Bish!

So ... no more Chris Bosh on the Raps.

I for one am very happy. Thanks very much for all you've done for the franchise. Thanks for years of ball-stopping and padding your own stats so that you could get this contract and play with your favorite circle jerks. Yes, Chris Bosh, the worst marquee team player in the NBA has finally left the Raps. The most boring player in the league is gone. Holy shit was he ever boring to watch.

Of course when he was with us I stuck up for him ... and obviously I do believe that he is a great, great talent. I'm not going to lie though, I am truly glad he's gone. Fast paced basketball and Bosh are like oil and water, you should only mix them if you're going to make a fabulous salad dressing.

So where do the Raps go from here ... well ... hell if I know! Kleiza is a good start, signing Amir too ... but as far as getting a really big named star on the roster, I have no clue how they pull that off. Maybe they really don't need to. I'd be happy watching the young guys develop. It will certainly be interesting to see how Bargnani comes on now that Bosh is gone. I'm pulling for huge improvement.

Anyway Raptor fans, sit back, take a deep breath, raise your arms to the heavens ... and thank Buddha Bosh is gone. Boring basketball could very well be behind us here in TO.

Living the Life of a Preseason Gaaad

Thanks to a wonderful cougar and my handsome friend Kyle romancing some tickets out of her, I was able to attend last night's second Raptor's preseason game ... courtside ... 7 rows up ... heaven!!!

The game was actually stupendous. The young guys got most of the burn for certain, but with the game being played at such a frenetic pace one couldn't help but enjoy.

A few guys really stuck out to me.

Firstly Sonny Weems. Energy, athleticism, dunk after dunk. He was the best player on the court that night.

Secondly, Reggie Evans. Grit, tenacity, passion. He is as billed thus far and I don't care what the other Raptor bloggers write when they say that allowing him to get the ball could be the best defensive play any team makes, he is a hugely important addition to this team. Not only for what he brings on the court, but also for how he can inspire his fellow Raps.

The final piece that I have been greatly impressed with is Marcus Banks. I believe that his on court leadership and hustle have been completely the opposite of what I was expecting, making me realize that we didn't really get to see this guy last year and might actually have a nice piece on our hands. It just goes to show how the hype machine can really get carried away as most Raptors fans completely dismissed Banks as a good-for-nothing, end of the bench salary eater.

The three people that can do better in my mind ... Calderon, Jack and Bellinelli. I'm not worried about them though as their games will surely pick up in the next two weeks.

Pay me ... not them.

Wait and see kiddles ... that's really all I have to say about the upcoming Raptors season, wait and see. Spending a week at home on staycation I have realized, via following amateur Raps bloggers profusely (and some not so amateur ... much love to RapsHQ, Smith, Smith and Grange though), that none of us know what in the shit we are talking about and that we'll really have to wait and see. On paper that is a hot team ... but the speculation is fucking silly! As my man Venereal Disease, er, Vishus Delishus said in his last post ... sacre bleu! I am totally into naughty monkey love! ... oh, and that we'll just have to see how it all plays out.

Wassup Blogosphere?!

What can I say? My dreams have been fulfilled, I finally have a blog on the world wide web and it's about basketball. And life. I hope to turn around a few lives and really make a difference while I'm here, all accomplished through my writing about basketball. Prepare to get your respective heads blown, every last one of you.

I'd like to thank my man NC for hooking me up with an invite to the blog. NC, thank you for taking 2.34 seconds out of your busy schedule to click your mouse a couple of times. You're a real stand-up guy. You will regret this decision, I hereby make my solemn promise to you and yours.

So, basketball. I like it, you like it. It's why we're all here. Why should you care about what I have to say about it? Because I'm badass, and you'll find out why soon enough.

I'm currently a pretty hardcore Raps fan, but first and foremost I'm a basketball fan. I like it so much that I subject my 5'5" frame to a fairly regular schedule of ball, and if you're a smaller player you know how sadistic that can be sometimes. I get blocked a lot. Stuffed, whatever. You name it. But I keep coming back for more, and if that's not true passion you can all eat it. I have a few jerseys from more recent eras (mid 90s recent) and I currently have my eye on a Chauncy Billups Nuggets jersey.

