I am thankful for...

Happy US Thanksgiving to our friends south of the border...in the spirit of giving thanks let's look at some sports-related items I am thankful for lately...



Lakers win...Lakers win...theeee Lakers win


Topping the list is I am thankful to be a Lakers fan...3-time defending Western Conference champs...2-time defending NBA champs...the type of organization that "measures success by Championships" according to my hero Earvin Magic Johnson...when your other fav teams are the Dolphins and Jays then you really appreciate a team that wins and is committed to winning like the Lakers

Speaking of the Jays...I am thankful that Paul Beeston has agreed to stick around and run the franchise...his fingerprints are all over the 1992-1993 World Series winning teams and the fact that he once again is at the top of the organization is cause for optimism...

As a sports fan I am thankful that as we speak the Miami Hate are a pedestrian 8-7...I am glad to see that just assembling a few players with massive talent does not equal huge success...at least not right away anyway...I am thankful that the whole idea of building a team through building a foundation and culture is still the blueprint for success

I am thankful that with all the assholes in sports we still have Sydney Crosby...Tom Brady...Peyton Manning...Albert Pujols...Doc Halladay...Tim Duncan...Steve Nash...Big Papi...to show the youth how to act on and off the field (Derek Jeter would normally be on this list but he is currently taking a huge gamble with his rep as he is actually making the Yankees look like the good guys in this latest contract negotiation)



Jim Joyce wipes the tears


I am thankful that I saw the essence of sportsmanship rekindled in the wake of the Jim Joyce blown call at first base on what would have been the final out of Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga...usually umps have an attitude that they are beyond reproach but Joyce (the umpire) went out of his way to acknowledge his mistake and to apologize to Galarraga after the game...the way these 2 handled the situation was inspiring...the next day Joyce rotated from 1st base ump to home plate umpire and he was showered with a standing ovation as he stood at home plate before the game to accept the line-up cards from the coaches...his eyes filled with tears as he was overcome with emotion (pictured left)...his human error the day before that cost the Tigers pitcher, Tigers organization, and Tigers fans a piece of history was all forgiven as sportsmanship trumped the blown call and inspired a lot of people...very cool scene in Motown

I am thankful that the NFL is talking about an 18 game schedule...I am thankful MLB is considering adding more teams to the playoffs...I am thankful that the NCAA March Madness pool is up to 68 teams this season...possibly more to come there too...the more teams = the more chances for the type of special upsets that only this tourney can provide

I am thankful that Allen Iverson had to go to Turkey to resume his basketball career...life lesson there kids - if you spend your entire career putting you ahead of the team then no matter what your talent level is your act will wear thin...truth is AI would have been a great fit in Boston, LA, and really perfect for Miami but he showed time and time again that he was the only person on his mind...

I am thankful for the NFL rule change to protect hits to the head...the comments from the Defensive players in the League when the changes happened were ignorant and appalling...the idea that we as fans tune in to see that level of violence is absurd...we tune in to watch football, not countless close-ups of unconscious players who have to be carted off the field while strapped to a board to go and run tests to see if their quality of life has been forever altered...disgusting

I am sooooo thankful for the new NBA rule that allows referees to levy a Technical Foul against a player who is in any way over-the-top with any antics when disagreeing with a foul call...there are 450+ players in the NBA and none of them have ever committed a foul a day in their life...at least that is the way they act after any call...the histrionics were embarrassing and really were taking away from the integrity of the game so good for you NBA

I am thankful that for whatever reason you decided to spend 5 minutes with me today reading my blog :)...as always I hope you enjoyed the read and I hope we can interact again soon...

craig.ballard@hotmail.com

Your Toronto Raptors

Hello again friends...YOUR TORONTO RAPTORS are a dozen games into the 2010-2011 campaign and thus far it has been a dirty dozen...lets review shall we...

You know how we do it around here...The Good...The Bad...The Ugly

The Good

I have seen improvement and growth from DeMar

When you have played 12 games and only have 3 ticks in the W column finding The Good is difficult...I will say this - the Craps..sorry Raps...have played 8 road games which is more than any other team in the East (Only Portland - who is in the West - has played as many road games as that) not to mention 4 of those were n the West Coast...when the sched evens out a lot more and the other teams in the East have to go on those trips while the T-Dot catches up on their home games we could see more W's...

Although it is true that Andrea Bargnani has struggled a tad with consistency he still is getting 20 points per game on average which is 6 points higher than his career avg of 14 ppg

Last season we lamented that Reggie Evans was never healthy to contribute to the Raps...this year he is averaging a team-high 12 rebounds per game...those are Craig Ballard at Father Michael Goetz numbers!!!  (a laugh there for those of you who have known me since my high school days)

Sonny Weems is coming off the bench and at 14.1 points per game he is doubling his career avg

I have thought during stretches of time that the light bulb is going on for 2nd year player DeMar DeRozan...his offensive game has improved, but I am referring to his decision making and aggressiveness in stretches where the Raps really needed it...to have a 2nd year guy provide that for you bodes well for his development...

