You have to pardon my lack of enthusiasm for the good ship Maple Leafs these days. I have to admit that their on ice performance and more so results has got me a tad bit apathetic. More so, the coverage of the team has done nothing to excite me. I know it seems a little bit odd to say it but I miss the days when the Leafs were getting carved for everything they did…

When those who used to bash them all the time, are telling us that things aren’t as bleak as they appear, well, where the hell is the fun in that? I watched a good part of last night’s game tonight and was left with the conclusion that there are 3 players on the Maple Leafs that are potential difference makers.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, I mean how big an idiot would I be not to mention Phil Kessel? That being said, he is the one guy on the Leafs team who you noticed every time he was on the ice. When little TSM plays, there is always one guy on every team who is eons ahead of the rest of the team. Kessel is that guy on the Leafs. There is no one who compares with his speed of talent- no one close. The hope and I do mean hope is that Kadri resides somewhere in the same zip code.

The second is Gustavsson. He stands tall has a presence and despite only playing in a few games, he has earned the confidence of his teammates. Yes he has made mistakes. What he hasn’t done is let in the crap goal at the most inopportune time as Toskala always seems to manage to do. As Gustavsson’s plays goes, so too will the fate of this team.

Lastly is Kaberle. The guy who I said they had to deal last summer is playing out of his head. He, is eons ahead of the rest of the pack on defence right now. There is no one playing at his level.

The problem is, that the drop off from those three is gigantic. Brian Burke talked about having his skill guys and then his plumbers- a top group and a bottom group. Right now the distance to getting to that point appears to be huge. The fall off from Kaberle to the next defenceman is amazing. What’s more unbelievable is that the next best guy, in my opinion is Ian White! The guy who didn’t dress early next season. Here is a guy who doesn’t have a ton of talent but works his ass off every shift. The drop in forwards is worse. There isn’t one guy right now who can score. After Kessel went 0-10 last night (and I am not knocking him), who is left to score the goals? i have confidence in no one.

A friend emailed me last night that the Maple Leafs are 19 players away. You have to laugh. The alternative is much worse isn’t it? I don’t know why it has happened but the skill level, especially upfront is embarrassing. Grabovsky, Blake, Stajan, Hagman are all, for the most part totally infective. You have to think that at some point relatively soon it will make sense to bring the college kids up and let them go. I mean last year Luke Schenn played well when he was getting tons of minutes. Why not say to Hanson and Bozak (who may or may not have had h1n1 flu) guys, go out there and play as hard as you can and don’t worry about screwing up- I will still throw you out there again. It’s pretty much what Wilson did last year with Schenn. I can tell you this as a fan, I would be much more interested in watching those guys then the aforementioned group now. I watch the current group and I just get angry. At least if they were kids, you would be patient, feel that there is a system in place etc.

So….Burke has a foundation of 3. Kadri, as pathetic as it sounds right now is the great hope to get to 4. It’s no wonder Burke has been so quiet of late, the magnitude of the job ahead has to be incredibly daunting.

You have to love the television business… Sportsnet drew huge numbers for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning game last night. It was in the top 10 most watched events in Sportsnet’s history. So, what does David Akande say? ““This number proves once again that Sportsnet is the destination for hockey that matters. Whether it is for the pre-game show, intermissions
or the game itself, we are the home for the Toronto Maple Leaf fan.”

Classic! Hell, this game could have been on Rogers 10 and it would have drawn the number. I think what Akande meant was thank you Phill and the entire Maple Leafs training and medical staff for getting him back so early as otherwise we would be shitting bricks.

Meanwhile, one has to wonder about the pressures and limitations on writers for the MSM. I say that because when you read Bill Houston’s blog these days, he is a lot more daring than he used to be while writing for the Globe and Mail. Case in point:

” Don’t take it personally, Bruce. Avery trashes everybody. Besides, you are fat. And if Avery motivated you to lose a few pounds, that’s a good thing.”