So while this blog will focus on the Raps, it'll be in perspective with the rest of the NBA. I follow the league as tenaciously as our local squad, so this isn't written by someone who only watches the Raps with their head in the sand regarding the bigger picture. With that in mind, I have to say that overall I feel pretty positively about this team. Conversely, I feel pretty damn negatively about the doom and gloom that seems to have already arrived in our great city.

Bosh's pending free agency. Turkoglu's hurt and played like crap at the Eurobasket. Possible inability to gel as a group. Still can't play defense. Tough schedule early on. Inexperienced coach. The rest of the conference got a lot better.

Guess what? It's September 22nd and the season is still 6 weeks away. All of these comments are pointless. We won't know any answers until they hit the court.

Know what? I'll bet that Turkoglu suffers a catastrophic injury and the rest of the team doesn't get along and we wind up with a 32 win season. Worse than last year by one game. Ouch.

Know what else? I'll wager that the Raps are going to have an excellent year, both Bosh and Turk make the all-star team, we get past the 1st round of the playoffs, and hell, maybe we'll even challenge for the conference title.

Who knows? I sure don't, so I'm going to sit back and try and catch some classic games on TV until the season actually starts. It's called chilling the fuck out, and I think some of you need to try it.

Now I am off to get NC to lend me his Celtics and Knicks DVDs. He owes me for writing this blog after all.

Ask and you shall receive

BAM!

Some Love for Doug

Doug Smith is my favorite off-season NBA blogger. He's superb really and truly. Usually by the time the fourth quarter of the Raptors NBA season rolls around I am as utterly fed up by his melancholic, often condescending rants as he must be with the fans totally baseless, fear mongering/comment column panic attacks.

Speaking of the Toronto faithful I posed a question to him on his blog the other day regarding our voracity amongst North American sports fans and what makes us seemingly share an angst ridden kinship with fans from other large East Coast cities. His response was succinct, yet pristine in it's accuracy.

Here's how it played out.

"What do you think it is about Toronto, New York and Philly fans that make us so "unique"?

Blogger's note: Historical mediocrity, basic insecurity, too much time on their hands"

Posted by: NC | August 11, 2009 at 10:27 AM

Stunning really. As poignant as pelican in a sea of peas.

The New Look Raptors are Shiny!

Well, I'm not going to lie. I am a genius!

En confianza del colangelo I

I am the eternal optimist of the off-season. The man pictured above is going to get it done this summer. I fully believe that the Raptors will be contesting for a deep playoff spot next season, as I always do during the summer months.

Draft well, trade for Northeners, give Nick a run.

Raptors ... gah!

Raptors Roster Analysis (in no particular order):

Trade or Fire
Jose Calderon
Kris Humphries
Jamario Moon
Will Soloman


Keep
Andrea Bargnani
Chris Bosh
Joey Graham
Nathan Jawai
Roko Ukic
Jake Voskuhl


Hard Decision due to Enticing Trade Contract
Jason Kapono
Jermaine O'Neal
Anthony Parker

Acquire
Lebron James ... but make him cancel all pre-game rituals
Carlos Delfino
Stephen Jackson
Anthony Morrow
Jeff Green
Steve Nash

A Move To New York

Ever since a grade 12 trip to New York I have been completely and utterly in love with that city. Coinciding with that is a love of the Knicks. An even more dysfunctional team than my Raptors. This year the best thing about the team ... the dancers!

More on this later ...

Merry Christmas Raptor Nation

What I wish for ... ? Some bloody excitement!

You know who excites me on the Raptors? I'll tell you who ...

Gerald Wallace is one of my favourite Raptors. He always looks great coming off a wide screen, receiving a pin-point pass from Calderon to finish off with a monster dunk. Plus his D is a huge bonus in the late minutes of games when the Raps have been know to wilt in the past.

Also, I LOVE Walt Frazier on our team!!! He is by far the most creative stud on the roster. In fact, we haven't seen on the ball genius like this since the carter days.

And you know ... sure he's not a starter, but having Keon Clark back in the line up is truly a blessing from the "Leather Pumpkin" (30 Rock) gods. The way he smashes the ball through the net is just the insanity that the team needs to bring the guys out of the miniscule ruts of which they are sometimes prone. You can almost see Triano's eyes light up when the opposing team goes on a 6 - 0 run ... Keon!!!


What we have in these guys is excitement. Guys who can provide either singular plays to ignite an offense or defense, or can take over the game by themselves. We truly are blessed to have them.

