TORONTO — When visiting a vibrant, diverse metropolis, there’s much to see. That means plenty of walking, which can work up a hearty appetite.
Luckily, on Thursday afternoon, I happened upon a food vendor at the corner of Front and John streets, near the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, and wait … isn’t this …?
Yes, it is! It’s the hot dog stand Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons infamously identified last week as Phil Kessel’s favorite spot for a midday snack during his time with the Maple Leafs!
All right, time for full disclosure: I didn’t haphazardly come upon the stand, unironically named Ted’s Gourmet. In fact, I planned my sightseeing day around it, even though the Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets essentially debunked Simmons’ claim with a little bit of research. (It helped that my wife was curious, too.)
After waiting in line with my loonie and toonie in hand to cover the price of lunch, it was time to talk to Ted himself about the whole story – after ordering a hot dog of course. Surely he would have some insight about the Penguins’ new scoring winger. I asked if he’d ever served Kessel.
“What’s his name again?” he said. I repeated myself, adding that he had played for the Leafs for many years. “Do you have a picture of him? I see so many people come through here.”
This was going nowhere. I was ready to add relish and onions and be on my way, but the vendor seemed intrigued, or maybe just bemused, by my line of questioning. Apparently, he’d heard about this mysterious Kessel guy at least once before I came by.
“I’ve had a few people ask, but I don’t know,” he said, smiling. “Honestly, I don’t know his face.”
Well, the interview wasn’t satisfying, but at least the hot dog was.
Anyone want to buy a Phil Kessel Maple Leafs-brand doll? Hello? Anyone? — MATT GAJTKA
• At least they were familiar with Kessel at the Sport Chek sporting goods store just outside Air Canada Centre, where a video board trumpeted the Raptors’ recent free-agent signings. It helps to have another team under the same roof to deflect attention.
But inside the store, there was no avoiding the specter of the Leafs’ big trade. Every item with “Kessel 81” on it, from authentic jerseys (down to $75 from $220 originally) to T-shirts (90 percent off at $4 apiece) and bizarre plush dolls ($3.66), was priced to sell. According to a sales associate, the deep discounts weren’t doing the trick.
“It’s not going as quickly as you would think, considering the price,” he said of the blue home Kessel jerseys on prominent display. “Someone actually came up from Pittsburgh this week to get one, but that’s pretty much it.”
I asked for his thoughts on the Penguins-Leafs deal, just to remind myself that Toronto is indeed a hockey town despite one vendor’s ignorance.
“I think the trade was good,” he said after a brief digression on Kasperi Kapanen’s potential. “Most people like it. It frees up cap space. I think the Leafs were asking too much of Kessel. He’s not a two-way forward, and that’s what they need.”
He paused.
“You sure you don’t want a Kessel doll?”
• Before Thursday’s fun in the big city, I was in suburban Vaughan, Ontario, for the Riverhounds’ 2-0 stifling of Toronto FC II on Wednesday night. It was the third shutout in four USL matches for the previously porous defensive squad.
With 30-year-old veteran goalkeeper Ryan Thompson away on international duty with team Jamaica, rookie Calle Brown has been between the sticks for all three of those recent clean sheets. Brown has allowed just two goals in five USL appearances, although he has received better support from his teammates than Thompson has during his eight starts, during which he had 14 goals sail past.
At 6-5, Brown has the ideal frame for a keeper, and he’s quickly ingratiating himself with his more experienced teammates, who have spoken highly of his poise and athleticism. This is not an indictment of Thompson at all. It’s an accepted part of soccer culture that one responds when the national team comes calling, especially for this summer’s prestigious Copa America and Gold Cup competitions.
Still, it’s undeniable that Brown, last year’s NCAA College Cup defensive MVP for the University of Virginia, has staked a strong claim to the starting spot when Thompson returns later this month.
• From Josh Yohe: The Penguins like Oskar Sundqvist so much that they are absolutely open to the idea of him landing a roster spot out of training camp. Should Sundqvist have a strong prospects camp and training camp, there is every reason to believe he will play in Pittsburgh this season.
Sundqvist’s only issue in the eyes of management is that he isn’t a terribly gifted skater. He’s only 21, however, and the Penguins believe that skill will develop reasonably well over time. And they love everything else about his game, especially his versatility. Many in the organization believe he is the likely successor as third-line center, should Brandon Sutter not sign a new deal. Sutter has one year remaining on his deal. He can play any forward position, he’s a strong penalty killer, and he projects as an adequate member of a second power-play unit. They love his frame, too. At 6-3, 190, he’s already big and still filling out. And his hands, according to many people I’ve spoken to in the organization, are better than the team initially thought.
One member of the Penguins’ staff made particular note of Sundqvist’s “high hockey IQ.”
Keep your eye on him if you’re attending the prospects camp scrimmage next Saturday at Consol. The Penguins certainly could use a young player or two at forward.
