Here’s your bikini of the day from GetABikini.com

On Fan 590 Tonight-

- Grapeline with Don Cherry & Brian Williams at 4:45
- Bob McCown’s co-host from 5:00 to 7:00 is John Shannon
5:25 EJ Hradek, ESPN.com
5:45 Daryl Jones, Ice Edge Holdings
6:05 Paul Beeston, Jays CEO
6:30 Kevin McDonald, CFL’s Director of Football Ops in Studio
6:45 Don Banks, SI.COM

On 640 with Brady and Watters thanks to Mike S.:

- Larry Brooks of the New York Post

- Cliff Fletcher, member of the Maple Leafs front office

- Bruce Boudreau, head coach of the Capitals

- hockey insiders Darren Dreger & Ray Ferraro at 6:10

Here’s your bikini of the day from GetABikini.com

On Fan 590 Tonight

Bob takes calls…

- Francois Allaire (Leafs goalie coach)
- Doug Smith (The Star)
- Don Banks (SI.com)
- Pat Hickey (Montreal Gazette)
- John Shannon joins in studio

On 640 with Brady and Watters thanks to Mike S.:

-  Cliff Fletcher of the Maple Leafs
-  Bob “The Bear” Cowan on the Super Bowl
-  Jolly Jonas Siegel from the ACC to preview tonight’s Leafs-Sharks game
-  Hockey insiders Darren Dreger and Ray Ferraro at 6:10
-  Show ends at 6:30 to make way for the Leafs pre-game show

Andy Strickland has this on hanky’s site :

“Are the Toronto Maple Leafs planning on placing forward Jamal Mayers on waivers? There could be a few teams interested in placing a claim on a guy who could add a veteran presence as well as some toughness. ”

Given the source take it with a grain of salt. Andy isn’t batting much better tha. Vernon Wells when it comes to rumors of late.

In any event it raises two questions, first, at what point does Brian Burke have to abandon ship so to speak on this year and start trying to get a return on his invetmets? And second what does it say about a guy who’s role is to bring toughness and veteran leadership to a team badly in need of both when he is waived?

Stay at home Berger, our resident statistician(now we know what he does when he’s not watching hockey at home, studies math and the scrabble list of approved words) has taken to givin us ship of fools regular updates on just how much of a long shot the playoffs are to team maple leafs. Given stay at homes ominious outlook, one has to ask when will Burke have to start looking at next year and the draft in which he doesn’t have any early draft picks. I know, it’s November 6th. I know, most of the new guys aren’t tradeable. I am not suggesting the time is now, the question is, barring the 10 game winning streak, when? When does it make sense to bring kids up and send vets down if not out?

By the way, speaking of stay at home Berger, get ready for this when the Leafs do finally put together a nice string, he will then say, despite a streak of x number of games where the leafs earned y number of points, they hve failed to make up any ground in the race for the playoffs as the teams ahead of them played z number of three point games and remain so many points ahead……. Bank on it. You gotta believe he rubs his kids noses in every mistake they have ever made.

Back to mayers. He, at the time was the one deal that cliff Fletcher made that really made me mad. In retrospect it wasn’t the worst of cliff’s second era. However it hasn’t been a good deal at all. Recall Brian burke’s first move? Bringing in Brad May. A move to provide much of what Mayers was brought in for. Now, a team that is in need of leadership is going to throw a guy who is supposedly a leader over board? Strange indeed. As much as I am not thrilled with his play, I would have thought the intangibles make it worth it. If this I true, a big if, I guess they weren’t.

Bet on this, if he gets waived, lay a few bucks on the team that picks him up, they will likely win the Stanley Cup, he will play a key role down the stretch; always happens….

Pardon the spelling typing on my iPhone

Tsm

What do you call a beat writer who isn’t on the beat?

No, it’s not a joke. It is the reality of the world we live in 2009. At least that’s the word on the street as it pertains to one Howard Berger. I am told from a few different sources that when the good ship Maple Leaf takes to the road this year they will be doing so less one usually argyle sweater wearing reporter. No Berger isn’t going to be always left at home. He just won’t be on every or most road trips as he has in the past. At least that is what we are told is being contemplated by the owners of the Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Communications. So while we have heard of American media outlets cutting back on hockey coverage costs, it appears that perhaps hell hath frozen over here and that despite the rabid appetite for Maple Leaf coverage, the Fan 590 is, off the time of this writing, planning on forgoing some Maple Leaf road trips. It is hard to contemplate and believe. Let me clear, if this is indeed true, the disappointment is more about the reality than it is the work of the reporter in question. If Berger is the best Roger’s can do, then he should be on road trips, plain and simple. Together with colleagues I always laughed when I heard Mike Wilner covering Jays games from the studios in Toronto when the team was on the road. Granted 81 games on the road is a ton compared to 41, one can’t compare the Jays to the Maple Leafs in terms of interest and demand for information. So whether he is writing brutal articles about parties into the wee hours at Cliff Fletcher’s party in Phoenix or some other odd story from road trip, if this is his gig, he should be there.

