Airing of Grievances - Leafs Fans, Trolls, the Media and That Guy...

by blurr1974 on Dec 23, 2009 3:27 PM EST

Editor's Note: I approve.

Crotchety old grumpy author's note - Yes, I am a Leafs fan, and yes, I am including myself in this.

Upsetfan_medium

I've seen and heard entirely too much from these fans (via media.canada.com)

I am sick and tired of being pessimistic, and hearing nothing but pessimism from Leafs fans. I am annoyed with unrealistic expectations. I am befuddled at the yo-yo like emotions for certain players. I've long since tired of blaming the refs, of questioning any and every call against the Leafs. I don't like rooting for injuries. To any one.

But wait! There's more...

And another thing. What is up with the ACC? Blame the suits, blame the sushi, blame the prices. When the stadium gets quiet, it gets quiet. Upper bowl, lower bowl, there's no difference. Is it the way the game is miked, or do Leafs fans forget how to cheer? Winning or losing, we fans should be cheering.

I hear it all the time from athletes: "The fans didn't give up on us," "We really wanted to win this for the fans."

090821_slide_leafs_medium

Sniff, sniff. It's beautiful... (via macleans.files.wordpress.com)

I'm tired of "Laffs" and "1967." Not even "plan the parade" is funny anymore. Truth be told, it's not even remotely annoying. It's just old and uninspired.

Leafs-suck_medium

Go Flyers! (via 2.bp.blogspot.com)

No matter the venue, it seems I can't make it through one hockey conversation without some reference to how the Leafs suck. It's as if, because I'm a Leafs fan, people automatically assume that I don't realize the team has not been good lately. It leaves me with only one conclusion. A troll is nothing more than a fair-weather fan of another team. How else does one not understand the desire to stick with a team through thick and thin?

That all said, it brings me back to my first point. Some Leaf fans are not helping the cause. Our team is one of the most divisive franchises in sports. There are just as many people who love the Leafs, are there are those who love to hate them. I don't need to hear it from both sides. I'm not saying the only way is blindly cheering on our Leafs (although, a sports fan can be defined as: " an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity") but perhaps more thought could be used in our critiques?

Speaking of thoughts, what is with the media? I used to loathe homerism when it came to other teams, but now, a part of me is jealous. As a Leafs fan, the kind of unbiased coverage my team gets looks like this:

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It's a classic...( via www.coxbloc.com)

An entire industry built upon a franchise's misery. If that's not a sign of the apocalypse, then I'm not sure there's hope for any of us. I mean, I was disturbed by reality TV, but this is a whole new level. The really sickening thing is, it's not just special publications, but the daily media is purposefully contrarian.

Not a day goes by that someone, somewhere, publishes a piece on the complete opposite of whatever the fans opinion is. If Jonas Gustavsson played a great game, then the media will be there to poke holes in it. If Matt Stajan is going through a 30 game pointless streak, you can bet the media will talk about his intangibles, his potential leadership qualities and defensive responsibility.

It gets worse. Woe is the scribe who predicts something positive for the Leafs. At least, I assume that to be the case. Generally, the media seems to write in lock-step with one another. Rarely will you find a dissenting opinion amongst them (and they call us "sheep?") I often wonder why that is. Do the sports writers gather in a secret room every day to discuss what they will tear down? How do they continue to say the same things ad nauseum, with little to no proof, and remain employed? Did all the journalists get trained by the same guy?

So, what's left to hate? How about, this guy?

Ya, he sucks. Thanks for everything JFJ! (via cache.daylife.com)

I could go on and on about Ferguson's failures. I could even play nice and bring up some of his better moves. The Dominic Moore waiver wire pickup, the drafting of Viktor Stalberg, the...ummmm. Ya. The caption just about sums it up.

In short, I'm sick of pretty much everything. Now, if you please...

Eastwoodmylawn_medium

via www.playerpress.com

PensionPlanPuppets.com is a fan community that allows members to post their own thoughts and opinions on the Toronto Maple Leafs and hockey in general. These views and thoughts may not be shared by the editor of PensionPlanPuppets.com.

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The haters and their refrains and whatnot are just hilarious now, making themselves look like a bunch of asses on the Internet.

"Luke Schenn is Stronger than Strength."
Truculence is Everything: Vote for the Leaf of the Decade Today.
Check me out on Twitter, too.

by Marc Pilgrim on Dec 23, 2009 2:23 PM EST reply actions

Awesome! Rec’d!

Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!

by blindfolded tank driver on Dec 23, 2009 2:26 PM EST reply actions

Agreed

Except that I enjoy rooting for the occasional injury. Any Sens or Habs injury is a good one, and often on nights when the Leafs are losing badly, there’s a very serious part of me that would like to see Colton Orr knock someone’s teeth down their throat. Do I want to see knee-on-knee hits? Absolutely not. Same goes for hits from behind or raised elbows. But if someone could have responded accordingly after Stajan got hit (cleanly) a couple games ago, it would have been nice.

by JP Nikota on Dec 23, 2009 2:36 PM EST reply actions

Poni answered the bell better than I thought he ever would. I’ll give him props for that. Not that I wouldn’t have love to see Orr Tombstone Piledrive Bergeron at centre ice, but we were winning and Boston looked like ape poop.

Rally Cap: 100% of the time it works every time.

by Peanut Butter Rally Time on Dec 23, 2009 6:16 PM EST up reply actions

Wait a minute

That guy in the “Losers Since 67” jersey is wearing a FLYERS hat??? Those flush-with-recent-Stanley-Cups Flyers?

The last time the Flyers won the Stanley Cup, the team had a defenceman, Ted Harris, who played 70 games and was an impressive +27.

Ted Harris turned 73 this July.

Overtime loss: The new black.

by Varry Galk on Dec 23, 2009 2:46 PM EST reply actions

On point

as ever

Glory glory Man United, AND the other MU, AAAAnd the Leafs. I think I need a drink now.

by Wan Ihite on Dec 24, 2009 12:54 AM EST up reply actions

I got the Al Strachan book TWICE for Christmas already. It actually was a good historical read, but the title was absolutely unnecessary. Playing the same old song.

GO LEAFS GO!

by Leaf in Habland on Dec 23, 2009 3:44 PM EST reply actions

67...

…has to be the dumbest thing. If the Leafs had snagged Bobby Orr instead of the Bruins people would still be saying “’72!!! HahhHAA LAffs suck!!!1” Asinine troglodytes, everyone of them.

But it’s not even “fans” of other teams that I can’t stand.

I can’t listen to Leafs talk anymore. I’m sick of hearing 60 somethings go on and on and on about how Brian Burke wishes he hadn’t traded for Kessel. I’m sick of hearing 20 somethings go on and on about how we should trade Ponikarovsky, White and Stajan for the rights to Kovalchuk. I’m sick of being sick of people who cheer for the same team that I do!

Sigh… where’s the rum…

Why do we do this to ourselves?

by Kenjamin on Dec 23, 2009 4:28 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

67 is just so ridiculous. I saw THREE people at the Sabres’ game with those jerseys. What does that say about you as a fan? As a person with any intelligence? Those are supposedly fans of the a team that have NEVER won a Stanley Cup. Ever.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Dec 23, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions

Sigh...

And the fact that they paid a significant amount of money to ridicule another team rather than support their own speaks to some very serious and deep-seated psychological issues including, but certainly not limited to, a major inferiority complex of some type.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

by Kenjamin on Dec 23, 2009 4:40 PM EST up reply actions

I often wonder

how many other teams have such a legion of anti-fans, in whatever sport. Buying a jersey to insult us still fills our team’s coffers.

Great article blurr1974, and I agree with almost everything. I do still enjoy seeing opposing viewpoints in the MSM, because I enjoy perspective. However, I loathe those writers that speak of the team in negative and desultory tones. These people have jobs that many people would absolutely kill to have. At least act like you enjoy it.

by Kohma on Dec 23, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions

A ton of them -

Man United, Real Madrid, Dallas Cowboys, NY Yankees, LA Lakers, etc.

Most hockey fans, not including Sens, Sabres & Habs fans here, hate the Leafs because of the media obsession with them similar to the reason why people hate NY teams.

A man gotta have a code

by Carl Putnam on Dec 23, 2009 5:15 PM EST up reply actions

Someone needs to make a

“no cups, ever” shirt to respond to these sabers fans and such

Glory glory Man United, AND the other MU, AAAAnd the Leafs. I think I need a drink now.

by Wan Ihite on Dec 24, 2009 12:56 AM EST up reply actions

oh man, i LOVE that eastwood poster

I mean it. Bring him back.

by bringbackbower on Dec 23, 2009 4:29 PM EST reply actions

HERE HERE!

I was going to write a similar grievance. Well done.

by Van Ryn's Neurologist on Dec 23, 2009 4:40 PM EST reply actions

nice catchall of anger.

good, goood….

"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."

Albert Einstein

by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Dec 23, 2009 4:42 PM EST reply actions

As a western conferance team

And someone who’s main sports lifeline is usually ESPN I have to say I hate with an undying passion the northeast(you too red wings….fuckheads). All you ever hear from the media is about how great/terrible boston/newyork are (for hockey purposes philly and Pittsburgh also). Since I don’t watch canadian TV I don’t really hear a ton about our northern 6 teams. I think part of it has to do with being from a small market team and constantly getting skimmed over. Our boy puts up a goal of the year canidate a month back. Top headline? Sid has empty net goals!!! All U.S. media is either in new york or LA so assuming most Canadian press is from Toronto I can understand getting sick of seeing you guys all day.

by Icion on Dec 23, 2009 5:39 PM EST reply actions

The only grievance I have is that we’ll never get a first rounder and two second rounders for Toskala when we dump him.

-- Rock

My blog: Greetings From SoCal
My Twitter: RockFromSoCal

by Rock Outta SoCal on Dec 23, 2009 6:41 PM EST reply actions

It would seem to me that Leafs fans should air their grievences at ownership and management

In the salary cap era, the GM, the Coach and the Scouts are the biggest part of the winning, IMHO. You have to be very, very cagey in deciding whom to sign, draft and keep because of the cap. The smartest executives, you know, the ones that can not only evaluate talent, but also predict 3 moves down the road what any given player will be worth, will rule the day. In this respect, MLB has it easy, no cap, means that you can just spend until you buy a championship, you can’t really do that in hockey.

So, don’t be grumpy with your team, don’t root for injuries (that’s just sick),…rail against your leadership if the team cannot win.

by eyebob on Dec 28, 2009 1:21 PM EST reply actions

rail against your leadership if the team cannot win.

yeah, you’re new here…but we do that every day. Now we can complain about all of the other shit we don’t have time to bitch about the other 364 days of the year.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Dec 29, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions