Papelbon: he’s wicked good, bro.

by Elisabeth Galina… New England. New freakin’ England, buddy. Hull, Massachusetts to be exact; a sleepy little town approximately 45 minutes outside of Boston, near Nantasket Beach where you can buy Sauvign Yoouuks wine at the liquor store. A magical place where they haven’t gotten over Super Bowl 42 but will remind you constantly that the Celtics are the 2008 NBA champions. They greet each other with “Yeah dude.” and end all conversations with “Go Broons!” It’s a place where everyone sounds like the cast of The Departed. A place where you can take Route 3 to I-93 and get off at Exit 16 to see a game at historical Fenway Pahhhk. This is where my friends and I laid on the beach. This is where we drank Sam Adams Summahhh Ale at Barefoot Bob’s. This is where we played skee-ball at the ahhhcade. This is where we fell in love with Massachusetts and gave each other Masshole nicknames like Shants Dot Com, Donny Bortoloti, Guy Scapaleti and Erik Jetah (say it in a Boston accent, it’s wicked funny, bro). And this is where I wore my Yankees hat.

You gotta give the good people of New England props. Passionate does not begin to describe how they feel about the Red Sox. You know that rom-com with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore where Fallon’s character Ben is obsessed with the Red Sox? I met about four people a day who were Ben. Men, women, children clad in jersey’s, hat’s and red socks ready to school you on why it’s okay that Manny’s being Manny and they don’t call Ortiz “Big Papi” for nothing!

For those of you planning on vacationing in or around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts while wearing any sort of Yankees paraphernalia please be careful. I wore the hat because after spending all day at the beach and my hair was doing something awkward not because I had a death wish. The problem however, was the more Sam Adams I consumed the more Bostonian I sounded. It’s a not a problem to be a Yankee fan in New England if you smile and nod politely when you’re told Terry Francona could take Joe Girardi in a thumb wrestling contest. But when you sound like a local, keeping up a flawless Boston accent while telling some dude at the bar that Giambi’s mustache could beat the shit outta him because he tells you that A-rod is a metrosexual, that’s when things got wicked retahhhded.

Oh and PS, random Red Sox fan who sparred with me because he thought I was a traitor for being a Masshole and a Yankee fan, there is nothing with being metrosexual. I think you meant homosexual which there is also nothing wrong with. I appreciate your commitment to the Sawks but come up with better insults.

As us Yankees fans are hungry for another championship, Red Sox fans are hungry to see another no-hitter from Lester or watch Coco Crisp dive energetically over the short wall. It’s not that Red Sox Nation are simple folk who’ll take what they can get; it’s that they’re married to the team. They’ve taken the Sox in sickness and in health, till death do them part. Their devotion is beyond cute. It’s downright scary, bro.

I don’t hate the Red Sox. If I hadn’t already devoted the post-Expos rest of my life to the Yankees I would be a card-carrying member of the Red Sox Fan Club. Not that the Bronx Bombers don’t have history, an active roster to die for and an all time roster with some guys you may have heard of like Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig and The Bambino but the Boston Red Sox are the MLB equivalent of your little brother. You were so proud when he scored his first RBI in Little League; you’ve been beaming for days. Red Sox lovers don’t like the Red Sox because they’re forced too or because they grew up in Weymouth Landing, Concord, Newport, Augusta or the parts of Connecticut where they don’t like the Yankees. Red Sox fans like the Red Sox just…because. I asked 5 different fans exactly why they’d take a bullet for the Red Sox and I got five different answers:

Fan#1:“Because they rule.” I’d probably get the same response if I’d asked the same question regarding the Patriots, Celtics or Bruins.

Fan#2:“Two words, buddy: Pudge Fisk. A bettah all time spahts moment then that queer Jetah making the dive.” Then he threatened to throw my Yankees lighter into the BBQ. It was traumatic. I don’t wanna talk about it.

Fan#3:”Papelbon, he’s wicked good, bro.” Can’t argue with that, Papelbon is wicked good. But then again so’s Joba. And guess what, Joba rules!

