Hudak, Horwath and for the WYNNE! Ontario Election Lacks Real Leaders

They had a televised debate today and they all just seemed to come off looking worse for it

 

I have mentioned it before but I will say it again here: We have no real leaders in our 3 main political parties in Ontario. We have a woman in Kathleen Wynne who is trying to remain as the Premier who we, the people, did NOT vote in as Premier (having inherited the job from Dalton Mc-Liar when he resigned/retired over a year ago), we have a man in Tim Hudak who should have won the last election but didn’t because of several asinine comments regarding education funding (now he just wants to start cutting until he hits the bone instead) and then we have Andrea Horwath, who propped up the Fiberals for so long that when the election campaign started, it took her nearly 2 full weeks after the other parties had released their platforms to remember to follow suit.

None of these 3 are dripping with the kind of leadership qualities and charisma that we look for and see when we think of a true leader. We look over at President Obama and dream of the changes he wanted to implement before the weight of the office and those in power who enjoy the status quo conspired to put shackles on him that even he didn’t see coming.

He came in with such promise but has been bogged down by an unexpected quiet racism in Capitol Hill which has paralyzed his administrations ability to make the changes he promised

There isn’t a single candidate out there right now in any provincial riding that you would look at and say, “That is a person who I believe will protect the interests of the people over his own.” That sentiment may be the by-product of the cynicism of our times towards politicians but when we are faced with financial crisis and municipal politicians, provincial politicians and Federal ones all vote themselves pay increases, what does that tell the general public about what these people think of first?

To me, a real politician is someone who respects that we work hard for each and every dollar we earn and tries to find ways to cut back the amount of money a government spends. At the same time, they are willing to spend on things that are for the greater good (Education, Health Care, Infrastructure, etc.) while ensuring that each and every one of us lives in a safe environment (Low crime rates, terrorists, war as well as clean water and air), and from corporate greed which perpetuates itself in many different ways (from toxic dumping to using below grade materials, basically cutting corners to both cut costs and earn them more money while paying their front line staff next to nothing).

Clearly there is absolutely no one who exhibits all of these traits in the current election. Scary to think that we have no one in our entire political system who we would say even exhibits half of these traits. Hell, if you think about it, Rob Ford got into office and still has a huge amount of support simply because he is a strong voice on cutting government waste (his “Gravy-Train quote we always hear) and his belief in a REAL subway system for this city which would have tremendous benefits to our environment.

You know we are in trouble politically when this guy has more charisma then any of our bland provincial leaders do

It’s clear that we are destined to be led by someone who lacks any real leadership traits or characteristics. Unfortunately, given the way the polls are looking, the next Premier might just end up being that Snake Oil Salesmen, Tim Hudak. The same man who thinks it’s a good idea to float Education platform ideas out to the public (like he did in the last election) to test their merit before back tracking and now opting to go in the exact opposite direction in this election.

Hudak’s main premise this election is his contention that he would somehow magically pull out of his ass 1 million jobs that this province “Desperately Needs” yet at the same time he wants to cut 100,000 civil service jobs. So then is he going to create 1.1 million jobs? Or is it a net 900,000 jobs he plans to bring in? And what kind of time period are we looking at here in terms of bringing these magical jobs back to this province which are not here now? Are they full time jobs? Part Time? Minimum Wage? Seasonal? Please explain why it’s better to cut into the middle class yet again (because that is where the bulk of these jobs lie), take out that many people from their jobs helping people (because, you know they only help the poorest of the province which is of no real benefit to his buddies in the Corporations who are in “DIRE NEED” of these tax breaks he wants to implement), erode the tax base of the province at the same time and create even longer wait times for people looking to get their basic necessities taken care of. What a great plan!

The man looked so slimy during the debate today, I still don't know how anyone could vote for him

 

For someone who was raised Catholic to show such little regard for other people makes you wonder about his moral compass. Was it skewed by his time working for Wal-Mart? Or was it from his time earning a FREE education at the University of Washington? (I checked, he did both of these. Maybe THAT’S where he got his financial ideas from?! His US apprenticeship where he learned that its survival of the fittest). Or maybe it was destroyed in the time he spent listening to his Wife who was a senior advisor to former Premier, Mike Harris, whose deep cuts led us to elect Dalton Mc-Liar in his wake.

Not that Wynne is any better. She has clearly squandered her chance at showing she was a leader when she tried to hide behind semantics with regards to the cancelled Misississauga/Oakville Gas Power Plant which cost the province $1 Billion (and counting). Add to that the fact that she could very well be charged if it is found that she tampered with evidence (ordered documents destroyed and computer hard drives erased in order to protect her former boss, Mc-Liar) and you have the exact face of a politician that no one can trust.

