Battling for Bosh: Feschuk v. Grange

When Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star broke the story earlier this week of the legal matters between Chris Bosh and the estranged mother of his child Allison Mathis, I’ll admit I entered the story with a roll of the eyes rather than carrying interest. It was not that the story did not deserve attention, it was the source releasing the information that prompted the eye roll. Had The Star gone with Doug Smith to initially break the news I'd be far more compliant in absorbing the news I’m sure. However the reputation that preceds Feschuk is one that can make a regular reader a little hesitant.

After news broke of Bosh's response to these claims via Michael Grange over at the Globe and Mail, Feschuk today wrote an oddly bitter sounding report summing up the Chris Bosh defence for Star readers. And this is where it starts to get fun!

“It's at this point that you respectfully question the tight-lipped strategy of Chris Bosh and his advisors” is how Feschuk starts off the piece, followed up with thinly veiled shots at the Raptors superstar throughout the rest of the article:

…it wasn't until today that Bosh, the Raptors all-star, and someone from Bosh's legal team showed up in a newspaper giving something that resembled a respectable explanation for the image-damaging mess. That would have been more than three days after the Star, in seeking a balanced picture of a court case filed in Maryland that paint Bosh as a deadbeat dad, began seeking comment from no less than Bosh, Bosh's agent, Bosh's manager-cousin and Bosh's teams, legal and basketball, and got almost exclusively silence.

Someone sounds a tad bitter, n’est pas? Well, alright, so there may be a point here since Feschuk did want to get both sides of the story before releasing his piece yet was denied. Not necessarily too obvious here.

But don't worry, it gets to that obvious point:

There are more unanswered questions, to be sure, and Bosh's legal representatives are expected to file a response to Mathis's complaint in the coming days. On Wednesday night, when Bosh was approached by this scribe with some essential questions that still probably needed to be answered, Bosh's business manager summoned Bosh's entourage to exit the premises and Bosh, taking orders, turned his back before the question could be asked.

…Before he exited the Air Canada Centre, he spoke with another reporter. "I just wanted to get everything sorted out, that's all I can say," Bosh told Grange. "I took the initiative because I know how things are. I didn't want any complications."

No complications, indeed.

Alright, so if I was fishing before I’d say it’s pretty clear now, THAT scribe had his ego bruised with this matter and he’s letting the world know about it!

Whether it was right or not for the Bosh camp to wait until after Mathis made things public may be debatable; it’s quite possible that Bosh’s lawyer, agent, et al were simply not ready to start into a media battle. Even if they knew there were chances this could and would explode, it's not the easiest thing to deal with or even prepare for. Plus, in matters like these, celebrities and athletes alike generally take a more reactionary stance to allegations.

However getting things clouded with one’s emotions does not help the reading audience when composing breaking news reports. Having never met Dave Feschuk personally I am not here to judge his character in any manner, but the man does deliver rather negative and at times sensational articles on the Toronto sports scene. Cleary word has gotten around about that, as it was the Globe’s Grange that landed the Bosh exclusive this time.

As a result I’d say it’s no surprise in either case, both that Feschuk broke a story labeling Chris Bosh as a "deadbeat" and that Grange received Bosh’s response to the accusations. But it sure is entertaining to watch! And serves as a healthy reminder to all writers to be careful how one carries themselves with their job as well.

Team Bosh finally delivers their side of the story (Toronto Star)

Chris Bosh breaks his silence, releases statement

Having to wrangle ordeals with the court of public opinion is never a welcome venture to say the least; it’s especially difficult for millionaire superstar athletes who rarely tend to receive much sympathy from the average person. When the story broke earlier this week about Chris Bosh and his child that his ex-girlfriend gave birth, with only one side of the story to report, Bosh’s first foray into this complicated, at times brutal realm of public critique did not look too promising.

But now Bosh’s side have broken their silence, making their stance known in hopes of mitigating some of the damage already done. According to Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail:

Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh began legal proceedings in October to support his then-unborn daughter, according to a Dallas lawyer.

