It’s a very interesting time in the world of Toronto sports. Being headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Synergy Marketing plays host to many a sports fan of the Raptors, Maple Leafs and Blue Jays. So a healthy number of our staff members are pretty enthusiastic about the chances that our city’s professional sports teams have in making waves this year. Well, some of the teams anyway.
The Raptors of the NBA have officially clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2008. Currently leading the Atlantic Division, the Raptors are poised to take third spot in the Eastern Conference overall. This is quite a feat for a team that traded supposed-superstar Rudy Gay earlier in the season in what some deemed to be an effort to “tank” or purposely do poorly to secure a top draft pick in the offseason.
“It’s amazing,” commented one of our team members right after the Raptors clinched their spot last week, “People may not expect the Raps to do much in the postseason, but this young team has a lot of promise. They’re so much better since the (Rudy Gay) trade because they’re really playing like a team now. You can tell they’re having fun out there. They will be fun to watch.”
The Maple Leafs of the NHL are arguably Toronto’s most beloved team. As a result, they also happen to be the most disappointing. The Leafs are currently on an eight game slide. Those eight losses in a row have pretty much secured the team a spot outside of the playoff race. Currently battling for the final wild card spot that would see them enter the playoffs, the Leafs sit four points behind the Detroit Red Wings who hold that spot. Things don’t look so good.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said our rep, “Especially after the what happened in the playoffs last year (with the Leafs losing in Game 7 of the opening round after taking a three goal lead into the third period), you would think that the Leafs were going to really make a go of it this year. It seemed like a playoff berth was a sure thing. This losing streak has ruined everything. It really hurts as a fan.”
The Blue Jays of MLB, however, start a brand new season today with high hopes. Getting underway at 4 p.m. EST in Tampa Bay, the Blue Jays will kick off a season that many believe can’t possibly be worse than last year. With a number of highly touted offseason moves being made before last year’s season, the Jays were heralded as a World Series contender. That, of course, was not to be so.
Instead, the Blue Jays finished the season dead last in the American League East, leaving many a Toronto baseball fan dismayed. This offseason was a completely different story. Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos pretty much stuck to his guns, bringing last season’s roster back to the field for another try. One significant change was made behind the plate, however.
The underachieving J.P. Arencibia is out and Dioner Navarro is in. And as Brendan Kennedy writes in The Toronto Star, Navarro is looking for a “rebirth” in Toronto. Jays fans are certainly hoping that a “rebirth”, of sorts, takes place on the field this year. After all, on paper, the team looks stellar. Perhaps, without the heavy expectations that were placed on the club last year, they will perform at a higher level this year.
Welcome back Major League Baseball! Here’s hoping the Jays have an amazing comeback year, the Raptors have an exciting playoff run and the Leafs find a way to mend the hearts of Toronto sports fans soon!
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