A Biggee

First 15 games for Mark Bell.

Now 20 games for Steve Downie.

Could it be, after all these years and all those one- two- and three-game suspensions that did nothing to deter anybody from doing anything, that the NHL has decided to get serious?

Now, let's be clear; the Bell and Downie suspensions are very, very different, and not really to be compared. Bell's was for an off-ice incident in which he'll go to jail for six months, and that was certainly a new direction in which the league chose to extend its disciplinary muscle.

Downie, meanwhile, today received one of the longest suspensions in NHL history for a hit that wasn't one of the worst in league history or one of the most destructive.

What they have in common, however, is that both bans were designed to set a precedent.

Look at the Downie suspension.

Remember, Claude Lemieux only got two games one year for caving in Kris Draper's face during the playoffs. Chris Pronger got one game for knocking out Dean McAmmond, the same victim of Downie's Tuesday night hit, during the 2007 Stanley Cup final.

New Jersey forward Cam Janssen, meanwhile, received only three games for knocking out Maple Leaf defenceman Tomas Kaberle with a late, high hit in a regular season game last year, an incident that in some ways was similar to the Downie hit.

Now Downie gets 20? Something's going on.

What this suspension apparently means is that in choosing over the summer not to institute a league-wide ban on hits to the head, the NHL is telling players that those who still insist on flagrantly delivering such hits of a dangerous type are going to be punished to a far greater extent than would have been the case in the past.

In other words, the league is trusting the players to behave in this area without putting in another new rule. If they don't, expect huge suspensions, like this one.

Of course, consistency has long been the NHL's problem. And the league still insists there was nothing wrong with Chris Neil's vicious, blind side head shot on Chris Drury last season.

But after getting nowhere with piddly little suspensions for years, perhaps this is indeed a change of NHL policy. Certainly, the nonsensical, archaic notion that the players can police themselves has gone forever.

Who's The Man?

There's probably no tougher job in town than coaching the Maple Leafs, if only because several million people within an hour's drive of the ACC - wait, that only gets you to about the 401 these clogged days - believe they know how to do it better than you do.

There may be one exception to that coach-as-toughest-job rule, and that would be playing goal for the Leafs.

PAUL HUNTER/TORONTO STAR

Toskala or Raycroft opening night? A head-scratcher, that one. Hopefully it's not both.

That the two jobs are inextricably linked - pretty tough to look like a smart coach if your goalie's save percentage doesn't start with the number "9" - is just a reality as much as it is for any coach in any town.

Pat Burns was a genius when Felix Potvin was an all-star. Pat Quinn looked great in the regular season, but not so great in the post-season when neither Curtis Joseph nor Ed Belfour, it's fair to say, played their very best hockey in Toronto uniforms.

So when Paul Maurice picks a goalie to start the season opener on Wednesday against powerful Ottawa, he's exposing his own job performance to intense scrutiny.

Andrew Raycroft or Vesa Toskala? Toskala or Raycroft?

You sure can't say Toskala has come out and won the job so far,and it appears he's going to have to adjust to playing behind a Toronto defence that isn't a disciplined or talented as that he played behind in San Jose.

If Raycroft delivers a strong effort against Detroit tonight perhaps he gets the nod for opening night. Or maybe Toskala gets the home start, and Raycroft, with some success on the road last season, gets the start in Ottawa the next night.

But if there's no indication on the final weekend that Toskala is primed and ready to go, it has to be Raycroft, right?

And doesn't that represent a bit of a step backwards for a team after a big summer trade was supposed to addressed a shortfall in goal?

This is going to be a hot potato for Maurice all season.

Would he be better off to designate one as the starter or let the two compete for the job?

All those locals who are pretty certain they could do a better job coaching the team are sure to have an opinion.

Mail bag

Every Thursday, Damien Cox answers your Maple Leafs questions. Click here to submit a question.

So, do you think this year's designated Leaf saviour, Vesa Toskala, has figured out yet that stopping the puck in Toronto is going to be a little bit more difficult than in San Jose?

Yeah, I think he has.

Anyways, on to this week's mail bag, including programming issues that have left me utterly befuddled.

Q: Hello Damien. Love your insights, and really respect your thoughts. Can you explain to me if you ever see in the near or distant future MLSE allowing a General Manager to run the team as he sees fit? I don't necessarily blame JFJ for all the decisions, but how much of a hand do you think MLSE has in the day-to-day operations, and how much of an influence do they have on hockey related decisions? Do you ever foresee a day of "Bryan Colangelo" type of autonomy on the hockey side?

