Mike Ulmer has worked for seven news organizations including the National Post and, most recently, the Toronto Sun. Mike has written about the Toronto sports scene for more than 10 years and has penned several books on sports and culture.





April 18, 2007

(TORONTO) -- It’s a modest enough banner, a patch of cloth hanging in the corner of Air Canada Centre but to players, management and fans, it might as well be dipped in gold.

The franchise’s first ever division title banner was unveiled Wednesday as a cloth cornerstone for the future. It is as visible a talisman as any to demonstrate that the Raptors are ready to ascend to the league elite.

Chris Bosh addressed the fans before the unfurling. (NBAE/Getty Images)

“You look where we are and a lot of people who doubted us they just have to look at that banner,” said veteran Raptor Morris Peterson, the only player around when the team last appeared in the post-season.

“A lot of people who said we’d never get as far as we are now, they will have to look at that banner and they’ll have to think about that every time.”

“Toronto has always had great fans throughout our franchise history,” Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. CEO Richard Peddie. “Thanks to a total team effort by Bryan Colangelo, Wayne Embry, Sam Mitchell, the players and all the employees that make up Team Raptors we now have a way to say thanks to those fans for sticking with us.”

It was a simple thank-you, delivered, fittingly on fan appreciation night. “As a token of our appreciation for you coming out tonight,” Raptors star Chris Bosh told a darkened arena, “we want to show you something,” and pointed to the rafters.

A couple of fireworks later, a banner bearing the words Atlantic Division Champions was unfurled amidst rapturous applause.

“When you look at building a history, in the word history is the word story,” said president and GM Bryan Colangelo. “We’ve got a story that’s writing itself right now. You want to put up reminders of successes along the way. There’s been a lot of exciting basketball played here, but given the rebirth of the franchise and where we are today, we felt it was fitting to begin a new story and put the first of what we hope will be many banners up.”

“The players should be proud,” said coach Sam Mitchell. ”Obviously, we want to advance (in the playoffs) but you have to start building a winning tradition somewhere and to be the first team to win a divisional title, I think it means a lot.” Peterson, a seven-year-Raptor veteran, said the banner would be an inspiration.

“That’s going to push us even harder. We put one banner up even though people didn’t believe we could. We can put more banners up in front of people who didn’t believe in us.”