Toronto Notes, and Thoughts on NFL
Had an eventful weekend. Took a road trip to see my sister-in-law and her family, about a 2.5-hour drive south from where I live. Drove down after work Friday, was looking to settle in for a relaxing night, until our first one came down with stomach flu. Had a sleepless night, spent all Saturday in a daze, but fortunately, the kid got better by Saturday evening. Ours had some fun with their cousins on Sunday, and I drove another 2.5 hours later that evening to get home. Then it was back to the grind Monday morn.
Now, on the sports-viewing front, I did catch the 3rd period of the Leafs' loss to the Panthers in the Saturday morning game. A rare Sunday morning without hockey, and instead, the Raptors got the Hockey Night in Canada time slot at Scotiabank and destroyed the Grizziles.
Then the Leafs came home from the Sunshine State and hosted the 'Yotes, who beat the Leafs 4-2 Monday morning. The boys went from a balmy 26C on Friday (local time over there) to a cool -18C on Sunday!
I only watched the 1st period live, and it was just as well. I felt we dominated the other guys in the opening frame but we failed to keep it up the rest of the game.
Let me get a few Toronto notes, both Leafs and Raptors, out of the way first.
Going in Opposite Directions
The Leafs have played so poorly of late that even the Islanders have gone ahead of us in the standings. Lou Lamoriello's boys are first in Metro, 3 points better than the champs Caps, Coach Trotz's former team.
The Leafs were in first place in the NHL with a 14-6-0 record on Nov. 17 (I took a picture of the standings that day, so I have proof). Our record now stands at 29-17-2. I am no math whiz, but that's 15-11-2. Not horrible, but just about .500 hockey when we were expected to be far better.
The offense has been up and down. We've scored at least twice in seven out of nine games so far in January. But Naz and Marleau only just ended their long droughts. Matthews is getting his share of chances but not converting them. Nylander hasn't done squat since his signing. JT and Mitch have been the two most consistent offensive forces, and Kapanen has really stepped up his game of late and has been the most dangerous forward aside from those two.
Johnsson suffered a concussion against the Coyotes and will likely miss some time. Looks like Moore will be back in the fold, and Nylander, by default, will get another look next to Matthews, probably.
Right after PK, Babs sometimes throws out JT, Matthews and Mitch together, maybe just for the heck of it. I'd like to see that more in regular 5-on-5 situations. Two high-scoring centers and a playing making winger. Just load up on that top line and see what those guys can do.
Marleau-Kadri-Kapanen have been flying the past couple of games, so they'll be the No. 2 line. With a healthy Johnsson, we can have him with Nylander (who can play center) and Hyman. The 4th line would stay the same with Lindholm-Gaut-Brown.
Gotta start putting a few more pucks into the net, boys.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have been outstanding. Since the debacle in San Antonio, we've gone 7-1. Also on Nov. 17, the Raps were 12-4, tied for 1st in the NBA. We're 35-13 now. Been playing at a .720 clip, if you do the math.
Some hard-fought wins along the way, of course, and we really needed that blowout against Memphis. Having an easy W every now and then lifts some pressure off the guys, while allowing them to take a breather in the 4Q and regroup for the next one. Perfect timing, too, since we get a couple of days off at home before hosting the Kings.
Man, Danny G was unstoppable in that win. We scored 45 points in the 3Q, with Green making 7 three-pointers. There's almost nothing I enjoy more in basketball than watching a shooter catch fire.
Like this:
Seriously, how do you let a proven shooter like Danny G even ATTEMPT that many open shots in one quarter? Defense, anyone?
And with some down time, our man Danny showed up for a Leafs game, rocking his No. 14 Leafs jersey right here:
And of course, No. 14 was the great Dave Keon's number and has been retired by the Leafs. Keon won Conn Smythe on the Leafs' last Stanley Cup team in 1967.
Hopefully, Green's hot shooting touch will rub off on the Leafs.
Brutal to Watch
Now, did I waste time watching the Leafs today when seemingly everyone else in the sporting world was glued to the NFL playoffs?
In a first, I will share some thoughts on football.
As the scuffling Leafs were trying to salvage a win on home ice, most of the sports-viewing public were probably following the Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship Game.
After the Leafs gave up the empty-netter late, I switched it off and tuned into football to see what the hype was all about.
Long story short: When the Chiefs took a 28-24 lead with a late TD, I just felt it only set up the stage for another one of those Tom Brady heroics. True to form, Brady engineered a huge drive, which ended in a rushing TD for a 31-28 NE lead with 39 seconds remaining.
I didn't think the Chiefs had it in them to win or even tie that game. Didn't even bother to watch the final seconds. But hey, what do you know, those guys tied it up with a FG, only to have the Pats break their heart with a sudden-death OT TD.
I sorta regretted not watching the finish in real time. So I replayed the 4th Q and OT of that AFC title game while riding my stationary bike Monday night.
But even with all that action, 38 points being scored and all, it was brutal to watch.
Admittedly, there were some replay challenges, some unconventional stoppages and all, but it took nearly 30 minutes in actual time to get 7 minutes off the game clock. Again, it was sort of an unusual situation, but getting in 7 or so minutes worth of play on the field required almost half an hour.
