“Really, I would characterize it as ‘building’.”

Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos’ response to questions about whether the Blue Jays are entering a rebuilding phase during his conference call on Saturday. Anthopoulos wants the team to become a perennial contender in the AL East through strong trades, scouting, and player development, rather than delving heavily into the free agent market.

But as Mike Wilner puts it succinctly,

This probably means that we’ve seen the last of Roy Halladay in a Blue Jays’ uniform…The shame of it all isn’t that the Jays are going to trade arguably the best homegrown player they’ve ever had, and a potential Hall of Famer, but rather that they had him for eight seasons of awesome and couldn’t put a good enough team around him to do any serious damage.

But after this aimless, disaster of a past season, dare I say that the Blue Jays finally have a plan in place? While a ton of work has yet to be completed, Anthopoulos is attempting to ‘build’ the Blue Jays in his vision of drafting, trading, and developing young championship level players.

The entire Anthopoulos conference call can be heard here, and is excellently summarized and analyzed by many Blue Jays writers.

The tale of two goalies, where one can only hope Vesa Toskala is a phenomenal cheerleader on the bench at this stage of his career. Safe to say that Jonas Gustavsson is now the undisputed number one goalie for the team. In seven starts so far, the Monster is sporting a cool .923 SV%, 2.43 GAA, and a 3-1-3 record. With Gustavsson’s lock down in net and balanced scoring from a collective effort (Weren’t the Leafs not supposed to score much this season, mainstream media?), the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled out a decisive victory over their longtime rivals Detroit Red Wings, 5-1. The Leafs are currently on their longest winning streak of the season: two games. 26th place in the NHL now. Aretha Franklin, what was the name of your song again? (Photo via Daylife)

The tale of two goalies, where one can only hope Vesa Toskala is a phenomenal cheerleader on the bench at this stage of his career. Safe to say that Jonas Gustavsson is now the undisputed number one goalie for the team. In seven starts so far, the Monster is sporting a cool .923 SV%, 2.43 GAA, and a 3-1-3 record.

With Gustavsson’s lock down in net and balanced scoring from a collective effort (Weren’t the Leafs not supposed to score much this season, mainstream media?), the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled out a decisive victory over their longtime rivals Detroit Red Wings, 5-1. The Leafs are currently on their longest winning streak of the season: two games.

26th place in the NHL now. Aretha Franklin, what was the name of your song again?

(Photo via Daylife)

justinleon: Just because he’s back in calgary for the 1st time since the “sloppy seconds” incident. Nothing came about in the game either. Needless to say, the “rivalry” is over. Sean Avery is akin to a Charles Dickens in a league filled with cliché ridden Dean Koontzes.

justinleon:

Just because he’s back in calgary for the 1st time since the “sloppy seconds” incident.

Nothing came about in the game either. Needless to say, the “rivalry” is over. Sean Avery is akin to a Charles Dickens in a league filled with cliché ridden Dean Koontzes.

fuckyeahnhl: Jonas Gustavsson Broda. Bower. Palmateer. Potvin. Joseph. Gustavsson?

fuckyeahnhl:

Jonas Gustavsson

Broda. Bower. Palmateer. Potvin. Joseph. Gustavsson?

Phil Kessel reminds me of a woodchuck.

dbizzle:

Or something similar.

A woodchuck who needs to score lots of goals.

Give him all the wood he could chuck, if he can chuck score 30+ goals every season.

I hate shootouts.

alittlechippy:

I hate agonizingly long shootouts that the Blackhawks win against the Avalanche and I hate agonizingly long shootouts they lose, like tonight. I watched the Leafs win!!! and kept reading their very active SB Nation blog thread without ever delurking. I made extremely minor contributions to the Hawks blog thread, and checked in on the Avs one. then I saw one of the Leafs bloggers pop into the Avs thread and cheer them on and felt hurt somehow, especially since I was maybe going to delurk tomorrow and cheer the Leafs on against the Wings. then I realized all this imaginary drama I’m stewing in (when I have yet to post on any hockey blogs anywhere except the Hawks one) means I’m just FREAKING INSANE or something and went off to read a book and finish my beer.

