from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Inside the Blue Jays clubhouse, there was surprising sympathy for Jonathan Papelbon after the attack on Bryce Harper. Many thought Harper had it coming. Just not necessarily around the throat ... When Papelbon went for the throat, he was suspended by the Washington Nationals and widely criticized. When Mark Messier would do that inside an NHL locker room, it was called leadership and greatly applauded.

- The newest whisper term around the Maple Leafs: Bab-clock. That describes the amount of time Mike Babcock sets out for the media each day and how long he’s willing to hang in for post-practice and post-game interviews. The Bab-clock is a work in progress. Apparently, the time changes day to day and is based on the quality of the questions asked and whether he’s gone for his daily run or not.

- My Top 5 NHL Players: 1. Carey Price; 2. Drew Doughty; 3. Duncan Keith; 4. Victor Hedman; 5. Jonathan Toews.

a few more hockey notes...