Thursday Morning Thoughts – Nov. 19

NBA
Back-to-backs are never easy. But you can’t run out of gas against a team like the Jazz. The Raptors had a six point lead with seven minutes to go. It’s not a big cushion, but when you are in the driver seat you can’t take your foot off the gas. The only thing that would have made DeMar DaRozan‘s dunk even better, is if he had jumped over Gobert. I think our televisions would have exploded. Dwayne Casey‘s head might if they don’t beat the Lakers tomorrow night.

Russell Westbrook‘s dominance of the New Orleans Pelicans is ridiculous. 43 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds last night. He’s averaging over 45 PPG with more than 8 assists and 8 rebounds in his last three verses New Orleans.

Nobody is talking about James Harden‘s 45 points in the Rockets OT win over the Blazers. Because we expect that from him. Even with his team in turmoil. I really think the Rockets will regret dropping the axe on Kevin McHale this early in the season.

Thriller in Orlando last night! Andrew Wiggins led the T-Wolves with 28 points, including a driving bank shot to tie the game with 2.1 seconds left. And Karl-Anthony Towns put up 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and came up with six blocks. It wasn’t enough to beat the Magic, but Sam Mitchell has to be happy with what he’s seen lately. Something poetic about Mitchell coaching Wiggins.

To the city of Philadelphia: I am sorry your NBA team isn’t good enough to win at your local YMCA. I used to live like you. But then my Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis.

NHL
If the draft lottery were held today, the Oilers would have the best odds of winning the number one pick. Again. How the hell is that even possible? Nice to take a point off the Blackhawks, but Edmonton has lost five of six. Last night was their seventh one goal loss in the last three weeks. They’re in games, but they just can’t win games. The Oilers battled, but the Blackhawks deserved to win. Hossa‘s OT winner was the perfect cherry on top of a great game. 34 saves from Corey Crawford, but you will see that stellar glove save on Taylor Hall on repeat for the next 3 to 4 weeks.

Great old time hockey in Winnipeg thanks to Luca Spisa‘s hit on Nik Ehlers. I wouldn’t want to dance with Anthony Peluso. Bio says he’s 6’3″ 235lbs, but as Spisa found out he throws hammers like a 6’8″, 280-pounder.

Got your Travis Hamonic jersey yet Jets fans? Lot of money, but make it happen Kevin Cheveldayoff.

Glad to see Petr Mrazek was alright after taking that laser from John Carlson off the noggin. Surprised we don’t see that more often.

Mike Babcock should be telling the media that the Leafs want to be in a playoff spot. They won’t be. But this recent run carries a ton of positives. Babcock’s system is working with this mixed bag of players. Many of whom, just aren’t good enough. But, the shop window is hot right now. And that’s only good for both the players who will be moved and the team who can actually get quality pieces in return.

If the All-Star game wasn’t in Nashville the season, would they have messed with the format as much as they have? I really like three-on-three overtime. But I wonder how entertaining this format will be. Four teams, one per division. The Central playing the Pacific in one semi, with the Atlantic versus the Metropolitan in the other. And the winning team walks away with $1 million. The cash incentive will really increase the competition level. No matter how much these guys make, they can always use a little more.

Should be a great battle in Tampa tonight with the Rangers in town. Revenge is always sweet, even in November.

MLB
If the Blue Jays could actually acquire Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco for Dalton Pompey, they’ve got to do it. It’s impossible and far too costly to improve a pitching staff exclusively through free agency. I imagine there will be a few clubs none too pleased to see Mark Shapiro doing business with his old team.

The writers absolutely got the Cy Young awards right this year. I haven’t been this envious of bearded dudes in a while. Jake Arrieta had a 0.77 ERA in the second half. The best since 1933. I’ll remember his season for the mustache onesie he wore to his post no-hitter press conference. But being doused with champagne with a child on his lap comes a very close second.

I wanted to see David Price win another, but I agree with his humble tweet that the writers got it right giving it to Dallas Keuchel. Good on Marco Estrada for finishing tenth in AL voting. Can’t imagine how upset his agent is that he couldn’t use that as leverage last week.

MVP awards dished out today via the same prolonged television special. It’s on Sportsnet at 6pm Eastern. You know JD is winning.

SOCCER
The story came out yesterday that the Spanish and Portuguese federations are discussing the possibility of a joint Iberian league. This incredibly excites and terrifies me all at the same time. It will dramatically increase parity and quality. But how would the split work? 10 Portuguese and 10 Spanish wouldn’t. What would this mean for the highly profitable European places? I don’t think Benfica and Porto would finish in the top 4 every season. Would the Iberian league have six European places? Would the top two Portuguese sides be given berths regardless of where they place in the joint table? Economically, this merge is the only way to sustain high quality football in those countries. But from a footballing perspective, I don’t see how they could make it happen.

