Toronto Sports Teams - Futility is Forever

For those in the GTA area. A place to commiserate. Is there any hope for this burb? The leafs haven't made the playoffs in 7 seasons, 8 including the last lockout; 9 seasons if Bettman's latest lockout can go the distance - like they were a threat to make the playoffs anyway. If I was still a kid playing road hockey, I don't think there's any current Leaf I'd want to be.

Blue Jays are coming off another brutal season with no hope in sight. 19 years and counting since post-season berth. I think a last-place-in-the-division bet for Jays next year is a lock. Call your bookie. The Jays projected rotation has got to be the worst starting-5 in all of baseball.

Raptors are off to a sizzling 1-4 start, but we are told they have much upside. Management would't make that stuff up. Only problem, is two games ago, the new star point-guard was seen crawling off the court. But the back-up, Calderon, I'm sure will seize the moment.

At least our cheerleaders can strike a pose!

Raptors Dance Pak - Kat. Meow



I'm sure if you break down the numbers, ( in fact I think an enterprising reporter did just that recently) The T-dot rates as having the worst collection of major-league sports teams of any major North American City. Sigh.

Your people have refused to support the Bills when they play in your stadium as a "home game". The NFL has tried testing the waters to see if Toronto would be a viable option for an expansion team, or maybe to relocate a current team in a small market, but the attendance has not been all that great (neither has the product). Looks like it will be London and Los Angeles getting the next set of teams.

Yes, but we in Toronto hate the Bills. We have a healthy superiority attitude towards anything Buffalo sports related. We hate the Sabres and we hate the Bills. When I watch a Bills game, I always cheer for the other team.

Bills in Toronto is not a home game. Bills players are right to bitch about playing here. They lose their home field advantage.

The whole project was a mutual money-grubbing affair on the part of Ralph Wilson and Rogers Communications, the corporate giant that dominates the local sports landscape, with its ownership of teams, venues and media properties. Wilson made a fortune selling the rights to the games, so that's how the Bills benefit.

Meanwhile Rogers failed to understand the NFL support in Toronto. NFL interest is huge. The games get big TV rating and big spreads in the sports pages. But we are not a Bills town. Rogers thought they could charge exhorbitant prices for the novelty of an NFL regular season game in Toronto. The prices were nuts, close to 4x what they charged in Buffalo. It backfired on the greedy bastards. They've been lowering prices every year in a bid to sell tickets and get their money back. There is a healthy cynicism in this city about the Bills in Toronto, especially regarding the way Toronto NFL fans were played for suckers that would mortgage their homes to watch the Bills play.

But give us our own team, at normal NFL ticket prices, and we'll pack the place and make lots of noise. Beating the Bills would be the hi-lite of any season.

===re the orginal post, its now terribly out of date. The Leafs still suck and the NHL looks like it's going to torpedo another full season - however the Jays and Raptors are definitely going in the right direction.

The Jays and their corporate masters, Rogers, seemingly weary of mediocrity, have brought in a boatload of top veterans to bolster the rotation and the batting order. Now we have probably the deepest rotation in the AL with R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson ,Mark Buerhle, Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero and J.A. Happ, plus we've added Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes to go along with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Vegas has made us favourites to win the AL.

Raptors despite starting 4-19, have finally got their act together and have won 5 in a row. I wasn't so bothered by the Raptors as they are a young team. Its not so bad when talented young players are paying their dues. You can see the growth and the upside. I am not yet sure how great this upside might be, but guys like, Demar Rozan, Terrence Ross, Eddie Davis and Jonas Valanciunas, all 1st round picks, are suddenly playing with real confidence and energy. Everyone is looking better, and all this minus top player Andrea Bargnani.

btw I started this thread at Shark's request, as he had anticipated some new GTA sports fans joining the BAB. I am otherwise not under any delusion that anyone gives a crap about T-dot sports other than those of us that live here and have had to endure the local scene.

token Raptor Dance Pak photo. The girls have something to cheer about now.



btw I am rooting for the Falcons in the NFL playoffs. It might be their year! I pick a bandwagon to jump on every season. Although I never root for the Cowboys or Packers. Just too trendy.