(upbeat music) - No different than any at the time, you're seeking consistency as a group, both in your mindset. You're not looking for cohesion. It's every time a lot of change here. Check it out and forward, but on defense, we've got some change. And we need to have to come together, need to group yourself to continue to grow together. While there isn't change with the actual personnel that I've set on forward here lately, we do have a little bit of change in the sense that you've got the emergence of someone like Bobby McMahon, how he's blossoming and giving us additional options. Hulberg in the way that he's come on, and then also producing, "Come on, don't be coming on." John, coming on this floor, that's when the 515, all these things sort of give you additional options and you want to work your way through that. But, consistency in our effort and our approach, and the special team is all of those sort of things you want to get into a fight. - Fan Morning Show Sportsnet 5.9 of the fan band, Ennis Bryan Gunning, that was of course Sheldon Keefe, leaves getting set to play the Flyers in Philadelphia where they are trying to register their 20th victory away from Scotia Bank Arena and improved to 27 and 6. Their home record, not quite as lofty, 18, 12 and two. And this Leafs team attempting to do something no other Leafs team has ever done in franchise history. Bit of an obscure stat here, but... - Zavint Scully stat, if I've ever heard one, but yes. - No Leafs team in history over a three year span has won 20 road games in each of those three years. Leafs won road victory away, unless they really put it in the toilet here. They're gonna get their 20th away victory. Sheldon Keefe and his media availability yesterday was asked about the road record and said, yeah, for whatever reason, it was like really good. Like some real character victories on the road for whatever reason. And maybe there is no answer to it. Maybe it's just a quirk of the game. - Sure. - Shouldn't he have an answer? - I think the thing that I point to, and I don't know that it is a hard and fast, this is the answer, but I also get why a guy wouldn't say, it's me, I'm the problem, it's me, is that I think Sheldon Keefe at times, and this is part of what he's been criticized for, is that he's been, it's been said he's been out coached in some of these playoff series losses, and I think sometimes at home, he can get a little too bogged down in chasing the exact match-up he needs, or putting together the right line at the right time because it's the jolt that the team needs. Whereas on the road, you just kind of have to let the game come to you more, to a certain extent. You gotta throw your guys out there first, you don't have last change. That is the biggest thing I can point to. You know, other people will look at, you know, that building and what it's like when it starts going bad. That doesn't exist in January. That exists in April, doesn't really exist as much in January, so I think my biggest read on it is just letting the game come to them, and when you are, they're not a perfect team, but when you're a good team, like the Leafs, see Paul Rudd from "I Love You Man," no, do less, do less, you're doing too much, do a little less. I don't discount the possibility that that's correct. If it is true, I would hope that Sheldon Keith could put his ego aside and understand that that's true, and maybe not admit to us, but yeah, that's actually troubling to me, if that's actually the reason, and he hasn't come to that realization, or nobody within that may-believes organization has come to him and said, "Hey, man, "I know it feels like a quirk of the game, "and maybe there's a part of that to it, "but I know you want to be out there coaching, "but like maybe just like coach instead of coach." You know? - I do think there's something to that. I also think it's only human nature when the biggest criticisms of you or that you were out coached in playoff series losses, and I don't even wholly buy into that. It's like, was he out coached or did Philip Dunno outplay Austin Matthews? How connected are those things? Like I think all of these are- - Why did you tell Austin Matthews to keep scoring? - I guess weird that he just didn't mention that at all. So that is kind of how I look at it. - All right, this insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit DonValleyNorthlexus.com. Today's insider, the great Luke Fox. Sportsnet Leafs reporter, how's it going Luke? - Pretty good, the great new Fox, eh? - You're great. - You're reliving 2021? Is that what I caught? Philip Dunno? - Oh no, I mean, Luke, you know me. I'm always reliving that. The last thing I see every night before I close my eyes and try to fall asleep is Alec Gilchetty X spinning backhand too, to know one other than the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. So yeah, we don't need to relitigate it, but I always am in my heart, Luke. Sad, I know. - Oh, that is sad. - Yeah. - That may have been their best shot. That's the, I think that's the nightmare, is that we look back and say that that North to be leader was the best shot. That would be the tragedy. - I don't want to be right about this, but I will be honest in that part of it is just the time that it happened in, but I remember as the Leafs core was building to be what they are now, it was right when the Cubs broke their curse. And I remember thinking to myself, I'm like, you know how you become the Cubs? Is this group never doing anything? It's like having a truly transcendent group that should be able to get it across the finish line. So yeah, you say that might be their best shot. I'm not even disagreeing with you. And I was all happy that the Leafs are back and I'm a little sad. Let's dive into this, Luke, with the idea of this team. We were just talking about it. The team better record on the road than at home. You know, a lot of theories about this, of goals to play off pass. I think the crowd can affect it, but I don't think that's doing that in January, December, or even going back to November. I think that's a playoff thing. The theory I have on the team's road record is that Sheldon Keefe is just letting the game come to the team a little bit more and not working so hard for every single matchup or trying to throw out the odd super line when they have last chance or last change and it makes sense. What is your theory for why the team has been so good on the road and maybe not quite as strong at home? - Yeah, Sheldon Keefe was asked about that yesterday and he said it's kind of hard for him to put his finger on it, but he's certainly noticed that it is a trend. And I think there's something to that, right? You don't have last change, so you're not overthinking it. You know, I've talked to a bunch of players and you know, whether they're Leafs or on other teams and generally players like when the lines are just rolling, when the D pairs are just rolling and you're not mixing and matching and you just get into the rhythm. So I think there's an element of that and I think there's probably also like a little bit of, hey, you're at home, maybe you want to put on a show, maybe you don't play as much of a simple straightforward game like just, you know, hard for check, let's get a goal, let's protect a lead. It's, hey, we're up by two, let's get three, let's get four, let's put on a show for these fans and you kind of let your foot off the gas, your attention to detail slip. I think you're a little bit more dialed in on the road and I think maybe there is something to, hey, it's a business trip, we're going here to work, you know, you're away from all the distractions of home. I mean, I'm not comparing myself to a professional athlete but I am way more on my reporting game when I'm on the road than when I'm at home because I got errands to do, I got a kid to get to hockey and then I'm rushing to the game. It's just, you're way more focused when you're on a business trip. So I think maybe there's a little sum of that to it but really we're, I think it's not one thing. It's probably a combination of things. - Yeah, no, I get that. - John Tavares does not have to babysit Matthew Knives. It's like, you got room service, I'm not dealing with you. - Yeah, no, that makes a ton of sense. Yeah, so that being said, and yeah, talking to players and them saying they love the consistency of the same lines or the same lines in game and just rolling them and not double shifting people and just, you know, getting the minutes that you're expecting in the course of a hockey game without Mitch Marner, things are kind of in flux here and we're gonna see yet another game without Max Domi up the middle and the god Connor Dewar who is the fourth line center. I guess we gotta see how the David Camp led third line looks but do you think we're done with the Max Domi center experiment? - No, not necessarily, but I think it's one of those things that Sheldon Keap knows he can go to if he needs it. But yeah, I think when Max Domi was first brought in, I don't believe the GM or the coach envisioned him playing center in a perfect world. They knew he had that capability. Dallas used him as a center, Chicago used him as a center at times, but I think they were thinking in a perfect world, we want him on the wing because of his speed. You saw the goal that he got in Montreal playing off the wing instead of, you know, with he's in the center position, he has to hang back and be more responsible and kind of generate speed from the D zone. He can kind of lead the charge with his speed the way he did with that breakout pass. He took from Yarn Crock which was a really key moment in the game and he just lacks the defensive responsibility of a two-way center. He's more of a one-way center. I love his passing, I love his playmaking, I love his skating, but when he doesn't have the puck, he's not the guy you want playing center, which is why right from training camp, they tried to make William Nieland or the guy, then they went to Fraser Minton, now they bring a doer and bump camp up. And you know what, that line actually had a really good game and Sheldon Keith was surprised how well that brand new third line of Nye's camp and Bobby McMahon performed in Montreal. So I think they're gonna get a little bit of run, but you know, nothing seems permanent, right? Every couple of weeks we see a shift. So I don't think that means that Domie's completely done as a center. - Yeah, I don't think so either as much as the players may want it and Keith says he may want it. I just think we know what's happening here is that when things kind of hit a rut, they're want to shake it up a little bit and there's just still a lot of hockey left in the regular season. You know, we mentioned Marner there. I know there's no update, but how much do you read into Sheldon Keith saying, I don't know, make of that what you will or whatever it was he said yesterday regarding Marner's injury. I don't know, maybe we're all making way too much out of this and he's back in next week, but I don't know, it seems a little curious, the conversation regarding this Marner injury. - For sure it does. And the one positive I would say is, you know, I saw Marner walk around Montreal and he didn't have crutches or anything. You know, when Joseph Wall went down with his high ankle sprain, he left the ranking crutches. So I saw him walking in normal street clothes. It is concerning that he-- - Well, they're not normal street clothes. - That's where Marner was wearing them. - High end, high end, high end street clothes. But the concern is he hasn't even been on the ice yet. So that's a little bit concerning. So when Sheldon Keith says read into that what you will, there's two ways you can go with that. You can go with this might be kind of serious and maybe there is some cause for concern here or hey, we're firmly entrenched in the three seed. Like no one's catching us, catching Boston is a possibility, but it feels like a bit of a long shot. The priority is to rest the guy, even if it's a minor injury and not further aggravate it. And because rushing Mitch Marner back for a Thursday night in Philadelphia, what's that gonna do for us? Let's take our time here and make sure one of our engines is 100% healthy for the playoffs. - Plus you're gonna get the Bobby McMahon boost after signing the contract extension. We're gonna get back to Bobby McMahon hat tricks, I imagine, in the not too distant future. I mean, it's a nice piece of business for Bobby McMahon who like a month ago might have seen his NHL career closing in on him where he was apparently on the verge of being a healthy scratch on that February 13th game. Against the Blues gets into that game, scores a hat trick and lo and behold, a month later he's signing a two year contract extension. What do you make of it? - It's an incredible story. You know, you root for a guy like Bobby McMahon. So I'll tell you a story. So last season when he got called up, it was right before the father's trip. So his dad, who's a shift worker from the small town, Alberta, gets flown in last minute, joins the dad's trip. First stop is Detroit. They thought Bobby scored and ended up going off a skate and they got taken out. - It was holes. It should have counted. I remember. - You remember that? Well, Cecil McMahon certainly remembers because he was in the dad suite just having a time. And I got a chance to talk to him for a bit. And he said, you know what? When Bobby signed with the Leafs, I thought it was the wrong call. He's like, you're a forward. They have so many forwards. Like you might be able to make a team but you probably couldn't make the Leafs. But Bobby believed in himself. So we didn't really want to talk about it. And you know, he's just like, this is a hardworking kid. I can't believe he made the NHL. And that was only a year ago. And now he didn't even get a goal last year. Only played 10 games. Cleared waivers at training camp was cut from the team. Finally gets called up. You know, scores his first goal. Like you said, it drifted into healthy scratch territory. Comes back at the hat trick. And now he's playing with confidence. He looks like a third-liner, not a fourth-liner. Showing some flash to his game. Adapted his game and throwing checks. Like when he was coming up, he was a pure scorer. And now he's kind of figured out how to fit in as a bottom six, checking role guy who can occasionally take it to the net and put it in. And this guy's gonna be 28 when he starts that contract. Like this guy could have been done. He was in the ECHL. So someone offers you that much money. And you've only played 50 NHL games. You can't blame him for taking it. You know, I've heard the argument that, hey, well, maybe if he gets a few more goals and maybe you know that's nuts. - Big goal in the playoffs. Just take the money, Bobby. And you feel good for him because he comes from a pretty humble family. And this is a life-changing moment this week for him to get that payday. And it's a lesson out there to people like the whole, like don't give up on your dreams and it sounds corny, but this guy should not have made it, right? He was never drafted, you know, peeking late. So it's just a wonderful individual story. And, you know, nice job for trail living too, because he spotted a guy that has the right attributes to be a support piece for what he's building. And we see so much turnover with this roster that it's nice that if they identify a guy who comes in at a reasonable price point and say, "Hey, this guy can be our bottom six for a couple of years." Not just a new guy every single year. I think it's good for both sides. - Yeah, the way I kind of phrased it, and I agree with you there, especially from McMahon's perspective and from the least perspective, it's basically this team going on a run insurance, right? 