Hedo it his way

So NBA free-agents are willing to come to Canada after all. Well, as long as they're not American.


Toronto? Really?

Case in point, Hedo Turkoglu is ready to sign a big deal with the Torarctic Raptors. At first glace this appears like a rare thing. An aberration even. Honestly, how and why would a big name NBA free-agent think of Toronto as a place to continue ballin'? Well, the answer is simple: Hedo's not American. That's it. If he were, he wouldn't be coming. But he's European, from way the fuck over there and not next door. And at the end of the day Canadians are less foreign to a guy from Istanbul than to someone from Detroit. I know, it's weird, unfortunate even, but that's just the way it is. Like in most walks of life, business, politics, etc. our teams will NEVER be taken seriously in their leagues. Unless, of course, the parties passing judgment are from elsewhere. Like Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu. I know Americans will never understand why a player of Hedo's stature would rather play here than there, and that's okay. It's who they are, and what we've come to expect of them.

All that said, I think the Turkish shooting phenom made the right choice by signing in Toronto. It's the team he's joining I'm not too sure about?

Big on this, short on that

Yankee stadium is beautiful and bogus. Luxury and little league. Terrific and tiny. No, really, the place is wondrous, an icon in his inception, it's just those short home run porches I don't appreciate much. Look, short down the line is one thing (318 in left, 314 in right), but short in the gaps? Right field at the new park is the worst. From humble beginnings the wall dashes straight out. It doesn't round out. While the measurement to the deepest part of the alley is respectable, the mid-field fence is easily reachable. Too reachable for guys who don't need the advantage. How many homers in Saturday's Jays/Yanks game? 4! And to where? Yep, right-centre field. It sets up pretty well for the Yanks' arsenal of left-handed swatters, and the many who'll snag home run balls out there. Hey, the smaller the yard the more seats you can crowd around it. And packing them in is obviously more important than keeping them from going out.

So now what?

Had Rick Nash still been available today, I'd be fine with BB's moratorium on moves. But I'm already over what's already been done, and like many of you, know there's still so much more that can be...done. I do trust that things will take shape for the better, it's just that I want the evolution of the Leafs to continue NOW, while I'm into it, while I'm high on anticipation (and nothing else!). Bottom line: I'm just eager for more...soon. Jay-Z sums it up best on my behalf: "I got no patience and I hate waitin". Especially these days when the winds of change are a blowin'.