Comparing and Contrasting

It can be either "we're just like them" or "we could be just like them." Or, of course, "we're nothing like them," which can be good and bad.

For a pro sports team, the process of getting better, or trying to, often includes comparing and contrasting your current situation/predicament with that of others.

For example, the Toronto Raptors might look at the uber-talented Oklahoma City Thunder and imagine that with patience and luck, they might be able to put together a young, talented team in a city that isn't necessarily a No. 1 destination for NBA stars. Maybe that promised land starts to emerge next season when kids like Ed Davis and DeMar DeRozan are joined by Lilthuanian prospect Jonas Valanciunas and whoever the Raps harvest in the first round in this year's draft. That's the scenario Bryan Colangelo has sold MLSE on.

For the Leafs, right now the team they have to compare and contrast with would be the L.A. Kings, champions of the NHL.  The Kings made it all way out of an eighth place finish, and all some which to focus on is that, and the fact they believe the Leafs, had they scratched their way into the post-season, might have experienced the same fate. That's one way to look at it. The more sensible way is to understand how long the Kings took to get there - nine years from start to finish - and that there were times along the way when it would have been easy to fire GM Dean Lombardi and veer sharply in another direction. The Kings, really, have shown that a patient build followed by key decisions at key moments can get you the top of the mountain.

This upcoming draft might be key for the Leafs, and rumours abound about possible moves up and down the draft order. But now's not the time to get impatient and start dumping young assets just to move up a spot or two. In fact, you could make a compelling argument that to really follow the L.A. blueprint, the Leafs need to get even a bit younger next season with Marlie grads, etc., which might put them further from the post-season int the short-term. That, of course, is not what many Leaf fans want to hear.

In the CFL, comparing and contrasting is always difficult because there are so few teams and the pre-season just started. But the Argos were able to defeat the Tiger-Cats Wednesday night and in so doing see where they are, and where their new quarterback is, in comparison to those of the Hamiltonians.

Which brings us to the Blue Jays. Before the season began, they and most others in baseball would have put the Jays and Washington Nationals in about the same category, young teams with oodles of potential and lots of question marks to go with them. Well, the Nats showed in an impressive sweep of the struggling Jays this week that they've made a big jump ahead of Toronto, although in baseball its always smart not to get too worked up over just one series.

For the Jays, adversity has come in a significant way, and we'll see how this team responds. The young leadership core consisting of Jose Bautista, J.P. Arencibia and Ricky Romero was supposed to be strong enough to come through in these kinds of times, and we'll see if it does. 

How bad it is remains to be seen. What we know is that the rosy projections of the spring turned out to be very misleading. Then, the questions were all about the rotation. The bullpen, it was believed, had been reinforced by GM Alex Anthopoulos, while the position players were seemingly solid. Remember, the only battle for a spot was in left field between Travis Snider and Eric Thames, and that was only a battle to those who weren't listening to John Farrell's daily comments that it was Thames' job to lose.

Well, three months later both Thames and Snider are in the minors, as is first baseman Adam Lind. The leadoff hitter, Yunel Escobar, was supposed to be another set piece, but he's been eclipsed in that offensive role by Brett Lawrie. So in left field, at first base and in the leadoff slot, there was clearly a miscalculation by the Anthopoulos/Farrell tandem. Of course, nobody imagined Jose Bautista would be hitting .236; then again, he might still hit 50 homers at his current pace.

The unexpected happens in baseball, and just as Drew Hutchison stepped into an opportunity created by others, so too can the likes of David Cooper use the current situation to assert themselves. Maybe Colby Rasmus, who has slowly improved his batting average as the season has bumped along, might jump into the fore now as the young star the Jays would like to believe he is.  

But this week, comparing and contrast the Jays and Nationals didn't make Toronto look particularly good. In the spring, there was this quiet confidence in Dunedin that the Jays would be having the kind of season Washington is. Now, there's concern that if good things don't start happening soon, this will be another year without meaningful baseball in August, let alone September. 

 

Comments

[Paul McDougall]

I have to agree with Damien here. The last thing the Leafs should be thinking about next season is a playoff spot. The Leafs need to stockpile young talent through the draft for another two to three years in order to be a consistently competitive franchise. The Kings have several young players of true superstar potential, including a goaltender. The Leafs have Kessel and Gardner, and that's about it.

The dander is that Burke will be tempted to rush things to secure his job status.

[DJ]

If the Kings had two (or perhaps three) more points they would have topped their division instead of Phoenix. So they would have been a third seed instead of eighth.

Would Leafs fans be trying to compare their team to the Kings in that case?

You have to have the assets to get the job done, no matter where you finish.

LA has those, the Leafs? Not even close.

Richards, Carter, Kopitar, Brown, Doughty. I don't see the comparables on the Leafs.

[David Burns]

I don't know where all of this hope came from in the pre-season. The Jays have two major league starters and the GM failed to add a starter in the off season that can eat up some innings. The bull pen was revamped by the GM last season and was a disaster. He blew it up and retooled on the cheap again this year and it has been awful once more. There are still question marks all over the diamond as far as the position players go and the batting order lacks at least one big bat at clean up because the Jays won't spend any money to go out and get one. Who would want to come to Toronto as a free agent anyway? This is the Montreal Expo model all over again...keep bringing in the youth and hope that six or seven have career years all at once before they file for free agency and leave for greener pastures. A .500 team at best!!

[bri]

Burke screwed the pooch when he traded for Kessel. He already has choosen a path of trading draft picks for immediate help and it has failed. Burke should be given the boot. He had a great opportunity at the deadline to dump his failed Team USA and veteran core. Get rid of Komisarek, Connolly, Liles, Steckel, Crabb, Lombardi and Armstrong. Replace the bums with some Ontario UFA's, Brendon Prust, Daniel Winnick, Dennis Wideman, Jay McClement and fill in the rest of the spots with Marlies.