Bleacher Report - Articles by TOsports.ca

When the Dust Cleared, A.J. Burnett Was Left Lying on the Ground

TOsports.ca — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:05:16 -0400

Much like the scene at the OK Corral, Roy "Doc" Halladay stood victorious. He allowed only a single run over nine innings and defeated his one time protégée A.J. Burnett 5–1 at the Rogers Centre.

It was the Jays’ first true test of the season. After going up against the likes of the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles, they had yet to meet a team of any importance, specifically the Yanks or the Sox.

“When you win, it always feels good,” Gaston said. “I hope we can continue to have crowds like that, it feels like old times.”

The crowd was hot—all 43,737 of them. A.J., A-Rod, even Melky Cabrera weren’t spared from the taunts, jeers, boos, and catcalls.

Burnett was just not up to the challenge, in the fourth, after allowing Rios to double.

He walked two straight batters and then gave up a two-run double to Scott Rolen. Rod Barajas then hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right and Lind was allowed to go. He didn’t beat the throw, but catcher Kevin Cash couldn’t handle the throw, and the third run crossed the plate.

When the Rolen stepped up to the plate, he wasn’t exactly in the best of statistical situations. With the bases loaded some fans were a little nervous about an 0-18 hitter representing the Jays first chance at a run.

“I was?”, Rolen said in joking reference to his slump. “I’m not a numbers guy, I hate the numbers, I’m about the competition.”

“In order for us to win, Scott’s got to do what he did tonight, and he stepped up, he knows that,” Gaston said.

Burnett’s return to Toronto was highlighted in the bottom of the eighth when, on a 2–2 count, he threw a fastball. A fastball that Aaron Hill caught all of and sent to left-center field, for his ninth home run of the year.

Tonight may have been all about the pitching matchup, but the fans were all about having fun, several fights, a couple of ejections and one of the loudest "Yankees Suck!" chants the Rogers Centre has heard in years.

A fan even threw a foul ball back onto the field. It was an A-Rod foul ball and this action received a rousing chorus of cheers and no ejection.

A-Rod’s night was full of listening to the fans give him the business, but he didn’t make it easy on himself, going 1-3 and an error that cost his team an easy double play.

Another ex-Jay was in the lineup tonight for the Yankees. Former farmhand Kevin Cash was starting in place of Jorge Posado.

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NHL Playoff Preview: A Look at Teams Playing Today

TOsports.ca — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:46:42 -0400

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

It doesn’t get any better than this, does it?

Two teams that absolutely hate each other, a fan base that hates the other fan base—this series has all the ingredients to see bloodshed every night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are up two games to one, but you just get the feeling that this series is going seven, don’t you?

Heart, determination, speed, finesse, and good bounces will all be factors in determining the winner in this series—and a little luck wouldn’t hurt either.

On Pittsburgh’s end, Evgeni Malkin leads the league with four goals and seven points in the postseason thus far, while Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar each have four assists, cementing their reputations as great set-up men. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been good, but not great, leaving the door open for a Flyers comeback.

The Flyers looked all but dead, then came home and whopped the Penguins 6-3, showing all that they will not just lay down for the Penguins. Simon Gagne, hampered by injuries last season, has been a warrior for the Flyers leading the team with three goals.

Tenacity, toughness and heart will not be a problem for the Flyers, goaltending and defensive positioning will. Martin Biron has been shaky to say the least, and will need to play better.

Look for more of the same from this series, big hits, lots of scrums after the play and fast paced high-scoring hockey. In the end, I see Pittsburgh pulling this one out. Home ice advantage is still theirs—a huge factor if this series goes seven games (which I still feel it will).

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils

Surprise! It’s playoff time and Martin Brodeur is playing awesome!

How could I ever have gone against the great Marty Brodeur? The Carolina Hurricanes were perhaps the hottest team heading into the playoffs, the ingredients for an upset over the Devils was all there—and just like that, “poof,” it’s all gone—thanks in part to the great play of Brodeur.

The Hurricanes have a grand total of five goals in three games, which is simply not good enough to beat the Devils.

The Devils are also getting great efforts from Zack Parise, who has three goals, 16 shots, and five points thus far, and Johnny Oduya, who has been stellar on defense. And even though his numbers don’t look great, Travis Zajac has continued to be an integral part of the Devils' offense.

Carolina has looked slow and out of position most nights, I would be surprised to see them pull off the series win, but anything is possible. Devils in six.

Detroit vs. Columbus

Most of us predicted Detroit Red Wings would take this series in five games—thus far those predictions look good to stand up. Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason has been solid in net, but the Jackets' lack of depth down the middle and the Red Wings' power play have killed them.

Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler lead the series in scoring with three points each—and as expected Henrik Zetterberg, Nik Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski. and Marian Hossa, while not tearing up the stat sheets yet, have not disappointed.

The biggest question heading into the series was weather or not Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood would be playoff ready. Well, Ozzie leads the League with a .978 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against average. Any questions?

Going forward, I think it’s safe to say the Blue Jackets will have it tough against the Wings deep roster. Rick Nash remains pointless—in fact, the Jackets have only managed one goal thus far, which does not bode well for them.

Mason may be able to steal a game, but it’s looking more and more likely that this series will be a sweep.

Vancouver Canucks vs. St. Louis Blues

St. Louis had a ton of momentum heading into the playoffs, and for the most part they have played the Canucks tightly. That said, the Blues have not been good enough and likely face elimination on Tuesday night.

Outside of a tough goal yesterday, Blues goaltender Chris Mason has been good enough to win. But it has been the Blues inability to score on a couple of key five-on-three situations that has been the difference in the series thus far.

On the Canucks' side, goaltender Roberto Luongo has been money and the Sedin Twins have a combined nine points through three games, proving they can elevate their games in the playoffs.

The Blues had a nice season, but in the end their inexperience has not served them well. Vancouver will eliminate them in four or five games, and the resulting rest will serve Canucks well going forward.

Getting It at the End: A Win the Rock Needed

TOsports.ca — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:39:51 -0400

With no season on the line and talent evaluation at the forefront, the Rock showed up. It was Saturday, Apr. 18, and night at the Air Canada Centre.

The visiting San Jose Stealth had already punched their playoff ticket. The Rock, with nothing to play for but pride, showed coach Jamie Batley that they do listen and they are getting better with a resounding 15–11 victory. The difference was the transition game.

It proved to be where the Rock were most effective, something Batley brought to the team and has been working on all year.

“I think it’s really the way this game should be played at the pro level,” Batley said. “I think they finally learned it. You don’t just run up the floor you’ve got to be in a certain position and you’ve got to make a certain decision.”

Batley’s coaching seems to be sinking in. The Rock are no longer the crackerjack team from whom former coach Greg Clark had a tough time getting a consistent performance.

“I think you saw the team that I’ve seen at practice all year, the team we thought we had,” Batley said. “This is the team we think that we have, that buries the ball on offense, that plays decent defense.”

For former Rock stalwart Colin Doyle, this game was a chance for the single season points record, needing nine points to break John Tavares’ record of 115. And he made a valiant effort. He got his fifth point of the night with one minute to go, and cherry picked the rest of the game. But it was not to be: He finished with 111 points.

“We didn’t talk much about that (the record) before the game,” Stealth coach Chris Hall said. “You don’t want to get away from your team strategy. Certainly at the end there, when we knew the game was lost, that our mission was to try to get him the ball.”

In the Stealth’s first trip to the ACC, Lewis Ratcliff and Luke Wiles rolled out the welcoming mat by scoring a combined six goals and 11 points. Ratcliff had four goals and Wiles had two. Josh Wasson, Craig Conn, and Rob Marshall added two goals each, while Bill McGlone, Blaine Manning, and Jason Clark had a goal each

In just his fourth game, Wasson had two goals and an assist, bringing his season total to five goals and nine points. But he’s part of a logjam at his position, right side forward, with Jason Crosbie and Craig Conn also capable there.

“I’m just excited to be back in the lineup, happy to be out there running around,” Wasson said. “Getting a chance to play and just trying to make the most of it.”

“We tried to get some guys in the lineup, you know Wasson who we’ve been trying to get in the lineup all year,” Batley said. “We know he’s a great player and he shows it every time he plays. We had to get him in the lineup.”

With the box lacrosse season now at a close in Toronto, attention shifts to the newly formed Toronto Nationals, who start training camp on May 3.

But Batley won’t be there. He’s got his own summer job, and he’s been very successful at it. He’s heading back to his hometown of Peterborough to coach the Lakers.

“I’d like to take all the best players,” Batley said about whom he wants with him in Peterborough. “I don’t care that I have John Grant or if I have Scott Evans, those guys know that I want hard workers too. I want guys who work hard."

The other question has to do with the future of Rock goalie Bob Watson, the 39-year-old. The elder statesman of the team had one of his rougher seasons, allowing 191 goals.

“I think I’m still in good enough of shape, mentally I just got to figure out if I want to do this grind again,” Watson said. “Summer’s off, I’m coaching a young son, no plans to play.”

The Rock managed to pack the house like they hadn’t all season, as 15,252 fans made a last ditch effort to see the team this season.

Romero Shuts Down A's, Draws Ridiculous Comparison

TOsports.ca — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:33:29 -0400

Ricky Romero is the next Johan Santana, and you can quote the great Jack Cust on that.

“He’s got a bright future,” Cust said after Sunday afternoon’s game. “He reminds me of Santana a little bit, his body and his mannerisms, the way he throws. Santana’s got those broad shoulders like he’s got. He’s similar, he’s got a similar arm slot, similar delivery. He’s going to be good.”

Alright, so even I could strike out Jack Cust, but if I were Romero, I’d still consider that a compliment. Romero was lights-out in his third career start, tossing seven shutout innings in the Jays’ 1-0 win over Oakland, and officially stole “the man” title from Lyle Overbay for the afternoon. Overbay did his part as well, though, driving in the only run of the game on a third inning single.

All in all, another fine win for the Jays.

Toronto FC-Dallas: Toronto Loses After Controversial Late Penalty

TOsports.ca — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:29:10 -0400

"I’m having a go at the referee today, because his performance was a disgrace."

To say that Toronto coach John Carver was frustrated by the 3-2 loss to FC Dallas would be an understatement.

For once, there was nothing TFC could have done after conceding yet another late goal, with referee Tim Leyland giving a controversial penalty to the home side six minutes from time.

MLS All-Star Kenny Cooper blasted the ball past Stefan Frei to secure Dallas’s first victory of the season.

The penalty was awarded after David Ferreira ventured into the area and flicked the ball onto the forearm of defender Marvell Wynne. The Reds fullback had no chance of getting out of the way. As Carver noted, "I’m sure the referee couldn’t change direction with his hands in his pockets."

The late goal offset the effort put in by the Reds, as they battled back impressively from a first half in which Dallas controlled the game to take a two-goal lead.

Drew Moor started the scoring in the 20th minute, after the Dallas defender lost his marker in the box to head home past Frei. Just minutes earlier, Moor had saved his team at the other end, blocking a Chad Barrett shot and clearing the ball after his goalkeeper, Ray Burse, fumbled a Sam Cronin cross in the area.

Dallas continued to dominate play and were rewarded with a second goal in the 44th minute. Dwayne De Rosario, playing despite being questionable with a hamstring pull, gave away the ball to Ferreira, deep in the Toronto half. The Columbian passed the ball to Cooper, who drilled a low shot home from 22 yards out.

Toronto appeared to be facing an uphill task. However, right on the stroke of halftime, they won a corner, which Amado Guevara played right over the penalty area to recent international retiree Carl Robinson. The Welshman, who was all alone, crossed the ball into the six-yard box for former Dallas player Adrian Serioux to bundle over the line.

TFC were boosted by the goal and came out firing in the second half. Their endeavour was rewarded just before the hour mark.

Fuad Ibrahim, another ex-Dallas player, who was making his second consecutive start, hit a deep diagonal ball into the opposition’s half. Midfielder Guevara was involved again, heading the ball onto Barrett, who raced towards goal after beating the offside trap. With only goalkeeper Burse in front of him, the American finally ended his goal-scoring slump, slotting home to level the game at two-a-piece.

The goal appeared to justify his coaches’ continued faith in him, especially after Barrett had wasted an opportunity earlier in the game to help give Toronto the lead. On eleven minutes, he was put through by another Guevara header. Unfortunately the striker decided to shoot for goal, blasting the ball into the side netting when two team-mates were better placed to score.

Ultimately though, it was the late penalty which resulted in Toronto’s first away defeat of the season. Further bad news came as Canadian international De Rosario went off with a re-occurrence of his hamstring injury, meaning he will miss the next match at home to Chivas USA.

It will be a tough game against the team with the best record so far in 2009. Toronto will need a similar fighting spirit to that displayed in this game if they are to gain anything from what has now become an important fixture.

Time for the Strikers To Step Up as Toronto Heads to Dallas for Rematch

TOsports.ca — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:34:24 -0400

Toronto FC meets Dallas tomorrow night at Pizza Hut Park for the first of three games TFC will contest in a week. Then it's back home to play Chivas US on Wednesday night and the Kansas City Wizards a week from tomorrow to conclude a busy seven days.

For the most part, Toronto has had an encouraging start to the season—only one loss, unbeaten on the road, and three minutes away from a win last weekend. However, it’s the last game against Dallas, which has started to concern fans in Southern Ontario.

The Dallas goal represented a return to last season, when TFC regularly conceded late goals and lost valuable points. Toronto’s defence, which was upgraded in the offseason, should stop this from becoming a regular occurrence in 2009. Stefan Frei is proving with every passing game that he can become a top quality goalkeeper for the next 10 to 15 years.

The addition of Adrian Serioux from Dallas has added strength to the rearguard and the fullback positions are set with Jim Brennan and Marvell Wynne. The only decision to make is who should partner Serioux in central defence.

