If you’re a regular reader of the Republic, chances are my previous piece which touched on a few questions and expectations for the upcoming season rings a bell. If not, well, shameless plugs and the blogosphere go hand in hand these days, so you can check it out, here.
However, self promotion is not the intention, as there was supposed to be a section in that article which covered the fan base’s perspective. But I decided not to include the angle for a specific two-part reason:
A) Riding shotgun to those shameless plugs is the audience’s unfortunate act of selective reading. But don’t get me wrong, that’s not meant to troll anyone, I’m guilty of the same crime. And as I’ve stated in the past, this may be a podium to preach but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a self-anointed pedestal. Although I do plan on ending this write-up with a temper tantrum, and it might get a little awkward, just a heads up.
B) There’s always a risk that a topic won’t receive its proper exposure by getting lost in the shuffle of a 2000-word commentary. You can be a hardcore fan, a casual enthusiast, or the former mixed with the title of Blogger attached to your name, but the amount of time and effort invested by any city’s community deserves a column centered around the ones putting in that very work. A dedicated point of view is long overdue. The “people” are people too.
Now, a few things may have just happened. I’ve either piqued your interest and you’re ready to read on, or maybe you’re having thoughts of bailing and switching over to your favourite Blue Jays blog. Or perhaps one never even made it through the intro, and they’ve since closed this window to open up their Snapchat app.
It’s all good either way, Blue Jays fever is undeniable at the moment, and I’m ready to unwelcome the Yankees to town as much as the next crazed supporter. Hell, a clash for first place in the division with David Price on the mound to open the series on a Friday night, count me ALL IN!
So if you decided to bounce, we shall meet again. If you’ve stayed with me, let’s roll.
Bright Lights, Big City
The central focus will remain court-side, after all you’re here for a reason. But it wouldn’t feel right neglecting the Raps’ brothers from another mother as we go. Not to mention a shoutout being in order to all fans who don’t hail from the Big Smoke. Sorry, I meant Hogtown. Wait, the only other options are T-Dot and the 6ix. Let’s just say a new nickname is my new mission.
Most of the time Toronto is viewed as Public Enemy No. 1 in its own country, but the love comes across in spades when you start talking sports. Well, Leafs fans not so much.
The Bills also play an important role. I will admit that my lifelong fandom of the franchise pushed the scale of whether to include an American city in this scene. What about the Argos and TFC you ask? Let’s face it, NFL Sundays are just as popular here as they are in the States, we just live vicariously through our neighbours across the border to take our passion to the next level. And if the “higher-ups” didn’t make such a mockery of the silver-platter opportunity the “Bills in Toronto Series” presented, this city could have been on its way to following L.A.’s footsteps and making future football stadium preparations.
Word to the wise: If you’re not ready to showcase an NFL-type atmosphere, don’t take on the project. Ridiculous ticket prices combined with a corporatized tailgate party had us doomed from the start (the current Jays’ money grab can’t be viewed as a positive, either). One day Toronto, one day.
The Sky Dome (I hope we all still call it that), should host the Jays, and the Jays only. The plan is finally in the works, but it can’t come soon enough. One doesn’t have to look much further as to the reasons why with the hysteria currently surrounding the club.
Enter the city’s hardwood, which represents a few parallels, as not too long ago the Raps were in the Jays’ position. Expectations were at their usual low point, outcries over Kyle Lowry’s lack of enthusiasm and highly questioned work ethic were gaining steam, and a postseason appearance was the furthest thing from our minds. I may even venture to suggest Lowry was the equivalent to R.A. Dickey at the time. The difference being the Raptors didn’t lose potential members of the future elite to get him. Yes, I know, Dickey has seemingly turned a corner. R-E-L-A-X.
The skill level that came in return from the now franchise-changing Rudy Gay trade pales in comparison to the value the Jays have wrangled up in recent weeks, but the impact has been similar. The Raps’ upward climb doesn’t come without loose ends, though.
What made the run towards that Brooklyn battle in 2013-14 so special? The word “expectations” pops up yet again. Meaning there weren’t any. Simply put, even though gameplay was all-systems-go, this team and its backers were just happy to be invited to the party. It’s only then when assumptions for the following year begin to translate into you guessed it, expectations.
The next step was at the Raps’ doorstep, and a full throttle beginning only furthered the notion. It’s hard to argue that a step back wasn’t the end result.
To connect the Jays dots: even though this second-half run has been highly entertaining, one still gets the feeling we’re all playing with house money all over again. It will be sweet to sit back and enjoy the ride, but as for the Raps, they don’t have that luxury anymore.
To keep the parallel universe alive for a minute, take Season 2 of HBO‘s True Detective for example. If Season 1 didn’t provide such an exhilarating experience, its expectations wouldn’t have been through the roof. And it then wouldn’t have become the most hated show Twitter has ever seen. Similar to the Raps’ second-half swoon and postseason plummet.
The injury argument is valid, but if this squad is an injury away from losing all of what little cohesiveness they have, there’s more problems than we once thought.
In their defense, this city’s sports scene was at a standstill before the Raptors’ resurgence brought it back to life and kept it a float for quite some time. Not only in the eyes of Torontonians, but in the mainstream as well.