• It will be interesting to see how the Penguins handle Rob Scuderi. Two years remain on his contract. And even Ray Shero, the man who gave him a four-year contract, knew the conclusion of Scuderi’s deal would be a problem.
Shero told many people after the deal was signed that he didn’t want to give Scuderi a four-year deal out of fear that he wouldn’t be a productive player in the final year or two. However, Shero’s belief was that the only way he could sign Scuderi in 2013 was to give him a four-year deal.
The Penguins didn’t buy him out this summer. Jim Rutherford has commented recently that Scuderi had a better season during the 2014-15 campaign than many realize.
Were a team interested in Scuderi’s services, the Penguins would consider unloading him because of his salary. However, the plan for now is for Scuderi to play with the Penguins.
• Mike Johnston’s system is one that requires defensemen to jump into the play. Newly re-signed Brian Dumoulin believes this system is perfect for his game. I spoke with Dumoulin on Thursday about a number of things, and rest assured, Johnston’s system is something that makes Dumoulin perk up.
“There is a freedom in his system,” Dumoulin said. “A ton of freedom. He wants me in the offensive zone, and that’s something I think I do well.”
Dumoulin is a big kid, 6-4 and better than 200 pounds. But the Penguins have made it clear to him that he needs to get stronger. The organization wasn’t especially happy with his work in the corners and in one-on-one battles.
Losing so early in the playoffs may have been a blessing in that regard.
“It’s the earliest I’ve ever started working out in the summer,” Dumoulin said. “It’s going to benefit me.”
• From DK: Nothing about the construction of the Pirates has mattered more in recent years — false narratives put forth by the team’s stats guys notwithstanding — than the steady stream of talent from Latin America. In particular, Rene Gayo has found Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and several other players who made it to the majors after being used as trade chips, and that’s not scratching the surface of his overall contributions.
So it’s probably fair to suggest we all should be paying more attention to the annual July 2 deadline to sign international 16-year-old amateurs.
And to that end, I gave Gayo a call and, predictably, he was in the Dominican Republic on yet another scouting foray, this time to wrap up a 6-foot-4, 200-pound third baseman out of Curacao named Sherton Apostel. He sounded all pumped up, as always, and texted this happy pic right from the spot:
Rene Gayo and newly signed Sherton Apostel (jersey), his parents and two Pirates scouts. — PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Apostel received a bonus of $200,000, which used to be a really big deal in this context, but he’s only fourth among the current class, behind Dominican outfielder Kevin Sanchez ($400,000), Bahamian Larry Alcime Jr. ($350,000) and Dominican catcher Samuel Inoa ($240,000). Those four, plus four other signees, have cost the Pirates more than $1.5 million, with less than $2 million left in their allotted pool.
Some teams elect to spend a ton on one stud, but Gayo never believed in that, even before Major League Baseball implemented (very soft) international spending limits two years ago.
“There’s just too much that can go wrong,” Gayo said. “I want to see all of these guys make it to PNC Park. And when I sign them, I look each one in the eye and ask if he can see himself playing in Pittsburgh someday because that’s what I’m seeing. But the reality is that most of them don’t, so you want to maximize your chances.”
Of this class, he strongly suggested there wasn’t that one stud: “Sanchez and Alcime are up there. And we’re really happy to get Apostel right now, with all the good things that are happening in Curacao and baseball. But I like all of them. That’s always my answer.”
• Marlon Byrd’s name keeps coming up more and more inside PNC Park, to the point that smoke could become fire. That’s as far as I’ll go toward solidifying that.
Byrd makes just too much sense. He’s 37 and his overall average with the Reds is .245, but he’s got 14 home runs and, maybe just as important, he’s heating up of late with a .263 average and six home runs in the past month. And while he still hits 50 points higher against lefties, 11 of his home runs have come off righties.
Too. Much. Sense.
But too much dollars?
Maybe not. Byrd is in the second year of a two-year, $16 million contract. His current salary is $8 million. But that’s where it gets weird. The Phillies are on the hook for half the current salary, so he’s really only owed $4 million prorated, or less than $2 million, the rest of the season. He also has an $8 million option for 2016 that can be automatically triggered if he makes 550 plate appearances this season. He’s currently at 250 just past the halfway mark, and he probably won’t play everyday in Pittsburgh given Polanco’s presence, so that’s an unlikely scenario.
• More than a few readers have asked for my view of the instantly infamous tweet by ESPN’s Adam Schefter in which he attached an image of Jason Pierre-Paul’s medical records.
I’ll defer to James Harrison, thanks.
Not everything is worth a story or page views or social media followers.
Call that common decency. I call it common sense.
