Barrelling Headlong into History

It's as though they are stride-for-stride, each pushing the other in what has to be the most spectacular city to be in a sports fan in North America right now.

And,. interestingly, one of the nastiest media towns, as well.

That, of course, would be Boston, which is cheering on the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox to glory these days. The Patriots are just incredibly good, looking for a fourth title and simply shrugging off all the negative chatter that came with accusations of videotaped cheating earlier this season.

Bill Belichick and his squad are looking at that undefeated season possibility, playing with that type of dominance excuse-makers in sports with salary caps argue just isn't done anymore.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have to be considered arguably the greatest comeback organization of our time, having charged back from 0-3 and 1-3 deficits in the ALCS over the past four autumns to move into the World Series.

Sure the Colorado Rockies are on a roll. But would you really bet against Terry Francona's group right now?

And here's the final badge of honour for both of these teams.

Boston is a tough, tough media town, and these two teams get most of the attention, the same type of attention that goes to high-profile teams in other markets - say, Toronto and the Maple Leafs - and is used as an excuse as to why those teams aren't successful.

The Boston media, or more specifically, the newspaper writers, hounded Ted Williams for years and years. It's an unrelenting media pressure that Boston applies, yet the Pats and Bosox seem to flourish within it.

So the next time you hear a Leaf player talk about how tough it is to play hockey in a city like Toronto, remember how Boston's baseball and football clubs deal with it and recognize such baloney for what it is.

Comments

[Andrew Spencer]

I concur but it's next to impossible for Leafs fans to distinguish between fact and fiction about the club or its' players because they're Leafs fans. Ergo, they're already blind.

[Don Knox]

Thank you, Damien for pointing this out. Everytime I hear someone in the Leafs organization whine about how tough it is to play in Toronto I get upset. This excuse simply does not fly. As you point out other big cities, Boston, New York and Philadelphia come to mind, are just as tough, if not tougher on their pro sports teams and they seem to produce championship teams.

[Alex]

I've got to admit that the Red Sox' comeback (or is it Cleveland's collapse?) is impressive. But I've also got to admit that I probably won't be watching the World Series because of it.

Between Josh Beckett smack-talking Kenny Lofton all the way up to first base (even though Lofton was by that point easily out--great sportsmanship there, dude) and Manny Ramirez's daily antics (just shuddup, put your hands down, and play the game already, you obnoxious putz!), all I see is a bunch of big-money, big-mouthed brats with a serious entitlement complex. The only difference between them and the Yankees is about 200 miles.

Can you imagine how insufferable the Sox are going to be if they win another World Series? Bleah. I sure hope Colorado can knock them back down a peg or two, though that may be hoping against hope. They're a good team, but they're such a bunch of yappy, childish idiots that I'm just not interested in watching them.

[Don Lewis]

Damian, Boston RedSox didn't win for how many generations? Not saying the press did it, but I see some parallels there, obviously you don't. As for the media, yes, they are a bunch of little innocent reporters..just doing their jobs, if we listen to them. The media does not just report news items, they inflame them, stir them up, keep the fires going, plain and simple.
Brian McCabe on the front page of the Toronto papers? It's the first 6 games of the season for crying out loud. I think that was taken to exremes. Anahiem didn't make the front page when they won the Stanley Cup. What was the press hoping for in doing that? Ruin McCabe's life? Ruin the leafs? I want to know what good came out of it? Nothing, just to sell papers. And if you can't do good, why bother doing it? There was nothing to be gained there but making leafs fans upset, the leaf team upset and upset McCabe, and sell more papers where is the good? The next game, the leaf fans didn't jump all over him, much to the dissappointment of the press. They couldn't inflame the story more. Sorry Damien, you don't win this one with me.
You media types are not as innocent as you like to portray yourselves.

[Scott]

It is the media that constantly says how hard it is to be a Maple Leaf in Toronto. The players simply ask the questions the reporters ask them regarding this issue. You don't seem them coming out and saying, our of nowhere, how much pressure they feel playing here. You got it backwards.

[Gareth]

Great points Damien. I spent the last year living in NYC and the attention that the media and fans focused on something as minor as middle-innings pitching change in a meaningless May game against the Devil Rays was astounding. Yet Joe Torre and his players would face attention like nothing I'd ever seen...for 162 games and every day in between. This attention was directed at one of the most successful sports franchises of the past 20 years.

Pressure from the media and fans is entirely acceptable. Toronto has been without quality hockey for 4 years now. If the Leafs (and MLSE) had to feel the wrath that is deserved after 4 bad years, let alone 40, someone would actually be held accountable. Instead nothing changes, the dollars roll in, the excuses remain the same, and so does the outcome.

Sincerely,
Another Rube being fleeced in Leafs Nation

[Jeff Iles]

The Boston Redsox didnt win for 100 years and the Bruins arent far behind the Leafs for a Cup drought...so thanks for the comparison. I'm not blaming it on the media, but the media are nothing but bottom feeding papparazi. Half of the stories are taken out of context and used agaisnt a player. A story was published in the paper about Paul Byrd using steroids the other day. The paper had this story for days but waited until game 7 to use it with maximum effect against the player and the team. Its not an exuse for teams losing, but it doesnt make their lives or winning any easier...Media members must go home feeling really good about themselves at night. I wish the same fate on them someday.

[Max Zakrzewski]

I agree that players should not complain about how difficult it is to play in a certain city. After all, it was their decision to sign a contract with that team in the first place. However, to suggest that Boston may be a more difficult market (which may be true, yet I still see Toronto as being extremely demanding) but teams still find a way to win is absurd. Other than the past 6-7 years, Boston sports team were married to futility. Eighty-six years for the Sox, and the Pats just won recently. Even the other commentor who suggested that "New York and Philadelphia...produce championship teams" is horribly wrong. While the Yankees were dominant early in the decade, the Islanders, Rangers, Mets and Knicks have all not won in 10-30 years. The Flyers haven't won since the 70's, the 76ers since the 80's and the Eagles just suck. Just because a tough market city has had a recent spell of success, you immediately use that to portray Toronto, also a tough market, and the Maple Leafs in a negative light...shame on you, if you don't like the Leafs stop repoting and LEAVE TORONTO!

[Steve]

I find this a tad absurd coming from you Damien. It's like you've forgotten the fact that the Patriots used to be referred to as the Patsies, and it took them over 25 years just to win a conference title, and over 40 to win the Superbowl. The Red Sox manage to make out from under a self perpetuating curse that lasts over 100 years, and somehow they're suddenly "making do" in a difficult environment.

Newsflash... the players play here DESPITE the media. Not because they love to deal with them. Half the goofs that call themselves journalists in this town think the Leafs are a cadre of talentless losers, despite the fact that the team is made up of the Captain of the top ranked hockey nation in the world, the top Defence pairing for the 4th ranked nation on the planet, plus a smattering of talented young forwards and D men who have all played at extremely high international levels. Stajan, Wellwood, Steen, White and Colaiacovo were all considered peers of Getzlaf, Perry, Richards, and Carter a few years ago... now we're discarding them to the trash heap of mediocrity? The Toronto media are a joke.

Perhaps the media should STOP backing off of players that play poorly, and celebrate those that play well. A story about the resurgence of Nik Antropov, and another about how horrid the season has been for Darcy Tucker... that would be a start. And perhaps NOT bashing Ponikarovsky (as I heard you do on 590 this morning) when he's one of our best defensive forwards, and perhaps recognizing that the calls made against him WERE basically phantom in nature. Nobody mentioned that the 1st Chicago goal, and the last Chicago goal (the Leafs lost by 2 remember) were both directly a result of HORRIBLE calls by the referees. I know the argument goes that the Leafs commit stick fouls so they have to pay the price, but Chicago didn't pay any price of a similar nature and fair play should have something to do with all of this. Just take off the coal coloured glasses once in a while. It'd be nice.

[mikeiber]

Like buddy above said; 1, repeat 1 freaken championship in 80 years!! On top of that, Boston actually put together a very good team, or should I say a very expensive team, with VERY good players, just once I would like the LEAFS to do this. What BOSTON did is the same as the YANKS; which by the way would have been a much better choice to compare, helluva lot more tropheys!

[chris]

So, according to some diehards in LeafCult...er Nation, the beloved Blue and White would become a Stanley Cup contender if certain members of the media would shut up, leave Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker, et al alone, and show the unadulterated love for the hometeam in the same manner that the TrueBlues do, eh?

What a crock!

If you don't like what members of the media are saying about your team, then don't read them.

[Drew]

wow! great argument people ... incredible to see so many "arguments" actually support Damian's points! I don't agree with all he says either, but c'mon, you got to do better than that!!
And, "Steve" ... what are you smoking??? Stajan, Wellwood, Steen, White and Colaiacovo considered peers of Getzlaf, Perry, Richards, and Carter ... by who??? by only the most deluded of Leaf's fans, perhaps ... certainly not by anyone who objectively watches hockey!!
Captain of what? ... top Defence pairing of what???? D men who have all played at extremely high international levels of what???? You are speaking of the Leafs???
And again with the referees-are-all-against-us, and we-never-get-a-call stuff ... you've been listening to Jim Ralph and Joe Bowen too much ...
But, thank you very much for a text-book example of why so many Leaf's fans are so funny to rational-thinking people ...
I needed a good laugh today!!

[Roberto]

Why does anybody care?

The media I forgive.....because they get paid to cover the Leafs.

The corporations I forgive. Because of the laws THEY wrote, they get to write off those box suites on their taxes. And they can also entertain their clients and close a deal or two. Finally, they can put the cost of these suites into the price of their products that the consumer happily pays.

I even forgive the scalpers and the bar owners because they're at least making a profit.

But the consumer....the hard working blue collar guy or the middle class white collar guy. How stupid do you have to be to give even 1 penny to a Company (the Leafs) that gives you back an inferior product.

It's not about passion or emotion. Anyone who would pay $15,000 hard earned dollars to watch an inferior product for 1 season is plain and simple stupid.

Would you pay 15k for a 20 year old rusted out blown engine of a car? Maybe you would pay 50.00 and then have it scrapped for 100.00.

The only thing I'm angry about is Cox is too nice to you idiots. He candy coats you morons because if he doesn't then he gets fired. So, instead of calling you what you are....idiots.....he says you are emotional and filled with passion.

Enough already. If you donkey heads really cared about this team, then you would stop going to their games until they got the message......tough love we call it. Then, I promise all of you, they will change and bring you a winner.

Until then.....keep supporting them.....and keep them from ever giving you a winner.

[Rich]

Nowhere in the column nor in the previous comments did I see the city that applies more pressure than anybody on a certain team.

Montreal.

There is more intense media scrutiny put on the Canadiens than all 29 other teams put together - yes, that includes you, Toronto.

And, having grown up in the Boston area and having lived in New York, I can say with some authority that the baseball coverage in Boston is tougher than in New York (and likely anywhere else.) But, neither holds a candle to the pressure in Montreal, for better or for worse.