Burkie on _The Score_

I only caught the tail end of the interview, but here's a few
highlights:

1. Burke looked like Donald Trump--similar face, same artificially
messy hairstyle, same hair colour even.

2. He has "respect" for Sundin for declining Vancouver's $20m/2yr
offer because it supposedly proves Mats isn't in it for the money.
Strong suggestion that Sundin won't resign with the Leafs because, as
Burke himself put it, he wants to have a chance at the Cup and the
Leafs currently don't give him that chance. (I wish I could remember
his exact words, but that last part is a very close paraphrase.)

3. The team has been "stripped" of draft picks. Burke stresses that he
isn't badmouthing anyone even though he obviously is.

4. Things "might" get worse before they get better.

5. He's not properly informed to decide whether to retire Dave Keon's
number but won't do it "Just to placate a...player."

6. All the trade offers he has received so far have been
"anvils" (which he explicitly defines as "things that don't make a lot
of sense"). But apparently he has received trade offers.

If anyone else watched the interview, maybe you can fill in more
details.

GC

On Dec 13, 7:38 pm, owl wrote:
>
> > 4. Things "might" get worse before they get better.
>
> Didn't hear that.

I don't remember if Burke actually said those words or if the reporter
asked him whether things would get worse before they got better and
Burke said "They might." It was a point the reporter didn't follow up
on. Overall it was a soft interview, more like a chance for Burke to
showcase his Trump hairdo than for the reporter to ask hard-hitting
questions. A good journalist with no soft-pedal agenda would have
pounced and said: "How bad might things get and for how long?"

> > 6. All the trade offers he has received so far have been
> > "anvils" (which he explicitly defines as "things that don't make a lot
> > of sense"). But apparently he has received trade offers.
>
> Shrug.  A dozen GMs have stated publicly that 95-98% of all talks (all
> the time) go nowhere.  It's their job.

I still like his use of the word "anvils." Maybe I've led a sheltered
life, but I've never heard of a trade offer being referred to with
that word before.

> And the stuff about how he's perceived - gee, I'm really okay and so
> are most reporters, very pro, but then there's these few lowlife
> bottom-dredging, lying, traitorous, venomous ... that part was fun!

Watch all the over-the-air stations and newspapers make that the focus
of their reportage of the interview. The media tend to be navel-gazers
and love to blather about people's views of and relationships with the
media.

> But you got to the heart of the interview - his stuff on Sundin.  He
> bared his teeth real real good.

I thought he was surprisingly forthright. I mean, it's no secret to
Leaf fans that the team is going nowhere until at least 2011, but I
always thought it was a no-no for a team official to go on the public
record saying his own team sucks.

> And in other news today the St. Mike's Majors of Mississauga had a
> special guest today - Dave Keon - as they retired his number ... 9.

Hmm...I was born in '65, so Davey had his junior success before I
popped out into the world. Makes me feel less old. :-D

GC