Ryan Johnston - Sorry,Toth

[denime]

Sorry, Toth


The content of this blog entry will break two rules I make a conscious effort to not break.

The first involves beating a dead horse.

The second involves responding to an opinion voiced by someone else within the Sportsnet family.

But when the opinion in question is a dead horse fueled by misconception, I am left with no option.

So, with apologies to my colleague Mike Toth, here it goes.

Toronto FC supporters did not use the MLS All-Star Game as a platform to protest the rumoured interest of the Toronto Argonauts in sharing BMO Field. In fact, if you consider that the actual name of the field is the National Soccer Stadium, then you have your answer. The Argos are not the problem; the loss of identity is. Talk about irony. Isn't it the Argos who are trying to keep a place at the party as the mighty NFL rolls into town this week?

As is often the case with the web savvy supporters' groups, Toth's misconception did not go unnoticed, setting the message boards aflame with obscenities. I fired off an email to Jack DePoe, president of the Red Patch Boys, for a little clarification on the concerns of the TFC faithful. DePoe was quick to assert that poorly researched opinion is old hat to fans of the fledgling franchise.

"It's precisely the attitude that Mr. Toth displays that causes soccer supporters to want to protect what we've (finally) got here in Toronto," DePoe said in an email. "We want to be represented. We want to be respected. We have given our passion, our voices, our money and our dedication to Toronto FC and to soccer in Toronto and in Canada. The National Soccer Stadium, also known as BMO Field, is in danger."

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[MG42]

Glad to see toth get called out.

[CoachGT]

Nice article, and good work on Jack to put the points across so eloquently! Great job!

[Tyler Durden]

I wanted to bash Toth's head in after listening to him over the radio....good blog....good on you Ryan!!

[Ageroo]

well now...this is a good read...glad to hear it was addressed!

[Pyeddo]

Good read, but he still pussy-footed out of respect for his co-worker

[Roogsy]

Ryan Johnston just made major brownie points with the supporters.

And with good reason. Finally one fair commentary in a sea of inaccurate reporting.

[arbogast]

Good read, but he still pussy-footed out of respect for his co-worker

He didn't have to take a shot at Toth. Jack provided all the amunition he required to put his colleague down, and it was done in an elloquent fashion i might add (good on ya Jack!).

[Pyeddo]

He didn't have to take a shot at Toth. Jack provided all the amunition he required to put his colleague down, and it was done in an elloquent fashion i might add (good on ya Jack!).

Agree 100% with you there... was just hoping someone would take a clean swipe at him..... its been coming for ages.....

[Cashcleaner]

A little too suger-coated for my liking. I'm not advocating that we start slinging mud at guys like Toth or Simmons, but there is no shame in setting the record straight and Johnston could have said a lot more.

With these sorts of issues, you don't just want to simply counter every argument with a rebuttal. You have to go the extra mile and really debate the core postions.