To have a 3-9 start and only be 2 games out of the 8th and final playoff spot is good

The Bad

Oh boy...2-6 road record...0-4 West Coast trip...

blown out at Washington when John Wall was not even playing...any of the last minute plays that Jay Triano has drawn up...

The fact that Reggie Evans leads your team in steals (come on Jose...Jack...DD...Sonny...Julian Wright...Barbosa)...

David Anderson has played in 10 games (yikes...I may be a better option..did I mention my high school rebounding prowess?!?!)...



more often than not we do no want to look either

Jarrett Jack's shooting numbers are plummeting...DO NOT let JJ shoot from downtown where he has made just 4 of his 24 attempts (YIKES)...JJ's turnovers are up and assists are down...

The other PG is Jose Calderon...Calderon's also has shooting numbers that are way down, as are his assists
The Ugly



STILL waiting for Alabi and Davis to debut

 Sure the Raps lost Bosh and Hedon't Turkoglu in the off-season, but they add Leandro Barbosa, Linus Kleiza, and Ed Davis...all 3 have struggled already with injuries...Davis has not even made his NBA debut yet...personally I cannot wait to see what kind of pro Mr Ed will be as I am excited about him...heck even fellow rookie Soloman Alabi has yet to make his debut...

The New Orleans Hornets are 9-1...the lone loss came at Dallas by 3 points...they are playing great...former Raptor Marco Belinelli has started all 10 games and is averaging 12 points per game and playing very well...as a Rap he started 1 game and averaged 7 points last season

The Raps still offer no consequences for taking the ball to the rim against them...teams are still able to run lay-up drills vs the Raps D as the middle is s-o-f-t

This team has looked brutal in the 4th Q this yea...they are really a young team who needs time to jell...it does not help that the new guys are all hurt...adding new guys has its own built-in learning curve but when the guys are not even healthy the jell process is of course further delayed which as already added to Raps fans frustrations...

I would have thought 4-8 was worst case scenario for this squad after a dozen games so to be below even that is upsetting and ugly...

Go Raps Go

craig.ballard@hotmail.com

NFL Week 10-11

Hi folks...I am sorry for the delay in adding a new entry but I have had computer and Internet issues :(...but lets get right back at our weekly looks at the National Football Association...

Week 10

Matty Ice

As you know I like the NFC South winner to go on and represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV...the way Matty Ice has his Hotlanta Falcons humming - especially at home where they have won 14 straight with Matt Ryan at the helm - the Dirty Birds look good right now...



Speaking of winning at home how about Peyton and the Colts...4-0 at home this season despite numerous injuries (I may line up at WR for the Colts this week as they are sooo short handed these days)

Speaking, again, of winning at home Toronto's own Buffalo Bills finally get a W...the most significant part of that is it came at home where the Bills were dominant in the 90's, but horrid in the 2000's...

Hmmm...looks like a home team shout-out here too but with Week 10's 49-29 thrashing of KC the Denver Broncos won a Division home game for the first time in 2 years under Head Coach Josh McDaniels

Miami had 4 different players throw a pass in an injury-filled W, their first at home in 2010...WR Randy Moss has played 2 games in Miami this season and has 1 catch...give some credit to Dolphins CB Vontae Davis...the 2nd year player is really impressing this season and appears to have a Top 5 up-side

Mike Thomas carried off the field after "The Rebound"

Play of the Year ends the Houston @ Jacksonville tilt...you have no doubt seen the replay of David Garrard's 50 yard Hail Mary toss into the End Zone on the last play of the game...the ball was spiked down by Houston CB Glover Quin but the angle of the spike allowed the football to land fortuitously in the arms of Jags WR Mike Thomas for the game winning score...the play is called "Rebound" and when they practice it Thomas is always the "scoop guy" whose job it is to try to catch a deflected/batted ball...what was huge was the play prior to that was a 5-yard offside penalty on Antonio Smith which gave Garrard the extra 5 yards needed to get his heave all the way into the End Zone...that W puts the Jags at 5-4, while the loss was the 3rd straight for a Texans franchise that had their sights set on their first ever play-off appearance when they started 4-2

Cowboys win...Cowboys win...theeee Cowboys win...QB Jon Kitna completes only 13 passes, but 3 of those are for TD's and he amassed 327 passing yards as the talented skill players in Dallas finally showed up for a football game...interim (although don't call him that to his face!) Coach Jason Garret had the 'Boys in pads from Day 1 of his regime in an attempt to change the direction of this squad asap...I understand his motivation to improve things right away as he only has the rest of this season to show that he can lead this team going forward...with guys available like Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden Garret knows the competition could be tough to lead America's Team

Big road W for the New England Patriots...once again Tom Brady had his skill and leadership on display as the Steel Curtain takes a loss for the 2nd time in 3 weeks...

