Ok, so when I say this, I want to make it clear that I am not in anyway comparing sports to the tragedy of September 11. So for those who are going to go there, just stop.

I remember the time when a major news event happened when I used to stay up until 11:35 to see what Ted Koppel was going to say on Nightline. I knew Koppel would have the best guests and that was the way to get the best info. Fast forward x number of years to that dreaded day in September. There was no longer a need to wait up for nightline. CNN, MSNBC and whomever else covered the events of the day around the clock. The way we ingested and demanded news certainly has changed. Twitter has moved things to the news on demand realm.

The world of sports is no different. We used to have to wait for the morning paper to arrive (or for us to arrive at the subway station) to pick up the papers to get the facts and opinions we needed. Even as late as the last year we had to wait for the opinions from our favorite (or favorite to hate) to get memorialized in ink. Locally speaking, that has finally changed.

Consider that tonight at 10:01 Steve Simmons tweeted “Bryan Colangelo says – If you want to blame somebody for the Raptors, blame me – Read my column in Tuesday’s Sun …”

Or, you can read it now online at 10:02.

Dave Feschuk’s excellent opinion piece on the Raptors season was posted just moments before Simmons piece. Bruce Arthur’s Chris Bosh article that was in Monday’s paper similarly appeared Sunday night.

Point your browser over to search.twitter.com and enter the words Ovechkin suspended. You will find that before the suspension was made “public” by the league the Washington Post tweeted it, then published it and then the entire hockey world followed. Damien Cox first tweeted the news (a retweet of the Washington Post author Tarik El-Bashir post) and a little while later tweeted again that his opinion piece was now available on the Toronto Star’s website.

Thanks to twitter, RSS readers and feeds and incredible wesbites like Kuklas Korner the ability of fans to keep up to date in near real time is spectacular. For those of you who read this site on a regular basis are aware, I constantly say the NHL should buy twitter- I think it was made for the league. (yes I am saying it tongue in cheek). Consider that while the technology eyes are on SXSW this week, Twitter, during it’s presentation talked about, the little league that could:

“Twitter CEO Evan Williams showed off new technology Monday that lets content partners cleanly pull Twitter links and streams onto their Web site through JavaScript, instead of an API, but keep hush on advertising plans…..
…..Some features demonstrated by Williams at SXSW already exist. The National Hockey League (NHL) has been using a similar technology for months. In fact, the league attributes the technology to keeping fans glued to its site during the recent NHL draft picks.”

Don’t believe me yet…. Remember that little hockey game a few weeks ago between Canada and the USA?:

“Between 2:29 and 2:54 p.m. Pacific time, more than 3.5 million status updates were posted, which is twice the pace of the rest of the day.”

Back when I started this blog, the Globe and Mail was the leader in this new age era. They used to update their site nightly around 10 or 11pm with their feature stories for the next day. They, and the National Post left the Sun and Star behind. Now it appears that the tables have been turned. The Toronto Star has fully embraced the technology era. Their website, at least in the sports section is ever evolving. Not only do their writer write, they blog, live blog and tweet. The National Post and as evidenced by tonight’s Simmons column, Toronto Sun are slightly behind the Star. The Globe and Mail seems to have changed tactics, delaying the articles by their columnists a tad.

It’s funny that the Roy MacGregor writes a column this week that contains this gem:

“When newspapers start confusing “hits” with “circulation,” there is an undeniable danger to journalism.”

MacGregor is a legend. I am not sure there is a more well respected sports writer in the country. However, it says here that his column is off base.

“If, as increasingly appears to be the case in the uncertain world of Web publishing, traffic is what matters most – and may one day be the basis for figuring out how finally to make money out of Web content – then it only stands to reason that those working in the business will chase traffic harder than stories.

Why, given that traffic often increases when celebrity is involved, would a journalist risk a low-traffic day by introducing readers to someone they do not already know – regardless of how important that person’s story might be? ”

Is this any different in the electronic world as it was in the paper world?

