“She is definitely hot…………..unfortunately her hotness is wasted when she is on radio…………..if you are looking for an intelligent discussion about serious issues you will never find that during her weekly radio appearance……….she is wacky and likes to have fun…………I can see why some people would think that it is hard to listen to but her act doesn’t bother me all that much.” Mike S.

She is way better looking in that photo then she is on the radio. On the radio she sounds like she just crawled out of an ashtray. Do you folks remember the Fabulous Sports Babe..that is what I thought Kathryn looked like before I saw this photo:

Fab Sports babe on the left

“As one ink-stained wretch commented after the game: “He didn’t just throw his team under the bus, he backed it over them too.” Mike Zeiseberger on Ron Wilson’s post game comments

“We don’t have enough guys who care about each other,” Wilson continued. “We have a few guys who should look in the mirror and say: “I’m not trying hard enough in my own end. I’m cheating in order to get easy points.” “Right now, it’s a garden full of weeds and I’ve got to pull out some weeds,” Wilson said. Ron Wilson

Raise your hand if you disagree with Wilson’s assessment. He is right. There are too many mental midgets on this team. Antropov’s play is a joke. A total unmitigated joke. If this is really about nerves about being traded he had better grow up and fast. He is playing a man’s game and is expected to act the same way. You aren’t going to believe it, but he should spend some time with Jason Blake. Say what I will about Blake at least he has put up. He may never be worth the value of his contract, but at least he is playing hard. I may still loathe him, but I have a hell of a lot more respect for him then I do for Antropov. The guy has gone totally soft in a hurry. The only guy I respect less right now is Jonas Siegel who has defended the guy.

“Let’s start with thumbs down to the makeover of the Maple Leafs, which hasn’t started yet – and so it’s really thumbs down to the effect the uncertain future is having on certain players.” Dave Hodge

Dave, I remember watching you when you had dark hair and wore really ugly baby blue blazers! The thumbs down should, in this case be going to the player’s themselves who all need to each grow a pair:
“Free agent-to-be Nik Antropov, who would have reason to believe he’d be traded no matter where he was born, has been in a plus-minus free fall since Burke took over. he has gone from plus two to minus 12. Same with the other Nik – Hagman – who’s European and small. Before Burke – plus three – now, minus nine”

Agreed with the conclusion…blame the guys though…

“”Start Here…Eric Francis in today’s Calgary Sun writes….”Enjoy Michael Cammalleri the rest of the season, because on July 1, he’ll be a Toronto Maple Leaf, making almost as much money as Jarome Iginla” While I do agree that Cammalleri may very well be elsewhere, possibly even by the deadline, my sources in Toronto say the Leafs aren’t going to be clamoring over him. Fact is Cammalleri is not viewed as a “sure thing” and in this economy may find it hard to pull Iginla-like numbers. There are enough teams that will be in the running that Cammalleri’s price will be solid, but enough people remember his last season in LA. Especially certain important people who were playing across town.”

No, I haven’t lost my mind. Good pickup by Hanky on this one, and even better to dispute it. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cammalleri, but at 27 years old I am not sure he is Burke’s answer…

It’s over… Really over. Even John Belushi’s Animal House Character John “Bluto” Blutarsky would admit It’s over. Really folks, we haven’t seen anything like this around here for a long time. The trading of Vince, the trading of Gilmour, the trading of Felix Potvin, all come to mind sort of. Never, and perhaps becuase of the digital age has a bigger mess of a situation ever been made. Personally, I think there are a lot of people out there who in retrospect look pretty foolish. This constant need to be first is just not journalism. The quality of reporting goes way down and the fans suffer. I think lots of folks should be embarrassed.

