The combine's like a festival of basketball

Our usual Friday of little things that may or may not matter and sorry we’re a bit late, sleep got in the way until 7 a.m. my time.

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So what’s this draft combine like?

Well, we finally got to find out first hand and it’s like a festival of basketball and front office schmoozefest.

For the past few years, the prying eyes of the media were shut out of the actual workouts, the facility wasn’t big enough to hold us all, the teams and front office personnel wanted some privacy and we’d all wait at a hotel for the players to come back to do media interviews in some stuffy ballroom.

Not any more.

The gym’s huge – three full courts – and the players are broken up into five groups of about 10. Each group goes through about an hour of workouts – shooting drills, sprints, rebounding drills, agility tests – and then we get them for 20 minutes or so in a backroom; has to be about 150 credentialed media here so it’s a real circus, everyone’s trying to talk to their locals or the guys their teams might draft so getting private time with any of the athletes is basically impossible.

That’s the toughest part of it, if you’re in a group of 10 writers or broadcasters talking to a player, you really have to work to get your questions answered, knowing full well that the stuff you’re seeking will end up in someone else’s story or report.

That seems to be the way the business is going, unfortunately, and you really have to put in time to get to know people so that maybe – maybe – you can get a private moment walking out of a gym if you need it for a specific question you want answered. The chance for one-on-ones runs from slim to none, which is why a lot of the stuff you’ll read will sound eerily similar.

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Oh yeah, the best part of the day?

The wandering around amid 100 or so NBA executives, coaches and scouts, stopping here for a minute and there for a minute and catching any little piece of gossip you can.

And, believe me, the HOTH are right at the front of everyone’s mind given the uncertainty surrounding the team.

Off the top of my head, there were half a dozen GMs and a more than a dozen other front office types who sought me out to try and find out what was going on.

The overwhelming sentiment?

Bryan should be treated a bit better, some decisions should have been made before this camp began and it’s a tough situation for all.

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I have no idea precisely why this came into my head this morning but it did. Gotta make some of you happy, I hope.

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Oh, who’s here for the Raptors?

Don’t think I missed anyone and saw Bryan, Ed Stefanski, Wayne Embry, Marc Eversley, Alex McKechnie and my man Alvin Williams, all huddled on the sideline scoping things out.

No one from the coaching staff, which isn’t unusual for a team without a pick and, actually, the only coach I saw was Mike D’Antoni.

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Gotta love guys who can bluff.

On a stool in the lobby down from three guys who are watching late afternoon TV when ESPN shows the story about David Beckham retires.

There’s a line about the number of caps Beckham’s won and one guy has no clue what that means and asks his buddies.

The guy at the end of the table, sounding like Sammy Soccer who knows everything immediately pipes up, with absolute authority:

“It’s the number of playoff games he’s been in, championships and playoff games. Games for England.”

The guy who didn’t know nods, “ah, okay, that’s what I thought.”

I order another.

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Mail? Kind of lost a bunch of yesterday hanging around with cronies so I’m a little bit behind but here’s a last call to get me through the weekend.

You know the drill, it’s askdoug@thestar.ca and we’re open for business.

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So in the run of business at this combine, teams go through an interview process with a handful of players they fancy. They have their psychologists and doctors and front office personnel around to chat, ask questions, poke and probe physically and mentally and it’s a huge part of the draft process.

The Raptors, even without a pick right now, have been doing all entire list but I do know they had the Shabazz Muhammad in for a chat the other night, among others they’ve talked to.

It’s funny that everyone tries to keep all the chats secret, it’s as if no one can know the group of players any team is talking to.

We were chatting with Myck Kabongo yesterday (you’ll see the fruits of that labour up here later on today) and he was asked which teams he’d talked to.

First thing he said?

“Am I allowed to tell.”

We mentioned that, yes, other players have actually offered the information and it’s not like some secret code, despite what teams were saying.

So, Myck saw Orlando, New York and Portland the night before last and had more sessions set for last night.

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Hands up everyone who had Spurs-Grizzlies as the Western Conference final when the season began?

Yeah, didn’t think there’d be many of you.

Best thing about where we are today is that we know now exactly when the conference finals will start. The West begins Sunday – and that gives me tomorrow to work on a Grizzlies story and a preview box – and the East won’t get going until next Wednesday thanks to New York’s win last night.

That’ll give the Heat another week off between series, just like they had after sweeping the Bucks, and that’s going to be perfect for Dwyane Wade’s sore knee and will make the Heat all the more dangerous.

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The NBA does what the NBA does, protect its own

This was a rise like a Phoenix.

The NBA’s decision yesterday to deny a relocation bid from Sacramento to move the Kings to Seattle ends – probably – one of the longest dragged out sagas of recent times.

And says a lot about what the league’s priorities are with its franchises.

We will forget for a second the personal choice because anyone who would pick Sacramento over Seattle given the choice would have to have her or his head examined, the cities are nowhere close to each other in that regard.

But the NBA has always said it wasn’t a Seattle issue; it was a Sacramento issue and if the people there could come up with a way to keep the team, it would stay, despite the stated intentions of the owners.

The NBA has always taken pride in its abilities to keep smaller market franchises operating, it structures its collective bargaining agreements to make that possible, it shares revenue to make that possible, it’s why teams in relatively tiny markets like San Antonio, Memphis, Charlotte, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Minnesota and, yes, Sacramento find a level of “protection” in situations such as these.

(That said, watch for Milwaukee to be the next “target” because there are some issues there)

So when the civic leaders in Sacramento – and Mayor Kevin Johnson being a former NBAer who knew the landscape pretty well sure helped – found a way to get a buyer and do an arena deal, it was pretty much a no-brainer that the team would stay there.

I didn’t think – and a lot of people didn’t think – that Sacramento could do it, we’d been down the road towards a new arena and different ownership so many times it became almost a running joke.

But when they got it all together, I don’t think there was much doubt that the team would stay, it’s how the NBA – and commissioner David Stern – operates.

And, yes, there have been franchises that have moved – Vancouver and Charlotte come quickly to mind – but there was always an issue in those cities like ownership that precluded them staying. And we know that Stern considers the loss of Vancouver as one of the great failings of his era.

Seattle? Sorry it didn’t work out – sorry like you can’t imagine – but when it comes time to expand in the next three or four years, you know they’re at the top of the list.

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Not entirely sure why this popped into the head but it did.