I mean all that has really changed is that things are much more trackable. Do you think that what sells is different today then it was before? Rush Limbaugh didn’t need to track hits to know what would light up his switchboard did he? Al Strachan, John Robertson didn’t have the benefit of analytics to tell them what to write. I mean do we really need to watch Don Cherry to hear what he is going to say? Simmons Sunday column hasn’t changed one bit since the advent of the most modern technologies.

“An American friend who now does a daily blog for a major U.S. newspaper says he came to realize there were certain tricks to Web journalism that did not apply during his many years as a hard-copy reporter.

The key to increased traffic, he says, lies in striking the hot buttons almost immediately – if possible, right in the headline.

If you can get as high up as possible those magic names and phrases that incite the American public – Sarah Palin, the Clintons, Tiger Woods, global warming, anything to do with sex – then the thousands upon thousands who have signed up for alerts on anything to do with Ms. Palin, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Woods, climate change, sex will come flooding to your page.”

None of that is new. What’s new is that idiots like me now, if we are willing to take the time can publish our own opinions. What has changed is the reach. Mr. MacGregor’s friend the blogger hard copy days never got beamed out to the world. With the exception of a few publications, very few stories in local papers ever got national let alone international attention. The pallet has changed and the audience size has changed, the game hasn’t. How many articles in tomorrow’s papers will be good news stories? Do we watch adoringly at the smooth pace of traffic along the 400 northbound on a Friday evening? No, we rubberneck at the poor guy who has wrapped his car around a pole. All the same things sell. The difference is that clicks and hits have replaced the physical sale of a tangible piece of paper. People used to buy the paper for what they could expect to find inside. We knew what our certain reporters were going to say on a subject and we were prepared to pay for it. Now we point our browser to our favourite outlets and we pay by having our eyeballs scan leaderboards and skyscrapers on a page.

So, no matter your poison, you can now have access to it sooner. That’s a good thing. Even better, there are more people writing on subjects we care about every day who never had a voice now do. I have 92 feeds in my rss reader. The vast majority are blogs. Of those, almost all are written by people who never before had a voice. Those who write for clicks will find that eventually the cream rises to the top and the quick buck will in fact end. The good writers, professional or blogger will survive and remain relevant.

As for me, my brain is in about 4 different time zones right now, as Tomas Kaberle says, I need a maintenance day.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Bruce Arthur’s Bosh story is here
Dave Feschuk’s Raptors story is here
Steve Simmons’ Toronto Raptors story is here
Roy MacGregor’s technology/journalism article is here

Greetings and salutations from Berlin. I’ve been here for a few days and am now just sitting down to get some stuff up on the site. Sorry for the delay, it’s just been a tad busy.

Anyways. Great article in yesterdays Wall Street Journal on Toronto, the hot attraction to Athletes. Here are some highlights:

“Toronto is a road trip just about every pro athlete looks forward to. Some say the city has a cool, international vibe that increasingly stands out. Some like the plentitude of cheap concert tickets—a boon for athletes with big posses—or the convenience of the must-be-19 drinking law. (Rookie guard DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors, who is 20, was ordering chocolate milk at dinner before his teammates told him the good news).”

Party town USA, I mean Canada! Yes, it is funny to be out on the town some late evenings to do nothing more than people watch. A good friend ran into Isiah Thomas one night, just BEFORE he found out his fate in a NY courtroom and, let’s just say that Isiah was being Isiah.

“Athletes get a warm welcome at the city’s relatively libertine gentlemen’s clubs which, according to a spokeswoman for the Toronto Convention and Visitors Bureau, tend to “clear out the champagne room” for visiting athletes. And it helps that the tentacles of the tabloids and gossip Web sites rarely extend this far into the frozen north. “People like to come here to party,” says Raptors power forward Chris Bosh.”

Damn! We got libertine gentleman’s clubs?????????? How nice that our CVB is telling the press that the champagne rooms are cleared out for athletes too….

“Since the Buffalo Bills began playing annual games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) in 2008, an increasing number of NFL players have started passing through “the 416,” which is the city’s area code. Baseball players, who’ve been coming here since 1977 to play the Blue Jays, have good memories.”

Wait, wait wait… you mean the athletes aren’t hanging in the 647 or passing through the 905?????

“Jarrett Jack, a Raptors guard, says the “mix of people” in Toronto is far more interesting than he sees in most NBA towns. “One girl told me she’s from Hungary and Chile—I’m like, how does that happen?” says Mr. Jack. “You kind of go outside the box here.”

See, now I think Jarret Jack’s got it all wrong. I think she said she was hungry for some chili!

“At the center of much of the city’s athlete nightlife is an event planner and promoter named Mona Halem, a former employee of the Air Canada Centre, which is home to the Raptors. Ms. Halem has become “notorious” throughout the sports world, says Raptors forward Antoine Wright, for assembling attractive party guests to fete nearly every franchise that comes to town.

Last week, around midnight, not long after they’d checked into their hotel, several members of the New York Knicks put on expensive sweaters and hailed cabs to Tattoo Rock Parlour, a club in the city’s “Queen West” neighborhood.

Knicks rookie Toney Douglas, who was descending the hotel elevator in a sparkling diamond necklace and a puffy vest, said he never goes out before games and isn’t a fan of cold weather, but had heard from friends that Toronto, “party-wise,” was one city worth making an exception for. “It’s something different – it’s another country,” he said.”

OK, now raise your hand if your wondering if Ms. Halem is familiar with one Tiger Woods?

“Darren Sanders, the director of security for the Baltimore Ravens—a team that hasn’t even played in Toronto—says his team was told recently about the growing popularity of Toronto among athletes, and about her role in making it so. “She is definitely on the radar,” he says.”

Now that’s funny. Can you imagine that the Baltimore Ravens who never come here have a Toronto party girl on their “radar”????? Paging Mr. Woods, anyone???? Mr. Tiger Woods….

Sorry I don’t have the link to the article, reader Neil sent it to me via email, if you want to read the rest, and it’s pretty damn funny, it’s entitled “Why Pro Athletes Love Toronto Chic, Discreet and Increasingly Party-Filled, Canada’s Sports Hub Permits Jocks to Cut Loose”

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Even here in Milan the NBA All Star Game is big news. No, the talk around the water cooler isn’t whether this is Chris Bosh’s last ASG as a Toronto Raptor. Two really good stories on Bosh today that I thought I would point out:

First from ESPN, an unlikely source given the subject matter. Marc Stein though takes a good approach in his column:

““It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking about it. I was just looking at what people say and it’s like, ‘Chris is going to go here and play with him or this, this and that.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I feel like I should be built around. And maybe that’s just my ego talking, but I feel that I’m a very good player in this league and I’m only going to get better. So … maybe we should be getting somebody [in Toronto].”

Bosh is sure to field more probing questions about his future Friday when he meets the bulk of the media in town to cover All-Star Weekend. But the above comments, at the very least, give more insight into our assertion made back in November that Bosh likes his situation in Toronto more than many of us south of the border want to believe.”

That comment couldn’t be more accurate. Look, I don’t know if he is staying or not. Here is what I believe:

I don’t think Bosh is a liar. I don’t think he knows what he wants to do. If you read more of Stein’s column you will see that he want’s to be the guy and not the 2nd guy. He can be that in Toronto. I think the money is irrelevant as he will get it no matter what, here or there via sign and trade. What is important is winning. IF, and I say IF the Raptors can somehow go a run in the playoffs, I can’t see Bosh leaving. If they pull a Brady, and fizzle out early or not make the playoffs at all, I think all bets are off.

Now, Mike Ganter in today’s Toronto Sun hits a homerun (or a really long three pointer at the buzzer to win the game ):

” Maybe if the members of the American media throwing these blanket statements around so cavalierly had been in the countless pre-game, post-game, pre-shootaround, post-practice scrums that those of us who are actually around Bosh on a near daily basis have been, they wouldn’t be so quick to write off his Raptors future.

Now there’s no doubt that Bosh has confidantes in the media south of the border. He is an American. He grew up in Dallas. He helped his country win a gold medal in Beijing two summers ago. There is no way he hasn’t made those relationships.

He might even be more comfortable expressing future plans with that select few. We get that.

But Bosh has been so steadfastly adamant that he has not made up his mind about next season, let alone next week, that it’s hard to accept that anyone who has spent any time looking into his future could dismiss it. ”

It’s nice to know that the MSMers are getting us fed up with this bs as we fans are. Ganter does a great job running down all the accounts of Bosh’s exit and providing what I believe to be some real analysis on where things sit.

Marc Stein’s ESPN article on Chris Bosh can be found here.
Mike Ganter’s story on Chris Bosh is here.

Anyone happen to see today’s Toronto Sun?  Cover story was the Raptors beating the NY Knicks.  First page stories were all Raptors, first there was the Raptors beating the Knicks and then Chris Bosh making the all star team and the increase of trade rumors involving Chris Bosh.  Page 2 was a Blue Jays story after the Jays held a gathering for season ticket holders.  It wasn’t until page 3 or 4 that the Leafs showed up.

Finally they get it right! I know, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t play last night and if they did….. well the Leafs didn’t play Sunday night either when the Raptors ended up on page 6 on Monday.

I will try not to harp on this too much anymore, but it shouldn’t be a competition. If the Raptors are the only ones playing, give them their due. If it’s the Leafs, or the Argo’s, Jays or TFC, same thing. It shouldn’t be leafs leafs leafs- and I am a big Leafs fan.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

I am not well enough versed in NBA to tell you the how or the why or to wax eloquently about the nuances of the game. I can tell you this, I sat and watched the entire Toronto Raptors/ LA Lakers tilt and for the first time in a LONG time I can say that those who spent their bucks on tickets at the ACC got every pennies worth. What a game!

I am pretty sure the Raptors didn’t lead until late in the 4th quarter and then Kobe had the final shot at the buzzer to win it all. What more do you want? Is it a title game? No. Is it a championship? No. It’s not even a playoff round win. What it is, I hope is the start of some mainstream coverage and perhaps, a little more attention.

Let’s allow swallow hard and realize there isn’t anything remotely interesting about the Maple Leafs right now. The game in Florida, like the one in Tampa and Atlanta were painful. Baring a major shift, there will be no intrigue until the deadline. Sure Brian Burke may wish someone would deal with him now or before the Olympics, but let’s get real. Would you pull the trigger to get any of these guys early? I certainly doubt there are too many GM’s out there saying if we only had a Poni on our team…..

The day after the deadline in Toronto will likely be the last time before the end of the season there is much to talk about of any real significance. I mean they may play a good game here or there, maybe there will be a new face from time to time to talk about. Why don’t we all get behind a team that could be on the verge of something. No gurantees, but hell I like their odds better than the Leafs especially when it comes to providing value for the hard earned cash we’ve all been wasting on the buds.

No one game doesn’t mean a whole lot. This team is exciting to watch, and for the most part they are at least in most games they play with a good shot at winning. Something we haven’t been able to say about the other teams in this town for a LONG time. Way to go Raps!

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Funny how winning takes the mind off of other issues. The Toronto Raptors who had nearly as brutal a start to their season as their sister franchise, Toronto Maple Leafs, have made a nice recovery. So to those of us who are little “f” fans the talk of Chris Bosh’s future in Toronto seems to have quieted down. Bryan Colangelo’s team has made it back from the near dead to the heat of the playoff race and one would think that given Cloangelo’s mantra of the best way to keep Bosh happy it to get him on a winning franchise, that there would be little chance of dealing Bosh now.

“What we did hear, though, is that the Houston Rockets have made it known that they would be willing to trade for Bosh immediately … even if they don’t get a guarantee they can re-sign him this summer.

That’s the problem with any sort of Bosh deal at midseason. Even if the Raps do decide they want to make Bosh available now and avoid the threat of losing him without compensation in free agency after July 1, there’s an overwhelming majority of teams that wouldn’t dare consider trading for Bosh in February without some sort of assurance they could keep him.

But Houston is different.”

So if the Raptors aren’t sure what to do, could they be convinced to deal him by the offer you can’t refuse? I have no intention of selling my house right now, however if someone rang my bell and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse I would call the good folks at AMJ Cambell to make me the move of the game PDQ.

“Sources say the ever-aggressive Rockets are sure a half-season in Houston could convince the native Texan to pledge his long-term future to a city players love as well as a team that sits four games over .500 without the injured Yao Ming and the exiled Tracy McGrady. The Rockets also have the requisite stash of young assets, as evidenced by their success this season without marquee names, to assemble a legit deal for Toronto to consider … and without insisting that McGrady’s mammoth $22.5 million salary has to be part of it. ”

So NBA Fanatics, what would it take from the rockets to deal Bosh? Shouldn’t Colagnelo be willing to listen to an offer on Bosh even if he hasn’t decided to deal him?

“You figure Chicago, Miami and New York also are on the short list of teams that would be willing to risk trading for Bosh before we get to the summer. Those are the teams thought to have the best shot at signing him in free agency and could inherit Bosh’s Larry Bird rights with a deal before the deadline. None of them, though, can offer a better talent deal than Houston. The Heat and Knicks — with their heavily stripped-down rosters as the countdown continues to July 1 — can’t come close.”

This is not an easy game of chess facing Colangelo. Bosh is his one trump card. Screwing this one up will set the franchise back for years. Being proactive and establishing the market early could be a huge advantage to Colangelo.

“I nonetheless was advised this week to expect Houston to make a hard Bosh push during these next 40 days if the Raptors invite it. Or perhaps even if they don’t invite it.”

I like Marc Stein and I think he is as credible an NBA writer as there is out there. He isn’t saying Bosh is going to be traded rather that Colangelo’s door bell could ring, question is, will he answer the door?

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Espn’s Marc Stein is here

28 games in, 11 and 17. 11 games from the top, yet only 1 game out of a playoff spot. 9 games from the bottom. 4 and 6 in their last 10. Losers of their past 2. The one thing that we have learned from our ice friends is that teams with new components can take a while to mesh. Michael Grange in the Globe and mail has a good article looking at the Toronto Raptors and the tipping point they are quickly approaching. Grange points out that, “Through 28 games the Raptors have been blown out nine times already. Their average margin of defeat is 16 points. ”

This, as it sits today isn’t a good basketball team. I who know nothing about basketball now that. Grange goes on to talk about the difficult schedule the Raptors have faced and the necessity to give them time to prove themselves- coach included.

Here’s the question I have Raptors fans. They have changed the coach, they have changed most of the parts. The result appears to be the same. Am I wrong? Does Bryan Colangelo get another shot at another coach? Does he get another shot at changing the deck chairs? The guy totally rebuilt the team this past offseason, to the delight of most who cover and root for the team. What are the 2 constants in this every changing franchise? Colangelo and Bosch. Really, what else am I missing? BC said that the best way to keep Bosh was to build a winner around him. So much for that plan, at least so far right? What’s the next option? Should Triano go? Those who cover the team have been very very polite. Those who go to the games have been very very loyal.

So, the season isn’t over yet. There is time to salvage things. What should BC do? What can be done? What does a fan think?

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Grange is here

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

The Toronto Raptors (11-15) make their first trip into Miami as they go toe-to-toe with Dwayne Wade and the Heat (11-11) tonight. The Raptors are coming off one their best defensive effort of the season. On Sunday they held the Houston Rockets to only 36.8 percent from the floor, rolling to a 101-88 victory. Hedo Turkoglu had his best performance as a Dino, scoring a season high 23 points, pulling down six boards while adding five assists. Chris Bosh continued to lead Toronto. He had 27. Jose Calderon missed another game with a hip injury and it’s highly unlikely he’ll be in the line up tonight. Jarrett Jack continues to start in his place. Since stepping in as the starter, Jack is averaging 14.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. Miami on the other hand is coming off their worst home loss this season. They got pummeled 118-90 by the Memphis Grizzlies (yes, you read that correctly – Memphis Grizzlies). The Heat are on a two game losing skid and have dropped four straight at home. To make matters worse they’ve lost three in a row to Toronto in Miami.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