The Washington Redskins outscore the Philadelphia Eagles 7-0 in the 4th Q on Monday Night...sadly for 'Skins fans the other 3 Q's were sheer domination to the tune of 59-21 for Philly...1st play of the game goes for 88 yards and a TD from QB Michael Vick to WR DeSean Jackson, and the Eagles got 6 TD's from Vick in an absolute beat-down on the road...Eagles have won 4 straight games that Jackson has played in...Vick said it was his best game ever...he has never thrown an INT in his Eagles career

Week 11

Detroit @ Dallas...something here has to give...the Lions have lost the last 25 games they have played on the road...that is a record...the Cowboys are 0-4 this season in their new $1.3 billion stadium

Green Bay @ Minnesota...several teams this season have taken their turn at chipping away at the legend of QB Brett Favre and here comes the final chance for QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to do their damage...the Pack beat the Vikes in Week 7 28-24 at Lambeau...with Division foes Green Bay and Chicago already at 6-3 each the 3-6 Vikings are already in panic-mode and surely need this W

Oakland @ Pittsburgh...if the 5-4 Raiders get this W to go to 6-4 that will drop the Steelers to 6-4 and the Raiders would own the tie-breaker over Pitt thus be ahead of them in the standings...take that in for a moment...that means a Raiders W will have Oakland ahead of Pitt in the standings going into Week 12...another in a long line of examples of just how nutsacks this 2010 NFL season has been...


these QB's are each a classic

Indy @ New England...does it get better, or classier than Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady?!?!  This yearly classic writes itself...the last 2 games have gone to Manning and the Colts with last season being a crazy 35-34 final...Brady completed 29 passes for 375 yards and 3 TD's while Peyton completed 28 for 327 yards and 4 TD's...side-note here is that Tom Terrific will miss practise all week with foot and shoulder issues

NY Giants @ Philly...massive NFC East tilt...6-3 vs 6-3...1st place at stake...the first of 2 games between these teams over the next 5 weeks which will likely decide the NFC East winner

as always I welcome your emails... craig.ballard@hotmail.com

NFL Week 8-9

Hard to imagine the New England Patriots having a better week than this one...not only do they get a W (at home where Tom Brady stacks W's...more on that in a moment) but the hated Jets and the Steelers each lose putting the Pats as the current #1 seed in the AFC...this seems huge to me as the Jets/Steel Curtain/Ravens all have D's that will be able to travel well if need be come playoff time...the Pats D is not as strong so I don't really like them on the road, but who cares about the road if you are the #1 seed...plus Randy Moss continues to expose himself as a jackass which has me thinking it was a good move for the Pats to jettison him out of town...even Barry Bonds - the sports asshole - was never kicked out of one, let alone 2 cities for being a jerk...


Let's move away from jerk talk and look at one of the true sports heroes around - Tom Brady...Tom Terrific has a career 66-11 record at Foxboro...an 18 game, and currently 24 game home winning streak...unreal...with Tom as the King of his Castle the Pats average a 7-1 home record each year...that is WOW...a 6-2 home record would be a disappointment for Brady...think about your team and think about how much you would love a 6-2 home record (Miami 0-3...Jets 2-2...Tenn 2-2...Hou 2-2...Philly 1-2...Da Bears 2-2...TB 2-2...all of the above are playoff contenders) where as in New England a 6-2 home record under Brady is cause for concern!!!  Have we mentioned before that this guy is good?!?! 

The good news continued for Pats fans as 2-time Pro Bowl Guard Logan Mankins back from his holdout...Mankins has started all 80 games he has played in and at 6'4" 310 lbs dude is good...



Merriman was cleared on charges that he assaulted Tila Tequila


Lights Out Shawne Merriman gets waived by the Chargers and gets claimed by the Buffalo Bills...good life lesson there kids...if you (allegedly) assault a female bad things can happen...for example you could be tossed out of a climate like San Diego and forced to go to Buffalo...

RUN DMC

Another big winner this week was the Raiders...seems odd to suggest that they are playing amazing but as the kids say the proof is in the pudding (do the kids say that actually?!?! Doubt it)...the pass-rush is suddenly vaunted, and the D is flying to the ball in attack mode like they are the Ravens or Steel Curtain...RUN DMC aka Darren McFadden is running with skill and purpose...at 4-4 they are in the middle of the pack but Raiders fans will tell you it has been forever since this franchise was not a punch line so things are looking up in Jokeland...sorry, now I guess I can only say Oakland...


