tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134380280577437592.post5024544998014287543..comments2023-07-18T05:15:08.351-07:00Comments on Gallo's Sports Whine: Phil Kessel: But I was rightOliver Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345756747927052652noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134380280577437592.post-24672884478051524512016-06-13T09:08:39.554-07:002016-06-13T09:08:39.554-07:00Phil won the cup!!!Phil won the cup!!!Manilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657553579950078429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134380280577437592.post-56637849253638663912015-02-14T13:58:49.232-08:002015-02-14T13:58:49.232-08:00Thanks for responding...I apologize for coming off...Thanks for responding...I apologize for coming off condescending and angry...completely not my intention. I think I was simply pouunding the keyboard with passion! I will admit though that I do feel perturbed that the main point of the article is to denounce those, like myself who claim "I was right." <br /><br />While no one likes it when someone says they are right, the arguments ran deep back in 2009 and there were probably a lot of 'You'll see's" going around. I believe that is why there are so many people now saying "I was right"...because so many of us could foresee this day coming. <br /><br />You are correct in that I agree with you completely about Kessel's skill. I also agree that if he had gone to Chicago or L,A. back in 2009, it would probably have pushed either team over the top. And yes, you don't suggest that Kessel should be the player to be built around. But making the trade when they did, whether Kessel liked it or not, he WAS the player they were going to build around. My point all along has been ....wrong player...wrong time....wrong team. <br /><br />That is the main point of my argument. The place the trade put Kessel in was the wrong place to put a player like him. I predicted this from the very day the trade was made. Many many others did too. So why are you suggesting that it's wrong for people to look back now and say they were right about this? Nobody is denying Kessel's talent....at least I don't think so...it's more of where he fits in and when.<br /><br />Kessel has taken an unfair amount of abuse in all this..We both agree on this...and that is why I still say I (we) was right and the trade was a huge mistake. That is where the 'I was right' part comes in...not about his talent, but about the process of how, and how not to, build a team.<br /><br />Again, I'm sorry if I came off angry...I'm not. But I fail to see what I have to 'conceptualize here. Moreover, as a journalist, surely you are used to feedback to your writing...even when you don't agree with what's being said. Nature of the beast unfortunately. Either way, nice chatting! softrocksullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00093411243475532246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134380280577437592.post-29601498138833695942015-02-14T12:19:09.081-08:002015-02-14T12:19:09.081-08:00I'm not sure why the tone of your message has ...I'm not sure why the tone of your message has to be so angry and sarcastic. I don't think you grasp what I've written, unfortunately. I'm talking about the stigma surrounding Kessel. I.E: Coach killer, doesn't play well defensively, is soft... etc. And why no matter what he does in Toronto, the way he's viewed will never change. At no point do I suggest that Kessel should be build around or that the 2009 trade was right or wrong.... I think you'd be better served trying to contextualize what's written before writing something condescending like "you managed to prove yourself wrong and back it up in one article... nicely done!" Especially, considering after writing that line, you go on to bring up numerous examples of where you agree with me. Take a deep breath, everything will be okay. Thanks for reading. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12923057459688648963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134380280577437592.post-26349726864962304512015-02-14T11:44:14.172-08:002015-02-14T11:44:14.172-08:00You managed to prove yourself wrong and back it up...You managed to prove yourself wrong and back it up in one article...nicely done!<br /><br />There's no arguing kessel's skill. Posting his scoring accomplishments here is pointless. We know that he's a good player and one of the NHL's elite. But that is not why people, like myself were against the trade from the start and feel the same way today. <br /><br />Wayne Gretzky in his prime wouldn't have made a tremendous difference to the 09-10 Leafs. That team was awful. And Phil is no Wayne. He also would need more of a support cast then #99 would...scoring wingers always do. Phil had Matt Stajan. The results were predictable and should have been predictable to a hockey man as experienced as Brian Burke. And what happens to teams in the position the Leafs were in that year? They play not to lose. Ask the Leaf teams from 1991 and 1997 about this. History backs this up. <br /><br />You said "From day one, there was no winning for Kessel in Toronto. He was put in a situation where the one way to succeed was to win the Stanley Cup and to do that single handedly is close to impossible." Isn't that the argument against the trade in a nutshell? <br /><br />Add into this the fact that Kessel is widely known to be shy and doesn't like talking to the media and you put him in this position, in the craziest hockey market on the planet and wonder why things didn't work out? <br /><br />Even your arguments about different scenarios (Chicago and L.A). are curious. They were teams on the cusp and Phil is the perfect type of player to bring into those situations, not as a building block. The Leafs weren't even close so it's like comparing apples and oranges. <br /><br />When people like myself say we were right, it's not about Phil Kessel. It's about the timing of the trade itself. It was the right deal at the absolute worst time. I felt I was right then. I know I was right now.softrocksullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00093411243475532246noreply@blogger.com