of time? Can Derozen play the 3?
Jon A, Toronto
A: There is no point guard “controversy” anywhere except in the imagination of fans. And they can, actually, massage the minutes so that one of Calderon or Lowry spend some time off the ball, as they did for the first few games of the year. If you want a breakdown, consider this: Calderon plays 20 minutes at the point and 12 at shooting guard, and Lowry plays 28 at the point and 10 at shooting guard. It works, has worked and will work.
People tend to see demons where none exist.
-
Q: Hey Doug. I was the fan with the giant Jack Armstrong head at the Pistons-Raptors game last season. I'm getting it ready for next Friday, just wondering if you knew if Jack is calling the game (otherwise I have some arts and crafts to do! Maybe a Matt Devlin with real hair?).
Best,
Josh R, Windsor
A: Well, Detroit’s a TSN game so Jack should be there. Am sure he’ll appreciate whatever it is you have in store. I won’t be there to see it, that’s a Cathal Joint, I have some Grey Cup duties to attend to.
-
Q: How about The Beast wear those wide receiver gloves in practice, so that he can get used to catching the ball? Could he wear them in a game?
Any pressure on BC to respond to the TOD trade?
Boys High School ball starts next week, will you catch any games?
Are you ready for the Mayan calendar mania about to swamp our airwaves?
How about a little Barry Mcguire...you know...The Eastern world it is explodin, violence flarin, bullets loadin...
Bob E, Kanata
A:Not in a game but it'd be fun to see.
And seeing the workload of my seamhead friends this week, I hope Bryan stays the course; don't imagine he will, but it'd be fine with me.
High school ball? I vow to get out somewhere sometime and there are days when I wished the Mayan calendar was right, to tell you the truth.
So three key guys are hurt and the schedule’s a bear and they’re 2-6 and things aren’t likely to get any better for at least the next couple of weeks.
Big whoop.
The last thing anyone wants, or anyone connected with the HOTH should do, is wallow in any measure of self-pity about their lot in life at the moment.
It’s simply time to suck it up and go play. Play harder, play smarter, play better; it’s that simple because no one should pay much attention to any suggestion that the injuries to Kyle Lowry, Alan Anderson and Landry Fields are either an excuse or a crutch.
I know Dwane pretty well and I’m sure that’s the message he’ll deliver: No one wants to hear how bad things are, no one really cares, this is a man’s league and it’s time to man up.
That goes particularly for Andrea Bargnani, who has been a disappointment this year (“We’ve to got to find a way to get him going,” was how one insider put it the other night in Indy) but it’s also true for everyone else left standing.
This team was built for some depth, they were crowing about it at camp and now it’s time for that depth to be put to use, especially given that two of the three injured guys play on the wing.
But is losing them a horrendous blow?
I don’t think Dom McGuire and Terrence Ross are appreciably worse than the missing Anderson and Fields; that’s probably pretty close to a wash. Toss in Kleiza – and he got a maintenance day yesterday for a sore ankle – and I don’t know that they’re any the worse off.
Yes, Lowry’s a tough one to lose because of the trickle down effect it has. It means Jose Calderon has to handle the ball more and that’s going to wear him down a bit (there’s a big difference in playing 38 minutes at point guard in a game and playing 25 at the point and 13 at shooting guard) and no one’s sure whether John Lucas III is a point guard, a shooting guard or some Heat Check kind of hybrid who may or may not have “it” on any given night.
But all that’s neither here nor there, really. It’s not like the Celtics, Magic, Sixers, Bobcats or Pistons are going to take it easy on them in the next week; it’s not like the league is going postpone games because the roster is depleted.
It’s really simple:
They have to play better and more consistently. Sure, guys are hurt but no one wants to hear it.
And to their credit, no one connected with team is using the injuries as any kind of excuse; they know what they are and what’s ahead of them.
It’s not time to talk, it’s time to play.
-
Who says we don’t cover high school sports well enough?
In other news, the Grey Cup actually arrives in Toronto once every few years, imagine the football-loving Mayor of The Big City Next To Hazelville would be front and centre.
