October 13, 2013.
A day for people like me who love their sports uniforms.
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim returned (if only for 1 night) in all their teal and eggplant glory.
Nothing more can be said besides "I want one" in reference to the jerseys.
For more pictures check out the Icethetics blog post or the NHL.com gallery.
Clearly this is the topic of the day in the NHL world. It's not a new topic, it seems to come up every time a serious injury takes place. Last night that injury occurred during the Leafs/Canadians game when Colton Orr and George Parros got into their second fight of the night.
A concussion was the result of this fight. Clearly (in my opinion) Orr did not do this on purpose. It was a mistake, a "fight gone wrong". Now Parros (who thankfully was released from hospital this morning) is not sure when/if he can come back to play. Parros is a Princeton educated man, this is a potential waste of what is (dare is even say possibly "was") clearly an above average mind.
I've had a strong opinion on this topic for some time now. Fighting in hockey is, in my opinion, no longer necessary. The notion that each team carries a player or two who plays minimal minutes and does not have the same abilities or skills as the other players on the ice is insane. Of course these players are going to get hurt. Besides the fact that they punch at each other for a living, they also can't skate at the same pace and as a result end up hurting themselves and other players when trying to land a proper body check.
Now don't get me wrong. I understand that hockey is a physical sport and I do not suggest that we take body contact out of hockey. Hitting a player properly in order to remove them from the puck is just as much a part of the game as a proper tackle is in football. I also understand that hockey is a face paced game that involved quick thinking and as a result there are a lot of "gut reactions". So sometimes when you play a sport and you want to win you will feel more emotional. Sometimes that emotion is anger and you'll want to fight. I accept that.
So where does that leave the fighting issue? Well, first of all, because of the emotions, you can't stop it all together. Just like you can't stop people from doing crimes. So just like that guy who steals a candy bar (my point being it's not the end of the world if it happens once in a while but it is still a crime) you develop rules to minimize the potential of fights happening. Much like the person who steals a candy bar knows that if they are caught there is a potential to go to jail, the people who choose to fight need to know they are going to have to "do their time".
It's simple use an escalating scale. 1 fight is 10 minute major and an ejection from the game. Fight number 2 is another 10 minute major and an ejection plus an additional game. From there you get 2 additional games, then 4, then 8 and so on. Essentially, if you really want to fight, that's fine but you better make it worth it because your team will suffer.
This should eliminate all these "fake" fights that the 2 enforcers get into in an attempt to "change the momentum of the game". That's my opinion on what should be done.
Don't get the point of this post confused though. This is not a prediction. I realize that the NHL sees fights as part of the entertainment value and they will probably not change a thing. Personally, I've been to plenty of hockey games in my time and I've seen how the crowd gets when there is a fight. I don't participate. I stay sitting and don't clap. I don't find it entertaining. It's not boxing, it's not UFC, it's not wrestling. There's no "sweet science", it's 2 guys clutching at jerseys and landing the odd punch. That's it.
It's 2013 not 1913. Goalies wear masks, players wear helmets. We've evolved from a large, heavy chunk of wood as a stick to a lightweight material. Jerseys are no longer big wool sweaters, they are microfiber, repel sweat and, weigh less. Players now have to wear visors. Why is fighting still tolerated?
Yesterday was an interesting day for Toronto sports.
The first news of Phil Kessel re-signing with the Leafs broke, and now it seems like it will be an 8 year deal at 8 million per year. That's big money but he's also the big name player for this team so I don't feel strongly either way about the deal. It makes sense, offer him some more cash so he doesn't test the market.
The news of a roof at BMO field broke this past weekend (funny enough, I first saw the news on TV while eating a post TFC-game burrito in liberty village) and I've been looking for a good reaction from both supporters and non-supporters with very little luck. The main concern is that the cost will be passed on via increases to ticket prices.
Personally, I like BMO a lot. It's not the fanciest stadium, nor is it state of the art. I get it, Tim Leiweke wants to make TFC one of the premier clubs in MLS. TFC already has a great academy set up and now they want to make BMO one of the best grounds. I just don't think MLSE needs to spend 100 million on a roof at BMO. For that money they could build a new stadium and leave BMO to the city and the Argos.
If BMO gets a glass roof, I won't really care (assuming that the glass won't obstruct the scenery surrounding BMO) but I think that BMO is unique in the sense that the stadium is an addition to the exhibition grounds as opposed to being a stadium built on a plot of land that was designated for a stadium. At certain times over the summer you get to see the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in the background and other times you can hear the music coming from the Molson Amphitheater across the street or even seeing the Honda Indy being set up. It's really cool how the different events of the year take place around this stadium and putting a roof on the stadium could block all that out. Not to mention the view of the CN Tower rising up over the east side stands. BMO field; for all it's plumbing issues in cold weather and it's "lack of amenities" (which, I would argue are just fine) is a unique little stadium in a prime spot and I really don't want to see the experience compromised.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that the concern is when it is raining no one is coming to the games, but frankly I don't care. I'm a half season ticket holder since season 2. I know that come rain or shine the real supporters of TFC will be in attendance regardless.
I love BMO. Don't change it just for the sake of saying "we have a roof".
Then we got the news about Drake and the Raptors yesterday.
Frankly, I'm not a huge basketball fan. I enjoy going to games as I feel basketball is a much better in-stadium game than it is on TV but I really dislike how the NBA has become a league of guys grouping together via free agency and trying to win championships all together in the city that is the flavor of the week. First it was Boston, then Miami and now, Brooklyn.
Part of the reason it is Brooklyn, at least it is apparent that the Raptors believe, is due to Jay-Z's involvement with getting the Nets out of New Jersey. I'm not so naive to think that it didn't play a part but then again Jay-Z was also a part owner.
Drake is not.
Drake is a famous rapper that happens to be from Toronto and goes to a fair amount of games. That's it. Are the Lakers giving Jack Nicolas an undefined role as "Global Ambassador" because he has season tickets? Come on. This is so stupid. Drake isn't going to be negotiating contracts or trying to make trades. Masai Ujiri is.
Look, I get it. The MLSE wants to turn the Raptors around because, outside of a few years when Vince Carter was around, this team has been nothing but a joke. So how do you do that? You win. You don't bring on a famous rapper, your don't change the team's name (thank goodness that isn't happening) and, you don't try to make the future all about hosting an all-star game (which Toronto will do in 2016). Congrats on getting the all-star game, but you don't make that the biggest deal for basketball in Toronto since the team came to town.
I'm glad Drake wants to see the Raptors win. So do I and, I bet so do many other people out there. Do I deserve a job with the Raptors because of that? No, because I don't know enough about basketball.
Frankly, I'm embarrassed (as a big sports fan who is a resident of the GTA and supports Toronto's teams) about the publicity stunt pulled yesterday. If it wasn't enough only last week Drake was on ESPN's First Take and said (and I quote) "That's my team. I'm always there, I'm always supporting" in reference to Miami. LAST WEEK!!!!
Stupid.
Those are my rants for today. Surprisingly it was not the Leafs that got me going today. Drop me a comment if you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear the opinions out there.
