Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Chris Bosh Will Break Our Hearts
Date: February 2, 2009
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: Reaching deep into the recesses of Emo Blake, I lamented the inevitable departure of Chris Bosh.

Chris Bosh is going to break our hearts.

I am not a pessimistic person. I like everyone, I’m easy to please, and I’m forward thinking enough to see most silver linings.

A silver lining this hath not.

Chris Bosh…is 16 months away from breaking our hearts. And it hurts already.

We should see this coming by now. I listen to enough punk-bordering-emo music to know that you don’t get the girl in the end. I listen to enough R&B music to know that there’s always another man waiting. We’ve bore witness to this same situation elsewhere in sports, in life. We see it coming, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

Like an under appreciated girlfriend, Bosh has slowly grown resentful of us. At first things were great, but as he matured we didn’t grow with him. Things hit their peak when the Raptors came out of nowhere to win the Atlantic Division, and everything was great. Life was bliss. The addition of Bryan Colangelo made the feelings grow stronger. We had something here…we could be something real together.

But now we look back on the past two years and see the signs. We didn’t do enough. Yes, we loved, and yes, we cared, but not in the right ways. We were overly sensitive to small losing streaks, put too much pressure on the relationship too soon, and took for granted some things we shouldn’t have.

Bosh has sat idly by, quietly, with a feeling growing. And then the Olympics happened. Bosh had a taste of what else was out there, and though he came back to us, the first seeds had been planted. Bosh can do better. And then other suitors started coming around…Pistons…Knicks…Cavaliers. The rumors swirling, and we have chosen to ignore, assuming he’ll stay with us. But he won’t.

It might even be too late, realizing it now. We can put on a full court press from here on out. Up jersey sales, vote him into the next All-Star game, put a few extra pieces in place this offseason. But Chris has seen the lows, and now knows that the highs may just be temporary with us. After all, we’ve never sustained it…always been up-and-down, generally good but sometimes downright awful.

Teen movies would show us that it’s not too late – we can buy flowers, become romantic, change, and it will make a difference. It won’t. We’ve seen this. Having realized what else the world has to offer, it’s only a matter of time. The writing is on the wall, and each day Chris grows wearier, his YouTubes less frequent and less humorous, his in-game scowls bleeding into post-game scowls.

Even if we improved, like said sour girlfriend, she’s already told her friends bad things about us. She’s known you too well, saw you at your worst. What would the point be in sticking around hoping? Chris knows Toronto can’t bring in top free agents, that the bad weather and near-50% tax rate are killers. The lack of a 2nd round playoff appearance in some time doesn’t help either.

We can try our very hardest for the next 16 months, but it’s unlikely to be enough. He’s made up his mind. We might not know where yet, but he’s as good as gone.

And unlike the Vince Carter break up, which is the type where fights were plenty and the two parties generally grew tired of each other, we can’t rely on distaste and blame to make this easier. There will be no revenge sex, no flaunting a new other. Because this will hurt way more…we’re being left for someone else. We can’t even be mad, really. Oh, we can play mad, pretend to hate, but it will be transparent at best, harmless at worst. He’s leaving for something even we must admit is probably better…at least in the now.

LeBron James? Dwyane Wade? New York? Cap space? Media attention? Global recognition?

With these things we cannot compete. While we are, in our own way, a great catch, Bosh has seen our worst and the best of others. It is contest non grata. We have been measured and found wanting, a new, more exciting opportunity found more promising.

It is 16 months away, an entire off-season and regular season between, and there are beacons of hope here and there. We won’t let this ruin the next year and a half – que sera, sera is the attitude that has led us here, after all – but after every loss, after every rumor is read, we’ll know.

Chris Bosh is 16 months away from breaking our hearts.