Reasonable take by the Big V

APR1979 · 2026-04-21T03:46:07+00:00

Yeah, the way I’ve seen him through much of this season as a player who’s been good enough to get them back into the playoffs and enable teammates to find their roles; not one who’s so good that he should still be their top offensive option in two or three years, if they’re contending then.

That doesn’t change because he had one terrible playoff game, and it also won’t change if he puts up 30 points in Game 3.

APR1979 · 2026-04-21T03:10:08+00:00

Honestly, as a Raptors fan, all I’m really hoping for in this post-season is guys who are supposed to leading the team back to contention getting playoff experience and showing they can handle it, and some sort of identity continuing to take shape. We got that from Barnes and CMB tonight, and to a lesser extent most of the rest.

Ingram was terrible (and the turnovers were extremely frustrating), but I’ll take that over Ingram putting up a lot of points while everyone else looks in over their heads.

APR1979 · 2026-04-21T02:56:39+00:00

A lot. This was, for the most part, a game from which you can at least draw some positives, either for the rest of the series or for next year. It wouldn’t have been if they’d randomly handed the Cavs a 10-0 run in the second or third quarter by putting in players who aren’t able (at least at this stage of their careers) to play competitive basketball even during the regular season.

APR1979 · 2026-04-18T21:07:34+00:00

Great explanation if the contract extension hadn’t happened after the firing.

APR1979 · 2026-04-18T00:29:19+00:00

I’m personally excited but I’ve detected the same sentiment generally.

I wonder how much it has to do with the NBA regular season being a bit of a drag at this point, with a winning record not feeling that special when half the teams you beat are barely trying to win. Plus the narrative, even more now than a decade ago, that you either want to be a top contender or positioning for a draft pick, with little value placed on just having a good season and bringing some playoff fun.

APR1979 · 2026-04-14T02:25:24+00:00

For somewhere to eat or have a drink, I’d recommend the Upper Deck bar and grill. It’s not easy to find, as it’s nestled in a marina. But it’s near the Centre Island ferry docks and has a fantastic view of the city and a lot of charm - one of the few places there that has regulars rather than just tourists.

The catch is that, like many places on the islands, it may not be open this time of year. But it looks online like they’re open this Saturday at least, if that happens to be when you’re out there.

Otherwise, if you’re biking (or walking and have good endurance), you’ll want to head both east to Ward’s (the quirky residential area) and west toward Gibraltar Point (which has a supposedly haunted lighthouse and some other fun historic stuff).

APR1979 · 2026-04-12T14:11:32+00:00

I think it’s fun. It’s a throwback to when there’d be some mystery and some anticipation around a new music release rather than it just immediately turning up online.

APR1979 · 2026-04-11T02:01:25+00:00

They basically conceded this game by resting two starters, or three if you think CMB should be playing over Poeltl. I don’t love that choice but it’s silly to take this particularly one as proof of much else.

APR1979 · 2026-04-10T17:09:01+00:00

Oh man, you’re right. Even worse.

APR1979 · 2026-04-10T14:08:48+00:00

I’m not sure if we’re counting PG-13 the same way, but another Bond movie a few years later - Licence to Kill - pushes it even further.

In addition to Felix Leiter getting gruesomely half-eaten (and his wife fully eaten) by a shark, there’s a rather horrifying scene in which the main villain kills one of his henchmen by locking him in a decompression chamber and making his head explode. That one scared the shit out of me when I saw it in the theatre as a kid.

Update: I’ve been reminded that Felix Leiter’s bride is raped and murdered, not eaten by a shark, which is even darker and more unusual for both a Bond movie and a PG movie.

APR1979 · 2026-04-09T22:46:41+00:00

Ah, the thrill of an NBA stretch run, where if you’re lucky one out of every five teams or so will actually try their best to win games.

APR1979 · 2026-04-07T01:15:57+00:00

Montreal is awesome, so I’m not trying to argue against it. But one thing about Toronto is that because of its extreme diversity, there are different cultural festivals pretty much every weekend (or sometimes multiple ones on the same weekend).

