Toronto: Sports Town or Sports Snob?

This coming weekend, Toronto will host the 2010 MLS Cup.  Unfortunately our hometown TFC will not be participating in the final...for those "out of the loop", TFC didn't qualify for the playoffs, again this year!  The Colorado Rapids will play Dallas FC down at BMO Field on Sunday night and yes, it's going to be a cold one...it may even rain.  The temperature and TFC not participating aside, this should be a big event...or at least it's supposed to be.  This is the Championship for Club Football in North America and it's being  competed for in our city...did you even know?  Do you even care?  This event, this championship, should be compared with the Super Bowl.  In the NFL, the league championship is played at a rotating, often neutral, site.  In the NFL, the Super Bowl is being played at Cowboys Stadium in Texas this year...we can safely assume that the Cowboys won't be making the big game this season. - sorry Badke!  It's gonna be a party in Texas and the city will revolve around the Super Bowl for at least a week but I'll be socked if the party in Toronto for the MLS Cup even makes City TV news...it's been pretty quiet so far.  Ok, there is far more history with the NFL compared to the MLS and yes, the quality of football in the NFL is the best in the world while the quality of football in the MLS is a work in progress but isn't soccer in the GTA popular enough to gather a crowd & create a buzz?  I'm sure if TFC was playing in the game, the city would be in a frenzy and the MLS Cup would be the hottest ticket in recent memory for Toronto sports fans.  People have suggested we could support a 2nd NHL franchise and many people believe the NFL could thrive in Canada biggest city.  Toronto is a sports town and if you build it, we will come...but would we?  Is Toronto really a sports town or are we sports snobs?

The Buffalo Bills recently played their latest instalment of the Bills in Toronto, "hosting" the Chicago Bears at the Rogers Centre.  This is the NFL, the biggest league in North America and they brought their brand of football to Toronto...ok, maybe it wasn't exactly "their brand of football" since they brought the Bears & Bills, a team that FINALLY won its first game this past weekend, but still...it's the NFL...it's supposed to be a big deal!  The game was played in the Skydome and reports suggest just over 50,000 people attended the game or 94% of the Rogers Centre capacity for you stats geeks like me.  This was the lowest attendance for a Bills in Toronto regular season game and the attendance numbers are on a downward trend.  I've heard rumours that many tickets had to be given away to encourage people to go.  Toronto is supposed to be a sports town and aren't the Bills our adopted team.  Sure, I'll acknowledge that the Buffalo Bills aren't "Toronto's team" and perhaps people would come out in truck loads if we did have the Toronto Bills (or whatever name you'd like to call them)...but is being the hometown team enough to earn a following?

Bargnani can dunk but this may be the only proof

I recently had an extra ticket for the Toronto Raptors game against the Charlotte Bobcats.  Canada's only NBA franchise and the hometown team...Our Toronto Raptors!  The hometown team playing an early season game against an opponent they should beat...aka, almost guaranteed win night = good times for all.  This was a game when you figured the Raps would even score over 100 points and everyone would get a free slice of Pizza Pizza pizza the next day with their ticket stub.  It shouldn't take more then 24 hours to find someone interested in going to a Raptors game under these circumstances but it wasn't until almost 6pm on the day of the game that I found a sports buddy...and tip-off was at 7pm!  This was a free ticket to an NBA basketball game and I simply couldn't drum up enough interest until about an hour before the game.  Sure, the Raptors & Bobcats are two of the worst team in the NBA right now but this was still a professional basketball competition that "attracted just over 14,000 people".  OK, I was unlucky because more then a handful of folks were out of town or had prior commitments but what shocked me more was the number of people that simply didn't want to go; some diehard sports fans that didn't want to watch the Raptors play basketball.  I'm hoping I wasn't the reason they didn't want to go but I also understand that the Raptors have lost some of that "shine", that sparkle that draws you to the games.  We don't really have a superstar guy anymore and I can only watch so many lay-ups over the course of a couple hours - does anyone else want to take Andrea Bargnani by the shoulders, shake him, and ask him why he doesn't dunk?  The LA Lakers have Kobe, the Miami Heat have "the big 3"...that's what you need to bring people out to the arena, you need to have an exciting team or one of best players in the league...right?