Oh, guess not.
-
Yeah, I’ll be in Philly on Monday night, probably renewing acquaintances with the good folks at The Palm but part of me wishes I could be back home.
Because that’s Neil Young night in Toronto and that’s one cat I might actually pay money to see.
Wouldn’t you?
-
I take great pride in saying I have neither read nor seen a single thing to do with Twilight and the news that the final movie is out today elicits nothing but yawns.
But you young’uns enjoy it, okay.
-
Say what you will about Brian Burke as a sports executive (he’s the Grand Poobah of the Pucks, I hear) but he’s got a social conscience and you cannot dispute the good he does for various charities around the city.
We know that Maple Leaf Sports is a great supporter of the Canadian armed forces, the companies foundation goes excellent work in the community and Burke gets in there with the people and helps out.
I’m told that last night, he and a bunch of other Toronto executives slept outside in sleeping bags to raise money and awareness for Covenant House, a private charity that supports homeless youth.
So bust on him all you will for whatever it is he does with the hockey team but all due credit for getting out in the community to help raise funds for worthy causes.
-
I will not gloat about Miguel Cabrera winning the AL MVP over Mike Trout yesterday because I do not want to take the wrath of the WAR guys and those of that ilk.
I will say I was a tad taken aback by the margin with which he won, I guess that strikes a bit of a blow for those who think advanced metrics are just part of the equation, not the deciding factor. A winning team helps just as much, I’d suggest.
I also don’t for a second believe there’s an age divide between those who would choose one over the other; it’s not like all old fogeys like me discount the in-depth stats and it’s not like all kids like you think numbers are the end all and be all in any kind of debate like this.
But that’s what’s great about things like this, isn’t it?
You can debate all you want, no one’s “right” and no one’s “wrong” and anything in sport that leads to fun conversations is a good thing. I’m not talking about conversations that begin with “you’re dead wrong and stupid, too” but conversations that are nice to have while sitting around a table somewhere.
-
It’ll be mail sometime tomorrow morning – I am soooo taking advantage of a chance to not set the alarm for 5 a.m. – so get the queries in now so I can stool sit and answer them this afternoon.
And since Not Grace is going to Boston, there's no IGBT Saturday (I'm planning on being somewhere on a stool watching the game somewhere cozy) but we'll be back Sunday.
-
Oh yeah, for those who wondered.
I see the Raptors rookies finally got cute little girly backpacks to carry around for the season.
Best one I recall was Garbo, who was about 40, with a Dora The Explorer bag in his rookie season. Yeah, that was odd.
Less than a week after some cockamamie half-baked idea to ruin the qualification process for the world championships and the Olympics (it’s somewhere in here) they were at it again yesterday.
They want to increase the number of teams in the Olympics to 16 from 12 and they are going to petition the IOC to add three-on-three basketball as a full medal sport in time for the 2016 Rio Games.
The first move I’m all for, as long as the four teams they add come through some solid qualification process like another “last-ditch” tournament rather than going strictly by geography because that way you get teams with no real reason to be in the Games.
Yes, it will add cost to hosting the Games – FiBA figures organizers will need a second arena to get the tournaments in (and if they add four men’s teams, they better add four women’s) – but it will enhance the tournament and provide better overall competition to the marquee spectacle of the Olympics.
That’s not to mention it would probably help Canada get there, the qualification process now is hugely difficult, and that can’t be a bad thing for our patriotic bent.
There is precedent for the IOC to allow 16 teams despite their alleged limit of 12 per “team” event; the men’s soccer tournament has 16 teams and that seems to work out quite well.
I’m all for more, better basketball games at the Olympics; this is a way to accomplish that.
The three-on-three thing?
Hard to get behind, actually.
It’s beach volleyball for basketball, a bastardized version of the game without the uniqueness of being outside in the elements.
(I'm told the world tour and championships have been outside, which is a mitigating factor but, still ...)
Yes, it probably is good for kids to play because it promotes all around skill development but in an Olympic program already bloated with dubious sports, I think it’s more a niche game that should be played at FIBA world championships rather at the Olympics.