Kevin Harmse has been getting the nod in recent games. Given the recent spate of goals conceded, it’s time to give Marco Velez a regular run in the side.

One thing which would stop any late goals conceded from becoming an issue would be the other problem faced by the team—a lack of goals from the strikers. Chad Barrett, Danny Dichio, and Pablo Vitti have yet to score this season.

Add to this the ongoing knee problem for O’Brian White, who has yet to play a minute in the regular season, and the front line is a concern.

As I have mentioned previously, I think it’s time for Barrett to be taken out of the lineup.

Coach John Carver’s faith in the American is admirable. However, all of the hard work in the world doesn’t change the fact that Barrett has been missing chances, which any striker worth his salt should be putting away.

Ironically enough, aside from White, the other injury concern facing Toronto, could be one which gives Barrett a stay of execution for at least one more match. Dwayne De Rosario has been listed as questionable with a hamstring pull.

The Canadian international took part in his first training session of the week on Friday declaring himself fit. However, hamstring injuries are notorious for being an ongoing problem if you try to return too early, and it may be best to start De Rosario on the bench.

FC Dallas has similar injury concerns to last weekend, save for Daniel Torres, who has recovered from a hamstring injury. The team will be buoyed by securing their first point of the season and will look to win their first game of 2009.

As always, the main threat posed from Dallas will come from their MLS 2008 All-Star forward, Kenny Cooper. Toronto did an excellent job of keeping him quiet in the 1-1 draw at BMO Field, and will need a similar effort in Texas to stop him influencing the game.

Toronto has never won in Dallas, losing 2-0 in their inaugural season, before improving with a 2-2 draw last year. As much as Toronto needs a win, a draw is the best they can expect tomorrow night.

More Toronto FC at www.TOsports.ca

Toronto—Oakland: Overbay's Walk Off Brings Jays, Game, and Fans to Life

TOsports.ca — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:31:09 -0400

For a game that started off based around the small ball the ending was much more powerful and much more dramatic.

Lyle Overbay came up to bat with two outs and Jose Bautista on first. He then sent the 1-0 pitch Dan Giese threw to deep right-centre to seal the game. The homerun came in the 12 inning to give the Jays a 4-2 win Saturday.

“I was either going to pop that straight up or hit a homer,” Overbay said. “I was glad it went the way it did.”

Considering most of the runs came via small ball; bunts, sacrifices and steal, it was an entertaining way to send the fans home happy.

“A lot of games end in home runs,” Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “You either win with home runs or somebody walks someone in or ends it in a sacrifice fly.”

Cito added that Overbay’s performance is going to make the decision on whether he starts or not hard.

The Jays first run came courtesy of a fielder’s choice from Travis Snider and their second run was set up after a sacrifice bunt from Rod Barajas.

The A’s produced runs in a similar manner, Ryan Sweeney scored in the first after a sacrifice by Jason Giambi and he scored again in the sixth after a sacrifice fly from Orlando Cabrera.

Tallet pitched five and a third, but his game almost ended after his second pitch. Sweeney hit a line drive at Tallet’s head. Tallet moved in time to have it bounce off his shoulder. He then picked up the ground ball and threw it into right field. His error put Sweeney at third and Giambi’s grounder to Scutaro brought Sweeney home.

“It got me in the left pinky,” Tallet said. “It’s hard to throw the baseball when you don’t have feeling in your hand.”

Cito started employing the small ball with a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fourth.

With Adam Lind on first, compliments of A’s starting pitcher Trever Cahill’s third walk of the day, Bautista laid down a bunt and moved Lind to second. Then Cahill walked the bases full, putting Overbay at first.

Travis Snider grounded a ball to second, Oakland got the runner at second but wasn’t able to turn two, allowing Adam Lind to score the Jay’s first run.

The next batter, Cahill, faced was Marco Scutaro, who he plunked, loading the bases up again. Aaron Hill grounded out to short however, and Orlando Cabrera gunned down Hill to end the threat.

The dome was criminally closed on such a nice day it would have been a good time to let the sunshine in. 21,698 showed up, Inside away from the nice weather.

AHL Playoffs-Marlies Winning Ways Continiue in Manitoba

TOsports.ca — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:31:49 -0400

The Toronto Marlies now lead the Manitoba Moose 1-0 in the first round of the AHL Playoffs after beating them 3-2 in overtime in Manitoba Wednesday night.

At least one Toronto team knows how to get it done. The Marlies have beaten the Moose, the AHL’s leading point producers, seven games in row now, including six straight in the regular season, and the one that really counts, the first game of the playoffs.

Both goalies, Justin Pogge and Cory Schneider, allowed two goals each in the second period, which were the only goals scored in regulation.

For the Marlies, the goals came from unlikely candidates, Kyle Rogers who only scored four goals in 71 games in the regular season, and Alex Foster who potted 12 in 80, more or less role players for the Toronto team.

Manitoba’s goals were scored by Guillaume Desbiens, and Raymond Sawada. Justin Pogge stopped 37 of 39 shots while the Marlies were outshot 39-28 in the win.

The most important goal of the game came at 5:28 in overtime, and was scored by a leader for the Marlies team, and a guy who has been doing it all year, Bates Battaglia.

The next game is Friday night in Manitoba; the Marlies will then return to the Ricoh Coliseum for game three of the seven-game series Sunday, hopefully with a 2-0 strangle hold on the Moose. Go Marlies GO!

To-RANT-Toe-Knee-In: Lost in the Shuffle!

TOsports.ca — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:28:01 -0400

Make sure you tune in and listen to T.O. Sports Radio Show - Thursdays Night Throw Down hosted by Louis ”The King of Roncesvalles” Pisano, with regular guest Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter, also joining in on the conversation will be Mike “The Truth” Henderson and Murray “North of Seven” Crawford…it starts at 8 p.m. sharp…Don’t you miss it!

Lost in the shuffle of the end of the NHL season is the fact that if the Leafs lost to the Ottawa Senators in the final game of the season and the Leafs would have solidified the No. 5 pick, overall.

The Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings each won their last match ups and if the Leafs lost to all three teams, they would have ended with 79-points—Toronto would have had less wins than both the Kings and Coyotes—but they were foiled by the Senators again.

I like Leafs General Manager, Brian Burke’s moxy, but does he seriously think he can pull off a deal with the New York Islanders to acquire the number one pick overall?

If Burke makes this happen a couple things will be true, Burke will immediately be referred to as “Moses” and questions as to weather or not Islanders General Manager, Garth Snow, is a living brain donor.

Good luck Mr. Burke!

Quick run down of how I see the NHL playoffs panning out: In the East I like the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins to meet in the final; in the West I like the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks to meet in the final.

In the end, I see Pittsburgh and San Jose in the Stanley Cup finals with the San Jose Sharks ultimately winning it all.

What say you? (Write a comment to let us know).

It’s nice start to the season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

We have seen hustle, good pitching and great poise from the likes of rookies Travis Snider and Rickey Romero.

Keep in mind, though, it is April.

With baseball, is there any better feeling than looking at the American League standings and seeing the Boston Red Sox on the bottom?

The Red Sox ERA is above 5.00 and their bats are cold at 2.33—the beauty of it all—looks good on “ya Bo-Sucks!”

Want to see some good playoff hockey?

Get y’er butts down and catch a Toronto Marlies game. It’s cheap, fun and it just might be the only playoffs you’ll watch all year given Toronto’s struggles in every other sport.

How excited are you about the New York Jets coming to Toronto to play the lowly Buffalo Bills?

Outside of the sideshow that is Terrell Owens and I don’t think either one of these teams will have enough to make the playoffs this year.

I am all for bringing an NFL team to Toronto—I am not so sure the Bills qualify as an NFL team though and sounds to me like Torontonians would just be getting another underachieving franchise as we already have lots of those!

The Edmonton Oilers fired Head Coach Craig Mactavish, after missing the playoffs three years in a row it’s not much of a surprise.

Mac was/is a good guy and a good coach, but in the end the Oilers are looking for results and Mac just couldn’t get it done. It’s a shame, but sometimes-good people need to move on.

Quick, name four players on the Canadian Woman’s Hockey Team—didn’t think you could do it.

For the record, the Ladies lost a tough one to the United States, 4-1, the other night—it was the second time in a row the U.S. beat the Canucks for the World Championship.

Question is, does anyone care?

Personally, I think it is good hockey when the U.S. and Canada play, but problem is, outside of those two teams, no other Nations have anywhere near the talent they do, which makes the results a coin flip.

With that in mind, why does everybody want to punish the U.S. and Canada for having good teams?

I mean, just because the rest of the teams are inferior do we shut the programs down?

Debate amongst yourselves.

More at www.TOsports.ca

Blue Jays Coming Home on Top

TOsports.ca — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:21:15 -0400

It’s the start that no one saw coming, and with the offense firing on all cylinders it has been a promising start to the 2009 season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Promising because they have seven wins and three losses heading into Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Twins, but also because they’ve had a good road trip to start the season. Yes it wasn’t that far away but 4-2 on the road heading into Thursday’s game is a way to start.

While it’s mostly been the emergence of young hitters, the likes of Travis Snider and Adam Lind, pitching has played a role. The Jesse Litsch injury could be a blessing in disguise; I never really liked this guy’s stuff anyways.

Now guys like Scott Downs will be given a chance, and for my money there isn’t much difference between what those two are capable of. But the revelations are in rookie Ricky Romero, who has had two great starts, some hitters may catch up as the season progresses, that’s typical, but he’s kept the Jays in every game.

And Scott Richmond, who has fewer earned runs than Roy Halladay right now, again it won’t last but it’s a good way to start.

The common requirement of the Jays' pitching staff is that they have to keep the Jays in the game. They don’t have to be dominant; they have to be good enough not to let the opposing team’s offense get an insurmountable lead.

That’s Cito Gaston’s coaching style. Point in case is 1992 when Jack Morris had 21 wins, did you ever wonder why he didn’t receive the Cy Young award, these days 20 wins pretty much guarantees Cy Young consideration? He had a 4.04 ERA, not exactly Cy Young numbers.

Cito doesn’t win by pitching, Cito wins games 9-8 or 15-12, which may play well for a while but the rotations of Boston and New York can silence an offense pretty quickly.

This weekend’s home stand against the Oakland A’s will be a good one for the Jays. The A’s are a rebuilding team right now and Jason Giambi is far past his prime. The A’s have been struggling in mediocrity so far this year, and don’t have high expectations.

With mostly 1 p.m. start times, there will still be competition with playoff hockey, but since Toronto has no one to really cheer for right now, why not cheer for a team that has a real chance of making noise.

www.TOsports.ca keeping Toronto Sports Fans entertained

Dallas-Toronto: Toronto Misses Chances, Dallas Secures Draw with Late Equaliser

TOsports.ca — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:32:55 -0400

Toronto FC dropped two precious points yesterday as they failed to capitalise on several opportunities to add to a Dwayne De Rosario header in the 17th minute. A win would have taken the Reds to within a point of the top of the Eastern Standings.

Looking to bounce back from last week's demoralising loss to Seattle, the team gave the home fans something to cheer about early on.

Adrian Serioux, playing against his former team, sent one of his heat-seeking missile throw-ins directly into the penalty area. De Rosario towered above the Dallas defence to score his first goal for the Reds, heading home past goalkeeper Ray Burse.

Toronto’s goal was just reward for having a more confident attacking approach to the game, in sharp contrast to the home opener against the Sounders. As early as the first minute, Fuad Ibrahim, a surprise selection on the left wing, sent in a promising right footed cross from the edge of the penalty area.

De Rosario made contact with the ball, but it was bundled off the line by Dallas defender George John just as Chad Barrett swooped in for the kill.

John Carver had decided before the game to keep Barrett in the starting lineup, and the striker had a chance to repay his coaches' faith in the seventh minute. However, after an Amado Guevara free kick had fallen to him, the American could only hit a rather tame shot straight at Burse.

Toronto continued to attack in numbers and broke forward in the 21st minute after Dallas had given the ball away. Guevara connected with his central midfield partner Carl Robinson, who in turn set Ibrahim through on goal.

With a chance to score a dream goal against his former team, the 17-year-old shot wide of the left post.

Barrett had an excellent chance to add to Toronto’s lead 10 minutes before the break. Guevara hit a powerful shot from 25 yards out, which thundered onto the upright. The ball bounced back out to Barrett, but with only the Dallas goalkeeper to beat, he headed the ball over the crossbar.

Despite FC Dallas dominating the shot count, Toronto did a good job of limiting them to long-range efforts in the first half. Stefan Frei, playing in his home debut at BMO Field, looked comfortable in goal, dealing with everything that came his way.

However, just before halftime, the team from Texas gave a warning of what was to transpire in the second half.

Dave van den Bergh made a run down the left wing and crossed the ball into the Toronto penalty area. Dax McCarty was on hand to head the ball onto the underside of the crossbar with Frei beaten.

The ball bounced down and there were calls for a goal, but the linesman waved the appeals off. Replays proved that the header had never actually crossed the goal line.

As the second half started, De Rosario, playing just behind the front man, continued to exert his influence on the game. In the 57th minute, he played an unbelievable pass from inside his own half, beating the Dallas offside trap.

Sam Cronin latched onto the ball with an open sight on goal. Unfortunately, his initial touch let him down and Burse got to the ball first.

Dallas was starting to sense that they could get something from the game, and Van Den Bergh had a chance in the 67th minute. However, the Dutchman’s firm shot was hit straight at Frei, who held onto the ball.

As the game entered the final 15 minutes, Toronto could sense the finishing line was in sight, but anxiety was beginning to creep in as they backed off and started to play less aggressively.

Finally, FC Dallas took advantage of this as they made a breakthrough seven minutes from the full-time whistle.

A McCarty corner was sent in from the left, but missed everyone as it went across the face of the goal. Unfortunately for Toronto, the ball fell to substitute Eric Avila, who crossed in for Pablo Ricchetti to flick a back heel past Frei leaving the score tied at 1-1.

The late goal was a dagger in the heart for Toronto, and they couldn’t pick themselves up to push forward for a late winner. Toronto FC had lost the chance to win, and they knew it.

On the positive side, the performance was a big improvement from the previous weekend. It will be up to Carver to use this as a rallying point as Toronto heads down to Dallas for the rematch at Pizza Hut Park.

Marlies-American: Marlies Ahead by a Nose, Tim Stapleton Sets Record

TOsports.ca — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:21:44 -0400

The Toronto Marlies scored a late goal to tie the game, only to lose on a bad bounce in overtime 5-4, still gaining a much-needed point.

The Rochester Americans, who sit in last place in the Western Conference and second last overall in the AHL, counter-punched throughout the game. Seemingly every time the Marlies scored, Rochester fought right back, and landed the final blow in OT.

Toronto didn’t come out as a team fighting for their playoff life in the first, and the standard sound of thunderous checks that Marlies fans have become accustomed to was M.I.A.

Coach Greg Gilbert, Tim Stapleton, and Jeremy Williams all described the team as coming out flat, saying that can be a contagious thing, and that guys start clutching their sticks tighter and so forth.

Justin Pogge sat in the dressing room still in his pads and skates as the media entered, and he looked quite dejected and kind of stunned.

When asked about the game he said, “I don’t know, I think the goals that went in I didn’t really have much of a chance on, it was either a bad bounce or ya know, ya know I tried to keep my team in there and caught the short end of the stick.”

The Syracuse Crunch, who are just one point behind the Marlies for the final playoff spot, were leading the Binghamton Senators late in the game, and a prayer from Toronto fans was answered as Binghamton scored with just four seconds left in the third to tie the game, winning shortly after in overtime to the relief of the Marlies, players, coaches, staff, and media alike.

They leave the standings as they were previous to the game, with the Marlies one point up, but now with only two games left, both against division rivals and both at home, Friday-Manitoba, Saturday-Hamilton.

The one bright spot, which was downplayed due to the loss, was a personal accomplishment by Tim Stapleton who had a hat-trick in the game and took over the franchise record for most points in a season with 27 goals and 49 assists for 76 points, a record previously held by John Pohl.

Two games left and one spot to fill. Either Toronto or Syracuse will be the one to take on the AHL-leading Manitoba Moose in the first round of the playoffs.

Get down to the Ricoh and show some support for the only Toronto team, at this point, that can achieve a playoff berth.

Dig deep, boys. Toronto could use something positive on their hockey front.

Way more Toronto Sports at www.TOsports.ca

Toronto FC Look To Bounce Back Against Winless Dallas Team

TOsports.ca — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:03:30 -0400

After last Saturday’s lack-luster display against Seattle, Toronto FC will attempt to improve against FC Dallas, the only team yet to pick up a point in the MLS this season.

In the first of a home-and-home series, TFC will fancy their chances at BMO Field. However, some caution should be exercised as everyone thought exactly the same heading into the match-up with the Sounders.

Either way, Coach John Carver will not allow his team to come out looking as flat again. He did not mince his words after the 2-0 defeat to Seattle and will do everything within his power to get the team back on track.

Matters will be helped by the fact that Carver has nearly a full squad to choose from. Only first round 2009 draft pick O’Brian White is definitely out with an ongoing knee injury.

Hopes will be further boosted by the Reds central partnership of Carl Robinson and Amado Guevara, who have now had a full week to recover. There’s no doubt that they were both affected by jet lag after returning from international duty and it showed in their performance against Seattle.

FC Dallas will be desperate to turnaround the worst start in club history, although they were unlucky to lose their last game, falling 2-1 against the New England Revolution after conceding a late penalty. The task will be made more difficult by a lengthy injury list. Goalkeeper Dario Sala and midfielder Marcelo Saragosa will both miss the game with knee injuries.

Adding to Dallas’s injury woes are defenders’ Steve Purdy and Daniel Torres, both listed as questionable with hamstring strains. It also appears doubtful that Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha will see any action as he struggles with a foot injury.

Looking at Toronto’s starting lineup, Stefan Frei has been passed fit with a clean bill of health and don’t be surprised if he replaces Grey Sutton in goal as Carver shakes up the team.

Turning to the defence, Marvell Wynne and Jim Brennan should retain their places at the fullback positions, but I would take out Kevin Harmse and bring in Marco Velez to play alongside Adrian Serioux.

Rohan Ricketts will be favoured to join Robinson and Guevara in midfield. Depending on the formation, Dwayne De Rosario will either take the fourth place in midfield or play just behind the strikers.

Up front, Chad Barratt is listed as probable. However, combined with his indifferent form so far this season, it would make sense to put him on the bench and start with the combination of Danny Dichio and Pablo Vitti.

The game against Seattle showed that Toronto still has a long way to go. However, if the Reds are serious about making the playoffs this year, they have to win this game. And they will, securing three precious points, as Carver gets his first victory over Dallas.

FOR MORE ON TORONTO FC check out www.TOsports.ca

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Land Another Schenn?

TOsports.ca — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:21:28 -0400

Ahh draft day, after trade deadline day, quite possibly the most exciting day in hockey. No matter how badly your teams season ended, NHL entry draft day offers every team hope for the future.

Sadly, not every team will be lucky enough to find themselves a “Stud”, but this years crop of talent is deep, with more than a fair share of intriguing prospects. Looking at my crystal ball, I have elected to take on the task of not only predicting where teams will finish, but also the prospect that makes the most sense for said teams to draft.

Let’s take a look at the bottom feeders and whom they will target at this years entry draft, will the Toronto Maple Leafs add Brayden Schenn to their stable of young talent, or will they opt for a talented Russian D-Man by the name of Dmitri Kulikov (My hidden gem in this years draft).

Without further ado, let’s take a look at this year's sweet 16...

1. New York Islanders- There is no suspense as to whom the Islanders will take in the one spot, without question John Tavares, a gifted Centre, will be this year's No. 1 pick overall.

2. Colorado Avalanche- It was a close race for the bottom, but in the end I see the Avalanche falling into the 29th spot, I guess that Andrew Raycroft signing paid off after all, huh?

Victor Hedman, a talented rugged defenseman from Sweden, will be scooped up at the No. 2 spot. The Av’s need D very badly, and a goalie wouldn’t hurt either.

3. Tampa Bay Lightening- If the Lightening end up in the number three spot it will be interesting to see whom they draft. The Lightening need Defense in a big way, so losing out on Hedman will sting; in the end, I see the Lightening sticking with their plan to add a defenseman, taking Jared Cowan.

Sure, they could opt for another young offensive player, but the Lightening need defense so badly they will opt for Cowan. Don’t put it past the Bolts trading away this pick to a team in the top six, Cowan should still be there if they opt to make a deal.

4. Atlanta Thrashers- The Thrashers got their future D-Man at last years draft, now it’s time to add some offense. The Thrashers will likely chose Centre Matt Duchesne, he has sick hockey sense and would be a great compliment to Ilya Kovalchuck.

The Thrashers could risk trading down in hopes that Duchesne slips, but don’t count on it.

5. Phoenix Coyotes- Another brutal season from the ‘Yotes “Earns” them a top five pick, great work Gretz! The Coyotes need defense, but they will be hard pressed to resist this years crop of offensive talent.

In the end I see the Coyotes opting for talent down the middle in the form of Evander Kane. Kane, a Centre, was a valuable member of Canada’s Gold Medal winning junior team.

He is exactly what this team needs, he is crafty, has a ton of heart and could be the future leader of the Coyotes. Phoenix has a ton of talent on the wing, so Kane is a perfect fit here.

6. Los Angeles Kings- The kings have arguably the best stable of young talent in the entire NHL, they will look to add some offense in the form of Forward Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson out of Sweden. Svensson is a speedy winger, a bit undersized, but he owns a deadly shot and should fit in nicely with the Kings’ young stable of talent.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs- The Leafs could use a little bit of everything, but in the end I see GM Brian Burke bringing in a familiar bloodline, his name is Brayden Schenn. Schenn, a gifted two-way Centre, will fit in nicely with the Leafs.

He’s not as NHL ready as his brother Luke was, but he should be a real threat to make this team out of training camp.

Schenn is good defensively, has great hockey sense and has a bit of a physical game too, everything you want in a player when you are in a re-build. I do not see any goalie going in the first round, the Leafs would be smart to use a second rounder to select a goalie...

8. Dallas Stars- The Stars need a player with a little piss and vinegar in him, there are a couple of prospects that fit that bill, Right Winger Zack Kassian and Centre Nazim Kadri.

In the end I think the Stars will opt for Kadri, he is a physical player who is smart and has all the tools to be successful. If the Leafs opt to leave Schenn on the table it will be Kadri they take in his place.

9. Ottawa Senators- When you look at the Senators lineup a couple of key ingredients are still missing from the pie, a second line centre and depth at Defense. I think the Sens will try to kill two birds with one stone and draft Defenseman Ryan Ellis.

Ellis is a gifted Power Play specialist who has a ton of heart. He is undersized, but he should turn into a gifted player in no time, Ellis is what the Sens need right now.

10. Edmonton Oilers- 2008/09 was a disappointment for the Oilers for sure. The Oilers have plenty of talent up front so I will predict they will go for a defenseman, the not so obvious choice is Dmitri Kulikov out of the QMJHL.

Teams are hesitant to draft Kulikov as there is still no transfer agreement between Russia and the NHL, that said, he is scary talented and teams would be foolish to skip over him on that factor alone.

The Oilers will get a hell of a player in Kulikov who is above average in just about everything, and hey, Kulikov will love Edmonton, the cold weather and isolation will surely remind him of Mother Russia!

11. Buffalo Sabres- The Sabres will look to increase their offensive output, as such, I expect them to take Centre Matt Duchesne. Make no mistake about it, Duchesne could go as high as Fifth overall, he is a legitimate franchise player who brings tremendous goal-scoring abilities and that’s just what the Sabres need right now.

12. Minnesota Wild- It’s no secret that this franchise is all about playing a defensive style, but with Marian Gaborik likely on his way out and the prospect of bringing in a quality offensive free agent into the fold a tough sell look for the Wild to go with...a defenseman...Little known Simon Despres is puck moving D-Man, who should fit innicely with the Wild right away.

13. Nashville Predators- The Predators were oh so close to making the playoffs this year, their biggest obstacle? Offensive depth. The Preds will gladly take Centre Jordan Schroeder in the 13 spot. Schroeder, who has seen his stock plummet this season, is a gifted player and should be a great fit with last years pick Colin Wilson.

14. Florida Panthers- Coming along nicely, but they could use a player with a physical game, someone like Right Winger Zack Kassian. Kassian has been compared to Dallas forward Brenden Morrow, if this kid plays anywhere near what Morrow brings every night the Panthers will be thrilled.

15. Anaheim Ducks- Close call, in the end I see the Ducks squeaking into the playoffs. Anaheim will likely go for a forward, perhaps a guy like Brayden Schenns linemate Left Winger Scott Glennie. Glennie is speedy, has great hands and should be a good fit in Anaheim.

16. St. Louis Blues- The Blues could go either way here, they need depth at every position. In the end, I see the Blues selecting Centre Jacob Josefson out of Sweden. Josefson would be a nice fit in St. Louis, he is NHL ready and has been compared to the likes of Mike Modano in the past.

There you have it, my top 16 picks for this years NHL entry draft.

A couple of players to keep your eyes on that might just move up in the draft: Dylan Olson- Defense, Ryan O’Reilley- Forward, Landon Ferraro- Centre, Peter Holland, Centre, Carter Ashton- Right Winger.

As I mentioned above, I don’t see a goaltender getting picked in the first round, as such, there is value to be had in the second round.

The top rated goalies from Central Scouting are as follows- North American Goalies- 1. Edward Pasquale- Saginaw (OHL), 2. Scott Stajcer- Owen Sound (OHL), 3. Micheal Lee- Fargo (USHL), 4. Olivier Roy- cape Breton (QMJHL), 5. Jean-Francois Berube- Montreal (QMJHL).

Top ranked European goalies are - 1. Robin Lehner- Frolunda Jr. (Sweden Jr.), 2. Mikko Koskinen- Blues (Finland), 3. Lukas Flueler- Zurich (Swiss), 4. Juraj Holly- Chomutov Jr. (Czech Republic Jr.), 5. Marek Mazanec- Plzen Jr. (Czech Republic Jr.).

Let’s hope Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke and Company beat the other GM’s to the punch and add another goaltending prospect to the stable of talent they already have; after watching Justin Pogge with the big club I am not so sure he is the right guy for the job.

If it were up to me, I’d like to take a shot on Robin Lehner. Lehner, who is from sweden but plays for Frolunda’s Junior team out of Finland, is a big goaltender who likes to challenge the shooters.

If not for Lehner, team Canada Jr. would have smoked Sweden, without question Lehner was the reason they kept it close, he has the makings of a great goalie and would be a welcome addition to the Leafs...Please Mr. Burke, make it happen, you will not regret it...

Until next time,

Peace! check out www.TOsports.ca

Tigers-Blue Jays: Cabrera's Two Home Runs Silence Blue Jays

TOsports.ca — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:43 -0400

Sometimes, all it takes is one player with a hot bat, and on Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre, Miguel Cabrera had that hot bat for Detroit.

His two home runs gave the Detroit Tigers their first win of the season, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1.

Cabrera’s two long balls were all the offense the Tigers needed, as his three-run home run in the first was upstaged only by his deep bomb in the fifth. His fifth inning blast bounced off the facing of the second deck before settling on the field below.

