Catching Up…

I must apologize.  Between cold and flu season, the endless avalanche of snow, and selling a home, I have not had a moment to address the pressing sports questions facing southwestern Ontario.

So let us begin by touching on the notion of ‘easing off the pedal’ as the NHL and NBA seasons wind down…

Since January, I have driven to Sarnia twice to broadcast a Sting game.  And each time, it has been worth the drive from Woodstock to see Steve Stamkos play.  In the NFL, commentators refer to a wide receivers’ ’separation speed.’  Well, if we can cross reference for a moment, Stamkos has exactly that.  Teams who are often caught by opponents employing ‘the trap’ will strongly consider ensuring their draft place in June to select this young man.  LA is my odds on favourite to obtain him and his unlimited marketability.

If you take a look at the Toronto Raptors, there doesn’t seem to be much improvement from last year individually, or collectively as a team.  Chris Bosh was an all – star again.  Andrea Bargnani is still developing.  The team is loaded with 3 point shooting finesse players.  They should win 46 games (last year they won 47).  So it stands to reason that unless the Raptors win a play-off series, they will not have shown a tangible improvement in 2008.  That is unless they do so without Chris Bosh. 

I suspect that the team will play it very cautiously with their all -star and his recent knee injury.  The Raptors are all but assured a post season birth.  It is unlikely that they would be able to advance past the likes of Boston, Detroit or Cleveland.  So if the seedings align poorly for Toronto, and Bosh requires extra time to heal, I would not be surprised if he is effectively ’shut down’ for the remainder of the season.  The team could take a mulligan on the season and give important play-off minutes to developing players such as Bargnani, Kris Humphries, and Jamario Moon.

Plus, MLSE gets 2 or 3 home dates (read: ticket/concession/merchandise sales) out of it.  Only in Toronto is that win-win.

If you build it…

…well, they’re already coming, actually.  I’m talking about the Memorial Cup in May.  I will be working for Rogers Sportsnet as they broadcast all the game from the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.  No one is mistaking this building as a state of the art facility but the Aud is working hard to infuse new broadcast facilities that will enhance what is sure to be another memorable Memorial Cup.  Undeniably, the greatest aspect of the arena, has to be how close the fans can get to such exciting hockey.  Trust me, in a few short years, fans will be pushed further away from the action.   Blame it on luxury boxes, accommodating multi-purpose facilities, or safety, the days of counting a player’s stitches are numbered.

Random thoughts:

Recruiting scandals and 58 point losses didn’t happen when Bobby Knight was in charge, and look what occurred at Indiana and Texas Tech after he left…Terrelle Pryor will end up at the University of Oregon.  I suspect that he and Phil Knight (no relation to Bobby, but yes, the founder of Nike) have struck a deal for him to attend that school.  And yes, an investigation will follow.  If I know about it, the NCAA does…If you are on the Gardiner Expressway and drive past BMO Field where the Toronto FC play, you’ll notice a bubble that is protecting the field from winter and allowing the team to practice.  In fact, anyone can rent the facility for $75 an hour…I’ve been to practically every OHL arena in the province this winter and the most unique one has to be Yardman Arena in Belleville.  It has international size ice, an Elvis impersonator who plays the symbols to taunt opposing fans, and a picture of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip above the elevator…To review, Pavel Kubina waives then unwaives his no-trade clause and gets skewered in the media, gets mixed applause when introduced as a starter last night, and hears the cheers when he scores the OT winner vs. Philadelphia.  Only in Toronto….Does Brett Favre’s retirement a day after Randy Moss’ resigning with New England remind anyone of Barry Sanders sudden retirement after too much ineptitude by the Detroit Lions’ management when it came to finding him competent teammates?…If Anaheim moved Ilya Bryzgalov, and Carolina jettisoned Martin Gerber, why would the Maple Leafs keep Andrew Raycroft?

Finally, will anything do more for sagging NHL TV ratings/popularity than a strong play-off run by the Montreal Canadiens?