Micho Brujic, Mississauga

A: I think Pat Quinn was the last GM of the Leafs to have any real autonomy in the days when he pretty much reported directly to Steve Stavro, which ended when Stavro’s reign as Leaf czar ended. There are many owners in the league who are very involved, so that in itself isn’t necessarily the problem. The issue is how they are involved, and whether they give their GM enough autonomy and job security to operate effectively. I noticed the other day that the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, despite having been awful fairly recently, gave their longtime coach Jeff Fisher a new four-year deal. The Leaf board, on the other hand, seems intent on making sure JFJ runs every meaningful decision past them while at the same time making it clear he could be replaced at any time. Pretty tough for any hockey executive to do their job under those circumstances. But this stuff has been going on since Cliff Fletcher was in charge, and so its hard to believe any hockey exec would ever get the clearance to run the show alone. Which is why none want to come to Toronto.

Q: Hi Damien,

I have a few questions or points I'd like to make. Why has no one questioned JFJ for not signing Peca? he was willing to come for a lot less, and all we were told was he is a great influence in the dressing room, and on the ice, and we want him back. Also, do you not think a free agent like Bondra or Alyn McAuley would help? Where did all the money go? We really only signed Blake? Also, I do think another free agent forward was needed, and since we didn't get him I think we should move either a McCabe or Colaiacovo on the wing, thus opening up another defensive spot. They should be better than Ondrus, Devereaux, Battaglia or Newbury. Also, did Craig Button find a job with another organization? Mysterious departure wasn't it? The Leaf Carousel continues.

Angelo Romanin, Woodbridge

A: Okay, you’ve thrown a few things at me. First, I too questioned JFJ for not resigning Peca. I think a part of the answer was that the Leafs seriously question whether Peca will be able to recover sufficiently from last year’s serious injury. Re Bondra, I think he’s finished as an elite scorer, while McCauley’s injury problems may end his career, making him a risky signing. Moving defencemen up to forwards is often suggested but almost never pans out with meaningful results.

Finally, re Craig Button, there was clearly a disconnect between Ferguson and Button, perhaps even a trust issue in which Ferguson didn’t feel comfortable sharing organizational secrets with Button. At any rate, Button is a well-regarded hockey man who may even one day get a chance to be a GM again.

Q: This is a follow up question to the Q&A dated September 20 on NHL blackout policy. Even with the purchase of the NHL Centre Ice Package in the Ottawa region, Leafs games are subject to blackouts. So programming on cable, satellite or NHL Centre Ice package is totally useless if you wanted access to Leafs games. I'm just asking for access to Leafs games or the ability to watch them when desired, not that I will watch all the Leafs games. We are subjected to Sens and Habs games (at least almost their entire schedule is available) even though Ottawa is more than a third full of Leafs fans. By the way I've stopped purchasing hockey tickets in Ottawa, even for Leafs game because of the petty treatment Leafs are subjected to in this city. Any suggestions on getting access to Leafs game in Ottawa?

Ric T., Ottawa

A: I’m told Centre Ice should give you access to Leaf games. If that’s wrong, I’m really confused now.

Q: This is a follow up to a question you answered regarding regional blackouts. Even with the NHL Center Ice package how come when there are games involving Montreal (I live in Brockville, Ont.) I am only able to watch the RDS broadcast (which is in french) and not the alternate broadcast (from the other teams announcers which is in english)? It seems unfair, I pay for NHL Center Ice not Glace Centrale de NHL (thanks to Google translate) Why am I forced to watch games in french, it's not like the commercials mean anything to me either.

Will G., Brockville, Ont.

A: Oh my goodness. I wish I’d never dipped my toe in this pond. . .

Q: Hey Damien,

Just curious of your thoughts on the Leafs new jerseys? I hate them, they're plain, and boring. And just a slap in the face of tradition.

Montreal would never get rid of the red on the shoulders, or the stripes on the bottom. Also, why would the Leafs continue to hold onto that Harold Ballard Leaf logo? The one from last year's third jersey is MUCH nicer, as is that jersey. I'm hoping they'll get the message and fix these boring jerseys ASAP! Also, is the NHL back to home teams wearing white? The Leafs wore blue in Edmonton the other night, then again in Winnipeg, but the Canucks wore green at home. I'm confused. I prefer the whites at home to be honest.