No, “Bruce” doesn’t refer to the author of “off the post”, rather it is referring to the head coach of the Washington Capitals. Boudreau was apparently taken back by Sean Avery’s comments about Boudreau’s weight.

Am I alone in thinking that now that Houston is out from under the Globe and Mail he is going to be a lot more candid than he was before. For some reason I just can’t see him calling Bruce Boudreau fat while writing his old column. A refreshing change to say the least. I guess he subscribes to the truth hurts philosophy.

Lastly, I am sure i am in the minority here, however i don’t think it’s that big a deal if some professional athletes got their H1N1 shots ahead of the rest of us. To be honest I kind of expected it. Oh, and I think what David Branch did today took enormous balls. I would have preferred it if he had tossed the Erie coach as well. Branch’s rationale was that players lack the respect and that is why the injury took place (combined with the current health of the victim). Well, if a player skates 40-50ft at breakneck speed and pulverizes another player, one has to think that part of that follows the coaching philosophy of the team. I feel for the kid who got suspended- but not nearly as much as I do for the victim or his family.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Houston is here

In the end of the season it won’t matter much, it will just be one of several. However all things considered it was a big win for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. The fact that they had to win ugly is quite irrelevant. It’s not their fault that the Ducks spent the entire night in the penalty box.

The Leafs started off in similar fashion, trailing 1-0. The rest however was pretty much history. they tied it up and then were off to the races behind Niklas Hagman who scored a hat trick and Tomas Kaberle who followed with several assists.

The play of the night, at least according to Joe Bowen and the rest of the Leafstv crew was an early save by Jonas Gustavsson. It’s one the either McDonald or Toskala would have let in and instead of just being 1-0 it would have been 2-0. The difference a big save makes is all about confidence. All of the sudden the guys can relax a little bit play their game. It certainly appeared to give the Maple Leafs a boost as they went on to their first win.

Make no mistake about it though, absent the Ducks frequent visit to the sin bin this game was going to be a another one most of us would like to forget. It was ugly. A battle between two bad teams.

In the end it won’t matter, a win is a win is a win, especially when it is your first of the year after 8 tries.

NOTES:

I have to ask, is there anything more pathetic then the way Leafstv produces hockey telecasts? During the pre-game the audio dropped about a dozen times. There were several name screw ups by the guys talking and the overall production looked totally mickey mouse. Couple that with Mr. Rogers 10, the Ron WIlson run to the other coaches, Bob freaking Mcgill and all that was missing was Marco Moro! How does a team like the Maple Leafs get away with such a shitty product. This is, unlike the product on the ice is totally under their control. The features they show before during and after the game are like a funny SCTV skit, except they aren’t supposed to be funny. The commentary by Rogers 10 is soooooooooo pathetic. I mean the guy doesn’t add anything of substance to a telecast.

Lastly, I know that I am in the minority, but man does Joe Bowen have to use the Wholly Makanaw on EVERY big play???? It is so planned, so contrived, so unnecessary. You have his comments, then Millen talking about how great and important each goalie is and to be honest the games aren’t watchable from the pure tv side of things.

From my seat on the couch, I can tell you that Leafstv is about 15-20 levels below TSN, CBC and NBC/Versus. Hell Fox did a better job on games then these clowns.

One last comment, can we PLEASE lose that god awful Maple Leafs song they insist on playing. I have nothing but respect for the Glass Tiger guy who wrote the song. IT was fine the first 300 times they played it, but really enough!

Not sure what Joe Bowen is smoking but as the game just ended he said that Jonas Gustavsson won his first game and Brian Burke won his first game as President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs….hmmmmmmmmm NO!

In any event, they win and so in easy fashion in large part to the ducks being in the box all night….

Forge the whole “proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence” thing….Is it possible that our GM may suffer from a case of being to proud, stubborn and pigheaded?

