2014 August

Blue Jays, Leafs Providing Good Lesson

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 27) – Other than baseball observers employed by Rogers Communications, there is universal concession that the Blue Jays have long been out of the playoff hunt in the American League. Understandably, Rogers people (not named… Read More

The Carlyle-Analytics Conundrum

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 25) – Were he to be perfectly honest, new Maple Leafs assistant GM Kyle Dubas would probably say that Randy Carlyle is among the last coaches he would employ in the National Hockey League. Perhaps… Read More

What Happens After Leiweke?

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 22) – So, Tim Leiweke hangs around long enough as CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to oversee structural and cultural change in the hockey department. He bids adieu, ideally in his mind, with… Read More

Leafs Undergoing Enormous Change

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 21) – As training camp for the 2014-15 National Hockey League season approaches, the Toronto Maple Leafs are changing in an unprecedented way. Any such transformation on the ice would naturally be welcomed by fans… Read More

Blue Jays Now a Fantasy

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 18) – Though disheartening for baseball fans across Canada, the plight of the Toronto Blue Jays is not a mystery. When you get hammered by teams ahead of you and cannot beat clubs beneath you,… Read More

Leafs Parallel Confusing

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 16) – Though cynical minds have long dominated Leafs Nation – and with reason – the parallel drawn between current and former regimes is confusing. This anomaly came to light again with the upbeat announcement… Read More

The “Toronto Collapse” – Part 4

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 15) – If you live in this city and look up the word “collapse” in the dictionary, the subliminal mind imagines a blue-and-white Maple Leafs logo. The reason is simple: While other Toronto teams suffer… Read More

NFL – Where They Play

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 11) – The National Football League pre-season has begun and and we are merely 174 nights away from Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1) in Glendale, Ariz. Gridiron fans are likely to spend most of that… Read More

The Longest Game

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 11) – Back in the day, Major League Baseball teams used to play actual doubleheaders – not the day/night cash-grabs we have now. A fan would get two games for the price of one ticket.… Read More

Leafs Have Talked Enough

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 4) – Understand that Phil Kessel was merely and graciously answering a question put to him in early-August. It came from Stephen Whyno of The Canadian Press, who chatted with Fast Phil during an event… Read More

Blue Jays Fail to Capitalize

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 3) – The baseball pundits were unanimous in their appraisal of the Blue Jays coming out of the All-Star break. Seventeen games against American League also-ran teams from July 18 to Aug. 3 would determine,… Read More

Blue Jays Aren’t Good Enough

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Aug. 1) – Perhaps there’s a simple reason why the Toronto Blue Jays were inactive at the non-waiver trade deadline on Thursday. Maybe – just maybe – Alex Anthopoulos and his staff recognized the club wasn’t… Read More

Inside Maple Leaf Gardens

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (July 31) – Having posted a blog Wednesday with exterior images of old, wonderfully-worn Maple Leaf Gardens, I was asked – quite logically – how it looks from the inside. At BergerBytes.ca, you never have to… Read More