Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Playoffs Still Exist In Toronto

Attention Toronto sports fans! You still have a team in the midst of a playoff run!

The Toronto Marlies have advanced to the second round of the AHL playoffs after defeating the San Antonio Rampage in seven games. The Marlies will now face the Syracuse Crunch for the North Division title and a chance to reach the semi-finals.

For some reason, game seven of the first-round series against San Antonio only attracted 1,982 fans to the Ricoh Coliseum. That arena can hold 7,907 people for hockey. Granted, there was a Raptors game. Still, it's disappointing and unacceptable.

There's no reason why the Marlies should be drawing low numbers at this point in time. They're the only Toronto-area team that is currently in the playoffs. No excuses, Toronto.

Game 1 - Friday, May 2, 7:30pm; Ricoh Coliseum

The Hek

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Raps/Magic Game 5 Thoughts

Magic 102 Raptors 92

It was painful, but it's over now.

The Raptors were simply out played. They didn't bring their "A-Game." Sure, there were spurts of good play; but in the end, the Raps ran out of gas.

Series over. Season over. I'll write some final thoughts later this week.

Player(s) of the game: Dwight Howard - 21 points, 21 rebounds, Rishard Lewis - 18 points, 13 rebounds.

Honourable mention: Chris Bosh - 16 points, 9 rebounds. A rare "off-night" for CB4. Unfortunately, his teammates had off-nights too.

The Hek

*TAC*

Monday, April 28, 2008

Raps/Magic Game 4 Thoughts

Not much can be said after this one. The Magic kept pressing and finally broke through.

Player of the game: Chris Bosh - 39 points, 15 rebounds. Once again, CB4 played out of his mind!

Honourable mention: Rishard Lewis - 27 points, 13 rebounds

On to game five in Orlando. It's do-or-die time for the Raptors.

The Hek

*TAC*

Friday, April 25, 2008

Raps/Magic Game 3 Thoughts

Raptors 108 Magic 94

Now that's how you win a basketball game.

The Raptors were stronger and more aggressive last night. From the opening tip, they controlled the tone and pace. Home court advantage has clearly become a major factor in this series. A huge salute definitely has to go out to the 20,000 fans that packed the Air Canada Centre. They were loud and supportive for the entire game. The sea of red was an awesome sight.

Game four takes place on Saturday at 3pm. The Raptors must bring the same energy they had in game three.

Player(s) of the game: TJ Ford - 21 points, Chris Bosh - 15 points, Jason Kapono - 15 points, and Jose Calderon - 18 points. When Toronto spreads the scoring around, great things happen.

Honourable mention(s): Hedo Turkoglu - 26 points; Dwight Howard - 19 points, 12 rebounds




Now that's what you call a "game face."


The Hek

Thursday, April 24, 2008

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Two

In round one, I was right on five of the eight match-ups. Out of the five, one was a perfect prediction (Detroit in six). On to the second round:

Eastern Conference

Montreal over Philadelphia in 6
NY Rangers over Pittsburgh in 6

Western Conference

Detroit over Colorado in 5
San Jose over Dallas in 6

- It got a little scary, but my Habs pulled through. The Flyers are very similar to the Bruins. Hopefully, Montreal won't get too comfortable if they take a series lead like they did in the first round. Carey Price is an amazing goalie; and he's only 19-years-old. However, if he lets in a soft goal, his confidence is shaken.

- Right now at this very moment, Sean Avery is plotting the many ways he's going to bully Sidney Crosby.

- Again....Detroit....very strong.

The Hek

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Raps/Magic Game 2 Thoughts

Magic 104 Raptors 103

That was a much better effort. Unfortunately, it's still a loss and the Raptors find themselves down two games to none.

Despite their solid play, what hurt the Raps was their performance during the first quarter. Once again, Orlando dominated the first 12 minutes, outscoring Toronto 35-18. The Raptors looked uncoordinated and were very sloppy. If you take away the first quarter, the Raps actually outscored the Magic 85-69. However, you can't tank one quarter and play well for the remaining three. Successful basketball teams don't operate like that.

Player of the game: Dwight Howard - 29 points, 20 rebounds (Will somebody throw a net on this guy? Where's Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty when you need them?)

Honourable mention: Chris Bosh - 29 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists

Anyone who blames Bosh for the loss and dumps on him for missing that last shot is out of line. CB4 played out of his mind. He was phenomenal! This loss was a result of many factors. Let's not forget Carlos Delfino's miss at the free-throw line late in the 4th quarter. There were a number of defensive assignments blown as well. And of course, let's not forget about the first quarter.

On to Toronto for games three and four. My head expects a split. My heart expects the Raptors to tie up the series.

Wear red at the ACC.

The Hek

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Frank Thomas Saga

It began with a bang and ended with a whimper.

I've spent the last two days - as have most Blue Jays fans - trying to comprehend Frank Thomas' sudden release. When he signed with the Jays, I was worried that the Big Hurt's time in Toronto would turn into a disaster; similar to what occurred when Hakeem Olajuwon played for the Raptors. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.

We must ask ourselves the following questions:

Did Frank Thomas deserve to get benched?

Absolutely. The man was hitting .167 with just ten hits and three homeruns. Thomas was brought in to be a power hitter and was failing to produce. If you can't do your job properly, you're going to lose your job.

I disagree with people who say, "Frank Thomas always starts the season in a slump and needs a few months before he can be effective. You just have to be patient with him."

What kind of logic is that? What kind of organization would agree to such a theory? Any team that is content with their power hitter taking two months of the regular season to warm up before becoming effective does not deserve to be in the majors. "Warming up" takes place in March during Spring Training. Once the regular season starts, you bring your A-game, day in and day out. Sure, there are days during the regular season when a player has a bad game. Sometimes, a player find himself in a slump. So what do you do? You work as hard as you can to overcome the slump. Otherwise, you're going to find yourself on the bench.

I cannot believe some fans are okay with Thomas' lack of production. I cannot believe some fans are okay with the fact that Thomas doesn't start playing well until midway through the season. I understand he's hit over 500 homeruns. I understand he's a hall-of-famer. I understand he's one of the best ball players of the 90's. I completely agree and accept that. However, I will not put Frank Thomas on a pedestal, nor will I view him differently when compared to his teammates. If Matt Stairs, or Lyle Overbay, or Alex Rios, or Vernon Wells were to hit .167, the fans would DEMAND the unproductive player be benched, released, traded, or demoted to Syracuse. You would never hear "Oh, is just being . He always needs a few months to warm up before he starts to hit well. Just give it some time." Last season, Thomas had a pretty good season. But by the time he statistics started to climb, it was too late. The Blue Jays had already played themselves out of contention. There was no way the Jays could allow a similar thing to happen this year. Something had to be done.

Was money a factor in the decision to bench Thomas?

Of course. Whether you like it or not, professional baseball is a business. At the end of the day, it's all about making a profit. Money is spent to develop a winning team. No owner likes to waste money. How would you feel if you paid your star player millions of dollars and he failed to produce? George Steinbrenner wouldn't put up with it; neither should Ted Rogers.

Did Frank Thomas handle the situation well?

No way! He clearly shot himself in the foot. Baseball is a team sport. I don't care if you're the superstar who leads the team in everything, or the utility player who might get 60 at-bats if he's lucky; you do not put your needs ahead of the team's needs. Yes, being benched stinks, but you suck it up, act in a professional manner, and do whatever you can to get back in the lineup. You do not do what Frank Thomas did. You DO NOT refuse to sit in the dugout. You DO NOT refuse to shake your teammates' hands after they win a match. Thomas' actions were inappropriate, unprofessional, childish and downright rude.

Will Thomas' absence hurt the Jays?

No. There are enough players to pick up the slack. Stairs has been hitting well, as is Aaron Hill, Rios and Wells. Shannon Stewart and Rod Barajas will also get more playing time, which couldn't happen with Thomas in the lineup. Granted, every hitter needs to hit the ball better. But it's not like Thomas was making a large offensive impact.

I guess you can call this closure. It's a shame things had to end like this. However, these things happen. It's not the first time this has happened (Randy Myers, Mike Stanley, Erik Hanson) and it probably won't be the last (Barry Bonds?????***).

The Hek

***Ugh, it makes my stomach turn.

TAC

Monday, April 21, 2008

Raps/Magic Game 1 Thoughts

That was ugly.

I'm sorry, but when you allow 43 first-quarter points, you deserve to lose. When you shoot only 37.6% from inside the arc, you deserve to lose.

Too many times this season the Raptors have dug themselves into these holes. They play lousy during the first quarter, but get stronger as the game goes on. In most cases, it was too little, too late. Strong consistent play for all four quarters will lead to success. If the Raps want to take charge they have to be more aggressive and have better starts; plain and simple.

Player of the Game: Dwight Howard - 25 points, 22 rebounds

Honourable mention: Anthony Parker - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

The Hek

PS: Tomorrow, my thoughts on the Frank Thomas saga.

TAC

Friday, April 18, 2008

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round One

Eastern Conference

Boston over Atlanta in 4
Detroit over Philadelphia in 5
Toronto over Orlando in 7
Cleveland over Washington in 6

Western Conference

LA Lakers over Denver in 6
New Orleans over Dallas in 6
San Antonio over Phoenix in 7
Houston over Utah in 7

The Raptors were a tough call. In the end, I went with my heart. It all depends on which Raptors team will show up - the team that won 41 games or the team that lost 41 games. I won't be surprised if the Magic win the series. But I'm hoping that won't happen.