On the topic of rumblings, I have a question for you all. Let’s say, hypothetically that an executive from a sports team goes to lengths to ensure that a former member of that executives team does not appear on the radio station which owns the broadcast rights to that hypothetical teams games. Hypothetically speaking, the executive was concerned about potentially damning comments this imaginary former employee may say on the same very radio station where games could hypothetically be heard. So, here’s the question. If you were the hypothetical radio station, would you give in to that hypothetical request/demand??? So, this isn’t the case, but let’s assume that the radio station that broadcasts the Chicago Blackhawks games was about to have Dale Talon on the air after he hypothetically joined another team and upon hearing this, Stan Bowman (again, I am making this specific scenario up) called the radio station and asked/demanded that the station not conduct the interview. If you were a Blackhawks fan, how would you feel? If it were a Toronto team, would you be pissed? What do you as a fan think the station should do? Where is the line drawn?

When I lived in Detroit, the old all sports radio station WDFN, used to promote itself as “the only station not bought and paid for by the home team” before it was a rights holder of a professional team. The implication of the pronouncement was that they would be more fair and balanced because they wouldn’t be pressured by the almighty dollar. Cash, is, more than ever king these days. One can imagine the immense pressure on any media outlet who pays a small fortune for the rights and in turns sells advertising based upon having those rights should that call ever come. I think it’s easy for us to jump to the conclusion that the outlet shouldn’t cave to the pressure. Easier, I think we all can agree, said than done. 640 Toronto is the radio rights holder for your Toronto Maple Leafs. Do you think there is should be added pressure on Brian Burke to tip them off on transactions simply due to the cash that 640 pays the Maple Leafs for those rights? Should he have leaked the info to 640 on the Kessel deal? is he obligated to go on 640 first as a result of the radio rights? In my opinion the answer is no. That shouldn’t be what the rights get you. I think there are certain intrinsic benefits to being the right holder. Access to players and management immediately before during and after games would be one of them for sure. Weekly coaches shows, ability to call themselves the official station of…, I get all of those. Where, I ask you is the line drawn?

I have no definitive proof that these things happen here. I get the sense that there are immense pressures on both the teams and the media outlets right now. I am curious as to what you think. I would hope, and perhaps it’s way too altruistic, that the good of the fan is what wins out. My hope is that no matter how much they want to win, both the media and the teams operate with honour and integrity. Thoughts?

Much busier day than I expected…Burke is at it again.  As the numerous head office announcements have been made over the past 6-12 months, you really had to start to wonder what kind of hockey operations we’ve had over the past 20 years.  Adding bodies certainly doesn’t guarantee that we’ll win the cup any time soon but…you have to think it gives us a chance…and perhaps puts us on par with other successful organizations e.g. Red Wings.

Here is the press release from www.mapleleafs.com:

Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Saturday the addition of several individuals to the team’s scouting and administrative staff.

Former NHL players Steve Kasper and Rob Cowie will join Mike Penny and Tom Watt in the Maple Leafs’ professional scouting department.

Scott Carter, John McMorrow, Frank Neal, Pierre Rioux, Roy Stasiuk, Dave Starman have been added to the team’s North American amateur scouting staff. Joe Gibbs has also been appointed to the Maple Leafs’ European scouting staff.

Jim Hughes, former assistant coach for most of the past three seasons with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, has been appointed Director of Player Development.

Former General Manager Cliff Fletcher has signed a contract extension and will remain with the team for three more years in his role as Senior Advisor.

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

I don’t think that the Fletcher signing is news…but it is interesting that Burke has signed up the White Fox for 3-years.

