Good plays, good moves, good weekend

That was some weekend, wasn’t it?

Everyone feeling at least a little bit better?

Here we go with the last full week before Christmas (yikes!!!); hope the malls aren’t busy.

Anyway …

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THREE POINTERS

A loud game

Dwane made a very interesting point in a pre-game chat about what’s made the HOTH a bit better of late.

“You can hear good defence.”

Well put, no?

And sure enough, even from the second row (one row behind the legendary Mr. Wu and The Lovely Katrina who run this website that you should all look at and show around) we heard more chatter in that game than any I can remember this season.

And it’s not long conversations, it’s just like “hey, behind you; watch the screen, shooter coming through, get up in his face.” All things that should come naturally but often don’t even for good teams; all things that make sense but need to be hammered home every day.

It’s working, the question now is whether it will continue.

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Going big

Game’s on the line and in doubt, Rockets have the ball after a timeout, we’re all wondering how they’d get an open look at the three they needed and what do the Raptors do?

Play maybe their best inbounds defence of the season thanks to something we haven’t seen all year, I don’t believe.

Dwane put Amir Johnson on Jeremy Lin inbouding the ball, a long, tall active guy to disrupt passing lanes and it worked to a ‘T’ because Lin was bothered so much he almost panicked and threw the ball away.

Was a subtle, effective move we’ll see more of, I’m sure.

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Speaking of …

We have all seen first-hand the trials and tribulations these fellows go through at times simply trying to inbound the basketball late in close games.

So, yeah, there were some nerves, I’m sure, when they had to do it with about 12 seconds left, clinging to a three-point lead.

And then Dwane went to his bag of tricks.

For the first time I can remember, he spread the floor; put Amir and Jose in the backcourt to run some screen action and had Alan Anderson and John Lucas in the frontcourt to do the same thing.

The ball? The ball was in DeMar DeRozan’s hands and I don’t ever remember that happening.

Worked to perfection, there was room for everyone to see, there was no traffic near the ball as is too often the case and Anderson did his job to perfection, setting a screen for Lucas and then flaring to the near corner. He was open, got the ball, made the three-point play to seal the game and it was a moment of an excellent play and excellent execution.

Haven’t seen much of that.

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The rest of the stories?

Sure.

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Man, can’t wait for them to renew the Bills in Toronto thing, eh?

Not only have games been basically atrocious, the atmosphere, I’m told, has deteriorated since any original buzz and excitement.

The Bills players certainly don’t seem to have any desire to come to Toronto; their fans can have the usual tailgate boozefests that might take away the sting of having to watch the crap on the field and organizers couldn’t give away tickets at the end.

(And do you think that’s going to play next year when the poor saps who paid full price three months ago are asked to pony up again?)

Nope, even as a one-off deal that was suppose to fun, this whole exercise seems to have devolved into a boring disaster that no one gets truly excited about.

Can’t wait to ignore it next year.

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Okay, I have a question and I absolutely do not know the answer.

Let’s say you’re a dad and you’re out somewhere with your daughter, who looks about three, could be four, might be two but she’s in that neighbourhood.

The wee lass has to use the facilities, as kids – and grownups – do.

Do you take her to the men’s room and hope anyone in there is cool? Do you ask someone you’ve never met to watch her when she goes to the women’s room? Tell her to hang on, you’ll be home soon?

Saw a Dad – at least I presume it was a Dad – with his small daughter – again, I presume it was a daughter – in the men’s room of this joint I was in after the game Sunday night and it got me thinking. Is that what you do?

And since I’ve never been in that spot, I have no idea.

Whaddya think?

(Yes, we continue to break new ground here; it’s what we do)

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This is very cool.

I can recall Darrell Walker, who was a relatively young, exciteable coach when I was dealing with him on a daily basis, telling me a lot about African-American art and his education and things like that back in the day and as I told him last night in some texts, he should be very proud of what he’s done and I hope some young players around the league take notice.

Yes, it took a long time to get a university degree and in no way does it help him in his career, but he did it. And that’s a good signal to send.

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We were in the presence of greatness and if you don’t believe, take a read of this and see what a young kid thinks about an older gentleman.

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And, finally …

I often find it difficult to explain just what I want in a leader – of a team, of a club, of a country.

I think it often comes down to a “presence” and a style and a powerful ability to make points and make those feel that, yes, there is someone in charge that you want in charge, someone in whom you can great faith.

I don’t have an abiding interest in the minutia of American politics, I have beliefs and I’m sure others do to, but I do know when the leader of that country does something so special everyone should sit up and take notice.

