Seriously, someone – anyone – who got worked up about a New York Post report by someone I’ve never heard of simply has too much time on their hands or something like that.

The faux “story” had some milquetoast quote from an anonymous source “close” to DeMar DeRozan that said he’ll opt out of his contract next summer to make about $20 million instead of about $10 million but then goes on to quote that same fictitious person as saying he/she/it doesn’t know what DeRozan will do because DeRozan himself isn’t sure?

Oh, and it adds that the Brooklyn Nets, one of the truly laughable NBA franchises with no redeeming future to speak of, would like to sign him so he can lose again for years and years?

My goodness.

I get that the Post is the Post (a guy intimately familiar with it once told me the sports philosophy was “don’t be afraid to be wrong big”) but that’s a ridiculous waste of printer’s ink.

This will be a story in late June and July, folks. Right now it’s folly and filler and not worthy of your concern or attention.

Still with DeRozan, sort of, there didn’t seem to be too many surprises when the league announced the latest results of balloting for all-star starters yesterday, did there?

Well, maybe in one spot.

It’s good, I think, that Lowry is catching up to Kyrie Irving because he’s exponentially a better all-star starting candidate this year seeing that Irving’s barely played; I would suggest that if the Cavs guard doesn’t start he doesn’t make the team through the coaches.

That trickle down effect could very well land DeRozan – entirely deserving – into the game and I get that Dwyane Wade’s popularity is what it is and he’s having a pretty good year in Miami, I still think an all-Toronto backcourt is easily explained and supported.

Yes, the Heat have a good record – pretty much the same as Toronto’s actually – and Wade’s a big factor (I’d say Bosh is more of one but that’s just me) – but you could make a case DeRozan is having a better one.

The Kobe thing is what it is, can’t imagine it changes over the last fortnight of balloting but it will be at least marginally interesting to see how the East backcourt shakes out not only through fans but ultimately through the coaches, who have to put the pieces of a worthy roster together.

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So many great ones to pick on the guy’s birthday but this is a personal fave among all of them.

Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/vwp7PR

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Could really use more mail; bailed on Washington for some maintenance so there’s a bit of time now in the day/evening to get it done. All the typing should be done at askdoug@thestar.ca and you’ll be glad you did.

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It’s been a while but I’m sure you’ve noticed – ahem, @lauraarmy – that Tottenham’s on a bit of a role and, as the smart ones say looked headed back to “the real Europe” and when they get a result against Leicester mid-week at home, we’re setting our sights directly on Arsenal.

But the weekend is given over now to FA Cup third round play and it speaks to one of the more fascinating things about British and European soccer these days and I’m sure one of the reasons the game – particularly the EPL – have grown so greatly in popularity.

Remember back in the day – and you do have to be Of A Certain Vintage to recall – when about the only British soccer game we could see on television here was the FA Cup final?

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No regular season games, no pre- or post-game chat shows and analysis, certainly no midweek games and it was even hard to find a Saturday morning saloon with like-minded fans to watch your favourite team play on some scratchy satellite feed that might go in and out a half dozen times a game.

Now? There are dozens of games from all over Europe available every weekend, the Champions League final is something close to a mini-Super Bowl that draws in all kinds of casual fans. It’s pretty cool and I bet the reason a lot of people pay far closer attention to the sport now than they did.

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Hey, the Rock start tomorrow – Toronto’s most prolific championship contender of this era – and they seem to be living proof that a niche professional sport can sustain support over the years.

Best of luck to ‘em.

Super Son and I once took in a game – some nice gentleman gave us a couple of seats right on the glass as an upgrade to ours – and I will say this:

If you thought the music and palaver at a Raptors game was intrusive, the NBA is like a funeral home compared to a Rock game and I hope that’s changed.

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Okay, here’s one I got yesterday from a long-time loyal Irregular Doug and it’ll maybe give you a few minutes of entertainment trying to come up with the answers:

“Here is a good trivia question when you are sitting with your buddies tilting back a few. Now that Griffey has been elected to the Hall Seattle will have a player in the HOF. There are 5 active teams that don't have a HOF representative, can you name them and no googling. And one of them has been a franchise for over 50 years. Cheers

Okay, here we go, with no googling, I promise:

Tampa and Miami, Washington, Colorado and the Angels?

I don’t imagine I got it right just going through the teams in my mind but if you want to take a guess – NO GOOGLING! – and ship ‘em off to the mailbag, I’ll throw them up, with the right answers, tomorrow morning.

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