Al Strachan, come on down!
You may be surprised to learn that former Toronto Sun columnist and current Fox Sports contributor Al Strachan is one of the few reporters who have been given a free pass at the Cox Bloc. Unlike the others, who we don't pick on because they are generally very good at their jobs and entertaining (Brunt, Blair, uh, end of list), Strachan has mostly flown under the radar due to the personal wishes of Mr. Godd Till.
As far as I can tell, there are three reasons why Till instituted a No Al Bashing rule at this site:
1. Strachan was one of the few reporters, columnists and talking heads who gave the players side a fair shake during the lock-out. Unlike others who mimicked the fans' misguided disgust with "millionaire athletes going on strike," Strachan seemed to have a firm grasp of the actual labour issues involved in the lock out and wasn't afraid to stand up for the players in face of people like Bill Watters spitting bile and plain old spit. The fact that Strachan and Nick Kypreos were the only ones I can remember who took this approach is a very sad reflection on the state of sports journalism in Canada. Because those guys are terrible.
2. Till once met Strachan at a bar in Montreal, talked hockey for a bit, and bought big Al a shot. Note to Howard Berger: If you are sick of Till picking on you, just be nice to him for a few minutes.
3. Al Strachan spends his winters sleeping on Christie Blatchford's couch, which explains a lot. Anyone who is good with C-Blatch is good with Godd Till.
However, much like the production of Tahiti Treat, all good things must come to an end. Especially if, like Tahiti Treat and Al Strachan, those things are strangely coloured and really bad for you. After reading Al's recent attempted take-down of Brian Burke, Till noticed a cheap-shot at the expense of Felix Potvin and declared the Albargo finished.
Al is fair game. So...here we go.
I've noticed a few Leafs fans on the internets seem to be offended by the aforementioned Burke-bash, mostly because of a little dig at Canada's most beloved hockey team at the end of the column. I personally don't see why anyone would get their Doug Gilmour Underoos all in a bunch over this one. This isn't in the same league as Cox or Berger.
Well...actually...while Strachan's piece fails at even the most basic level of Leaf-fan-baiting so perfected by Cox and friends, it does resemble the usual Mittenstringer screed in that the author seems to be using his column to settle old scores rather than, you know, writing something interesting and thought-provoking about sports. Anyone who has seen Al on the Score or heard him on Hardcore Sports Radio lately knows that Al really really hates Brian Burke. Well, this column is basically a transcript of Al's recent TV and radio appearances.
I'm not going to give the content of this piece the usual Fisking because it doesn't really deserve the effort. Seriously, the crux of the piece is "take away Burke's Stanley Cup win and he hasn't really won anything." How do you even begin to bring logic into that conversation? What I'm really interested in is the genesis of this spat. What caused these megapowers to explode?
As far as I can tell, it started back in early 2001 when Strachan claimed that Burke, then GM of the Vancouver Canucks, was prepared to deal Brendan Morrison and Bryan Allen for Mike Peca. Hardly Hogan leaving Savage alone to get his ass kicked by Akeem and the Big Bossman, but Burke went off like a one man Cox Bloc anyway:
"The very fact that Al Strachan reported it, in my opinion, makes it extremely likely it has no factual basis what-so-ever. I deny it specifically and categorically. I have never discussed Brendan Morrison with Buffalo, I have never discussed Bryan Allen with Buffalo and I have not talked to Darcy Regier in three weeks. So I'm shocked that a respectable media outlet like Hockey Night in Canada would allow this garbage rumour-mongering to take place. I'm amazed that whoever produces that show would tolerate this."
As the recent and lengthy Brian Burke versus Kevin Lowe grudge match has shown, Burke doesn't really let these things go. A week later he was still royally pissed off:
Burke discounted the rumour, reported by the Toronto Sun's Al Strachan during HNIC's Satellite Hot Stove, saying that he had to phone both Morrison and Allen and assure them that they weren't leaving.
"The fact that Al Strachan reported this trade rumour by itself should make it suspect," Burke told the Globe and Mail. "His accuracy rate on rumours like this is non-existent.
"The fact that a respected media like Hockey Night In Canada would allow this type of garbage to be aired is ridiculous.
"I have never talked to the Buffalo Sabres about either of the players that were mentioned in that deal."
Is Burke really that naive? How could anyone be surprised by seeing this type of garbage on Hockey Night in Canada?
Anyway, three years later and Canada's version of Coronation Street was once again the setting for a classic Burkian beatdown on poor old Al Strachan. This one happened on February 28, 2004, after Strachan had claimed on the Satellite Hotstove that Burke was demanding $2 million per year in contract negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks. Here is a transcription of the fun bits from when Burke came on to respond:
BB: My objection, and the reason I asked to go on tonight is, a member of your Satellite Hotstove group, Al Strachan, just went on the air and said, as if it were factual, which he's pretty loose with generally, that I was asking for two million dollars a year. I don't care if other people in Canada think that's true. I want the fans here in British Columbia to know there's absolutely no truth to that whatsoever, and once again Al Strachan has cemented his relationship or his reputation with dishonesty.
RM: Well, you know Brian, that's not the first time I've heard that figure. Where's that come from?
BB: I have no idea. Why doesn't someone from Hockey Night in Canada call me and ask me if that figure is on the table? It's never been, it's not now.
RM: You're going to give us that figure?
BB: I can tell you it's not on the table. I can tell you this. I will put this bet on the line. I will publish, when this is all done, what is on the table right from Brian Burke as far as staying, and if there is a two in there anywhere I'll resign. If there's not, this guy gets off of Hockey Night in Canada like he should be anyway.
RM: Well, you'll have to take that one up with Joel Darling, but I will say I've heard that number. So wherever that came from, and as you know...
BB: Well, you know what Ron? You wouldn't have gone on the air and talked about the number.
RM: No
BB: You say you've heard the number. You would have had the professional sense to call me and ask about it. This guy is not professional.
(Snip. Boring bit about what the fans in Vancouver think.)
BB: I certainly wouldn't have come on this show to talk about my contract if someone on Hockey Night hadn't been irresponsible and deceitful about what's happened here. That's the only thing I care that people get right.
See, Brian just cares about getting things right.
Later, Strachan mocked Burke's playoff futility on a subsequent edition of the Hotstove. Burke responded by banning Strachan from the Canucks dressing room (much like how his successor, Dave Nonis, banned scoring forwards). More than four years later, and Strachan still hasn't let it go. His recent column manipulates a lot of facts, and ignores many others, in a seemingly never-ending quest to prove that Brian Burke ain't all that.
While all of this is kinda funny, it isn't journalism, and it isn't really becoming of a professional writer with a long career behind him. Why the "editors" at Fox News allowed this, I don't know. I mean, if you are only looking to settle grudges and take cheapshots at people from behind the safety a computer monitor, start a blog. Like we did.
On another note...
I just heard that Isaac Hayes died this afternoon. Very sad news. I had the opportunity to go see Hayes about a month ago at the Portland Blues Festival (pictured). He was a bit slow moving around the stage, but he still put on a fantastic show. Known more in recent years for Chocolate Salty Balls than Hot Buttered Soul, Hayes was the heart of Stax records in the late sixties and had his biggest hit a few years later with the Theme From Shaft. Hopefully he'll be remembered more for his incredible music than as a cartoon character (which, still, was also brilliant). RIP Isaac. Here are a few tunes to remember him by: Walk on By, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Theme from Shaft
As far as I can tell, there are three reasons why Till instituted a No Al Bashing rule at this site:
1. Strachan was one of the few reporters, columnists and talking heads who gave the players side a fair shake during the lock-out. Unlike others who mimicked the fans' misguided disgust with "millionaire athletes going on strike," Strachan seemed to have a firm grasp of the actual labour issues involved in the lock out and wasn't afraid to stand up for the players in face of people like Bill Watters spitting bile and plain old spit. The fact that Strachan and Nick Kypreos were the only ones I can remember who took this approach is a very sad reflection on the state of sports journalism in Canada. Because those guys are terrible.
2. Till once met Strachan at a bar in Montreal, talked hockey for a bit, and bought big Al a shot. Note to Howard Berger: If you are sick of Till picking on you, just be nice to him for a few minutes.
3. Al Strachan spends his winters sleeping on Christie Blatchford's couch, which explains a lot. Anyone who is good with C-Blatch is good with Godd Till.
However, much like the production of Tahiti Treat, all good things must come to an end. Especially if, like Tahiti Treat and Al Strachan, those things are strangely coloured and really bad for you. After reading Al's recent attempted take-down of Brian Burke, Till noticed a cheap-shot at the expense of Felix Potvin and declared the Albargo finished.
Al is fair game. So...here we go.
I've noticed a few Leafs fans on the internets seem to be offended by the aforementioned Burke-bash, mostly because of a little dig at Canada's most beloved hockey team at the end of the column. I personally don't see why anyone would get their Doug Gilmour Underoos all in a bunch over this one. This isn't in the same league as Cox or Berger.
Well...actually...while Strachan's piece fails at even the most basic level of Leaf-fan-baiting so perfected by Cox and friends, it does resemble the usual Mittenstringer screed in that the author seems to be using his column to settle old scores rather than, you know, writing something interesting and thought-provoking about sports. Anyone who has seen Al on the Score or heard him on Hardcore Sports Radio lately knows that Al really really hates Brian Burke. Well, this column is basically a transcript of Al's recent TV and radio appearances.
I'm not going to give the content of this piece the usual Fisking because it doesn't really deserve the effort. Seriously, the crux of the piece is "take away Burke's Stanley Cup win and he hasn't really won anything." How do you even begin to bring logic into that conversation? What I'm really interested in is the genesis of this spat. What caused these megapowers to explode?
As far as I can tell, it started back in early 2001 when Strachan claimed that Burke, then GM of the Vancouver Canucks, was prepared to deal Brendan Morrison and Bryan Allen for Mike Peca. Hardly Hogan leaving Savage alone to get his ass kicked by Akeem and the Big Bossman, but Burke went off like a one man Cox Bloc anyway:
"The very fact that Al Strachan reported it, in my opinion, makes it extremely likely it has no factual basis what-so-ever. I deny it specifically and categorically. I have never discussed Brendan Morrison with Buffalo, I have never discussed Bryan Allen with Buffalo and I have not talked to Darcy Regier in three weeks. So I'm shocked that a respectable media outlet like Hockey Night in Canada would allow this garbage rumour-mongering to take place. I'm amazed that whoever produces that show would tolerate this."