 Another "don't look now" pleasant surprise are the 5-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers...2nd year Head Coach Raheem Morris has this squad humming...only Seattle, Houston, and Miami join TB as teams that have winning records despite having been outscored on the season...the 4th Q road comeback wins being orchestrated by QB Josh Freeman have been very very impressive...Freeman has only thrown 3 INT's in 2010, while throwing 18 INT's last season is just 2 more starts (9) than his 7 starts this year...that is an amazing improvement and accomplishment for Josh

Dallas...1-6...0-4 at home...the billion+ $$$ home that owner Jerry Jones built with the specific timetable of having his 'Boys host this seasons Super Bowl...yikes...the last 2 weeks Eli Manning and David Garrard have each tossed 4 TD's in beat downs vs Dallas (David Garrard?!?!  and in the same Garrard game Cowboys QB Jon Kitna at 58 years old throws for 379 yards?!?!  the 2010 NFL season is n-u-t-s)...Jerry Jones is as down as we have ever seen him...this has been a nightmare for fans/players/owners etc...I think Jones realizing that Wade Phillips is a brutal Head Coach falls under the ol' We Told You So category...

The J-E-T-S JETSJETSJETS get shut-out at home?!?!  Did not see that coming...

Another good news story is the St Louis Rams...the Rams have won 6 games combined the previous 3 seasons, but are at 4 already this year...take heed Bills fans...the Rams have rebounded with #1 overall draft pick QB Sam Bradford...something tells me the Bills will have the #1 overall pick in next years NFL Entry draft so go get a winner to turn things around Buffalo

 Minny 2-5...Favre gets knocked out...waive Randy Moss...owner Zygi Wilf not at all pleased with the handling of the Moss situation, especially Head Coach Brad Childress' part in it all...does your team need a good Offensive Coordinator?!?!  If so Childress will surely be available at seasons end...

 The stunner of the week for me was the Saints running for just a pathetic 30 yards vs the Steelers, yet they win by 10 points?!?!  Big Ben Roethlisberger should have had a much better game in the Dome on National TV...to be honest shame on you Ben...brutal game Pitt...

Hey Miami - you get 6 points, plus an opportunity for an extra point to bring the value of a TD to 7 points...the rest of the NFL loves it, and you should try it...K Dan Carpenter is 10-10 the last 2 weeks on Field Goal attempts...that is a great job by Carpenter, but come on guys - its called a goaline package and when in the Red Zone teams go to that package to punch the ball into the End Zone...gees


Did you see all the injuries on O that the Colts had to deal with this week...I have to check the stats as I think I may have caught a pass this week for Indy...they were on 3rd and 4th stringers everywhere, but Peyton Manning is so damn good that they still get a big W

How bad have things got in Washington?!?!  Down 6 points vs Detroit with 2 minutes to go Head Coach Mike Shanahan replaces QB Donovan McNabb with back-up Rex Grossman...Shanahan gave numerous different explanations for the move which is troubling...heck the whole idea of pulling anyone for Rex Grossman is troubling...this week the 'Skins held a workout with several players, including former Oakland #1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell who was recently cleared in a felony drug case where police found a drink at Russell's house containing a controlled substance - codeine syrup...his Defense team said the drink belonged to someone else living with JaMarcus...



Is it me or does JaMarcus Russell look like The Game and Big Tigger had a baby?!?!



WEEK 9



Miami @ Baltimore...when your O is struggling to score TD's the Ravens D is not usually the cure for what ails you...the 'Phins can go to 5-3 with a W, and crazily enough that would mean they are 5-0 on the road and 0-3 at home (?!?!)



TB 3-0 on the road and 5-2 overall @ Hotlanta 3-0 at home and 5-2 on the road...massive game in the NFC South...can TB show they are legit contenders, or will ATL bring them back down to earth and expose them as pretenders?!?!

San Diego @ Houston...big game folks...the winner is right back in the thick of things and the loser is in major trouble...believe it or not San Diego is at the top in the NFL on O, on D, passing O, vs the pass...but turnovers have them at 3-5 overall and 0-4 on the road...

KC @ Oakland...the combined record of these 2 teams is 9-6...how that makes sense is any one's guess...a Raiders W will have them 1 game out of first place going into week 10...the Raiders are usually 3 games out of first place going into week 2...and KC in first place?!?!  wow

INDY @ Philly...too much going on in either teams Division to be able to absorb a loss here

craig.ballard@hotmail.com