Dele Alli has played just 16 times for Tottenham. But he’s scored for England, against better opposition at Wembley. That £12,000-a-week, just won’t cut it anymore. Word is Spurs are going to offer the 19 year-old a friendly bumper because he’s the lowest-paid player in Mauricio  Pochettino’s first-team squad. 

Always felt Steve Clarke was unfairly treated at West Brom. Impressed enough at Reading to get the Fulham job. I think he has what it takes to bring that back up. Just don’t know if they do.

Disappointed to read that Premier League clubs are on ‘extra high alert’ in the wake of the Paris attacks and this week’s friendly cancellations on the continent. Great piece by Simon Kuper where he tries to answer the terrifying question “is football facing a new age of stadium terrorism after Paris attacks?“

Wednesday Morning Thoughts – Apr. 29

I sure hope you stayed up for the end of that Spurs/Clippers game. This series is like a Western Conference final, not a first-round matchup.

SOCCER THOUGHTS

It will be an historic night at Olympic Stadium. I regret not making the trip up. Say what you will about the quality or significance of the CONCACAF Champions League. An Impact win tonight will go a long way in boosting Soccer’s growth in this country. With the Women’s World Cup here in June, this is a very special year for soccer. The hope is that this country will get considerably smaller, as far as cultivating talent and maintaining a sustainable youth infrastructure goes. We’ve waited too long in this country.

Hull just won’t die! A massive win for Steve Bruce’s side has really put the pressure on Aston Villa. Can Leicester pull out a miracle at home to Chelsea this afternoon? The way things have gone for them lately, they just might.

As remarkable as it is that Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have scored 100 goals this season, isn’t that what you expect from this trio? Yesterday’s rout of Getafe put Barca five points clear of Real Madrid. 

NBA PLAYOFFS

So, Red Foo is not a big deal anymore? That Staples Centre crowd roasted him at halftime. Without the Heat in the playoffs I guess he was hurting for work.

Does anybody actually want the Spurs/Clippers series to end? Their back-and-forth battles have been fantastic. All the stars are actually playing like stars. Blake Griffin put up 21 points in the first half. Tony Parker doesn’t even have one fully functioning leg. Tim Duncan is playing nearly 36 minutes per game. That’s almost seven minutes more than he was averaging in the regular season. The guy is so hungry. These teams are so well matched, I didn’t want it to end last night.

As happy as the Rockets are to have won their Battle of Texas in just five, they have to be theilled that the Clippers and Spurs are beating the hell out of each other. The Mavs bizarro world season is over. Imagine what they might have done if they didn’t trade for Rajon Rondo midseason? Might have got Dirk that second ring. Instead, we’ve witnessed the end of an era. Even if he is back next year, he won’t be the main man.

I didn’t expect Masai Ujiri to fire Dwayne Casey yesterday. He’s right, “this is not as dramatic as we are making it.” But game 4 looked like a performance by a group of guys trying to get their coach fired. It’s worrisome that the face of the franchise, Kyle Lowry, didn’t seem too bothered by whether Casey would be the coach next year or not. Something changed after Christmas, and if Casey has lost the room, he’s not getting it back. Tough decisions to come this summer.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Not having Nik Kronwall on the blueline is a BIG loss for the Red Wings. But I still think Detroit wins Game 7 tonight. As long as Petr Mrazek plays the way he has for most of this series, Detroit is more likely to find goals.

MLB

Are you a fan of these 6pm games? It’s just a bit too early for me. Probably because some days I’ve only been awake for a few hours by then…

Everything was going right for the Blue Jays last night at Fenway. Even the bottom of the order was hitting well. I don’t even know why guys try to run on Russell Martin anymore. The role of closer was too tall a task for Miguel Castro. But it’s better to figure that out before May. Still a lot of upside to him. Brett Cecil will bring some real stability. I don’t think the bullpen will be an issue in a couple months.

Things keep getting worse for the New York Yankees. I love it. Masahiro Tanaka might miss the rest of the season and parts of next year. Despite my distaste for the team he plays for though, Tanaka is one hell of a talent and if this is the beginning of the end of his major league elite-ness, that’s a real shame.

Was sad to read that Kirk Gibson has Parkinson’s. Thoughts and prayers are with him.

UFC

Suspending & stripping Jon Jones of his title was the only option Dana White had. But I’m still surprised he did it. The UFC lacks so much star power right now. Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson? I’m sure it will be a great fight technically, but that’s not a matchup that’s going to steal eyeballs. This is a huge blow to a series that has lost so much market share.

Monday Morning Thoughts – Apr. 27

To quote my friend and producer Thomas Dobby, “It’s insane that Toronto FC are the pride of Toronto sports right now.”

NBA PLAYOFFS

I sure don’t envy Masai Ujiri.

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. The Raptors went from being a team growing into themselves, to one likely going to be torn apart. And rightfully so. Last night’s effort was pathetic. I’m not even a Raps fan and it was painful for me to get through the highlight pack. There was no fight whatsoever. I guess every guy booked their early offseason holiday Saturday at shoot around. I sure hope they’re off to Dubai instead of Miami or Vegas because if they run into parts of We The North, it could get ugly very quickly.

The only part of the team that brought anything to the table last night were the fans standing outside the Air Canada Centre. If they beat the Wizards, as they should’ve, and get swept in the second round by the Bulls, Dwayne Casey is still the coach next season. He must have felt like his players fired him in the second quarter. The coach is always the fall guy. I don’t think it’s the right move, but I don’t know what else Ujiri can do.

If the playoffs started in November, the Cavs would’ve lost in the first round. But they’ve been marinating all season, and this was a perfect first round test. They faced just enough adversity to make them really work for it, even though winning the series was always an eventuality. Wonder how long Kevin Love‘s shoulder will keep him out. Big loss, and I agree with Love, a bush league move by Kelly Olynyk.

But gotta tip your hat to the Boston Celtics. They’ve been bad. They were over-matched countless times this season. But they never stopped fighting. I saw them lose to the New York Knicks at The Garden in December. The Knicks didn’t win again for a month. That was the kick in the ass Boston needed. Finishing the year by being swept by LeBron & Co. is nothing to feel bad about.

Where was this fight and determination by the Mavericks two games ago?

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Slow clap for the Ottawa Senators. What an unbelievable season for a team that no one expected anything from. They were unlucky not to have tied the game last night. But for as frail as the Habs looked at times, they were always going to win the series in the end because Carey Price is the best goaltender in the game right now. Just give him the Vezina and the Hart already.

I’m glad the Minnesota Wild finished the Blues off yesterday. They’re the new San Jose Sharks. Stop wasting everyone’s time with stellar regular seasons only to implode in the playoffs. Figure it out! Give the Wild credit for doing so mid-season and sticking with Mike Yeo after his Phil Brown moment. And someone name a street in Minneapolis after GM Chuck Fletcher already for signing Devin Dubnyk. After this season, he’s going to get quite the raise on his $800,000 salary. I think the Oilers have good reason to invest in a good goalie…

I’d really like to see the New York Islanders beat the Capitals tonight. A Rangers/Isles second round series will be great for the rivalry. And it will be nice to see the Rangers pull the curtain down on the Nassau Coliseum.

The Wings wrap things up tonight in Detroit. And I like em to beat the Habs. In five.

MLB

It’s crazy to think that Alex Rodriguez is just one more homerun away from tying Willie Mays for fourth all-time. Crazy because I thought there was no way he’d play in the Major Leagues again. But good on him. Regardless of his indiscretions and incredibly hate-able personality, it is a truly remarkable feat.

After sweeping the Orioles, the Jays got their asses handed to them in Tampa. But the silver lining is that Baltimore beat the Red Sox 18-7 last night. There’s plenty of parity in the A.L. East. Aaron Sanchez starts against Joe Kelly tonight. Early 6pm starts all week at Fenway.

SOCCER THOUGHTS

For my Premier League take, click here.

Maybe Jozy Altidore really is worth $7 million. Credit to TFC for making me eat my words. I thought they’d come home in two weeks with only the three points from the season opening win to show for it. But they go into the Citrus Bowl and play their best game since Greg Vanney took over. The couldn’t have defended any better. Here’s to hoping they can play the same way in Philly on Saturday.

Bayern Munich clinched thier 25th Bundesliga title, and third straight, with four matches to spare. It was an eventuality they would win the league. Europe is still the measuring stick. Had they not overcome Porto in the quarterfinals, we’d be talking about “Pep‘s wasted season” despite yesterday’s domestic triumph. But now many have Bayern picked as the favourites to beat Barcelona in the semifinals. It’s funny how quickly things change in a short period of time, isn’t it?

Historic win for rarely talked about Torino. Nice to see Fabio Quagliarella score against Juve in the Torino derby. Why is Quags not in MLS? Montreal really that content with their frontline? C’mon Joey.