As the recent and lengthy Brian Burke versus Kevin Lowe grudge match has shown, Burke doesn't really let these things go. A week later he was still royally pissed off:
Burke discounted the rumour, reported by the Toronto Sun's Al Strachan during HNIC's Satellite Hot Stove, saying that he had to phone both Morrison and Allen and assure them that they weren't leaving.
"The fact that Al Strachan reported this trade rumour by itself should make it suspect," Burke told the Globe and Mail. "His accuracy rate on rumours like this is non-existent.
"The fact that a respected media like Hockey Night In Canada would allow this type of garbage to be aired is ridiculous.
"I have never talked to the Buffalo Sabres about either of the players that were mentioned in that deal."
Is Burke really that naive? How could anyone be surprised by seeing this type of garbage on Hockey Night in Canada?
Anyway, three years later and Canada's version of Coronation Street was once again the setting for a classic Burkian beatdown on poor old Al Strachan. This one happened on February 28, 2004, after Strachan had claimed on the Satellite Hotstove that Burke was demanding $2 million per year in contract negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks. Here is a transcription of the fun bits from when Burke came on to respond:
BB: My objection, and the reason I asked to go on tonight is, a member of your Satellite Hotstove group, Al Strachan, just went on the air and said, as if it were factual, which he's pretty loose with generally, that I was asking for two million dollars a year. I don't care if other people in Canada think that's true. I want the fans here in British Columbia to know there's absolutely no truth to that whatsoever, and once again Al Strachan has cemented his relationship or his reputation with dishonesty.
RM: Well, you know Brian, that's not the first time I've heard that figure. Where's that come from?
BB: I have no idea. Why doesn't someone from Hockey Night in Canada call me and ask me if that figure is on the table? It's never been, it's not now.
RM: You're going to give us that figure?
BB: I can tell you it's not on the table. I can tell you this. I will put this bet on the line. I will publish, when this is all done, what is on the table right from Brian Burke as far as staying, and if there is a two in there anywhere I'll resign. If there's not, this guy gets off of Hockey Night in Canada like he should be anyway.
RM: Well, you'll have to take that one up with Joel Darling, but I will say I've heard that number. So wherever that came from, and as you know...
BB: Well, you know what Ron? You wouldn't have gone on the air and talked about the number.
RM: No
BB: You say you've heard the number. You would have had the professional sense to call me and ask about it. This guy is not professional.
(Snip. Boring bit about what the fans in Vancouver think.)
BB: I certainly wouldn't have come on this show to talk about my contract if someone on Hockey Night hadn't been irresponsible and deceitful about what's happened here. That's the only thing I care that people get right.
See, Brian just cares about getting things right.
Later, Strachan mocked Burke's playoff futility on a subsequent edition of the Hotstove. Burke responded by banning Strachan from the Canucks dressing room (much like how his successor, Dave Nonis, banned scoring forwards). More than four years later, and Strachan still hasn't let it go. His recent column manipulates a lot of facts, and ignores many others, in a seemingly never-ending quest to prove that Brian Burke ain't all that.
While all of this is kinda funny, it isn't journalism, and it isn't really becoming of a professional writer with a long career behind him. Why the "editors" at Fox News allowed this, I don't know. I mean, if you are only looking to settle grudges and take cheapshots at people from behind the safety a computer monitor, start a blog. Like we did.
On another note...
I just heard that Isaac Hayes died this afternoon. Very sad news. I had the opportunity to go see Hayes about a month ago at the Portland Blues Festival (pictured). He was a bit slow moving around the stage, but he still put on a fantastic show. Known more in recent years for Chocolate Salty Balls than Hot Buttered Soul, Hayes was the heart of Stax records in the late sixties and had his biggest hit a few years later with the Theme From Shaft. Hopefully he'll be remembered more for his incredible music than as a cartoon character (which, still, was also brilliant). RIP Isaac. Here are a few tunes to remember him by: Walk on By, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Theme from Shaft
Anyone who is good with C-Blatch is good with Godd Till.
This is the most offensive piece of slander ever posted on this site. You can expect to hear from my attorney.
High time the Albargo ended. I've attributed it to CoxBloc's liberal media slant, plus the fact that Strachan is Godd's middle name. Busted!
On another note, how come Dave Perkins never gots the Bloc treatment?
You're also forgetting another segment on the Hotstove when both Burke and Strachan were on. I can't remember when this was though. Strachan said something stupid and Burke said "Your success rate with rumours isn't very good." And Strachan replies with "Its a lot better than your playoff record."
I've never liked Strachan. Anyone associated with the Toronto Sun has a certain degree of slime attached to them.
Al pronounces his last name "Stra-can", yet anyone who lives in T.O. knows that it's prounced "Strawn" Avenue. Both are spelled the same, so what gives?