LT

I am going to admit bias here. I am a Petr Sykora fan. I had the good fortune to spend some time with him when he first came to the IHL. He was a good guy then and I really liked him. I was bitterly pissed at Cliff Fletcher when he picked Jeff Ware over him in the draft that year. He went to New Jersey and won a cup there and most recently he won a cup in Pittsburgh. It is all over the net tonight that he is done in Pittsburgh. You know where I am headed here right?

Petr made 2.5 million last year. In this market and at his age and with his injuries, he would have to take a major haircut. He will likely be able to get more money in the KHL.

So, before I make a total ass of myself, let’s say that he could be had on the cheap. Is he worth signing in Toronto?

Arguments against:

New Pens coach Dan Blysma had Sykora for 22 games, he socred 4 goals and 2 assists.
He is 33 and would take ice time from younger guys
He has been injured
He isn’t truculent

Arguments for:
He’s won cups
Every season in which he played 80 games, he scored over 20 goals
He scored 25 goals last year
I like him as a player and a person

So? How nucking futs am I? The Leafs need help upfront. They need guys who can score. Is it worth signing a guy (to a minimum deal in terms of money and term), given his injuries? This isn’t a rumour, I haven’t heard it anywhere, I am just suggesting/asking it. I don’t have the answer, but I am sure you do, If Burke can’t acquire guys who can score for the upcoming year, and Sykora isn’t to your liking, who do you want?

As an aside, if you wonder how things are in the economy in Toronto, a friend put his name on the Leafs waiting list for seasons tickets, thinking that maybe one day his kids would get a call. He got one today that Leafs seasons tickets are available to him. He has 48 hours to decide if he wants them. So, despite what Gary Pinocchio says, things are rough all over!

No not Cliff, his son Chuck. He will be announced tomorrow at 4pm as the new GM of the Wild:

“A new era for the Wild begins Friday. According to NHL sources, the Star Tribune has learned that the Wild has agreed to terms with Pittsburgh Penguins assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher to replace Doug Risebrough, who was fired April 16.”

Yours truly worked for Chuck when he was with the Panthers back in 1998-99. He is a great guy. Very smart and he has put in his time preparing for this job.

“Fletcher, 41, the son of longtime NHL exec Cliff Fletcher, has been around the sport since he was a child. He’s got 16 years of experience with Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh, and he’s only 41, working alongside some of the NHL’s most respected executives — Bill Torrey, Bobby Clarke, Bryan Murray, Brian Burke and now Ray Shero. He’s a rarity because he negotiates contracts, like the $58 million Pavel Bure deal in Florida, and helps scout and draft players. It’s a team effort, obviously, but some of the best include Ed Jovanovski, Rob Niedermayer, Rhett Warrener, Kristian Huselius, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Joffrey Lupul and Bobby Ryan. Fletcher played a huge part in the Panthers’ 1993 expansion draft that turned into the core (John Vanbiesbrouck, Scott Mellanby, Brian Skrudland, Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Lindsay the most notables) of Florida’s 1996 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He also has been to the Finals with Anaheim and Pittsburgh.”

Congrats to Chuck and his entire family. Also to the Wild and their fans!

TSM

Read Russo here

Is anyone else interested to see how Howie handles his big gaff? I mean he predicted the leafs would finish dead last. For the most part all of his bold predictions were dead wrong. So the issue becomes interesting now in that he has starting to right season in review pieces in addition to next season previews. How does one do that when they were so wrong this year? For me, the only way to have any credibility is to fall on the sword. If Berger came out and said I was wrong, I blew it, I would have some respect for him. However, I don’t see that happening. There is way to much pride on the line here and he would more likely say that he, like many of his colleagues erred for the following reasons…. To the best of my knowledge Berger hasn’t said anything so it makes reading his latest blog laughable. It screams out, trust me, yet he has no credibility at all:

“As the Maple Leafs and their fans embark on another spring of watching rival teams compete for the Stanley Cup, there is reason to believe that playoff hockey may return to these parts in the not-too-distant future. …. Burke strongly indicated that management is raising the bar on this franchise, though it may be wishful thinking for another year or two.”

Huh??? What??? Semantics aside, how do you say that the playoffs are in the not too distant future from one side of your mouth, then immediately say out of the other that raising the bar is wishful thinking for a year or two???? I mean, the guy loves saying on the air how unspeakable it is that the team hasn’t made the playoffs for 4 years, he is now saying things will be better after 6????

“Cliff Fletcher’s strategy from last September worked to perfection. Though the Leafs endured enough mediocre nights in the critical mid-portion of the schedule to justify his dire forecast, the club out-performed expectation by a rather lengthy margin.”