'Cause if they win two rounds, Bobby McMahon, somebody stalking himself into paying him, and it's a lot more, you know, I don't want to get carried away, but it's not one three that you're getting them. It might be the bulk of that deal for just one season. You know, it's funny, you mentioned the conversation with his dad and I'm just sitting here thinking of the story you told about Samsonov in the conversation with his dad. They're like polar opposite ones. Samsonov's dad's like, "You have this in you, "you have to do it." McMahon's dad's like, "I don't know, but a lot of flowers." Maybe, I don't know, go somewhere else. It's funny, I immediately, my head goes there. You know, a lot of good stories on the team this season, McMahon, certainly at the top of the leaderboard, but maybe the guy who's been inching him out until he became what looks like back-to-back healthy scratch here is Simone Benoit. How much, or I guess the way I'll phrase this is, how careful do they have to be with the teammate and room dynamic of this all? Because I understand your living goes out and trades for guys and you're not gonna healthy scratch. Joel Edmondson, when you traded for him, you know, he was already itching to get in, embossed him, but they gotta keep Simone Benoit a part of this. One, they need him. They're gonna need him at some point in time in this. And the other part is, is I wonder what kind of message that sends to the team. You know, they were so worried about supplanting Lillegrine, like they have in the past. Well, they just supplanted the guy who has come in and just done exactly what's asked of them 10 times over this season. So how important is the teammate dynamic with the Simone Benoit decision, as well as just the roster or lineup construction on any given night? - Well, I think this debate has a lot to do with the different type of characters we're dealing with. Simone Benoit can take it. He is the kind of guy, like he came into camp is like the seven, seven or eighth guy in the depth chart. And he told me, I'm gonna get a spot on this team. - Yeah, he's confident. - He's like, I don't care what it takes. I'm making my spot because he knows he does something other guys are unwilling to do on this team. Now, you're right, bringing in Joel Emmetson, pretty similar guy, but actually has a cup ring, has some, has way more playoff experience, those type of things. So Emmetson is a bit of a threat, I would say, to Benoit's ice title. But he's a pure rental. Benoit's RFA, there's definitely interest on both sides in extending this. Timothy Lillegrin is, I mean, to put it nicely, he's just a bit more of a fragile personality. His confidence gets shaken easier than Benoit does. And I think the organization kind of looked at this, and I'm sure Trey Living and Keith were in concert here. One thing that helps Lillegrin is he curves his stick right. There's been a lot of talk about the lefty righty balance, so that gives him a leg up. And the other thing is why I think they're giving these early starts to Lillegrin over Benoit a start, at least. I mean, he has to show that he can keep his spot. But I think the reason why they're giving him the headstart is because they're looking at it like, hey, we drafted and developed this guy, we've poured years into him. Before, we're eventually gonna have to make a decision on him, because his contract's also up. He's been a healthy scratcher in the playoffs for us in the past, because every trade deadline, we go out and we get deeper on defense, and he ends up being the odd man out. Let's give him a shot here, because at some point, we have to make a real decision on whether he's gonna be part of the Maple Leafs, long term or not, or if he's gonna be the next rat to the Sandeen that you end up giving up on, because you don't see the fit, or the consistency's not there. So they're trying to pump him up, and they're trying to say, hey, we believe in you, we're gonna put you with a partner that's really responsible, really experienced, he's gonna hang back, let you run, you know, lead the breakout if you can, and he's gonna get a little bit of run here. But they need to figure this out. - Yep, and they have 18 games to do so. Correct me if you disagree with this, but it did feel like the Leafs had a little bit of a finger on the scale last week as far as the goalie deployment, because Ilya Samsonov was so good on that Hockey Night in Canada victory over the Rangers, and it was Joseph Wall getting the start in the first of the two Bruins games that week, and then because of the back-to-back, he gets the start in the second of the Bruins games that week as well. Are we done with that? Like, is it more of a meritocracy, or do you still believe like there's like all things being equal, the Leafs are gonna try and hand this job to Joe Wall? - I think it's a battle. I think you're right in terms of how management thinks, how the coach thinks. I think there's a little bit more belief in Joseph Wall and his style of play. Part of that, I think because he's homegrown, part of it is because he's pretty low maintenance, more consistent. But right now, he's getting out of play. And part of that you could say is hey, he got the Bruins twice, and Samsonov got the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres, but you can only perform against the teams that you're playing. So, Samsonov is going down with a fight here. And I think it's actually a positive, because up until this point, there really hasn't been two guys going. Either one has been playing badly, or one's been playing hurt. Martin Jones coming out and saving the season for a stretch there, keeping them afloat. So, it's actually a good thing, I think the fact that both guys are healthy and are starting to find their game. And I think it's a battle. And if I were them, I would just go with the hottest guy going into the playoffs and let them battle it out. But yeah, the organization, if all things being equal, I think the tie goes to Joseph Wall, but good on Samsonov for stepping up, because he's playing some of his best hockey. And I was one of those guys that thought he was probably done. I'll go even further. I thought he was done. No, probably about it. Boy, oh boy, am I happy to have been proven wrong. And I think the best thing about this for Samsonov has been that he hasn't been treating it like the tie goes to Joseph Wall, because I think he knows in his heart of hearts, if it's anything remotely close to a tie, he's been treating this like he has to beat Joe Wall by 30 feet to the bag to get it. And honestly, that's a great spot for the Leafs to be in. We are at the, you know, we have a lot of great traditions and sports, you know, masters is coming up, but this, this is, I won't say it's my favorite, but it is an annual one here. The Leafs having a top five, and right now it's the second best power play in the NHL and us panicking because it's broken. What is it about the Leafs power play that we, again, I don't think anybody's wrong to ring a couple of alarm bells. It certainly hasn't looked good as a blade, but you look at the raw numbers, the only team doing it better than them is the lightning right now. And they're tied with the Panthers, the team we talk about like they're perfect. Where are you at on the Leafs power play as we round to post season here? - Yeah, I mean, I'm not overly concerned with it. One thing I think is they threw Bertuzzi in there for a little bit. I think mostly to get Bertuzzi going as opposed to getting the power play going, I think when push comes to shove, I think Tavares will have that spot. I mean, right now it's operating with Yarn crock instead of Mitch Marner. So I think when fully healthy, I'm not too concerned about it, but you're right. It is one of those things. I'd say the same thing with the penalty kill. You want both those things up and humming along and coming into the playoffs with confidence. It has let them down at the worst time in the past. So I understand why fans are anxious about it. But like you said, when you zoom out and compare their power play league wide, it's done very well. And I think that actually internally, they're more concerned about the penalty kill, which is why all three guys, they went and got at the trade deadline, aren't marquee guys, are sexy names, but all three guys can help out on the PK. And I think they were much more concerned about that. But for sure, we've seen playoff series whether it's leaps or other teams get decided by who wins the special teams battle. And it is an area that they're focused on for sure. - Yeah, they better hope they kill all the penalties off against the worst power play team in the NHL. Who they are playing tonight in Philadelphia, in the Flyers. Luke, always a pleasure, man, thanks. - All right, enjoy the game, guys. - Thanks for having me. - There's the great Luke Fox. And he is our insider, brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit Don Valley, Northlexus.com. - So on the penalty kill, I just pulled, like, I just sorted the league statistics there and like, I'm just such a stat whiz, I can do that. - Good for you. - If you think the Leafs penalty kill sucks, and I think a lot of people do think that. - Yeah. - How bad must the Jets be? 'Cause they have Connor Helljubuck, and it is in the exact same spot as the Leafs. And what do we all, what's the stock answer? - Your best penalty kill is your goal title. - I didn't even have to finish the question of what the stock answer is. They have the best goalie. We were talking to Carter Hutton yesterday. Who's the guy you want, that guy? That's the guy I feel most confident in. How atrocious must the Jets penalty kill be if they have that record with that guy? - That's not it. - Between the pipes. And even Chris Watts has been good this year. - It's not what you want. - At least the Leafs have the excuse of they basically used a shooter tutor for a month. At least they have that excuse. - Well, okay, so right now there are only two playoff teams that are below the Leafs in the penalty kill. I'm actually sorry, three, 'cause the Preds are in there too. But yeah, the Jets are right there at 77%. The Preds at 76% dead last in the NHL. The New York Islanders. - They also have a good goalie. So again, must be atrocious. - Really bizarre. - All right, as mentioned, Blue Rodeo. Hitting Budweiser stage on Saturday, August 24th, along with guests Matt Mays and Bagonia. We're giving away tickets during today's show. To enter for a chance to win text in today's code word, try to 59590. Again, that's try to 59590. Giving away another pair of tickets tomorrow. But if you don't win with us, make sure to secure your tickets tomorrow, 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Ticketmaster.ca. When we come back, despite what Kevin Barker will tell you, we have not yet given our opinion on the Homer jacket. - You hockey guys. I know you're a bignette. - I got so mad at him calling you a hockey guy. I'm like, I'm right here. - Yeah, I didn't say anything, Kevin. I'm about to say something about it. - Paught him up as though so we can hear this. He was so interested in what we had to say. - Send him the audio when we're done. We'll talk about the Homer jacket. - The golds will just call him and let him rot on hold while we give this. And maybe something else if we have time next. - We won't. - All right, fan morning show continues. Ben and his friend gutting sports F590, the fan. - The best Blue Jays show out there, period. (crowd cheering) Blair and Barker, be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. - Fan morning show sports F590, the fan, Ben and his friend gutting. Two weeks from today, Blue Jays season starts in Tampa against the race. Perhaps two weeks from today, the Homer jacket will make its return, maybe. So Hazel May tweeting out yesterday. - I love this story. It's so funny and dumb. - Just finished our annual season opening sit down conversations. Vladi Guerrero Jr. shared that he'd like the Homer jacket to return. It's personal. If the team wants to join in, great. But he wants them to have fun with it. He'll also take part in any/all other dug out celebrations. - I mean, imagine going back in time and being like, you know what, we'll fix this all. It's Vladi to have a personal home run jacket just for him. - So it's easy to get lost in the sauce when it comes to the Homer jacket. Remember, it's creation. It was like, kind of a place that was kind of neat. It's like, it said, what is the word that is written on it? All I know is it's in all the languages that everybody-- - The barrio, the neighborhood, I think. - But it was barrio in different languages. I know it was the me-gente di barrio or whatever. But yeah, it was in all the languages that were spoken by Blue Jays players, which is like, that's cool, that's-- - I think of that all the countries of guys as well. - Awesome. - Yeah. And then we had hot jacket conversation when the team wasn't playing so well. - Jacket, Gate. And Charlie Montoya was the manager of a team that was-- - Bongos and Jacket was a bad combo. - Well, that's it. It was a team that you're like, oh, wait, how professional is the operation here in Toronto? And it certainly fell out of favor. And like Kevin Barker said, guy who seemed to be at the front of the line, saying, jacket's stupid, I'm not doing it, was bulbish yet, he's still here. I think Matt Chapman, you can probably throw him in there as well. I don't think George Springer is involved in the anti-jacket revolution. - Apparently he unveiled it. Somebody who would tell me how to just hold this on now. - I don't know, I think he and Vlad have a pretty tight relationship judging by all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they hawk. - And money can do amazing things, but I agree, they do seem to get lower. - Yeah, I see them in the dugout a lot together because of money every day and it doesn't mean we're not friends. - That's true, that's true. So, Brent, I'll give you a first crack at it. - Thank you. - What do you think about the potential return of the jacket? - It's fine, it's fine, it's fine. That is the actual only take, I think, to have about this. Like, we could sit here and have fun and take a hard and passion stance one way or another, and I'm looking forward to doing that, but I'll just start off with, it's fine. It doesn't matter, bark or nail it. Now, my actual take on this, as you mentioned, that Boba Shett, we're pretty certain that he hates it to say the least, and Vlad, he's made it very clear. He loves it, and you just put it to a competition. - All right, is your guys team? - Yeah, one A and one B, as far as pillars of this organization, first guy to go yard this year, decides the jacket. Jacket, it'll be like Groundhog Day. If Boba Shett goes yard first, sorry, it's a summer of serious business only, and there ain't a jacket to be seen, but if Vlad, he goes yard to kick things off, jackets for everybody. A jacket in every locker stall, jackets for everybody. - Different strokes for different folks, right? Like, hey, being Boba Shett, or Matt Chapman, is probably not gonna work for Vladimir Karo Jr. I would maybe argue that whatever he's done the last couple of years isn't working, but yes. I don't think Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can operate the same way as those other dudes. I don't think Manny Ramirez could operate the same way as even I get David Ortiz. I think it's not a one-size-fits-all approach in any professional sport. That being said, I don't know, the jacket in particular feels cursed, right? Everybody around baseball does this home run celebration now, so it's ridiculous. Like, the Angels had this samurai helmet. Samurai helmet. The Orioles do like a beer bong, where they chug water out of it. Way better for his beer. My favorite is, I think it was last year that the Red Sox were still doing this, and we'll see if it carries over to this year, where they pushed the guy down the dugout in the shopping cart, yeah. I love that one. (laughs) I mean, the Yankees, what did they do? They did like the pouring water all over themselves. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Mookie Bets and Freddy Freeman had a really interesting one. You can go check that out on the internet, yeah. Yeah, so everybody does this. So the idea that, oh, well, the Blue Jays are supposed to be this hard nose. They're supposed to be past that sort of foolishness, okay? This is a serious bunch that keep making out on the base pass. No matter how can you have a celebration that's outside of just a stern handshake after a home run, which, by the way, is actually pretty good. Like if that's what they're gonna do. I'll tell you, I saw a guy, I forget who it was. I say he scored 50 for the London Knights a couple of years ago. It just took his glove off and shook his line mates hand. I'm like, God, that's good. Anyways, it's just the way it's done. But the jacket, it just has this, it has the stench on it. I don't think, even if it's a new jacket, or like one that doesn't remind us of the old jacket. And I think from like a practicality standpoint, it was too small. If you're gonna bring the jacket back. Oh, make it easier to put on. Like make it an oversized jacket. 'Cause I can't do the, hey guys gotta take his elbow pad off, or like he just throws it over his shoulder. Like let's have a jacket that eliminates all the awkwardness of that. Well, I mean, not to be mean, but Daniel Volkabuck is gonna bring it. Yeah, well, that's it. And so you need the largest fella that's on your team, it needs to be bigger than him. So yeah, it's gotta be inclusive, the jacket. Yeah, of course, everybody has to do, I disagree with Barker, who's like, oh, you're gonna have his own, like everybody has to do it. It's gonna stand out if one guy's like. I actually think everybody has to do it, or just Vlad. Like I will live in a world where just Vlad can do it, but if like you have two to three jacket guys, and then they're stirring handshake guys. It's just, none of these celebrations though look good when you're losing, and you're expected to win. No, that's the thing. And you know, maybe again, maybe I'm making too much of this, but, and you know, Vlad is who he is, he's gonna say what he has to say, but maybe he just doesn't even realize her care. It's like putting a bullseye on himself is too strong. Like there's already eyeballs tracked on Vladi for this season. But a couple of years ago he had the, that was the trailer, this is the movie quote. I think the people who are most bothered by this, what they're really bothered by is go out and do it, and then wear whatever you want. Like that's been the problem with all of this. You can put underwear on your head when you get back to the dugout, if you're hitting five bombs again. You can. I'd like to see it frankly. Yeah, that actually. A man, Boba Shout wouldn't really hate that. It's like, I have a cool headband. Thanks. Yeah. So that's fine. It's it, you're right. It's fine. It's not like a make or break thing. It just feels like that, that, that icon in particular is very divisive. And, and everybody has a home run celebration. Usually they come out of something organic. Well, that's the, that's the thing is it's like, I'm glad he'd be like, remember the good old days of the jacket? No, I don't. No, exactly. It's not good. Have something organic. That, that would be cooler. I also, again, like this isn't going to happen. But imagine John Schneider felt like he needed to like put his imprint on the clubhouse. And he just came out, no jacket until it's earned or something on those lines. This is just truly the dumbest story, and I'm happy we're all leaning into it. Yeah, you need to have some dumbness in your baseball season when you play a 162 games and you're in a dugout with the same human beings every day for six months. So yeah, no, I, this is, it's not unreasonable to talk about Vladi needing something to like relieve some of the pressure that he's clearly under. Man, we talk about Timothy Lulliger and feeling. I think Vladi, he feels it quite a bit. And I think he don't have to look any further back than again, the end of June until he hit his first home run at Rogers Center, our newly renovated Rogers Center, one that was expected to boost his numbers and you know, home run into almost July. Yeah. So whatever it takes to make him feel a little bit better, I'm all for if that's the jacket. That's cool too. All right. Leafs and Philly tonight against the Flyers, Max Domi making his first trip to Philadelphia as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why? It's a lot to die. He's played there plenty as you know, player on other teams, but as first as a, as a leaf player. So we'll get to see and perhaps he'll end up in the penalty box. Take a penalty. I'm sure. I mean, stranger things about. Yeah. And we'll see Domi on the back of a sweater in a, in a penalty box at the Wells Fargo Center. Like we did in 2001 when Ty Domi and the, the call you referenced was that Harry Neil? Harry Neil. Yeah. Who's given it to Ty and he squirts them with the water bottle and then falls into the penalty box and eventually gets fed a couple of shots from Ty Domi and, and Max was asked about that highlight where he was six years old when that happened. So it doesn't have any memories of it in the moment, but has gone back and looked at it. Yeah. That's cool. It's one of the great highlights. It is. Um, but I think it's a, it, it exemplifies maybe not exactly what every Philly sports fan is like, I don't think every Philly sports fan is trying to get onto the field of play, but I do think that they're a very passionate group. Yeah. Here's the way I would describe a Philly sports fan, whether it's the fliers with the Z Eagles with the Sixers. Sure. With his Phillies. Sure. Is they don't take crap? No. Listen to Frank when he comes on with this every week. They boo failure. Yeah. They're hard on their teams, but insanely loyal if those teams perform. Mm hmm. Go back and again, listen to the Jason Kelsey, yes, retirement speech and, and yeah, the upside is obviously astronomical, but if you're not getting the job done or they feel like you're not giving 100%, you're going to be booed. And if your Santa Claus, you're going to have batteries thrown at you. You beat me to it. I was hoping I got to be the one that slid that in there. Yeah. You're right. And you're right. Is that every Philly fan? No, but not every Florida man is a Florida man, but we know what we're talking about. We're talking about a Florida man. We know what we're talking about. We're talking about a Philly sports fan. And if they lived in Florida, they'd probably be Florida men themselves. There is a little bit of a wires, crossy crossover going on there, but the reason I bring it up is because I think it's an interesting conversation to have about what defines a Toronto sports fan. And again, it's not like everybody is this and they're different sports fans for different