Our only hope would be to have Andrea Horwath win enough votes to become a true “King-maker” in the sense that neither Hudak nor Wynne would have enough to garner a Majority Government. With the way things are shaping up right now and how none of us seems to be able to find any one person they really want to follow, this scenario could play out. A PC minority with an NDP party propping them up might be just what the doctor ordered as at the very least, Horwath could act as a moral conscience to the morally lacking Hudak.

Leafs Post-Mortem and Off Season Plans

He may have been smiling when he was announced as the new "Boss" of the Leafs but there is a lot more work to do before this team is anywhere near what the fans of this city have been patiently waiting to see: A TRUE Contender

 

Part of me still thinks it seems crazy that the Leafs, who were as high in the standings as 4th in the East at one point in the year, found a way to miss the Playoffs this season. But, upon closer inspection, the team was a house of cards waiting to be blown away by the first real sign of turmoil mostly because of a failure of leadership in the dressing room in both the coaching staff and the Captain, Dion Phaneuf.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the West Coast trip they went on where they lost Jonathan Bernier for the stretch drive. In his homecoming game against his former team, Bernier tore his groin and his injury tore the team apart mentally.

Coach Carlyle had banked everything on building up Bernier as the #1 goalie throughout much of the season to the point where he was blatantly alienating incumbent James Reimer, the guy who essentially got the team into the playoffs and nearly into the 2^nd round last season. It was clear Bernier was the favoured son and you really can’t blame a defensive minded coach from going with a goalie who sucked in shots as if he was wearing flypaper over his jersey; What came in to his body tended not to go out. With the porous zone coverage of the Leafs “D” men, Bernier was the natural choice.

He kept his job while his assistants were all canned. Let's see if he can turn this team around in 2014-15

 But the problem was when Reimer would go in and steal a game or 2, Carlyle seemed indifferent to him and would instead harp on the Team “D” to get better, choosing not to praise Reimer as much as his confidence clearly needed him to. We have no idea what he was saying to his goalies in the dressing room mind you but if he (Carlyle I mean) was as candid as he was with them as he was with the media, then clearly Carlyle was the cause of Reimer’s loss of confidence. This came back to haunt Carlyle in spades as the team around Reimer clearly took note and followed suit and their confidence in him took a nosedive.

Carlyle mistreated him throughout the year and I would say we have seen the last of him in Leafs Blue

 

At some point, the Captain of the team has to stand up and try to right the ship. Phaneuf has been the Captain almost from the minute he got here and has now overseen 3 staggering collapses under his watch. Clearly, he has no idea how to be a true leader. Either that or he has been surrounded by a bunch of “Yes” men who would rather follow suit to a leader pulling them over a cliff then stop and try to fix things, even if they contradict their “Leader”.

Part of me thinks that Phaneuf was only worried about playing well until he got his big fat contract extension. His 7 year, $49 million deal kicks in this summer but (hopefully), if the rumours are true, he will be joining Roberto Luongo in the Florida sun instead of collecting all that cash here with the Leafs while coasting to yet another 1^st round exit (if they make it this year that is) or 13^th place finish.

The rumour I speak of is the one where the Panthers would send the 1^st pick in the  draft this year and Ed Jovanovski to the Leafs for the 8^th pick, Dion and Kadri (another of the coach’s whipping boys, who miraculously still had a decent year in spite of Carlyle). The Leafs would rid themselves of his massive contract, get a serviceable Jovo-cop in his place and pick Aaron Ekblad with the first choice in the draft. 

Every indication is that Ekblad will be NHL ready come this Fall. If he is a Leaf, that could mean yet another young defender to drive Carlyle crazy

 

They could then re-sign David Bolland and name him Captain (because really, who else orther then Joffrey Lupol would have the balls to do the job any justice) and then possibly sign someone like Paul Stastny to be their #1 Center, slotting Tyler Bozak into the #2 role and Bolland as the perfect fit, #3 (they would also have to re-sign Jay McClement as the #4, but that’s besides the point).

They have some up and coming talent in the minors as can be seen by the Marlies playing in Game #7 of the AHL Final tonight so help would be on the way for the 3^rd and 4^th lines at the very least. Clearly, a balanced attack where you play all 4 lines is how you win in the NHL now as both the Rangers and Kings (as well as the Hawks and Habs) used 4 lines of depth to get as far as they did this year.

Brad Ross, Jerry D’Amigo, Trevor Smith, Spencer Abbott all warrant extended looks up front this fall as do TJ Brennan, Stuart Pearcy and Granberg on Defence. When Reimer gets dealt (To Vancouver, you heard it here first), McIntyre should inherit the back up role as he has been outstanding for the Marlies during this run.

Despite all the problems of the year, a few moves here and there are all it will take to turn this franchise around and wipe away the dreadful ends to the last 3 seasons from out memories….until the next horrific/catastrophic/insanely painful end comes our way again. This is what we signed up for as Leafs fans.

Hey, it could be worse. We could be Cubs fans!