I can hear some of the screams now: “Hey, Smith, you were all over beach volleyball and it’s a bastardized version of that sport, what’s your issue with three-on-three basketball.”
Simple.
There are enough differences – in style of play, strategy, venue – between beach volleyball and the indoor game that makes it almost an entirely different sport. Not sure that’s the case in basketball; certainly not to the same degree.
-
Apropos of absolutely nothing, this came up on the iTunes shuffle yesterday and I can’t get it out of my head.
-
We’re way late starting the call for mail this week.
(I keed, a little; trick-pitch-throwing old guys should be pitching in some Buffalo rec league or somesuch, no?)
-
Just wondering?
Anyone miss the pucks?
-
Man, there is an extraordinary amount of anger and bitterness towards the officials around these parts these days.
Yes, there’s normally a fair amount – I especially love the ones that suggest the league is pulling the strings on bad calls against the HOTH – but you’ve gone over the top.
Now, I didn’t see the Utah game that closely and was told by many that it was poorly handled but I have seen every other game and a word:
Chill.
Sure, you see contact and no call and get all up in arms.
I’m pretty sure that if I asked diehard fans from every other team, they would have seen specific instances of non-calls that would rile them, too. And, yes, just as many.
If there’s been one trait all season is that they are letting a lot more go, especially when people drive and are met by stationery defenders who stay upright at the inevitable contact. I’d say you should just get used to it.
As for the plethora of alleged blown calls and the inherent whining from fans and TV viewers? Expend your energy some other way, you’ll feel better.
-
You know I’m okay with the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, been a couple of the places I’ve seen or heard about thanks to the show and they’ve been pretty good.
Man, I wish I could write something like that after some dreadful Tuesday-night-in-February-no-one-wants-to-be here game. Wouldn’t that be classic? And fun?
“Dear Raptors and Other Team.
“Do you really think people should have to sit through that kind of carnage and not leave en masse?
“Did you intend to miss all those shots, throw the ball around like it was radio-active all night, play with all the flow of sludge and energy of a slug?"
Yeah, that’d be a gas.
One more Fieri note:
I know a guy who knows a guy who runs a joint that was on DDD one time and let’s just say the personable nature of the congenial host that comes across on TV might not be reality.
-
Hey, Alex.
It’s a slow couple of days for the rest of the week – I think they’ve beaten the mega-deal about as much as they can – so how about a Blue Jays manager today or tomorrow so there’s something else to talk about.
But if I know managers and coaches and the like, I’m betting there is far more interest in the Blue Jays job now that they’ve redone there lineup in such drastic fashion.
Guys who have been successful with great teams in the past will all of sudden sit up and take notice and a job they might not have had any interest in before this week somehow becomes far more interesting and I bet agents are reaching out to the Jays pretty quickly.
So, everyone’s got to be feeling at least a tiny bit better today, right?
No, it wasn’t particularly pretty and the HOTH were running on fumes for about the last six minutes but what the heck, you have to like the outcome, don’t you?
Thought so. Might be a nicer day around here.
Anyway …
-
THREE POINTERS
Kid might get it
Terrence Ross gave ‘em just what they needed from a rookie in that situation, 13 minutes of energy and three big baskets that kept the ship afloat in the second quarter.
One play stood out – perhaps because it was right in front of me.
He was on the wing and was supposed to curl around a screen to the top but when the defender cheated, he went to the baseline, made and an excellent hard cut past the basket, took a perfect pass and made a little 10-foot jump hook.
Ross is an intriguing player not nearly ready for a regular spot in the rotation; he’s too slight, doesn’t quite get it defensively often enough but it seems he has some instincts and could be a viable piece in the future.
There’s no doubting he can shoot, it’s now a matter of getting the rest of the game. For a moment in a biggish role in a game when they needed to go far, far deep down the bench, he gave them what they asked.
Did it earn him more time? Maybe. Not much, but maybe a bit depending on which of the injured guys come back when.
-
Déjà vu
We were talking to Dwane before the game and the conversation got around to which officials were working and I mentioned I’d seen Bennett Salvatore around the city in the afternoon so he’d be on the court.
