Messaging from #Leafs brass reeked of a strange self-satisfaction. Here’s guessing former CEO Tim Leiweke would have fired somebody. Only in Toronto does something that ought to be a bare-minimum expectation get a badge of honour. New column from @dfeschuk:thestar.com/sports/leafs/o… More than 8 years after Leiweke hired Brendan Shanahan to great fanfare, Shanahan has yet to win a playoff series. And yet, on Tuesday, the president wasn’t exactly a picture of angst-ridden urgency, refusing to tolerate another in a long line of losses.thestar.com/sports/leafs/o…

MLB's crackdown on the use of foreign substances has turned into a circus, and this sideshow figures to get a lot worse before it gets any better. The current level of enforcement isn’t going to be sustainable for much longer.

New column, @GregorChisholm: thestar.com/sports/basebal… The revised ban on “sticky stuff” has been in place for 5 days and has already resulted in theatrics both on and off the field. Pitchers pinned against hitters, managers against managers and umpires stuck in the middle, trying to wade through the chaos.

thestar.com/sports/basebal…

"It’s 2021. Let’s make working moms normal.”

Canadian basketball player Kim Gaucher says she’s being “forced to decide between being a breastfeeding mom or an Olympic athlete" as she isn’t allowed to bring her infant daughter to #Tokyo2020.
thestar.com/sports/basketb… She pointed out international media and sponsors can travel to Tokyo and a number of spectators will be allowed in venues.

“Japanese fans are going to be in attendance, the arenas are going to be half-full, but I will not have access to my daughter?”

thestar.com/sports/basketb…

Pro tennis is mistakenly seen as a playground for the elite, but not all its players are awash in prize money.

The @ptpaplayers seeks to bridge the money gap between its biggest stars and lower-ranked players — and there's some Canadian muscle behind it.

thestar.com/sports/tennis/… Being contractors — not team players — these athletes pay their own way for everything: airfares, hotel rooms (if they can afford them), massage therapists, tennis balls. They have no union that has their backs. No health or retirement plans, either. thestar.com/sports/tennis/…

Just as Shanahan and Dubas keep doubling down the #Leafs are on the correct track — and insist that all these bad playoff experiences will add up to a good one — the Canadiens have only underlined the ridiculousness of this argument.

New from @dfeschuk:

thestar.com/sports/hockey/… Montreal is on the verge of winning a 3rd playoff round this year. It won a round last year. In 4 seasons before that, they made playoffs once. According to Toronto’s front office, Montreal hasn’t lost nearly enough to be winning as much as they are ... thestar.com/sports/hockey/…

The Raptors face an off-season like no other, with a handful of free agents to decide on, an uncertain financial picture and a first-round pick in the Nov. 18 draft.

This is a six-part series by @SmithRaps on the decisions and options that lie ahead:

thestar.com/sports/raptors… Part One:

There are priorities for the Raptors this off-season. And then there are *priorities*.

Put Fred VanVleet in the second category.

thestar.com/sports/raptors…

When Alejandro Kirk was called up, he was determined to help the #BlueJays reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“Any role that they give me, I will do my best and I will be ready. My focus is on being 100 per cent ready to help the team win.”
thestar.com/sports/bluejay… .@GregorChisholm called Kirk's promotion a change in the club’s direction, as the #BlueJays are notoriously cautious with player development.

"Kirk’s official role on Day 1 was backup catcher ... but make no mistake about it, he’s here because of the bat.
thestar.com/sports/bluejay…

Bryson DeChambeau, the new #USOpen champ, is taking golf places it has not gone before.

Part mathematician, part weightlifter, the bulked up perfectionist is setting new standards that others may have no choice but to copy.

Welcome to golf’s revolution.
thestar.com/sports/golf/op… Golf’s major trends have been all about technology —DeChambeau is employing vastly different ways to use that technology.

First he hit upon the idea of playing with clubs all fitted with the same length shaft, just as the legendary Bobby Jones once did. thestar.com/sports/golf/op…

After the Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their NBA playoff series to protest anti-Black racism and the police shooting of Jacob Blake, dozens of players and teams from several sports followed suit.

The latest on how the sports world is taking a stand:
thestar.com/sports/2020/08… ICYMI: NBA players have agreed to resume the playoffs, but tonight's three scheduled games, including Game 1 between the Raptors and Celtics, have been postponed, according to reports.

thestar.com/sports/raptors…

The #BlueJays announced they'll wear a commemorative uniform patch to honour the late Tony Fernandez.

Our recent feature on #1, the Jays legend who brought hope to his homeland of the Dominican Republic and was an inspiration to kids growing up in Canada.
thestar.com/sports/bluejay… "He could be a Hall of Famer," said @PHentgen. "He was like the Roy Halladay of position players for the Blue Jays."

Hentgen said @shawngreen15 and @carlosdelgado21 used to call Fernandez "Yoda" because of the way he passed the torch to younger players. thestar.com/sports/bluejay…

The shot goes up. Time stands still. Silence as the ball bounces, bounces, bounces, bounces and finally goes in, changing the trajectory of a franchise.

One year later, Kawhi Leonard's Four Bouncer still feels like vindication for the Raptors. @SmithRaps
thestar.com/sports/raptors… On its one year anniversary, @jacoblorinc wrote an oral history of #TheShot.

Featuring perspectives of @Bandreescu_, @Matt__Devlin, @LeoRautins, @superfan_nav, @JohnTory and @WalderSports. thestar.com/sports/raptors…

Your Game 2 #RaptorsRewind rundown after watching it on the ol' 📺.

Back on June 2, @SmithRaps wrote about another night of foul trouble for Kyle Lowry, which created flow issues all night for the Raptors. thestar.com/sports/raptors… .@dfeschuk wrote about the Golden opportunity that slipped away for the Raptors and how Warriors coach Steve Kerr saw many comparisons between the two finalists.

"They remind me of us in a lot of ways." thestar.com/sports/raptors…