Let me start with the easiest target. Hanky is an easy target. To his credit he built a very solid audience. He is proof of the hunger there is for knowledge in the great game of hockey. Whether it is only in Canada and a select group of US markets and then a handful of die hards in other US markets, we are a dedicated bunch who live online looking for anything, literally anything to fill that hunger. However, (and for the record I am not calling Hanky a journalist) the Sundin Saga has also painted Hanky in the worst of light. I am not sure how many people out there read his column tonight after the signing but mannnnnnnnn. How can he say once “as I told you” with any degree of dignity. I mean come on. Yesterday he gave Sundin to NYC his highest rating E5:

“I was told it is done by three sources. Mats to the Rangers. Stay tuned much more to come including how the Rangers will make it work. Update: I am told that one of the teams involved in these sweeps has been informed of Mats decision…”

As the fine folks at hockeyanalysis.com pointed out, Hanky had him going to almost every team in the league at one point. It became an industry (hockey) joke. It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong….That clearly isn’t the case here. (and I don’t buy the my job is to only report what I hear crap…)

I hate to do this, as it is totally unfair, but the next guy who blew this one is McCown. When I say I hate to do this, I mean to jump from Hanky to McCown. There is no comparison between the two and they are so far apart, Hanky at the North Pole, McCown at the South. And too much in between to mention. For that reason alone, McCown has some splaning to do. He is the most listened to sports talk show in the city, hell maybe even in the country. He said on his show today that the syndication of the show on sportsnet may be the largest audience that network gets for non live sporting events. He is huge, he is entertaining and he is the measuring stick. Yes he has had a long head start, but I am sure that the fine folks at 640 have their eyes squarely on his show when the books come out. For McCown to be so bold, so confident and so wrong….. OH MY. The guy is clearly connected. I don’t doubt for one second that someone high up whispered in his ear. No one, and I mean no one opened his lips on the air. That prediction sat out there uncontested for 4 days until fact proved it fiction. The night after his prediction (or maybe 2 nights) Kypreos was on the air and McCown said (after Barry clearly disputed the accuracy of the report) “Oh, it’s happening. It’s like your dinner tonight, you may not know when or where, but it is happening.” Even the director of communication for the nhl twittered about McCown’s bold statement when he went it. In essence the league itself broadcast what McCown said. Does this hurt McCown? probably not. Do his rating go down? no. Do his sponsors care? no. Does he credability take a shot- you betcha. I am not in the media business. I just have to believe that when you are about to go on the microphone you have to pretty sure when are going to be this bold given whom you are..Bobcat blew this one big time.

No one in the Toronto Papers really ran amok with this story. There were no bold predictions per se. They were more followers then leaders. There was a ton of useless fodder on whether he should come back here, whether he would come back here, whether he would be welcome back here….yadda yadda yadda. Larry Brooks was really the first one who publicly brought up the Rangers (Hanky aside, and he brought up the winnipeg jets at one point i think). He never said done deal that is for sure. He did say last night that Sundin would give them until the end of the month. That didn’t happen. Some egg on his face too I guess. Berger doesn’t watch TV so who knows what he was thinking. Not much was said, but man did this story eat up time, energy and kill a lot of trees.

In the end, Mat’s proved he is human. Kyreos said it perfectly tonight about the guy he got to interview over in Sweeden. “Mats was upset about giving the Leafs a discount last season and he wanted to make up for it.” Despite the money, I never really thought he would go to Vancouver. I just didn’t see it. I should have though, because like it or not, this came down to one issue; MONEY. Had the rangers gotten the MONEY up, he probably would be a Ranger. They couldn’t and he isn’t. I don’t begrudge Mats that. The guy is entitled to make what the highest bidder is willing to pay. I think a lot of people painted Mats with rose colored brushes. In the end, he isn’t so unlike the rest of us. He followed the buck. In fairness, he really hasn’t done it before. He never bolted the buds despite the fact he probably could have gotten more elsewhere. At 38, if someone is willing to pony up 10 million why the hell not. Give Gillis credit. He is a former agent and he knew the most important lesson. He set the bar. I don’t care who else was in the game. Their offer was being compared to 10m. Is whatever team offers the next highest amount worth taking less money? That answer is usually no. Gillis did what he as an agent would want a gm to do. Open the market high and wait. Keep the dialogue open and remain patient. Say all the right things, keep them interested and eventually it will come down to $. It almost always does.

I can’t believe how quiet the papers are all at 11:50pm. The story broke around 6pm and with the exception of Damien and the Hat, no one else of major consequence has anything posted. Damien is right in his column. After the obligatory shot at the leafs (at least he admitted he hates Toronto) he says that this should be good news for the buds”

“The signing of Sundin, you see, breaks the logjam. Everyone who didn’t get him can aggressively turn to Plan B, and a team like the Maple Leafs, who will most certainly be sellers between now and the March trade deadline, just saw their assets increase in value.Nik Antropov, for instance, is now worth more than he was yesterday. Unless Atlanta decides to trade Ilya Kovalchuk or Tampa tries to move Marty St. Louis or Minnesota opts to dump Marian Gaborik, Antropov might end up being the best forward available by the deadline. ”

I agree in principal. It takes two (or sometimes three) to tango though. I do find it curious how a guy is a proverbial stiff when he is HERE but has real marketability when it comes to the deadline. It smells a little of the setting of the table for the first Burke attack. Can’t you see it coming? I can’t believe that Burke couldn’t get more for __________? Take the positive spin fro Damien, at least he has an article up.

What is missing? The attack on the point that matters:

“I never believed in rent a player to start with, if you wanna be part of a team thats going to have a chance to win the stanley cup or a team that will go far in the playoffs, uh my opinion has always been that you be there from training camp at the start of the season to be part of the group and uh that’s another reason too”

That is what i am waiting for. It will be interesting to see who takes the time to really call him on it. Simmons did a little bit. The sun has such a brutal website that it isn’t up yet if it is going to be so I can’t tell you. Mat’s is entitled to change his mind. To say that he has never believed in something is as strong a statement as you get. Sundin used that as his main reason not to leave last year. He probably sold all the others on the same thing. He then turned his back and did just that. At the very least, had he signed over the summer you could say he would have been true to his word. Now, the guy who Cox told us has always been an honest guy is, ummmm, a liar?

I am interested in seeing what Cliff has to say. So far I haven’t seen anything from him. Burke’s response was irrelevant. I am more interested in his reaction to the brutal exhibition in Boston then his opinion on Sundin that’s for sure.

Then there is the issue of course of what will this do to his legacy. Will he be Ray Bourque and win a championship? Will he mirror Borje and Cujo and curse the day he left? Only time will tell. You know my opinion, the odds are way against him. The good news is he has lots of dough to hedge those odds with right?

I am really glad this over. It will a nutty day tomorrow with all the press to talk about. I will try to post as best i can. I am taking the family south for 10 days and am going to try and beat out the storm so the trip to the airport begins at 445am. about 4 hours and 35 minutes from now. I don’t know how well I am going to be able to post from the ocean (assuming i make it down there) so LT has graciously accepted my begging to help out.

Let me say this however. I started this blog in May or June I believe. It has been a blast every minute. It hasn’t been a chore in my daily routine like others can be. To those of you who are kind enough to read what i have to say and especially those who feel compelled enough to comment or email I can’t thank you enough. I hope everyone out there and your families have a happy, healthy holiday season (Damien, Steve, Howard, bob, Brady, Wilbur you guys too).

well my bags are packed I’m ready to go………………….

Some things have been going on that I think need commenting on, call me crazy (lots of folks do)

The Toronto Sports Fans apathy to the Raptors is at an all time high. The team is in a spiral and not too many people seem to give a rats ass. There is more noise made about the Jays when things go south then there is right now for the Raptors. I heard and read more comments about the Argos dismal efforts then I am noticing with the Raptors. Ask anyone in the sports industry what the worst thing that can happen to an organization and they will tell you fan apathy. The fact that this team is performing so poorly without a whimper of discontent does not bode well for the Raptors. I am stunned that more of the usual suspects haven’t come out a swinging at Bryan Colangelo. I guess the reason they don’t is that they can’t. None of them really know the game well enough to comment. I know, they don’t know hockey either, but with hockey they THINK they do. Kudos to Bob McCown for watching last night’s game(Monday’s) on Raptors TV repeat. The game was on TSN2 which I believe is only available via illegal means here in the GTA. The bobcat was playing scrabble with his son during the live event. Hey at least he watches games on tv!

