Would You Like a Book, Show, and Movie Recommendation?

JDA makes some reviews/ recommendations.

Book: Creativity, Inc. ( overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration.) Written by: Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace. Published by: Random House

Toronto Sports Story part 3: No! Leafs, go!

Extra Extra! Canadian proclaims Hockey as favourite sport!

The last team I will feature in my Toronto sports story is the crown jewel of the scene the Toronto Maple Leafs. Oh, this should be a no-brainer. I clearly am infatuated with the Jays and Raptors, despite their noted lack of success. I am also a subscriber to idea of giving the "hometown discount", meaning I am a firm supporter of local talent/ regional representatives. I must obviously be a Leafs fan, I should just proceed with the romanticized memories of the glory days and how they made me a fan for life. That would be an relatable, shareable, and crowd pleasing Toronto story...

 ummm, about that....

The M. Night Shyamalan twist beginning is: I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs! Hate is a strong words to use, but man, have you seen the Leafs? The team has done nothing in the last 20 years except make epic amounts of money from the Toronto market.. My rage is growing just thinking about writing this. The Maple Leafs have been, and continue to be, a joke of hockey franchise. Leaf nation is probably sending me an armada of angry emails in disagreement, while their beloved organization ironically appears to agree with me when their ownership is seen laughing to the bank! I have never, ever, been a fan of the Leafs despite my best efforts to become a fan. I just couldn't fall for it.

typical Leafs fans pictured above. (photo cred: Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Toronto Sports Story part 2: Hold up, We The North!

My next love in the Toronto sports scene are the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors organization are celebrating their 20th season right now, and the team is literal family to me. I'm an 88'er, the Raps came to existence right around when I was coming of age (the first time). Being a cynical sports guy already at 6 years old, I was not enthusiastic about the predictable early struggles of an expansion franchise, but, I knew this team would be special just from the name. The Toronto Raptors... #SALE!

A lot of BS has been written about the name Raptors by the grumpy old media types, and various player haters. There were even rumours of  how they were going to change the name in an attempt to "rebrand the organization".

To that, I say: are you f**king kidding me? 

We have one of the coolest names in all of sports. Toronto Raptors? Have you seen Jurassic Park? Come on! Screw what some older “sports types” think. This team was made for us! They chose a name that would resonate with the dinosaur obsessed kids of the 90's and gracefully chose something that would resonate and stand the test of time.  The top 10 names proposed for the Toronto franchise were:

Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs , Raptors, Scorpions, T-Rex, Tarantulas, and Terriers. 

Clearly the names were aimed at attracting kids, and they certainly got this kid with their choice. Toronto T-Rex? No, thanks. Toronto Beavers....yes please? [ed note: smdh]

The Raptors have a perfect name, and I hope we never ever change the name. Sure, during the dark days we sometimes disparagingly call  our beloved team the "Craptors" or "Snaptors" but it's all out of love. The team name is non- negotiable, and what do you propose we change it to? The Toronto Basket Leafs? The Toronto OvO’s? The Toronto Sex and Crack Scandals? Get the f**k outta here.

The Raptors have had plenty of excellent (and not so excellent) players. It's actually a very lengthy list of former Raptors. There have been some legends but we all know s**t got really real when one man came on the scene, of course I'm talking about “Air Canada” Vincent Lamar Carter! Do you know Vince Carter?

Vince Carter saving the world from French Mimes

Toronto Sports Story Part 1: Lets Go Blue Jays!

In optimal traffic conditions, I can drive from my house in Brampton to the entrance of the of the Toronto Blue Jays home stadium, The Rogers Centre ("Skydome", for the hip amongst us,) in 25 minutes. 

Add an extra 5 minute walk; I'm at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Raptors and the venerable Toronto Maple Leafs. My geographical proximity to the aforementioned sports franchises is shared by millions in the GTA -- probably including you the reader, yeah you!--, and come to think of it, the Toronto sports stories of my era which I'll say is about 1995 - present, are all going to sound the same. We have seen the same things, and you can't change the past. However these collective memories, emotions, hopes and dreams, have come to help forge my identity, and allowed to me to form real bonds within the community.

I have been a HUGE sports guy for my whole life. It was my internet before the internet. Growing up, there was simply not much to do in Brampton, but come to think of it, I was also kid, so there probably wasn't much to do anywhere else. Sports was one of my first real ways to see and understand the world around me, and I fully immersed myself in that world. Pre internet era, it was way harder to be a sports fan, but it was much more special too. Newspapers + Sportcenter, that was my s**t (still is!)! Many of my bestest buds were met through a) talking about sports, b) playing sports, and/or c) playing video games of sports. The GTA is a region where "embracing diverse backgrounds" is one of the biggest factors of our collective regional identity. Having major league home teams in most of the big leagues of North America has no doubt had a positive impact on uniting people from different backgrounds all over the GTA. I could connect, and bond, with anyone and everyone if we shared a mutual passion for sports. Sports fanatics are able to transcend the barriers of age, class, and religion to engage peacefully, only to create vitriolic new barriers in likes to " HA-HA we beat you!" or "f**k your city! (aka we probably lost"). It's a hilarious cycle and unfortunately Toronto is usually on only one side of that dichotomy hahaha...it's true.

Despite our incompetence. The big 3 sports teams made me personally feel like our region was relevant in a bigger picture. When we talk about Basketball (NBA) and Baseball (MLB), ones gotta remember our Toronto franchises are the representatives for the entire country! It didn't start like that (RIP Grizzlies and Expos), but in the survival of the fittest that is the world of professional sports, Toronto is and has been the fittest city in Canada.

However, Toronto has also had notoriously bad sports luck. There has not been a major Championship in this city since 1993. Only Cleveland Ohio possesses a championship drought more severe than us...and they got Lebron James back and Johnny Football! Toronto needs to step it up, or else we will soon be the straddled with the stigma of being perennial losers.

This series of articles will look at The Baseball, Basketball and Hockey franchises of Toronto, and the Impact they have had on my life. First we'll look at the last real champions Toronto has had, the Blue Jays.