I am what you call a "casual" fan of football. I hardly watch the NFL during the regular season, with maybe 90 percent of the games being played at 1 a.m. or 4 a.m. in my time zone (the only games I can watch while I am conscious are Sunday nighters and MNF games, plus prime time playoff games and, of course, the Super Bowl).
I have stayed up through the night or woken up in the wee hours of the morning to watch my Toronto teams. I've never done that for NFL games for the simple reason that I have zero rooting interest. Unlike some Torontonians, I am not a Buffalo Bills fan. I don't think I've ever been a "fan" of any particular team, per se. And because I am a pretty serious fantasy football player, my rooting interest tends to be swayed by performances of my fantasy players.
(I played in 3 leagues this season and won 2. Pretty proud of that. I had to bring it up.)
I think the NFL games, more than others, are best watched in real time. I watch the NHL or the NBA on demand all the time, and I can even watch a nine-inning baseball game under the right circumstances.
But football? There's just so much dead time for my taste. This chart shows there are only 11 minutes of "game action" in an average NFL game on TV. That's not even worth one quarter of the game. Those dead moments are better to swallow in real time because at least there's some tension/excitement in the air.
I will watch hockey or basketball games even when I know the final score. Why? Because they come in well under 2 hours. I can usually find 1.5 hours to watch those games, at nights after kids go to sleep. As for my own sleep, I'll get it when I am dead.
Anyway, I am replaying the Leafs-Coyotes as I write this, and without commercials, it comes in at a brisk 1 hours and 29 minutes.
The running time for the Chiefs-Pats game, sans commercials, was more than 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The same 60-minute game, folks. One with three 20-minute periods of constant action. The other with four 15-minute quaters of a lot of dead time, be it unnecessary celebrations by players after seemingly every play, or waaaay too many shots of coaches in their hoodies and wearing headsets, looking oh-so-serious.
Speaking of which, it amuses me how seriously football coaches and players seem to take their game. After 9/11, folks stopped using a lot of war references when talking about football (The "war room" is the one that comes to my mind. No, it should never be called that because these guys aren't fighting in real wars). But I bet the coaches have the mindset as military commanders preparing for battles when they get ready for their games. Those numerous shots of their mugs during games tell me at least that much.
While I am on coaches... It boggles my mind that NFL teams employ so many coaches and coordinators. Out of curiosity, I checked the Pats' Web site, and in addition to HC Belichick, there are 14 coaches listed. Their SB opponents, LA Rams, have McVay plus 23 coordinators/coaches.
Look, I know there are a ton of players to, um, coach in football, but 24 coaches on the staff?? This game is overcoached.
I'll let the late, great George Carlin get the final moment with his classic monologue, "Baseball vs. Football." I love it so much I once quoted a line from this in an article.
Now, on the sports-viewing front, I did catch the 3rd period of the Leafs' loss to the Panthers in the Saturday morning game. A rare Sunday morning without hockey, and instead, the Raptors got the Hockey Night in Canada time slot at Scotiabank and destroyed the Grizziles.
Then the Leafs came home from the Sunshine State and hosted the 'Yotes, who beat the Leafs 4-2 Monday morning. The boys went from a balmy 26C on Friday (local time over there) to a cool -18C on Sunday!
I only watched the 1st period live, and it was just as well. I felt we dominated the other guys in the opening frame but we failed to keep it up the rest of the game.
Let me get a few Toronto notes, both Leafs and Raptors, out of the way first.
Going in Opposite Directions
The Leafs have played so poorly of late that even the Islanders have gone ahead of us in the standings. Lou Lamoriello's boys are first in Metro, 3 points better than the champs Caps, Coach Trotz's former team.
The Leafs were in first place in the NHL with a 14-6-0 record on Nov. 17 (I took a picture of the standings that day, so I have proof). Our record now stands at 29-17-2. I am no math whiz, but that's 15-11-2. Not horrible, but just about .500 hockey when we were expected to be far better.
The offense has been up and down. We've scored at least twice in seven out of nine games so far in January. But Naz and Marleau only just ended their long droughts. Matthews is getting his share of chances but not converting them. Nylander hasn't done squat since his signing. JT and Mitch have been the two most consistent offensive forces, and Kapanen has really stepped up his game of late and has been the most dangerous forward aside from those two.
Johnsson suffered a concussion against the Coyotes and will likely miss some time. Looks like Moore will be back in the fold, and Nylander, by default, will get another look next to Matthews, probably.
Right after PK, Babs sometimes throws out JT, Matthews and Mitch together, maybe just for the heck of it. I'd like to see that more in regular 5-on-5 situations. Two high-scoring centers and a playing making winger. Just load up on that top line and see what those guys can do.
Marleau-Kadri-Kapanen have been flying the past couple of games, so they'll be the No. 2 line. With a healthy Johnsson, we can have him with Nylander (who can play center) and Hyman. The 4th line would stay the same with Lindholm-Gaut-Brown.
Gotta start putting a few more pucks into the net, boys.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have been outstanding. Since the debacle in San Antonio, we've gone 7-1. Also on Nov. 17, the Raps were 12-4, tied for 1st in the NBA. We're 35-13 now. Been playing at a .720 clip, if you do the math.
Some hard-fought wins along the way, of course, and we really needed that blowout against Memphis. Having an easy W every now and then lifts some pressure off the guys, while allowing them to take a breather in the 4Q and regroup for the next one. Perfect timing, too, since we get a couple of days off at home before hosting the Kings.
Man, Danny G was unstoppable in that win. We scored 45 points in the 3Q, with Green making 7 three-pointers. There's almost nothing I enjoy more in basketball than watching a shooter catch fire.
Like this:
Seriously, how do you let a proven shooter like Danny G even ATTEMPT that many open shots in one quarter? Defense, anyone?
And with some down time, our man Danny showed up for a Leafs game, rocking his No. 14 Leafs jersey right here:
And of course, No. 14 was the great Dave Keon's number and has been retired by the Leafs. Keon won Conn Smythe on the Leafs' last Stanley Cup team in 1967.
Hopefully, Green's hot shooting touch will rub off on the Leafs.
Brutal to Watch
Now, did I waste time watching the Leafs today when seemingly everyone else in the sporting world was glued to the NFL playoffs?
In a first, I will share some thoughts on football.
As the scuffling Leafs were trying to salvage a win on home ice, most of the sports-viewing public were probably following the Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship Game.
After the Leafs gave up the empty-netter late, I switched it off and tuned into football to see what the hype was all about.
Long story short: When the Chiefs took a 28-24 lead with a late TD, I just felt it only set up the stage for another one of those Tom Brady heroics. True to form, Brady engineered a huge drive, which ended in a rushing TD for a 31-28 NE lead with 39 seconds remaining.
I didn't think the Chiefs had it in them to win or even tie that game. Didn't even bother to watch the final seconds. But hey, what do you know, those guys tied it up with a FG, only to have the Pats break their heart with a sudden-death OT TD.
I sorta regretted not watching the finish in real time. So I replayed the 4th Q and OT of that AFC title game while riding my stationary bike Monday night.
But even with all that action, 38 points being scored and all, it was brutal to watch.
Admittedly, there were some replay challenges, some unconventional stoppages and all, but it took nearly 30 minutes in actual time to get 7 minutes off the game clock. Again, it was sort of an unusual situation, but getting in 7 or so minutes worth of play on the field required almost half an hour.
I am what you call a "casual" fan of football. I hardly watch the NFL during the regular season, with maybe 90 percent of the games being played at 1 a.m. or 4 a.m. in my time zone (the only games I can watch while I am conscious are Sunday nighters and MNF games, plus prime time playoff games and, of course, the Super Bowl).
I have stayed up through the night or woken up in the wee hours of the morning to watch my Toronto teams. I've never done that for NFL games for the simple reason that I have zero rooting interest. Unlike some Torontonians, I am not a Buffalo Bills fan. I don't think I've ever been a "fan" of any particular team, per se. And because I am a pretty serious fantasy football player, my rooting interest tends to be swayed by performances of my fantasy players.
(I played in 3 leagues this season and won 2. Pretty proud of that. I had to bring it up.)
I think the NFL games, more than others, are best watched in real time. I watch the NHL or the NBA on demand all the time, and I can even watch a nine-inning baseball game under the right circumstances.
But football? There's just so much dead time for my taste. This chart shows there are only 11 minutes of "game action" in an average NFL game on TV. That's not even worth one quarter of the game. Those dead moments are better to swallow in real time because at least there's some tension/excitement in the air.
I will watch hockey or basketball games even when I know the final score. Why? Because they come in well under 2 hours. I can usually find 1.5 hours to watch those games, at nights after kids go to sleep. As for my own sleep, I'll get it when I am dead.
Anyway, I am replaying the Leafs-Coyotes as I write this, and without commercials, it comes in at a brisk 1 hours and 29 minutes.
The running time for the Chiefs-Pats game, sans commercials, was more than 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The same 60-minute game, folks. One with three 20-minute periods of constant action. The other with four 15-minute quaters of a lot of dead time, be it unnecessary celebrations by players after seemingly every play, or waaaay too many shots of coaches in their hoodies and wearing headsets, looking oh-so-serious.
Speaking of which, it amuses me how seriously football coaches and players seem to take their game. After 9/11, folks stopped using a lot of war references when talking about football (The "war room" is the one that comes to my mind. No, it should never be called that because these guys aren't fighting in real wars). But I bet the coaches have the mindset as military commanders preparing for battles when they get ready for their games. Those numerous shots of their mugs during games tell me at least that much.
While I am on coaches... It boggles my mind that NFL teams employ so many coaches and coordinators. Out of curiosity, I checked the Pats' Web site, and in addition to HC Belichick, there are 14 coaches listed. Their SB opponents, LA Rams, have McVay plus 23 coordinators/coaches.
Look, I know there are a ton of players to, um, coach in football, but 24 coaches on the staff?? This game is overcoached.
I'll let the late, great George Carlin get the final moment with his classic monologue, "Baseball vs. Football." I love it so much I once quoted a line from this in an article.
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