Could anyone have predicted a less exciting start to the Brian Burke era then we have seen. I know, I know his trading embargo is in place and he is in a new gig learning about his new team, but man what a buzz kill. The build up to his reign was so HUGE that the fall off the cliff was due to be big but man has he been quiet.

Speculation is abound as to what Burke’s first move will be. Berger thinks Burke’s first move will happen between the pipes for the leafs. Dreger thinks it will be for toughness. Dreger even suggests that Burke has an itchy trigger finger so long as teams aren’t asking for Luke Schenn.

Speaking of quiet, serious props to the first radio station in town to get Sam Mitchell on the air. No coach has been more entertaining in recent memory then Smitch. I can’t imagine pleasant things being said if he ends up on 640 before 590.

I love what Ron Wilson is doing. You know that by now. However, I am starting to get a small sense of where things went south in San Jose in how he is speaking, at least publicly about Jason Williams. “Right now I’m watching him under the microscope,” said coach Ron Wilson. “If I see him get comfortable then we’re going to yank his chain around.” Nothing wrong with being a hard ass, but geeze, give the guy some credit. You call the guy up and all he does is score in every game. Would it kill you to give him a small pat on the back? I get the message and I am sure Williams does too.

You know I love the Globe and Mail Sports section. Clearly the most improved in the city. Not sure who wrote this gem as a byline to David Shoalt’s piece “Winger scores on fourth shootout attempt to ensure Toronto doesn’t lose to its former AHL goaltender “. Look Scott Clemmensen deserves a ton of credit. Why? He is making the most of his opportunity. Raise your hand if you think for one second he would see the playing time but for the injury to Brodeur. There are a ton of mistakes the leafs brass has made over the year, letting Clemmensen is not one of them. Claiming that the Leafs would or should be embarrassed to lose to New Jersey and their ex goalie is just baloney. New Jersey is, even without Broduer a pretty amazing team and their record shows it. Losing to them is nothing to be embarrassed about. Given the Leafs squad it is almost expected. Extra kudos to Wilson’s boys for eking one out in a shutout.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm. If Scott Clemmensen carries the Devils far this year does that diminish the accolades of one Martin Brodeur? My favorite New Jersey Devil of all time, ex head athletic trainer Bill Murray (no joke).

Successful sports franchises are those that appreciate the window of opportunity and just how small it is. In each league only one team wins the big one every year. Bad teams are unable to realize just how hard it is to be a champion. It is the smart GM who knows when it is time to admit the opportunity with a certain bunch has passed and make the hard and sometimes unpopular decision to re-tool. Recognizing that you won’t with a group of players who may be fan favorites or good regular season performers is hard. Actually pulling the proverbial band aid off an trading or releasing those assets is really what defines a champion. With that in mind, anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, the ship has sailed for some in Ottawa?

I say it enough times, I am not a basketball guy. However 6 NBA coaches fired so far this season and a combined worse winning percentage then their predecessors tell you something. Perhaps those teams are talent deficient and the coaches are the sacrificial lambs to pacify fans and owners. I agree with Jack Armstrong who said tonight that if he owned a team he would tell a GM before hiring a coach, when you hire this guy you are tied to him. If you want to fire him down the road, you go too. I know it would never work, but man it sounds good doesn’t it?

I am biased, but I really like former University of Vermont Captain Jamie Siffers. Reminds me of all the games he pummeled those nasty Terriers!

Sorry to hear about the 600 layoffs at the Sun’s parent company. People losing their jobs this time of year is beyond sad. If rumors are true that one of those gone from the Sun is Scott Morrison then I have to wonder who is making the decisions at the paper Little TSM loves.

Anyone else wonder what Jeff Marek was thinking jumping off Wilbur’s wing? I don’t know the guy, have nothing against him personally either. Since he left talk640 I have not seen or heard him and I thought he was pretty funny. I know he is on Sirius hockey night in Canada radio. Anyone listening to that? I sometimes tune into the XM hockey channel. I know that I am in the minority when it comes to satellite radio in this town….Not that it is entirely an indicator of performance (and certainly not of Marek that is for sure) but with the Sirius/XM stock at .15, that’s right fifteen cents things aren’t looking for rosy for the satellite radio folks.

Our respects to Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who’s father died Monday. From the articles I have read, it sounds like his father was an amazing man and even better father. Here is hoping JS and his entire family are able to make it through the holiday season with only great memories of Claude Giguere.

I love to ski. So reading of an accident involving chair lifts scares the hell out of me. (It also does make me think of that awesome episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. When does the next season start anyway? ) Seriously. I can’t wait to take my kids to Whistler skiing and I have been on the Excalibur lift many a time. I hope that those hurt are ok and that the cause is soon discovered and repaired. For those who don’t know,” The RCMP say at least 10 people were hurt in the accident that happened at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, though none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Fifty-three people were rescued, some after spending three hours in the air.”

Have the Blue Jays done anything, no literally anything to make you want to consider buying a ticket? Me neither.

Congrats to TFC for selling all 16,000 season tickets. In this economy that is, in a word, awesome.

I read tonight that the Yankees have replaced GM with Toyota and Audi as a sponsors of the team. In other news, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Could you imagine if GM were still the automobile sponsor of the Yankees. We need a bailout but…..

True story, I was offered a full page ad in this year’s superbowl game day program and 2 lower level premium seats for $40k with any payment terms I want through the end of 2009. Is it just me, but doesn’t that seem really low?

Have I missed anything? Oh yeah our first reported major snow storm is apparently here. I have a brand new snowblower in my garage. I was pretty psyched to fire it up. Then Joe Sakic had to ruin it for me…. Safe travels tomorrow am all.

OH wait, I know what I forgot, Thursday is Mats Sundin Day. Question, won’t it be interesting if he goes to a team other then the NY Rangers. You know I love McCown. He may still be right. What happens if he doesn’t sign with the Rangers? I know the world won’t end but someone will have some splain to do. For my part, “oh well, my sources were wrong” won’t just cut it. If I were Rick Toccheting on a prognosticator I would go with Hanky. I am pretty sure he has had #13 going to every team in the league at some point so he has to be right. One last Sundin thought for the night. Riddle me this. Do we get a farewell press conference in Toronto. Will we not get the tearful goodbye so many people here want and deserve?

Now this is classic. Click on over to good folks at Pension Plan Puppets

and click on their link to a fantastic article by David Johnson at hockeyanalysis….

Pure gold….

So Mark Hermann has decided to take a look at the NHL off season now that it is coming to a close and point out some winners and losers. Most are expected, included is the stab at the Leafs, but the banter that follow is not only lame, but purely moronic:

“Loss: The Maple Leafs have been in limbo all summer and they’re still over a barrel over Mats Sundin, who hasn’t made up his mind whether he is going to play with them, with the Rangers, with the Flyers or not play at all.”

There are lots of things you can say (and be negative as all hell too) about the leafs off season, but limbo??? They have added 10 players! Is that Limbo? They are stuck in a PR pissing match with Sundin, but I would hardly say he has held them up. Not once has Cliff said, if only we had an answer from Mats so we could do other things. Limbo??? Maybe, just maybe you should look at the facts before writing such a dumb commentary. If you want to bash the buds there is lots you can pick on…

it’s funny how he lists Tampa Bay as a winner, yet the folks who lay the dough in vegas have the bolts at 45-1 to win the cup (the buds are at 40-1 but who is surprised about that?) :”Win: Hockey could be hot in Tampa Bay again, what with the arrival of No. 1 lottery pick Steven Stamkos and new coach Barry Melrose. Check this: If you Google Melrose, you find a link to YouTube, showing a Melrose-Clark Gillies fight.”

