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Ninety-five days ago, the Blue Jays shocked Toronto and the baseball world by trading for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and just about any other Marlin who was breathing. Since then, almost everything around this city has gone crazy.
And I mean, crazy in a good way. Crazy, in a we?re-not-used-to-this, Toronto way.
On Nov. 13, when the Jays made their first big deal of the off-season, the Argos had played 19 games and won 10 of them. Two wins later, and nine days after the signing of batting champion Melky Cabrera, they were champions of the 100th Grey Cup.
And the city that has been something of a sewer for professional sports ? a place where teams come to lose, where ESPN likes to poke fun ? suddenly had a champion and a baseball team to believe in. That was before the Dec. 18 signing of Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and the controversial firing of Brian Burke.
Needless to say, it?s been a little busy around here.
So now it?s mid-February, and the Blue Jays are playing catch beneath the sun of Florida and the Maple Leafs are turning on even their usual legion of doubters and the Bryan Colangelo save-his-job trade that brought Rudy Gay to Toronto has completely altered the sporting landscape of the city.
At least for now. So we take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. Because we?re not used to it. Because, frankly, it?s so damn enjoyable. Because we?ve been around losers for so long we actually were ready to change the name of the national anthem to ?Woe Canada.?
This is new and fresh it?s Valentine?s Day, so we?re in love and I have no idea how long it will last, but I?m trying to do the surfing thing and catch a wave. The Argos weren?t supposed to win anything and they did. And because they?re the Argos, that means celebration will come from some and ambivalence will come from others. It didn?t translate across the city.
But the Leafs? They translate.
This is so very new and a little old, all at the same time. Pat Burns? first year in Toronto was brilliant. So was Pat Quinn?s. Coach Randy Carlyle, who ? unlike Quinn and Burns ? won a Stanley Cup before coming to Toronto, is following that course without similar talent and showing the best moves Burke made as Leafs general manager were among his last.
We used to know how to chronicle winners. Really, we did. But all the years of the opposite beat you down. And now those of us who have been asking what went wrong for the past decade or more have to change our questions and approach: We?re challenged to dig and find out what exactly went right.
It?s very early and James Reimer is hurt and now Matt Frattin is out and Joffrey Lupul isn?t ready to return and there are all kinds of reasons for the Leafs to be losing ? but it?s not happening. They look ? dare I say it after all these lousy years? ? like a playoff team.
And the talk show hosts, looking for angry callers, aren?t getting any of that. It?s an adjustment for everybody.
Because, honestly, we?re not used to this. We?re not accustomed to success. This is Toronto. And maybe all this is one unlikely coincidence. When Alex Anthopoulos made a big trade and a big signing and another big trade, it was as though a switch got flicked and our sports world changed. But you can?t miss out on the symbiosis here. One win leads to another win leads to another win.
Going into last night?s game in New York, the Raptors with Gay had won three games in a row, four of six with their new franchise face. And the wins in Indiana and at home against Denver, didn?t come cheap. They were legitimate NBA victories against great teams, the kind of games the Raptors have become specialists at losing.
And heck, even Toronto FC hasn?t lost a game yet this year with a new coach and general manager. How encouraging is that?
Not that long ago, the Leafs were crappy, the Raptors worse, Toronto FC horrible and the Blue Jays manager wanted to be in Boston and it wasn?t the end of the sporting world, but you certainly could see it from here.
Now this: Toronto, city of sporting hope. Go figure.?
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/13/toronto-city-of-sports-hope
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