As for the finally in the right direction Leafs organization, “Two years away from being two years away” now applies to this city’s ice surface.
Collective Perspective
When I say collective, I will attempt to combine my own personal thoughts with what I’ve come across in this site’s comment section. Along with debates on Twitter, and those good old fashioned arguments during time spent at some of Toronto’s fine establishments. I’m sure some can relate. So let’s rundown how we as outsiders view the Raps’ central figures.
Masai: Alex Anthopoulos may be the most recent man of the hour, but let’s not forget who played out the same type of scenario during the NBA Draft and Free Agency. With questions quietly popping up in regards to his long-term future, Ujiri seemingly saved the day.
Casey: It’s now or never for DC. If his “defensive calling card” can’t see the light of day with the troops brought in to help, while forming a more organized chaos on the offensive end, Casey’s days will officially become numbered.
K-Low: Perhaps the fear of his new found understudies sparked the fire needed for K-Low to put in some offseason conditioning. Trending on Twitter is one thing, having it carry over to his on-court responsibilities is another. Muck like Casey, this very well could be a make or break year for the now slender point guard. The lead is yours for the taking, Lowry.
DeMar: I do tend to agree that in a second-fiddle role DeRozan can ascend to new heights, but as this team’s go-to scorer, we’re most likely in for more of the same ups and downs. Still, there’s that bit of untapped upside hiding in his game. Mix that potential with a hopeful new team concept, and we may not need him to reach upper echelon status. Either way, we’ll likely know the answer to just how valuable DeMar is to this squad just before his contract situation hits the fan.
JV: I must admit, I’ve worn JV-style blinders in the past. Ever since he was taken 5th overall in 2011, I’ve held out a bit of false hope that we would eventually see that supposed mean streak we saw on his international game tape translate in short order. Not to mention a quicker turnaround in his outside game.
Revisiting that draft and the fact that names like Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard could have been had doesn’t help matters, either. But JV does represent part of the solution if he can adapt, and the clock his ticking with yet another max-deal possibility lurking the background.
DeMarre: A gem of a pick-up, as Toronto reaped the rewards of Hot-lanta’s role player riches. DeMarre can contribute in nearly every facet of the game. The offensive rebounding, defensive prowess, and timely 3-point shooting departments can use all the help they can get. Effort is definitely not a worry, either. The only real pressing matter revolving around Carroll is how much it rubs off on his new teammates.
PP & JJ: Patterson and Johnson are going to be linked together all season. Whether both will be given a true chance to shine and asked to become full fledged members of the heavy-minutes club remains to be seen. There’s also the news of Markieff Morris hinting that Toronto is one of his desired locations.
If a deal does go down, PP or JJ could possibly be involved, so for now, the picture remains cloudy. But in many eyes, a rotation between them sets up an ideal situational-based duo.
T-Ross: By now, most of the fan base has turned on T-Ross, myself included. Perhaps if we stopped dwelling on what he was supposed to become we’d notice the positives he could bring to the table. A bench scorer capable of getting hot at the right time? A poor man’s Sweet Lou? I’ll have to let that one marinate for a while before a decision can be made.
The Young Guns: As much as I can suggest what-ifs from 2011, the draft is hit-and-miss territory for many teams. But by all accounts, Wright and Powell show plenty of promise to hang our hat on, and could be this city’s starting backcourt at some point in the future. Guarantees are seldom, just browse any draft year and notice the massive amount high selections that amounted into very little, or nothing at all. Bruno and Bebe promise to keep the 905ers entertained throughout the first-half of the season, with Bebe likely getting the first crack at a call-up. Something tells me the rebounding rebuild will still be ongoing at that point.
But we can’t forget Cory Joseph, one who can not only run the show in his own right, but can also provide the matchup problems this team covets. When Lowry and Joseph hit the floor together, that does suggest there’s a front-court mismatch giving either DeRozan at the Three, or DeMarre at the Four a chance to take advantage, with a better defensive lineup going back the other way.
Speaking of getting defensive.
And Now, Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
I used to be of the belief that it was my way or the highway, but with another season biting the dust, and one now on its way, you tend to realize that different viewpoints are kind of what makes everything tick. Attempting to witness the point you’ve gone out of your way to prove come true is a large part of why I wrote this piece, and write in general. I can only assume it’s also part of why you’re taking time out of your day to read this. If you got this far, that is.
But the good will ends when one suggests how I should go about that very writing, or simply how I should root for my teams. The aforementioned time all of us put into the Raptors, or any team for that matter, changes that equation. I’m not going to sit idly by and blatantly spit out a homerism point of view, and I’ve come across that kind of backlash one too many times.
If you’re not holding your team accountable for their actions, I question your fandom in the first place.
That’s more annoying than You Tube videos that won’t let you skip the ad after five seconds, more than someone not giving up their seat to an elderly person on the TTC while they’re too busy chatting away on their cell phone, and even more bothersome than the Conservative Party’s commercials/smear campaign against Justin Trudeau literally airing every five minutes.
Luckily I came across an alternate version to ease the frustration.
Enjoy the sold out show tonight, folks. Meaningful baseball in the middle of August? We can get used to this. A playoff berth ending the Jays’ 22-year drought can only provide a high note for the Raps to start on.
JUST DO IT!