Case #1:

“We shut down Vesa last year so he could get the medical attention he needed and come back fresh,” Burke said. “Obviously, things didn’t go like that. We know Vesa has not been great. But we also believe he is capable of being better. ”

Really? What is this belief in him being “capable” based upon? Is it possible that the adding of a new goalie guru who is of the belief that he can fix everything has led Burke to think that Toskala is “capable”? Would it mean that the guru isn’t a guru if Toskala remains a bust? I mean if Toskala is no better this year than he was last, why did get this goalie guru? We certainly could see certain people asking the question right? Will Burke be proud to admit it’s time to cut bait in net????

Case #2:

“We know Komisarek and Beauchemin aren’t playing up to expectations,” Burke said. “But does anyone really think it’s going to stay that way? We don’t. In fact, if July 1 came all over again, we’d do the exact same things.”

Hate to play devils advocate BUT- what if it only improves marginally? What if neither guy achieves up to expectations?? Then what??? I know, I know, I know, it’s only 7 games – but hey there isn’t anything else going on is there???!! I also know that Burke has provided the answer he has to- BUT- the he would do it all over again the same way does have to raise some eyebrows doesn’t it? Does this suggest a GM who is simply to stubborn to admit he made a mistake????? The good GM is the one who realizes he has made a mistake and moves on.

Case #3:

“Well, if I had known we’d be 0-6, I still would have done that trade,”

That one maybe the one that hurts the most. Again, we know what he has to say. The question is, is Burke too pigheaded to see the follies of his ways? If this move was a mistake (and I am not suggesting it was) can he admit it and undo it at all to the benefit of the team? Kessel hasn’t even played a game yet. The problem isn’t this years first round pick. I mean, Kessel for a first would be a fair deal. Kessel for a lottery pick may even be fair. The problem is next years first too. What if we are a non playoff team next year? What if we are a lottery team next year? Hello big problem. The question is the bravado. Is it a show, or is it genuine? Is he saying that which we know he has to or does he believe it too a fault??

By the way, is it me or is the pressure on Mr. Kessel going to be totally off the chart for him both to come back AND once he does come back???

As I said, I’m just asking questions on a night when I haven’t had Maple Leafs hockey to watch in what feels like eons.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

quotes from here and here

You knew Ron Wilson had to do something. So he has. Vessa Toskala is out tonight and Joey McDonald is in. Viktor Stalberg is in and his college buddy Tyler Bozak is also in. Out?? Matt Stajan of NHLPA fame and Nicklas Hagman. How Jamal Myers and Wallin stay in the lineup has to be purely a numbers game, as in we don’t have anyone else capable to take their place. The question is, of course, will it make any difference. For the Maple Leafs, they play tonight, Saturday and then not again until next Saturday. A loss tonight in the same ugly fashion leaves the rest of the week to think about it. Clearly Ron Wilson’s “bag skate” did wonders. An ugly loss tonight and a similar fate Saturday night and well, let’s just say it will be an interesting week until the next game.

Fun times to be a Maple Leaf fan. I especially love the Leafs nation is panicking mantra. It seems to me that the panic is highest by those who yell the loudest- namely certain argyle wearing, stuck at home/non traveling “beet” reporters who don’t watch non maple leafs games cause he covers too much hockey. The guy who has never predicted anything of relevance correctly for this team loves to lash out at readers in attempt to fill a clearly lighter pocketbook as a result of his responsible and accurate reporting on Sean Avery.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Maple Leafs would be ecstatic but for that whole September 18th trade. While alarm bells shouldn’t be sounding after 5 games (they should be blarring) the fact that the Maple Leafs have no where to go but up should be music to us Maple Leaf fans. I mean so many times we have been told the only way to improve is to shit the bed- literally- finish dead last and get the top pick. Problem is, we never had the right person at the top to assemble the right combination of talent to get us to the bottom. Cliff and Brian did too well last year and we didn’t get to the bottom. Like many years prior bad simply wasn’t bad enough.

Now, however, 5 games in Leaf fans it looks like we may just have the right group. These guys are, without a doubt the worst group the Leafs have assembled in a long time. No, 5 games does not a season make. However these first 5 have been preeeeeeeeeeety telling. Let’s see, the forwards can’t score, and they can’t come back to take a pass or help the d. The d, they, for lack of a better word Ssssssssuck. No really, they suck. Ian friggin White is the best of a bad bunch right now. In net?????? baaaaaaaaaaaaah The bright side is that this could be a good draft year…

What?????

We did what with our first round pack????????

So, what’s a coach and GM to do? I mean where do you turn?????

Cox suggested demoting Toskala and Blake to save some big $. Ok, let’s say for a second we are going to do that. Who or what are you going to spend that money on???? Personally I don’t think Blake has been in the bottom half of the forwards in terms of performance. I know Wilson benched him tonight, but he appears to be the only guy forechecking. Who do you bring up from the Marlies???? Those offense powerhouses Hanson and Bozak??????? They are kids. The answers have to lie in that locker room. The coaches have to find a way to reach this guys. There really is no other way. Unless there are some real hidden gems who have yet to be signed that I am not aware of this group is it. Burke has dealt the first round picks for this year and next. The young kids aren’t worth moving. The answer is currently on a plane likely freaking out. It’s a long season and Burke and Wilson should support the bunch they went with. If this continues for long then, as a friend used to say- throw a bomb in to the room.

It is amazing though how are perspective has changed due to one day when one trade was made. If Burke doesn’t make that deal the level of panic is dialed way down- except at all the local media outlets where wait till next year wouldn’t be good for ratings. With the picks gone, the negative tone of the media will continue to carry the day. Wait for all the i told you so’s in the paper tomorrow.

TSM

Summer must really almost be over. Howard Berger is back at work. No, his latest blog doesn’t discuss why Tomas Kaberle is still a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite his prediction that Brian would and should trade him, he must think we all used the flux capaciter and moved back in time and forgot that he wrote the piece. Berger’s latest piece, following the good writing of our friends at PPP, is focused on the importance of Francois Beauchemin to the upcoming fortunes of the Maple Leafs.

Berger’s argument (I will summarize, sparing you the pain of reading his blog) is that assuming the goaltending is better this year (and without that assumption there is no point analyzing the Maple Leafs season at all- so says HH) the key player to the Leafs season will be Beauchemin. Given the current makeup of the blueline, HH’s surmizes that Beauchemin is the only Maple Leaf defender who will actually shoot the puck.

Now here are a couple of retorts. First, nothing besides the law of averages guarantees that the Maple Leaf goaltending will be any better this year. Toskala is at best an unknown. He has had one better than average season here and one lousy one which may or may not have been largely due to injury. There is no reason to be confident that he will be any better this year. Hell, his injury may not have been the cause of his problems and if they were there is no guarantee that he won’t re-aggravate the injury or that injury is full healed. As for the The Monster, he is a rookie! Huge potential, no promises. There is no reason to count on him being any better than CUJO- except of course the law of averages.

Secondly, given the team that Burke has put together, I find it very hard to lay the success or failure of this team on anyone player who doesn’t play the position of goalie. Seriously, does anyone really think that there is one player who’s play is so instrumental that their performance or lack thereof will dictate the outcome of the Maple Leafs season? This isn’t a knock on Francois, or any other Maple Leaf player. I just don’t think there is one guy whose play is so vital as to be labeled vital as Berger suggests.

The best part of Berger’s post:

“I was looking to come to a hockey-first city and Toronto was one of my top choices. When Burkie gave me a good deal, it was very exciting.”

What a surprise, when Burke gave him a good deal it was very exciting. You mean he was motivated by the almighty dollar? The shock. Again this isn’t a knock on Francois, I don’t blame him one bit. You don’t get to UFA status too many times and when you do, you had better hit a homerun. Just ask Dominic Moore how the advice he was given last year has turned out for him so far. Think Moore has had a restful off-season? I don’t care if Burke’s offer was or wasn’t the highest offer, read the quote- when the deal was good- meaning when there was a lot of money on the table then I got excited. I have more respect for Francois for admitting it. The truth, JP is always the way to go.

