End of the Season

Last night the Toronto Raptors lost a heartbreaker to the New Jersey Nets to end their season. The game was hard fought until the dying seconds when a pass was intercepted to prevent Toronto a chance to win the game. They lost their first round playoff series 4-2. This was certainly the most entertaining basketball game I have seen in a long while, and the only thing that could have made it better was to see Toronto win. Certainly both teams played hard enough to win, but unfortunately only one could have.

Still, the game suggests that next year will be a much better season, after already making huge strides this year. For starters, the Raptors fought hard when it mattered. They went out scratching and clawing right to the end. They must be commended for that. A second sign of hope is the young age of their stars. All of them are still improving and none of them are leaving at the end of the season. Certainly what they went through last night can only help them in future playoff series next year.

So, thanks to the Raptors for giving us all something to cheer for and to look forward to next year. I know I'll be watching.

A Little Poem

At my school I am teaching my class poetry. This week I introduced Limericks and wrote some examples for them. Here is one that got a rise out of the class (remember, I teach in Victoria, BC):

There's a team that we call the Canucks
Who just happen to be playing the Ducks
They struggle to score
Their games are a bore
Soon they'll be golfing and saying “Aw shucks!”

I told them they could write responses to this, so I may post any if they write good ones.

Do you have any responses to this? Please post your responses in a comment.

Toronto Sports Update

A week ago I posted about the Toronto Sports Teams and the events of the last week have necessitated an update.

1. The Toronto Raptors have officially won the Atlantic division and are currently looking at a Gilbert Arenas-less Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. I'm starting to like their chances now.

2. The Blue Jays are off to a 1-2 start. There have been some not-so-good games in those first three, but I'm going to keep in mind that there are 159 games left for them

3. The Leafs are about 25mins away from their last chance at a playoff spot. They must win tonight and hope that the Islanders lose tomorrow for them to make the playoffs. Right now I am currently haunted by my prediction (right after the Hurricanes won the cup) that the Islanders would win it all this year. Making the playoffs on the last day could certainly start a run to the final... who knows... if you're reading this before 4pm, I urge you to watch the Montreal-Toronto game. If the game is already over, I hope it was a good one....

UPDATE (7:30pm PST): The Leafs won 6-5 so Toronto fans will be watching the Islanders-Devils game tomorrow. If the Devils win, Toronto makes the playoffs.

A Couch Potato's Dream

This week marks the one time of the year when the three major sports teams that I follow are all playing. Yes, that's right, the baseball season is about to begin and the hockey and basketball seasons are coming to a close. Could this be the first year that all three of Toronto's sports teams make the playoffs in their repsective leagues?

For starters, the Raptors seem to have a playoff spot locked up, with the only question being: will they be seeded fourth, third, or – less likely – second. After taking care of Washington and Miami (the two teams they are fighting with for that third spot) this week, it looks good that Toronto will have a fairly high seeding come playoff time. They have 10 games left and are 3 games behind 2^nd place Cleveland and 6 games back of 1^st place Detroit (who they play twice). I am particularly impressed with Anthony Parker. The Raptors did not fare so well when he was out with an ankle sprain. He's not a big scoring guy, but he's a team player (as are most of the Raptors) and he is one of the major reasons for the team's successes this year.

The Leafs are not so much a lock. They are right in the think of the playoff hunt. As of this writing, they are one point out of eighth with one more game to play than the eigth place Monteal Canadiens. As my friend Rich tells me, it will likely come down to the final game of the season when Toronto and Montreal face off in Toronto. No doubt that game will be well watched throughout the 401 corridor. It would be nice for them to get in as I will no doubt hear it from all the Canuck bandwagon jumpers out here in B.C. who are all have all become born again hockey fans after a season in which the Canucks failed to make the playoffs.

The third team - the Blue Jays - hasn't played a single game yet this year, but they look to have a good chance. After last year's 2^nd place finish in their division (albeit 10 games back of the Yankees and 8 games back of the wildcard winner.), they have made some upgrades (Frank Thomas) and gotten rid of some problems (Ted Lilly – incidentally I was at the game when he and Manager John Gibbons allegedly exchanged fisticuffs in the tunnel to the dugout). Last year started bringing back feelings of '92 and '93, so I hope they can build from that.

I check all of my sports scores at Yahoo Sports. There are many other sites including the NHL site, the NBA site and the MLB site.