Deep thoughts
A few random thoughts for National Sense of Smell Day. Which, thankfully, is never celebrated the same time as National Visit A Football Team’s Dressing Room During A Heatwave In July Day ...
VLADIMIR WHO?
Geez, I wish the Blue Jays had done something to let people know Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was being called up.
NOT FAIR
Since the Maple Leafs last won a playoff series, Toronto’s bigleague baseball, basketball and hockey teams have won a total of seven playoff series and zero championships.
In the same time, the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins have won 41 series and six championships.
That’s not even counting the Patriots’ 27 playoff wins and five championships
LOCAL DECIMATION
It was a rough first round for local players in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
When Nashville lost, Freelton’s Ryan Ellis was bounced. When Winnipeg lost, out went Hamilton’s Ben Chiarot. And when Calgary was eliminated so was Dundas’ Mark Jankowski.
If you’re looking for someone from around here to cheer for from this point, you have oneand-a-half choices left. Burlington’s Josh Anderson plays for Columbus. That’s one. The half ? Ancaster’s Nicolas Caamano has been called up to the Dallas Stars from the farm team to serve as a black ace in case of injury. Though he hasn’t played yet and more than likely, won’t.
OPPOSITE ENDS
In his post-mortem news conference, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas publicly accepted blame for everything that went wrong and then some. In his news conference, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock didn’t really take responsibility for anything that went awry.
What could possibly go wrong with this relationship?
THE BEST 27
Guerrero Jr. will be wearing No. 27 for the Blue Jays. Who are the best No. 27s in sports history? (Spoiler alert: John Kordic did not make the list.)
1. Frank Mahovlich
2. Juan Marichal
3. Scott Niedermayer
4. Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
5. Darryl Sittler
A FEW BUCKS
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney just signed a US$93million, 10-year deal with the school. That works out to about
$12.5 million a year in loonies.
The 11 coaches in Ontario university football make roughly $1.3 million a year.
Combined.
HE LIKES TO WATCH
Best name in the NFL Draft? That would be Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
He was still available heading into Friday’s second round but as The Spec’s Steve Milton quipped, how long is he going to be there?
(Yes, we’re aware that only Peter Sellers fans will understand this.)
NYET
At least this time — unlike 1996 when his dad made his Major League Baseball debut with the Montreal Expos — most casual baseball fans know Vladimir Guerrero isn’t Russian.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
Feb. 19: Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins on Guerrero Jr. — “I just don’t see him as a major league player.”
April 25: Atkins on newly called-up Guerrero Jr. (after the 12 whole minor-league games it apparently took to become a major-league player) — “It’s an exceptional day.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT ...
The Philadelphia Flyers will stop playing Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” and have removed a statue of her from outside the arena because of a couple songs from her distant past that are described as racist.
“In recent days, we learned that several of the songs Kate Smith performed in the 1930s include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes,” team president Paul Holmgren said.
Later he added, “The NHL principle ‘Hockey is for Everyone’ is at the heart of everything the Flyers stand for. As a result, we cannot stand idle while material from another era gets in the way of who we are today.”
Hmmm. Back in 1989, Flyers legend Bobby Clarke told the Hockey News: “I’ve never been in favour of the Soviets playing in the National Hockey League. I have a lot of reasons in my own mind, one of which is probably prejudice.”
The lyrics are ugly. But is this sentiment compatible with the sentiments of the organization?
No word if Clarke has also been banished.
BUT WHAT ABOUT II ...
You know what else might seem incompatible with hockey (or society) these days? Bullying and violence.
Does that mean that any mentions or photos of Clarke, who famously broke Soviet legend Valeri Kharlamov’s ankle in the 1972 Summit Series and then said, “I hate the SOBs” — not to mention offering this lovely sentiment when coach Roger Neilson got bone cancer; “Roger got cancer, that wasn’t our fault. We didn’t tell him to go get cancer. It’s too bad that he did. We feel sorry for him but then he went goofy on us” — or Holmgren who was once suspended five games for hitting referee Andy Van Hellemond; or team founder and owner Ed Snider, who once said, “The problem with this league is (supervisor) Scotty Morrison. He should be shot”; or the entire glory years of the Broad Street Bullies who brawled and intimidated their way to two championships should also be removed from the arena?
Or are those things compatible with the sentiments of the organization today?
HMMM
People always refer to McMaster as Mac.
Shouldn’t they be calling it Mc?
EVEN THE HYPE IS HYPED
Sportsnet, the Blue Jays’ host broadcaster, trumpeted Guerrero Jr.’s arrival by streaming his pregame news conference, running a one-hour pregame show centred around him, streaming his batting practice live and flooding its website with endless Vlad Jr. content including one piece suggesting he could be the best baseball player ever.
As in, ever.
Good to see nobody’s getting carried away.
GIVING UP YET?
The Maple Leafs last appeared in a Stanley Cup final in 1967. Of all the cities with an NHL team today, only three others haven’t been in a final in that time. Those would be Columbus, Phoenix and Winnipeg, all which have far shorter histories than the Leafs.
Hands up if you’re a Leafs fan and have concluded you’ll never see a championship in your lifetime.