Fan#4: “You have to love the Sawks if you live here.” True. I guess you have to love the home team because if they don’t win it’s a shame.

Fan#5: “Because they’re not the Yankees.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, relax., I get it. For the record though when people asked Montréalers why we liked the Expos we never said “Because they’re not the Mets, tabarnac!” We were so thrilled to have a baseball team even if they never won a World Series and played in a broken stadium where pieces of roof could fall onto the diamond at any time.

If I think about my favorite teams and their performances last season I didn’t have to try too hard to hate their rivals. The Saints were sub-par but the Falcons were absolute shit. The Canadiens did pretty well for themselves with a rookie goaltender even knocking out the Boston Broons in the first round of the NHL playoffs that I didn’t have time to hate the Leafs. As much as I tried to hate the Red Sox last season after the Yankees crashed and burned, I couldn’t. When the underdog Colorado Rockies looked like they could win their first World Series I found myself cheering for the Red Sox.

New Englander’s fondness to their team is contagious. Although I would never wear a Red Sox cap or don a jersey with PEDRIOA emblazoned on the back I am not revolted by the BoSox. The curse had already been reversed in 2004 and to make sure it stayed that way the Olde Towne Team won the World Series again last year yet I still cannot hate them because like all good Montréalers, I raise my glass of hatorade to the Blue Jays.

Cheers Cito. Enjoy scrapping the bottom of the AL East, bro.

Guess That Ass

This photo is from the Ryan Sheckler X Games Celebrity Skins Classic which from what I hear is one of the classiest golf events of the year. This American model and reality television participant, best known as one of the three live-in girlfriends of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Her stated career goal is to become a massage therapist or sports announcer, Oh my neck baby….yes, it’s real stiff…what? sure, that too! Oh harder baby!

Jack Armstrong Interviews

T.O Sports Basketball Writer James Borbath Chats With Jack Armstrong.

As regular readers of this blog all know Jack Armstrong has always been a good friend and welcome guest to this blog. He made his first appearance in the Dino Nation Blog just prior to the NBA Playoffs. I mention this for people who may be new readers to this blog. Since that time Jack has been kind enough to offer his thoughts on the departing for Chicago of Chuck Swrsky. He has shared his thoughts on the Raptors as well. So once again we had a chance to talk about a couple of the changes in Raptorland. Starting with the recently hired Matt Devlin.

Jack you may have heard worked with Devlin in the past. He worked together with him covering college basketball on a number of networks as well as on MSG covering the WNBA New York Liberity. So he has a good knowledge of Matt and his work prior to his coming to the Toronto Raptors.

I have expressed my personal concerns about Matt Devlin but Jack is confident that Matt will do a good job in his new role with the Raptors. He said that Devlin is not Chuck and in turn Chuck is not Matt. But he said that both are very good at what they do and great pros. Jack said that Devlin is very prepared and does a good job. He also said the Raptors after losing Chuck were lucky to have been able to hire someone with Devlin’s experience and resume. He expressed that it will take a little time for Devlin to establish himself with Raptor fans. After all he will be working with new people and need to establish a flow with them.

I personally have done play by play on very minor levels and I understand what Jack is saying. It takes time to learn to work with new people and develop a flow in how you interact with them during a broadcast. Jack although working with Chuck Swirsky for 10 years has worked with many other broadcasters Devlin among them. I personally use to work with new people regularly as I was building up tapes for a future in broadcasting. The average fan thinks that calling a game is very easy and that they could do it. But the reality is to be as good as anyone you see on T.V is not as easy as they make it appear. Just because they are not dunking a Basketball like Jamario Moon or blocking a shot like Jermaine O’Neal does not mean it is easy. I have great respect for the people like Jack and Chuck it is a craft to be able to broadcast games and be entertaining and effective. Even the most highly skilled pros will always be looking to improve.