Now I want to go somewhere where the guy cooks food at your table.

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So one of theories being espoused by some of us who chat daily about this whole Colangelo matter is kind of intriguing to me.

I will preface this by saying I have no clue if it it’s true, it’s just been chatter between me and some friends and colleagues, but we wonder if Leiweke might not be clandestinely interviewing replacement candidates while he lets Bryan dangle.

I wasn’t sure what I thought of that chance; the immediate reaction was I didn’t seem to be a respectful thing to do by anyone, the guy doing the interviewing or the people being interviewed for a job that’s not open.

But wise sages with a knowledge of high end HR stuff – the kind of stuff I have no real clue about – suggests that getting a short list, working quickly and discreetly might be more commonplace than I thought.

The things you learn …

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Okay, you’ve done well on the mail so far, my good friends, but there’s always room for more.

And since I should have a fair amount of down time during a long day in the gym watching kids do drills (sounds delightful, no?) the askdoug@thestar.ca place is open for business.

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I find a saloon close to the hotel here with a lot of TVs (yeah, I’m like a Grunt Lewis and Clark) to settle in and watch Bulls-Heat.

But it’s also Blackhawks-Red Wings in the pucks and it was a pretty interesting night.

The TVs were split about 40-40 on the hoops-pucks with some baseball on the other 20 per cent (yeah, saw TOD go nuts, again); the Bulls started early so the sound from that game was blaring.

After the first half of the hoops, the sound went on the pucks, when that period of the pucks finished the sound went back on the basketball, end of third quarter of the Bulls sound when back to Hawks, end of that period it was back to the basketball until the game ended.

Hadn’t seen that before (probably because I don’t think there was television the last time two Toronto teams were in the playoffs at the same time) and it was interesting to see that the crowd was split about half and half.

Saw a bunch of Blackhawks jerseys (it would appear this Toews bloke is popular) and a fair number of Bulls shirts.

Must be nice, eh, to live in a city with such sporting riches.

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Some people …

This is named to the dude in the golf hat at Pearson yesterday.

Yeah I walked by you because you were lollygagging and dilly-dallying before we walked in the Customs hall and, yep, I got one spot ahead of you.

If you’re going to go all passive-aggressive behind me with sotto voce comments like “I guess you can just walk by people” and “I thought the line was behind us” if I turn around and say “Sir, is there a problem?” don’t turn and stare off into space.

Be a man and either talk or shut up in the first place.

Man, I hate some people.

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A good way to make a big announcement

I don’t know Andrew Wiggins at all but I totally admire how he handled himself yesterday with the college announcement thing.

Low key with just family, some friends, some teammates and one reporter from the local newspaper on hand to chronicle it.

We, as a sporting society, endow too many teenagers with too large a sense of entitlement and fame far too easily, we make them out to be far more significant pieces of the societal puzzle than they should.

Breathlessly hanging on their words, trying to sniff out any number of irrelevant facts, holding them in such high regard when they’ve actually accomplished very little in their short lives kinds of irks me, to tell you the truth.

These are kids, accomplished kids, mind you and kids who appear to have bright futures ahead of them in their chosen sports.

But they are still teenagers and too many of them get put on pedestals far too early in their lives.

I think it says more about the adults and teens who working themselves up into a lather over the decision than anything. These people need to get lives and allow teenagers to live theirs; I’m sure there were all kinds of cheap shots and mean-spirited criticism from “fans” at the three schools Wiggins didn’t pick and that’s terrible.

By any indication I’ve ever had from anyone who’s had interaction with him on more than one occasion, Wiggins is a well-grounded young man who seems to shy away from the hype too many people want to foist on him.

Good for him.

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Okay, this is one of the all-time debates.

Haagen Das or Ben and Jerry’s? Or Chapman’s?

And what flavour? Chocolate? Phish Food? Those little vanilla and chocolate squares?

Came up the other night and while there is no real right answer, if you said Haagen Das, you’re right.

Of course, nothing really trump Decadent Chocolate Chip cookies but that’s a whole other story for another day.

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First trip in a while, it’s a great city with great blues.

Like this.

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I definitely need mail, folks.

Got a flight and that means airport time and that means time to kill and what better way to kill it than answering questions.

(That’s rhetorical, there are probably a thousand better ways).

But it’s askdoug@thestar.ca if you want to say hello.

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And so it begins.

The flight’s to Chicago for the draft combine that kicks off tomorrow and that’s the unofficial start of the workout season that some of us are thrilled about.

(No, really. Thrilled. Can’t wait for the first “I think I’d be a good fit, I just want to go somewhere and work hard and do what the coach needs, especially play defence” quote; I’ve got noon tomorrow in the pool)

But this draft is entirely different at this end this year.

Unless there’s some lottery miracle next Tuesday night, there’s no reason for any HOTH fan to get at all worked up but that doesn’t mean we won’t be working and you won’t be reading.

There’s every chance at three Canadians being drafted, which would be historic and is the prime reason for the quick jaunt to Chicago.

Even recovering from surgery and out for four months, Anthony Bennett is lock to be a lottery pick, Kelly Olynyk could give Canada a second top-10 pick and Myck Kabongo looks like he’ll get selected, too.

Not bad.

The Raptors?

Well, I’m told the whole front office is headed to the camp, mainly to answer questions about the dithering ownership that’s left everyone in an uncomfortable situation as the new guy tries to make up his mind.

There are all kinds of theories as to why – mostly fanciful musings of guys like me with too much time on their hands – but the simple fact is that unless something startling happens in the next six or seven hours, Bryan and the Henchmen will show up in Chicago unable to really commit to anything because of the questions surrounding their futures.

Not sure but to me that’s a bogus way to run a professional franchise and out of simple respect for the men involved, The New Guy At The Top should get something done.

Trust me, NBA people notice the way people in other organizations are treated; no one is looking good in this entire affair.

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Jason Kidd of the New York Knicks has not scored a single point in eight straight playoff games.

Analytically, that sucks.

That’s more than 170 minutes of professional basketball without making a shot or a free throw or layup.

Astonishing, isn’t it?

And while I fully expected the Pacers to beat the Knicks (honest, I did; it’s written here), not sure anyone could have predicted the ease with which Indiana is controlling the series.

So, if the Knicks go out in this round, they will have won exactly as many playoff series as the Raptors since 2001.

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The pucks are gone, the hoops are on hiatus, the soccer team can’t finish a game to save its soul and it’s still a month from the football season.

I’d say it’s time to get back on the TOD bandwagon, no?

And given the three wins in a row, signs that the offence is coming around and a patchwork rotation that’s getting the job done, maybe it is time to get excited, no?

One of the great things about the grand game is the enduring quality of the schedule, it may seem like they’ve been playing forever but it’s not even the May 24 weekend (Birth Week starts Saturday for all you people wanting to do some shopping).

So even being 6 1-2 back, and 10 back in the loss column, isn’t that big a deal, to tell you the truth.

And now might be the time to start tuning in again.

Wonder if the TV broadcast is back showing shiny happy people in the stands at every chance?

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It's a big price fans pay and a truly Cool Canadian comes home

Wow.

We all know I don’t have a lot of “fan” in me, it’s hard to imagine the passion any one sports team could evoke because I’d rather cheer for the game than the result.

But, wow.

To all you pucks fans out there who sat through that thing last night, total condolences.

But here’s a question:

Lot of people are tossing around the “choke” word today – headline writers, columnists, talking heads, fans on the street – but was it a choke job? Or was it a stirring comeback?

Yes, it does depend on your perspective to a large degree – not sure anyone in Boston is talking “choke” while they laud the Bruins – but that late comeback can at least at some level be seen as a credit to the winners as it was a failure of the losers, no?

But the night, despite the result, was an excruciating example of why we love sports, wasn’t it?

Incredible highs. Unimaginable lows. An emotional ride that some may never experience again.

When we give our hearts to a franchise – and I’m going on what I know to be true from the experiences of others, not from anything I feel specifically these days – we give it completely and that can be a dangerous thing at times, it sets everyone up for abject disappointment far too often.

Let me ask this to those who were shattered by the turn of events last night?

We always hear that all losses are just losses, that it doesn’t matter if you lose by 20 or you lose by one; the end result is the same.

I get the feeling not many of you would agree with that today, that having hearts ripped apart like in the last 90 seconds of the third period and six minutes of overtime was far worse than losing, say, 5-1 and knowing the end result with a period and a half to go.

But it’s kind of what fans sign up for, isn’t it?

You will revel in the good times, despair in the bad; it’s the investment you make when you become so attached to a uniform and the men and women who wear it.

I imagine in the good times it’s fun and exhilarating; I would think today it’s not so much. But I admire fans, admire their passion, admire the way the “give” themselves to a team.

And today I feel bad for them.

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Okay, sad news that Dr. Joyce Brothers passed away yesterday and she was an accomplished psychologist who furthered that field tremendously.

But who among us, when we heard of her passing, didn’t immediately think of The Gong Show?

Yeah, I watched waaaaaaay too much crappy TV back in the day.

(And I’m not even going to mention the year I played The Unknown Comic on a float in the Niagara Falls Blossom Festival Parade).

But that was entertainment, no?

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Catching up with some old stuff I mentioned near the end of the Raptors season, I see from my friends at Raptors media relationships that DeMar DeRozan and his fiancée Kiara are proud parents.

Well done, and congrats.

(Yes, we try to keep up with all the inane stuff we do here)

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Long rant, sort of. Pardon the digression:

Remember a couple of months ago when we went over a little list that Griff and Gumby and I came up while on stools one night in Phoenix?

It was the “Coolest Canadians” and it was kind of fun.

We forgot Leonard Cohen and a couple of others we were gently reminded of eventually but the whole indefinable notion of “cool” made it interesting.

(I’ll reiterate: Cool is not necessarily famous, cool is not necessarily accomplished, cool is not necessarily rich. Cool is cool and you just know it when you see it.)

Anyway, we had Chris Hadfield on that list and now that Canada’s most famous astronaut is back on earth, he might have leapt to the top of the list.

If you hadn’t been paying attention to him, you missed out entirely. He did incredible things in his five months up there to advance science and to educate the world. Taught us how astronauts wash and drink water and exercise in space; the pictures of Earth he sent back every day were breathtaking, he became a rock star.

Almost literally since this was one of his last transmissions from space.

Now, I was a bit of a space geek back in the day of the Apollo missions and the Gemini program and remember doing a presentation in front of the class one time on how space ships “docked” while orbiting the earth.

When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon I – like millions of others – was glued to the TV.

My point with this dithering?

My point is that in this day an age we pay far too much attention to people who make no true significant contribution; we listen to what singers and actors and entertainers say like it matters.

I don’t toss around the word “hero” very often so I’m not going to go there but Chris Hadfield is someone everyone should have been paying attention to the last five months or so. He had contributions to make in the scientific world and made it easy for run-of-the-mill Canadians – and run-of-the-mill citizens of the world – to learn and have fun doing it.

Not sure what they’ll do for him when he’s finally back home and normal but when whatever level of government honours him, you all need to pay attention.

And, yeah, he’s cool. The definition of cool.

Welcome home, Commander. And thanks, I hope more than few youngsters around the country and the world take heed of what you’ve done and taught them.

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It's time to make a call, one way or the other

Well, they’ve dilly-dallied enough at the very top of the MLSE sports empire that they could very well be about to screw themselves at the first major event of the NBA summer.

Unless there’s resolution to the Bryan Colangelo situation in the next 48 hours – and by extension the Dwane Casey situation, as well as with pretty much every other member of the basketball operations organization from Bryan’s assistants to Dwane’s assistants to the people who do things like book travel and scout – the team’s representatives at the this week’s draft combine will be hamstrung.

Now, it’s not that anything officially gets done this week in Chicago but a lot of groundwork for future transactions gets laid at an event attended by every significant front office executive in the league.

And if you’ve got a front office and coaching staff that has no clue whether it’ll be employed at the end of the week or the end of the month, they aren’t going to be able to get a lot done.

Of course, if they decide on a change at the top that leaves another gaping hole but at least people would know what’s going on.

As it, unless there’s resolution today or tomorrow, everyone connected with the Raptors will spend more time in Chicago answering questions about what’s going to happen rather than questions about basketball.

Like I said, it’s not hugely critical to future player moves but that’s a factor simply because the new guy has taken his time coming to any kind of decision. There may be a legitimate reason for the delay – perhaps three weeks isn’t enough time to make a decision although I’m dubious about that – but, as the saying goes, they need to crap or get off the pot pretty quickly.

No one knows what the ultimate decision or answer will be – we all know how everyone feels – but it’s got to get done sooner rather than later.