Like this:

I know the proof of his words will be in his actions in the future about the scourge of senseless gun violence that is seemingly never-ending.

But that speech ….

Wow.

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Comments

[PT]

I had to do that when my daughter was that age and she is now 27.

[Richie]

That's an easy one Doug. When our daughters were young (6 and under let's say) and they were out with me without my wife, it was the men's room. If we were all out together and the line for the ladies' room was long (as it often is) then it was men's room again. No one seemed to mind and everyone understands that when you're with little ones and they gotta go they gotta go RIGHT NOW and that doesn't change if you're a little gal or a little guy

[Mike K.]

A lot of places now have "family" bathrooms where any mom/dad can take their son/daughter without worrying about it. But if I'm out with my daughter (who's 2 1/2) and only have the men's or women's to choose from, it's not even a consideration, it's the men's room every time.

(And I'm with you all the way on Obama's speech; if I was American, I'd be proud to have him as my president today).

[Dallas]

Doug,

In those instances I take her to the Mens room. And I've never once even got as much as a raised eyebrow. People understand.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,

I was left speechless after listening to President Obama's speech last night.He said all the things that I think needed to be said. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've wept the last few days thinking and reading about the horror at Sandy Hook elementary school. (Rosie DiManno's article in today's paper is especially gut-wrenching.) I hope and pray that our American friends do something about their insane gun-culture. As President Obama said,"These tragedies must end." I hope that the American people give him the opportunity to do the right thing.

As a dad of a little girl, I can tell you that I have many times taken her into the men's room. Noone has ever made an issue of it. I have done it without ever thinking about it twice. I'd never ask a stranger to do that and if I told her to wait until we got home, I'd be cleaning the car.

On a much lighter note, I have been critical of Coach Casey's inbounding strategies this season, but the play to Anderson at the end of the game was extremely well-designed and executed. Kudos to Coach Casey for that play. It was also very nice to see Jose playing they way he did. I hope that Kyle Lowry was paying attention.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

Obama represents that one side of America we've come to admire--somber, sober leadership in a crisis and a place where bold and important statements can be made that change the direction of a wounded nation. And then there is the other side:

http://deadspin.com/5968935/take-that-nigger-off-the-tv-we-wanna-watch-football-idiots-respond-to-nbc-pre+empting-sunday-night-football

So sorry that the "N" word is included in this post, but I think this is a must read, in that it boils down one of the deep splits in America. While so many of us are contemplating what happened in Connecticut, there are plenty of Americans who don't want to bother, because it's just too inconvenient and also because their president is an uppity black man who is simply getting in the way of their football game. Until those splits can be mended and until the politics of division are finally put to rest (and I'm not just picking on the States--it's here, too), real change won't happen.

AG, Toronto

[Mike D.]

Men's room, every time. People are cool with it.

On a partially related note, I can also remember lining up in the men's room at either a Raptor or Leaf game and a father loudly asking the assembled masses whether his (desperate) young son could cut to the front of the line. And again, no problem. Everyone's been there.

[Arlene]

That was indeed a WOW speech, Doug. Watched it again.
Then there is the mentality of a Republican Senator who states he wished "the principal had an MK4 in her office, so she could shoot the b--- and take his head off." (or words to that effect).
That's the mentality Obama faces as he tries to make changes for America.

Great game yesterday. Think Calderon is making a case to be the starting PG.
This team needs a PG they can trust, until team chemistry improves with Lowry.

[Jason]

Solid game, so impressed with the workman like effort of Anderson. I know he won't go off for 24 pts every night, but give him a job and he will do it, without whining to the refs, without gleaning to the crowd, like Barry Sanders used to just toss the football to the refs when he scored a touchdown, just doing my job....

I watched Obama's speech with my 10 year old boy and he was classically fidgety, not understanding the depth of the moment. I did get him to focus for a bit and when Obama read the names of the slain children, we both just sat there, shaking our heads, asking why over and over again. A poignant moment handled with the grace and melancholy it deserved.

We take our boys (ages six and aforementioned 10) to swimming every week and there is always a father with a daughter going through the change room madness amongst the boys. No one seems to notice or care, which is exactly how it should be.

Here's to a 3-0 Raps week!

J.

[Jeff D]

No question...men's room every time. If they're too old for the men's room (>5?) they can hold it. I would NEVER let my kids visit a public restroom alone...I'd rather clean the car seats. Too many horrific stories to take any risks.

[sam]

Obama has handled every crisis presented to him with action and the right tone. He truely is someone all Americans should be proud of.

