Just When You Thought We Were Dead

Kids are back in School so it seems fitting we get back to work in a kinda sorta way. No NBA Season coming anytime soon. Canada has once again failed to make it to Olympics. We here at the Dino Nation Blog are no longer partnered with The Score. Things keep rolling along in this life. Still you got to keep going and keep your head above water. Which is a lot easier to do for locked out NBA players than it is for people trying to eek out a living covering this game.

In terms of The Score it was always my intention that this relationship was going to come to an end for some time. Some that know me personally have been aware of that. The simple fact of it all is the company that I became a part of a few years ago is not the same as it was. At the time the Sports Federation that the Dino Nation Blog was a part of from day one to it's death on August 30th a lot changed with The Score. On that day one The Score was one of the broadcasters of Raptors Basketball. The also carried March Madness in this country. They were the clear network for basketball fans in this country. They also had people like Adnan Virk and Cabbie as part of the mix. Two people that I knew and respected. But things changed with the company over that time such as the eliminated The Score Tonight, Raptors and the NCAA Tournament were gone. So was Adnan and Cabbie. A steady stream of the reasons I wanted to be and was proud to be partnered with them went away. It was going to be a difficult choice to leave but one that I decided to make at the start of this year. However with the NBA Lockout coming not one I was prepared to make until we had that situation sorted out. But The Score decided to end the sports fed which included more than just basketball. So it became a moot point.

There are still some folks that work for them that I will always wish the best for regardless of if I work with them or for the company. Scott Carefoot is the one that brought me into the company through the Sports Fed in the first place. He was the main reason I wanted to remain loyal to it and the company. If not for him this relationship never would have happened in the first place. I thank him for all that he did for me and will always consider him a friend in this business. On the same day I met Scott for the first time was also the day I met this girl named Holly Mackenzie. Little did I know how far Holly would go in terms of covering basketball and the Raptors. She has always been a friendly nice person that I highly respect. No one works harder than Holly and no one loves basketball more than this girl. She has a passion and work ethic that will take her places. Well it already has and even bigger places as the future plays out. She has always been a good friend to me and I will always root for bigger and better things for her. Then there is Tas Melas and the guys on The Basketball Jones. I can only really say I know Tas the others I have met. It was because of knowing Tas that I got to know of this crazy show that is The Basketball Jones. I can not tell you how many laughs they have provided me. I promoted what they did before they were part of The Score and after they were. What they do is down right entertaining and enjoyable regardless of where it is done or happens to be. There are others that I have got to know as well in my time with The Score all who have been great to me. Natasha, Romy and others.

So while I personally have my issues with the direction of the company itself it has nothing to do with my feelings towards the people that I consider friends that are still a part of it. One of the things about the media that is like the sport of basketball is that really the circle of people involved is pretty small in it. People in the media change networks and affiliations just like players, coaches and management types change teams. It is just the reality of things. Just as it is rare for a player or coach to remain with an organization forever the same is true in the media.

The fact that none of us have any real basketball to cover is the bigger issue at the moment. When you hear players like Kevin Garnett talking that if a season is lost then so be it you should be worried. Most are aware of my total lack of interest in the NHL. It wasn't always that way. But my mild interest in the NHL took a complete nose dive when they lost an entire season. That combined with the total disregard of any other sport in this country by the media in general lead me to be pretty much anti-NHL and anti-hockey to a point.

Guess the biggest fear now is how many fans of basketball that were like me in terms of the NHL will be put off by the results of this NBA Lockout. Make no mistake about it when you talk about a labour dispute there is only one winner. Not the owners and not the players it is the lawyers that are always the winners. The losers could be many and I fear that some casual fans of basketball will get tuned out for good like I was in terms of the NHL. Like many were with Baseball in their strike back in 1994.

Instead of talking about a new era for the Raptors with lots of question marks that is not what we are doing and honestly won't be doing for quite some time. I have to admit as much as I was prepared for all that has gone on it still is very depressing. We always tell are kids to work hard and try your best but the harsh reality is no amount of work can change this situation on my part. It is coming up on 4 years of my life that have been dedicated to this blog and covering the Raptors and this sport that I love. Many relationships and marriages don't last that long.

I have been seen less on Twitter and kind of pulled back from things. I hope that is to save my energy for brighter days ahead. These days are pretty dark for all that "Love This Game" and it is pretty hard to sell to anyone that the "NBA CARES" at the moment. When this whole nightmare comes to an end is just guessing at this point.

But long before all this started I said that it needed to happen for the NBA to be better on the other side of things. If after this lockout it means I can honestly believe Demar DeRozan can stick around and be a star with the Raptors and remain it might all be worth it. But the pain to endure to get to that point is not a fun process for anyone. It also may not turn out that way in the end. If that is the case this whole process has been for nothing. Well nothing that matters to fans of the sport. I could careless who makes how much money at the end of the day. That includes myself. Sure it would be nice to make money and have a good life. But ultimately life is what you make of it. Money is only one part of it. The thing I miss more than anything is the people that become a part of your life when you do this. From the people I work with, to the people that read this blog. That is what I will miss most of all. The fact their will be no NBA Games to talk about is a distant second.