Oh Canada!

Can American basketball players truly get up in the morning to play in Canada? The Raptors 10 - 16 record and recent loss to OKC might be a decent indicator. The answer ...

I have no idea. I hope not!

Sometimes it truly seems like they can't, like there is some amazing pride that comes from playing for a team in your own country that you just can't get playing in front of Toronto fans. It's almost like Playing for Toronto is idle time where you learn how to hone your skill and gain character through losing. Certainly though you do not need to learn how to win.

Lucha Semifinal de Trios

Well, apparently the Raptors got smoked again. That's 5 in a row

... now on to Mexican wrestling.

Tour Guide Extraordinaire

Mexico City, March 9th 2007 ... Arena Mexico ... Explosivo Mano a Mano ... Marco Corleone vs. Universo 2000 ... mucho beers and all you can drink adulterated tequila vs. my liver. Awesome night!!!

My good friend LD and I had spent a glorious day exploring the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, hatless and essentially waterless.

Pryamid of the Sun I believe

Needless to say I was suffering from heat stroke by the end of the day, being of the fair-skinned persuasion. After our jaunt through the pyramids we decided to go on a group outing to a Lucha Libre match at the Arena Mexico (the match mentioned above). We got in a van with a bunch of crazed travelers from all around the world and our tour guide (who was actually a wrestler) and set off to a sporting arena where they don't let women go to the bathroom alone.

The energy at the arena was electric. I would recommend this experience to anyone. Befriending a great Australian guy we proceeded to have somewhat of a drinking contest while the matches were proceeding. Towers of Corona cups accumulated in front of us only to topple and be taken away, making room for new towers to be erected. Big time cheering, five slapping, it was the goal of our group to out do the insanity of the Mexican crowd. This is of course impossible, but we gave it a good try. *Mephisto body slam* ... the crowd (complete with surrogate worldly luchadores) goes wild.

After the event was over the next logical step was to purchase our own masks and take this reckless abandon back to the hostel lest it go to waste.

What ensued was pure hilarity. Setting up the common area as a wresting ring. Jumping off the bar into a huge pile of pillows. As much free tequila as you could stand to take in. The details are a little sketchy, but the pics speak volumes ... this was the best night in the history of the universe.

Pictures by the Nac Daddy and LD:

Of Seizmic Shifts and Harrowing Balcony Dances

It was a scary scene at the ACC. Nearing the end of regulation a huge tremor ripped through Toronto causing the entire arena to be flipped onto it's side as easily as a baby is picked up to be burped. It didn't stop the fans though as evidenced by the video I shot above. We just danced right through our precarious perpendicular position only to watch the Raps lose by 1 to the red hot Trailblazers.

Overall I thought the game was pretty good. There was a lot to be content about regarding a more free-flowing offense. It looked great for a while. However, the Blazers eventually got the best of the Raptors in the 3 point department. Also, Aldridge lit them up by hitting every contested shot he took. None of them seemed easy. Sigh ... good game all in all.

Meeting super reporter Doug Smith at the half was also a huge bonus. My man Vishus Delishus (VD ... maybe it's time to rethink that nickname?!?!) did all the talking, and although Doug was clearly very busy, he took the time to ask VD's take on the new look team. Seemed like a really great guy he did.

As for the food, well, I didn't look for any (somehow) previously missed "sweet treats" (LD). I was too busy occupying my taste buds with the dollar store Gum Drops I smuggled in my coat's smugglin' pockect. There's always next time, provided they manage to flip the ACC back to normal.

The ACC Post Earthquake

Video and Picture by the Nac Daddy:

The ACC (and Toronto) Need More Region Specific Sport Food

I'm off to the Air Canada Centre today to catch the Toronto Raptors in action with the Portland Trailblazers (that sounds hotter than it is). I am somewhat excited for the game, but mostly excited for some arena food. Clearly I have a problem. To me it's a necessary evil when I travel to see games elsewhere, to see what culinary delights specific arenas have to offer.

Toronto, however, does not inspire me. In mentioning that I'm excited for arena food above it's simply because I am damn hungry! We need to invent something in the realm of sports related food ... something new and big. And make it region specific. In Philly you have the Cheese Steak, at MSG in New York you have the mighty Knish ... in Toronto we have the Pizza Slice, the Hot Dog and the Nacho with Cheese, all of which can be obtained in every other arena in the known universe.