But the deep ball didn’t only come from Cabrera alone.

Teammate Brandon Inge hit his third home run of the young season, too. Not since 1954 had a Detroit Tiger hit three home runs in each of the first three games of the season.

Jays’ starting pitcher Jesse Litsch seemed to have a blemish of some kind in every inning he pitched. His only three up-three down inning came in the third.

But homers in the first, fifth and six, and runners in scoring position in the second and fourth spelled a rocky start for the 24-year-old. He was pulled after the sixth for Jason Frasor, who then proceeded to get three quick outs.

“Three home runs, that’s self-explanatory,” Litsch said. “Cabrera hit two sinkers, and Inge hit a cutter. So it was all fastballs, they were just up in the zone.”

Even Litsch’s five strikeouts were undone by the five earned runs and three home runs.

Not helping matters was the silence of Toronto's bats for the first time this season. After a late comeback the night before, and a shelling on Opening Day, the Jays managed just six hits and a single run.

“We had a chance to get back in the ball game but we didn’t do that either,” Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “Just one of those nights we’ve got to put behind us and move on.”

Toronto managed just three hits after the first inning, and Marco Scutaro by far had the best night, going 2-for-4 with a double.

Cabrera showed his offensive flair early with a three-run blast on his first pitch from Jesse Litsch. His first of the year gave the Tigers an early 3-0 lead.

Litsch followed it up by striking out the next batter, Carlos Guillen.

Back-to-back doubles to start the Jays' half of the first, as Scutaro hit a two-bagger, and Aaron Hill also legged out a double to score Scutaro.

Scutaro’s run put the Jays on the board, down 3-1.

The Jays even had the bases juiced in the first with no one out, but Adam Lind grounded into a fielder's choice, as Hill was put out at the plate.

Scott Rolen flied out to Tiger right fielder Josh Anderson, who then gunned down Alex Rios trying to tag from third.

“I’ll take my chances on doing that every night and see what happens,” Gaston said referring to loading the bases with none out.

The Jays got their chances, but just couldn’t capitalize. The core of the lineup just went cold, and the bottom third of the batting order didn’t reach base at all Wednesday.

Curtis Granderson caught the last out—a deep fly ball from Lyle Overbay—silencing any hope of a Toronto comeback.

On a night when the beer was finally flowing again after Tuesday's dry night at the dome, you could catch a buzz about as well as a fly ball. There was a sparse crowd, however, with only 12,145 in attendance.

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The Long Road To The Championship

TOsports.ca — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:57:56 -0400

Three weeks of spectacular March Madness came to a close as the Michigan State Spartans and North Carolina Tar Heels faced off in Detroit at Ford Field to battle for the NCAA National Championship.

With a record breaking 72,922 spectators in attendance, a sea of green profoundly engulfed the football stadium to root for the unlikely contender Michigan State. However their excitement would not last very long as the home team cheers were quickly silenced with powder blues when Carolina raced out to a 22-7 lead in what seemed like a New York minute, never looking back.

Led by the Final Four MVP Wayne Ellington, Carolina’s two-guard dropped 17 points on the Spartans in the first half and point guard Ty Lawson’s seven first half steals (tying the NCAA record which he would break in the second half), the Tar Heels showed why they were preseason favorites to win the national championship.

Despite momentary offensive sparks from Kalin Lucas and timely three pointers from freshman Korie Lucious and the Croatian big man Goran Suton, the all around dominance of Tar Heels proved to be too much for The Spartans to overcome. Prior to the game, coach Tom Izzo told the media that his team would have to be perfect to contest with North Carolina’s potent offence.

Unfortunately, Michigan State’s start seemed barely competitive as Spartan shooter Chris Allen went 0 for 15, while the rest of the team collectively shot 40 percent from the field and went 7-23 from behind the arc.

In almost a revolving door fashion, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams seemed to have an endless roster of scorers substituting onto the court. Spreading the floor and dispersing the ball to unlikely heroes, North Carolina was able to get key contributions from big men like Deon Thompson, freshman Ed Davis and got two clutch three pointers from Danny Green when the Spartans attempted to shadow the Tar Heels big three (Tyler Hansbrough, Lawson, and Ellington).

Heading into the locker room at half Carolina had forced 13 turnovers and as a team had broken two NCAA finals records, scoring a tournament high 55-points, while accumulating an assertive 21-point lead.

Even more surprising than The Tar Heels explosive offence was the team’s lockdown defence. With a series of presses, man-to-man coverage and zone executions, the players shifted and collapsed on Michigan State, limiting the team to only six points in the paint. Carolina’s ability to surround the interior pushed The Spartans beyond the arch with a series of forced three point attempts and bad looks at the net.

As a result of the total control in the first half, Izzo’s players seemed mentally drained as they were unable to claw their way back into contention. Even with Carolina’s momentary lapse with an offensive draught, and not even with a revitalized sense of energy from the Spartan’s was Michigan State able to find the basket.

At the peak of the second half, The Spartans had only been able to bring the game within 13-points of the lead and allowed North Carolina to walk away with the win, and coveted title of national champions.

The victory proved to be somewhat bittersweet for the Tar Heels heart and soul senior Tyler Hansbrough, who opted not to enter last years NBA draft and passed up on millions of dollars and a first round selection in order to return to college for one more shot at the title—the only thing missing from literally his infinite list of records, awards, and achievements (far too many to single out or list).

Hansbrough, whose early tournament contributions seemed to go virtually unnoticed stepped his game up a notch as his school pressed onto the Final Four. In true Tyler Hansbrough form, the 6’9 forward from Poplar Bluff Missouri recorded 18-points in each of his last two collegiate games and added 18 rebounds to cap off what could possibly be the greatest NCAA career of all time.

Upon graduation, it is certain Hansbrough’s number 50 jersey will be retired and hoisted into the rafters of the Dean Dome along with George Glamack, Lennie Rosenbluth, James Worthy, Antawn Jamison, Phil Ford, and his airness Michael Jordan.

There are many critics who are uncertain that the only four-time All-American player in collegiate history will not transfer his style of play into the pros. However, there is one thing that is certain, he and everyone on this year’s Tar Heels team will always be Champions.

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Ljungberg and Jaqua Prove Too Much as Toronto FC Lose First Game of the Season

TOsports.ca — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:16:23 -0400

"I thought it was a disgrace. I’m not going to make any excuses, I think we lost the game to the better side." These were the words uttered by Toronto coach John Carver in his press conference after the team had lost 2-0 to Seattle.

While it’s harsh to call Toronto’s performance a disgrace, there’s no arguing that Seattle was the better team. The Sounders passed their first road test of the season with flying colours and in the process proved that they’re for real.

Only one expansion team has ever entered the league and won the MLS cup in their first season. It’s still early, but on this evidence, Seattle has a great chance to join the Chicago Fire on this exclusive list.

Designated player Freddie Ljungberg, starting his first game of the season, and man of the match Nate Jaqua formed an almost immediate understanding. Both players linked up well to overcome the absence of star player Fredy Montero.

Hopes had been high that Toronto could build on their best ever start to a season. Greg Sutton got his first start in goal and Pablo Vitti continued his partnership upfront with Chad Barrett in a 4-4-2 formation.

The team was further boosted by the return of central midfield combination, Carl Robinson and Amado Guevara. Unfortunately, jetlag may have played a part, as the duo was unable to influence the game.

TFC looked to give the home fans something to cheer about early on as Rohan Ricketts played Barrett through on goal. Unfortunately, the striker mistimed his run and was clearly offside.

Seattle had their first chance after eight minutes as James Riley crossed the ball from wide right towards goal. Oregon born forward Jaqua got his head to the ball, but it was blocked by Sutton and cleared by defender Adrian Serioux.

The Sounders continued to press and were rewarded with their first goal on the quarter hour mark. In a move reminiscent of his time at Arsenal, Ljungberg collected the ball 40 yards out and ran at the defence.

Playing a quick one-two with Jaqua, the Swede found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat, calmly slotting home to the right of Sutton. 1-0 Seattle.

Toronto was struggling to make any openings at the other end, but there was some controversy after half an hour as Ricketts was brought down in the penalty area. It could have gone either way, but the referee gave nothing.

Things got heated in the aftermath, especially between Dwayne De Rosario and Johan Hurtado, resulting in the Columbian being booked.

One of the features of Toronto’s first two matches had been the surging runs’ of Marvell Wynne down the right wing. However, it took 40 minutes’ of this game for the fullback to get forward with any real purpose.

Crossing into the 18-yard area, the ball fell for De Rosario. The Canadian international’s shot was blocked by Sebastien Le Toux and kicked out for a corner. There were calls for a penalty, but the claims were unjustified.

It appeared TFC would go into the break down by one, but right on half time, the visitors landed a killer blow. Ljungberg was involved again as he got the ball on the right near the corner flag. Cutting back on himself, he flat-footed the defence and played into Le Toux, just inside the area, who in turn passed the ball to Jaqua.

Jaqua’s shot was blocked, but after a couple of deflections, the ball fell kindly for Steve Zakuani to score his first goal for Seattle through the legs of Sutton. 2-0 Sounders.

Carver switched to a 4-3-3 formation for the second half in an attempt to get his deflated team back into the game. He replaced Ricketts with Sam Cronin at halftime and ten minutes after the break, Danny Dichio was brought on for Barrett to cause problems in the area.

However, the Seattle defence, led by former Toronto defender Tyrone Marshall, were handling everything that was thrown at them, including the windy conditions, which they dealt with more comfortably than TFC.

Guevara had Toronto’s best chance of the game in the 69th minute. Jim Brennan made an excellent run down the left wing, nut-megging Le Toux in the process. The Captain then whipped a telling cross into the Seattle penalty area. Guevara found space but got too much under the ball as he headed it onto the top of the crossbar.

TFC finally got the ball into the back of the net on 72 minutes. However, it didn’t count as Dichio was called for a foul when it was clear that he’d won the ball fairly before putting Vitti through on goal. This sequence of events summed up Toronto’s day.

Seattle continued to look for the final nail in the coffin and almost got it on 78 minutes.

Ljungberg was put through on goal, but was distracted by Serioux and Sutton collected the ball. More worryingly for the Sounders, their first goal-scorer went down with an injury and had to leave the game.

A minute later, Toronto had their last clear-cut chance to get back into the game. De Rosario played a telling cross from the right and Vitti timed his run perfectly towards the goal. However, his shot hit the right post with only Kasey Keller to beat.

And that was it. Seattle had kept another clean sheet, but more importantly come into one of the toughest arenas’ in the MLS and claimed a convincing victory. They now return home to take on the Kansas City Wizards at Qwest Field.

Meanwhile, Toronto must lick their wounds and look at what exactly went wrong in a game, which before hand, they looked to have a great chance of winning. Next week, they host a Dallas team, which has so far lost every game.

Needless to say, if TFC are serious about making a run at the playoffs, this is the type of game they have to win.

Justin Pogge Standing Tall: Marlies Take Out Top Team Twice!

TOsports.ca — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:53:42 -0400

The Toronto Marlies won back-to-back games on the road over the weekend against the AHL-leading Manitoba Moose, Friday by a score of 3-1 and Saturday by a score of 3-2.

The Moose will be the first round playoff opponents of Toronto if they can hang onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. Syracuse is only one point behind Toronto, and with three games remaining for the two teams tussling for the final spot, every point and game is critical.

A bonus for the Marlies is that the young up-and-coming superstar Nikita Filatov, formerly of Syracuse, has been re-called by the Columbus Blue Jackets for their playoff push in the NHL.

Personally, I’m happy in both cases here: first, for Filatov getting some great experience on the playoff drive in the NHL, and second, Syracuse doesn’t have the young sniper, which takes away from their offensive talent, hopefully leaving the door open for the Marlies to grab the final playoff spot.

In the two games against Manitoba on the road the Marlies only allowed three goals, vaulting Justin Pogge into the first star position in each game.

Toronto plays the lowly Rochester Americans Wednesday at the Ricoh Coliseum before playing the Moose again at home on Friday, which should be one of the best games of the season, setting the tone for the playoffs.

Toronto then finishes off the season when they host the division rival Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday. Toronto then finishes off the season when they host the division rival Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday. Another excellent game to catch—could be do or die!

Get down and catch the Marlies. It’s one of the best tickets in town.

GO MARLIES GO!

Sweet 16: Ranking the NHL's Goalies

TOsports.ca — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:39:59 -0400

With the NHL regular season all but behind us, it’s a good time to take a look at which goalies were the best at their craft.

In order to get an idea as to which goalies were the best, I had to take a look at a couple of keys factors: Wins, losses, shoot out success, save Percentage, shut Outs, soals against average, time On the ice, team success, and finally, the wild card, intimidation factor.

Let’s take a look at my top 16 goalies in the NHL. You might be surprised at who’s No. 1, and who didn’t make the list.

16. Chris Mason, St. Louis Blues—There has been a lot of attention thrown toward Columbus Blue Jackets rookie goaltending sensation Steve Mason, but do you know about “The other Mason”?

His name is Chris, and he is the reason the St. Louis Blues have a shot at the playoffs this year. At 32, Mason is a veteran Crease Beast. He isn’t flashy, and at 6’0” 195 pounds, he isn’t in the mould of the modern day huge goalie.

That said, what Mason lacks in size, he more than makes up for in heart and positioning. Mason has a record of 24-21-6, not impressive from afar, but his goals against average of 2.46 and his great save percentage of .916 rank him 12th overall in each of those categories, while his five shut outs ranks him fifth overall in the NHL.

Combine all those great stats with the fact that he almost single handedly has led the once left for dead St. Louis Blues into playoff contention, and you know why Mason has a spot on my top 16.

15. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins—Last year, after a great playoff run, Fleury was regarded as a can’t miss top six goalie in the NHL. This year, we have watched him struggle early on and, more recently, be the kind of goaltender we all know he can be.

Fleury is just 24 years old—young for a goaltender—but he has great experience, and the advantage of having one of the most offensively gifted teams in the NHL in front of him. Fleury’s stats don’t jump off the page at you, but he does have some decent totals.

At 33-17-6, Fleury has the sixth best win total in the league, but his save percentage of .913 and his goals against average of 2.64 rank him 22nd and 23rd respectively. Not exactly earth shattering stats, but decent nonetheless.

At 58 games played (sixth in the NHL), Fleury has shown himself to be an integral part of Pittsburgh’s success, and you have to wonder if last season's Stanley Cup drive, combined with this season's workload, have tired Fleury out.

I think if he had a more capable backup, you might see his numbers improve, catapulting Fleury into a top 10 goalie for the foreseeable future.

14. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils—Before anyone has a heart attack when you see Brodeur ranked this low, you need to consider my criteria.

Sure, Brodeur is arguably the best goaltender on the planet, but he was out most of the season, and, as such, his totals, while impressive, are low.

Brodeur has a record of 16-8-3, his save percentage is .917, and his goals against average is sitting at 2.41, good enough for ninth overall in both categories. Even more impressive is his five shut outs, ranking him eighth overall in limited play.

Brodeur would be among the league leaders in most categories if he had played more. He has the best glove hand in the league, and is so good at moving the puck, the league made changes to limit his effectiveness. Sadly, injuries took their toll this season, and the totals “are what they are”.

13. Jonas Hiller, Anaheim Ducks—Supplanting J.S. Giguere for the starting goaltending position is not an easy thing to do, but Anaheim’s Jonas Hiller may just have done that this season.

Hiller, a relative unknown from Felben Wellhausen, Switzerland, has been having a tremendous year between the pipes. His record of 21-14-1 won’t scare anyone, but, upon a closer look, you can’t help but take notice of Hiller’s great save percentage of .920, and his bargain basement goals against average of 2.31, ranking him sixth and fourth respectively.

With a few more starts, Hiller surely would be among the NHL’s top 10 goalies in every stat. He should get the opportunity to play more next season, especially if he gets the Ducks through a round or two in the playoffs this season.

Hiller has arrived. It’s time to take notice.

12. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators— If you are looking for a great goaltending prospect, why not call the Predators?

Since 2005-2006 the Preds have had no less than four different starting goaltenders. Each one has been dominant, and each one has been replaced the following year. In 2005-2006, the Preds employed Tomas Vokoun as their starter.

Vokoun was unseated by Chris Mason in 2006-2007. Mason was unseated by Dan Ellis in 2007-2008, and finally Ellis was unseated by Pekka Rinne in 2008-2009.

If you look at each of these goalies, all of them had a decent amount of success between them. In fact, if you tallied their stats together you would see that this great group of goalies had a record of 85-75-20-21.

Not too bad, especially when you consider the shut-out factor. Rinne is a top notch goaltender, and at just 26 years old, he should get better with age. Rinne sits at a towering 6’ 5”, 206 pounds, and he takes up a ton of net with his exceptional lateral movement.

His record of 27-13-4 with seven shut outs is outstanding, and a save percentage of .922 and his goals against average of 2.25 ranks him fifth and third overall in the NHL.

Without Rinne in the nets the Preds are a paltry 11-19-4, proving just how valuable Rinne has been to his club this season. The Preds are sitting right on the cusp of a playoff spot, and without Rinne they are a bottom feeder.

11. Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago Blackhawks—Funny the way things turn out sometimes, isn’t it? During the offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks went out and signed free-agent goaltender Christobal Huet to a long term contract. The thought was that Khabibulin was through in Chi-town, and that he would make great trade bait, fortunately for the Blackhawks their were no takers for Khabibulin.

When Huet struggled early, Khabibulin went in and played exceptionally well in his absence. Needless to say, without Khabibulin, the Blackhawks surely would be in dire straights to make the playoffs.

With the “Bulin Wall” in the nets, the Hawks are positioned quite comfortably in the Western Conference, and should reap the rewards of Khabibulin’s experience once the playoffs commence.

Khabibulin has a record of 22-8-6, a save percentage of .916, and a goals against average of 2.46, ranking him 12th overall in both categories.

But it’s his veteran presence and composure that separates him from the rest. He is invaluable to this young squad, and should get the nod in the playoffs.

10. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres—How bad are the Sabres? Well, without Miller in the net, the Sabres racked up a grand total of six wins.

In fact, the Sabres were 6-13-5 when it wasn’t “Miller time”. Miller has been a rock for the Sabres. His record of 32-16-6 is impressive, and add to that the fact that Miller has five shut outs, a save percentage of .917 (ninth best in the League) and a decent goals against average of 2.40. You can see why Miller is the odds on favorite to be team U.S.A.’s goalie at the 2010 olympic games.

Ask yourself this: Was there any more valuable goaltender to his team than Miller? I rest my case; he’s top ten in my books.

9. Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes—Hard to believe that many prognosticators had Ward pegged as a flash in the pan. Without question, Ward is the Comeback Player of the Year.

His record of 37-22-5 is impressive, and his save percentage of .916 (12th in the League) and goals against average of 2.45 (11th in the League) prove that Ward is back and perhaps even better than ever!

The Hurricanes are a paltry 6-6-2 when Ward is not in the nets, once again proving he is invaluable to this teams success. Ward will cause many playoff poolies to re-think their picks. Can Ward lead the Hurricanes to the promised land for a second time? In the wide open Eastern Conference, anything is possible.

8. Mikka Kipprusoff, Calgary Flames—Hard to argue with the leagues best totals at 44-22-5, but when you look a little closer, Kipprusoff has his shortcomings.

Kipper, while talented, is a bit streaky. He is known for giving up the bad goal at the wrong time in the game, and his focus has been questioned. Nobody in the league can match Kippers flexibility, and his ability to find pucks through traffic is uncanny, but his numbers are little suspect.

Kipprusoff has a save percentage of .903 and a goals against average of 2.84, ranking him 34th overall in each category. Now, before you go questioning why the heck I ranked Kipper in the seven spot, we need to look at a few more numbers.

Kipper has faced the most shots in the NHL (2075), he has made the most saves (1,874), and he has played the most games in the league (73). Add it all up and you have a goalie that is overworked on a team that is suspect defensively that somehow “gets it done”. Kipper has his faults, but I’d take him on my team any day of the week.

7. Tomas Vokoun, Florida Panthers—What you see is not always what you get. That is the case with Tomas Vokoun.

The Florida Panthers were not thought of as a playoff team by many, so the fact that they are in contention is a direct result of Vokoun’s superior goaltending. Vokoun sports a record of 23-22-6. Not very impressive, but his goals against average of 2.49 ranks him 15th overall, while his save percentage of .925 is second to only to Boston’s Tim Thomas. Add it all up, and you have one heck of a goalie who is known for being tough to beat on the blocker side. Vokoun is a difference maker; without him, the Panthers are an also-ran.

6. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers—Talk about saving your teams bacon; Lundqvist does that on a nightly basis for the New York Rangers.

As such, he is a top performer in the NHL. Lundqvist is arguably the smartest goalie in the league. He has uncanny “hockey sense,” and is well known for his heroics in the shootout, often stone walling the shooters.

Lundqvist’s save percentage and goals against average are very average, ranking at 14th and 17th respectively, but you need to keep in mind that Lundqvist plays for a team that, more often than not, leaves him vulnerable.

He has faced 1,889 shots—good enough for fifth overall, and he has played 66 games, good enough for fourth overall. Lundqvist’s work ethic, calm demeanor and ability to shut the door make him invaluable to the Rangers success.

In fact, any success they have in the playoffs will likely be a direct result of how well he plays. Ludqvist IS a crease beast!

5. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks—Another victim of the numbers game, Luongo has been lights out when he has been between the pipes for the ‘Nucks. His numbers are deceiving, but still very impressive.

Luongo has a 30-11-7 record, with a 2.40 goals against average (eighth overall), a .918 save percentage (seventh overall) and seven shut outs, good enough for third overall. No question, Luongo is an elite goaltender, and should be Canada’s No.1 or 1A goalie at the 2010 Olympics.

Luongo also has the distinction as the leagues only goaltender serving as his teams captain, and he covers the bottom of the net better than anyone I have ever seen. Luongo is a huge figure, and he intimidates with his size and quick reaction.

He is a shooter's worst nightmare. There are not many teams that want to face the Canucks in the playoffs, Luongo is the main reason.

4. Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild—Ok, so the Wild play a very defensive minded style, but in order to get away with winning most of your games 2-1, 3-2, or in a blowout 4-3, you gotta have a goalie who can continually shut the door on the opposition. That’s exactly what Backstrom does.

Backstrom doesn’t stand out for having the best of anything, but he does everything at an above average leve. That’s what makes him such a force in the crease. Backstrom, or “Backy” as his teammates call him, has some very impressive numbers. He owns a 35-23-8, his goals against average is 2.32 (fifth overall), his save percentage sits at a very impressive .923 (fourth overall), and he has shut out the opposition a total of eight times, good enough for second overall.

Put it all together, and you have a goaltender that you can build your team around. Backy will face lot’s of rubber in the coming years, but that’s OK. He’s more than capable of stopping most of them. It’s the shooters that need to beware of Backstrom, not the other way around.

3. Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks—With success comes the pressure to succeed. Sounds goofy, right?

Well, in Nabokov’s case this phrase rings very true. The San Jose Sharks were supposed to contend for the Stanley Cup each of the past three seasons. Trouble is they were horrible come playoff time, causing many fans to question every player on the roster, especially the play of the goalie.

Well, wake up San Jose fans, the numbers don’t lie, and Nabby’s are as good as they come. In fact, Nabokov has been among the best goaltenders in the league for four years now.

How does he pull it off? Consistency and great feet. You see, unlike many goalies in the NHL, Nabokov is a stand up goalie. He is agile, and has great skating ability, making him one of the game's best goalies in the League.

Nabby owns a record of 40-9-8, his goals against average sits at 2.39 (sixth best), and his save percentage, while a bit sub-par, is still a very respectable .913—good enough for 22nd overall.

Nabby also owns six Shut Outs (fifth overall), and the ability to answer the call when the chips are down, at least during the regular season.

In the end, Nabby’s perceived success will depend on how well he does in this years playoffs. An early exit will get the San Jose fateful to scream bloody murder. A Stanley Cup Championship would cement him as one of the games best.

2. Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets—Sometimes, in the face of adversity, good things happen or come about. Thus is the case for the Blue Jackets.

Early on in the season, the Blue Jackets starting goaltender Pascal LeClaire was sidelined. With the injury came the morbid idea that any chance of the Jackets making the playoffs were doomed. Enter Steve Mason.

Mason, a rookie, was brought in on a trial basis to fill the void left by LeClaire. Thing is, he played so well that he never relinquished the No. 1 spot back to LeClaire. In fact, he has dominated the league.

Mason owns a 32-18-5 record, is ranked 10th overall in games played, has a 2.22 goals against average (2nd overall) and has an impressive 10 shut outs, best in the league. At 6’4”, 212 pounds, Mason is a big specimen. But it’s his use of his size that separates him from the other goalies.

Mason continually challenges the shooters, and he plays the angles extremely well. Call me crazy, but I think you can add Mason’s name to Team Canada’s depth chart for the 2010 Olympics. I mean, what’s not to love about this kid.

1. Tim Thomas- Boston Bruins- Unorthodox. That’s the best way to describe Tim Thomas. Want another word? How about heart?

Thomas might not look too pretty in the crease, but he brings it every night and he wants to win so badly, he’ll do just about anything to do it, as evidenced by his flopping, sometimes out of control style.

Thomas, who many felt would be the odd man out in Boston this season, is one of the main reasons the Bruins are sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings. His record of 34-11-7 is impressive, but that’s not all. Thomas owns a tidy .933 save percentage (first in the league), a 2.07 goals against average (first in the league) and five shut outs, good enough for fifth overall.

Thomas, who spent years in the minors and had been chastised for his unorthodox play, has cemented himself as the league's best goalie this year. There was no bigger surprise than the play of Thomas.

His numbers are sick. Nobody is even close to him statistically. Hey, Thomas ain’t pretty, the numbers just look that way. So do the numbers form his new contract. Congrats Thomas, you have officially arrived. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.

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There's Something About Kobe

TOsports.ca — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:18:45 -0400

Shaq might don a superman tattoo, but Kobe is the real superman in the NBA. Who else can escape rape charges, in house fighting and former ball hogging ways and be unharmed reputation wise?

I love to criticize him but yet I would offer up my savings at BMO to persuade him to become a Raptor. It’ll never happen though because his ego can’t fit in little ol’ Toronto. And why would it? It’s the same ego that sent Shaq running to Miami and made Phil Jackson call him uncoachable.

And no matter what I can’t really see Mr. I Changed My Number Just ‘Cause leaving L.A. He has no reason to. He has the rings and celeb status in Hollywood. Why would he ever need to change teams?

And being trading will probably never happen to Kobe because while other players are recognized as a commodity by their team, Kobe is recognized as the team. Period.

But how is it that this self-proclaimed loner has been able to remain a superstar on the court?

Simple.

This year’s co-All-Star game MVP is still able to produce his best NBA seasons to date. And while some may still choose to hate on him, his presence on the court has to make them eat their words.

At the same time it’s easy to hate on him. He used to love to play the victim role. If anyone can remember watching him on Beyond the Glory (Fox Sports Net), he explained how he has never fit in like we were supposed to feel sorry for him.

