Why The Ladies Make Me Cry

In what will undoubtedly be one of my shortest blogs going forward, I would be negligent in my duties as an internet blogger if I didn't acknowledge the awe-inspiring performance of Joannie Rochette last night in the ladies' short program. We all know her heartbreaking story. Needless to say that I was moved by her performance. Not only did she somehow gather the strength to compete yesterday just two days after the passing of her mother, but she mustered all of her focus and energy to skate flawlessly. Whether or not she wins a medal is irrelevant at this point. What she has done embodies the spirit of the Olympics. Her skate yesterday should be the story of these games. Congratulations Joannie on being a true Olympic Champion!

5 Ways Canada Can Still Take Gold in Vancouver – Roberto Luongo and TOI are the Keys to the Gold Medal

Team Canada has had a rough ride through the preliminary portion of the Olympic schedule, but now comes crunch time. Here we offer up the ways we see Canada walking away with the gold on home ice:

1. Ride Luongo to the Promised Land – This is a moot point now as it has been confirmed that Roberto is getting the start tonight. Lose, we’re out – win, he obviously stays in for the rest of the tournament - minus an atrocious effort against a weaker German side. Brodeur is arguably the greatest goalie ever, but this is Luongo’s chance to shine and take his place at the top for years to come. Plus, he is on his ice in Vancouver – his comfort level with the ice surface, the bounces and the boards can only be a benefit.

2. Shorten the Bench – This is the perennial problem with Canadian hockey teams: too much talent. But we cannot have Crosby averaging 15 minutes a game when he has been use to 23+ his entire life. Elite hockey players need their TOI to be higher, period. They need to get a feel for the flow of the game and you cannot do that with 4 equal lines – Babcock needs to decide on 3 lines tops. Crosby and the San Jose line need to be given the extra time at the expense of others. The defense needs to be shortened too. Babcock has to pick his 6 D horses and ride them.

3. Use the Body – Essentially, start playing the Canadian game. Has there really been enough of this in the first few efforts? Our guys are big and we are playing on an NHL surface, so the historical excuse of not being able to adjust our game to the bigger European surfaces is out the window.

4. Get in Front of the Net - Watching the last game was like watching the Leafs for most of the season. Canada peppered Miller with the rubber and lost. Most coaches will tell you, if you are getting over 40 shots a game, you are not getting in front of the net enough. The style of play that keeps guys in front allows for the skirmishes and battles that result in goals at the expense of high shot totals.

5. Bag the Ego – Now this ties into #2 and the shortened bench, but it is the key to the gold medal. Some guys are going to have accept reduced minutes and Babcock has to tell some forwards they are going to be 4th liners with minimal TOI. We need the Michael Peca, Eric Brewer and Adam Foote types we had in 2002, to play key roles while letting 3 lines and 6 D stay on the ice.

Tell us what you think.

Close the phones for the Closers

It's that time of the year again: opening day for spring training. (yay!) Today, pitchers and catchers officially report to camp to undertake their physicals. Obviously, the most significant change with Jays this season is no Roy Halladay. While my heart is certainly heavy without seeing the good doctor in camp, I'm also excited at the prospect of seeing the young guns in the Jays organization get a shot to take the reigns this season.

Many observers have commented at the fact that GM Alex Anthopoulos seems to have gone out of his way to acquire pitching depth and thus, should be in a position to trade that depth for more hitting power.

However, pulling the trigger on a move like this would be haphazard and reckless. The abundance of depth in the Jays bullpen is needed now more than ever and AA's best move should be to turn off his blackberry and stand pat for now.

With the starting rotation appearing as though it will consist of a mixture of young arms and players returning from injury, one would have to assume that at least, in the early going, the Jays won't be looking at these players to pitch late into games.

This is where the plethora of pitching depth in the bullpen is most valuable: If the young pitchers can give the club 6 innings of work and allow the Jays to stay in the game, imagine what the stability that a bullpen consisting of Downs, Frasor, and Gregg could bring to the table. Having these veteran pitchers come in to pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th to close out a game could give the Jays an extra 10-15 wins this season.

Most would say that because Downs and Frasor make a combined $6.5 million this season, that now is the time that the Jays should dump this salary and get some hitting prospects in return.

The time to make this move isn't now though. Perhaps nearing the trade deadline, if the Jays starting staff have round into shape or other relief pitchers prove that they can pitch well (Jeremy Accardo, for example), then that would be the time to re-evaluate whether or not some of the pitching depth could be moved out to help the team. Until then, I'm more than happy to keep all of the veteran pitching in the bullpen regardless of their salary. Those without options should be sent to Triple AAA, knowing that with an injury or a bad start to the season, they are just a call-up away.

Who makes the Jays' opening day pitching rotation? The Toronto Sports Guys will save that for another blog. Until then, we would love for you to comment on who you think should take the five starting rotation spots and the seven spots in the bullpen.

Don't Count on me to Check the Medal Standings

With the Blue Jays evaluating their pitching depth, the Leafs not having dropped a game in over a week (season record), and the Raptors standing pat at the trade deadline, my concentration has shifted to the Olympics.

I have to say, I'm disappointed at all this pressure being placed on our Canadian athletes to "Own the Podium" and our desire to top the Americans in the overall medal standings.

Sure, it would be nice to beat the Americans, but what's the big deal if we don't? Doesn't it count that our athletes are preforming at the top of their games and we've been blessed with nine days of superb athleticism? Isn't it humbling to hear the stories of athletes such as Alex Biladou and Jon Montgomery make it to the top of the podium, without having to be constantly reminded that "we've lost a medal we were guaranteed at winning"?

Firstly, nothing's a guarantee; that's why the races are run. Secondly, how can we be expected to be at the top when we just don't have the numbers to do it.

Using a salary-cap-esque analysis, Canada's population is roughly 34 million compared to that of the U.S. at 330 million. Obviously, the Americans are drawing from a much larger talent pool. Secondly, the American investment in their sports is at least 10 times more than what we invest, so much so that their athletes are heavily subsidized by the government and private sponsors to make training a job. While that is to say that the Canadian government is not doing their share, proportionately, we cannot even compete with American investment.

All I'm asking is for is to be proud of our athletes achievements thus far in the Olympics without worrying about whether we medal or not. Be proud for all the athletes, athletes such as skiier Eric Guay, who "wasn't expected to do much", yet has finished 5th place in both the downhill and the Super G - personal bests for Guay at the Olympics.

Stop handicapping our chances at medals for every single event, such as today's woman's 1500 metre speed-skating event, where Canada "could win multiple medals". I'm sick of hearing the analysts open their broadcasts with "...and this event is where Canada is not expected to win a medal." How many casual viewers would just groan and change the channel so as to not waste their time watching another hopeless event.

Let's just watch the events, cheer for our athletes, and count on them to give the performance on their lives.