The Mighty Knish

Perhaps I haven't looked closely enough around the ACC. Perhaps there is a secret epicurean ecstacy that hasn't jumped out at me. But I doubt it.

In Toronto we have a great many ethnic communities that heartily support our Raptors, why not incorporate some international menu items into the fray, all the while keeping it local by proxy. Make the new items vegetarian friendly, open a Beef Jerky booth to reflect our teams greatest Texan ... I don't know ... do something. Help us out! What about Onion Badjis? Great finger food. Heck ... Poutine!!!

Onion Badji: Totally Arena Friendly

Here in the Big Smoke there are already plans to diversify our street vendors to include more international choices, why not extend this mentality to the arenas? I realize that this choice is not a simple one to make and much market testing must be done, but the more we can do to seperate this team as an original in it's own right the quicker we make it a special place in the basketball world and the better we position ourself to capture uniqe players to help define us. To me the surrounding experience is as much a part of the game as the game itself. This is basketball, it's spicy! Letting the bland palates of hockey fans dominate the food we eat is not right, please do something about that!

Oh and while you're at it ACC, how about letting more local breweries have a crack at your basketball audience. It would be heavenly to be able to enjoy an ice cold Mill St Organic while watching the Raps.

In closing we need something new in the realm of arena food. A local delight (that possibly hasn't been invented yet), a treat that represents the members of the team or an international food that represents the community.

Triano's Maiden Voyage

Bam!!! The hype, the tension, edge of your seat nail-biting action. Raptors fans from kilometers around gathered together in a huddled mass of anticipation, splitting at the seams with the agonizing possibility of another ... actually I didn't watch it. Apparently they got killed though.

Instead I hung out with a good friend, enjoyed a corking (thank you thesaurus) St-Ambroise apricot wheat ale and then found my way to bed around 9:30. Glorious after a crazy week at work.

I have been trying to seperate myself from the Raptor nation a bit lately for I do not want to find myself in the position of insanely grumpy come March should an upward trend refuse to become apparent. Don't get me wrong, I still support this team and watch as many of the games as I possibly can take, it's just that I now read blog comments on Doug Smith's Raps blog {http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/ (the absolute best in the business!!!)} as sparingly as possible lest I sink back into blind fandom. Still love the blog itself though. And I certainly avoid all the wanker blogs that I'd occasionally read to put a fire in my belly. I mean is it really worth it? There are much better things to focus on like cats and long sunny walks down the Mill Race in St Jacobs, or those amazing dynamite rolls at Sushi Bong.

View Larger Map
Home of the Bong. You will not regret checking it out.

Honestly, I might begin to devote my basketball assiduousness towards my second favourite team, the mfing New York Knicks. Give them some love before they sign Lebron and get all corn dog plastic on my ass. But at least I'll be able to follow Bosh's career for my entire life ... oh 2010 ... what do you have in store for us?!?!

FFMA

It's a new dawn for the Raptors. Regardless of whether or not you bought into the bounty on Sam Mitchell's head, the decision to fire the 3+ year coach of the Raptors has been made.

I for one am very conflicted about this. I had been calling for his head for years (in personal circles/not so much publicly) citing an uninspired offense as the reason. Yet, when the news finally came I reacted with great sadness. I had come to know Sam through the media as a very unique individual, one who was prone to egging on the local beat grunts while seemingly getting along famously with the players. A "players coach". A guy with a tremendous sense of style. His sideline mannerisms have been just about the most enjoyable thing to watch in relation to the Raps for the last few weeks ... hell, stretching into last season. Watching him in the media scrums was also a favourite past time of mine. Seemingly the man didn't take shit from anyone, a refreshing energy for a team that often looked like seasonal affective disorder had grabbed a hold of it's mind grapes. The long and short of this paragraph ... his character will be missed.

In retrospect perhaps he hasn't had all that much to work with. To paraphrase the man himself, not all the players he has lead have been a fully viable NBA resource. I couldn't agree more. I certainly won't deny that Sam ran some great plays in his Toronto tenure. On many occasions he squeezed blood from a line up of the aforementioned stones. In my mind this will not go unnoticed. Former coach of the year, 47 win season, bringing together unlikely teammates, there is much to applaud.

It's with a somewhat heavy heart that I say adios to S Mi.