Bautista rounding the bases after another home run;
check out the empty seats behind him!

Jose Bautista, the Major League of Baseball Home Run leader in 2010, was one of the best hitters in all of baseball this year - the numbers don't lie.  Let's not forget about the teams play.  The Home Run Kings of 2010 in baseball was our Toronto Blue Jays.  This teams has history, this team's won Championships and with all the long balls flying out of the stadium, plus the Majors best hitter, the Blue Jays should draw a crowd.  There's little else in baseball that gets people out of their seat faster then a home run.  The Blue Jays hit 251 home runs in 162 games this past season...this was  46 more home runs than the Boston Red Sox (2nd in the league) and 56 more than the New York Yankees.  All that excitement down at the old ballpark and the Jays ranked 26th in average attendance...out of 30 teams in baseball.  Ok, the Jays didn't make the playoffs and never really challenged for a playoff spot but they played an entertaining style of ball, they had one of the leagues best hitters and even with all the history, the Blue Jays could only averaged 20,000 people per night - under HALF of what the Skydome (err...Rogers Centre) can hold.  The Maple Leafs average just over 19,000 people and they haven't seen the playoffs in ages...maybe Toronto really is a Sport Snob?  Or maybe Toronto really isn't a Sports Town or a Sports Snob but Toronto is only a Hockey Town?

The MLS Cup  

I want to believe that Toronto is a great sports town and that we support more then just "our teams"...or that we support more then just the Leafs.  I was lucky enough to volunteer in Whistler for the 2010 Winter Olympics and I know Canadians support more than just hockey and that we support all levels of sport.  Soccer is one of the most widely played sports in Canada and the MLS is where the best players in North America play.  FC Dallas only lost 4 games all season and the Colorado Rapids were one of the highest scoring teams in all of the MLS this past season.  The MLS Cup doesn't come around every year and it may be a long time before it comes back.  This should be a great game of soccer and I really hope the people of Toronto & of the GTA show up on Sunday night.

Remembering our Heroes

With the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month approaching, poppies can be seen on lapels all across the Canada.  Thanks in part to Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, the author of In Flanders Field, the poppy has become a symbol for Remembrance.  A visible badge reminding everyone of the ultimate sacrifice made by men & women during war.

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row"

Hockey Hall of Fame - Dino gets the call

The Hockey Hall of Fame at the corner of Front & Yonge
the site of my funny story is in this pic too!!

When people ask me about things to do when coming to Toronto, I always suggest a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  It's at the corner of Front St & Yonge St, which coincidentally is also the site of one of the funniest things I've ever had the opportunity to witness in person (ask me about it or I'll post about it another time)...but back to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  It's cool to walk to gallery and check out all the hockey memorabilia - old sticks, ugly jerseys & what some might consider protective equipment.  You can even sit in a replica of the Montreal Canadian Dressing Room from the old Montreal Forum - if you're inclined for such things.  One of my favourite things to do at the Hall is to call a play in the TSN Broadcast Zone.  You get to do the play-by-play for some of the most cherished hockey moments...and it helps me further understand why I'm no longer in radio or broadcasting!  The interactive stuff is cool but for the hockey purest, the Great Hall is the best part of any trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  In the Great Hall you can check out a number of the NHL's most coveted trophies; such as the Vezina, the Calder, the Hart and the toughest trophy to earn in all of sport, after the Fifa World Cup Trophy, the Stanley Cup.