Is anyone really surprised that Hanky got caught plagiarizing? We have been calling him a fraud for some time. The audasity of claiming a family emergency all the while positing on a message board. In any event, did you call his latest post this am….The amazing kreskin has actually made it into Sundin’s head to read his mind…:

“Although Mats is still largely under the belief that he is not going to decide until after camp starts I am hearing several murmurs that the Rangers are still trying to convince him otherwise and that the Rangers apparent cap issues are “completely manageable if need be.”

Although he is still under the belief???? Sorry, can’t stop laughing. “Sources in Mat’s head are telling me”…..

Simmons suggested it over the weekend… Has JP made it impossible to fire him now? I say JP’s future is tied to Godfrey’s. If Paul leaves JP is toast.

Ok Fans…..

I must admit, the latest post on dabuzz threw me for a loop. I gotta tell you that it was without question the worst errr I mean best post ever!

“S> It sure looks that way. And don’t think for a second that rumour isn’t prevalent, because as you know it is. However, you must take Swedes at their word, in that they are usually blatently honest as you know.”

I mean who could make this stuff up ….it has to be legit RIGHT???

“S> Yes, exactly. And I believe it will however we may not know about it. I expect that Mats will be telling the team he wants to play for by Sunday Night, but that team may need to do some things that delays us officially knowing.”

Seriously sports fans, when i read this, I thought it was a friend sending me an email making fun of Hanky….

“He’s a Ranger or a Canadien. about 50/50. And Gomez will be moved. It is already being worked on.”

Wait a minute….that’s not what the chart says!!!!

Hanky Chart

You know the worst part of this, the more this clown writes, the more it is making an ass of Sundin. No one takes this guy seriously, but he is making a mockery of the situation…

Anyways… We here at TSM have our men on the ground in Sweeden and we have unearthed THE HANKY Man in Sweden. Hanky is right, he has first rate info as he spends a ton of time with Mats… He is none other then:

Hanky's Swedish Source

Brady on the leaf lunch on 640 is clearly a fan of TSM- he is calling Eklund a “complete fraud”!

Brady claims to know people who worked for Hanky who have told Greg that Hanky is a complete fraud…what a sruprise.

“This guy on his free agent list- listed Stu Barnes as being coveted by Columbus, Calgary and New Jersey when everyone knew he was going to retire and you should E5 this (clown) that Barnes was going to sign a 2 year deal as an assistant coach”

Hanky Chart

I will say it again, Hanky is a fraud. He was good for the game in showing just how much appetite there is for this stuff, problem is there is no substance behind it. Guys like Berger, Pang, Tolensky are losing credibility by being on a site like his…

More to come this afternoon…

“fraud..”

So despite posting more bullshit about Sundin (“imminent”, “things are definitely moving!”) the status quo remains.

As I have said before Eklund’s sources are Mr. Hanky- the adorable Christmas Poo!

And for the “I am hearing montreal”

“It is difficult to be optimistic because we haven’t had much contact with him. We haven’t gotten the message he’s very interested in becoming a Canadian. We have a place for him on paper and we’ve made him a good offer.”

Yeah Bob Gainey agrees!

FRAUD!!!!

We all hate Larry Brooks- Again, he completely blows Hanky out of the water (how do you like that analogy?) with his post today on Scott Gomez:

“The Mats Sundin situation remains status quo, with big No. 13 at home in Sweden agonizing over the decision whether to retire or play an 18th NHL season. Contrary to falsehoods circulating on the Internet, the Rangers have never considered trading Scott Gomez to clear cap space for Sundin. Nor will they.”

Remember he is only reporting what he hears….so when he writes trash like this:

“A source informed me early this morning that he believes all is set for Mats to become a NYR and that a deal has been worked out regarding players to be moved to open up cap space. Now there looks to be two stumbling blocks.

Mats deciding to play is one of the blocks of course…the other is the NHLPA saying they will extend the contract with the NHL (what appears to be a certainty and looks to be happening around September 15th).

