hockeywiz542
Registered User
- May 26, 2008
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http://www.thestar.com/sports/baske...est_winnow_push_by_toronto_pro_teams_cox.html
It does feel a little like the tectonic plates upon which Toronto’s professional sports teams rest are shifting.
First, the Blue Jays make a series of stunning moves, altering their course dramatically from a gradual building process to going for the World Series immediately.
Then, the Maple Leafs stun the entire hockey world by abruptly deciding that the face of their franchise and resident hockey genius, Brian Burke, is a genius no more, and send him packing in a confounding, shocking move.
Now, the Raptors have compounded their aggressive move from last off-season in which they traded a first-round pick to get point guard Kyle Lowry by sending another big chunk of the future to Memphis to get a player, Rudy Gay, some rate as just a notch below the Kobe Bryants and Carmelo Anthonys of the world.
All of this in just six months, with an Argonaut triumph in the Grey Cup game thrown in there as well, a victory made possible to a great extent by a huge trade the football folks made to bring in star quarterback Ricky Ray.
Maybe all these events are completely unrelated, even though there are clearly threads linking the various transactions.
Something’s sure going on in our fair city, something that seems to have to do with a lot of people growing tired of losing.
Maybe it’s trying to become an Al Davis kind of burg.
Just win, baby.
The problem is, of course, that while the Argos won a championship and the Jays have built a powerful starting staff worthy of a contender, the Leafs’ decision to dump Burke hasn’t, in the very short time elapsed, translated into bringing any star players to the ACC. Moroever, new GM Dave Nonis doesn’t seem like he’s laying the groundwork to trade futures for immediate help, although the rumbles of Phil Kessel leaving town aren’t just noise.
Clearly, the Raps now want to win, just as the Jays now want to win, as the Argos felt they had to try to win. The sensible path for the Leafs is to show some patience, but there’s been no indication from MLSE ownership that Nonis has permission to do it nice and slow.
Indeed, there may be pressure from above to trade for Roberto Luongo, with the clear objective to get back to post-season play.
In a broad sense, the Toronto sporting picture has surely grown more interesting, with Ray and Dickey, Reyes and Buehrle and Johnson and Cabrera, and now Gay.
A town that had Mats Sundin, Chris Bosh and Roy Halladay, then watched them all leave town, is getting some names back.
Just (trying) to win, baby.