Semantics 101: Brian Burke, NHL, Toronto, etc.
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It was turning into a long, long wait at the Clippers’ Playa Vista facility for rookie Eric Gordon, who has busy getting treatment for his sprained right ankle.
We almost started to worry that something had gone awry with the fancy rehab equipment, the cool underwater treadmill machine. (Gordon did eventually appear.)
Luckily, there were things to do: Discuss yoga poses for an ailing back with my knowledgeable colleague from the Daily News, watch the Phillies-Brewers baseball game and, oh yes, search for potential blog material.
One Canadian report jumped off the computer screen: NHL to keep eye on Ducks-Leafs moves. Some media outlets have Ducks GM Brian Burke virtually booked on an Air Canada flight to Toronto when his contract here ends.
So I passed along the info to one of my editors. He asked me if I wanted to blog on it.
(Sadly, I couldn’t e-mail Gary Hall Jr. and ask him for his opinion or blog offering, this not being swimming.)
In any event, this report really seemed like a case of semantics. Yes, of course, the league keeps an eye on all trades, and thus the story was accurate. But the Ducks felt it implied they were under extra scrutiny and Burke was none too pleased.
He sent word that there is no edict or warning of any kind to this effect. Later, Bill Daly of the NHL said in an e-mail that the Ducks are right.
Toronto and Burke, the marriage sponsored by the media, may be a fait accompli. But if you think about it for a few minutes, there probably will be other East Coast options in the months to come.
Still, it’s a sensitive topic. A good idea, then, not to ask Burke today whether I’ll be seeing him in Toronto when the Clippers play the Raptors on March 22.
-- Lisa Dillman
