Basketball

Has Joe Dumars lost his way?

After being named the general manager of the Detroit Pistons in 2000, Joe Dumars turned heads quickly. In no time at all, he assembled an impressive championship-caliber squad which completely recreated the team’s identity. Over the course of a six-year span beginning with the 2002-03 season, the Pistons made the Eastern Conference finals six straight times, including two trips […]

Hockey

Draft Dogs part one: Dougie Hamilton

Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines, Ont., affectionately referred to as “The Jack” by the Niagara IceDogs and their devoted fan base, is nearing its 80th year of operation. Its vents clatter so forcefully that they shake standing room counters and, in turn, patrons’ beers between swallows. Its advertisements dominate the facility’s aesthetics, making certain […]

Baseball

Anthopoulos and the new-look Blue Jays

The 2011 Toronto Blue Jays are entering a new era. GM Alex Anthopoulos has had over a year on the job now and the team is already starting to look like his team. The remnants of the previous regime in all its forms have been shed and now its time to look forward. Anthopoulos’ first […]

Basketball

Tim Duncan: The silent superstar

Tim Duncan is the silent superstar. Silently, he’s led the San Antonio Spurs to four NBA championships. Silently, he’s been named the NBA Finals MVP three times. Silently, he’s a 13-time all-star, a former NBA Rookie of the Year and a two-time regular season MVP. Countless awards and accomplishments accumulate for the 34-year-old veteran. There’s no doubt he’s heading to the Hall of Fame […]

Basketball

Defending Chris Bosh’s questionable legacy in Toronto

On Feb. 16, Chris Bosh returned to Toronto, the city he had spent his entire career with before joining the Miami Heat. It was not a homecoming, nor was it an affirmation of the Heat’s dominance. The Raptors lost 103-95. The night wasn’t really what anyone expected. In other words, it was a very Bosh-like night. As somebody who […]

Basketball

The Association and the traveling circus

As NBA All-Star Weekend ends, so too ends the greatest spectacle in the history of February. We must pack away the Darryl Dawkins leopard-print suits, the Mohawk-adorned children who keep losing dolls and hot Sager-on-Bieber action. Back we go to the real world of Tuesday road games, playing defense, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The all-star spectacle is the climax of […]

Other Sports

A North American guide to the 2011 Cricket World Cup

A major global sporting event begins this Saturday in South Asia. Co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the 2011 Cricket World will captivate millions of people across five continents for the next six weeks. Historically, Canada versus the United States is the oldest fixture in international cricket. The first match between two opposing countries took […]

Hockey

It’s not all Phil Kessel’s fault

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the very definition of an “up and down” team. If they’re not running a two-game winning streak, they’re dropping three in a row. As soon as they rattle off four straight, they turn around and lose six of seven. As frustrating as this is for fans in Toronto, it has […]

Baseball

Our recovery from Stephen Strasburg’s surgery

Last June baseball fans from San Diego to D.C. had the privilege of watching the Major League Baseball debut of Washington Nationals stud pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The nation-wide pandemonium of his highly-anticipated first start was rewarded in kind, with 14 strikeouts and a win. The years of hype, speculation and mystery, had started to pay […]

Hockey

Islanders prospects numb pain in New York

The phrase “kick ’em when they’re down” seems tame, sadly, when applied to the New York Islanders this season. Things just aren’t going so well in Long Island. The new year, in particular, has gone poorly for the Isles, and that’s even considering that many thought they would stumble along all season and be a […]