Basisphilosophie » the love of the local NBA and NHL teams

We saw what it looked like last spring. Toronto as a basketball-mad city captured not just our own attention but that of those from around the NBA. The buzz in the city, the crowds at Maple Leaf Square represented by fans from nearly every Toronto ethnic demographic ... and of course the atmosphere inside the Air Canada Centre – electric in a way it rarely, if ever, is for the local hockey team. It all felt like it might be a glimpse into the future. A future where the gap between the love of the local NBA and NHL teams might be small, where basketball might drive the sporting pulse of Toronto nearly as much as hockey. Were not there yet and we may never get there, at least for a long, long time. Outgoing Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Tim Leiweke promised an audience last month that within 10 years the Raptors would be more popular than the Leafs. That statement may say far more about Leiwekes brashness and lack of sense for the market into which hes been transplanted. But the truth is we dont really know how close the Raptors could get because theyve have been so underwhelming during most of their existence. There is little less inspiring in sports than a bottom third NBA team playing out an 82-game schedule where most nights against good teams they dont stand a chance. So to truly get a sense of how much basketball potential there is to unlock in Toronto, were going to need more than just the Raptors running off a 48-win season, pushing a team to seven games during the first round of playoffs and coming up with a splashy television ad campaign. Were going to need a sustained period of competitive basketball. One where the Raptors stay on the NBA radar, with Toronto players becoming part of the greater NBA conversation. Were going to need marquee matchups, games on national television in the US. And rivalries that matter. The challenge with the Raptors hasnt so much been about getting good for a season or two ... its been about staying that way. The Raptors have had six winning seasons in their 19-year history and one playoff series win. This time has a chance to be different. They appear to have the right management, the right coach and a team that is not built primarily around the skills of one player, whose discontentment or subpar performance could on its own completely reverse the direction of things. Theres momentum, youth and potential on their side this time. And while an NBA Championship at the end of the road would be nice, what could come from the journey getting there would be far more significant in the long run. Cheap Heat Jerseys Authentic . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. 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Saltalamacchia has agreed to a $21 million, three-year deal with the Miami Marlins, two people familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday.CALGARY -- The Calgary Stampeders have signed offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu, the No. 1 overall selection at the 2014 CFL draft. Lavertu, a 300-pound Quebec City native, was a four-time Quebec conference all-star and three-time CIS all-Canadian at Laval. He was a member of the Rouge et Ors Vanier Cup-winning squads in 2010, 2012 and 2013. The SStampeders acquired the top pick at the CFL draft and the rights to veteran centre Marwan Hage in a trade with the expansion Ottawa Redblacks.dddddddddddd Ottawa acquired veteran offensive lineman Jon Gott in the deal. The Stampeders also signed non-import defensive back Adam Thibault and import defensive lineman Kayvon Sherrill. 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