Wait. His strategy worked to perfection yet the team outperformed his dire forecast? Huh?? What?? Are you suggesting rope a dope? The idea was to tell everyone how shitty the team would be and then surprise them by being not so shitty??? That was Cliff’s strategy?? Interesting, I guess.

“It did so in a manner quite different from what everyone figured to be a foundation strategy”

See, he can’t say that he was fooled, he has to say “everyone”. how pathetic.

“Ron Wilson was supposed to come in as head coach and — minimally — install the caliber of defensive hockey that had marked his career behind NHL benches. That way, the horribly impotent Leafs might squeeze the life out of opponents often enough to win more games than the talent-base suggested. Typically for this franchise, the opposite occurred.”

This reporter claimed this would be the worst season ever, they would finish dead last…typical for him, the opposite occurred.

“But, the beginning pieces are in place. And, the mind-set — though somewhat artificial at this point – is also of the caliber required to start thinking playoffs. Burke is a fearless, determined administrator who will eventually nudge the Leafs into a region occupied by the top teams in the NHL. His only potential flaw is becoming as fatally enamoured with U.S. college free agents as one-time Leafs’ GM Mike Smith was with players of Russian lineage.”

Enamored? The buds have been correctly chastised for having a week farm system. Burke tries to improve upon his assets and it is described as a potential flaw. It’s quite simple you see, you take raw talents, you teach them, surround them with the right systems and set them up to succeed and you see what happens. Maybe they make it, maybe the don’t. If he didn’t sign these guys you would be screaming that he is out of touch and he isn’t turning over every rock in search of talent…

“The reason it’s considered a bonus to land a top skater from the college ranks is simple: Relatively few develop into front-line performers in the NHL. It most certainlty cannot be utilized as a substitute for the universal draft system, and Burke is well aware of that. The attraction, obviously, comes from the low stakes; most college free agents command entry-level salaries and are almost exclusively handed two-way contracts. Neither draft picks nor the cap-consuming deals borne of July 1 need be sacrificed.”

Someone please explain to me what that means. The reason it is a bonus is simple. Got it. Relatively few make it? That’s the bonus? No, okay, wait, signing college guys can’t take the place of drafting 18 year olds. Then you talk about the attraction…but what happened to the bonus?

“What fans must be weary of is the chest-pounding that accompanies the acquisition of such prospects. Invariably, the successful GM will recount how he fought off “20 other teams” to land the coveted player, intimating that the reason for such wide-spread interest is Gretzky-like potential. Often, reality is that seven or eight teams have expressed true interest; the number far more reflective of no-risk opportunity than the player’s unlimited talent.”

Chest-pounding?? Who are you Bruce Garrioch? I have yet to hear or read where Burke did any such pounding. In fact it was the media who said things like “it was a good week for Brian Burke and the Maple Leafs”. The truth is, you are always telling how players don’t want to play here, so the fact that they got a coupe of guys who did, is certainly a small step in the right direction…

“Though he may regress by some measure next season — as many sophomore players do — Luke Schenn will be captain of the hockey club before 2011. ”

Wow- there is a bold prediction…again, for a guy as wrong as he was this year, how do put any faith in these words? I am not saying he’s wrong, but man it certainly seems early for captain talk. Say Schenn slumps next year. That takes us to September 2010 and training camp. In the 6 months that follow Schenn is going to do enough (coming off a season of regress) and become captain???? I don’t see how the dots connect…

“Schenn has already acquired the reputation of being a devastating fighter in the NHL. Fewer opponents will challenge him in the coming years, and a developing mean streak will widen the berth he’s accorded on the ice.”

Devastating??? WOW- That’s awesome…

“Though it’s often dangerous to make flattering comparisons, Schenn seems capapble of one day providing the Leafs the daunting presence Scott Stevens gave the New Jersey Devils in their Stanley Cup years. Such a commodity is virtually priceless.”

What the hell is this? Remember it is us sheep, the dumbest fans around who see the world through blue and white colored glasses, yet here is the anti-christ comparing a rookie defencemen to Scott Stevens??!! Just how black is that kettle?

“I’m also starting to buy into Mikhail Grabovski with fewer reservations. Perhaps the normally vigilant Montreal Canadiens did err in allowing him to escape….To me, he is the most dynamic rookie the Leafs have had since Wendel Clark burst on the scene 23 years ago”

Wow- more dynamic then the next Scott Stevens???? This reeks of kissing Ron Wilson’s ass. I mean the one guy who you said in today’s national post that Ron Wilson “embraced” was Grabovsky. Despite all the reports that he is a bad apple from your colleagues you know are comparing his persona to that of Wendel Clark.

