Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat is scheduled to make a return visit to Toronto on Wednesday when his new team takes on the Raptors. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
It just seems as if the most eagerly-awaited return in Toronto sports is Phil Kessel's scoring touch. Bah. A mere minor detail, compared to Chris Bosh's return to Toronto on Wednesday. Call it anti-Valentine's Day, because as much as Vince Carter quit on the Toronto Raptors and the city, at least Carter didn't have access to social media to gloat about it. It's up to the Raptors fan base to decide the validity of general manager Bryan Colangelo's suggestions that Bosh was a different guy after the all-star break last season (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) but there should be no love at the Air Canada Centre for Bosh when he and the Miami Heat visit. And here's hoping the Raptors don't adopt the goofy, little brother approach of the Cleveland Cavaliers on LeBron James's return. If they want to build their own identity, throwing CB4 around a bit would be a start.
FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
With border-line talents dragging the NHL back to the 1970s, let's see what the reaction is to Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux's statement about the embarrassing brawl between his team and the New York Islanders last Friday. Lemieux called the game a "sideshow," adding: "If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be part of it." It would be nice if Lemieux had been similarly outspoken after his own rockhead, Matt Cooke, ambushed Marc Savard, but, better to come to Jesus late as opposed to never, right? He could have turtled like Wayne Gretzky, who told NHL.com in an interview when asked about concussions that: "The good news is the NHL is not making knee-jerk decisions." Yeah, no worry about that! The reason the NHL won't clean up head shots is they would then have no response to people who will ask: "If it isn't okay to hit a guy in the head with your shoulder, how come it's okay to use your fist?"
CLEANING UP
Jose Bautista can give the Toronto Blue Jays all the deadlines for a long-term contract that he wants, but if he gets a market-valued multiyear offer after his arbitration hearing Monday, he'll sign. I'd rather see what Bautista has for one more year - and no way do I give him a five-year contract. … I don't know what this means, but Colangelo e-mailed: "I will politely and respectfully decline to respond" to a message asking when the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment board of directors is meeting this week, let alone whether he'd come out of the meeting with a new contract. I've gone back and forth on this, but I'd like to see Colangelo given the chance to repair the Bosh mess. … Bautista's contract isn't the biggest deal in the baseball world this week. Albert Pujols has given the St. Louis Cardinals a Wednesday deadline for a multiyear pact. Bautista's ultimate strategy could be linked to whether Pujols re-signs - since, if he does, Bautista and Prince Fielder could do well in free agency next winter.
WORLD SERIES ODDS
Pitchers and catchers are reporting all over Florida and Arizona, so let's see who bodog.com likes to win the World Series. Chicago White Sox at 20 to 1? I might be all over that:
Arizona 100/1
Atlanta 22/1
Baltimore 80/1
Boston 5/1
Chicago Cubs 35/1
Chicago White Sox 20/1
Cincinnati 25/1
Cleveland 100/1
Colorado 22/1
Detroit 28/1
Florida 40/1
Houston 75/1
Kansas City 150/1
Los Angeles Angels 25/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 30/1
Milwaukee 25/1
Minnesota 20/1
New York Mets 40/1
New York Yankees 13/2
Oakland 30/1
Philadelphia 13/4
Pittsburgh 200/1
San Diego 50/1
San Francisco 14/1
Seattle 80/1
St. Louis 20/1
Tampa Bay 20/1
Texas 18/1
Toronto 50/1
Washington 80/1
Quotable
"I don't want to be No. 1. Enjoy No. 3, and keep climbing that mountain." Tristan Thompson
The Texas Longhorns freshman and Brampton, Ont., native, who along with Cory Joseph of Pickering, Ont., has helped the Texas Longhorns to a 10-0 start in Big 12 basketball play. Given that top-ranked Ohio State lost this past weekend and Texas has already beaten No. 2 Kansas, it might only be a matter of hours, let alone days, before the Horns are ranked No. 1. Thompson had his fourth career double-double in a 69-60 win over Baylor Saturday, leading the team with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He's one reason the Longhorns will go into their game Wednesday against Oklahoma State on a streak of 224 minutes 4 seconds without trailing. Why the reluctance about being ranked No. 1? Thompson wasn't in Austin last season, but he knows the Longhorns folded after going 17-0 and reaching No. 1.