The Great Hall is also where you can see the portraits & bios for all honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  This past week, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted 5 new members into it's prestigious club.  It was a big year for The Hall as 2 women would be enshrined alongside hockeys greatest...for the first time ever!!!  Next time you visit the Great Hall, alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux & Scotty Bowman, you'll be able to see the portraits of the 2010 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees; Angela James, Cammi Granato, Dino Ciccarelli, Jim Devellano, & Daryl "Doc" Seaman.

As with any list of inductees for any sport hall of fame, the achievements of those that made the list will be compared to others and questions will be posed about whether the right people got in.  I won't argue with the selection of Angela James, Cammi Granato, Jim Devellano & Daryl Seaman.  I don't believe it was time for Dino Ciccarelli.  I'm on the fence about whether Mr. Ciccarelli even deserves his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame however hockey powers greater than I have already made that decision and I congratulate him on his achievement.  Sure, Dino Ciccarelli had to wait 8 years before he got the call and ok, he had a nice career with 1232 games played, 608 goals, 592 assists, 11 30+ goal seasons and a couple trips to the Stanley Cup final.  All that said, he never won a Stanley Cup and there are players who have & there are players with far better numbers who are still waiting to take their rightful spot alongside hockey's greatest.  Some people will argue that despite his numbers & lack of Stanley Cups, Dino Ciccarelli was the greatest retired player not already in the Hockey Hall of Fame.   This dude was convicted of assault for an incident on the ice!!!

When you review the summary for the Election Procedure, a player is considered based on their "playing ability, sportsmanship, character and their contribution to the team or teams and to the game of hockey in general". CHARACTER & SPORTSMANSHIP!!!  Dino pleaded guilty to indecent exposure in 1987.  I believe the Hockey Hall of Fame made a mistake this time around and Dino Ciccarelli should still be waiting for his turn.  Dino was a fantastic hockey player and a great goal scorer but I don't believe he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame...that spot should be given to a few other folks with greater positive impact to the game of hockey.


Adam Oates never won a Stanley Cup but holds a couple NHL records.  He's the player who has accumulated the most career playoffs points without winning the Stanley Cup.  Also, at the age of 39, he was the oldest player to lead the NHL in assists in a single season...he had 64 in 2001–02.  He is considered one of the greatest play-makers to ever play the game and had more assists than any other playing in the 1990's, except Wayne Gretzky.  Adam Oates was a six time finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy as "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability".  He has the most career points (1420 points in 1337 games) of any retired and eligible player for the Hockey Hall of Fame.  This dude deserves his Hall of Fame ring.

Joe Nieuwendyk was the rookie of the year in 1988.  He is a 3 time Stanley Cup winner and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in 1999.  Joe won a gold medal in ice hockey with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and enjoyed a successful playing career of over 1200 games and more then 1100 career points. In 1995, Joe Nieuwendyk won the King Clancy Award as the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. There is no need to list any other accolades, he's a Hall of Famer!

Gilmour earn him a portrait alongside Cam Neely, Dino Ciccarelli & Mario Lemieux.  What about Eric Lindros, Pierre Turgeon, Pavel Bure, Kevin Lowe or even John LeClair?  While we may not always agree with the committees selections, I think they get it right...9 times out of 10.

Next time you're looking for something to do in Toronto, check out the Hockey Hall of Fame.  See for yourself where your favourites rank alongside some of the greatest people associate with our national pastime...and say hi to Dino's portrait while you're there!

Whale Riding Teen from Discovery News

I came across this article while passing time on the Discover News app. I couldn't believe a person didn't realize it was dangerous to swim within 30m of a whale, let alone climb on it's back for a ride. I was a little more shocked to learn it was actually illegal to come that close to a whale...did we really need a law for that?

You learn something new everyday!

http://news.discovery.com/human/whale-rider-australia.html 

Whale Riding Teen Speaks Out

An Australian teenager who climbed onto a whale and rode on its back has said he never intended to hurt the animal and had been acting instinctively when he put his arms around the massive sea creature.

Sam Matheson, 14, said he was with a friend at Middleton Beach in Albany south of Perth when he saw the animal not far off the Western Australian coast and decided to take a closer look. "I swam out to it and put my arms on it, sort of laid against it for about 20 or 30 seconds. I was out of the water from the waist up," the keen surfer told Perth's Sunday Times. "It was like a leather texture, like a really smooth leather, really soft. It wasn't even scary, it was like, 'Dude, it's a whale.'"

The teen said the whale, which he estimated to be about 14 meters (46 feet) long, did not even notice him until he laid on it. "Then it lifted up its tail, it went under and it pulled me down at bit, but I was fine and I swam back to the rocks," he said.

Matheson said he did not realize that it was illegal or dangerous to swim within 30 meters (98.4 feet) of a whale and that he now regretted his actions. "If I had known it was illegal I wouldn't have done it," he told the paper.

The story of the teen whale rider made headlines after a witness photographed the boy clambering on the southern right whale, prompting officials to warn the public that doing so was illegal and potentially fatal. They said the teenager was lucky to have escaped injury and the incident could easily have ended tragically had he been in the way of a tail slap or breaching action.

Matheson was let off with a warning but harassing protected species carries a maximum fine of 10,000 Australian dollars ($9,890) under environmental laws.

Good Day Gone Bad

We all having those "things" that drive us bananas.  Picture this...you're having a great day, you got to sleep in an extra 30 mins this morning, the line at Tim Hortons was short, two people have already complimented you on the new shirt you're wearing and it feels like nothing could wipe the smile off your face...then it happens!  You can't predict when it's gonna happen, you can't completely eliminate it from your life and no matter what state of mind you're in, this little incident will knock you off the rails for an undetermined amount of time.  Yup, I'm talking about Pet Peeves...those simple annoyances that force you to shake your head and ask the world, why me?  This morning, I experienced one of my biggest Pet Peeves.

One of my biggest pet peeves comes from driving on the highway.  My family moved to the Greater Toronto Area when I was a much younger lad.  We still had family back in the Ottawa region which meant numerous road trips down the 401 every year.  When I turned 16, I was more then happy to take the wheel for these 5 hour trips and quickly learned why my folks didn't fight me for the driving privilege.  Is there something people don't understand about SLOWER TRAFFIC, KEEP RIGHT?  Driving on the highway is like being on a TTC or on an airport escalator - stand right, walk left.  The same philosophy has been applied all over the world, fast stuff on the left, slower stuff keep right.  They've even have signs posted on the highways to remind drivers about this simple driving etiquette.

They even get this philosophy in the desserts

On a 2 or 3 lane highway, simply going the posted speed limit does not give you the privilege of remaining in the far left lane when there are cars lined-up behind you.  I understand if you can't immediately get over and aren't comfortable going much higher then the speed limit, good on ya!  Those folks are in the right and I'm not mad at them because eventually, they get over when there's room!  What drives me crazy are the people that, when the opportunity is available to safely move over into the right lane and allow the faster traffic behind you to pass , you remain in the "fast lane".  Furthermore, if you're going 10km/h or even 20km/h over the posted limit, you still aren't entitled to sit in the far left lane - some people want to go 30km/h.  Now, please don't interpret that I'm in support of going over the speed-limit.  I've learned my lessons (plural) and understand why those speed limits are there.  I'm simply trying to help people understand the anger & frustration they're causing when they feel the need to sit in the left lane and allow a line of cars to build behind them.  Who died and made you the speed police?  I'm sorry but I didn't get that memo.

To my friend in the Honda Civic with the fancy muffler tip, low profile tires and dark tinted windows, I bite my thumb at you sir.  Thanks to your simple yet correctable action, I was unable to enjoy one of my favourite songs on the radio this morning and my coffee just didn't taste the same after our meeting.

But you did motivate me to blog about our encounter...so I suppose you're forgiven this one time, but don't let it happen again!

I need to get one of these for my windshield