One last thought. Anyone else find it amusing that the reporter who doesn’t watch non Maple Leaf games on tv is in Calgary for the team Canada Kum Ba Yah camp? Can anyone think of one good reason to have this guy there? I mean, he really only covers the Maple Leafs right, and the odd playoff series. In times of economic challenges, I am quite surprised that Rogers spent the $ sending Howie to Calgary.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Doug MacLean was on the fan’s morning show this am with Don Landry and Gord Stellick. Richie Rich was asked his opinion on Burke’s offseason his response was quite interesting:

MacLean said that Ken Holland, the Detroit Red Wings GM always says that you don’t invest to much money in non point generating defencemen. Brian Burke has brought in multiple non-point generating defenceman. Michael Komisarek signed on for $4.5m/year for 4 years and he has never put up more than 20 points in the NHL. Don’t shoot the messenger, I am just telling you what you have missed on the radio this am. Francois Beauchemin is a little bit better, having put up over 30 points, however, according to MacLean, he did so with some pretty other defencemen named Progner and Niedermayer, Beachemin’s $3.8m /year for 3 years is hefty again for a non point producing defencemen according to MacLean. The same comment was made about Garnet Exelby.

Maclean said that the Leafs (maybe not the fans) are really going to miss Pavel Kubina in that he was a point producing defencman. He also questioned Kaberle’s ability to produce points as the only guy on the team. He said that yes they are tougher, but the pressure on the defence to generate offense (not necessarily in terms of actual points) is going to be great. His point was that guys like Nik Lidstrom, which admittedly are one in a million generate about “200 points a game”. No he doesn’t get that many points, but goals are scored as a direct result of his plays.

This weakness on the blueline, according to MacLean will make it way more difficult for the limited offensively gifted forwards that the Leafs have. They haven’t really added any guns up front who can be counted on to score.

MacLean suggested that the biggest question mark for the Leafs will be in net. Toskala, he said is a number one goalie. Question is, can he play like one. Secondly, until Gustavsson actually plays some games, no one knows how good he will be. As goes the Leafs goaltending, according to MacLean, so to will go the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs, MacLean said may be in the hunt for the playoffs but certainly aren’t a shoe-in to make it. They have to pass a lot of teams including teams like the Senators who didn’t make the playoffs last season. A tall order he suggested.

Of greater interest was MacLean’s take on Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev, is the reason MacLean got fired. At least, according to MacLean. The contract situation and the fallout from it got him canned. MacLean said that he should have known that Zherdev was going to be a handful when he asked him at the draft after he picked him at 18 years of age what car Zherdev drove and the response was “a Mercedes”. It was interesting that when MacLean told that story, there was silence after the “punch line”. Nikolai Zherdev, according to MacLean is one of the most talented kids he has ever seen. He is also one of the biggest enigmas. MacLean said that he tried literally everything to motivate Zherdev and instill a work ethic in him. He even signed Sergei Federov whom MacLean considers the greatest Russian born NHLer of all time. MacLean took lots of lumps for signing Sergei, but thought if only he could get through to Zherdev… One day Federov came to MacLean and pretty much gave up. Federov said that he couldn’t talk to Zherdev anymore, that Zherdev simply didn’t want to listen. Then MacLean out a real gem. He said that when he went to Zherdev’s place after he was gone, the landord of Zherdev’s place said that he was called to change the locks on Zherdev’s apartment 6 times in the one season he played there! The guys asked MacLean if perhaps Zherdev was guilty of poor judgement, MacLean just laughed and said “ohhhh the book I could write!”

MacLean talked about how the role of the media has made a GM’s job so much more difficult. He said that he has had some time to reflect on his life after being out of the game for a bit. He said that the pressures of the job are one thing, but that the intense media scrutiny on everything really makes it more difficult then in the past.