He talked about moving to Italy as a kid and then moving back to Philadelphia and continued to say that when he first got the league he was an outsider. He wasn’t into partying like the other players. Now, of course, we realize that he was more into having sexual relations with homely hotel attendants than clubbing with the team.

Either way, after the truth came out, the real Kobe began to show (tattoos, blinged out pierced ears and all) and that’s when I began to really appreciate him. Forget the rape charge and ball-hogging, Kobe is an I-Will-Not -Lose type of person.

When he cried when the Lakers run for a four-peat were squashed in 2003 by San Antonio in the second round we saw that Kobe doesn’t like losing.

This season, watching the new hottest match up in the NBA, the Celtics and the Lakers, on Christmas day made it seem like the Lakers could have at taken it to game seven during the NBA Finals last year. One can only assume that Kobe is setting up for a comeback this year and a repeat of league MVP.

Presently his three rings make him the closest in his generation of players to channel Michael Jordan’s supreme being. Doesn’t the fact that a criminal case didn’t destroy him but only made him better prove that he’s the best? I’d like to see LeBron, Wade or even Shaq recover from a scandal like that.

Michael Vick still hasn’t recovered from his ordeal and he violated animals not a human.

I think it’s time that everyone jumped on the Kobe bandwagon and, even if it hurts, admit that he is the best doing it right now. If only I could trade in every shooting guard the Raptors have ever had to get me Kobe Bryant.

It’ll never happen so I will continue to hate on him/praise his game from afar. There’s just something about him. You can’t stand him but you can’t hate on his game either.

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Hometown Hysteria for the Final Four Participant, Michigan State Spartans

TOsports.ca — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:18:58 -0400

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Yes, I’ll admit it, my early-season Final Fours picks were weak. One (Gonzaga, Sweet Sixteen), by its nature, was destined for inaccuracy. Rarely does choosing your favourite teams pay off.

Another (Pitt, Elite Eight) was grounded by Scottie Reynolds’s end-to-end rush and score. One more (Purdue, Sweet Sixteen) was dominated by a bully. And the last (North Carolina) has looked good in making it to the promised land.

The Heels and the UConn Huskies have looked great so far and the Villanova Wildcats have beaten the who’s who (UCLA, Duke, Pitt) in a very tough bracket.

But wait. There lurks an evil force in Motor City. Despite being a two-seed (and now, we realize, a legitimate two-seed), the Michigan State Spartans throttled Louisville on Sunday to earn a spot, and a distinct home-court advantage, in the Final Four.

So complete was the win against the Cards, that Coach Izzo even seemed to be pleased.

Even as the tournament was progressing, it was difficult to Michigan State in the Final Four. Tough wins over USC and Kansas tested their mettle before their dominant performance against overall No. 1 Louisville.

The Cards looked sluggish and beaten halfway through the second half and while this wasn’t their best game, the Spartans had plenty to do with that.

In fact, that they have posted sixteen wins over top 50 RPI teams indicates not only how good they have become, but how tough their schedule was over the course of the entire season.

While defeats against Maryland and Northwestern seemed a little uncharacteristic, the December 3rd loss by 35 at home (Ford Field, no less) to North Carolina makes one wonder if State has come far enough to compete on this stage.

Connecticut presents a huge challenge for the Spartans. With virtually no inside scoring against Louisville, it is going to be at least as difficult to score in the paint against Thabeet and Company.

The advantage of being able to control the tempo won’t seem as big if outside shots aren’t falling. But with potentially 70,000 fans behind them, maybe that won’t matter.

The Final: Okay, based on my picks, go with the opposite. I see a UConn vs. North Carolina final. Would I love to see the opposite? Absolutely.

But I don’t know if either Michigan State or Villanova has the overall skill and depth to stay with these two teams. Villanova has been great thus far in the tournament but Carolina looks as if they have just been waiting for this.

UConn, which generally plays with a chip on its shoulder, appears to have a bigger chip, which is trouble for any opponent.

So goodbye to Duke, Texas, Pitt, Kansas and yes, my beloved Zags, for another year. Thanks for the bracket (busted) memories and we’ll meet again, maybe in Buffalo, for another bout of Madness.

Toronto-Columbus: Toronto Snatch Late Draw At Columbus

TOsports.ca — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:22:39 -0400

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There’s an old saying, which goes along the lines of ‘I’d rather be lucky than good.’

This summed up Toronto FC yesterday as they etched out a 1-1 draw against the reigning MLS Champions. Columbus created enough chances to win the game before Toronto scored late on to head home with a precious point.

The Crew are often called the hardest working team in the MLS. While the Reds may not have had many chances in front of goal, they easily matched the effort put forward by the home team.

As usual, 2008 MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto was at the heart of everything for the Crew who started fast out of the gates.

As early as the second minute, Schelotto split the Toronto defence down the middle, playing a penetrating ball for Emmanuel Ekpo to run onto. Unfortunately for the Nigerian, he shot wide left with only goalkeeper Stefan Frei to beat.

In the seventh minute Brian Caroll made a cross field pass from the left, setting up Eddie Gaven, who shot over the Toronto goal from the edge of the area.

On 16 minutes, TFC eventually had a chance, with Sam Cronin putting a ball through for Dwayne De Rosario in the Columbus penalty area. However, the Canadian international was forced away from goal and his shot went wide of the target.

Columbus was in control and finally got the breakthrough they deserved after half an hour. From the edge of the penalty area, Schelotto attempted a cross. Defender Kevin Harmse tried to block the shot, but as he turned away, the ball hit his raised arm. Penalty.

The stand-in captain stepped up and drilled the ball down the middle as Freil dived to his right. 1-0 Columbus. In 2008, the Crew were 13-0-0 when taking the lead, illustrating the size of the task ahead for Toronto.

The champions continued to press and could easily have gone two up in the 37th minute. Gaven shot from 25 yards out, hitting the left post. The rebound eventually fell to Ekpo inside the 18-yard box, but Freil made an excellent save, pushing the ball over the crossbar.

Halftime couldn’t come soon enough for Toronto, who went into the locker room happy to only be one goal down.

There was a change in the Toronto goal at half time, with Greg Sutton coming in for Freil, who strained his back during the first half.

Toronto appeared more positive after the break, but quality chances were still few and far between. A Chad Barrett shot blasted high over the crossbar on 52 minutes summed up his game and the frustrated forward was eventually substituted for fan favourite Danny Dichio.

After an hour, Columbus was still creating the better chances, but Sutton was dealing with everything that came into his area with calm and authority.

The game seemed to be moving with no real urgency as we passed the 75-minute mark. Then, hope emerged for TFC as Columbus replaced Scholetto with Steven Lenhart.

Spirited by the substitution, De Rosario got sight of goal on 80 minutes, but, like Barrett, blasted the ball high over the crossbar.

However, the bit of luck, which you sometimes need, came Toronto’s way in the 84th minute. An obstruction against Jed Zayner gave TFC a free kick, which De Rosario curled into the penalty area. Crew defender Gino Padula headed the ball, but it looped towards goal.

The ball hit the crossbar, came back out and hit goalkeeper William Hesmer in the back, going into the net for an own goal. 1-1.

As unbelievable as it seemed, TFC were now in a position to win and had their best chance four minutes from time. Substitute Johann Smith cut down the left wing and crossed into Dichio, who in turn played the ball out to De Rosario. Unfortunately, Toronto’s best player once more hit the ball over the Crew crossbar.

Time was running out, but Columbus had one last guilt edged chance to win the game. In a mirror image of the Reds chance two minutes earlier, Lenhart crossed in from the right to Jason Garey. In turn, he squared the ball to Ekpo who hit his shot over goal.

And that was it. Toronto held on for a hard-fought 1-1 draw as they continued their good start to the season. After two games, they find themselves level on points with Chicago and New England in the Eastern division.

TFC will take great heart from this match and now return to Southern Ontario for their home opener against the red-hot Seattle Sounders. Suddenly, talk of a playoff spot does not seem so far-fetched for the third year outfit.

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Diminishing Salary Cap Breeds Possibilities for Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010

TOsports.ca — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:18:42 -0400

With the 2008-09 season winding down, many teams are locking up playoff spots and preparing for a long run en route to a Stanley Cup championship.

Sadly, for the fourth year in a row, the Toronto Maple Leafs will do no such thing.

Instead, Leafs management, players, and fans will eagerly await the offseason.

Free agency and draft day will be big events

The question is, what is realistic and what is pure fodder? Will Brian Burke blow his current roster up in an attempt to start from square one, or will he try to make a splash, signing big-name players for big money?

I believe Burke will have a very busy offseason, but don’t think for a minute that Burke will be signing a ton of free agents.

Now, it would be foolish to think that Burke does not already have a detailed plan of what he intends to do this offseason, in fact, with rumors abound that Burke is interested in signing the Sedin twins out of Vancouver, many would suggest that part of BB’s plan has already leaked out into the media circles.

Whether or not the media suspicions are correct or not is beside the point right now. The Sedin twins coming to Toronto is just the first of what will be numerous rumors that will hit the airwaves and TV broadcasts in the coming months.

Some true, some pure speculation—all will create great debate and excite the fans to no end. My money is on Burke being relatively quiet on the free agent front, but we’ll have to wait and see.

When the NHL implemented the salary cap system after the 2003 lockout season the intention was to create parity amongst all teams. Playoff races would be closer, last longer, interest in the games would be heightened, and each franchise, could—with some luck anyways—afford the opportunity to sign a true super-star talent.

Essentially the NHL felt that by implementing the salary cap every team would, for the most part, have a chance to make the playoffs every season.

On the surface, the plan has worked. If you take a look at the current NHL standings you will find that four points separate the 12th place teams from the eigth place teams in the Western Conference and nine points separate the 12th place team form the eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Playoff races are alive and well in most NHL cities—that’s parity my friends!

Make no mistake about it—the salary cap is a huge factor when determining how to go forward with any NHL franchise. General Managers in must gaze into the future in order to be a success.

Gone are the days of filling holes by reaching into ownership's deep pockets—money has become a secondary factor. It no longer creates separation.

In fact, in some cases, money has handcuffed franchises that went to the well more often than not. They didn’t know anything else, thus their talent pool is typically depleted from past deadline deals, handcuffing their current and future success.

This is clearly the case with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as such, Burke will need to take care of the now and the future, a daunting task to say the least.

There are four prospects worth talking about in the Leafs organization—goaltender Justin Pogge, forward Jiri Tlusty, forward Chris DiDomenico, and to a lesser extent defenseman Phil Oreskovic. That’s it. None of these players made The Hockey News top 50 prospects list, none of these players are regarded as a “sure thing”, none of these players are NHL ready right now.

Therein lies a huge problem for Burke—he’d love to fill a hole or two with young talent, but he simply doesn’t have the horses to pick from the stable. Essentially, he is handcuffed by past mismanagement. So, with little in the way of talent in the system and a diminishing salary cap to deal with, where will Brian Burke find the talent?

It is going to take a combination of patience, perseverance and creativity to make the Leafs a better team to start the 2009-10 season. Any players drafted in 2009-10 will likely see action at the junior level and/or in the AHL.

Remember, Luke Schenn is the exception, not the norm. Most draft choices take a minimum of three to five years to mature into genuine NHL players, and very few succeed right away.

Free agency will provide Brian Burke an opportunity to explore some interesting players, but at the end of the day I see Burke looking to make trades to make his club better.

There are numerous teams that, when and if the NHL decides to lower the salary cap, will have little choice but to move essential pieces off their NHL rosters. The Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, to name a few, will all struggle to make it under next year's salary cap.

All of these teams have key free agents to re-sign, all of them will need to consider which pieces they are willing to give up in order to make it under the cap—not an easy chore.

The asking price for these players will be next to nothing, it is unlikely these teams will be able to take dollars back, thus handcuffing their returns. Advantage: Maple Leafs.

One thing Burke has is loads of room in salary cap, something he will surely look to use to his advantage this offseason. Depending on how much the salary cap drops in the offseason, Burke will have upwards of $9 million to spend on players.

That’s significant dough, it also makes Burke a convenient trading partner for teams that need to dump salary—and with the NHL likely to lower the cap this off-season, there will be plenty of teams looking to dump players.

The trick for Burke is to make moves that make sense financially now and for the foreseeable future, Burke will have to weigh today’s acquisition against the impact on his teams future.

For example, a player like Chris Pronger might look great in a Toronto uniform, but in the long run—is Pronger considered a diminishing asset? Is Pronger a fit long-term, or by acquiring him are you just handcuffing the Leafs down the road?

A measure of tough love will have to be used when evaluating the current roster as well. Veteran players like Thomas Kaberle, Pavol Kubina, Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, Alex Ponikarovsky, and Ian White will all need to endure considerable evaluation at season’s end. Are these the horses you want going forward, or do you consider moving one or more of them in the hopes of acquiring future assets?

Kaberle and Kubina have reasonable contracts, as does Ponikarovsky, but is their value on the open market worth giving the thought of trading them? For instance, at just over $4 million per season, for a player of Kaberle’s talent level he brings great value and an enormous amount of talent.

If you trade Kabby how do you replace that talent without having to go out and pay another equally-talented player $2 million more per season than Kabby makes? Is trading that kind of player worth the negative impact it could have on a teams salary cap, or are you better off keeping Kaberle and losing out on acquiring players that can potentially help your franchise in the long term?

It’s a tricky question and a slippery slope indeed. What would you do? Do you take a player with potential and a draft pick in return for your franchises biggest asset and then try to replace him?

My best guess is that two or more of those players will be traded by Brian Burke this offseason. If he is able to make such a move, a little more cap space will open up, thus making it possible for Burke to consider some big ticket players that—in my mind, anyway—will surely be available come June.

The cap may not have created pure parity on the ice, but it has forced teams to evaluate and re-evaluate their costs. Teams that did not do their due diligence in projecting correctly will suffer and be forced to move players they typically would have been able to afford to keep.