On Oct. 3, 2008, six weeks after he split with the baby's mother, Allison Mathis, Bosh filed a petition in a Dallas court to begin arranging custody and financial support of the child. In the event Bosh and Mathis could not come to a written agreement, the petition asked the court "to make orders for support of the child" and "provide for appropriate access to the child for both parties."

When subsequent testing confirmed his paternity, Bosh filed an amendment to his original petition on Jan. 30, again requesting an order to cover off care, custody and support for their daughter in the absence of a mutual agreement.

By then, Trinity Myers Bosh had been born.

Throughout the article Bosh and the team of people representing him were trying to paint a picture of Chris Bosh as the role model that he’s presented himself as for his entire NBA career, as opposed to the “deadbeat dad” label he received this week in the media.

Larry Hance, Bosh’s lawyer, commented that "The dispute is about what amount of money should that support be, should it be some amount that meets the needs of the child or should it be something more?”

"I can say, from his position, he has been willing to pay a reasonable and generous amount to more than cover the needs of the child."

And Bosh also made a statement after the Raptors win last night, continuing to maintain that he never intended to avoid his responsibilities. "I just wanted to get everything sorted out, that's all I can say," Bosh said last night after the Raptors' 115-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "I took the initiative because I know how things are. I didn't want any complications."

So now it’s all a legal matter to figure out which side is the most correct with their claims, as opposed to fabricating the story for their own benefit. From one perspective Chris Bosh is being portrayed as a negligent father appearing almost resentful of both his daughter and his past relationship. While on the other side of the coin Bosh is being cast as a willing partner in this matter that wanted to ensure everything had been settled from his past relationship, and that his new born daughter is taken care of rather than cast aside completely.

Based on the crowd’s reaction at the ACC last night it appears any damage to Chris Bosh’s name has not been too severe just yet, which has to be a huge sigh of relief for the Raptors star. With the release of his side of the story this may even improve, although time will tell if that is so. It’s now all up for the courts to decide, both legal and public alike.

Bosh made first move in court, lawyer said (Globe and Mail)

Cooking the Books: Feschuk, Grange lampooning Leafs

Mike Myers failed to wring great mirth from the Toronto Maple Leafs' 40 years in the hockey desert, but Toronto sportswriters Michael Grange and Dave Feschuk are going to try.

Hockey Book Reviews has the low-down on their joint effort, which will be published at the start of the 2009-10 NHL season:

Leafs AbomiNation: The dismayed fans' handbook to why the Leafs stink and how they can rise again - Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange have an interesting book coming. It looks like it could almost comical - the listed price: $19.67.

This could be a big seller in Ottawa, especially at that price.

It is the first book for the Star's Feschuk and The Globe & Mail's Grange, if memory serves. Each of them, as you know, usually has the basketball beat at their papers, so they probably should bring a fresh take on MLSE's hockey operation.

Their vigour and willingness to take this all the way should be saluted. It beats becoming passive-aggressive about the Leafs, or having to pretend not to care about Canada's dominant sports franchise, save for occasionally being prolix about the permanent stain of Harold Ballard or the legacies of Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.

Incidentally, on the sports publishing front, you should check out the excerpt from Jeff Pearlman's The Rocket Who Fell To Earth, his biography of Roger Clemens. All efforts are being exhausted to secure a review copy.

To dream the impossible (and really getting old) dream

It looks like Michael Grange was bored this morning. Or, he's not convinced anyone is reading his blog. Looking for a hit bounce, and restricted by the Globe's stuffy "no porn" policy, he went for the surefire attention grabber.

Steve Nash to the Raps.

Of course there isn't any substantive, you know, evidence of that particular dream ever happening (nor, is it even a logical fit for either side). However, that doesn't stop it from popping up fairly consistently in Canadian media (although usually not in the bloody Globe and Mail).

Look, we all love Steve Nash. He ain't ever playing in Toronto (unless it's at BMO as part of a celebrity soccer game). If the Raps are interested in the development of a homegrown NBA star they should keep up the youth initiatives in Regent Park (and Leaside, we don't want to get all profile-ie here).

Besides, Jose Calderon kinda seems Canadian anyway.