So the Leafs are on their Olympic break and the Raptors are celebrating the NBA's All-Star festivities in Dallas, leaving the Toronto Rock as the only professional sports team currently entertaining Torontonians.
It's rare, but not unwelcome. This city is saturated in sport, and a little break will help us to re-evalute... our sports teams.
As the world shifts their gaze to Vancouver -- and no I'm not implying that everyone's always watching Toronto, a very common stigma -- it's time to briefly reflect on this sporting season.
You can't say the Leafs are a disappointment because that would imply there would be expectations. I don't think fans expected much, although signing Komisarek, Beauchemin, Orr and other shiny Leafs this offseason must have left some people fouling their pants. I'll admit I was predicting defensive pairings on napkins this summer. We were all hoping that the first pick traded for Kessel would not be the first overall pick, and sure enough that pick is in the running for Taylor Hall, arguably the top prospect in the draft. That's Leaf luck. I think I've gotten over that potential loss because we do have a young, talented team. It's hard to be a Leaf fan, but at least there's effort involved.
On the other hand, the Raptors are doing surprisingly well. Two months ago, everyone wanted to explode the roster, to hang Colangelo for not improving the team this year. I've always preached a little patience. Patience, I said, as everyone gave up on Bargnani in his third year as a pro. And now he's shaping up to be an elite player. Ha! Anyways, coming up to the trade deadline, I hope we don't do anything too rash. This team has been moulding beautifully, and sometimes the best moves GM's make are the ones they don't. Here's to an excellent second half.
I have some thoughts on the Argos being bought by someone who already owns the B.C. Lions, but that calls for another day. The topic is too vast, the problems are too many, and the Olympics are a busy time.
Speaking of the Winter Games, I'm cautiously optimistic about Team Canada going for it all in Men's Ice Hockey. Getzlaf is a huge part of the team, and in a perfect world I would love to see this guy healthy and at the top of his game. If he's not, Jeff Carter or Steven Stamkos are pretty skilled guys to add. Yzerman and Getzlaf will find out today if the big Duck can't represent his country. The Russian team looks tough. Very tough. I hope all this talk about hockey being a team game stands true because we do have a better team, but our fiercest rivals have some outstanding firepower.
Soak it in everybody. There's nothing better than when sports hits the world stage.
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