The last time I was able to speak to anyone intimately involved in this process, everyone told me it was business as usual, things were getting done and they were just waiting.

The wait has to end today or tomorrow not only for the sake of the men and women whose jobs are in the balance but for the reputation of the franchise.

NBA people notice things, trust me on that; they are noticing nothing but questions about the future here.

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Yeah, this is pretty good and I hadn’t thought about it until Friday and thanks for jogging the old memory banks.

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Well, they absolutely nailed it with the national women’s basketball program.

It went under the radar on the weekend – other things kind of overtook the news – but new coach Lisa Thomaidis filled out her staff and hit a home run.

Bev Smith, one of the most accomplished basketball players this country has ever produced and a former national team coach, and Shawnee Harle, a former national team assistant and a CIS icon, got the gigs late last week (read about it here).

I’m going to tell you a story about Bev and how good she was.

Not sure if you’ve ever heard of Jim O’Connell, one of the great college and international basketball writers of this or any other era when he worked for the Associated Press. Jim covered a thousand international games, I’d bet, and is not one easily impressed. He told me this story:

The only person he’s ever sought out to compliment them on the way they played the game came in 1987 at the Pan Am Games in Indianapolis – and this is a guy who saw Sabonis and Oscar and Marta and Dino Meneghin and more great international players than any one person I know.

The player he sought out?

Bev Smith.

There isn’t higher praise.

Anyway, that’s a helluva staff and my affinity for the women’s program is greater now; and yours should be, too.

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Of course I go into the Apple store out here in Hazelville to pick something up and of course I have to put on some headphones to see what some of the display items are playing because that’s what people do, right?

And, of course, The Hockey Song is playing.

That time of year, I guess.

But here’s what I don’t get.

How in the world can they play back-to-back games at such a significant moment as Games 6 and 7 in a playoff series?

That’s utterly ridiculous to me, it’s unfair to the players and the organizations not to have at least one day for recuperation, travel, preparation between the two biggest games of the year.

And in the case of Toronto and Boston, it’s not arena-driven (it’s not like the Raptors and Celtics are clogging up availability in either city) and, yes, TV calls the shots but if they’ve decided this, they don’t get it either.

Just silly to me.

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This is terrible news, just terrible.

Because he needs treatment for an undisclosed illness Dr. Jack Ramsay is calling it a career as a broadcaster and the radio waves – and the world of the NBA – is far worse off for it.

One of the highlights of so many NBA Finals was running into Dr. Jack either on the court or in some lobby; you’d always get a story or two, some valuable insight into what was going on and, if you’re a guy with my background, a chance to tell some old Buffalo Braves stories.

A great time, always, and it won’t be the same.

He’s an icon and I’d hazard a guess that a few Irregulars Of A Certain Vintage think of him fondly as a coach.

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Oh yeah. We crushed the wing thing on Friday night, it was a great time and the Rotary Club of Toronto Skyline is now my favourite Rotary Club in the world.

The judging was totally blind – I still don’t know who I voted for in either “classic” or “exotic” categories but Hooter’s Downtown won the classic and Hey Restaurant on Roncesvalles wins the exotic. Real Sports won the fan voting for the 500 or so folks who were there.

Anyway, I can’t thank the good folks at Rotary enough. A great night.

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The end of the weekend mail

Well done, again.

Here’s what I had left, hope I haven’t missed too many.

Read this in between fawning over Moms, okay?

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Q: Dear Doug

In light of Masai Ujiri's selection as Executive of the Year, was

consideration given to Bob Myers? I had to look up the GM of the Warriors in asking this question.

Given the remarkable roster assembled (Curry, then Thompson, and three rookies in last year's draft), ditching Ellis for Bogut, signing Jack, acquiring Lee for peanuts, what consideration was given to Myers? And who is this guy?

Happy Mom's Day to Superwife.

Frank B.

A: Here’s the funny thing about Bob Myers: He was an agent for about five or six years before moving into Golden State’s front office as an assistant GM and VP of basketball operations under Larry Riley, much the same kind of job that Ed Stefanski has under Bryan right now.

Eventually, the Warriors let Larry go (you might remember his name from working with the Vancouver Grizzlies eons ago!) they promoted Myers about a year ago, and he hit a series of home runs right off the bat.

And I guess it shows you that you never know where a successful GM will come from, he’s a law school graduate, never played in the league, never paid a long series of dues coming up through front-office ranks but did the job spectacularly in his first year.

Myers finished seventh in voting this year.

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Q: Hello, Doug!

Well tonight's the Big Wang Thang and I'll bet you're excited! And inviting you to judge a wing contest would seem a no-brainer and a task for which you're well-suited. But I'll bet wings aren't the only thing you're uniquely qualified to judge.

Now, summer finally seems to be here and with it comes all manner of festivals, fairs, and other local celebrations. And many of these events have opportunities for 'judging': from pies to pickles to pigs to pumpkins, there's all kinds of competitions happening.

So, other than wings (and pizza as mentioned in today's blog) and in an effort to get your name out there for organizers, what else would you like to judge?

And do you see yourself only specializing in food or are you also available to give your thumb's up or down on, say, livestock, stitchery and fiddling?

Thanks!

Lorie P, London

A: Well, I’ve been known to have a rib every now and then; if there was every a contest for most comfortable stool and well-designed bar I’d like to think I have some expertise that would be invaluable; if someone ran a contest on, say, home made ice cream I bet I could add something to it.

And the first Chocolate Chip Cookie Of The Year contest is something I could support.

So, the word’s out, right?

(I really like the pizza idea!)

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Q: Hi Doug,

I haven't written in a long time but since you asked so nicely I thought I would throw you a two part question.

When the board is deciding on whether to bring back Bryan do you think they will take into account his failed attempt to bring in Steve Nash. I actually view Bryan's failure in this regard as a positive because I always thought bringing in Steve Nash made little sense. Bringing a 37 year old point guard with little left in the tank to a lottery team coupled with the contract Landry Fields received would have crippled this franchise even further (from a cap perspective). This gets to the bigger picture of where I think Bryan has gone wrong in the last year, this was a move with no long term view of the ultimate goal of winning a championship and I fear that staying the course with Bryan will leave us as the proverbial 6-8 seed for many years to come. I think Mr. Lewieke has the right idea when he says that our goal is championships and anything short of that goal would be a failure.

