The Best Show in Town

Funny how the sports world has turned upside down in these parts.

Just two months ago, after getting off to a 2-8 start, the Raptors appeared set to enjoy another dismal, uninteresting campaign and coach Sam Mitchell looked like he wouldn't have his job much longer. Injuries to key players, notably star forward Chris Bosh, appeared certain to hasten changes in Raptor-land.

The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, had played so well that after 22 games they were second in the Eastern Conference and the powers-that-be at MLSE decided to reward GM John Ferguson by picking up the option on his contract for next season and in so doing take him off lame duck status.

Today, however, the tables have turned.

The Raptors, at the moment, are the most exciting show in town, and that probably extends to a year-round basis. The Argos don't even have a quarterback and Ricky Williams was basically a bust. The Blue Jays did add some star power in Frank Thomas, retained Vernon Wells and should be able to score a lot of runs next summer.

But none of the Argos, Blue Jays or the stalled Leafs are as appealing as the basketball team Bryan Colangelo has created, a squad that lost by a point to high-powered Dallas on Sunday but won a lot of hearts by the manner in which they competed with the Mavericks.

Andrea Bargnani, meanwhile, represents something none of the three other teams have, and that's a bona fide superstar in the making below the age of 25.

Maybe it won't happen. Injuries and happenstance have derailed many a career along the way.

But even Dirk Nowitzki says Bargnani is better than he was at the same age. He's seven feet, can shoot the three and rebound, passes extremely well and even has impressive nerve to take the big shots.

This kid could be the real deal.

The Leafs don't have anybody like that, and neither do the Jays or Argos.

The Raps, yes, have benefited by playing a weak division, but they did fight through early adversity and injuries, while by comparison the Leafs have seen injuries almost totally derail their playoff hopes.

The Leafs' third highest paid defenceman is their best, and unless Andrew Raycroft finds another level over the next 90 days the Leafs are going to be in the same position next summer they were last summer, looking for a No. 1 goalie. And Raycroft will still have two years left on his contract.

Based on how quickly the Raptor-Leaf axis has turned upside down from October, of course, it could be reversed in the next two months.

But don't bet on it. On a weekend where the NFL delivered three thrilling playoff games, the Raps were equal to the test and delivered a gem of their own even in defeat.

They appear to be the Toronto team most worth watching.

Comments

[Wardo]

"The Leafs don't have anybody like that, and neither do the Jays."

What the - what are you talking about? I'll agree with you on the Leafs, but the Jays? They have one of the very best pitchers in the game in Roy Halladay. And Vernon Wells is a legitimate 5-tool outfielder. These two players are superstar athletes, among the very best at their positions, and both have won individual trophies to prove it. I strenuously suggest that Wells and Halladay are "the real deal."

But let's assume that you didn't overlook those two players, somehow - how could you possibly compare Bargnani to these two guys at all, and conclude that Wells or Halladay don't measure up to Bargnani? Bargnani hasn't proven anything in his big-league career yet, while the Jays' duo has. They are bigtime players who are still developing in their own right.

[Derek]

Wardo,
I believe Mr. Cox was speaking to the fact that neither the Blue Jays, Argos or Leafs have an emerging superstar under the age of 25 like Bargnani. Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay are established stars much like Mats Sundin on the Leafs.

I would argue though, that Alex Rios is an emerging superstar like Bargnani. The difference between Rios and Bargnani is Rios has taken a few years in the big leagues to develop whereas Bargnani is making an impact in his rookie season. This is likely due to the fact that Bargnani played professional basketball in Europe and competed on the Italian mens entry in the World Basketball Championships this past summer.

[Chris]

yo wardo, he was sayin a budding superstar under 25

when you learn to read you won't make these sort of completely wrong comments

[The guy]

Wardo, read more carefully:
"Andrea Bargnani, meanwhile, represents something none of the three other teams have, and that's a bona fide superstar in the making below the age of 25."

Halladay and Wells are in their late 20's. You could argue that Rios is in that category. The Raptors also have Bosh who's a star player under 25 and TJ Ford who's a good player under 25.

[Chris]

Uhhh, I'm not a basketball fan, so the Raptors are never the team to watch. But, aren't they still sub-.500? Hard to argue any team, especially one playing in such a dreadfully weak division, can be considered the team to watch at 17-21.

Well, if they are, it's a sad state of affairs. When do the Rock start again?

[Roberto]

Wardo, Damien Cox has always and will always write anything possible, whether fact based or not, to discredit the Leafs.
Then write a book to try and fool the lemmings.
Very soon now, expect a column about how Pat Quinn has set this team up for failure, and ignore how poorly Maurice is doing compared to Quinn with better players.
You can bank on it.

[Nathan]

Wardo, I don't know if you read half the sentence and then became outraged or you were so outraged that anything following it didn't register but I believe he said 'under the age of 25'.

[Chris]

Yeah, Roberto. How dare Damien Cox write honestly and truthfully about the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of harping on feel good, positive, us-against-the-world spin that you and your fellow Leaftards demand from the local media. Too bad your not an Oilers fan in Edmonton where all this cultish mindlessness is standard.