Joy and Pain: No Sunshine Just Rain For Raptors

Let me start with the happy part of last night. It was great to share my birthday and celebrate 5 years of the Dino Nation Blog which technically happens this Tuesday. We have lined up our favourite and most popular guest to join us Jack Armstrong for that. Obviously, he was not at our party last night he was calling the game in Detroit. It was a great time though with lots of people I knew and met a few new ones to add to a growing list in the last 5 years.

When I came up with this whole idea of doing a blog on the Toronto Raptors I am not sure I fully understood what it would mean for my life personally.I never started doing this to add friends into my life. I did it because I love basketball and have a media background and thought I could produce something interesting and different from what was out there.

Always keeping the fans opinions and thoughts at the front of the conversation I would be creating in what I write. So it likely should have made sense these people who hopefully were going to read this would get to know me and I would get to know them. It just never was something I thought about.

I am not sure when exactly I decided this but I said you know what I want to meet all these people that follow me in the blog and on twitter. I want to talk with them get to know them and turn the DNB into a family type of environment.


Last night was an example of that change in mindset in action. St Louis Wings was on of those people that found me on Twitter and they encouraged me to try doing these parties and come out and be a host for them. I was hesitant at first because I was still working for The Score at the time and it would lead to conflicts with my work schedule. I decided if we are going to try this let’s do it on a night that was a can’t miss. That night was the return of Chris Bosh to Toronto. The place was packed and it was a great success. The blog that night which I did live from the party was likely less successful.

The thing is I truly care when I do these events and I feel it is my duty to give all I can to get people to come out and support Manu and the folks at St Louis Wings. They have trusted me and I have always been treated so well by them. So these build ups to the parties I may drive you all insane in the promotion of them. That is the reason why though because I truly care.

Last night the place was packed and I felt great about that. These parties are a great way for me to relax and get to know people and just watch a game like a fan which has been a rare event in these last almost 5 years of doing this job. So thanks to everyone and all you folks that missed this one I hope to see you at the next one which we have yet to figure out a date for. Likely in 2013, but who knows if it is sooner safe to say you will be well informed about it.

On to the pain part and that would be the Toronto Raptors who I did manage to notice in between drinks, food and acting as a good host lost to the Detroit Pistons. Ironically on a night Andrea Bargnani decided to show up a lot of others didn’t as much. At the top of that list was DeMar DeRozan who had his worst game of the season to this point. Timing could not be worse for me putting this article out in Bleacher Report on how he is finally producing.

The fact this team is 3-10 and after a point in their schedule where they should have picked up some wins they have not. Concern is growing after a lot of folks had some lofty and somewhat unrealistic expectations for this team. I had said prior to the season this team was not going make the playoffs. However I expected them to be close. At this point they are no where near close.

The games ahead vs. San Antonio, which I will be covering, and Houston and Memphis on the road do not offer much hope of victory. It likely gets worse before it gets better for Toronto Raptors. Hence why having all those friends I have made make life a little easier to take another season where the Raptors have underachieved as a group.