My second question is in regard to the new face of executives in this league i.e. Daryl Morey, John Hollinger etc. who use advanced metrics to put together basketball teams. If Bryan is ultimately let go and Phil Jackson is not hired are there any names floating around there that would fit this description? I think this type of executive is the wave of the future and will prevent the Raps from being fleeced again by guys like John Hollinger - yes I am talking about the Rudy Gay trade (looks like the Grizz may be primed for a run to the finals minus their supposed "All Star").

I'm sure you will disagree with many of my points but that is the great thing about your blog the ability to debate and discuss the game. Keep up the good work.

Mkut, Toronto

A: Of course Tim Leiweke says the goal is championships, surely in the name of all that’s good in the world you’re naïve enough to think he’d say anything else. And it’s the goal of every single employee of the team – you can’t believe otherwise, can you? – but everyone – including the brilliant Mr. Leiweke – knows it’s process and cannot happen overnight.

We can debate until the cows come home the Nash thing but you also can’t be naïve enough to think all things are linear and that exactly what happened in Los Angeles would have happened here. You can guess that all you won’t, there are others who think different circumstances – I’m betting he doesn’t suffer a fluke broken leg getting kicked out nowhere in Game 1 if it’s against Indiana – would mean different results.

But, yes, they will take into account every move – including the two playoff years and the delivery on his promise to build from within from ground up until it was time to make a bold post-Bosh move – when the time comes.

Oh, and aside from Miami and we’ll agree those were unique circumstances, find me a prolonged NBA champion calibre team that didn’t start further down the playoff seedings before growing. Not sure you can find outside of Boston in ’07 and Heat.

And sure, there probably are some analytic geniuses out there who’d get consideration and maybe when they do, they can ask Mr. Morey or Mr. Hollinger to show them the championship rings or conference finals appearances they’ve got.

And if you think John Hollinger, who I quite like, “fleeced” the Raptors, you have much to learn about the workings of NBA front offices; John not more had a final say in that deal than you did.

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Q: Can you give us working stiffs a sense of how many hours of work an NBA player puts in during a typical day in the off-season? I guess "work" is subjective; I would define it to include time spent in the gym, at a court or practice facility somewhere, making a public appearance at someone else's request, or in transit to any of those, but feel free to add anything I've missed.

Thanks

Mike D, Toronto

A: Totally guesswork and it truly varies an awful lot but in a week that is gym work at home – shooting, agility, lifting, cardio, other drills – I’d guess six or seven broken into maybe three chunks of 90 minutes or two hours each.

And the days can get longer if they’re on the road with some NBA program or some sponsorship deal where they might have a clinic or two and an appearance or three and it might run out to 10 or 11. And that’s “work” of a different kind.

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Q: Since you were asking for questions from we irregulars, and facing a paucity, I thought I'd oblige with a somewhat irrelevant query:

My kids and I were taking the dog for an after-dinner walk on our downtown street and who should pass on the other side of the street but Amir Johnson and a couple of his friends. Seemed like they were taking a walk to keep Amir's knees and ankle moving, however gently. It was great to see him around.

My son and I noticed him at the same time, and I couldn't help but shout out a "hello-howya feelin-good job this season" to him. I felt a bit bad about it after . it's a bit rude to shout across a street to anyone, let alone someone who doesn't know you. Then I realized that I was surprised to see Amir. Do a lot of the players stay around town after the season ends?

And how do they feel about being accosted on the street with "how's the knee?" sort of questions?

Thanks

David K, Toronto

PS thanks for the licence to eat McD's the other day. My mouth's kudos were louder than my stomach's curses.

A: I don’t imagine they mind at all, especially Amir, who seems to have as a great connection with fans and people here than any Raptor ever. As long as people are polite and don’t do things like interrupt meals or intrude on truly private time, it’s not a problem at all.

Not many stay all summer – Amir even gets back to L.A. for long chunks of time – but most players at least come back once or twice a summer to hang out, check in with old friends and old haunts and say hello. It really depends on circumstances; how much other travel or other responsibilities they have to sponsors or family but the vast majority are back during the summer for a bit of time.

The start of the weekend mail

Well, we did it again.

You folks rallied late, I was preoccupied on Friday so got nothing really accomplished (the Wing Fest was freaking outstanding and we’ll have a lot more of it on Monday) so there’s this now, a Mighty Navy Tigers practice at 9 a.m. and we’ll be back tomorrow with a boatload more.

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But, first.

On this, the anniversary of his death, we need some Bob, don’t we?

 

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Q: Doug.

Do you ever get remarks from the Raps front office staff about articles you write. I cannot believe that Brian or one of his minions does not read every word about the team that you put out. For instance, they must realize that your blog gets read by a lot of fans, and in return gets a fair number of comments.

It, along with your normal articles, and other writers articles would give them a fairly good idea of how their fans, especially outside of Toronto, are feeling about the team. I just wondered if some of your articles or blogs have either drawn favourable or unfavourable remarks from the folks in the team’s headshed.

I realize most players are not going to worry about what they

may read in articles about themselves, but I wondered if you know how much of the news reports are seen by management.

Gerry T.

A: Every morning, one of the hard-working staffers deep in the bowels of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment cubicle-land compiles a package of that day’s media ramblings; it includes anything written here or anywhere about the team and it is distributed to a Henchman list that’s as long as your arm. And to Bryan, too.

How closely any of them reads it is unknown but I know more than a few of them look at it quite closely to check that day’s temperature.

I don’t think the comments section here is included in the package that goes out but every now and then, either I will send a particularly bad or good one off to someone but usually it’s with the tagline: “These are my people.”

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Q: Hi. So Bennett won't be available for Canada this year. Perhaps he could warble "I wanna be around."

Why can't the refs wear shorts in the NBA? Why can't PGA members wear shorts in the ridiculous temperatures they sometimes play. (The caddies can) What about sports scribes, are mandatory pants clauses in their employment contracts?

Should pitchers be forced to wear batting helmets, or the equivalent? Anybody remember Gil Mcdougalld's line drive to the right eye of Herb Score? (I don't)

All the best!

Bob E, Kanata

A: Some of those refs are basically Men Of My Certain Vintage, I don’t think we want to see them in shorts, do we?

And if golfers wore shorts, wouldn’t that take away one place they could sell sponsorships?

It used to be accepted, and commonplace, that some baseball writers would wear shorts; the look became at some level too casual and the writer’s association has instituted guidelines but other than that, the only thing scribblers are asked to is be presentable, and most of us are.

The terrifying accident involving Happ was ugly and scary and dangerous; it was also an anomaly and I don’t know if some kind of faux helmet is doable. But since they did it with base coaches, I’m pretty sure they’ll think of it, perhaps grandfather it in some way.

 

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Q: Hi Doug

Several questions for you:

When players talk to the refs after what they perceive to be an incorrect call, what do they usually say and do the refs find it irritating? Do calls ever get reviewed as a result?

Do you think any of the Raps players read your blog, and if so, do they ever comment on it to you?

During the offseason, especially now with the rumors swirling around the Raps mgmt, do you think the Raps players follow all the blogs and online articles like we the fans do? How do you think they feel about the hiring of T.L?

Thanks!

Meg

A: Most of the players are respectful, they’ll say whine in strong terms but not over the top with things like, “Hey, man, that was/wasn’t a foul” or “you missed that one” or “he hit me, how could you not see it’ and while they don’t get calls reviewed on the spot as a result what sometimes happens is a ref will go look at tape at, say, halftime, and then discuss it with players or coaches. I have heard refs admit, ‘yeah, I blew that one’ after taking a second look.

I’m not sure too many players read regularly but I am sure their people do and they have an idea what’s been written; don’t get too many comments although Rasho used to bust on me good naturedly every now and then.

Same with the Leiweke hiring, they would have heard about it through channels and their first reaction would have been what does it mean for Bryan and Dwane but Tim’s gig is so far above the players – he’s running a billion dollar company with four sports teams, a couple of arenas, condos, restaurants and TV stations – that his impact on their day-to-day lives will be minimal, and I think they’re just fine with that.

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Q: Hi Doug

Any chance Phil replacing Bryan,bringing brian shaw and coaching home games only and brian shaw taking over away games until next season(2014-15) when he takes over full control of the coaching?

Great Job

Aaron

A: Less than zero.

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Q: Hi Doug,

In the two series in the Western Conference, I think both lower-seeded teams have a significant chance at an upset, with OKC's loss of Westbrook and the emergence of Steph Curry.

It seems to me that a 1 vs 2 or a 1 vs 3 or a combination of the sort tends to be the match-up for the Conference Finals. Do you remember any 5 vs 6 conference finals of significance?

Personally, I think it would be good for the game to have an underdog team make it to the Finals.

I'm not a pucks fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I find

the unpredictability of the playoffs fascinating and I wish that would translate to the NBA a little bit more.

In your entry today, you brought up the Curious Case of Ricky Romero. Do you remember any HOTH who thrived for a couple of years and "lost it", à la Romero? As a big TOD fan, I hope as much as anybody that he regains his swagger from a couple of years ago!

Hope the Wings were delicious!

Cheers,

Alex H, Toronto

A: Without going back year-by-year because there’s a lot to do here, I’ll give you a couple of low seeds that did okay:

The Houston Rockets, in the “Never underestimate the heart of a champion” title season,, were a sixth seed, I believe and won four straight series in which they didn’t have homecourt advantage.

And the Knicks, in one of the lockout years, got the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed but that was a bit of an aberration because of the shortened season.

A player losing it? Honestly can’t remember one here but I guess you could say Landry Fields – for physical reasons contributing greatly – lost some of his shooting skill before he got here.

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Q: H e l l o , M r . S m i t h . H a p p y S u m m e r . Lots of time to think about inane miscellaneous stuff and drum up nifty lists, so how about some head-scratchers.

In hockey, why do announcers go through all that mental torture of calculating how many minutes and seconds it’s been since the period started. If there’s 0:15 left on the clock, why not just say “with 15 seconds to go” instead of going to the troubling of explaining to us that it’s at the 19:45 mark. And if the 19:45 thing is that important, why don’t they just run the clocks forward instead of backward so the fool thing reads “19:45” when there are 15 seconds left and the poor announcer doesn’t have a headache?

There’s no set standard for soccer pitches so why not scale them down to something a little less daunting than a polo field or small municipality in Europe? Wouldn’t a smaller field promote a far more entertaining game for all involved, including the fans? I mean, even the TV kingpins must see built-in moneymaking opportunities there, with more play stoppages, right?

And what’s with the “love, 15, 30, 45” in tennis. “Advantages” I kind of get but why not your basic “gotta win by two?”

T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r c e r e b r a l i n s i g h t s , a n d f o r a fine blog.

David M, Ottawa

A: I was once at a news conference with the world’s press at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for the Dream Team.

A gentleman of the global fifth estate asked Karl Malone a question that went something like this: “Why are some baskets worth one point, some are worth two and some are worth three?”

Malone, droll, said: “That’s just the way it is, my man.”

That’s about all I’ve got for you.

But I will mention that since soccer is the world’s most popular sport, I think they’re quite okay with pitch size.

Well deserved honour and the most boring way to lose dramatically

As usual, a handful of tiny items to finish off the week, am sure something will catch your fancy.

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You’ve got to like it when good things happen to good people, right?

That’s why it was pretty cool yesterday when NBA Tall Foreheads named Masai Ujiiri as the executive of the year.

Yes, he’s the same guy who was the director of global scouting here in Toronto and an assistant general manager during his three years with the Raptors before he moved on to be the executive vice-president of basketball operations out in Denver.

His work over the last year – and that doesn’t include his excellent handling of the Carmelo Anthony fiasco – got him the well-deserved honour; it’s all laid out here in the press release from the league.

Now, I’ve known Masai since 2007 (I remember sitting in his office working on this story a very long while ago) and you could sort of tell that he was on a path to something significant back then.

Here’s a guy who paid he dues all over the world, built a career from the ground through sheer hard work and diligence; it’s nice to see someone like that rewarded.

Now, I also do think it says something that he earned his stripes under the tutelage of Bryan and The Henchmen and every time I speak to Masai, he makes sure I know that he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere had it not been for the opportunity he got here so many years ago.

And I know he called Bryan a great role model and Wayne Embry a mentor when he was talking about the award yesterday and I know that to be the entire truth.

Masai learned an awful lot about the inner workings of a front office when he was here; nice to see it pay off.

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This is good Friday music, isn’t it?

Because I know smart people, I am now a bit familiar with Coachella and the Of Monsters and Men set will be blaring in a second.

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Was listening to TOD on a drive home when last night’s defeat was accomplished.