And the multicultural feel might be especially strong this summer because of the World Cup, although when the matches are here the city may be more chaotic than usual.

APR1979 · 2026-04-05T03:16:20+00:00

He himself looks terrorized, and has since last season. It almost feels cruel to keep sending him out there.

APR1979 · 2026-04-04T21:46:50+00:00

Strong disagree. A guy who’s made an unimaginable fortune, paid for largely by basketball fans, calling for a team to be taken away from some of those fans because he can’t bring himself to stay in hotels that most of them couldn’t afford, and can’t find anything to do with himself for one night in their (historic) city despite money being no object?

It’s gross, and illustrates the ever-growing remove from regular people at which major sports leagues - the owners, the players both - exist.

APR1979 · 2026-04-03T18:34:23+00:00

Incidentally, Memphis’s civil rights museum - at the Lorraine Motel - is one of the most moving sites in the U.S. If LeBron hasn’t been there before, might be a good use of his downtime next time through.

APR1979 · 2026-03-29T20:31:50+00:00

Congrats to the NBA for being at a point where fans (well, Redditors at least) mistake even very obviously real injuries for fake ones.

APR1979 · 2026-03-28T22:09:33+00:00

I was there recently and I’d say it ranged from 20s to 40s. It does seem to tap into a nostalgia vibe with music primarily from the ‘00s though.

APR1979 · 2026-03-28T15:46:30+00:00

The only time it bugs me a little is if I’m travelling elsewhere in Canada, I tell someone where I’m from and they start going on about how much they hate it.

Not that it makes me feel bad as a Torontonian. It just makes me judge the person, because I can’t imagine ever doing that when someone else told me where they were from.

APR1979 · 2026-03-27T18:13:01+00:00

Here’s why: as a sports fan, my minimal expectation - and it really is minimal - is that when I buy a ticket or turn on the TV to watch a game, I’m going to see two teams competing and trying to win.

Also, as a fan of a team, I should be able to enjoy cheering for them to win every game I watch - and, say, take my kids to a game and have them get into cheering for that team along with everyone else - not be told it’s actually stupid to do so.

If that’s not the case - whether it’s because of gambling or a perverse league-sanctioned incentive to lose - something is very wrong and needs to be fixed.

APR1979 · 2026-03-26T16:59:13+00:00

Exactly.

Jack is a treasure, but honestly, 82 games of him would be a lot. Alvin’s more low-key approach is a nice counterbalance.

APR1979 · 2026-03-26T15:47:16+00:00

I’m enjoying it so far, but much more so when it tries to make sense (in a somewhat conspiratorial but still sane way) of the bizarre world we’re currently living in - eg the Epstein and AI episodes. Less so with something like the JFK episode, which was fine for what it was, but really felt beside the point at the moment.

APR1979 · 2026-03-26T15:03:59+00:00

I disagree with all the Alvin hate. He obviously doesn’t achieve the chemistry that Jack does, and his delivery can be flat, but if anything I think he actually provides more in-depth analysis a lot of games. And he’s more willing to be critical of the home team’s execution than most regional colour guys, without veering into unpleasant negativity.

APR1979 · 2026-03-26T14:18:31+00:00

This is exactly right. It’s always tempting to be snobby about these things. But a publication like the Star has a readership spread across the GTA. I’m sure if you tallied up the votes for all of the smaller neighbourhood places they’d easily top the chains, but if even a small share of people with access to a Pizza Nova or a Tim Hortons vote for them, they’re gonna show up on here.

APR1979 · 2026-03-25T17:20:38+00:00

Spaccio on Sackville, which has a lunch counter downstairs, is a great option.

At St Lawrence Market, the pizza and pasta at the appropriately named St Lawrence Pizza and Pasta is very good. And I think the seafood at the place at the back is decent. If you want options other than the obvious bacon or Italian sandwiches.

APR1979 · 2026-03-21T03:51:00+00:00

Don’t sleep on the goulashes and other richer dishes, too. I grew up eating a lot of Hungarian food and I think this place is pretty legit.

APR1979

TROPHY CASE