Jack also said that Devlin being a fairly young guy could establish himself and have a great long run with the Raptors as Chuck had. Devlin has said in his blog on Raptors.com about him having family in the area and how happy he is to be in Toronto. He also has made it clear he is aware of the great job Chuck has done here and he understands he has big shoes to fill.

I would agree with that statement. No matter what you personally may think about Chuck be it good or bad, it is clear a large number of Raptor Fans loved him. He does deserve a tremendous amount of credit for all his work with the Raptors. Matt Devlin is not Chuck and he should not try to be. Fans to should not expect him to be. I have no doubt that Matt will do his best that he can in his new job. It will take time for people to accept him but if he works hard at the end of the day that is all he can do. Jack would look forward to the chance to work with Matt again.

Doug Smith said we can be sure Jack will indeed have that chance in a recent edition of his blog. When that is the case Jack said he will come back and talk about that here with us. It is no secert to anyone that reads this blog how much I look forward to that. I know I am not alone in my praise for all the fine work Jack has done and will do in the future. He has done fine work on Raptors T.V, Sportsnet and the Fan 590.

From the broadcast booth to the basketball court. Having Jack drop by is always a good chance to talk about Raptors. He spared a few extra minutes to do that as well.

So what about the big trade for Jermaine O’Neal?

If healthy Jack feels that this move could be a positive step for the Toronto Raptors. He said that it allowed you to turn T.J Ford into a high quality player. In the Orlando series Jack said that Raptors only had 1 of the 5 best players in that series. That one of course was Chris Bosh. Now Bosh has a second star to play along side him. Even if this trade did not workout or blowup due to injuries Jack as many have said points to the hugh amount of cap space the Raps will get when O’Neal is off the books in 2010. Jack said if the Raptors did not take this chance and try to shake things up they would remain at the same level and not improve. In fact with the improvement to the Conference and Division you could even make the case that the Raptors would slide lower.

What about the Point Guard position?

Jack said that he thinks Jose will be fine playing the additional minutes. In the case of Roko Ukic he said we will have to all wait and see till October if he can indeed play the back-up minutes behind Jose. As for a third point guard Jack said it is not as huge a problem as people make it out to be. The 3rd point gurad should only be needed if an injury occurs. He also so said it’s not that hard to find point guards to play a back up role. They are far easier to find than big people.

The Idea of going with Just a small roster of 13?

Jack who was a former NCAA Coach talked about how when he coached the NCAA had cut back the number of Scholarships that teams were allow to hand out. It did not have a major impact in fact Jack likes the idea of less is more. On the pro level he feels the same. The 14 or 15th player on a roster seldom if ever has any real impact. He is another body that you have to pay for and not just salary but all the other expenses that go along with being a NBA Franchise.

As always it was great to talk with Jack and he is always willing to come back and visit here and that is real nice of him.

On July 29 the Toronto Raptors announced the return of Jack Armstrong. He would return to Dino Nation Blog To Talk about his return to Raptors

Great news for Raptor Fans as Jack Armstrong is OFFICIALLY RETURNING TO THE RAPTORS. It is no secret to the regular readers of this blog how happy and thrilled I am to be able to announce this to all the readers of the Dino Nation Blog. Jack has been a part of Tor

Toronto Raptors basketball for 10 years and has become a fan favourite and a personal one of the Dino Blogger. This will mark his 4 or 5th appearance in the Dino Nation Blog. By far the most has the most appearances in this blog by anyone. This is without a doubt the most happy for us to have him here. The Raptors released this info early this evening. To read the press release check it out below:

Jack and Leo Are Back

True to his word he had promised that once this was announced he would come talk to us here at the Dino Nation Blog. As fans became aware Sportsnet was not going to continue on with it’s Raptors broadcasts starting this season. They had let go of the rights to the NCAA Tournament a few years ago that Jack was also a big part of on Sportsnet. Now with the NBA history as well there was really nothing left for Jack Armstrong as far as Sportsnet was concerned.