A walk-off walk?

Seriously?

Now, I’m trying to think if there’s a worse way to lose a game in any sport than that?

It’s like death by a thousand paper cuts – well, four to be exact – and that fact it takes so long to play out has to be a killer to teammates, coaches and fans.

Wouldn’t you prefer a homer, or a double and single on back-to-back pitches? Or anything other than a walk-off walk?

Other sports when they get to those situations – and it’d generally be overtime, I guess – conclude with at least a bit more drama.

Sure, a 10-point basketball lead with a minute to go in OT is boring but you could just as easily get a buzzer beater.

Not much beats an empty-net pucks goal to tie and hockey overtime – I’m told – can be quite tense and concludes rapidly.

Football? I guess a long, boring run-dominated drive could be a bit of a snorefest but it’s sure not a boring as a walk-off walk.

Not even sure you should celebrate that.

What are you supposed to do, mob the hitter at first base as he saunters down there? Nah.

You should probably just look sheepish and walk back to the clubhouse.

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Mail!

Please!

I see some sweet friends over there but there’s not an awful lot of questions in the queue and we’re at that time of the week.

It’s askdoug@thestar.ca, help a guy out.

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Speaking of baseball …

Pitchers and catchers – and infielders and outfielders and hitters – reported for The Mighty Navy Tigers and, I tell you, we might not suck.

It’s a short spring training – Opening Day is Tuesday – but at first glance, they can all hit, throw and run; a solid combination in a house league baseball team.

But I have to tell you, after a solid round of giving infield, one of the coaches needs to ease into the season.

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Okay, Sir Alex Ferguson hands ‘em up at Man United and he’s a giant in the coaching business, Not Grace makes the point that he could be the greatest coach in all of sports history and I can certainly get on board with that.

Ferguson’s record is incredible, his longevity is laudable, his impact on growing Man U into a global entity cannot be understated.

We haven’t had anyone like that on this side of the pond ever – no one whose team has become a worldwide phenomenon along with other stuff, that’s for sure – and as Ferguson walks off into that good night, it should be one of the most emotional, significant nights in years and years and years, right?

Well, my friend Mighty is on the tweeter and finds a little note that says tickets for Ferguson’s last game, and I quote …

“Going for up to 500 (pounds)”

Up to 500 pounds?

Shouldn’t they be a lot more?

I’m guessing they don’t have the “secondary ticket market” over there that they have here; I’m also guessing scalpers aren’t as prevalent and I’m totally glad that the ownership, unlike some that shall go nameless, didn’t go with the gigantic prize hike we might see over here.

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Wings tonight!

Well, that’s not a totally uncommon occurrence for some of us but it’s Wing Fest and since I’ve got to scarf down all or parts of 20 wings, I better take it easy on the snacking during the day.

There will be no huge salads (like there ever are!) and the in-take of deep fried brown things will be a minimum.

And if I don’t totally screw it up and anyone’s organizing a Pizza Fest, I know where you can get a judge cheap.

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Why do people have to act like dopes?

You know me and fans, right?

There needs to be more civility and respect for those around you at games, you cannot be loutish or overly loud or increasingly inebriated. You need to behave as grown up human beings, have your fun certainly, but don’t be knuckleheads.

Now, that rant a few days ago was primarily aimed at the way spectators treat each other; there’s a whole other level that’s equally troubling.

The way fans – some, not all, but more than you’d think – treat athletes is, frankly, shameful.

Personal attacks, the “you suck!’ screams, the inane criticisms of everything from hair style to off-the-field-of-play interests is ridiculous and, like the boorish behaviour of fans towards those around them, it can ruin a night.

Now, I’m all for good-natured heckling as long as it’s done in fun and not mean-spirited. A good line can bring a smile to a players’ face, the night the guy in Philly told Reggie Slater, ‘hey, Reggie, I saw your game, it’s on a milk carton’ was pretty funny.

But this?

Look at this and you tell me if any professional athlete deserves to put up with that crap.

I saw that repeatedly on the tweeter sometime during the night so I can’t say for sure who first put it out there first and give credit but explain to me, please, what in the world that couple could have been thinking. What were they trying to accomplish?

To goad Noah into doing something extraordinarily stupid? To try to make themselves feel more a part of the action? To get themselves on TV?

Athletes in all sports know they have to suffer some kind of indignities as they go about their business, it comes with the territory and that they are able to shrug most of it off is an impressive display of self control that I don’t think gets nearly the appreciation that it should.

Yes, they are highly paid professionals and some things come with the turf; stuff like that doesn’t and shouldn’t and it’s shameful.

It probably doesn’t speak to society as a whole, just to two idiots with good access at a major sports event who got caught being buffoons.

But it sucks.

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Now, I’m sure I’m way late to the party on this but this Metric combo’s pretty darn solid.

Some people out there with good taste.

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Okay, of all the things we’ve come to expect from the Chicago Bulls, a shocking lack of composure would not have been anywhere near the top of the list.

Six technical fouls. Two ejections. Worst playoff loss in franchise history. Joakim Noah channeled an old Bulls sage: “Yeah, I would call that not keeping your cool. Not being very Zen."

We know that emotions run higher in the post-season than normal, there’s more at stake, there’s more adrenaline flowing, things can get out of control quickly if you let them.

Good teams, great teams, good players, great players have a way of not giving into to those circumstances. That’s exactly what the Bulls uncharacteristically didn’t do; they caved.

It’s going to be interesting to see what they learned, how they comport themselves in Game 3. There’s nothing to suggest they won’t revert to form but, then again, there was nothing to suggest they’d misbehave as they did Wednesday night.

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Really, folks.

Mail. Need some. Have, like, two questions over at askdoug@thestar.ca and we all know we need more than that.

Thanks.

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Everyone enjoy their Quarter Pounders yesterday?

(Cat? Go among the pigeons)

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Now, I’m sure a lot of you would realize that I was not glued to any television set last night watching the pucks – there were far more fun pursuits to take care of, thankfully – but I have been reading and was paying attention later in the evening and it sounds like a cracker of a game.

But here’s the question for those who watched intently or were even there:

Does the fact it seems to be a hugely compelling game, a plethora of goals, some hits, some great plays and close calls and dynamite entertainment as a one-off event at all mitigate the final result?

Is there any part of anyone today who thinks, ‘wow, that was a special night, I’m glad I got to see and live it’ or is the level of angst over the 3-1 Leaves series deficit render that impossible to think?