Randy Bush, Toronto

A: Flat out, I think the Leafs new uniforms are boring, unimaginative and look like practice jerseys. You could only get more plain by stripping the numbers off the back. Just awful. From what I’ve seen, only a handful of NHL clubs – Ottawa, Calgary, to name two – look remotely sharp in their new duds.

Q: Damien,

With so much puck-moving talent on the blueline, do you think Ferguson will deal for another stay-at-home defenceman and some size up the middle? Would McCabe waive his no-trade clause to move to a top-contender?

Chris Rodgers, Ottawa

A: First, I’m not so sure I see all the puck-moving talent. I see Kaberle, and to some degree McCabe, but that hardly is an embarrassment of riches. But I do think this team is absolutely desperate for a reliable, stay-at-home type. Actually, I think drug-suspended Sean Hill would have been a good bet, but he signed with Minny.

Re McCabe waiving his no-trade, I think he would, yes. If this season goes sour, it should happen. I just don’t see him as the pillar of a great defence. Ever.

Q: Last season, the Leafs had Colaiacovo, Stajan, and Peca, all originally from the GTA. They didn't get any extra attention from fans or media. Raycroft is from Belleville, not too far down the 401. He got a lot of attention; unfortunately it was the wrong kind of attention. The fans loved Roberts and Nieuwendyk, both from the GTA, but it had more to do with their styles of play -- they could've been from Tibet for all the fans cared.

It seems like where the player is from isn't a big deal here. I don't see that being the case with the Canadiens fans. I'm inclined to believe a guy like Pisani gets an extra cheer from Oilers fans because he's an Edmonton boy. I would guess that if Sakic signed with the Canucks, the fans would go completely mental (moreso than if a player of similar talent and credentials signed there). Last summer, I was hoping Anson Carter would sign with Toronto (until I found out how much he wanted from the Canucks), and admittedly, half the reason is that he's a Scarborough kid. Am I the only Leafs fan who cares about such things?

Do you find the fans of other Canadian teams cheer on their hometown boys more than Leaf fans do, or am I just dreaming that up?

K. Lee, Toronto

A: It’s an interesting question, and down in Phoenix, the efforts of one Arizona-born player to crack the Coyotes roster has certainly created a stir.

Calgary is one team that has tried to build around some western Canadian kids, while Montreal is hard-pressed to ice a team with more than two or three French-Canadian born players anymore. Edmonton likes the locals, sure, but they booed Mike Comrie out of town. So it differs from place to place, situation to situation.

Basically, I don’t think Leaf fans in general care where the players are from; the most popular player on the roster now is Darcy Tucker, and he’s from Western Canada. The same went for Wendel Clark of Kelvington, Sask. in his day. Leaf fans, in general, seem more attracted to a type – gutsy, aggressive – than whether a player is local.

Q: I think Kyle Wellwood is a great person and very dedicated to being the best player he can be. Having said that he has always struck me as a guy with all the style but no finish. But perhaps with a winger who can score he could be effective. Problem is I'm not sure that person is out there. My question though is far more concerning. Do you feel with this latest setback that Wellwood will even play this year? I have a sinking feeling this injury is far more serious than the Leafs are letting on. What are your thoughts on this?

Robert Hardman, Madison, Sask.

A: I think there’s every reason to believe this is either a more serious injury than has been stated, or a chronic problem. It’s stunning that this wasn’t completely addressed and taken care of over the summer months. Perhaps that’s why you see the team taking such care with Colaiacovo’s knee injury now.

Click here to send Damien a question and he will answer a selection every Thursday in this space.

Breaking Bonds

Play or not play, stay or leave, Barry Bonds spent 15 years in San Francisco polarizing a community and the baseball world.

This was, last summer, the most cynical deal possible between a sports team and an athlete, the Giants unwilling to say goodbye to the troublesome outfielder knowing he could attract huge crowds and revenues in his historic home run chase, and Bonds happy to take another year's enormous salary. The Giants undoubtedly knew they would not be able to fashion a winner with Bonds as the central figure, and Bonds himself appeared like he could care less about that facet of the sport.

You can't even say it went sour because the Giants announced last week that they won't be bringing Bonds back next season.

The team got what it wanted. Bonds got what he wanted, even if he's been booted out, rather than ending his San Francisco run in triumph.