It was a good interview with MacLean. The problem is, it was the exact same interview MacLean gave only hours earlier with Bob Mccown. As I have said about Bill Watters, you can’t over-expose these guys. No talent is good enough to be on multiple times, especially in the off-season. If you listened to MacLean the other night, there was no reason to listen again today. As I flipped back and forth this am, I heard the same jokes, the same stories and analogies that he used with Mccown. It’s not a knock on MacLean. It’s just over exposure.

In the same vein, have you noticed that Mccown seems to be spending more time with his guests on PTS? Over the last couple of days he has been taking longer, fuller segments with guests and even running later than usual breaks. While he may be driving his producers nuts in doing so, the results, in my opinion anyway are significant. He did it again tonight with Dan Shulman in talking about the Blue Jays. Mccown maybe the only radio host who spends considerable amounts of time on the Jays and seems to think they are going somewhere(and I don’t mean Portland) He made it clear again tonight that he strongly believes that the Blue Jays are not only going to spend the Rios and Rolen money just saved but get to a payroll between $100-120m.

I have to admit, I am not a soccer aficionado, but the Champion League banter tonight on 640 was good stuff too. If only I understand who the hell they were talking about.

Have a good night.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

So folks, here we sit on July 14th, with more questions than answers with respect to our teams. All of our teams.

Let’s start with the Leafs:

The easiest question is who plays where and with whom? Assume no more changes(god help us in August) here is how the NHL roster sits:

Goal is the easiest: Toskala and Gustavsson
Defence: Kaberle, Komisarek, Beauchemin, Finger, Schenn, Van Ryn, Frogren, White, Stralman, Exelby
Left Wingers: Blake, Hagman, Kulemin,Collin Stuart, Wallin add Stalberg to the mix
Right Wingers, Stempniak, Ponikarovsky, Mayers and Orr
Centres: Grabovski, Stajan, Tlusty and Mitchell- Add Hanson and Bozak to the mix

So, who makes the big squad, who is on the farm and of course whom plays with whom?

Here is a rough team TSM guess:

Blake Grabovsky Poni
Bozak Tlusty Hagman
Wallin J. Mitchell Kulemin
Mayers Stajan Orr

Kaberle Beauchemin
Schenn Komisarek
Van Ryn Finger

Toskala
Gustavsson

Thoughts, comments, suggestions???

Next question, who fills the off ice vacancies. Last we looked their are openings in the training room, equipment room and oh yeah, the Marlies coaching staff? There has been jack shit in terms of news on any of this stuff, at least that I saw. I thought Hartsburg was a shoe in for the gig but look where that ended. I used to play on of the hockey simulation games on the computer where they actually ranked trainers and staff, so I am always a little bit curious as to who gets those gigs. They are the hardest working guys in hockey after all.

Biggest question is, given the roster at this time, are the Leafs any better? This I think doesn’t have to be an answer about standings or playoffs. I know those are the easiest and most meaningful measures, however given the team on paper, perhaps improvements can be made while not advancing in the standings. We do have to be realistic. It says here this will be a bitch of a team to go into the corners against and to play tight against. Teams that can really score may slaughter the Leafs as the roster as it stands right now is really thin up front. I said to a friend today who expressed doubt in building through size and toughness, the NHL has changed. It’s hard to find big, physical guys who can play the game. Ryan Hollweig has no business being on a roster, but is or was because size matters. Finding the skill guys isn’t as hard as it used to be. I think it will be a better team that barring other big changes will be in tough to make the playoffs. All based on this roster

The Raptors:

Big moves have been made all with the eye on the biggest, dealing with the Twitter Begger, Chris Bosh. The first question is, will the Indiana Pacers match the Jarrett Jack offer sheet that he signed with the Raptors?

“The bigger issue surrounding the Pacers is the Jarret Jack situation since Jones agreed to his deal last week.

All signs continue to point the Pacers not matching Toronto’s four-year, $20-million offer to Jack. The Pacers have until next Monday to decide.

Matching the deal will put the Pacers in a tough position financially to make other moves this summer because they want to avoid going over $69.9 million luxury tax threshold.

Bird answered one question about Jack before shutting down because he wanted the press conference to be about Jones, which is understandable, instead of Jack.

“This is not about Jarrett Jack,” Bird said. “It’s about Dahntay.”

That from Mike Wells in the Indiana Star newspaper. Based on what I have read and seen, we really want this guy Jack to be here. He and Bosh are best friends and apparently he is good off the bench too. I want him here to appear with Brady and Watters every week!

So will the moves the Raptors made make them a playoff team and will Bosh end up staying? I have no friggin clue. Again, that which I read screams yes. They are a better team right now then they were last year. If they aren’t then I think it’s easy to say Bosh is cha cha larue. As the fine folks at PPP tweeted tonight, let’s hope he is preparing for the upcoming season half as hard as he is in growing his twitter empire!

The Blue Jays:

I am truly saddened by what has become of our team. What was once the toast of the league has become a shell of it’s self. This is so much like he Expos to me. I know we aren’t there yet, but the similarities are eerily familiar. The biggest and perhaps the only relevant question is what happens with Halladay? I still say before you deal him you go to him with a blank check and a plan and see if he will sign on. If not you deal him and pray. You pray that you get the deal right and that people will still care. Once that deal is made, what happens the rest of the year is almost entirely irrelevant. With any luck Rolen gets traded and somehow something happens with Wells and or Rios. After the season the question becomes who is running this team? Who is the GM, who is the president and GULP who is the owner, who is going to pay for tickets and sponsorships????? How quickly the mighty have fallen.

Great perspective needed on the Jays:

“They had to think about it. They really did. The San Francisco Giants had to ponder and consider, weigh and debate, the idea of trading for Alex Rios. Giants general manager Brian Sabean left the 2007 winter meetings with the trade on the table. He seemed, in his comments to reporters, to be genuinely torn.

“Everyone sees the merit of both sides of the argument,” Sabean said that day. “That’s what makes it a difficult decision.” Asked by reporters if the issue could continue to twist for weeks, Sabean told the press, “I really can’t say.”

Sorry, Blue Jays fans. You have suffered enough in the last 15 years or so, much less the last two months. This, alas, will not help.

This is painful, of course, because the player coming back from the Giants would have been right-hander Tim Lincecum, who started for the National League opposite Toronto’s Roy Halladay in last night’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis. Lincecum is the best young pitcher in baseball, a genetic freak with unteachable talent. And he remains, at 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, a Giant.”

That from Bruce Arthur in tomorrow’s post. Love the old saying about the best deals are the ones you never make….

The Argos:

Will this team be able to play with enough discipline to put 4 quarters of football together? The game last Saturday shouldn’t have ended up where it did and one has to believe that Andrus will take care of these issues very quickly. I do, however wonder what the hell Toth was smoking on the Fan this morning. Did anyone catch his CFL rant? I am quite stunned that he didn’t do this when Hogan was around as it would have made for really interesting radio, but in essence Toth said the following:

“They gotta get rid of the import rule. Canadian college players shouldn’t be stuck on a practice squad. It’s not fair to them. And if you want to say “ah come on, that’s not very Canadian”, well then stop shopping at Walmart”…”

That gem was followed up with:

“I spent $120 to watch the Argos take 17 penalties on Saturday”

Is this guy for real? No seriously. This is the guy who takes us to town for watching the WJC but not going to actual CHL games???? What kind of crap is he spewing???? Remember I am not a CFL guy. I am trying to be. If I get offended listening to that garbage I can only imagine what die hards think!

Have a good night and oh PLEASE HELP ME GET TO 50,000 followers on Twitter follow me at @yyzsportsmedia.com

TSM