Dwane recalled a game earlier this season when Bennett had missed a call, not a crucial one, but a typical one. A player on the opposing team had tried one of those rip moves with the ball – bringing it down and around in some faux shooting stroke, done entirely to get a foul called. The NBA ruled two seasons ago that it was not a shooting foul – it’s the Kevin Durant Rule – but somehow Bennett didn’t get the memo.
Well, last night, I think it was Kleiza, tried the exact same move – again, right in front of us – and Salvatore made the right call, giving the ball to Toronto out of bounds instead of putting Kleiza on the line.
I looked over at Dwane, who was smiling as he told Bennett he’d made the right call.
-
The list grows
So, Jose gets the first triple double of his career, 13-10-10, and now on the notes page that gives us “the last time it happened” Ben Uzoh’s name will disappear. And so, too, will all memory of that last game of last season.
Jose?
He was kind of proud of the accomplishment. And a bit surprised.
“Happy it came with this important win, I never thought I could get 10 rebounds.”
He’s the eighth guy to ever have one for Toronto, joining Damon Stoudamire (3), Marcus Camby (2), Vince Carter, Charles Oakley, Mark Jackson, Alvin Williams and Uzoh on the list.
Heckuva list.
-
More?
You knew there would be more.
-
If this is the Bob Dylan that shows up in Toronto tonight you are in for a treat.
Can’t imagine it is but, man, that’d be nice.
-
Holy crap!
I always figured Alex Anthopoulos had a bold move or two in him but he’s also struck me as a patient man who wouldn’t pull the trigger on anything unless it was exactly what he needed to.
Well, how about 12-player trade?
He addressed almost of his needs in one fell swoop with that mega-deal, he got an upgrade at shortstop, a speedy outfielder and two guys who could be studs for the rotation.
And now all the whining about payroll and not making big moves can stop, can’t it? Don’t think it was ever that they were cheap, it was that Anthopoulos wasn’t going to do something just to do something and he’d be willing to wait and pounce when he figured it made sense.
The deal sends a message, loud and clear, that the Blue Jays are legitimately chasing a World Series, fans can’t moan about not doing anything any more.
Yes, he had to have a willing partner in what might go down as one of the great baseball fleecings of all time (and how cool is it that he took advantage of that carpet-bagger Jeffery Loria to do it?) but Alex waited and waited and made the huge move when he figured it made sense.
This is a message to the other players and the fans: We’re serious. We did what we said we’d do. This is the best Blue Jays team – on paper, at least – since the World Series champions, I’d suggest and next season cannot get here enough.
The Marlins? Loria stole a stadium from the taxpayers, he tried to bamboozle the fans with one season of spending knowing he could give players away if things didn’t work out and I can only imagine the hue and cry in South Florida today.
I’ve been to that amusement park they call a stadium, I saw the circus that was the Ozzie Guillen year and am dead certain they won’t draw flies next year and the team will eventually be sold and perhaps moved.
Montreal, anyone?
-
What’d my man Mike Wells of the Indy Star scribble about that game last night?
Okay, I’m trying to figure out this whole David Petraeus sage down here, with this CIA guy with that woman and this other woman in the story with some other general and I just can’t.
Too many people, a tad too confusing and because in my mind is a vast wasteland of trivial knowledge and empty space, the first thing I thought of was this.
-
I know some of you are interested by there is no way on this green earth we’re even thinking about the 2013 draft, okay?
Search elsewhere if you must but don’t be bringing that stuff here.
Doug Smith has been a sportswriter for more than 30 years, a journey that's included seven Olympic Games, numerous and varied championships and more dreary regular season games than he'd care to remember. Here, he'll talk about them all, as well as current events and pop culture. (Just don’t ask him about music nowadays — it's not his cup of tea).
TheStar.com
Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Toronto Star or www.thestar.com. The Star is not responsible for the content or views expressed on external sites.
Distribution, transmission or republication of any material is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. For information please contact us using our webmaster form. www.thestar.com online since 1996.
Recent Comments