It would seem that the salary cap has created financial parity, which should, over time, create a more balanced league. The teams who miscalculated will be the losers in all of this, Brian Burke and the Leafs are poised to reap the rewards.

So, I foresee the impact on the Leafs by their prospects will be minimal. Free agency, while a valuable piece to the Leafs puzzle, should be minimal.

Trades will be aplenty and should have the biggest impact on this franchise going forward, while coaching, scouting and management, will continue to be key positions, likely having the most impact on the Leafs future success in the long run.

Today’s NHL is all about development and opportunity, the Leafs have a great opportunity to make huge strides this offseason. Let’s hope my predictions come to fruition.

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Toe-RANT-Toe-Knee-In: Leafs, Raps, and Blue Jays Too!

TOsports.ca — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:38:34 -0400

he hilarity of the Toronto Maple Leafs smok’in the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night was beyond reproach, I haven’t seen a beating like that since Chris Brown smacked Rihanna!

Can’t help but think Research In Motion big wig Balsillie will be front and centre in any Montreal Canadiens being for sale talk. Balsillie, who was a Canadiens fan as a youngster, has been itching to get his hands on a franchise for quite sometime, why not Les Canadiens?

Dear Tuukka Rask, two words for ya buddy, ANGER MANAGEMENT! What a spectacle!!!

Japan beat the snot out of the U.S. baseball team, question is, does anyone care? Until the U.S. is able to send their “best” I suspect the fans will continue to tune out.

On the positive side, at least we no longer have to listen to the “USA, USA” chants, God I hate that chant...but I loved the silence after the last out...priceless!!! Congrats goes out to Japan for winning the tourney, but really, nobody gives two figs in North America, especially when the US keeps losing.

Happened to come across Toronto Raptors tickets for Friday nights game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the tickets were free and I got ripped off! The only hustle that was going on was management stealing the fans money, the effort was terrible, the energy was non-existent and the players are not communicating.

I left disgusted, the players should be ashamed of themselves...And hey, Shawn Marion, if you don’t like it here leave, you stunk anyways!

Can the Leafs make the playoffs this season? Ok, that might be near impossible, but they certainly have played exceptionally well of late. The question is, is this late season surge a mirage, or is this for real?

Suddenly the likes of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and the sometimes hated Jason Blake look like World beaters, think Brian Burke is willing to go to war with this roster next season?

All the debate over Alexander Ovechkin’s celebration after his 50th goal is ridiculous, leave the guy alone, the NHL should be thankful they get any attention in the US, Ovechkin’s celebration was a breath of fresh air and made every highlight package in the US.

And Rick Tocchett preaching good sportsmanship, I “bet” ya he’d have done the same thing if he had scored 50...Shut up Slick Rick!!!

My over/under for Toronto Blue Jay victories sits at 86, which side are you on? I see nothing that makes me a believer in the Jays, they did nothing in the off season, they stunk last year and now we brace for a repeat poor season. In the words of the great Yogi Berra, It’s going to be deja vu all over again.

Buffalo Bills coming to Toronto full-time, shoot me...

Shake Your Head And Tear Up Your Bracket!

TOsports.ca — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:07:08 -0400

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Much is made of the seeding process, who should be where, who should be ranked higher and so on. This time, the NCAA committee seems to have been on the mark.
After a relatively tame first weekend in terms of upsets (Wake Forest aside), the Sweet Sixteen prepare to do battle on Thursday and Friday of this week.

All of the #1, #2 and #3 seeds advanced. Two #4’s, a #5 and a #12 round out the remainder of the field. Not altogether unusual as all four #1’s advanced to the Final Four last year, but a little lacking in the Cinderella story department.

The Games

There were some “upsets” but not the types that make you shake your head and tear up your bracket. The biggest was Cleveland State’s dismantling of Wake Forest.

Strangely, many people were all over this, including coaches John Calipari of Memphis and Rick Pitino of Louisville. They offered their upset “specials” courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and cited the youth of the Demon Deacons as their potential downfall.

They must have played this script out before, because they were bang on. Wake fell behind early and struggled to keep the game as close as it was. Sadly, State’s epic run ended two days later with a loss to fellow underdog Arizona.

I don’t know if you can say that Arizona’s win over Utah was all that surprising. The Wildcats are a good team provided they don’t get into foul trouble.

Western Kentucky has shown on a number of occasions that they are a trendy upset pick, but Illinois, without starting point guard Chester Frazier, was the one team seeded far too high.

Twice this year they scored less than 40 points in a game, which doesn’t cut it in any league. The Hilltoppers came within a hair of taking out Gonzaga in the second round, but they too have been sent packing.

Pittsburgh tried desperately to become the first No. 1 seed to go down to a sixteen seed. East Tennessee State outhustled, outworked and essentially outplayed the Panthers but couldn’t overcome game-long shooting woes in a game that was much closer than the 10-point margin.

No. 10 seeds enjoyed success in the first round as Michigan, USC and Maryland all won. All are on their respective (un)happy trails home.

One of the best games of the weekend saw the Siena Saints take the Louisville Cardinals to the wire in the second round, coming back from a 12-point deficit to lead by four with seven minutes left.

But, as is often the case with a short bench, the Saints eventually wore down against the Cardinals and lost 79-72.

What’s left is essentially the best of the best.

Thursday’s Games

1 UConn vs. 5 Purdue

The Boilermakers won a tight game against the Washington Huskies. They aren’t likely to be as fortunate against these Huskies. UConn has looked very impressive in its first two games. Purdue will be the best team the Huskies have faced so far, but they will romp.

4 Xavier vs. 1 Pittsburgh

The Musketeers keep grinding out wins, including a methodical 11-point win over Wisconsin in the second round. Pitt has looked, well, un-Pittlike.

They were lucky against ETSU and were marginally better against Oklahoma State, who scored 49 points in the first half against a normally tough defense. In spite of this, Pitt has escaped and has some time to prepare. The Panthers win this one.

2 Memphis vs. 3 Missouri

This could be a very interesting game, in an all-Tiger affair. Missouri can score and like to force the pace by pressing and trapping. Memphis hasn’t been as stingy defensively as they were in the regular season. This game will come down to turnovers.

If Missouri gets more than they give they have a shot. The problem is, Memphis has shown they can score as well. Tigers win - Memphis, that is.

2 Duke vs. 3 Villanova

Best game of the night. Villanova absolutely hammered UCLA and Duke banged out a win against Texas in the second round. If everybody gets into the act for Nova, watch out.

The Blue Devils have to limit Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds and force the supporting cast to beat them. I don’t think they can do this. Villa Nova wins in a close one.

12 Arizona vs. 1 Louisville

Louisville’s depth and the ability of Terence Williams to take games over when it matters will keep undermanned Arizona from advancing any further. They have done a good job to get here, but use only six players.

Jordan Hill may be a tough matchup for Samardo Samuels in the post, but overall, Louisville is too strong everywhere.

3 Syracuse vs. 2 Oklahoma

I honestly didn’t think the ‘Cuse could get past Arizona State, but they did so easily. Blake Griffin will be a different story. This will be his last season in college and it is clear he wants to go out in style.

Syracuse will have no answer for him inside and has to hope that their outside shooting and transition game is sharp.

Jonny Flynn is one of the best to watch in all of college basketball, but he might be playing his last college game also. The Sooners prevail.

3 Kansas vs. 2 Michigan State

Rematch of the Jan. 10 game won by State, 75-62. The Spartans have size, experience, speed and defensive tenacity. The Jayhawks have size, defensive tenacity and speed. Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich provide the experience.

Kansas has done well to get to this point but can they get past the top squad from the Big Ten? Probably not. State pulls away at the end in a war.

1 North Carolina vs. 4 Gonzaga

Carolina looked good when they responded to LSU’s second-half run on Saturday. Gonzaga looked terrible against Western Kentucky, despite advancing. They have the players to match up against the Tar Heels and they will score.

The question is: Can they rebound enough to stay competitive. If they do, the Zags will match their furthest foray in the NCAA tournament (Elite 8, 1999). If they don’t, Carolina wins in a romp.

The Toronto Rocks Killed Two Birds With One Stone

TOsports.ca — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:58:29 -0400

It’s hardly an understatement to say that the Toronto Rock game was over by five minutes into the second quarter.

But three penalties in five minutes, and down two men for two of those minutes, is a situation that decides most games.

“That was huge, that was the real turning point for us in this game,” Rock goalie Bob Watson said. “We kind of threw a couple different looks at them, kept them guessing, and we just seemed to stay one step ahead of them.

For those five minutes the visiting Knighthawks didn’t score a goal. Quite the opposite as the Toronto Rock’s Rob Marshall and Bill McGlone added shorthanded goals of their own.

The Toronto Rock managed their first win against the Rochester Knighthawks this season, and their first consecutive wins of the season, with a 16 – 10 manhandling of Rochester on March 21 at the Air Canada Centre.

“I think it has to be three before it’s a streak, we’re not quite there yet,” Batley said. “But hey we got a big weekend coming up.”

In a game that showcased two of the NLL’s all time best goalies it was hardly a low scoring affair.

In fact Knighthawks goalie Pat O’Toole looked shaky and never got comfortable, allowing 15 of the 16, the 16th was an empty netter. He was replaced with two minutes to play by backup Ben VanEvery, far too late in the game for the grizzled veteran.

The offensive explosion came from numerous Rock sources, five goals from Lewis Ratcliff and three goals and three assists from Luke Wiles. Craig Conn and McGlone each chipped in two while Marshall, Nick Carson, Peter Lough, Stephen Hoar had a goal each of their own.

“All in all this would have to be our best 60 minutes,” Batley said.

While Jason Henhawk scored 3 goals and had two assists, and Shawn Williams had 6 assists and seven points to put up the fight for the Knighthawks.

Since Batley took over as head coach the flow of the offence has changed significantly. This can be seen in the changing role of Jason Crosbie, who has 371 career goals as a Toronto Rock. Since Batley took over he has had 5 goals in 8 games.

“We’ve got shooters on this team that can shoot the ball, we don’t need more of those guys,” Crosbie said. “So, you know, just (I’ll) be the secondary scoring option.”

Any game between the Knighthawks and Rock would be incomplete without a fight. It took 58 minutes but finally the Rock’s Scott Campbell and Troy Bonterre dropped the gloves.

Bonterre won handily, at 6’3 he’s got a bigger reach, than Campbell’s 6’0, and after three haymakers to the melon Campbell turtled and the referees stepped in.

The win gives the Rock a faint chance of a playoff spot. With five games left on the schedule winning out the season would give them nine on the season.

“We know as a team that every game is a must win to get in the playoffs,” Batley said.

The Toronto Raptors: For Better or Worse

TOsports.ca — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:32:29 -0400

The 2008/'09 season, has been a nightmare for the Toronto Raptors. But a funny thing has happened throughout it all. I realised I still give a damn about them. They say you can tell how much you care when your team’s losing. People ask how I can remain so positive and continue to support them. Here’s why:

When I first became interested in basketball, I attempted to pick a team to follow. I considered the Orlando Magic (Penny Hardaway), the New York Knicks (they play in New York), and the Utah Jazz (my uncle worked in Utah for three years).

These may sound like obscure reasons to pick a team, but that’s what happens when you follow sports from across the Atlantic Ocean. In any event, I couldn’t decide on anyone. However, I still followed the NBA as I enjoyed the game.

Fast forward to 2004, when I’d made the decision to save up and travel to Canada for a year. I wanted to watch live basketball and Toronto was the only place that could offer this.

I started buying Raptors games on DVD. This helped me get to know the team and see what they were like. It didn’t look good. I remember thinking, ‘I’ll be happy to watch a team playing .500 ball.’

I liked the feisty Sam Mitchell, saw the promise of Chris Bosh, discovered Morris Peterson was Mr. Raptor, and you had to love the ‘Red Rocket’ Matt Bonner.

Luckily, by the time I arrived in Toronto during 2006, Bryan Colangelo had entered the fold. He went straight to work, getting rid of the likes of Rafael Araujo (I sympathised with him being the fans’ whipping boy, but to be fair, he was bad) and Charlie Villanueva (talented but missing something).

In came T.J. Ford, Anthony Parker, Rasho Nesterovic and the player who would become my favourite Raptor, Jorge Garbajosa. Together with an all-star in the making (Bosh) and the top draft pick, (Andrea Bargnani) I felt optimistic about the coming season.

I wasted no time buying game tickets for the home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. Upon arriving, I felt the buzz of hope and anticipation in the air. I was hooked from the word go.

I remember the crowd was deafening. It was a full house; I remember an unbelievable dunk by Fred Jones; most of all though, I remember the Raptors winning.

There were teething problems along the way (5-10 at the end of November, including a 0-5 showing in their first road trip of the season. Ford and Parker missing playing time), but it helped develop the team’s resolve.

Unexpectedly, it was an injury to Bosh, which proved to be the turning point. It gave a team with surprising depth belief, as they went 6-6 without their superstar.

It was also evident that as well as gelling on the court the players genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, going out to dinner together on a regular basis. Apparently the general public viewed them as one of the most well liked teams in the history of Toronto team sports.

I ended up going to over half of the home games. I hadn’t planned it, but when you invest time into something; you start to become emotionally attached.

Case in point, when I went to a game against Cleveland. There was a bunch of guys in front of me and some people came over to talk to them. They were all standing around blocking my view.

Despite being on my own, I had no hesitation in angrily telling them all to sit down or at least move over. Stupid maybe, but I was into the game!

I enjoyed watching Bargnani’s development. T.J. Ford was lightening fast, and seemed to be the one player who you could trust with the final shot, even more than Bosh. (Like the game winning shot on the road to beat the Clippers.)

Mo Pete, he was the man. I still get chills when I remember that miracle shot to tie the game at the end of regulation in Washington, leading to a win in overtime. That was the point when I realised the season had developed into something special.

With the regular season nearing its end, they looked certain to get the third or fourth seed and go deep into the playoffs.

Then, disaster struck. Garbajosa suffered a sickening season-ending leg injury in a road loss to Boston. He was chasing a lost cause on a breakaway by the Celtics, typical of the man.

They had overcome so much during the season due in part to the strength in depth, everyone thought the Raps would be ok. Because of his lack of standout stats, no one realised how important Garbo was. Unfortunately it would become evident in the playoffs.

For now though, the Raptors went on to secure the number three seed, equalled they’re record for most wins in a regular season and clinched the first ever-divisional title.

It had seemed all but certain that Toronto would face Washington in the playoffs. With they’re numerous injuries, (including Aeneas Williams) it appeared inevitable we would beat them and advance to the second round.

Fate however, had other ideas. By seasons end, New Jersey had somehow landed in sixth place. It was meant to be. Vince Carter was returning to Toronto.

The Raptors lack of playoff experience showed up big time as they lost game one at home. Carter was feeding off the Toronto crowd and Jason Kidd was inspired. (I’ve never seen Kidd play so well, averaging a triple-double throughout the series.) I was concerned.

A good friend got tickets for Game Two. I WAS GOING TO A PLAYOFF GAME! As vocal as the crowds had been throughout the season, nothing had matched the home opener against the Bucks...until now.

I can’t even begin to describe the feeling and the atmosphere at that game. As we walked out to our seats, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. It was a cauldron of energy and noise.

My friend said he was taken aback as he’d never seen someone so pumped up for a game. It apparently had comedy value as well because I was screaming, swearing and shouting. Everyone kept looking around wondering who the hell this guy was with the English accent, obviously needing anger management counselling.

I didn’t notice and even if I had, I didn’t care. The Raptors won, sending me home a happy man.

Unfortunately, they just couldn’t win on the road. Bosh seemed to miss Garbo more than anyone, as he struggled to deal with the pressure of his first ever playoff series. Knowing he was the main man weighed heavily on him.

(I was impressed with how cool Bargnani was throughout the series. I know he took a step back last season, but he’s back on track. He has such a smooth shot. Next season, he’ll be a 20-8 guy, with a couple of assists thrown in for good measures.)

Ultimately, it came down to game six in New Jersey. I kept thinking ‘Just win ONE on the road and bring it back home for game seven.’ And they almost did, putting up their best road effort in the series.

I was on a work night out, but remained glued to the screen for the entire game at the bar we were in. We played our hearts out until Richard Jefferson made a lay-up right at the end and then stole a pass on the Raptors final possession.

Dejected, I slumped back in my chair and proceeded to get drunk. I maintain to this day we’d have won if Garbo had played, but I’ll never know. Overall though, it was an amazing season and I’m glad I was a part of it all.

Since returning to England, I’ve witnessed a 41-41 season, Garbo being released, T.J. Ford being traded and Sam Mitchell getting sacked. It reminds me that nothing lasts forever.

However, I’ll never forget that magical season in 2006-'07. And that’s why I will always be a Raptors fan, through thick and thin.

Ferguson Looks On: The AHL Marlies "Goose the Moose"

TOsports.ca — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:38:20 -0400

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The league leading, Manitoba Moose rolled into the Ricoh Coliseum to face the division rivals, Toronto Marlies, having won six of their last seven games.

There were no goose eggs on the scoreboard by the end of the game, but there sure were a couple on the faces of some of the Manitoba players.

The Marlies seem to be headed in the right direction as the playoffs creep closer.

As they have been clamping down on the defensive portion of their game, which is paying dividends, they have won three of their last four while only giving up seven goals including the 3-1 win against the AHL’s top team Sunday.

Justin Pogge got the start and stopped 21 of 22 shots in the win.

The tones for this game was set right from the get go.

As these possible first round playoff opponents and division rivals came out throwing the body around with no regard for self preservation and as Alex Foster came barreling out of the penalty box and thumped defenseman, Nolan Baumgartner.

The first of two fights erupted as RW No. 41, Guillaume Desbiens, took exception to the hit and threw down with Mr. Foster, who from the crowd’s reaction after the fisticuffs was the clear victor.

Desbiens received two for instigating, five for fighting and a 10 minute misconduct for instigating, because after all the hit by Alex Foster, was clean.

Forster voiced his opinion about the incident to me after the game by saying “I just got out of the box as you saw and then it’s kind of like the perfect storm. He was pulling the puck and was on the trolley tracks. I guess, it was just easy for me. It was a good thing he turned, so it was a clean hit and then I knew something was going to happen and if you’re going to hit guys like that I guess you got to be ready, so yeah, its part of the game.”

Before the end of the period, another fight broke out between Marlies newcomer, 6’3” 215lbs. left winger, No. 10 Jay Rosehill with Manitoba’s Tom Maxwell and a definite win for the home side.

Jay talked to me about his new digs here in Toronto and about being with a new group of guys who he has stepped up for twice in the four game played, so far, saying, “Yeah, ya know, it’s just a role I play and they needed a gap to be filled here, so I came over and I think it’s going to be a really good fit.”

With twelve seconds left in what was a rambunctious first period, Toronto’s, Ryan Hamilton scored to take a 1-0 lead into the second period.

In the next frame, the tight checking continued, with the teams trading goals.

One minute in, Manitoba’s RW No. 40, Michael Grabner, notched his 26thgoal tying the game at one, to which the Marlies responded halfway through regaining the lead again on a goal by rookie LW No. 16, Stefano Giliati.

In the third, Toronto’s power play, which has been non-existent as of late, came to life.

RW No. 19, Jeremy Williams, scored on a rocket from the point to seal the deal.

John Ferguson Jr. was there at the Ricoh Coliseum as he is now a scout for the San Jose Sharks and I had to feel kind of bad for the treatment he’d received over the last few years here in Toronto.

I asked him about some of the positives that have been working out for the Toronto organizations including the Marlies and the Leafs, that he had a hand in and he told said, “Yeah, you know, these players whether its Ondrus or Sifers, or you mentioned Oreskovic and others. Obviously, Tlusty has had a real good run down here and Anton Stralman played very well here and lately up top. Sometimes it just takes some time for some of the players to really develop and come up through the ranks and the people here with the Marlies have done a magnificent job developing. There are a lot of real good drafts made by a number of different people and I said, at the time, that there was a lot more here than we might be getting acknowledgement for and it’s a credit to the players and the development system.”

The Marlies have seven games left in the season to solidify their playoff berth and the win over Manitoba was a definite step in the right direction.

Their next game at home is on Sunday March 22, where they will host the San Antonio Rampage.

Don Cherry: Ready To "Puck Off?"

TOsports.ca — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:33:47 -0400

Don Cherry is a Canadian icon.

He is the reason to stay tuned during the first intermission of a hockey game. He is controversial, opinionated, entertaining, and he just might be ready to pack it in.

Cherry recently turned 75 and is remembered by some for his play in the AHL as a tough defenseman for the Rochester Americans, Springfield Indians, Tulsa Oilers, and Hershey Bears.

Cherry would play one game in the NHL for the Boston Bruins, a team he would later coach, with great success, mentoring the likes of Bobby Orr, Wayne Cashman, Gerry Cheevers, Brad Park, etc.

Cherry coached the Colorado Rockies, with little success, but he did bring tons of piss, vinegar, and headlines.

For all that, Cherry was certainly entertaining, which would later earn him a shot on Hockey Night in Canada.

After his last game in Colorado, Cherry’s thoughts undoubtedly turned to how he could remain in the game, as he was unwanted as a coach and badly in need of work.

In 1980, the CBC hired Cherry as an analyst for the playoffs. He did well alongside Dave Hodge, but he was outspoken and known to root for certain teams, notably the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins.

This became an issue to some and he was let go.

This didn’t sit well with everyone; Cherry was so popular that the CBC found another assignment for him: Coach’s Corner was born and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, if you need an introduction to Coach’s Corner, you have been living on another planet.

Cherry, over the years, has walked the walk and definitely talked the talk during this segment.

He has touched on controversial political issues, called out anyone and everyone in hockey, shows his patriotism, wears his heart on his sleeve, and has captured the biggest hockey audience in the history of broadcasters.

He is Canada’s voice of hockey and, as he says, “a beauty.”

It’s hard to think of Hockey Night in Canada without Don Cherry as a contributor.

We may not always agree with what Cherry says, or the way he says it, but Canadians continually tune in en masse just to hear what Cherry will say, which leads me to my fear.

What would Hockey Night in Canada be without Don Cherry?

Who could possibly fill his shoes?

Well, I have given the matter a ton of thought.

When and if Cherry retires or is asked to leave, his replacement, if there is one, will have to be ready to endure huge criticism. Cherry would leave behind massive shoes to fill, and there are not too many people who could even dream of replacing him.

In fact, it’s damn near impossible.

Is there a candidate?

Well, not really, but I did do some thinking and I came up with one name that, on the surface, might just work.

Who could possibly fill the void left by Don Cherry?

The reality is, you cannot replace Don Cherry, but you can find someone to proudly carry on his tradition and idealism, and his name is Denis Leary.

Leary is a well-known comedian, actor, and huge hockey fan.

Leary, much like Cherry, is a rabid Boston Bruins fan; he loves to lace up the skates, is not afraid to voice an opinion, and he has been controversial at times.

He is used to the spotlight, loves attention, has been spotted at numerous awards shows and hockey charity events, and has a relationship with numerous players.

Does he have Cherry’s knowledge?

Nope.

Does he have Cherry’s stories?

Nope.

Is he Canadian?

Nope.

Could he capture the nation and get them to watch Coach’s Corner?

Probably not.

What Leary would do is create a new following, one that has the ability to attract the average Joe Hockey Fan, a guy who wouldn’t take hockey too seriously, a guy who could be excused for not knowing the game inside and out yet somehow making up for it with his humor and quick wit.

Leary is an American, and he is certain to have a unique perspective on the game, perhaps one that would appeal to Americans and novice fans, something the NHL needs dearly.

Am I delusional?

Probably, but, if there is anyone out there who could take the reins and run with Coach’s Corner, it is the likes of Leary.

No question he would be entertaining, unique, and he has the star power—most importantly, he is a fan and a student of the game.

For a league that is struggling to attract fans from otherwise non-hockey markets, a guy like Leary could attract these “simple folk,” leading to bigger ratings and more saturation. What’s not to like about that?

God forbid that Cherry is asked to leave or has the desire to retire. It would kill me as a hockey fan and it would diminish Canadian culture.

After all, Cherry did rank seventh overall in the CBC’s “Greatest Canadian” contest.

Obviously, he is important to us all.

His departure would be a sad day, an end of an era, but hockey would live on and in Cherry’s absence the NHL would need to consider a candidate to continue what Cherry started. Hockey needs the entertainment factor that is Don Cherry and Coach’s Corner.

I hope they take Donald S. Cherry out of the arena in a box. Deep down inside, I think Cherry would like it that way, too!

Stapleton Nets OT Winner For The Marlies

TOsports.ca — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:04:26 -0400

From the drop of the puck between these division rivals there was something in the air that smelt like overtime or was it nachos?

The thunderous hits rang throughout the building, amongst the 3,500 fans gathered, from start to finish.

Adam Munro got the start and in Justin Pogge’s words after the game: “He played unbelievable. I mean he’s been doing that all year and its good having that guy behind ya and ya know, putting a little pressure on, it’s good.”

Munro stopped 30 in the 2-1 OT win for the Marlies.

Munro was humble by saying, “I felt pretty good out there tonight and the guys did a great job and we got the goal at the right time and we got the big two points against a big division rival like that.”

The Monsters took the lead in the first on a goal by LW No. 11 Randy Rowe and just below the press box where I sat.

A group of 20 or so Lake Erie fans cheered, whom I found out later were the Captain of Monsters, Chris Durno’s, friends and family.

I talked a bit with Toronto native, Chris Durno, about this experience…

“It was awesome I mean, obviously I haven’t gotten to play much in Toronto since I turned pro, so every chance I get is, ya know, it’s great seeing all the family and friends here.”

The Marlies answered in the second when RW No. 19 Jeremy Williams potted his 22nd goal just one behind team leader Juri Tlusty.

The third period saw the teams trade something else as Toronto’s Daryl Boyce and Lake Erie’s Matt Hendricks dropped the gloves just three seconds in, in what some might call a staged fight.

During this back and forth tilt both players knee’s hit the ice at one point or another from a punch, but finally Boyce toppled Hendricks, which brought about a huge roar from the crowd.

The two players had run into each other a few times during the game and exchanged a few words at the end of the second period.

When asked about the battle in the context of the so called staged fight which is on the lips everyone involved in hockey in any aspect, Daryl Boyce had this to say, “There’s definitely some bad blood there at the end of the second period and I just sort of wanted to resolve the issue and sort of try and get some momentum for the boys and sure enough we got the win.”

C, No.17 Tim Stapleton when he streaked down the right wing and let a slap shot fly beating the goalie Tyler Weiman on the far side, scored the winner.

If he hadn’t worn a helmet and had long flowing hair…and was wearing a Montreal Canadiens No. 10 jersey, I may have mistaken him for the Flower—Guy Lafleur!

Stapleton said of his OT winner, “It was kind of a broken play, obviously it started with Adam making a game saving save and I thought I had the guy beat, their defenseman I thought I could have came in close and maybe had a breakaway but I figured if I shot it the goalie wouldn’t be ready for that, and I was fortunate enough to have it go in.”

The Marlies play their fourth game in five nights and third game in a row 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ricoh Coliseum, when they host the division leading Manitoba Moose in what could be a playoff preview.