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Can’t emphasize enough how my evaluation of Brian Burke’s off season moves is grounded in my experience attending a half dozen Bud games last year. The tomb like atmosphere, the insipidly indifferent play, the lack of passion and aggression. The acquisition of bruiser Wayne Primeau and a second round draft choice for a couple of spare parts is another welcome step in the rejuvenation of the moribund franchise. Primeau’s strengths lie in anchoring a third or fourth line, and in the dressing room…one wag commented that Anton Stralman could be the next Borje Salming. My response would effectively state that the day of the Toronto hockey moron is drawing to a close. And, granted, you’ve had a nice run. Imbecilic statements about a tiny, passive defenseman which compare him to an all time great speak to a mentality which effectively enabled the Richard Peddies and Larry Tannenbaum’s to bring the franchise to its knees. Burke, through a series of intelligent and calculated moves, is assembling a rough and rugged team which will immediately provide value to the paying customer. As the building process continues, a necessary emphasis will eventually be made on the acquisition and development of skill players. It takes time. But we are on the right track and I am savouring every step, including the pawning off of wee little Stralman…Brendan Shanahan has indicated he intends to play in 2009-10, his 22^nd season in the NHL. He’s just not sure where…Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov have both left the Washington Capitals for the Russian KHL…the Sporting News ranks the Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers as the three teams with the greatest interest in Michael Vick. I do believe the Skins have written off Jason Campbell, I don’t believe the Raiders have given up on JaMarcus Russell. As for the 49ers, the football folks covet Vick but apparently are being stymied by an ownership squeamish concerning prospective protests in the oh so politically correct town…the National Football Post suggests the Jacksonville Jaggies and the St Louis Rams are the frontrunners to nab Vick…the Pittsburgh Steelers have lost just two starters from their Superbowl winning roster, both of whom they chose to let go…the Toronto Blue Jays have sunk to 20^th spot on the Sporting News weekly ratings…NASCAR promises a “significant” number witnesses who can testify to Jeremy Mayfield’s long time standing as a meth-head…Lance Armstrong may not have won the 2009 Tour de France, but he made a significant dent in the arguments of those who ascribe his cycling success to juicing. The thirty seven year old submitted to unprecedented scrutiny and was still able to haul his 37 year old body around the Pyrenees and Alps with enough alacrity to snag a spot on the podium. The issue boils down to this; did the seven time winner thrive in a period when every cyclist was expected to cheat, and does he now prosper in a period when all are demonstrably clean? Either way, hasn’t Armstrong turbo charged his legacy with his performance during the last three weeks?…Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions were sure they had found their next superstar in the affable and photogenic Victor Ortiz. When faced with an acid test against Marcos Maidana recently, Ortiz channelled Roberto Duran and pulled a “no mas”. After the fight Ortiz told HBO’s Max Kellerman he was young and did not want to get beat up. Kellerman, for once doing some fine work, was apoplectic, flatly stating boxing required more of its athletes than most sports and that success came at a price. I’ve seen enough of Ortiz and will be annoyed if Golden Boy attempts to hype his career again. Lost amidst all the controversy was one salient fact; the kid can’t fight…the Seconds Out website has declared July 2009 as the “month from hell” for fight fans. The loss of Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest all occurred during the accursed period…I’m watching Twin Peaks for the first time. The seminal David Lynch T V series has escaped my perusal all these years but it damn well has my attention now. The arrival of FBI Agent Cooper in the town following the death of Laura Palmer serves as the catalyst for a number of remarkable revelations about the seemingly sleepy town…I have the complete Sopranos box set all queued up and then Dollhouse and The Wire…who am I kidding? Once the NFL, NHL, & EPL return, there’ll be little but sports on this feeble mind…