Jack Armstrong” When I found out about Sportsnet making the choice to not carry NBA anymore it left me wondering what now for me”

But Jack was not the only one thinking this. In a real effort that brought everyone together Fans, The Media, Bloggers, and Raptors fans all wondered out loud about the future of Jack Armstrong. At the time it was not known that months later Chuck Swirsky would end up going to Chicago. People were focused on Jack and his future with the Raptors. Many know that Jack works on a lot of NCAA basketball as well as Raptors Basketball. Jack was now left with just his work on Raptor TV. That made many concerned that he may not return and would or could likely look to the NCAA as his full time job. This lead to something great and special. Every Media person you can think of that had anything to do with the Raptors was writing about this. Fans were becoming aware that Jack Armstrong’s future was in question. People on sites like Real Gm and other forums like it rallied together to get fans to send e-mails to the folks at MLSE. This blog took part in all of this as well. A Jack Armstrong telethon of support would follow. I have no idea how many e-mails the folks at MLSE did end up getting but the many posts you would read it had to be a serious numbers. In my chats with Jack he was always so grateful of what fans and the fellow folks in the media had been doing. So I was not surprised he wanted to thank those people on this day.

Jack Armstrong” It was really quite an honour to have people like Doug Smith,Eric Smith, Micheal Grange and many other people in the media to show me so much respect and support. I really thank them. But not just them but the many fans that also have shown me support it is really appreciated by me. I really enjoy what I do and am thankful to have the support.”

Jack will now be working with Matt Devlin who I spoke with today and will be stopping by to talk with us before he heads off to China. He is very happy to have the chance to work with Jack again. The two have worked together for college basketball and the WNBA. So how does Jack feel about the fact he is now returning to Raptors Basketball for season 11?

Jack Armstrong” I am very happy to be returning to work with the people here with MLSE and the Raptors. I have had a great 10 years with the Raptors and am happy that I will be returning”.

Jack is happy and I want you all to join me in saying two things.

1 HELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOO JACK

2 Welcome Back

We here are happy to have Jack as guest here as often as we do and I look forward to that relationship to continue. But regardless of that Jack is very good at what he does and Raptor Fans are the biggest winners in the fact that he will stay a part of Raptors Basketball.

Jack Armstrong after the time of this interview was announced as a co-host for the  Fan 590 Radio Slot between 2-4pm and will be co-hosting with former NHL exec Doug Mclean starting on August 18th. This will be the replacement for the Chuck Swirsky Show which ended on July 31st.

NBA Monta Ellis

by Daniel Kwon… After losing their two-time all star Baron Davis to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors did whatever they can to re-sign the explosive guard, Monta Ellis to a six-year deal worth about US $66 million last Thursday.

Ellis, who was a restricted free agent, can finally have the spotlight as the point guard next season in Don Nelson’s up-tempo offense with the Warriors. “We are absolutely thrilled to have Monta under contract for the next several years,” said Chris Mullin, Golden State’s executive vice president of basketball operations. “He has been one of the top young players in the NBA for the last two years and enjoyed a tremendous season last year. The growth that he has demonstrated at such a young age is incredible and we look forward to him playing a big part in our future success.”
The 22-year-old Ellis, selected out of high school with the 40th pick in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft by the GSW, averaged career bests of 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.53 steals in 37.9 minutes and 81 games last season. Having potential, he was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player after the 2006-07 campaign. And in his home town Mississippi, he played aside with star future-NBA forward Josh Smith and was named Mr. Basketball by the paper in 2005.
With the all-star Baron Davis gone, Chris Mullen has been working furiously to upgrade his roster-and knows he has no choice considering the Warriors play in the power-packed Western Conference.
Golden State, the first 48-victory NBA team not to make the playoffs this past season, is coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 16 years. Yet the Warriors’ best season in 14 years wasn’t enough to make it to the post-season after the team advanced to the second round in 2007.
Along with Ellis, Warriors announced that shooting guard Kelenna Azubuike would return after the club matched the Clippers’ three-year, $9 million offer sheet. Azubuike averaged 8.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 81 games last season with the Warriors. He started 17 games for Golden State, and he should see more playing time next season after Davis’ departure and Ellis’ expected move to point guard.
“We are pleased to have Kelenna back in the fold,” Mullin said. “He’s a young and talented player who has continued to improve during his two seasons with our team. His versatility, athleticism and ability to shoot the 3-pointer certainly fit our style of play.”
The Warriors also signed earlier high-scoring free agent swingman Corey Maggette from the Clippers, as well as signing forward Ronny Turiaf away from the Lakers last week with a similar offer-sheet deal.
With so much transaction going in and out, the Warriors are determined to make it to the play-offs again next year with a Davisless team. Hopefully, Ellis and others will be able to carry them to their victory.

