It’s simple, even dismissing to the complexity of the situation to just say, ‘do the right thing’ in regards to the firestorm that has engulfed the most controversial milestone chase in North American sports history. There are seemingly, an infinite amount of variables and scenarios to consider. That being said, Bud Selig must do the right thing and being present when Barry Bonds inevitably surpasses Hank Aaron as Baseball’s all-time home run king, and this is why;

No one is naïve enough to attempt to assemble a case proclaiming Bonds innocent of using performance enhancing drugs. The evidence, albeit circumstancial, has grown into a mountain so massive that not even one of Bonds’ prodigious home run blasts would be able assail it’s peak. The problem is that Selig himself, is a victim of his own ineptitude. Had the commissioner been capable of implementing a drug testing policy of any relevance and with any bite, several years ago, even Bonds would surely have found himself unable escape unscathed. Instead, baseballs majestically soared out of stadiums at a record pace, attendance numbers slowly but surely began to once again resemble pre lockout levels, and Selig’s office looked the other way.

So all that is left is to deal with the facts as they relate to baseball’s drug laws. Has Barry Bonds ever tested positive for any drugs banned under baseball’s ever changing drug policy? No.

Selig may think that he is taking the noble path by refusing to be in attendance when 756 comes, but what he is really doing is committing an act of cowardice. Selig and his office is the current keeper of the game, yet by refusing to be in attendance he is attempting to avoid dealing with one of the most confusing and embarrassing moments that the game has ever seen, a moment that his short sightedness and lack of fortitude several years ago, had a hand in ultimately creating. So he stays away, leaving you and I, and every other baseball fan to deal with this debacle.

Believe it or not Bud, it is still possible to show class even in a situation this awkward. Show up. When the historic long ball is hit, plaster an insincere smile to your face, stand up and politely applaud like a father at the conclusion of another one of his son’s lousy high school plays, and keep your thoughts to yourself as to who has hit the most home runs in Major League History, vs. who is Baseball’s true home run king.

Trust us, you won’t be the only one.

Like the old saying goes, ‘Love is never having to say you’re sorry’, or if you are the General Manager of the most directionless franchise in the National Hockey League, making a trade means never having to say that you F@#$&D UP.

Let’s put aside all of the number crunching and salary cap analysis and leave that to technogeeks blogging on their laptops, living in their parents basement. (for the record, I do not own a laptop, I have a desktop, and I have my own room on the upstairs floor). Did John Ferguson Jr.’s trade of a conditional 1st round draft choice, a 2007 2nd round pick, and a 2009 4th round selection to the Sharks, in exchange for Vesa Toskala, make the Leafs a better club? (I am aware that the deal also included forward Mark Bell but I consider him irrelevant and believe that his greatest contribution to the Buds this year will be to try to avoid hitting a teammate with a shot in the pregame warm up).

Look at the numbers. Leafs incumbent Andrew Raycroft started 72 games in 2006-07, thereby inflating his win loss record but the bottom line is that he only registered 2 shutouts and a mediocre Goals Against Average a tick under three at 2.99. Toskala on the other hand, while playing just over half as many games as Raycroft, put up 4 shutouts and a very respectable GAA of 2.35.

So the answer to the aforementioned question is a resounding yes.

More significant than the impact that the trade will have on the 2007-08 edition of the Leafs on the ice, is what Ferguson is admitting about the front office and about himself, by pulling the trigger.

There are no guarantees when it comes to draft day in any sport, but the NHL’s version maybe the most volatile. For every Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, there is an Alexandre Daigle or Patrik Stefan to consider. Even so, for a team that should be in a full fledged rebuilding mode, parting with multiple draft choices doesn’t make sense, unless Ferguson realizes that Toronto has a long and infamous history of drafting poorly (remember the 1989 draft where the Leafs, with 3 1st round selections chose Scott Thornton, Rob Pearson and Steve Bancroft?) and has conceded that these picks will be no exception.

What does the trade of Toskala say about Ferguson’s acquisition of Raycroft in the summer of 2006? Brought in to be the franchise number 1 goaltender, Raycroft’s performance ranked somewhere between disappointing and disastrous. Give JFJ credit for correcting this egregious error but do not overlook the fact that when signing ‘The Rayzor’ and locking him up for 3 years, making him virtually untradable, Ferguson dropped the ball.

And what about the supposed future of the Maple Leafs in net regarding Justin Pogge? Ferguson thought so highly of Pogge that he chose to keep him instead of blue chipper Tuukka Rask, trading Rask for a proven NHL netminder capable of bridging the gap until Pogge is NHL ready – that goalie acquired for Rask, ironically enough, was Andrew Raycroft. In a league where elite goaltenders routinely play into their mid 30’s the addition of the 30 year old Toskala is a signal that Ferguson’s faith in Pogge has been considerably shaken and that JFJ is lamenting the fact that he might have traded the wrong prospect.

What does the future hold for the Maple Leafs come 2007-08? Rask may steal them the hand full of games required for Toronto to sneak into the play offs and Ferguson maybe congratulated for engineering the trade that got them there but one right move should not be enough to discard 3 wrong moves.

Gotta go, ‘Ali G’, is on.