45 years of Maple Leafs frustration: 1986-87

Harold Ballard had a tendency to hire coach and managers with no NHL experience likely because they came cheap. Gerry McNamara, Mike Nykoluk, Floyd Smith, Joe Crozier, and Dan Maloney all were hired with no experience and invariably once they picked up some job skills they were gone. Dan Maloney was no different. When his contract expired during the offseason Ballard refused to give him a two year contract with a modest raise. He was likely the lowest paid coach in the league with no security. So he quit. The next day the Winnipeg Jets signed him. For some reason McNamara made no effort to sign Maloney. Yet he worked out a four year contract for himself several months later.

Finding a new coach for Leafs was not a simple process - he had to be cheap, he had to be someone from the Leaf organization and he had to be someone Ballard liked. This time around it was John Brophy. John Brophy turned out to be a huge blunder for McNamara and one of the most controversial individuals to walk the halls of Maple Leaf Gardens. He was a career minor league player and coach and totally unequipped to handle young players. He was a tough disciplinarian with an explosive temper. Meanwhile, McNamara tough approach to negotiating contracts offended many players who forced the manager to trade them in a series of bad moves that saw the Leafs trade Steve Thomas, Gary Nylund, Bob McGill and Rick Vaive.

The Leafs stumbled through the season but made the playoffs when the Minnesota North Stars collapsed late in the season (they qualified through a tie breaker). Although the Leafs were able to advance past the St. Louis Blues they were once again unable to advance to the third round. During the season long-term Maple Leaf King Clancy had to undergo surgery to remove his gall bladder. Unfortunately, infection from the gall bladder seeped into his body during surgery, causing him to go into septic shock. He died November 10th, 1986. Young star player Wendel Clark missed 14 games with a back problem that became chronic because of poor care provided by the Leaf doctors. The team's leading scorer was Russ Courtnall who along with Wendel Clark and Gary Leeman formed a decent line referred to the Hound line (below).

Foul ball catch of the week

Twins fan catches foul ball without interrupting his cellphone conversation. Talk about multi-tasking.

Police in 19-hour stand-off with man wielding bottle of household cleaner

Police in England were involved in a 19-hour stand-off with a householder who had armed himself … with a bottle of household cleaning fluid.

At least 100 officers surrounded Richard Jablonski’s home in Weston Coyney, Staffordshire, last January after someone called police to say he had a gun.

Following the siege Mr Jablonski was arrested and charged with possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

But the case was dropped at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday after it was accepted the 38-year-old was actually holding a bottle of the Cillit Bang cleaning product during the incident.

Staffordshire Police have always refused to reveal the cost of the Aster Close siege, despite coming under pressure from their own police authority members.

Paul Spratt, prosecuting, told the court: “When officers got to the address the defendant was alleged to have produced a gun, before retiring into the property and holding them at bay. The defendant asserted what he was holding was a bottle of Cillit Bang. There is an unresolvable conflict between the evidence from the police and the evidence of the defendant. Therefore the prosecution offers no evidence in this case.”

Judge Paul Glenn returned a not guilty verdict.

Mr Jablonski had been due to stand trial early next month. Armed police cordoned off part of the Weston Heights estate and a section of the A520 Leek Road as they tried to coax Mr Jablonski out of the house during the siege on January 6.

After the incident, officers recovered a BB gun from Mr Jablonski’s kitchen, although it is now accepted he was not holding the firearm during the siege.

Staffordshire Police have defended the Aster Close operation.

In a joint statement with Staffordshire Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the force said: “The CPS, after consulting with Staffordshire Police, has decided to offer no evidence, for legal and evidential reasons. For the duration of the incident the police response was overseen by highly-trained and skilled officers who managed the situation in a measured manner and ultimately brought it to a safe and peaceful conclusion.”

Celebrity side boob week

Diane Kruger

Socialism in the bathroom: Swedish politicians want men sitting when they pee

Left Party members of a Swedish county council said they want to encourage men using the council's toilets to sit during urination.

The Left Party in Sormland said it wants the Sormland County Council to pass a motion requiring toilets reserved for stand-up urination to be labeled, Swedish news agency TT reported Monday.

The party said sit-down urination is more hygienic and reduces the risk of bathroom users having to negotiate their way around puddles en route to the toilet.

The supporters of the motion said sitting during urination also has medical benefits, including reducing the risk of prostate problems and leading to a healthier and longer sex life.

Viggo Hansen, a substitute member of the council and author of the motion, said he wants it to eventually lead to sitting-only bathrooms.

source

How did you like the Vladimir Guerrero era Jays fans?

The much anticipated appearance of Vladimir Guerrero in a Blue Jays uniform isn't going to be happening after all. Yesterday he was released by the Jays at his request. It seems he expected a promotion sooner than later so he walked.

Probably for the best.

Here is the big picture on why he should have been released. Guerrero was hitting .303 with no homers and 4 RBIs in Las Vegas. Now compare that do the production that Las Vegas got from Adam Lind (.419, 6 HRs, 35 RBIs), Yan Gomes (.349, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs), Travid D'Arnaud (.343, 15 HRs, 46 RBIs), Travis Snider (.333, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs) and David Cooper (.298, 6 HRs, 34 RBIs) while playing on the AAA team.

Do you want to take away major league at bats from anyone of these guys for a 37 year old just trying to extend his career a little longer? Seems to me that Lind has recovered his swing down there and should be heading back here soon. Or what about that kid D'Arnaud?

Yeah, there's no shortage of bat in Vegas.

Bryce Harper may be 19 but he's media savvy already

Sports fans often hang over every word spoken, typed or tweeted by the sports media. But with a noted few exceptions they are lazy and uncreative. The questions they ask are often repetitive, boring and stupid. Last night a local reporter asked the young Washington Nationals phenom a pretty lame question after he had hit a monster shot off the Hard Rock Cafe in the SkyDome (aka the Rogers Centre). He asked Harper who is just 19 and a Mormon where he was going to celebrate the homer by having a Canadian beer.

His response was: "That's a clown question, bro."

Now Harper's handler appears to suggest the "clown question" phrasing to Bryce during the srum but the kid picked up on it and hit another home run.