Toronto Fans Might Wanna Back Off Bosh

Sometimes, I stumble upon a blog post that sets our field back about 6,000 years. Well, here’s one. It borders on racist, and more or less seems outraged that Chris Bosh isn’t, I don’t know, perfect. But also that the team isn’t perfect. Oh, and it’s especially pissed about Bosh’s remarks on getting booed at home:↵↵⇥“If I wanted to get booed, I’d go on the road ... Fans, whether they know it or not, they dictate a lot,” [Bosh] said. “They’re a major, major part of the game. You know walking into other buildings, it’s tough to play sometimes if the fans are being supportive, if they’re loud.”↵↵Did you hear that, Toronto? You’re alienating Bosh. Kevin McHale went overboard in claiming that blogs run the league now, but they can provide a interpretive lens to fans, or a staging area for some particularly nasty, and useless, criticisms. In short, just the kind of thing you don’t want to do for a soon-to-be free agent and the team’s franchise player. Don’t worry, though: The Oklahoman has already laid plans to bring Bosh to the OKC. That’s the Pandora’s Box you open up when, as fans, you direct enmity toward someone in Bosh’s delicate situation.↵
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Am I saying that Bosh is perfect, blameless, or not at all implicated in his team’s disappointing play? Of course not. He’d be the first to admit it. I’m just proposing that, when your resident All-Star is coveted by half the league, and has carte blanche to split for nothing in a year and a half, it might make sense to let passions cool a bit. I’m sure everyone in Toronto is sad, and wishes Bosh dominated every night. And that he carried this team to a championship. But in the grand spirit of realism, a magical little scroll that makes the world go ‘round, there is that background concern of making Bosh feel he’s supported there, or just plain wants to stick around long-term.↵
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↵So go ahead Toronto fans. Boo the guy, make him the scapegoat, and let your fan blogs run wild with noxious talk. Maybe Bosh has room for improvement. I don’t think, though, that this tough love is the answer. I don’t seem to remember anyone booing LeBron because he refused to post up until this season. Even Amare, a far less responsible player than Bosh, is being dealt with diplomatically by Phoenix’s fans and front offices. Sorry if I’m ranting -- I don’t advocate letting players slack, but shouldn’t Toronto be thinking about how to make this team into a place Bosh wants to stay, not blaming him for it being somewhere he wouldn’t?↵