When it was officially all over, it left a crowd of confusion. Even the San Francisco Chronicle, which has doggedly pursued Bonds and accusations of steroid use, couldn't quite decide how it felt, and in a unique decision printed two separate versions of its front page on Saturday to reflect to very different attitudes towards the aged star.

It's not that unusual for a relationship to end like this between a team and a star. It happens all the time, mostly when the star is unwilling to say his skills have deteriorated and the team decides it can no longer win with that player or wants to spend money elsewhere.

But it doesn't usually happen immediately after a season in which an historic accomplishment is recorded. You couldn't see Green Bay just dumping Brett Favre now, for example.

And its not like Bonds, who is hitting .279 with 28 home runs (he's at 762 now) and 66 RBIs in only 337 at-bats can't play at all anymore.

"He's still their best player," said former teammate Moises Alou.

But the Giants don't want him anymore because from a business point of view, they've decided they no longer need him. The profited from their cynical deal and now want to move on.

But it seems so very likely some other team will decide it does need Bonds. This isn't over yet.

Early Pain

Pre-season injuries are always a drag. But when they strike at the most vulnerable part of your lineup, the pain is doubled.

That's the case for two Eastern Conference teams expected to be in a dogfight to make the playoffs this season, the Maple Leafs and Tampa Lightning, after both were struck by troubling injuries over the past few days.

For the Leafs, it was the news that No. 2 centre Kyle Wellwood would be lost with another round of sports hernia surgery. The team's spin was to play down the problem, but it's something that has troubled Wellwood since last season and obviously isn't just going away.

The worst part for Paul Maurice is that his team is already thin down the middle. Even with Wellwood, the Leafs' lack of punch and size at the centre ice position had to be a major concern. Rather than address that through free agency - Chris Drury, Scott Gomez - or a trade, Leaf GM John Ferguson added wingers in Jason Blake and the suspended Mark Bell.

Now he's got to hope that shifting a winger to the middle, either Chad Kilger or Alex Steen, will patch the hole until Wellwood returns. Kilger has the size and shot, but Steen offers at least the possibility of replacing the offence lost with Wellwood out.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, suffered an even more serious blow when defenceman Dan Boyle sliced the tendons in his left wrist in a freak dressing room incident on the weekend. Boyle, who is looking to a big payday either during this season or as an unrestricted free agent next summer, was talking to teammate Doug Janik when a skate fell off a hook and cut him deeply, sending him to hospital.

The prognosis after surgery is that Boyle will be lost for 4-6 weeks. Like Wellwood, however, you have to wonder how long it will take the talented Lightning blueliner, a 20-goal shooter a year ago, to get back up to full strength.

While the Leafs have Tomas Kaberle should, say, Bryan McCabe go down, the Bolts have no defenceman who offers anywhere close to the offensive package that Boyle does. That, of course, is in part because the Bolts have so much money tied up in three superb forwards - Martin St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards - and haven't been able to afford to spend on another blueliner.

So the Leafs lose a key player at centre when they're thin, and the Bolts lose their best defenceman off a relatively thin blueline. In a similar way, another Eastern Conference playoff hopeful, Atlanta, has to be terribly worried about early season groin problems being experienced by No. 1 goaltender Kari Lehtonen. If Lehtonen's out, only Johan Hedberg stands between the opposition and big-time trouble.

The salary cap, of course, dictates that every team has to make decisions where to spend and where not to spend, leaving most teams with a part of their roster they just have to hope and pray won't be hit by injuries. It's a judgment call, but right now, for example, the Senators are looking pretty smart for hanging on to goalie Martin Gerber, with starter Ray Emery's immediate future still cloudy due to ongoing post-surgical wrist issues.

For the Leafs, Bolts and Thrashers, meanwhile, the 82-game hunt for a playoff spot is off to a challenging start. 

The Perfect Ending

Can't wait until the first pro athlete in Canada demands to be paid in Canadian funds.

They can't call it funny money anymore, can they?

Somehow, you have to figure the Blue Jays, to name one team, will twist the soaring Canadian loonie into a new excuse after blaming it for many of their financial ills over the years.

Can't you hear it? "How can we possibly compete having to pay our players in Canadian? Those loonies are heavy and cost us a fortune to bring in by truck."

Otherwise, the 2007 season, which is turning out to be nothing short of a full-fledged disaster for the Rogers boys, is really ending in perfect style for the people who have to make baseball excuses for a living, in this case Paul Godfrey and J.P. Ricciardi.

They promised one thing, delivered quite another, namely a team that just needs to finish 10-0 to draw even with last season's 87-win effort.

Happily for Godfrey and Ricciardi, their players are dropping like flies in the final days of the season.

The team will end the season with B.J. Ryan, Lyle Overbay, Troy (It's In The Mail) Glaus and Vernon Wells all disabled, which puts a lovely ribbon on the big excuse, that the Jays had a wonderful team this year but it was all ruined by injuries.

Forget that the teams above them, Boston and New York, also had to deal with all kinds of injuries. And forget that even when the Jays had most of their lineup intact, they weren't any good anyway, and that it's quite likely that next season will be filled with tricky injury issues again, as is the case with most major league teams.

Godfrey and Ricciardi have hung on the injury excuse all season - that is, when they weren't lying about Ryan or running interference for Glaus -and you can bet they're not going to let go now.

If they finish .500 over the last 10 games, this is a ball club that will have averaged 79 victories per season over the last four years. Throw out the 67-win season of 2004, and you have an average of 83 wins per season over the last three years.

I think Godfrey and Ricciardi have pretty much established that of which they are capable, don't you?

Mail Bag

Okay, here we go again.

Every Thursday I’ll do my best to answer any and all Leaf or NHL or general hockey questions you have. Last year, we fielded queries from Asia, Europe, Africa, the United States and across Canada, and hopefully we can drum up the same interest from Star readers around the world this season.

It’s a season that already looks chock full of intriguing issues and questions, even though we’re only in pre-season. So let’s get it rolling!

Q: After reading some comments from Mats and coach Maurice, the Leafs are planning on not only making the playoffs this season but also competing for the Cup. Obviously they have been drinking the "kool aid" (I also suspect that Paul Godfrey and J.P have been sneaking drinks from it too). Just how far off do you think these predictions are and what can we do as fans who no longer have any faith in either of our marquee franchises but still have the passion to support those team?

P.S If I'm not mistaken the Leafs traded the 13th pick in the draft in the Toskala deal, they could have drafted either of Angelo Esposito or Alexei Cherepanov both of whom are more talented than anyone current on the horizon for the Leafs or even the players they received in the trade and precisely the type of young talent they need.

Craig Fulford, Toronto

A: Craig, I’m sensing a little frustration. Your question seems to be broken down into two parts; one, can the Leafs compete for the Cup, and two, what can fans do who don’t believe that will happen but want to cheer anyway.

Re question one, I believe that the Leafs can qualify for post-season play even though they are only slightly more talented than last season. With good, not great goaltending last season, they would have made the playoffs, and between Vesa Toskala and Andrew Raycroft they should get improved play between the pipes. Jason Blake will help a lot, and Pavel Kubina will be much stronger. Once you’re in the playoffs you’re competing for the Cup, but based on what the Leafs have now, they lack enough reliable defensive acumen on the blueline and don’t have anywhere close to the required strength down the middle after Mats Sundin.

Re question two, that is the eternal challenge of being a fan. I guess you continue to hope. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Q: Hi Damien!

Is the newly signed Anton Stralman part of the team or will they let him start in the minors? And what about the often injured Staffan Kronwall?

Johan Lundell, Stockholm

A: Stralman has to play himself into this group, which won’t be easy since at the moment the top six would appear to be McCabe, Kaberle, Kubina, Gill, White and Colaiacovo. That said, the Leafs are high on his puck-moving skills and offensive smarts, so Stralman will be given a serious chance to crack the lineup. White could be the Leaf defender most vulnerable.

Re Kronwall, well, he’s been injured so much nobody’s sure what to think. He’s got to get himself healthy for an extended period of time, and the likeliest scenario would have him at least starting another season with the Marlies.

Q: Perhaps this is easier to explain than I think, but why has Mark Bell been dealt with so much more harshly by the NHL than Jay Bouwmeester? Bell hit someone and fled, but society's condemnation of drunk driving is absolute, and they both pled guilty to it. I realize Bell has required substance abuse treatment, but this seems a double standard. Your thoughts?

Mike Whitehouse, Sudbury, Ont.

A: Great question. I can’t read the mind of the NHL on this, but my guess would be that because Bell’s actions injured another person and will result in a jail term, that differentiates him from Bouwmeester. That said, perhaps it’s time the NHL instituted a policy that any drinking-and-driving conviction will result in a 10-game suspension.

Q: Mr. Cox: What is the deal with the NHL and regional blackouts? I mean, I know what they are, but why? Seems like another idea whose time has long since past. If I'm considering shelling out however much per month for HD TSN and Sportsnet, the least they could do is let me see out of market games.

I suppose I should count myself lucky as a hockey fan, since I get Calgary and Edmonton games on the analog (yuck) Sportsnet West, which is in my "region", according to the powers that be.

Further to that, when is LeafsTV going to arrive nation-wide? Is the CRTC once again in the way of progress, or is it just the NHL or MLSE being extra stupid?

Fans in any city should be able to watch any game on TV or especially online (for a price of course). Am I crazy?

Ross Hudgins, Regina

A: I took your questions directly to John Shannon, the NHL’s senior vice-president of broadcasting. He said the league is divided into 30 territories for 30 franchises, not unlike many national franchises. Your area was arbitrarily designated a Calgary/Edmonton territory, and just like other territories, you’re subject to out-of-market blackout rules. National broadcasts on TSN, Sportsnet or CBC are excluded. That said, Shannon pointed out that if you’re interested, you may be able to purchase the league’s Centre Ice package, which essentially gets around all the blackouts. In many markets, that package is also available on your home computer.

Re Leafs-TV, that channel will never be available nationally because it is obligated by league rules to exist only in the Leafs territory, which is the province of Ontario minus the 613 area code. Again, however, Shannon points out that if you choose to subscribe to Centre Ice, all Leaf games broadcast by Leafs-TV would be available to you.

Hope that helps!

Q: Damien:

Can you come up with any logical reason why JFJ would extend Toskala's contract for 4M per season, prior to him ever getting any black marks on his new blue equipment? To me, this move sends the message that he's the goalie of the future regardless of they're telling Raycroft, and since the money doesn't kick in till next year, what was the urgency? He could have waited to see how Toskala was going to fit in to the team and the city first. He's unnecessarily made a deal that could cost him cap space if Toskela doesn't pan out, or Razor has a great year. There is a good chance both scenarios could happen.

More bad management of an otherwise good trade.

Dan Guse, Dowling, Ont.

A: Dan, you may prove to be right. The Leafs’ assessment that if Toskala wasn’t locked up, he would be on the unrestricted free agent market in a year and might cost them more. We’ll see who turns out to be correct. I don’t think the problem is the message they’re sending Raycroft; he had a chance to deliver the goods as an unchallenged No. 1 goalie last year and didn’t come through. I think the problem is that if Toskala doesn’t pan out, he becomes virtually untradeable and a major salary cap problem. But let’s face it. If Toskala flames out, it won’t be JFJ’s problem. He’ll be long gone.

---

Click here to send Damien a question and he'll answer a selection in his mail bag every Thursday in this space.

Having Missed the Point. . .

Maybe I'm just slow (everybody out there nod in agreement).

But I just don't get it.

I've listened to all the cries of outrage and disgust and indignation. I've listened to John Madden and Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth and Bob Costas and Roger Goodell and the other 8,456 people who have commented on TV, radio or in the newspaper about SpyGate/CameraGate and Bill Belichick.

And I'm still missing the point here. Why is everyone so upset? More to the point, why were the New England Patriots and Belichick fined $750,000 and docked a first round draft pick for using a camera to steal the defensive signals of the New York Jets in Week One of the NFL season?

Isn't that what they're supposed to do? Isn't that why such signals are delivered in code, often with a dummy signal man - or more than one - beside the real mccoy to confuse the opposition?

The NFL, more than any other league, is a league of military-like secrecy, with all 32 teams clearly aware other teams will do just about anything to get their hands on a playbook or any piece of information that might tip them off as to the intentions of the enemy squad.

So they guard those playbooks carefully, and make sure any player leaving the team hands his in before he leaves. They develop intricate, complicated secret signals for both offence and defence, knowing full well the opposition is undoubtedly watching carefully looking for anything that will tip off a play or two.

If Belichick had bugged the Jets offices or hotel rooms, that would be one thing. If he'd kidnapped a Jets assistant coach and filled him with truth serum and forced him to talk, well, then you're running into the Geneva Convention. If he'd illegally intercepted the Jets radio communications in the stadium, Goodell would be correct to be outraged.

But a camera on the sidelines? Couldn't it just as easily have been on the other side of the field, or in the stands, or linked up to a satellite for goodness sakes?