Stanley Cup Final Preview – Sports in Review

Dustin Brown wouldn't touch this one, he has his sights set on a bigger one...

 

Sorry to everyone but I have had quite a few things on my plate in the last few weeks and despite my best intentions to write several blogs, I haven’t. Totally my fault but I have a few I will be banging out in the next few days so let’s begin.

After one of the best playoffs we have ever seen, the Stanley Cup Finals are set. The Kings (who knocked off the Defending Champion Blackhawks in possibly the best 7 game series in recent memory) will play (or should I say DESTROY) the New York Rangers starting tomorrow night. Both teams played just about the maximum number of games possible in getting to the Finals with the Kings staving off elimination 7 times in playing and winning three 7 game series, while the Rangers had to do it 4 times in winning two of their own and then squeaking by the Habs in 6 (they would have lost that series is Carey Price didn’t have his knee hyper-extended accidentally on purpose by Chris Kreider).

The two teams have played a combined total of 41 out of a possible 42 games so neither team is healthier or better rested then the other. This series comes down to style of play and it should be obvious after the first 10 minutes tomorrow night just how over-matched the Rangers are in this series. The Kings are a team that just knows how to win and has everything in place to be battling for the Cup year in and year out for the next 3 years after this run ends with their 2^nd Championship. The Rangers don’t belong in the finals and that will be made very clear very “Quick”-ly. I say the Kings will win in 5 games with King Henrik stealing 1 game.

4th straight Finals Appearance, this will be his 3rd straight win

The NBA Final is also set now with a rematch between the Spurs and the Heat. I admit I lost track of the NBA playoffs after the embarrassing display by NBA officials in the first round match up between the Raptors and the Nets but it always just seemed to be destined that these 2 teams would be there in the end. Tony Parker is banged up which makes this a little easier to pick the Heat to three-peat. The big news will come in the off-season when LeBron decides to jump ship once again, terminating his deal at the perfect time to make himself even richer.

The possible landing spots for him are pretty obvious: LA (not with the Lakers though), the Knicks, Cleveland and (maybe I am the only one who thinks this but….wait for it) The Raptors! Yes, I would not rule out the possibility of Tim Leiweike pulling this one out of nowhere and landing LeBron in TO. I agree, total 100000 to 1 long shot here but why not? MLSE has the cash, they have the ‘cred with Drake, the All-Star Game is coming, the team itself is on the verge of becoming a contender….why not?

I may have come late to the party as this image was already available on Google....

On to Baseball as the calendar has flipped to June and the Blue Jays need to be discussed for the first time in nearly 20 years. Why? Because as I write this, they sit in the top perch in the AL East for the first time this late in a year since the 2000 season. Shocking really and their lead should grow from the 4 games it currently sits at as the Yankees are aging fast during the “Derek Jeter Tribute Tour” they call a season (injuries piling up), the Orioles don’t have enough pitching and may have lost Nelson Cruz for a few games after he was hit on the hand by a pitch on the weekend, the Red Sox have more injuries then you can count and seem intent on trying to manufacture a reason to clear their bench in the hopes that it would turn their season around (What was THAT Jonny Gomes? TOTAL BS on your part for going after Escobar in a 5 run game for stealing 3^rd. It wasn’t a blowout dude. That was uncalled for!), and the Rays are just not able to score enough runs to be a real threat, sitting last in the entire American League.

The team we thought they were last year, showed up a year later it would appear...

With ALL of that said, the Jays still need to add Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs in order to be considered a real World Series contender. At the same time, they need to do it without mortgaging the future because if what I am hearing is accurate, the Cubs first demands of Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman should have resulted in a dial tone from Double A. Sanchez should be considered an untouchable. There is no way the Jays can let their future Ace (Sanchez) go in any deal. Stroman, although impressive in his first start Saturday (I was there, he was lights out), should be included in a deal.

I would try to offer a package to the Cubs which would consist of Stroman, Colby Rasmus (Anthony Gose IS your centerfielder of the present AND future starting now!), and Adam Lind (you can then turnaround and sign Kendrys Morales who is a switch hitter and a better defender then Lind who dropped an easy out Saturday at first on a throw that was right on the mark by Juan Fransico) to try and pry away Samardzija. Sanchez may even be the answer to the #5 spot late in the year if JA Happ falters.

Samardzija is the last piece missing in turning this team into a true contender

But that’s just my 2 cents. Even if they do nothing, which they might, the Jays still will probably win the division. There are just too many injuries mounting on the teams in their division for any of them to be a real threat at the moment. If they build up a big enough lead by the All-Star Game, you might even start to see a team like the Rays go through a fire sale (David Price will be available) if their injuries continue to mount (Now last year’s Rookie of the Year winner, Will Myers is on the shelf with an injured wrist for at least 2 months).

The team that was going to win it all last year, looks better suited to do it this year. Crazy how that works.

Up next, a postmortem on the Leafs Season and what I think they need to do for next season.