There is a Klingon on proverb that ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’. You can be sure the Toronto Raptors have some revenge in mind as they take on the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital south of the border. Three nights ago the Wizards were in TO and they edged the Raptors 106-102. The very following night Toronto was in Hot-lanta and they were pummeled 146-115, their worst lost this season and fifth worst in franchise history. The Raptors porous D has given up a hundred points in 11 straight games and have sunk to the very bottom of the league in points allowed (111). Chris Bosh was held to only two points in the loss. Following the slaying, reports began to surface that the players (Jarrett Jack and Antoine Wright) were unhappy with coach Jay Triano and how the lack of criticism he has for select players (maybe Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderone and Hedo Turkoglu?), especially on the defence side of things. On the other hand Washington played Milwaukee the next night and they squeezed out another close one, beating the Bucks 104-102. Gilbert Arenas lead the team with 22 points and 9 assists, but it was 5-5′ Earl Boykins who was the star. The game was tied and was one second away from going to overtime. Boykins was fouled and he drained both free throws to ice the game. Tonight will be a true test to see what the Raptors are made of and if they can bounce back from adversity.

In the things that make you go huh category, former Raptors coach Sam Mitchell watched the Atlanta game from the second row. Mitchell resides in the ATL so it’s not that odd, right? Well one year ago the day of the game with Atlanta, the Raptors were blown out in Denver 132-93 and Mitchell was fired the very next day, December 3, 2008.

Change clearly is in the air. Let’s see:

First the Maple Leafs. How many contracts are expiring at year’s end? How many players currently on the roster do you expect to be here for training camp next year? No matter what is being said publicly, if the Leafs continue at the same clip as they are right now for the rest of the season, there will be tremendous pressure to change the coaching staff. The only thing that could make that easier for Burke is if the US Olympic team shits the bed for what is perceived as coaching errors.

Toronto Blue Jays. Good, bad or indifferent, AA is going to overhaul his roster too. Does that mean they will be any better? Who knows. Beeston and company aren’t exactly instilling confident feelings in me, that’s for sure. From my perspective, it’s pretty damn telling when trading Roy Halladay is seen as a positive thing if only for the the hope that there will be multiple usable assets coming in return. Add to that the fact that this will be Cito’s last season as manager and well, change is coming. We may have a better idea of how fast this coming Monday when the annual derby of players begins.

Toronto Raptors: Oy! No, really, Oy! Brian Colangelo’s boys lost their 5th in a row tonight and it was UGLY. How ugly, they gave up 146 points! Ummmm, wasn’t the plan to keep Bosh here to place him in a winning environment???? The only reason the seseason isn’t a total disaster so far is that there are worse teams in the league right now (thank god for the NJ NETS). The Raptors are 7-13 after 20 games, 8 games back from the leader in their division and are in second place!! At this pace change will have to be considered by Colangelo and soon. Chris Bosh- who has been on fire so far this season put up 2 points tonight.

Toronto Argos: 3 and 15. I am not going to pretend that I know the first thing about this team. I do know that their owners aren’t going to put up with the results they have seen in the last couple of years. A product like this won’t sell anywhere near the tickets they are hoping to sell regardless of where the team plays.

Fan 590: William Houston broke the news today that Nelson Millman is leaving the station that he built for greener pastures at Sportsnet. While Houston correctly says that any rumored change is merely speculation one has to think that it’s better than a 50:50 bet. In the past couple of months Millman has had to terminate some long time employees including Norm Rumack. Millman is a people person. He likes and supports his team. Change wouldn’t come easy with him still at the fan and it is likely to be easier for a new person to make changes that Nelson would rather not make. The challenge for whomever the new boss is will be talent location. This isn’t exactly a market full of young talent. Getting rid of any of the current on air personalities is easy. Finding better alternatives in this market right now will be more difficult. Either way, anyone not named Mccown should be worried at the Fan.

Houston also mentioned that Steve McCalister has left the Globe and Mail to run Yahoo Sports Canada’s sports team. That is fascinating. For the first time an internet portal in this country is taking sports seriously. Be certain to keep an eye on that change.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the health of Maple Leafs goalie Gustavsson. While there is lots of speculation out there right now, it is just that. In either event there will be a change in net and let’s hope that he is okay soon not for hockey sake but for his own health.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia