Clearing Out the Clutter

A few post-vacation mind burps:

-- The Hockey News has listed its version of the top 50 players in the NHL. Not a single one is a Maple Leaf. Tomas Kaberle isn’t on it. Vesa Toskala was a year ago, but fell off it this year. Its just one publication’s opinion, and it has some peculiarities (Tim Thomas at No. 13) but it accurately suggests that if the Leafs are to have any success this season, it’s going to have to be a team thing.

-- Few sports work as hard at women’s tennis to promote themselves. In a span of three days, the WTA had Maria Sharapova at the top of the CN Tower, Serena Williams happily participating in a hit-and-giggle at Rexall Centre and Ana Ivanovic hitting a ball on Yonge Street. You cannot say these people don’t understand they have work to do.

-- So 21 years after a drug-fueled Ben Johnson ran 9.79 in Seoul, Usain Bolt is running 9.58 without even wearing one of those fancy new swimsuits. Humans are really getting faster? Nobody’s wondering whether this can all possibly be for real in a sport that needs major stars as badly as baseball did when Mark McGwire was smashing home runs?

-- No kidding Stephen Strasburg had the Washington Nationals up against the wall. Baseball’s draft, it seems, makes no sense to anyone, and seeing the No. 1 pick get about 50 per cent more than any draft pick in league history just confirms that. This is a sport that excludes Latin America and Asia from the draft for reasons that escape more sensible people.

-- So it seems pretty clear that Kerry Joseph’s days as the No. 1 quarterback of the Argonauts are unofficially over. Cody Pickett’s going to get a long look this time, and Joseph has run out of chances with his third head coach in Toronto. Looking back, the 2008 deal that sent Joseph to the Argos from Saskatchewan to Toronto – Pinball Clemons really wanted it, Adam Rita did not – certainly looks like an error. But how big? The key elements of the trade were Joseph going to the Argos in exchange for offensive lineman Glenn January, defensive lineman Ronald Flemons and the fourth overall pick in the ’08 Canadian college draft. January is now in Winnipeg and Flemons was dealt back to the Argos, while the Green Riders used the first rounder to select defensive lineman Keith Shologan of Spruce Grove, Alberta, a 6-foot-2, 290-pounder who played his college ball at Central Florida. Shologan has yet to make an impact on Roughriders – he did catch a touchdown pass against Hamilton last week – but his development will decide this trade. As it stands, Joseph’s contract probably makes him untradeable.

-- What a carry-on over the new Olympic hockey jerseys. They’re sure pretty and creative, but was this really a matter of national security?

-- Kaberle (Czech Republic) and Mike Komisarek (U.S.) are the Leafs likeliest to be Olympians in Vancouver. Goalie Jonas Gustavsson (Sweden) has a shot at making it, and defenceman Francois Beauchemin has been invited to Team Canada’s camp. Mikhail Grabovski could have a chance of playing for Belarus.

-- Boy, Alex Tanguay must be one rotten guy. Not one NHL team wants him? Among those free agents still unsigned, the most interesting names are Maxim Afinogenov, Manny Malhotra, Taylor Pyatt, Francis Bouillon and Dennis Seidenberg. Fellows of some credentials with nowhere to go include Mike Comrie, Radek Bonk, Mike Peca, Robert Lang, Dominic Moore, Rob Niedermayer, Martin Skoula and Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi. (Ed note. Bertuzzi signed one-year deal with Detroit today). 

Comments

[dmac]

Dominic Moore totally screwed himself. We all seen this coming. He should fire his agent and give himself a smack in the head.

[Victor]

I guess Dominic Moore really knew what he was doing when he turned down the leafs offer last year. That was a disater waiting to happen. Perhaps he just could stomach working for Burke in light of Bertuzzi, otherwise he got some pretty bad advise.

[k.e. slickke]

Grabovski 'could' play for Belarus ? Didn't he lead them in scoring at the WC's ? To whom (on that endless Belarussian depth chart) would he lose a spot to ?

[Ken]

Interesting that Dominic Moore is not signed. Anyone think he will get what the Leafs offered and he turned down. One of the dumbest overestimations of one's worth in recent memory.

[Mike S]

How did Toskala make it onto a list of top 50 players a year ago?...........would he make it onto a list of top 250 players now??

[Confused]

I still think the Leafs should have picked up Mike Peca again. He could have come cheap and is still a great defensive centre and has great leadership skills. I would have preferred him over Primeau. Dominic Moore - saw that coming, but he may still get an offer from someone.

[nugentmania]

Well...Damien is on to something regarding Grabovski. A coach may have to decide who is more important to the team...two Kostitsyns or one Gravobski. Sad, but true.

The Leafs should add a body or two with the size that Burke likes, but with decent hands. And Malhotra wasn't that bad with Nash, maybe he could fill the Moore role and find some..."some"...chemistry with Blake. Regardless, his effort his honest and the Leafs need that on a nightly basis.

[Adam]

One of the dumbest overestimations of one's worth in recent memory or maybe he just didn't want to play for Burke? I think the latter is very possible.

[Bold Bravado]

Interesting, no mention of Sundin! What a difference a yr makes!

[Conn Smythe]

What about Bertuzzi signing with Cox's beloved Wings? Oh boy!

[Willy]

Sundin who? The most overated player in the NHL for the past few years?

[Arthur Bailey]

two Kostityns or one Grabovski? it's not like players who hated each other have not played for the same team before. just not on the same lines.

and honestly, if they are talented enough to be there, invite them all, and if one, or two, or all, pull a "not if he's there" then that just proves he(they) are classless and should have their invite revoked.

as a coach, I'd want players who to choose to play for their country, not players who choose not to play because of a personality clash with another player.

[Peter]

well, looks like Burke has plenty to choose from. feel sorry for Moore. i knew he had made a mistake turning the Leafs offer down and now he knows too. i think they still could sign him back. Malhotra is a good player, so is Niedermayer and even Tanguay and Peca could be good value for the Leafs.

[JT Grossmith]

Do the Leafs have any interest in Dominic Moore?

[Scott CL]

Damien, there may not be a Leaf in the top 50 of that assessment and that may or may not be a fair assessment but it's always about the team when it comes to winners.

[Bob Holden.]

After following baseball for about 50 years, it is my considered observation that the main effects of a manager is to not let the pitching get screwed up and to decide whether to play for the big inning or little ball.

A good bullpen, like good putting or good goaltending covers up a multitude of sins. The number of arm injuries suffered by the pitching staff suggests to me that the Jays might consider taking a look at their training methods with their young pitchers. Riccardi's main sin appears to be that he tied up too many of the limited resources available to him to people who did not work out. Judging from the number of capable young arms that have appeared over the last couple of years, scouting and drafting appears to be OK.

ps I think this response is on the wrong blog. It should be the Cito blog.

[other mark]

RE: Bolt and his 9:58 dash. Does anyone think he might be juiced? In this day and age, any athlete performing at an elite level will come under suspicion. I just don't think it's worth any ink; it goes without saying people are wondering. We've all grown cynical and somewhat uninterested in the topic. Let the Internation Track & Field Association and the IOC worry about it.... I know I don't care anymore.

[chris]

Who isn't, other mark? When it comes to illegal perfoprmance enhancing drugs, where there's smoke, there's fire.