A good weekend for the HOTH - It shows that when they play as a team on both sides of the ball, they can produce some wins and play some excellent Basketball. Jose managed to hit the right guys at the right moment.

[Kevin Murray]

Hi Doug,
I watched the football game and caught the speech on-line. I followed your deadspin link and read some of the comments.
Just unbelievable how these people reacted.
Pretty depressing, but it certainly painted an ugly picture.

[Juan]

Have to agree with the consensus here in that nine times out of ten it is the men's room. I'll try to be as benign as possible here: the exception occurs when men, in their lazy and unsanitary custom, make it entirely impossible for anyone large or small to sit on a toilet seat. Why guys can't use the urinal in the first place, or if they insist on using the toilet why they can't lift the seat I will never understand, but I digress. When this occurs we march back out and I inform the wife that it is not possible to use the men's room. Despite this being grounded in the best intentions for the child, this outcome is usually viewed suspiciously and not appreciated by said wife! I assume the women's washrooms are in better shape but I have no experience being in there.

[Geoff Read]

Hi to all,

Several points/responses to today's post.

1. Yes, as a father of three young kids, including two young daughters, it's men's room every time. You don't entrust your young girls (or boys) to strangers. My experience is this doesn't really bother anybody, but even if it does tough bananas. My child's safety comes first.

2. It was indeed quite a weekend of basketball. It doesn't surprise me that it came with Calderon at the helm and taking control of the team while Lowry's out. One is a true leader who quietly makes the most of his skills and knows how to run an offense, the other is a loud-mouthed poser who thinks he can do it all himself, squanders his superior skills, and doesn't share the ball - particularly at important moments in games. The team plays its hardest for Calderon and tanks for Lowry. It's also telling that the Raptors are playing their best basketball of the season without Andrea in the line-up.

3. Obama's quite an orator, no doubt about it. As you say though, the proof will be in the pudding. It's important to say the right things at the right time - Obama's a proven master at that - it's another to deliver real change - Obama's got a spottier record on that score (although Obamacare was a major achievement).

4. Andrew Gregg - I didn't bother reading the piece you posted but I think we can all imagine the hate-filled bile that it contains. You're right about the partisanship or politics of division as you called it but to me on this issue we can be more specific than that: until the Republican Party gets out from under the grasp of the NRA meaningful reform on gun control will not happen in the US. There needs to be a groundswell of public revulsion against the insidious influence of that organization before anything will change.

[DaveB]

As the father of three daughters, I faced this situation many times. I always used a booth in the mens room. I never had a problem. I also didn't take them to places where the patrons would be over indulged so it was never an issue.

A more difficult situation was when I took them to swimming lessons. I then also had to take them to the mens change room to remove their outer clothing (the bathing suits were already on). There you run into more of a risk of men moving around as God made them or having them leaving the shower. You could only stand so their vision was obstructed. We all know that women shouldn't be doing anything in the public areas of restrooms that would be embarrassing to them. However, I always felt that if i took my daughters to the women's restroom, I would be yelled at or arrested. I think men are much more understanding in these situations than women would be. My daughters are now ranging in age from 28 to 32 (yes they were close together) and I don't think they were negatively affected by my actions.

As one person mentioned above, that is why many establishments have Mens, Womens and family restrooms today.

Let's hoping the winning continues for the Raptors.

[Mos High]

People cool with young children in different bathrooms for sure.

Yes I like Obama, but all this is double edged in my opinion. Very,very,very tragic situation. I was distrubed and couldnt focus at my desk... But How many innocent children in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya etc have died at under US so called wars with him in command. These fallens souls have nothing to do with whatever BS excuse for war they have. But hey you cant see them so we just dont care.

Chicago aka Chiraq is approaching 500 murders this year, the president has gone there to address the issue yet or even mention it in his election. I'm not surprised though, take how u like it, but look who is getting killed the most.

They wont do much about the Guns in the US, there is far to many out there. Its too late. Just keep those guns south of the boarder.

Raptors win again, wow Im going to say this Im now a fan of JOse again, he made sure he kept feeding Ed Davis, thats something Lowry certainly doesnt do. Well Bargnani and Lowry must see they will need to change there game play when returning. Its obvious.

[Grant]

No love for Jose today? It was one of the best games I've seen a Raptor play in a while. I was also interested to hear your take on his comments about wanting to be the most professional player in the NBA.

[Casoty]

1. My husband (and son) attended the game yesterday and had a chance to chat with Mr. Sabonis (they played against each other in an exhibition game very long ago). He is basketball icon and a true gentleman (and a reeeeally big man).

2. Washroom etiquette - imagine the challenge if your son/daughter happens to be special needs and is a tween or older.

3. Obama is a most eloquent speaker but after the last two elections, the vitriol emanating from certain factions in the U.S. no longer surprises me and sadly, will prevent any meaningful change.

Blogger's note: He's HUGE!

[Wilber]

Powerful speech by Obama. Sadly, this is about culture, not laws.
Sign in the public pool says age 7 is the line for kids to be in their own changerooms, so we're using that as a guide with our kids.
Great weekend for the Raps. Let's hope it continues.

[Radar]

Potentially loaded question Doug - if Lowry were to return today, would you start him or Jose?

Blogger's note: Me? Jose

[Ryan]

Americans will always have the right to bear arms, created specifically for tyrannical governments like the one they have now. This right cannot be taken away. So absolutely should the principal or someone else in the school have appropriate defense measures. Perhaps it wasn't anticipated before but now let us hope schools take appropriate means to defend themselves.

[james]

A good day for the Doug Smith of basketball players, and a bad day for Jose bashers. You must be getting quite comfortable with Casey's metaphor for Anderson.

[Mos High]

As long as Raptors are winning Ill be on the Jose Bandwagon. Yes I have been very critical but proof is in the pudding. Lets go Raptors. I forgot to give credit to Casey and coaching staff, for critical decisions not allowing the team to crumble down the stretch.

Wow Lin I feel bad for him in a away, the pressure seems to be affecting his game play. Not impressed this year. Now Linsanity and no Tebowing. 15 mins of positive fame is what it is. Although I suspect Lin has more chance to prove himself then Tebow will ever. Hopefully He saving his money.

That ESPN 30 / 30 about the broke athletes was pretty serious wow, money mis management is a serious thing.

[Gary Mugford]

Doug,

My case is a little different in that it was my neice that put me in the hot spot when I first started taking her to afternoon matinees in my attempt to become her 'favourite' uncle. We were at an showing of Aladdin in a really sparsely attended multiplex (the threatre would shut down within a year) and I heard those dreaded words, "Uncle Gary, I gotta go." I had done everything possible to avoid THAT conversation. Made her go at her house before we left for the movie, made sure she had the smallest drink possible ... and theatres are nothing, if not in the business of selling the least soda for the most money. Plus, I'd hogged the popcorn we were sharing. She SHOULD have been empty and engrossed in Robin Williams' antics. But NOOOOO, she had to GOOOO!

Not being her parent, I had pre-determined I wasn't going to take her into the men's bathroom. I had a twenty I carried around for the purpose in those days. I was going to ask one of the girls at the concession stand to take her into the women's bathroom. However, when I got to the lobby, there were no working teenaged girls to be seen. And the plaintive bleats from the neice were increasing in volume and frequency. Then, a mother with a daughter in similar straights came up to the washroom area and took pity on this poor batchelor. She asked if she could help, take my neice in, along with her daughter. It was as kind a gesture as I could possibly imagine, made even greater by her refusal after the fact, to take the proffered money.

My neice never needed such help again in the times I took her to the movies. I dodged the bullet for the next decade until she became a teenager and didn't require "adult" supervision. Happiest streak of luck I ever enjoyed.

Just one man's solution to the dilemma.

[Rob.V]

I'm not going to pretend that I know a lot about American history or politics however it would appear that the American gun laws go back to 1791.
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The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791.
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Now, I can understand why in "1791" why you would need fire arms. This may just be an incorrect observation however when I think of 1791 the days of a lawless society come to mind. I'm guessing that murder was the equivalent of going to the store to pick up milk.
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I'm also guessing that in 1791 if you didn't have a gun you were in trouble.
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But here's the thing, it's 2013. Why act like 1791?
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At what point do the American leaders stand up and say, things have changed, people have changed, we should evolve. What once was simply should no longer apply if we want a (somewhat) civilized society.
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I'm Canadian however when I hear the crusty Republicans talk incessantly about "not what our fathers would want for America" it frustrates me because how could anyone from 1791 know whats best for America in 2013???
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Having said this, if anyone is going to attempt to change the American gun laws it is going to have to be Obama isn't it?
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Republicans are out to lunch... obsolete!
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Let's take stock of 2013 America?
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Has healthcare (go figure)
Marijuana is legal in some states (although under the BS "medical" label)
Two men can marry each other... and raise a family
There is a black President
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Yet on January 1st some Republicans will be very happy ringing in the new year that will resemble 1791. Sad!