I would imagine the answer is an overwhelming yes, and that it’s hard for so many of you to separate event from result and it’s that at least a little unfortunate?

By all indications, it was a delightful night of high intensity competition, too bad that couldn’t be enough.

Sometimes it’s okay to be a fan of an event rather than a team, makes the totality of the process a bit easier, I think.

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I’m guessing the whole “Ricky Romero has figured it out” narrative took a beating last night, didn’t it?

It still amazes me that a pitcher who had significant success at the highest level could all of a sudden lose it; it has to be a combination of a physical issues and mental toughness, doesn’t it?

There’s no way it could be just one and I imagine that’s got to be the most frustrating part for all concerned. If it was just one thing – a bad release point, a lack of concentration – it’d have to be far easier to fix. That it seems to be a bit of both, and you know this is speculation from afar but sometimes that’s what we do here, has to be the most troubling.

Back a couple of summers ago when I was doing some seamhead work, I had more than a few chances to deal with Romero, he was a good guy, easy to get along with, always had the time for prying reporters.

He’s just one of those guys you hope has success and I still do.

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A clear and present danger exists every night

I haven’t seen an awful lot of gruesome things during games I’ve been at in person – the worst, by far, would have been Garbo’s ankle/leg injury in Boston – but I’ve seen all the same horrific stuff as you have on TV.

That shot that JA Happ took off the head during the Jays game last night was as bad as anything and underscores the inherent danger of near catastrophic injury that every athlete operates under every time they take the court or the field or the pitch.

It’s scary, isn’t it? You’re a young man doing what you love and being richly rewarded for it but at any split second it could all come crashing down through no fault of your own.

(Yes, the same “danger” exists for a lot of other professionals and people in every walk of life but the “public” aspect of sports makes it different and it seems to hit a lot more closer to home)

I don’t know that living with that thought is something any athlete does consciously, it would impede them far too much from doing what they can to the best of their ability.

And maybe because they don’t have it even in the darkest recesses of the minds, that’s what makes the able to go out and push their bodies as hard as they do each and every game.

A line drive to the head. A blown out knee. A head shot that causes irreparable damage in the short and long term.

All are things are clear and present dangers. Every single night.

JA Happ – and every pitcher at every level of professional baseball – know that they are exposed every time they throw the ball.

Every basketball player who gets four or five feet off the ground, helpless, knows what could happen.

Every hockey player who goes speeding into a corner or across the middle of the ice is vulnerable.

Every football player in a scrum with other behemoths is one missed step from disaster.

Yet they don’t think about it, can’t think about it. It what makes the good ones stand out from the not-so-good; it’s part of what separates them from mortals.

What happened to Happ was horrific, we can only hope for speedy and complete recovery from whatever damage was done; we can only wonder what his mind will be like when he’s back and able to pitch again.

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How about that?

The Day of Reckoning – the “we have to have a decision and we have to have it now, this is the turning point in franchise history, how can they sit around and wait day” – came and went with the Raptors yesterday and was …

Business as usual.

There never was going to be a kneejerk immediate reaction to an annual end-of-season report, it’s not how things work in the real world, where major decisions are thought out and analyzed and taken after much consideration.

We might be a week, maybe 10 days, maybe three or four days from any resolution, all those breathlessly waiting to unload on whatever decision is made need to stand down for a wee bit longer.

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One of the great joys of this little exercise is you never know what’s going to evoke response, either good, bad or ugly.

The little item yesterday about McDonald’s and how I’m going to have to go there today because I like to support their charitable endeavour (and because I know people who have urged me to try it more often of late) really got some of you going.

And it was quite fascinating to read; if you’ve got some time, go check the comments out.

I always find it fascinating which little item will get some of you going, and I think it’s a testament to the wide range of personalities that come to this little daily cocktail party. You never know when a cool conversation will pop up out of nowhere.

Oh and then figure out if you want to grab a big burger today, I’m pretty sure I will and I know others who enjoy them in the regular course of life are going to as well.

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I honestly can’t remember where I heard this but someone mentioned it was Bob Seger’s birthday this week.

And since we share Birth Month, why not …

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Speaking of fast food …

T-minus two days ‘til the gig as a judge at the Toronto Wing Fest (it’s Friday, the Rotary Club of Toronto Skyline raises funds through it and you can get all the details here) and I’ve got to tell you, I’m quite looking forward to it.

There’s two groups of wings – 10 “regular” ones if you will, 10 “specialty” ones – and while I go into it with an open mind entirely because that’s the right thing to do, here’s a list of …

Three Favourite Things About Wings

(Mind you, this will in no way impact any decisions made Friday)

Not too saucy

Sure, they can be messy, it’s what they’re supposed to be but too much goop takes away from the taste, doesn’t it?

Drumsticks, please

If I had my preference, I’d take the little drumsticks all the time; not that the other parts aren’t tasty, just a bit more difficult to handle.

Lots of napkins

I hate – HATE – saloons that drop off a dozen wings and two scrawny little paper napkins. Irks me no end.

What have I forgotten?

Oh, and I cannot imagine this happening but if someone tries to pass off “boneless” wings, I’m suggesting the find the Toronto Chicken Finger Fest because that’s what they are.

This is going to be a hoot, hope to see some of you there.

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Mail.

Please.

Looks like Friday night is dead and who knows what the means for Saturday morning so let’s get started early, okay?

Thanks. It’s askdoug@thestar.ca.

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Good and bad news emanating from Canada Basketball yesterday.

The good would be that things are going to start next week for the women’s senior team and they’ve got an ambitious schedule ahead, as you can see and a group of players that seem to present a solid mix of veterans and kids.

Now, given that they’ve been exponentially more successful than the men over the last half decade – a fact lost on too many – it’s going to be interesting to see how the changing of the guard rolls out.

The men, meanwhile, got a bit of blow now that Anthony Bennett, who still looks like a high lottery pick in June’s NBA draft, is going to be sidelined about four months thanks to shoulder surgery.

That shouldn’t have an impact on his NBA career – he’s still looking like a top 6 pick today – but I can’t imagine whatever team drafts him is going to look too favourably on him playing for Canada in this fall’s world championships qualifier.

It’s not a crippling blow – I still think Canada has more than enough talent to qualify – but it’s certainly not great news.

The men don’t get going for real until much later in the summer, too bad they won’t have a huge key future component available to them.

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