sports and yada, yada, yada, yada, yada, but is there a defining characteristic of a Toronto sports fan, Brent? I don't know. I've thought a lot of I thought a lot about this on the drive in this morning. I thought a lot about it during the breaks, even when I was talking to you about other things, this was percolating in the back of my mind and because there are things that we say we love here, but everyone loves like we love the scrappy guy who doesn't have that much guess why everybody loves that guy, but it's they're not like an outsized love of that guy like the John McDonald or the Bobby McMahon types like to a certain extent, but man, like Johnny Mac loses his dad and it's a home run father's day. They're going to be beloved in any market. Okay. Like that moment for sure. But he was beloved before that he was, but I do think sometimes we overstate that we're so special because we love the guy who's not that good. I honestly think and and this is maybe says more about me than anything, but excuse making for the teams is a bit a tenant of being a Toronto sports fan. Is that a recent thing though? I think it has to be, but I think it's par for the course of and, you know, I hope the Raptors would change this, but the Raptors title came and went so fast and it was like it was a fleeting moment and it was gone is that it does feel like that's it. It's, well, they keep running up against Boston. They keep running into the hottest goalie in the world. Oh, we play in Canada so hard to get free agents to come sign with the Blue Jays and that's gone away. But I do feel like excuse making is kind of part of what I think of and I hate that, but it is one of the first things that that comes to mind for me. That's interesting. What is it for you? No, because to me, it was that we're very fickle, right? That it's we're very quick to turn like the slightest little thing goes wrong and this has to do with history, right? Like talk to a Red Sox fan before 2004 who didn't think that at every turn, no matter how good things look, it was going to end in disaster and yeah, this largely does just apply to the Maple Leafs considering their tortured history, but it also applies the Blue Jays. Yeah. 93 is a long time ago. Well, and it's the playoff or two history is getting more tortured by the minute here with the Blue Jays, but I do think it's it's it's a team or it's it's a fan base that looks at their team and is I think expecting the worst. I mean, I definitely I fall into that camp 1000 and how different is the outside perception to the reality? You're talking about and the excuse making does sound like an outside perception of the Toronto market in that it's like, Hey, they all planned the parade. Yeah. Here you go. I plan. And to me being in it, I don't I think the opposite is true is that that the leaf fans are a little more guarded way way too guarded. And again, expecting the worst to happen. Well, and the parade stuff sounds like that's that's outside perception, not the reality of being in it. So I don't I don't think of excuse making as planned the parade is the same thing. I guess I kind of look at excuse making and the thing you're talking about is being very connected. I have said many a time and this is mostly specific to the Leafs. But if you just search the word curse in my text messages of, wow, what do you want? Like that is an excuse I make all the time. But I'm talking about this stuff with my buds. What do you want? They're cursed. Like I do think there is some element of that. So I don't know. To me, they're more connected than maybe you see them as being. Yeah, I see to me, I think of the excuse making kind of being a social media creation. Like there is definitely something to me. There is something to the way sports are consumed over the last five, ten years that is different from my early days of becoming a sports fan in that you are, you're almost shouted down if you are too negative about something in that space, which is I don't know how much of that is the reality or is that just like in that one silo of social media that there's excuse making and just avoiding the negative about the certain team. But yeah, I feel like when I started becoming a sports fan, everybody was either in or out and there was no problem with being like these guys all stink, even though that's not a rational thought to have, but that's the nature of being a sports fan. Quick story time. I remember coming home from like a Canada Day event where I met a leaf and I came home to tell my dad about it. I was like, Dad, I met a leaf. I got his autograph. Well, who was it? Corey Cross. That guy's a bum is what he said to me. So yeah, there's been a lot of that lurking around for a long time. And I guess if you wanted to be negative, even more negative of a Toronto sports fan, you'd be like, oh, I think of them with their sushi, right? And sitting on their hands. We're not talking about those people, but that this is and that's every big city, right? Like you don't think Yankee fans are the same deal? Yeah, but Boston's a big city and I don't feel you're just saying it's not. It is. No, no, it's pretty. It has a different perception. It's not New York. It's not LA. Yes. Not even Chicago to kind of a slightly different extent. So yeah. All right, that's fair. I'll allow it. All right. I'll agree with you. I see the clash of fan bases tonight in Philadelphia. Leafs choirs will be back tomorrow with another edition of the fan morning show. Ben and it's Brent Gunning, sports fan pod down to the fan. Good morning. [MUSIC]