De-lurk and come join us at Pension Plan Puppets. We have loads of fun in Game Day Threads and if you’re feeling off-topic, type away in the Cathy Chat threads under fanshots. And don’t worry about the overlords at PPP. Chemmy and PPP are really cuddly bears, while the rest of the contributors sing kumbayah and make s’mores (This may not be true. I believe cupcakes are the dessert of choice in actuality).

And truth be told, though I don’t want the Blackhawks to win a Stanley Cup anytime soon (me being a Leafs fan and all), they’re one of my many closet teams I root for when the Leafs don’t play. Keith, Seabrook, Toews, Kane, and Sharp. Can the Leafs have one or all of them?

Round one of “Battle of the Basement” goes to Toronto. The Leafs are now in 29th place in the NHL. Moving ever so slowly up towards the ladder of respectability. Your move, Carolina. Ditch the black uniforms, while you’e at it, too. This isn’t the year 2000 anymore. (Photo via Daylife)

Round one of “Battle of the Basement” goes to Toronto. The Leafs are now in 29th place in the NHL. Moving ever so slowly up towards the ladder of respectability.

Your move, Carolina. Ditch the black uniforms, while you’e at it, too. This isn’t the year 2000 anymore.

(Photo via Daylife)

theendofculture: For as long as I have been a Leafs fan they have always been characterized by a bad defence. Since the early 90s the best defenceman patrolling the blueline was Dmitri Yushkevich. For a few years pre-lockout, when referees were hesitant to call the can-opener, Bryan McCabe flirted with being an actual defenceman. You may laugh, but his stats prove he wasn’t always the whipping boy Leafs’ Nation turned him into by the end of his tenure. Despite having a perpetually weak defence, the Leafs managed to make four appearances in the conference finals and were a competitive team for the majority of this period of time. The reason for this was their goaltending. Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph, and Ed Belfour all stole games for the Leafs. With confidence in a goalie that could bail them out when things went awry (and with Todd Gill or Aki Berg they certainly went awry), the Leafs could take the risks they needed to pace their offence. I can recall both Joseph and Belfour absolutely stealing games from the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs when the Leafs had no business beating the Sens. Unfortunately, the Leafs resigned an aging Eagle for one more year too many and they have been plagued with goaltending problems ever since. They traded for Raycroft. That didn’t work. They traded for Toskala. That hasn’t worked (although I have yet to give up on the Finn). But it looks like that now, with the Monster, the Leafs finally have a goaltender that is capable of stealing some games. At this stage, the Leafs don’t really have any business winning games. But with Gustavsson they have a chance. If they go down a goal or two he makes sure the game stays close. He gives them a chance to win. And that’s really all you can ask from your goaltender. Jonas Gustavsson has been a salvo of hope for the Leafs. As for Vesa Toskala, there are many scribes that have described his demise and at this point, he would be lucky to maintain his stead as a backup goaltender. As for the Leafs defence, not since Borje Salming has the team had a stalwart franchise defenceman. But Pat Burns brought a strong defensive system in the early 1990s that fell on the wayside with Pat Quinn’s run and gun offence. Curtis Joseph bailed out the team at many junctures, that is true. But do I miss the crazy Russians of Dmitry Yuskevich and Danny Markov patrolling the backline. They were fearless, physical, and straight up scary. Truculence is always being bandied about to describe this year’s team, but fearlessness is still a characteristic missing from the Leafs. But those traits will come into place, especially when a team has an emerging stud in net to cover mistakes and steal games for a still rebuilding team.

theendofculture:

For as long as I have been a Leafs fan they have always been characterized by a bad defence. Since the early 90s the best defenceman patrolling the blueline was Dmitri Yushkevich. For a few years pre-lockout, when referees were hesitant to call the can-opener, Bryan McCabe flirted with being an actual defenceman. You may laugh, but his stats prove he wasn’t always the whipping boy Leafs’ Nation turned him into by the end of his tenure.

