Shame on Masai Ujiri and the Raptors

Justin's getting desperate in his bid to drum up support for Canada's seat at the UNSC. He's somehow managed to coral one of the hottest brands in pro sports, the Raptors, into serving as window dressing on his current safari to the Dark Continent.

Having Masai Ujiri tagging along must have seemed like a master stroke to the political operatives behind Justin. Although Justin likes black folks so much he sometimes dresses up like one, Ujiri has serious cred in Africa. This is relatively clever, although ethically vacuous, politicking.

Just why Canada merits a seat on the UN Security Council isn't a discussion we've had. The US is already a permanent member, and in matters of consequence Canada votes with the US virtually 100% of the time. We don't bring anything original or independent to the table, so what would be the point of being there?

Perhaps more insidious, this serves as a Raptors endorsement of Trudeau and the Liberal Party.


That's just wrong!

How about those Raptors!?

Man, I was so sure they were gonna let it slip away there in the fourth period...

But they didn't!

That Congolese dude is a joy to watch and a wonderful addition to the team.

Bismark I think his name is.

Why a Congolese family would want to name their child after a German dictator is something I just don't get.

How about those Raptors!

Nice work, gentlemen!

One of the most suspenseful things about watching the Raps is that you're never sure which team is going to show up. The guys who choke when the going gets tough, or the guys who take things to the next level and make all those sports-writing cliches ring true.

This afternoon the Raptors broke with Toronto sporting traditions and decided to show up and play.

Bring on Cleveland!

How about them Raptors!

After a pretty darn good season, it's been a disappointment to see the Raptors go out in four straight. Mind you, at least till tonight's game, they were for the most part in it.

Don't know what happened tonight... maybe the Leaf's motivation coach gave them a pep-talk before the game? And what's with Casey calling a time out with two minutes and change left, and the team down by 36?

Could that have been his last time out as coach of Toronto?

Mind you, they did mange to close the gap to 31 by the end... so maybe Casey's job is safe.

It was a great series for the old guy, Pierce. Washington signed him last July. He was easily the MVP of the series. How different things might have been had Toronto signed him instead?

Oh well, there's a brand new season just around the corner.

Chicago Bulls beat Yemen and the Raps

Tonight I was following the Bulls-Raptors game on the TV while simultaneously following the Saudi assault on Yemen on my laptop.

The Raps played a good three periods and then gave the game away.

Painful.

Meanwhile, things were taking a turn for the worse over in our worst nightmare, the Middle East.

Yemen has been a long-time recipient of cutting edge US nurturing for a long time, which is why the country is in the process of going down the shitter even as I write these words.

Yemen has been the testing ground for American theories of anti-terrorism warfare, and also the testing ground for the latest in drone tech innovations.

So Yemen owes America a huge debt of gratitude.

How that will play out remains to be seen.

And here's an aside from court-side; I only very recently put two and two and Noah together to figure out that the Bull with the impressive man-bun is the spawn of Yannick, the tennis dude you used to see all over the top tennis tournaments twenty-five years ago.

But back to Yemen. The "legitimate" government is a made-in-USA propaganda exercise.

Opposition has come to mean the Houti/Shia/Iran nexus...

Oh lookee, we got us another proxy war in the Middle East!

The war profiteers are ramping up production; both sides will need to be re-supplied!

Heartbreak for Raptors

So a seven game series comes down to the last second and a one point win for the Nets.

That's the beauty of b'ball!

Nobody leaves with twenty minutes left because the final score is a foregone conclusion, as they will for hockey or football.

Anyway, next round for the Nets is going to be four short games and they'll be playing summer league too.

Heat all the way.

Toronto's corporate sports overlords celebrate rare playoff appearance by giving fans a good screwing

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the name of the conglomerate that controls professional sports in Canada's biggest market.

They don't really concern themselves with fielding winning teams, because they have found the docile Toronto market will sell out their games year after year even with the most mediocre teams on the ice/pitch/hardwood.

This year was to be a rebuild year for the NBA Raptors, but after getting rid of one of the teams' bigger salaries in mid-season, the team unexpectedly gelled. Not only did they gel, but they're in the play-offs!

For the first time in six years!

So how does MLSE reward their long-suffering fans?

By sticking it to them with the highest playoff ticket prices in the NBA!

And how are the fans responding? They're lining up to buy the tickets, of course!

Don't forget; this is the same town that made Rob Ford their mayor!

Gay in Toronto

If you were looking for something about bathhouse raids, move along. There's nothing for you here.

But look at the Rudy Gay debut with the Raptors!