All this is quite funny. Is it supposed to make us feel better? Are we supposed to be optimistic because you say so and you are an authority? Where was that authority this year? I’m just saying…

“I really think there’s lots to hope for, primarily a team that becomes much harder to play against and manages to be competitive through a new commitment to team defence. It might not be pretty, but if Leaf fans see a team that can be in the top 10 in the league in team defence, that’s concrete progress.”

That was Damien Cox on October 2, 2008.  Seems like only yesterday…. Damien continued:

“Individually, I think it will be intriguing to watch players like Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Mark Bell and Jamal Mayers, who seems like a very classy guy. Fans can also watch Alex Steen, Matt Stajan and Carlo Colaiacovo closely for signs that they can truly be important pieces of the puzzle down the road. Finally, Leaf fans can hope team management sticks to an intelligent game plan of rebuilding. That should include moving some veterans for prospects and draft picks at the February trade deadline. Remember, Philly got Braydon Coburn at the trade deadline in ’07, and now he looks like a future Norris Trophy winner. So if the Fletcher regime is on its toes, there will be real opportunities out there.”

Those at the time where his measuring sticks.  Another reporter/blogger predicted a dead last finish.  So how can anybody be surprised by his blog this am?:

“It’s amazing how many have decided that this Maple Leaf season has been a season of overachievement because the team usually played hard. It’s as though the lousy Leaf record isn’t lousy at all. Most important, what seems to have been overlooked entirely in all the gushing over the “effort” Ron Wilson has been able to coax out of his team on a regular basis is the fact this club has deteriorated into the NHL’s worst defensive team.”

I don’t have an problem with Damien’s criticism.  Wilson is the coach and this is his team.  I am the first one to say that he has done more with this squad then anyone really expected despite failures in other areas.  The one thing I think he got out of this group where others failed is hard work.  Apparently that isn’t easy in the NHL these days as leaf clubs have been devoid of for what seems like eons.  I think this years edition played hard, really hard almost every night.  I can’t say that about last years club especially when you consider the difference in talent levels.

“Look, it was clear the Leafs would be bad. What’s surprising is how they’ve chosen to express their awfulness, specifically by being absolutely rotten at keeping the puck out of their own net. Teams limited by talent generally try to play conservatively.”

Again, I have no problem with that.  He laid out in his mind what success would be and they failed miserably in that area.  For a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is goaltending.  It’s Wilson’s team and he will be judged based on the record.

“So maybe Wilson has done the best he could this year with a very limited roster. Breaking in Luke Schenn comes at a cost, and youngsters like Jaime Sifers and Phil Oreskovic have had to learn along the way. But for the first time in more than a quarter-century the Leafs will be the NHL’s worst defensive team, and some of that has to go on the coaching staff. That’s far more noteworthy than the fact they frequently tried hard, don’t you think?”

Actually no I don’t.  I am not seeing the world through blue and white colored glasses either.  I expected them to be brutal and they weren’t nearly as bad as I thought.  The fact their defense and goaltending were porous was a surprise, but so too was their ability to score goals.  Very few teams complete a season without surprises, good and bad.  Am I surprised they are worst in goals against?  Yeah, I am.  realistically though the this type of team usually plays the trap to win. Wilson and then Burke refused to do that. Also, Wilson played his kids a lot, and didn’t hammer them for screwing up. So, to answer your question, the fact they are dead last in defense is worth nothing. However, irrespective of the fact that these guys are supposed to play hard, they haven’t in years fast and that Wilson was able to get them to do on a regular basis is certainly noteworthy too. I certainly wouldn’t say that one is “far more” noteworthy.

Everyone got the shovels out for tomorrow??? What a joke!!!

Speaking of jokes:

“Is there not something wrong with this country when 93,000 people tune in to watch the NCAA basketball tournament and 10 times that number tune in to watch the women’s national curling championship?”

That from Simmons today. It just shows how you small the market for US college athletics is here in Canada. Think about how tomorrow on ESPN, FOX Sports the majority of the talk will be on ” The Tournament”. Here it will be mentioned, but will anyone care? Not by those ratings….

More from Simmons:

“Brian Burke, who comments on just about everything, wouldn’t comment when the Leafs got stung by the National Hockey League with a fine and lost draft pick in the Jonas Frogren mess. Instead, Burke issued a thin news release, meaning he didn’t want to further embarrass Cliff Fletcher and Jeff Jackson, who botched the deal in the first place”

I know there are those out there who disagree with this, personally but it certainly is the prevailing few. Cliff (and now Jeff Jackson) are taking this one on the chin.

I love this quote from Paul Beeston today (also from Simmons):

“We’re in an environment where there is a lot of losing,” he says. “We’d be better off with the Leafs winning. We’d be better off with the Argos winning. We’d be better off with the Raptors winning, because you find yourself with negative stories, negative ideas, negative thoughts. I think we’re worse off (because of this).”

Does anyone think this is legit? I think people (with the exception of one Jays fan in particular) are being pretty honest when they say this team is destined to finish in the basement of their division this year. Hell, the manager pretty much said the same thing. The difference, and maybe this is what Beeston meant was that with no team in contention the Jays won’t be able to avoid the spotlight as they usually do out of the gate. If the team falls out of the gate, there will be nowhere to hide. To say that the losing ways of all the other teams has people thinking the same thing about the Jays is silly. People are looking for the good news story.. Problem is they aren’t finding it with the Jays, at least not yet….There is no way Beeston can blame the Jays for quotes like this:

“I know we’re not supposed to pay attention to spring- training numbers but as of yesterday, Lyle Overbay was hitting .222 with 16 strikeouts and just one home run in the Grapefruit League. And this is supposed to be a comeback season for him”

Very interesting take on the way things are at the Jays camp this year from Bob Elliott:

“There is also a different power triumvirate ruling One Blue Jays Way. A year ago, the decision-making troika was general manager J.P. Ricciardi, president Paul Godfrey and manager John Gibbons. Now, the chain of command goes like this: Interim CEO Paul Beeston (two World Series rings), manager Cito Gaston (two rings) and Ricciardi.”

I am sure there are those who disagree with me but I see J.P’s name and I can’t stop thinking dead man walking. The manager is safe, the President is interim. When trouble strikes, we know they aren’t going to look at the players….There is only one guy to fall, and his contract is up sooner then the others.

Elliott raises an excellent question to, one that we will be hearing about all year:

“Outside of tomorrow, will any Blue Jays game match the atmosphere of March 7, when the U.S. edged Canada in the World Baseball Classic in front of a hardcore passionate audience at the Rogers Centre? Will the Jays draw better than 42,314 on any of the remaining 80 home games after the opener? ”

I highly doubt, and I wonder what will be higher the total score in the NCAA Basketball final or the attendance at game 2 of the Jays season opening series? According to a must read piece in Saturday’s National Post on the changing economic times in baseball “The Detroit Tigers have reportedly seen their season-ticket base of 27,000 fall to about 15,000″. I don’t care what anyone says, that’s a HUGE drop. Detroit is a big baseball town (with big economic problems). Let me ask you this though, why would you anyone buy seasons tickets for the Blue Jays? How many of the 81 games can you really go to? If I went to 5 all year it would be a ton. I can go to any game I want, pay on the street for my ticket and pay less then face. If I had seasons tickets how could I dump the 70 something tickets I couldn’t use? Then there is the problem of walk up tickets in general. Why or how do the Jays compete in this city for the entertainment dollar? They have to put a compelling product on the field. It isn’t cool anymore to be seen at the dome. If people are going to spend their especially hard earned dough it had better be for a good reason.

“Cleveland is offering buy-one, get-one-free season tickets in the upper deck; Florida features 11 Saturday games that will feature a contest whose main prize is a payment of up to US$15,000 towards your mortgage. In Minnesota, some tickets will reflect the Dow: if it closes in the 9000s on Friday, seats in the left-centre bleachers will cost US$9 on Mondays. The bad news, of course, is seats for the home opener are therefore going for US$7.”

I have seen some Jays tickets for $5. So far nothing like those promotions though. It will take those types of gimmicks to draw at the dome this year.

Here is the Tyler Bozak press conference for those who missed it:

Upcoming games against New Jersey, Buffalo and Ottawa, anyone else find it hilarious that after the Leafs anoint Gerber as their starter the rest of the way he starts playing like, Gerber? Here’s hoping that the cards play out well this week and the buds plummet as far as possible to maximize potential in the lottery ball department…