The Sundin Saga

by Drew Singh…

Any fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs who deems Mats Sundin a traitor is downright ignorant. Some supposed “fans” of this struggling organization claimed that Sundin should have waived his no trade clause back in February to help the franchise rebuild. No, clearly that is not what a good captain does. Who gave Sundin that no trade clause anyways? Oh right, the Leafs did. It is not Sundin’s job to fix the mistakes that management made. Anyone who genuinely feels that Sundin should have waived his no trade clause is not a fan of the Maple Leafs at all. Now they have moved onto bashing him for not re-signing yet. Respect your captain and give him time.

As a lifelong Detroit Red Wings fan I have some respect for the Maple Leafs as another Original Six team. I also hate the Maple Leafs with a burning passion and I do not really care for Sundin either. The thought of Sundin becoming a Red Wing earlier this summer made me sick (only because of the thought of crossover Leaf fans cheering for the Red Wings) but I respect Mats Sundin as a hockey player and he is a great captain. Obviously I tend to relate all things in hockey back to the Red Wings. Mats Sundin and Steve Yzerman have a lot in common as leaders and as hockey players. They even suffered similar eye injuries. But seriously, Yzerman may have three Stanley Cup rings and many individual accolades that Sundin does not have but they both embody their respective franchises. A lot of people in the hockey world say that Sundin is one of if not the best captain to not lead his team to a Stanley Cup. Well, Steve Yzerman would not have won three Stanley Cups without the help of Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan. No one man can win a Stanley Cup. It is not Sundin’s fault that the Maple Leafs management failed to provide him with the help he needed year after year. Frankly, it is a miracle that he was a Leaf as long as he has been.

Sundin is now receiving flack for not signing with a team this deep into the summer. Jesus Christ, calm down and give the man some time. I personally think that he will indeed return to Toronto if he does decide that he wants to continue playing hockey. However, for Leaf fans to be criticizing Sundin for taking too much time is absolutely ludicrous. This guy has been the entire team ever since he arrived. He is the best player in franchise history; with all due respect to the all time Leaf greats. Sundin deserves all of the time that he has taken and some more on top of that. Sundin has watched the Leafs deal away great prospects for no real reason. I am still trying to understand why anyone in the right mind would have traded Brad Boyes for Owen Nolan or Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft. Or maybe someone could explain why someone would pay a shot blocking defenseman by the name of Jeff Finger 3.5 million dollars a season. Some of the things that the Leafs have done, really baffles my mind and I am most certainly not the only one on that boat.

Vancouver and Montreal are the other two teams in the running for Sundin. If Sundin wants money, he will go to Vancouver. The Canucks have not a hope in hell of doing anything but losing this year and I doubt Sundin is interested in losing with another team. Vancouver would be a new and unfamiliar environment where the only silver lining would be money. If he desperately wants to win a Cup he will go to Montreal. That alone sounds ridiculous, there is no way that the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past decade will become a member of the Montreal Canadiens. That leaves the Leafs. I honestly feel that he will stick with familiarity and re-sign with the Leafs should he decide it is not time to hang it up. If Mats Sundin walks away from the game of hockey now it would be an injustice to watch a man who has played so well in recent years to just leave abruptly. Come on Mats; give these people something to cheer about, again.