Tuesday Morning Musings...

May 20, 9:23 a.m. As my days dwindle here in Toronto the long Victoria Day weekend gave me plenty of time to ponder a few thoughts. I have been overwhelmed and totally humbled by your best wishes and thoughts. You are appreciated, believe me. It's been a most difficult two weeks. The saving grace is that I'll be visiting Toronto at least twice during the regular season and hopefully more during a playoff series between the Bulls and Raptors! Of course I'll come back to visit. I love Canada. I received a call on Monday from Sam Mitchell. He was gracious and supportive and I thanked him for his assistance over the years. I've heard from players, management staff, assistant coaches (present and past) and MLSE employees. It's been great to share a few stories and laughs. I've also heard from a number of broadcasters from radio and TV in the NBA and major NCAA college programs who are quite interested in my old ( is it too soon to say "old"?) position. The organization, city and fans have an excellent reputation. This is a coveted job. My wife and I went house hunting in Chicago. The prices for homes in certain suburbs are outrageously high. Pictures of houses on the Internet are very misleading. Single friends of mine that date on the Internet tell me they get exchange pictures from people that look like Scarlett Johansson's twin sister or Brad Pitt's brother only to knock on the door, let's just say, we're being kind here, a bit different from those pictures. On the outside it looked great. We got inside and it was right out of the twilight zone feature from 1943. Purple flooring… sweet. Bright green kitchen cabinets... to quote one of my favorite all time leading men J.J. Walker of Good Times... "Dyne-O-Mite." We liked one home and await the inspection. Apparently it may fall through. Something about radon. So how would you like your toxic gas today? Colourless or odorless? Can we make that combo? Uh, no thank you. If that's the case… it will be another trip to Illinois. Not fun. This kind of stress doesn't do anyone any good. I am not a fixer-upper nor do I have any interest in doing so. My father, rest his soul, was amazing with a tool set, cars, etc. I must have missed the gene pool on that one! My wife has been tremendous during the process. She has friends in Chicago and is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with friends from our old neighborhood and church. She is preparing to get our home here in the Toronto area on the market… Talk about work! I need to get a new driver's license so I'm studying the booklet. It's been a long time since I've taken a written test. I need to work on identifying signs. I take them for granted 24/7. I have seen a ton of NBA playoff ball and can't put a finger on the Celtics. I think Detroit has a legitimate shot at beating them. Not a lot of buzz going around the NBA. That will pick up in a few weeks I'm sure. The Bulls and Suns are looking for a head coach. The Hawks are in the market for a GM. The lottery is tonight and selfishly I'm pulling for the Bulls to win it… I want Derrick Rose in a Chicago uniform. Ask most NBA fans they want Boston and the Lakers. If it comes down to a Pistons-Spurs series I'm afraid the network ratings will take a hit. I love Tim Duncan, one of the all time greats, but he's boring. Chauncey Billups? Mr. Big Shot... terrific player but where's the shake and bake? Where's the flair? Give me KG, give me Kobe… give me Paul Pierce, give me Lamar Odom. Give Ray Allen a jump shot... please! Charles Barkley says he's through with gambling. I love the guy but seeing is believing. Think the NBA and TNT encouraged Barkley to disassociate himself from gaming? Congrats to Jon Lester on his no-no. I've seen a no hitter (Dick Bosman at Cleveland Stadium) and it's one of the greatest spectacles in sport. Remember this is a young man who beat lymphoma cancer. His legacy on the field? A no-no but when he walks into a children's cancer ward in a hospital, brave kids will share their stories and in turn he'll share his. A true inspiration. Question/comments about the NBA? E-mail me at swirsk054@aol.com Always a pleasure.