Winds of Change

Hello, hello...

My sinuses are giving me serious issues lately; it must be May.  But considering we're all but done with the cold weather here in Toronto, I'll live with popping pills for another few weeks.  (Legal pills, of course)

So I've started recording demos for a brand spanking new podcast.  It's going to be sports centric, fast paced and (if everything works like its suppose to) I'll upload one a day (or every other day) in the morning or early afternoon before the major networks get going; that should fill the void most of us feel waiting for the evening podcasts to come up.  More details to come shortly.

And now... the rest... LEGGO!

I've been getting a lot of questions lately surrounding the proposed sports and entertainment facility being built in Markham, Ontario (just north of Toronto).  Obviously, the most asked question is 'will this complex entice the NHL to move a second team to Toronto?'

To that I answer... Entice?!?!  Why do you think they're building the damn thing in the first place? 

But imagination and reality are two different things and the biggest caveat to the idea of a second team in Toronto is a legal battle that likely would lie ahead with the NHL's most important franchise; the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The thought is that the NHL believes it has the right to locate a franchise anywhere they choose, so long as they have the support of the majority of NHL governors and adhere to league policies.  This belief is backed by a report done by the Canadian Competition Bureau whom investigated the NHL's relocation practices during the failed attempt by former Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsille to bring the Nashville Predators to Hamilton.  In the report, the Bureau concluded that the NHL's relocation policies do indeed comply with existing laws. 

So although the Feds appear to have given the NHL cart blanche to go about their business as they see fit, the Toronto Maple Leafs have something to say about the situation.  And it's a pretty simple rebuttal, Section 4.3 of the NHL Constitution states "No franchise shall be granted a home territory within the home of a member without the written consent of such member."

This essentially gives the Leafs a veto in putting a team in its territory and this is where things get really sticky.  The thought in the league office is that the collective bargaining agreement coupled with agreed upon relocation guidelines supersedes the antiquated NHL constitution.  The problem with that stance is that the NHL constitution is a legally binding document and that's exactly how the Leafs will attack any encroachment onto their territory.  So without going into any other factors, there appears to be a sizable legal hurdle for the NHL to tackle in moving or expanding into Toronto.  It's a battle that could become more expensive and damaging than its worth for the NHL and only time (and the new ownership group of the Maple Leafs) will tell if Hogtown's hockey allegiances will be split. 

---

Another story gaining traction (which is weird because I talk to Canadians mostly) is the possibility that college football is developing a new playoff system to determine a national champion.  I suppose this is what I get for sporting an Oregon Ducks hoodie, huh?

Although I'm a fan of college football, I'm a bigger fan of the dudes who actually play college football.  And given the systemic problems of the NCAA, doesn't a push for a playoff system seem sort of... selfish?  And before you assume I'm going to hit you with the "they don't get paid" argument; what if we throw that logic out the window?  What's left?

How about institutions that value tradition and image over a students well being and safety?  How about head coaches who hold absolute power, yet cry plausible deniability when the shit hits the fan?  How about boosters whom in concert with agents, run cartels in the dealing of athletes?  How about using education as an incompatible currency?  How about the exploitation of young people in a first world country?  Aren't all of those things more important than a playoff?  Haven't these issues given the NCAA more headaches than the antiquated system for determining a champion?

Any playoff system, no matter how it's structured, is nothing more than a move to appease the fans of college football and generate greater income.  And if the fans are more up in arms about that, then all of the real problems plaguing collegiate athletics... well... then... why not just pay the kids already?

---

The Leftovers...

Here's an interesting read from ESPN.  John Mastroberardino (which probably looks awesome on the back of a Red Wings jersey) has put together a list of what the top athlete in a particular sport made in salary and/or prize money in 2011.  What I learned from it... parents, get your kids into fishing!

Brandon Jennings has a tattoo of the Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles logo!  Yupp, you read that right.  Via Jennings Instagram page, the ink is located on his left forearm and pays homage to the Los Angles landmark.  Can't wait till a hockey player gets a 'Harvey's' tattoo.

There've been a ton of fascinating story lines during this early phase of the NHL Playoffs, but few have been as interesting as the manner in which Washington Capitals head coach Dale Hunter has dolled out the ice time (or a lack of it) to his skilled players.    And I suppose if the team continues to win, it's all good, right?  No telling how Hunter's strategy will work out in the end, but in the interim it sure has produced some fantastic Alexander Ovechkin quotes.  My favorite comes from the post game scrum Monday night when Ovi said this about the current situation... "Sometimes you just have to put eye in your butt and, you know, play for everybody."  What the hell is coach telling these guys?