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THE BASKET..is there anyone in T Dot slavishly devoted to the belief that Chris Bosh is staying at the conclusion of this abominable season? And honestly now, wouldn’t you lose respect for him if he did?…Hedo Turkoglu has been getting severely criticised for his poor performance as a Raptor. I can’t help but think back to Bill Simmons (ESPN) warning at the start of the season that the Hedo was already on the downside of his career and a poor signing…I never warmed to basketball because of the pervasive influence of the referee. I like games with flow and fairly invisible authority figures. When initially viewing basketball, many eons ago, I couldn’t believe how involved and influential the ref’s were in the outcome of the contest. Could they actually shape and cultivate specific results, I wondered? Well now, I feel strangely vindicated with the confessions of Tim Donaghy in “Personal Foul; A First Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA”. The excerpts available on Deadspin are simply amazing; ref’s manipulate and scheme on a regular basis and, worse, are sometimes obligated by League dictates to extend playoff series or ignore the violations of “star” players. Real “shutdown” players are singled out for particularly harsh treatment lest they dim the wattage of the marquee athletes. Of course, you’ll have to decide for yourself if the revelations have the “ring of truth”. I made up my mind and will continue to shun the staged antics of the hard-court, even if Len keeps turning off my hockey at The Rail to put the bloody sport on…

GRID IRON..the Globe and Mail’s Stephen Brunt has characterized the Buffalo Bills excursions to Toronto as “a sports marketing disaster of epic proportions”. Brunt points to the lack of a rooting interest or a buy-in as critical factors in the indifferent response to the Bills series of matches in Ontario. I can attest to the fact that there is zero buzz around tonight’s match. The ticket prices in Toronto are exorbitant, ironic when you consider the Bills in Buffalo have the cheapest tickets in the NFL. The staid conservatism and over regulation of Toronto rule out the rowdy, ribald fun of a tail gate party, meaning the best way to enjoy tonight’s game is in the comfort of your home or in the living room I know as The Rail…Ralph Wilson was like a dog peeing on his territory when he opted to put some Bills games in Toronto. Teams that were rumoured to be considering an actual relocation to Toronto included the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, organizations far more appealing than the current offering…NFL players were polled on the city they would least like to play in. The winner was Oakland, followed by Buffalo, Green Bay, Detroit and Cleveland…no word on how much playing time Michael Vick will get as his Philadelphia Eagles visit his old stomping grounds in Atlanta this Sunday…NFL MVP is Drew Brees, please don’t suggest otherwise…

ICE..I watched the first period of the Vancouver - New Jersey match last night, just to get a taste of two of Canada’s finest goalies, Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo, strutting their stuff. Uh-oh. The pair gave up five goals in the first period! Is goaltending the Achilles heel of the Canadian team as we approach the 2010 Olympics? Russia, the U S, Finland and Sweden all have rock solid prospects in net. A traditional strength of our squad is looking remarkably shaky…

TURN LEFT..fascinating bit of info in the current issue of Sports Illustrated reports that four time champ Jimmie Johnson would have won only one title under the older, pre-Chase system. Without the wholesale transformation in how a season titlist was crowned Johnson would still have won in 2006, but Jeff Gordon would have claimed 2007, Carl Edwards 2008 and Tony Stewart 2009. The Chase garners media attention and is designed to fashion a closer, more dramatic climax to the season. Previously cars were rewarded for consistency throughout the year, meaning a series of cautious top ten finishes trumped a win followed by a DNF, followed by a win etc. Wins were not sufficiently rewarded under the old system but many followers of the sport believe the solution was to bump up the value of a victory, not a comprehensive alteration of the tradition and history of stock car racing…what, how do drivers stay in a car for the hours it takes to complete a race without a washroom break? Do you really not know, ‘cause the answer is kind of gross. They wear adult diapers. All of them. Nope, not kidding on this one, it’s also one of the reasons drivers are quickly doused when they arrive in the winner’s circle…

PUG LIFE..I went to The Rail last night to watch a live feed of Bernard Hopkins fight against Enrique Ornelas. Man, I quickly remembered why I can’t stand watching the old codger fight - it was b  o  r  i  n  g. Hopkins fought at his own pace against a severely limited foe. The 12 round decision was a no brainer and the fight had no discernible highlights. Don’t go away angry, Bernard, just go away…Ornelas was devoid of any technique and simply followed the Executioner (executioner? How, by making his opponent yawn to death?) around the ring. I missed the fire of a Mickey Duff, a trainer who, when his Kirkland Laing was distressingly obsequious while fighting Roberto Duran, cried, “Rough him up, he’s an effin old man!” Laing went on to upset Duran via decision…

MEDIA..rumours continue to swirl around the Fan 590 Morning Show. Speculation about the replacement of both Don Landry and Gord Stellick intensified with the announcement that station GM Nelson Millman has bolted for Sports Net. I hate the thought of anyone losing their job but Landry, really, just needs to be elsewhere. His morning intro usually consists of him informing the audience that he missed all or most of whatever sporting event was on the previous night. Stellick has potential but, at Landry’s side, has developed this “dumb guy” routine that is intolerable. Like most people, I hit the Fan 590 for the brilliant Rick Ralph from 5.35am - 6am and then lunge at the dial to get to John Oakley as quickly as possible…of course, the Bobcat, from 4pm- 7pm, is an essential element of the Big Smoke sporting experience…