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Coming off the emotional playoff like game Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks and shootout hero Mats Sundin the mapl leafs played a very strong, disciplined and energetic game.  Just goes to show how a boost from Sundin can energize a team and lead to a 3 point weekend.

Who is the best siging?

Who is the worst signing?

Who is a value and who did leaf management overpay?

Toronto Argos

Are the argos making a mistake hiring a rookie CFL coach?

toronto raptors

I am not a believer that professional athletes, or any athlete, plans to lose on purpose. 

But with the current raptor team do you think they will be a lottery team or miss the playoff and the lottery for the first overall draft pick?

Roy Halladay

Yes, its cold outside and snowing but the boys of summer are almost here.  The Toronto Blue Jay tickets are now on sale.  The blue jays home and season opener is Monday April 6th, 2009 at 7pm.  Pitchers and catchers have already at spring training. 

Most likely Roy Halladay will be the pitcher that night.  How many games do you think Halladay will win this season? 

Will the jays miss AJ Burnett?   I do not think so, he is at best a .500 pitcher who is well overpaid.

Sundin Shows his Love to Toronto Fans

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team lost the game but the sports fans of Toronto show class and respect to a true maple leafs hero–Mats Sundin.  The fans at Air Canada Centre (ACC) gave Mats Sundin a loud well deserved standing ovation which brought tears to the eyes to the former–still to be replaced–captain. 

Though there were some boos early in the game it all disappeared as their former captain scored the winning goal in a shootout though it was for the visiting Vancouver Canucks. 

Sundin deserved the cheers as he was the face of the Franchise over the last 13 years. For the first time in a long long while the feel around this game was that of a playoff game and its ironic that on its the night Sundin returns to ACC for the first time. Yes, the leafs did not make the playoffs with Sundin over the last few seasons but they are not ready to make it without him yet.

Before the game and all week there has been great speculation and debate whether to boo or cheer Mats. A lot of people believe Mats is a great hockey player but some how inferior to Gilmour or Clark since the Leafs did not win with him. Yes, Gilmour and Clark were key to those magical runs in ’92 and ’93 and we all enjoyed it and still enjoy it but Sundin took the leafs just as far as those two former leafs captain did. Gilmour and Clark led the leafs to conference finals but so did Sundin in 1999 and 2001. The difference being Gilmour and Clark did it in successive years where Sundin did it a few years apart.

Debating which player or team you like more than the other well that is different but in the end Sundin, Gilmour and Clark should all be loved, cheered and respected equally as they all won but did not win it all.

Finally, there is a notion that Sundin could have solved all of the leafs roster problems or lack of quality players / draft picks by waiving his no trade clause last year.  Well the fact the leafs have next to none quality players and few draft picks is not Sundin’s doing.  The free agent signings or trades that did not work out is also not Sundin’s doing or his fault.  Actually, over the years he actually covered up some of those bad decision by leafs management and ownership.  So since none of this was his direct or indirect doing it therefore is not up to Mats to solve all of these issues.  At the time Sundin exercised his no trade clause, which he rightly deserved– 10+ years in the same organization–he believed in his team mates and did not want to abandon them. 

We can debate this for a long time but in the end all must agree Sundin was a good maple leafs captain for a long time and his record shows that.  Thanks for the memories Mats.