Despite having a perpetually weak defence, the Leafs managed to make four appearances in the conference finals and were a competitive team for the majority of this period of time. The reason for this was their goaltending. Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph, and Ed Belfour all stole games for the Leafs. With confidence in a goalie that could bail them out when things went awry (and with Todd Gill or Aki Berg they certainly went awry), the Leafs could take the risks they needed to pace their offence. I can recall both Joseph and Belfour absolutely stealing games from the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs when the Leafs had no business beating the Sens.

Unfortunately, the Leafs resigned an aging Eagle for one more year too many and they have been plagued with goaltending problems ever since. They traded for Raycroft. That didn’t work. They traded for Toskala. That hasn’t worked (although I have yet to give up on the Finn). But it looks like that now, with the Monster, the Leafs finally have a goaltender that is capable of stealing some games.

At this stage, the Leafs don’t really have any business winning games. But with Gustavsson they have a chance. If they go down a goal or two he makes sure the game stays close. He gives them a chance to win. And that’s really all you can ask from your goaltender.

Jonas Gustavsson has been a salvo of hope for the Leafs. As for Vesa Toskala, there are many scribes that have described his demise and at this point, he would be lucky to maintain his stead as a backup goaltender.

As for the Leafs defence, not since Borje Salming has the team had a stalwart franchise defenceman. But Pat Burns brought a strong defensive system in the early 1990s that fell on the wayside with Pat Quinn’s run and gun offence. Curtis Joseph bailed out the team at many junctures, that is true. But do I miss the crazy Russians of Dmitry Yuskevich and Danny Markov patrolling the backline. They were fearless, physical, and straight up scary. Truculence is always being bandied about to describe this year’s team, but fearlessness is still a characteristic missing from the Leafs.

But those traits will come into place, especially when a team has an emerging stud in net to cover mistakes and steal games for a still rebuilding team.

“The exterior pressure, all the stuff that happens around (the team), is far greater in Toronto. There’s no question, the scrutiny is far greater. But in terms of inside the Carolina Hurricane house, there’s more pressure. There’s more expectation. That’s just my opinion.”
Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice suggesting a winning atmosphere was never present in the Leafs organization when he was in charge. Bravo, Paul. It takes a big man to admit you were part of the problem and not the solution for the Leafs having a “loser” mentality. (via Toronto Star)
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somesongsconsidered:

“With a Little Help from My Friends” – Joe Cocker
(Words/music: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, available on With a Little Help From My Friends, A&M 1969)

For many, Joe Cocker’s version of this song evokes The Wonder Years.  I’m only nostalgic about the show because it was my dad’s favorite show when I was a kid (I was ten when it ended).  Between my parents viewing and the backdrop of Vietnam War-era America, it felt like another world for me.  Of course, the show might make more sense now that I lived through (and have a healthy distance from) my early teenage years.  Regardless, Joe Cocker’s voice makes me think of this show, and perhaps that’s why his version makes sense.

Cocker takes the Beatles’ original, slows it down, and twists the emotions on the original.  I like the bouncy Sgt. Pepper’s take on the song (and as I’ve suggested before, I’m a Ringo apologist), but Cocker’s version focuses on the anguish in the song’s lyrics.  Perhaps it’s Cocker’s voice, particularly the way that he trails off near the end of some of the lines, that makes the song sound worn out, but Cocker’s narrator feels fatigued.  That, combined with the backing vocals that lead him through the chorus and later share the burden with him in the final verse, puts the focus on the aid from friends.  It’s this spirit that the show – one that focuses on growing up during one of the more tumultuous moments in twentieth century America – captures, and having Joe Cocker set the stage every week feels appropriate.

(Side note: I learned tonight that Jimmy Page played guitar on this.  I’m too tired to try to work it in to the rest of the post, so I’ll just share it here).

More on Joe Cocker: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm