This seems to be the grab-bag of sports place, so let's try something else. Two Toronto good guys in sports and would be interested in hearing yours (I know we have Chicago, St Louis, Pittsburgh, Philly, Boston, Toronto, the 'Peg markets covered, among others).

Reed Johnson was cut by the Blue Jays last week. If you're an outfielder, and you don't hit for power, you better be able to run like a gazelle, have a cannon for an arm, and be the owner's grandson or something. I'd never seen Reed Johnson not make the routine, difficult and very difficult play, perfectly. You all know that as an outfielder, if you stand there like a post and move only to catch anything that comes right to you your'e going to end the year with a perfect fielding record. Johnson made the gutsy plays. Short hops to prevent the advance from first to third, dives to steal hits that if missed (they never were) would have been inside-the-park-homers. He backed everything up and ran only at full tilt. He had one great hitting year, everything worked out and he was in the top 10 for most of the year until fading towards the end. Why can a guy do that one year, be in the top two five percent say, and then drop to average the next year? So now at 31 he's finished, maybe. Somebody will probably pick him up, I don't know what he's like in the clubhouse but I imagine good, and he's a perfect example on the field. A manager's gotta love this guy if he's got the luxury and looking for a 5th or so outfielder. Or maybe he's done, who knows. I think he came up with the Jays, so he's a Toronto boy by now. We'll see what happens with him.

Jose Calderon, should have been all-star, recently asked to be made back-up point guard for the Raptors. Jose played his pants off earlier this year, and was putting up Steve Nash type (i.e. near MVP cailibre for a point guard) numbers. We always wondered if he could do it. There's the thing with European players coming over here, they play schedule there of 40-50 games with lots of slow white guys, and when they come over here and have to play 80+ games against the fastest guys on the planet they just can't do it. Jose was doing it. We didn't even know he had a shot, let alone could be a starting point guard, let alone was an all-star calibre starting point guard. But here was the guy averaging 10+ assists to a turnover and a half as a starter .. unheard of basically .. and yet now he wants to be back to being a backup. Because our other guard is back. T. J. Ford is a starter. T. J. Ford said all the right things about coming back and not disrupting the chemistry, but on the court as the backup guy he was a disaster. He didn't tank it, the opposite kind of, he thought he had to do everything, and trusted his fellow second-stringers to do nothing. It was embarrassing. He knew it, threw a couple of tantrums, brought everybody down with him. So what's a good Spaniard to do? Coach can't demote him, and reward the whiner, and yet the team was dying. Jose took one for the team.

Reed Johnson was signed by the Cubs, and should split time in center with Felix Pie. If Pie plays like he did last year, we should see plenty of Johnson. If Pie lives up to the early billing, not so much. The Cubs have issues all over the place, so guys like Johnson are just what they need.

Jim Thome from the Sox seems to be one of those guys everyone likes. Never causes problems. Always friendly with press. Does the appearance thing, the charity thing etc with very little fanfare. Quiet, solid citizen.

One of the things about Johnson: dude knows how to get hit by a pitch.  Really a very good super-sub outfielder, though -- if we weren't stuck with yet another platoon in left (and if he wasn't a little overpaid), the Jays would have been well served hanging onto him.  (Travis Snider, can't you grow up faster?)

taoofstieb.blogspot.com had some good stuff on Reed getting released.

Other good guys in sports: I'm thinking, I'm thinking...

Well, I'm thinking more of active guys.  Iginla comes immediately to mind, but I was hoping I could come up with an anecdote.

Disappointing to see Montreal hit by a rash of injuries so close to the playoffs.  It would have been nice to see them extend their "Cup in every decade" streak, time's running out.

twif, hard to imagine the balky-kneed one with 52 doubles, that would normally be a lot of chugging. (did you see him and bill james et al on 60 minutes on sunday?) interesting that the Ks and BBs didn't change appreciably. he essentially traded 20 homers for 45 doubles and singles. probably hit into a lot more DPs too (just guessing).

you're awesome, i'm humbled, glad she enjoyed .. [stumbles out of room, babblying incoherently ..]