It seems hard to imagine, at any rate, that such an effort would result in evidence that would make a difference in that particular game.

Still, everyone's up in arms, barely noticing how utterly dominant the Pats looked in thrashing San Diego on Sunday night.

I'd love to be up in arms to in order to be part of the crowd. I like a good mob as much as the next guy.

But I still just don't get it.

Another Mediocre Season?

You can smell it in the air; football season. The best time of year.

At the same time, however, it may well be the most challenging time of year for the CFL, with the passion of Labour Day behind us, and with both the NFL and the NHL either already into their season or getting ready to get rolling.

The last thing the CFL needs, you have to believe, is non-competitive football.

But that's what we got this past weekend. Four blowouts, four one-sided contests in which the winner got way ahead early and the loser was never even in a position to mount a comeback. Three of the four East Division teams - Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton - got whacked and whacked hard, illustrating what may be a significant imbalance between east and west this season.

Not one of last weekend's games, really, was interesting past halftime, other than to the joyous supporters of the teams administering the whippings.

Even worse, it wasn't a one weekend phenomenon.

Over the last three weeks of the CFL season, the average margin of victory has been 18 points, with only two of 12 games decided by less than a double digit difference.

With B.C. going into Saskatchewan and Edmonton heading into Montreal, perhaps next weekend will be different. Maybe Casey Printers learns a little bit more of the offence and creates some excitement for Hamilton against Calgary.

But right now, it's hard to shake the feeling that this CFL season is gradually becoming a lot like last season - lacking in competitive drama and individual excellence. Indeed, when Winnipeg quarterback Kevin Glenn left the game in Hamilton on Saturday night, it was mentioned that he was probably the east's leading candidate for CFL most outstanding player honors, and after a few moments, it was concluded he was really the ONLY legitimate eastern candidate this season.

Maybe it's different out west where B.C., Regina and Calgary have looked as good or better than any of the teams in the east.

But more weekends like last weekend aren't going to help the CFL make this fall magical for fans of the three-down game.

Words to Live By

It is amazing what can get people all hot and bothered over hockey in this town.

Example: Paul Maurice says his team will "make the playoffs and compete for the Cup," and it's treated as though by an unintended slip of the tongue he revealed the cure for cancer.

Let's break this down.

Maurice has promised his team will be among the 16 clubs in a 30 team league that qualify for post-season play.

Hardly a promise to immediately begin stacking bricks with a plan to reach higher than the Burj Dubai.

And if you make the playoffs, then you are by definition "competing" for the Cup, because it's a tournament. Atlanta competed for the Cup last spring, its just that they ceased competition after four quick losses.

Good for Maurice, one supposes, by sounding like a coach with confidence in his men, although what his alternative statement would have been escapes me.

Of far more interest, it seems to me, was the latest gobbledy-gook to come out of the mouth of the one, the only, Richard Peddie.

Yesterday, the prez announced the the "search had stopped" for somebody to either come and work with GM John Ferguson or oversee Ferguson.

Fabulous. Stopped just before O.J. stopped his search for the real killers.

But let's make sure everybody understands what actually happened over the past three months.

Peddie and his bosses promised Ferguson a contract extention, and JFJ hired a high-profile sports agent, Gil Scott, to negotiate a deal. The promise came sometime after an end-of-year meeting with the MLSE board in which JFJ was told he was doing a fine job.

And then the Leafs never bothered to call about the extension. Moreover, a weird search began for a greying executive to somehow stabilize or improve the Leaf front office.

For weeks, it went on and on, with the Leafs going so far as to actually interview John Muckler while flirting endlessly with Scotty Bowman. The classy Ferguson, who had to deal with the death of his famous father at the same time, never uttered a negative, complaining word.

Now, if anyone would be so silly to take Peddie at his word, the search is over.

Until the Leafs lose two or three, of course, at which point it will begin again, and if Maurice is completely wrong, MLSE sounds like it want to hand over all powers and a gigantic contract to Bowman. This silliness is right up there with the days when George Armstrong didn't want to coach the Leafs, but was afraid to tell owner Harold Ballard, and then announced all the Leaf picks at the entry draft.

So these brilliant thinkers have managed to turn this season already into a season all about Ferguson's future. Every win will be a check mark in his favour, every loss an "X" against his name.

As camp starts, Ferguson and Maurice have every right to like their team - just not the part of the organization that inhabits the fancy board of directors lounge and will decide their future.