Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

When Blue Jays closer Kevin Gregg had his mini-stand off with manager Cito Gaston Saturday in Baltimore, you knew it couldn't end there.

You can be unhappy about getting the hook, but you don't chirp your manager on the way off the mound. And that stare-down in the dugout was clear insubordination on Gregg's part, regardless of whether or not he's having a career year.

So when the wheels began to fall off Monday in Kansas City, Gaston just sat there on the dugout bench, mentally unraveling as much rope as Gregg needed to hang himself. As Gregg struggled in the 10th did Gaston ever consider pulling him?

"Uhhh, no," he told the press post-game.

The winning run came on a ground ball up the middle, a play Gregg should make. So after he embarrassed Gaston, Gregg neither pitched nor fielded his position well enough to justify his own self-confidence.

At least he manned up afterwards.

"It's my job to win that game," he said. "I blew it."

Sunshine Re-State

There is a fundamental shift underway in the National Hockey League, and it won't help Canadian teams one bit.

Remember when both Florida teams were gong shows? Well, with Steve Yzerman in Tampa and Dale Tallon taking over as general manager in Florida, those days are gone.

Now, add into the recipe that there is no state tax in Florida, travel in the Eastern Conference is vastly superior to the West, and of course, the family is always happy to relocate to the kind of neighborhood where a millionaire in Florida might live, and you get quotes like this one from Simon Gagne:

"Tampa Bay was a team I was more than willing to waive my no-trade for," Gagne said. "I really like the direction the team is headed in with a solid owner, Steve Yzerman as GM and coach (Guy) Boucher."

When is the last time you heard a player say THAT about the Lightning? Give Tallon some time in Florida, and they'll be talking that way about the Panthers as well.

Sunshine, the beach, low taxes, zero media scrutiny... It is just another example of why teams in Canada had better draft well, because landing big-name free agents is getting tougher and tougher.

Here to Eternity

Look down the list of the longest current NHL deals, and tick off the ones you'd want on your cap:

Ilya Kovalchuk (17 years)

Rick Dipietro (15 years)

Alex Ovechkin and Duncan Keith (13 years)

Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Richards, Roberto Luongo, Marian Hossa (12 years)

Of those, I would take Ovechkin, Keith, Richards and Zetterberg in a heartbeat. We wouldn't go near Dipietro, Luongo looks more and more like a bad idea, and for all the anticipation, Kovalchuk hasn't proven he's a player you can build a winner around.

And Hossa? He's a fine, fine player, but he's got just nine goals in his last 45 playoff games, and 34 goals in 120 post-season games career.

At best, these long-term deals are a 50/50 proposition. And you can bet when they bargain the next CBA, the owners will try to put a cap on contract length.

Tweety Bird

This tweet from the beat writer at the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "A desperate plea: Need 4,000 followers (work eval). Are there more Thrashers and NHL fans out there with thirst for news?"

Translation: "Help. My boss thinks nobody cares about the Thrashers in this market, and I need to prove him wrong before they axe the travel budget."

For the record, I am now a follower. Further to the record, I am afraid the boss is right.

Burke Fishing All Right

So Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has gone fishing for a few days, but only after detailing in the Toronto Star where the Tomas Kaberle negotiations stand.

"The number of offers are up to six but we're not in a position where we think any of them are good enough," Burke said. "We're still in a holding pattern."

Holding, perhaps. Dreaming, if he thinks he's getting a younger, Top 6 forward.

Kaberle is a top defenceman, no doubt. But would any sane GM trade a young talent for a player who will be a UFA after the coming season? Particularly a player who has become underpaid over the span of his current contract at $4.25 million, and will want to reconcile that by hitting a home run next July 1.

Look at what Simon Gagne reaped for Philly: a No. 5-6 defenceman in Matt Walker and a fourth-round draft. The Oilers can't give Sheldon Souray away this summer.

Now, Kaberle doesn't have any of the injury history those two have, but in today's game it's all about the asset. Kaberle is a one-year acquisition, with a no-trade clause that becomes difficult on Aug. 15.

We're betting he stays in Toronto. Re-signing Kaberle long-term is likely the Leafs' best option.