Calderon Returns To Titanic; Plays Role Of Iceberg

It was a great day for welcoming back fan favourite Jose Calderon. After a nice ovation when his name was announced in the starting lineups, and a warm fuzzy video tribute on the big screen, Calderon quickly went to work inflicting a bit of post-partum depression on the Toronto crowd. Here are some awesome things that happened during the game:

1. Someone in the a/v department must have sneezed on the controls, because the song and video that accompanied the Raptors starting lineups intro went all Windows Vista on us.
2. ACC announcer Herbie Kuhn accidentally announced Calderon as getting an assist on a bucket by Alan Anderson.
3. At halftime, Jose accidentally started walking towards the Raptors’ dressing room. (See video above.)
4. A classic Raptor fourth quarter saw the Pistons outscore Toronto 33-19, finishing with 98 points, just two shy of the fans’ coveted pizza.
5. With the loss, the Raptors are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Nobody does April Fool’s day like the Toronto Raptors.

De nada, Jose.

Mickael Pietrus Auditions For The Raptors Dance Pak

Life can be lonely when you ride the bench all season. But Mickael Pietrus finally found a way to get some screen time, and to prove that while his game may not be what it used to be, his moves are as fabulous as ever:
 

Matt Devlin Goes To DC, Barely Makes It Out Alive

At this point, Leo Rautins decided it was time to pretend he didn’t know Matt Devlin. (Photo: @jeskeets)

Tonight’s game against the Wizards was one of those games you’re glad you didn’t pay to see.

But there were two bright spots: the Raptors made it out with a win, and announcer Matt Devlin made it out with his life.

Midway through the game, Raptors announcers Leo Rautins and Matt Devlin were obviously told to mention that Grammy-nominated rapper Wale was in attendance. Displaying exactly the knowledge of hip hop that you would expect, they spent the next several minutes commenting on how they didn’t know who he was because they were so old/he was just a “local rapper” who was not in the same league as Drake. Oh, and they joked about how they loved him in that Pixar movie.

Within minutes, Wale had discovered via Twitter that he was the butt of two dorky Canadian commentators’ jokes, and (surprise!) he was a bit annoyed by it. So, he made his way up to Matt and Leo to correct the situation. The screenshot above shows a portion of the conversation in which Wale is saying something along the lines of, “Pardon me, good sir, but I find your repartee impertinent and unnecessary. Kindly desist!”

Devlin was last seen cowering under a blanket in the back of the Raptors bus.

Raptors vs. Real Madrid

In Spain, every team is named “Real”, and each game begins with the ceremonial “eating of the ball”, as demonstrated here by Jose Calderon.

Here are three things I liked about tonight’s pre-season game against Real Madrid:

1. Real Madrid’s uniform includes a fluorescent green stripe, which is pretty sharp.
2. The video that was supposed to play as they introduced the Raptors’ starting lineup was missing the sound, which made for an odd 20 seconds of awkward silence.
3. The Raptors’ announcer, Herbie Kuhn, was going all authentic when pronouncing the visiting players’ names, so that names like “Rudy Fernandez” became “arrrrrrRudy Fffffernandeth”.

And hey…free pizza on day 1! Things are looking up…

Raptors Review: After Sixty Games

An MLSE employee demonstrates the least painful way for Raptor fans to make it through the remainder of the 2011-2012 season.

Record:   21-39 (5-5 over the past 10)

High point: Winning three games in a row. A legit streak!

Low point: Being officially eliminated from the playoffs. You know it’s going to happen, but it still hurts.

Stuff I’ve Noticed:

–          Alan Anderson gets no respect. Check out his face on the nba.com game companion. That’s harsh.

–          I’m surprised by how much I miss Jerryd Bayless.

–          Buy a fresh pair of kicks and scrawl a 10-day contract on a napkin, and you too could be a starter!

Memorable Quote:

“It’s one of those days you don’t want to get out of your pajamas.”

-TV commentator Jack Armstrong sums up a less-than-exciting Sunday match-up between the Wizards and Raptors.

Former Raptor Helps Win Something, Announcer Goes Buck Wild

Holy Craptors! It’s Jorge Garbajosa!

Any Raptor fans remember Jorge Garbajosa? Known in Toronto as a player with a lot of promise before suffering a gruesome broken leg in 2007, Garbo is still playing back home in Spain…and judging by this video, he’s a force to be reckoned with, hitting threes and blocking shots and winning games.

But whether or not you remember Senor Garbajosa, you’ve got to love the announcer in this video. He makes Chuck Swirsky seem catatonic by comparison.

I’m happy for Jorge. It’s not often that a Raptor, past or present, is able to get acquainted with the feeling of winning.