Intrepid reporter Matt Gajtka travels to Toronto to talk to a hot dog vendor. For big news. -- MATT GAJTKA
July 10, 2015
Friday Insider: Hot dog vendor tale chewed up
by Matt Gajtka • Friday Insider • Penguins, Pirates, Riverhounds, Steelers
TORONTO — When visiting a vibrant, diverse metropolis, there’s much to see. That means plenty of walking, which can work up a hearty appetite.
Luckily, on Thursday afternoon, I happened upon a food vendor at the corner of Front and John streets, near the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, and wait … isn’t this …?
Yes, it is! It’s the hot dog stand Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons infamously identified last week as Phil Kessel’s favorite spot for a midday snack during his time with the Maple Leafs!
All right, time for full disclosure: I didn’t haphazardly come upon the stand, unironically named Ted’s Gourmet. In fact, I planned my sightseeing day around it, even though the Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets essentially debunked Simmons’ claim with a little bit of research. (It helped that my wife was curious, too.)
After waiting in line with my loonie and toonie in hand to cover the price of lunch, it was time to talk to Ted himself about the whole story – after ordering a hot dog of course. Surely he would have some insight about the Penguins’ new scoring winger. I asked if he’d ever served Kessel.
“What’s his name again?” he said. I repeated myself, adding that he had played for the Leafs for many years. “Do you have a picture of him? I see so many people come through here.”
This was going nowhere. I was ready to add relish and onions and be on my way, but the vendor seemed intrigued, or maybe just bemused, by my line of questioning. Apparently, he’d heard about this mysterious Kessel guy at least once before I came by.
“I’ve had a few people ask, but I don’t know,” he said, smiling. “Honestly, I don’t know his face.”
Well, the interview wasn’t satisfying, but at least the hot dog was.
Anyone want to buy a Phil Kessel Maple Leafs-brand doll? Hello? Anyone? — MATT GAJTKA
• At least they were familiar with Kessel at the Sport Chek sporting goods store just outside Air Canada Centre, where a video board trumpeted the Raptors’ recent free-agent signings. It helps to have another team under the same roof to deflect attention.
But inside the store, there was no avoiding the specter of the Leafs’ big trade. Every item with “Kessel 81” on it, from authentic jerseys (down to $75 from $220 originally) to T-shirts (90 percent off at $4 apiece) and bizarre plush dolls ($3.66), was priced to sell. According to a sales associate, the deep discounts weren’t doing the trick.
“It’s not going as quickly as you would think, considering the price,” he said of the blue home Kessel jerseys on prominent display. “Someone actually came up from Pittsburgh this week to get one, but that’s pretty much it.”
I asked for his thoughts on the Penguins-Leafs deal, just to remind myself that Toronto is indeed a hockey town despite one vendor’s ignorance.
“I think the trade was good,” he said after a brief digression on Kasperi Kapanen’s potential. “Most people like it. It frees up cap space. I think the Leafs were asking too much of Kessel. He’s not a two-way forward, and that’s what they need.”
He paused.
“You sure you don’t want a Kessel doll?”
• Before Thursday’s fun in the big city, I was in suburban Vaughan, Ontario, for the Riverhounds’ 2-0 stifling of Toronto FC II on Wednesday night. It was the third shutout in four USL matches for the previously porous defensive squad.
With 30-year-old veteran goalkeeper Ryan Thompson away on international duty with team Jamaica, rookie Calle Brown has been between the sticks for all three of those recent clean sheets. Brown has allowed just two goals in five USL appearances, although he has received better support from his teammates than Thompson has during his eight starts, during which he had 14 goals sail past.
At 6-5, Brown has the ideal frame for a keeper, and he’s quickly ingratiating himself with his more experienced teammates, who have spoken highly of his poise and athleticism. This is not an indictment of Thompson at all. It’s an accepted part of soccer culture that one responds when the national team comes calling, especially for this summer’s prestigious Copa America and Gold Cup competitions.
Still, it’s undeniable that Brown, last year’s NCAA College Cup defensive MVP for the University of Virginia, has staked a strong claim to the starting spot when Thompson returns later this month.
• From Josh Yohe: The Penguins like Oskar Sundqvist so much that they are absolutely open to the idea of him landing a roster spot out of training camp. Should Sundqvist have a strong prospects camp and training camp, there is every reason to believe he will play in Pittsburgh this season.
Sundqvist’s only issue in the eyes of management is that he isn’t a terribly gifted skater. He’s only 21, however, and the Penguins believe that skill will develop reasonably well over time. And they love everything else about his game, especially his versatility. Many in the organization believe he is the likely successor as third-line center, should Brandon Sutter not sign a new deal. Sutter has one year remaining on his deal. He can play any forward position, he’s a strong penalty killer, and he projects as an adequate member of a second power-play unit. They love his frame, too. At 6-3, 190, he’s already big and still filling out. And his hands, according to many people I’ve spoken to in the organization, are better than the team initially thought.
One member of the Penguins’ staff made particular note of Sundqvist’s “high hockey IQ.”
Keep your eye on him if you’re attending the prospects camp scrimmage next Saturday at Consol. The Penguins certainly could use a young player or two at forward.
• It will be interesting to see how the Penguins handle Rob Scuderi. Two years remain on his contract. And even Ray Shero, the man who gave him a four-year contract, knew the conclusion of Scuderi’s deal would be a problem.
Shero told many people after the deal was signed that he didn’t want to give Scuderi a four-year deal out of fear that he wouldn’t be a productive player in the final year or two. However, Shero’s belief was that the only way he could sign Scuderi in 2013 was to give him a four-year deal.
The Penguins didn’t buy him out this summer. Jim Rutherford has commented recently that Scuderi had a better season during the 2014-15 campaign than many realize.
Were a team interested in Scuderi’s services, the Penguins would consider unloading him because of his salary. However, the plan for now is for Scuderi to play with the Penguins.
• Mike Johnston’s system is one that requires defensemen to jump into the play. Newly re-signed Brian Dumoulin believes this system is perfect for his game. I spoke with Dumoulin on Thursday about a number of things, and rest assured, Johnston’s system is something that makes Dumoulin perk up.
“There is a freedom in his system,” Dumoulin said. “A ton of freedom. He wants me in the offensive zone, and that’s something I think I do well.”
Dumoulin is a big kid, 6-4 and better than 200 pounds. But the Penguins have made it clear to him that he needs to get stronger. The organization wasn’t especially happy with his work in the corners and in one-on-one battles.
Losing so early in the playoffs may have been a blessing in that regard.
“It’s the earliest I’ve ever started working out in the summer,” Dumoulin said. “It’s going to benefit me.”
• From DK: Nothing about the construction of the Pirates has mattered more in recent years — false narratives put forth by the team’s stats guys notwithstanding — than the steady stream of talent from Latin America. In particular, Rene Gayo has found Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and several other players who made it to the majors after being used as trade chips, and that’s not scratching the surface of his overall contributions.
So it’s probably fair to suggest we all should be paying more attention to the annual July 2 deadline to sign international 16-year-old amateurs.
And to that end, I gave Gayo a call and, predictably, he was in the Dominican Republic on yet another scouting foray, this time to wrap up a 6-foot-4, 200-pound third baseman out of Curacao named Sherton Apostel. He sounded all pumped up, as always, and texted this happy pic right from the spot:
Rene Gayo and newly signed Sherton Apostel (jersey), his parents and two Pirates scouts. — PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Apostel received a bonus of $200,000, which used to be a really big deal in this context, but he’s only fourth among the current class, behind Dominican outfielder Kevin Sanchez ($400,000), Bahamian Larry Alcime Jr. ($350,000) and Dominican catcher Samuel Inoa ($240,000). Those four, plus four other signees, have cost the Pirates more than $1.5 million, with less than $2 million left in their allotted pool.
Some teams elect to spend a ton on one stud, but Gayo never believed in that, even before Major League Baseball implemented (very soft) international spending limits two years ago.
“There’s just too much that can go wrong,” Gayo said. “I want to see all of these guys make it to PNC Park. And when I sign them, I look each one in the eye and ask if he can see himself playing in Pittsburgh someday because that’s what I’m seeing. But the reality is that most of them don’t, so you want to maximize your chances.”
Of this class, he strongly suggested there wasn’t that one stud: “Sanchez and Alcime are up there. And we’re really happy to get Apostel right now, with all the good things that are happening in Curacao and baseball. But I like all of them. That’s always my answer.”
• Marlon Byrd’s name keeps coming up more and more inside PNC Park, to the point that smoke could become fire. That’s as far as I’ll go toward solidifying that.
Byrd makes just too much sense. He’s 37 and his overall average with the Reds is .245, but he’s got 14 home runs and, maybe just as important, he’s heating up of late with a .263 average and six home runs in the past month. And while he still hits 50 points higher against lefties, 11 of his home runs have come off righties.
Too. Much. Sense.
But too much dollars?
Maybe not. Byrd is in the second year of a two-year, $16 million contract. His current salary is $8 million. But that’s where it gets weird. The Phillies are on the hook for half the current salary, so he’s really only owed $4 million prorated, or less than $2 million, the rest of the season. He also has an $8 million option for 2016 that can be automatically triggered if he makes 550 plate appearances this season. He’s currently at 250 just past the halfway mark, and he probably won’t play everyday in Pittsburgh given Polanco’s presence, so that’s an unlikely scenario.
• More than a few readers have asked for my view of the instantly infamous tweet by ESPN’s Adam Schefter in which he attached an image of Jason Pierre-Paul’s medical records.
I’ll defer to James Harrison, thanks.
Not everything is worth a story or page views or social media followers.
Call that common decency. I call it common sense.