World Series '09

Well, here we are at the start of the League Championship Series for each league. Hasn't time flown by? It just seems like yesterday that we as Blue Jays fans were starting the 2009 MLB season with all kinds of positive thinking. The Jays rewarded that positive thinking with a great April/May record, and we all started to dream of October baseball returning to Toronto for the first time since 1993. Alas, we were so very, very wrong. The season turned into a disaster, with injuries to key players and bad management happening at all the wrong times. Enough of Jays though- let's turn our focus to the Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees, and Angels.

The ALCS is quite simply going to be an absolute barn burner. The Yanks and Angels have been two of the best teams all year, and so it is only fitting that they will fight it out to determine who is going on to the AL representative in the World Series. The Yankees have bought themselves an impressive lineup this year that features A-Rod, Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Rivera. After finding their stride early in the year, they have been dominant and have looked like the team to beat. The Angels have stayed under the radar though, and don't get the credit that they deserve. Boasting a starting 9 that can all hit for a .300 or better average, the Halos are the team that you just don't want to face. They can steal bases, hit for average, hit the ball out of the park when needed, and most importantly can pitch out of a jam. There's no doubt in my mind that this series will go right down to the wire, but I see the Angels moving on to the World Series with a Game 7 victory.

The NLCS is a match up from last year's playoffs, and the sequel will be better the the original in my opinion. The Dodgers and Phillies have shown what can happen if you develop players through the minor league system, give them a chance at the major league level, and keep the team together for a few years. The Dodgers boast Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin as just a few examples of homegrown talent. The Phillies boast players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Game 1 starter Cole Hamels as their examples of players brought up through the system. This series will come down to clutch hitting in my opinion, and the Dodgers have the players to do just that. Manny will be Manny, Ethier and Kemp will become household names, and Russell Martin will be the next Canadian to play in a World Series. Dodgers in 6 games.

Sportsfans: It's Your Time

Alright, now this is what I'm talking about! This is absolutely the best time of year to be a sports fan. The MLB Playoffs has started, the NHL and NFL are in full swing, the NBA is less than 3 weeks from the start of the regular season, and soccer leagues around the world are in full swing.

Let's start with the Leafs and the 'dreaded' 0-3 start. Of course with the Leafs being in the market that they're in, people are starting to worry already. Now don't get me wrong, three straight losses is never good, but what did we really expect? Everyone had a great time watching the young guys do well in pre-season, but their performances seemed to cover up the bad play from some of the veterans (Toskala, Beauchemin). Now that games matter and the young guys are back in junior or with the AHL's Marlies, we are seeing the real Maple Leafs. And what are the Leafs? No, they won't finish last in the league, but they definitely need time to learn how to play together. Let's give them more than three games to figure it out.

The Raptors have finally returned! As a big fan of the team since the start of the Vince Carter era, I've gone through my ups and down to say the least. Ups being the Raptors playoff run in 2000-2001, the emergence of Vince Carter as a human highlight reel, the division championship team of 2006-2007, and the continuing development of Chris Bosh. Downs being the Kevin O'Neill run teams, the much too early playoff exit in 2007, and the 2002-2003 season ('nuff said). Now with the current management and coaching staff (led by BC and Triano), I definitely am excited for the next few years. Through the first couple of exhibition games, we've definitely seen a more concentrated effort on the defensive end, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Scoring hasn't been a major concern over the past couple of years, but stopping high scoring guards/wings has been. We've all seen Kobe's 81, Lebron's high scoring games, and countless other stars get their buckets. Things won't be so easy for the competition now that Reggie Evans, Rasho, and Antoine Wright are on the court, and that makes this fan smile.

Sundin's Final Goodbye

Mats has finally headed off into the sunset... or in his case, off to fishing and spending time with his new wife. Thank goodness for that too, because no one wanted to see him come back and play so far below his usual level, like he did last year.

My earliest memories of hockey include a young Mats Sundin, just after he had been traded to Toronto in 1994. I remember trying to copy his moves out in the driveway, and made sure that the number on the back of my jersey from then on would be #13. Now that I look back on it, he always had an unbelievable ability to make anyone who played with him a better player. Players like Jonas Hoglund, Steve Thomas, Sergei Berezin, and Gary Roberts suddenly became household names in Toronto because of the unbelievable skill level that their big Swedish linemate possessed.

Now there has been plenty of detractors through the years (my Dad included) who always faulted Mats for not leading the Leafs farther into the playoffs year after year, and here is why I think they are wrong. Mats' personality is not that of a dominant person who grabs a hold of your attention and won't let it go. He has always been (and will always be) the quiet type, who would rather lead by example than anything else. The management in Toronto just couldn't see that Mats needed other veterans around him to help be the vocal leaders in the locker room. If, for example, the Leafs would have kept Doug Gilmour as a captain and made Mats an assistant captain, the Leafs would have had much more success in grueling playoff series that required hard nosed leadership. Fletcher and co. never realized that until it was too late though, which really wasted some of Mats' best years in the NHL.

Mats brought all kinds of awesome memories to this Leafs fan, no doubt of it. I will always remember him as the reason behind my lucky #13, and the star of my favourite hockey team when I was growing up. This man is a first ballot Hall of Famer, and in my books is one of the top 5 Maple Leafs of all time.