Toronto Raptors should do all it takes to get Aron Baynes

Toronto Raptors should do all it takes to get Aron Baynes

The Toronto Raptors are doing the literal opposite of what the Pistons are doing, and although most of that is a good thing. They might want to consider signing a Center sooner rather than later. Serge Ibaka has now followed Kawhi Leonard to Los Angeles, and Toronto Raptors fan couldn’t have been more hurt. Especially […]
Toronto Raptors should do all it takes to get Aron Baynes – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Alexandro Fidanza / Raptors HQ

Transaction Season Is Upon Us! Corey Kluber, Brad Hand, Roberto Osuna, and more!

The World Series has been awarded so you know what that means? It’s Transaction Season, baby.

This is certainly going to be an interesting off-season and virtually all of the teams around Major League Baseball are feeling the squeeze of operating the 2020 season without fans in the seats. It seems as though fewer teams than usual are going to be interested in adding to their team payroll so we’ll likely a team-friendly free-agent market this winter.
Just one day into the off-season and we’ve already seen some surprising names headed to free agency. I’ll round up some of the players that could interest the Blue Jays…

Rangers have not made official announcement on RHP Corey Kluber but the plan is to not exercise his option and possibly re-sign him to a lesser deal.
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) October 28, 2020

The Corey Kluber era in Texas could be over after just one inning.
Last winter, the Rangers acquired the former Cy Young winner from Cleveland as a salary dump reclamation project. Kluber was coming off an injury-riddled 2019 season in which he posted a 5.80 ERA over just seven starts.
Kluber wasn’t able to bounce back in Texas. He …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard leaving Toronto was a huge mistake

Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard leaving Toronto was a huge mistake

Oh, what could have been had Kawhi Leonard stayed with the Toronto Raptors.  Now, coming off an embarrassing second-round defeat to Denver, The LA Clippers will have more questions than answers heading into Leonard’s final season under contract. Though fans of the Toronto Raptors were heartbroken at the time, no one blamed Kawhi Leonard for […]
Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard leaving Toronto was a huge mistake – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Eddie Huband / Raptors HQ

Toronto Raptors: A model NBA franchise in racial equality

Toronto Raptors: A model NBA franchise in racial equality

In what has been a difficult year for the world and the Toronto Raptors because of COVID-19, the troubles were exacerbated by racial inequality. It’s a subject that nearly derailed the restart of the NBA season, but the Raptors are an example of how to be in these turbulent times. The Toronto Raptors lost a […]
Toronto Raptors: A model NBA franchise in racial equality – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Jason Mills / Raptors HQ

Toronto Maple Leafs 2020 NHL draft recap

The final major event in what has been the longest year in hockey history has come and gone, with the draft itself feeling like the longest in the NHL’s history too. Relying on all the hard work done by Kyle Dubas and his scouting staff over the last calendar year, the Leafs added 12 new prospects to their organization when the 2020 draft was all said and done.
1st round (15th overall): Rodion Amirov – LW/RW – Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

Year
Team
League
GP
G
A
P

2019-2020
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
KHL
21
0
2
2

Toros Neftekamsk
VHL
5
1
2
3

Tolpar Ufa
MHL
17
10
12
22

2020-2021
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
KHL
10
3
2
5

Toros Neftekamsk
VHL
3
1
1
2

The Rodion Amirov selection was met with disappointment and frustration from some fans, stemming from the belief that the Leafs should have drafted a player that filled a more pressing need on the roster. The fact is that any player drafted at that point is highly unlikely to step into the NHL immediately, never mind address a pressing need for their team.
In Rod the Leafs trust

Amirov had been ranked right around the middle of the first round for most of the year leading up to the draft and the Leafs grabbed the best …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

With the 15th overall pick the Leafs are proud to select… Braden Schneider?

