Been a while
1:30 pm | No Comments » |
Sorry. It’s been a while, I know.
I’ll do better.
Brian Burke may have, just may have saved face after all.
I hate to admit it, but Mr. Burke could come out of this thing looking pretty good.
Not great. Good.
And that’s a relative term, mind you.
We all know he sold his soul for Phil Kessel.
And this is not a shot against the American Wonderkid, but, two first rounders?
And a second rounder to boot?
Come on Brian. Every hockey fan in this country knew you were reaching.
Well, every fan not wearing the blue and white Maple Leaf.
And to make matters worse, the 2010 first-round features studs like Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, and Cam Fowler.
Oh, and the Leafs still stink. So bad, in fact, they have a darn good chance of winning the lottery.
Only to turn it over to the Boston Bruins. Kessel’s old team
It was my humble opinion, and I thought Burke’s plan, to rebuild through the draft, through the system.
It worked pretty well for the Detroit Red Wings. And the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Let’s not forget provincial rivals the the Ottawa Senators.
I labelled Burke a failure. I’m still not sold he’s not.
But his pre-deadline and deadline moves could have separated Burke from the dozens of pretender GM’s the Make Believes have employed since Cliff Fletcher.
You remember him, don’t you? He of the Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk acquisitions?
The 1993 semi’s? Killer Gilmour?
Burke was shrewd leading up to the deadline.
The deal that sent Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, and Ian White to Calgary, essentially for Dion Phaneuf and Keith Aulie made the team younger and stronger on defense.
It’s not Gilmour (and a slew of Flames) for Leeman (and a slew of Leafs), mind you. But, it has potential.
With a back end of Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and Luke Schenn, the Leafs could have a blueline to be feared.
A sort of Big Blue Big Three.
If they play to their potential. Which none have done as a Leaf thus far.
BUT, it allows the team to build from the goal out. Especially with J.S. Giguere on board to mentor The Monster.
So, it seems Burke has been able to do thus far what other Leaf GM’s couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
He’s mixed young veterans with youth in what is an enticing formula.
Other Leaf GM’s were too quick to try and build a winner from leftover free agent parts (see Owen Nolan, Joe Nieuwendyk, Larry Murphy).
Burke too, it seems, was drawn by the temptation to end the 43 year Stanley Cup drought.
Now I’m not so sure he mortgaged the team’s future. He definitely mortgaged his teams offensive future.
But, things don’t look that bad in Leaf land for the coming season.
I don’t think Lucas Caputi is the answer up front. But, if Burke can resist to itch his predecessors all scratched, this could be a team to watch next season. At least for most improved.
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August 29, 2008
An instant classic
12:40 pm | 1 Comment » |The referee is a dying breed. The umpire will soon no longer be needed.
I’m not sure quite when the demise of the referee began. But I do know when Major League Baseball adopted instant replay review this week it was another nail in the coffin.
And I hate it.
It sickens me.
Detroit pitcher Kenny Rogers almost said it all when he called the decision “a slap in the face of umpires that have been here for a long time.”
Because Kenny can’t say more, we all know he’ll be fined for his words, I will.
As children we’re taught to listen to the referee, to respect the rules he or she enforces. As adults we curse them when they get the call wrong.
Former Toronto Blue Jay Frank Thomas thinks it was the right move. Then again, he thinks Toronto shouldn’t have released him.
“Every team can go home and sleep better at night if they know the call was right,” Oakland designated hitter Frank Thomas said.
Baloney.
It’s not fair to demand perfection from our officials.
Is it fair to demand perfection from Roy Halladay every time he takes the mound? No.
It’s a double standard.
And when’s the last time Derek Jeter was allowed a do-over on a ball booted at short? Never.
It’s the human element that makes sport what it is today, officials included.
In today’s world we could view every pitch, every tennis serve, every touchdown in real-time. The information could be relayed to a wired official instantly.
They’d get the call right everytime.
And I’ll turn off the television.
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August 15, 2008
Tiger’s absence
12:34 pm | 2 Comments » |Tiger Woods’ absence is the best thing to happen to golf since, well, Tiger Woods.
Ever since he went down with a knee injury following the U.S. Open, spectators and sports writers alike have been writing various obituaries about golf sans Tiger.
I’m not buying it.
The talk has gotten so ridiculous some have even hinted every major win without Tiger in the line-up deserves the Roger Maris treatment (a.k.a. an asterisk).
These same people can’t see beyond the first tee.
I believe Tiger’s projected five month absence will make room for a challenger. Not the faux challengers like David Duval (currently in the witness relocation program), Phil Mickelson (not mentally tough enough), or Sergio Garcia (has never met the hype), but a real honest-to-goodness challenger. Someone who can go toe-to-toe with the man himself.
You see, Tiger’s best tool isn’t in his golf bag.
He intimidates golfers like the boogeyman intimidates little kids. And as long as he is golfing in every other tournament it’s unlikely someone is going to knock him down a tee or two.
But with Tiger out of the line-up, it becomes an open field again. The downside is it could be like life without Tiger, a free-for-all world of golf where the number 1 ranking becomes a revolving door of pretenders.
Enter Padraig Harrington.
The Irish golfer won each of the first two majors (The British Open and the PGA Championship) Tiger sat out.
At 36 he’s still in his prime, which ridiculously lasts about 20 years in golf, and has given notice with his three major victories in two years. The only question is whether he has the mental make-up to challenger Tiger when he returns. There is little to prevent him from taking over the number 2 world ranking from Mickelson, who has done nothing but choke since the demise of his nemesis. Harrington currently sits third in the rankings, two points behind Lefty.
So the question remains: Is he mentally strong enough?
I say yes, if only because life with Tiger as king of the jungle has become a bore.
He’s admitted he’s refocused his career around the major championships, with or without Tiger, and it’s paid off in spades. And, he wants more. But, only time will tell.
After winning the PGA, Harrington told the media: “I love the idea of the back nine of a major on a Sunday,” … “I love it so much that I’m actually disappointed I’m seven months away from the next major, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
I’m pulling for you Padraig, but I do believe there’s a Tiger crouching in the grass licking his lips waiting to prove he’s still king f the jungle.
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