Sept 15th….huh…so I guess the groundhog has indeed seen his shadow and we could be looking at three more weeks of Mats rumours…”

We shouldn’t be surprised when respectable columnists like Kevin Paul Dupont report this:

“Nonetheless, Kelly in October will start his tour of the NHL’s 30 clubs, and the CBA’s termination clause will be front and center in the meetings. All players will be asked to fill out a confidential ballot, whether to strike the deal dead or extend it three more seasons. The final tally will be forwarded to the NHLPA’s executive board.”

So lets do some simple math, if Kelly is going to start his tour in October, and assume he can see 2 teams per day in each of one location, then how can he be done by September 15th? Also, if this isn’t going to happen until at least October 15th (which I highly doubt it will be done that quickly) then can this really be the issue holding up the Sundin decision or Hanky’s claim that “This is also believed to be the hold up with the signings of Selanne and Shanahan.”

The examples of Mr. Hanky just simply spewing crap is everywhere….

how about this gem:

“A source VERY connected to the ongoing discussions around Jay Bouwmeester has just informed me that the Panthers have let it be known that Jay will NOT be moved prior to the season.”

No shit Dick Tracy….everyone with a brain has been saying that since oh, I don’t know EVER!!! Trading JB now makes no sense at all….

That posts comes only hours after Hanky wrote this gem:
“”We are talking anything from it falling apart to Bouwmeester in Toronto,” my source told me.” The it being the McCabe deal to Florida.

Truth be told, he or it keeps saying that it is job to just report what he hears….Here is a novel idea, if in fact you are hearing anything, try and filter out the crap (that means 99.9%) of what you are reporting. Why? Well to start, you bring the entire blogosphere down with you and that is too bad. There are some great bloggers out there who are being tarnished b the junk you write….

Too bad about our Jays….such a fun couple of weeks it has been. It was nice when it lasted and it was so refreshing to be talking about a meaningful game on August 24th, the latest date in recent memory….

Yawn, has Sundin announced his retirement yet????

“However, a source of mine in Sweden who has been very spot on, told me that he was told last night that it “has been decided and it was Montreal.” The source said that the Canadiens have “led pole to pole here.”

What a load of crap. No one has been spot on with respect to Mats. No one predicted that as of August 18th we still wouldn’t have resolution in the Sundin saga. How can Hanky write that a source has been spot on???????

Damien said it best, Sundin has never been known as a liar, therefore, when he says he hasn’t decided, I believe he hasn’t decided.

“So I can see all the comments now… Everyone is bored by the Sundin situation. Well so am I, but I do admit that it gets more and more interesting in some ways when you start to talk to people “off-the-record.” There will be a great story to tell about all of this as soon as a conclusion is come to and people lift the “off-the-record.” aspects to all of this.”

Does this even make sense???? Hanky is saying that it gets more interesting when you speak to “insiders” off the record. How???? If know one knows anything, how interesting can it be???? So even if he had insiders, what would they be saying? Hello Insider from Montreal what is new? “Nothing, i don’t know anything. Wow- how interesting…. Hello Insider from Philly, what is new “Nothing, I don’t know anything”…Wholly crap is that interesting!

And yes, what a great story when the sources agree to go on the record. What are they going to say that is interesting on the record. The guy is tired and beaten up and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to play again. That is clearly the stuff of Pulitzer prize winners isn’t it?

Here is the link to Hankybuzz.com

I have to ask the question, by the way….. IF J.P. Ricciardi did what should have been done and fired John Gibbons after last season and a new manager (Cito or otherwise) brought in a proper hitting coach (Tenace or otherwise) where would the blue jays be today? Yes I know hindsight is 20-20…but still…..

I am a huge Ken Rosenthal fan, but not sure his logic here when he says that J.P. may keep his job:

The Jays: A 2009 surprise?

The additional pitching depth could enable the Jays to trade for a hitter, and the team also could find offense in the free-agent market. Such a perspective, if taken by ownership, might not be enough to save Ricciardi, who has failed to build a strong farm system, made a number of questionable decisions and rankled many with his personality. But the Jays’ foundation of pitching could be a springboard to a better future.

Just so we are clear, but if J.P. has “has failed to build a strong farm system, made a number of questionable decisions and rankled many with his personality” how in hell does he keep his job?