Welcome to the first of what will be a month long look at potential first round candidates for the Leafs, assuming they hold onto their pick. The TLN writing crew will dissect the first couple of rounds and see who we can land on to help improve the Leafs prospect depth that has dwindled from the glory days of Marner, Nylander, Kapanen, and Matthews, but still isn’t too shabby with players like Robertson, Liljegren, Sandin, and Korshkov all close to being able to make an impact in the NHL. Our first player in the series is one that checks some boxes for Leafs fans, as he’s a right shooting, physical defenseman who already has NHL size.
Today we’ll look at Braden Schneider, a right handed defenseman from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Schneider’s vitals are part of his selling point for many, as he’s 6’2, 210 lbs, and shoots rights. That checks a lot of boxes for Leafs fans who have worried about the undersized blueline, and the Leafs inability to find anyone who can slot in on the right side. Schneider being one of the older first year eligible players in …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Page 6ix: The Latest in Hockey Drama

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means! Time to check in on the drama and gossip around the league. This week was a bit quieter than last, but we do have some interesting tidbits to peek at.
Coach’s Corner
The coaches made headlines this week, and not in a good way. First, we had Alain Vigneault boldly proclaiming he has no idea what’s going on in the world:

“I really have no idea what’s going on in the outside world.
“I’m working 20 hours a day.
“I guess I’m a hockey nerd and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
– Alain Vigneault when asked about some of the postponements across sports in wake of the Jacob Blake shooting pic.twitter.com/ihE7kaEA44
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) August 27, 2020

and then walking it back:

Flyers HC Alain Vigneault issues statement after getting backlash for not knowing what was going with Jacob Blake impact
“I never bothered to check & ask what was going on… I was guilty of that, I was totally focused on our next game. I am for equality and social justice” pic.twitter.com/nVqFt0MQGe
— Jeff Skversky 6 …

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Author: MerOutLoud / The Leafs Nation

We’re Still Here, Asking For More From the NHL

24 days ago, I wrote this post about what white fans and members of the media could do to demand more from the NHL and its players on the subject of Black Lives Matter.
Today, we’re asking the same questions.
After yesterday’s historic events in the NBA and later the MLB, hockey fans wondered how the NHL would respond. The answer was: they wouldn’t. Not in any meaningful way.
Before I go any further, I urge you to read this open letter to the NHL by Matthew Henriques. And then read this great post from Omar over at Pension Plan Puppets.
As white fans, we aren’t the conveners here. We aren’t the leaders, or the ones starting the conversation. But we are the ones who have to carry it. Who have to shoulder the burden, and do the heavy lifting. Yes, still. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Our privilege necessitates it.
In my post a few weeks ago I encouraged fans to put pressure on the media to ask the important questions of white hockey players and coaches. We did, and it worked. The media are asking. But the answers are disappointing.

Here’s @ …

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Author: MerOutLoud / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors: Here’s what NBA players did the last time they considered boycott

A brief history of the NBA boycott and what it means for the Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are considering boycotting Thursday’s contest against the Boston Celtics. The frustration from players stems from a situation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a black man named Jacob Blake was shot at several times by police after he reportedly […]
Toronto Raptors: Here’s what NBA players did the last time they considered boycott – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Josh Wilson / Raptors HQ

The starting rotation takes another blow as Matt Shoemaker hits the Injured List with shoulder inflammation

Well, this isn’t what you want to see.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen has already been taxed incredibly hard due to the rotation’s inability to consistently go deep into games, and now the staff has been dealt another blow as Matt Shoemaker has been placed on the 10-day Injured List.

#BlueJays announce Matt Shoemaker is going to the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation. (Retroactive to Aug. 22). Jacob Waguespack is recalled and active for today.
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) August 23, 2020

Shoemaker just put together a solid start in Tampa on Friday night, going five innings while scattering just a couple of runs in what ended up being an extra-innings win for the Blue Jays. Charlie Montoyo curiously pulled Shoemaker after he had thrown just 74 pitches, so that call miiiiight have had something to do with this.
With Shoemaker joining Nate Pearson on the IL, the Jays are now left with a pretty barren rotation. Behind Ryu, there’s Tanner Roark, Chase Anderson, and Trent Thornton, all of whom have yet to go further than five innings in a game this year. Also, speaking of Pearson, we haven’t yet been given an update on the …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation