It seems like the G20 world leaders aren't the only ones to come to Toronto, stay for the pleasantries and promptly make their hasty exit just as things around them are turning sour. Chris Bosh, the Toronto Raptors franchise leader in points, and for all intents and purposes the face of the club, has skipped town to surf the beaches of Miami with the Heat, just as things have turned ugly.
It punctuates a disturbing trend in the town of T.O. that has seen three marquee and all-world talents leave their respective sporting clubs to join greener pastures elsewhere.
Let's go back to Christmas, 2008. The Vancouver Canucks awoke to find Mats Sundin, nestled in their stocking all ready and primed to win Stanley's mug with his new team, fresh off of rejecting to renew his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Few could have ever pictured the big Swede in any other colours except the blue and white (save for the earlier hockey purists who remember the captain in a Nordiques jersey... newer Leafs fans couldn't tell you what a Nordique is).
In a move that Sundin said (now read carefully, this part's important), was based purely on winning and not cashing in any lucrative contracts, he felt he had a much greater shot at Lord Stanley's Cup in Vancouver than in Toronto, where he served as captain for 11 years. There isn't much disputing evidence to the contrary where Toronto fans are concerned.
No, the Swedish captain; long the fan favourite and consistent point producer for a Toronto team that at times showed promise (2002 conference finals), finally wanted out. He left as a legend to fans, but never could bring that elusive Cup to the city that has painfully been deprived of an NHL championship for 43 years and counting.
Next up, enter Roy Halladay. At one time, maybe even still today, you can't mention the Toronto Blue Jays without thinking of 'The Doctor'. It seemed that Doc had a cure for all the Jays' ailments when he took to the mound every five games. What he couldn't cure however was managerial incompetency that produced mediocrity in a division where mediocrity will never even be close to good enough. The Yankees, Red Sox, and now the Tampa Bay Rays all lay claim to the American League East's top spots.
Halladay didn't see a future that included a World Series title in Toronto and split for Philadelphia, a team fresh off of two straight World Series finals appearances, including one championship. He didn't leave for the bucks. He left to win.
And just like that, make it two franchise players in a span of 1.5 years to make their marks, mark their careers in T.O., and then leave the city in their wake.
The Raptors must have been watching. How could they not? The lesson was; in order to keep your pivotal players in town, you need to prove to them that you are committed to winning. Leafs GM, John Ferguson Jr. couldn't do it with Sundin. Jays Manager, J.P. Ricciardi failed to show Halladay that drive to win at all costs, even in a murderous division. Now, add Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to that unfortunate list of losers.
Bosh is gone, and like the Blue Jays' dismal attendance record this year shows, if fans can't see an All-Star play on their team, day in and day out, why bother showing up? What's the incentive to go to a Raps game now? To see their next best player, a disgruntled Turk, Hedo Turkoglu, who in his home country told journalists (and not management) that he was wronged last year and wants out? That'll sell tickets.
So what does all this mean?
Unfortunately, the future looks very grim in terms of recruiting players to Toronto. What will Colangelo's offer pitches to prospective players look like now? Hey (insert NBA All-Star here), I know Chris just left cuz' he felt we were going nowhere, and our prized free agent signing of last year has given up after one season, but how 'bout YOU take a gamble?
Not going to fly. It will be many years before the Raptors will look like a team on players' radar to win big, and that's assuming the boys in charge don't pull any gaffes.
The good news is, the seemingly poisonous management that has plagued the city's big three franchises have all been kicked out the door. Ferguson and Ricciardi are gone, replaced by (so far) competent personnel who look like they have a plan in place.
If Colangelo treads cautiously and patiently (because the only way this Raptors team can be rebuilt properly is through successful consecutive annual entry drafts), he can manoeuvre his way out of perhaps the biggest devastation to hit the Raps in their 15-year history and build a contender in the next 4-5 years.
It's not what fans want to hear, and they may stay away in the near future because of it, but in time, with a successful drafting and developing record, they will eventually come back.
Perhaps then, they won't see their stars shoot out of town for a brighter future.
It punctuates a disturbing trend in the town of T.O. that has seen three marquee and all-world talents leave their respective sporting clubs to join greener pastures elsewhere.
Let's go back to Christmas, 2008. The Vancouver Canucks awoke to find Mats Sundin, nestled in their stocking all ready and primed to win Stanley's mug with his new team, fresh off of rejecting to renew his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Few could have ever pictured the big Swede in any other colours except the blue and white (save for the earlier hockey purists who remember the captain in a Nordiques jersey... newer Leafs fans couldn't tell you what a Nordique is).
In a move that Sundin said (now read carefully, this part's important), was based purely on winning and not cashing in any lucrative contracts, he felt he had a much greater shot at Lord Stanley's Cup in Vancouver than in Toronto, where he served as captain for 11 years. There isn't much disputing evidence to the contrary where Toronto fans are concerned.
No, the Swedish captain; long the fan favourite and consistent point producer for a Toronto team that at times showed promise (2002 conference finals), finally wanted out. He left as a legend to fans, but never could bring that elusive Cup to the city that has painfully been deprived of an NHL championship for 43 years and counting.
Next up, enter Roy Halladay. At one time, maybe even still today, you can't mention the Toronto Blue Jays without thinking of 'The Doctor'. It seemed that Doc had a cure for all the Jays' ailments when he took to the mound every five games. What he couldn't cure however was managerial incompetency that produced mediocrity in a division where mediocrity will never even be close to good enough. The Yankees, Red Sox, and now the Tampa Bay Rays all lay claim to the American League East's top spots.
Halladay didn't see a future that included a World Series title in Toronto and split for Philadelphia, a team fresh off of two straight World Series finals appearances, including one championship. He didn't leave for the bucks. He left to win.
And just like that, make it two franchise players in a span of 1.5 years to make their marks, mark their careers in T.O., and then leave the city in their wake.
The Raptors must have been watching. How could they not? The lesson was; in order to keep your pivotal players in town, you need to prove to them that you are committed to winning. Leafs GM, John Ferguson Jr. couldn't do it with Sundin. Jays Manager, J.P. Ricciardi failed to show Halladay that drive to win at all costs, even in a murderous division. Now, add Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to that unfortunate list of losers.
Bosh is gone, and like the Blue Jays' dismal attendance record this year shows, if fans can't see an All-Star play on their team, day in and day out, why bother showing up? What's the incentive to go to a Raps game now? To see their next best player, a disgruntled Turk, Hedo Turkoglu, who in his home country told journalists (and not management) that he was wronged last year and wants out? That'll sell tickets.
So what does all this mean?
Unfortunately, the future looks very grim in terms of recruiting players to Toronto. What will Colangelo's offer pitches to prospective players look like now? Hey (insert NBA All-Star here), I know Chris just left cuz' he felt we were going nowhere, and our prized free agent signing of last year has given up after one season, but how 'bout YOU take a gamble?
Not going to fly. It will be many years before the Raptors will look like a team on players' radar to win big, and that's assuming the boys in charge don't pull any gaffes.
The good news is, the seemingly poisonous management that has plagued the city's big three franchises have all been kicked out the door. Ferguson and Ricciardi are gone, replaced by (so far) competent personnel who look like they have a plan in place.
If Colangelo treads cautiously and patiently (because the only way this Raptors team can be rebuilt properly is through successful consecutive annual entry drafts), he can manoeuvre his way out of perhaps the biggest devastation to hit the Raps in their 15-year history and build a contender in the next 4-5 years.
It's not what fans want to hear, and they may stay away in the near future because of it, but in time, with a successful drafting and developing record, they will eventually come back.
Perhaps then, they won't see their stars shoot out of town for a brighter future.
I think the key thing that needs to be pointed out -- and no disrespect to any of the three aforementioned players is that none of them were capable of carrying their team to the promise land. It takes a special individual to do that, in reality they needed to move on as much as the organizations did as well.
ReplyDeleteChris Bosh is in my opinion a tier below the great players, such as a Kobe Bryant. Bosh needs to be on a team where he isn't seen as the #1 guy, but part of a bigger picture. Hence the trio in Miami.
Mats Sundin was a great player, key word being was. In hockey a single player will never really be great enough to carry an entire team to the promiseland and when Sundin was IN his prime, Toronto always lacked depth somewhere. He was also in my opinion a tier below all of the greatest players in history.
Finally the Doc. Baseball is entirely unfair. One player will NOT make a team, nor even make a team go to the playoffs. The Blue Jays have been grossly mismanaged by JP. Thats a fact.
Anyway, love the articles. Keep up the good work.
Good points on the '1 player does not a team make', but I was going more for the fact they're all cornerstone guys you can build around. Admittedly Bosh isn't Bryant, but despite his injury-prone history, I think he's definitely someone to build around. Thanks for the comments!
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