The Western Conference was jam packed this year. The eight competing teams are only separated by a few percentage points. Eighth place Denver was only seven games behind the first place Lakers.

*

Game 1: Raptors at Orlando; Sunday, 12:30pm

LET'S GO RAPTORS!

The Hek

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I Know It's The Texas Rangers, But.....

Only 15,000 people bought tickets to yesterday's Blue Jays game?

Are you kidding me?

What's wrong with this city?

The Hek

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

FutuRéale Launched

The premier issue of FutuRéale Magazine is now available online.

Head to www.futureale.com and click on the 'magazine' link.

For the record, I wrote the articles about sumo wrestling and Japanese pro-wrestling ;-)

Enjoy!

The Hek

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Rock Star - Wikipedia Style

I am totally stealing this from Alison's blog ;-)

1. Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name.
2. Click random article again; that is your album name.
3. Click random article 12 more times; those are the tracks on your album.

Band Name: Casey LeBlanc

Album Name: MA10ET

Tracks:

1. Nepali (film)
2. James Watson (disambiguation)
3. Solenostemma Argel
4. Line-in Recording
5. Eleutherodactyle À Bande Gutturale
6. Bansi Quinteros
7. Buellton Union Elementary School District
8. Valet Parking
9. Wilhelm scream
10. Crack City
11. Possessed
12. A Nightmare on Elm Street (video game)

Number one with a bullet.

The Hek

*Zoom! Audio Circus*



Monday, April 14, 2008

Tracking The Jays

Let's see...

They swept the Red Sox, then they got swept by Oakland, and then yesterday, they swept the Rangers.

Interesting.

They're in Baltimore for a two-game set. They should be able to beat the Orioles. A split would be okay; taking both games would be better.

Something to consider:

Joe Inglett clearly doesn't want to go back to Syracuse. That's fine as long as he continues to play well. Looks like Marco Scutaro has some competition. Of course, this will all change once Scott Rolen comes off the DL.

7-5 record? Good enough.......for now.

The Hek

*Audio Circus*

Friday, April 11, 2008

Bosh Wants NOISE!

Chris Bosh has a message to all Raptors fans:



This all started Wednesday when the Raps were making a solid run against the Milwaukee Bucks. Unfortunately, the Air Canada Centre crowd was silent. Bosh vented his frustration during the radio post-game show and things have taken off from there. Remember when Dave Winfield did this?

Come on Toronto! Let's make the ACC loud; let's make CB4 proud! LET'S GO RAPTORS!

The Hek

Thursday, April 10, 2008

At Least They Won

The Good News: The Raptors won!

The Bad News: So did the 76ers and Wizards, which means the Raptors did not advance in the standings. They're stuck in 7th place.

What's really irritating is that the 76ers defeated the Pistons and the Wizards beat the Celtics. Brutal.

The Hek

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

NHL Playoff Predicitons - Round One

Eastern Conference

Montreal over Boston in 5
Pittsburgh over Ottawa in 7 (Sorry Blake)
Washington over Philadelphia in 6
New Jersey over NY Rangers in 6

Western Conference

Detroit over Nashville in 6
San Jose over Calgary in 4
Minnesota over Colorado in 7
Dallas over Anaheim in 7

- I'm shocked at how well my Habs have been this season; especially after what happened last year. Just like the regular season, they should be able outplay the Bruins.

- The Senators have some major internal issues to work out. This will affect their playoff performance. I feel really bad for Sens fans.

- Why are the Capitals good? Two words: Alex Ovechkin

- The Devils have more playoff experience than the Rangers. They also have one of the best goaltenders in NHL history.

- Not much to say about the Western match-ups. I don't see anyone beating the Red Wings.

Enjoy round one!

The Hek

Monday, April 07, 2008

8:57am?

The first TTC subway train leaves Finch Station at 5:30am, Monday to Friday, and 5:50am on Saturday.

On Sundays, the first train leaves Finch at 8:57am.

ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?! What kind of service is that?

When you've got to be at Dundas and Bay by 9:30am, 8:57am does not cut it.

Thank goodness for Greyhound, an understanding girl friend and little bit of karma. You let me down, TTC. You let me down. Fortunately, it turned out to be a perfect Sunday :-)

The Hek

*Always arriving at a "decent" time: The Audio Circus*

Friday, April 04, 2008

4 Minutes To Plead My Case

Madonna and Justin Timberlake have this new song out called 4 Minutes To Save The World.

I've listened to it a couple of times.

It's got a good sound. It's kind of catchy. I think I might like this song.

Does this make me a bad person?

The Hek

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

My Earth Hour Diary

****
March 29, 2008

7:59pm:

I don't why, but I have this sudden urge to turn on all the lights in my house.

****


The Hek

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Rain Delay :-(

Okay, let's try this again:

Blue Jays vs. Yankees

7:05pm, New York City

Let's play ball!!!



The Hek