he concedes that he is growing more comfortable with the glare o

TORONTO -- Tim Leiweke says he meant no disrespect towards former players in talking about taking down photos of past Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. But the new Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO is also not backing down on the concept of focusing on the present rather than the past. "Im not here to stomp on the alumni," he said in an interview Monday. "One of the reasons anyone wants to come and be a part of this organization is the history and tradition of the Maple Leafs. "It is 100 years that is unbelievable and, quite frankly with the exception of maybe the Canadiens, unmatched. "And so this is not a debate nor is it meant in any way to criticize or minimize our history. It was never meant to do that. And for that Im extremely apologetic, because I dont want the alumni thinking there was any debate there. "It was just a simple concept, which is at some point or another this team in its current form and fashion has to create its own legacy. And we need not to hide behind other things. Thats all. "It was a simple notion of -- and it still will be and Im not going to back away from the notion -- we want to put the pressure on these guys. I want it to be about them. "I understand our history and I honour our history and Im proud to be a part of it now. But I also understand that at some point or another, weve got to go win another Cup. And I think the way were going to do that is build an organization that dreams about that each and every day. Thats all. Its just that simple. "I think we could use our history and our tradition to build a legacy. But I think at the end of the day if we want to win a Cup, what were going to have to do is were going to have to find a team that wants to be the guys in those pictures as we walk down the hallway. "Thats all that was meant to do. And if I said it in an improper way or did something to offend people, I absolutely apologize. Thats not what Im trying to do." Leiwekes words sparked debate among sports fans in Toronto, which has not celebrated a Stanley Cup championship since 1967. Some agreed with him, while others thought he was being disrespectful to the past. Leiweke also turned heads when he said in earlier interviews that he had already planned a Stanley Cup parade route. "Im not going to back away from the parade," he said. "I probably will keep my dreams to myself for a while but it is important for this organization to have a dream. And we have to think about the uniqueness of what would happen here if we won -- on all of our teams. "And I want us to think about it. Ill probably think about it a little more quietly, thats all." Leiweke admitted it was a change coming from a one-newspaper town in Los Angeles to Toronto, which has four dailies. But he had no complaints about recent headlines. "We dig our own ditches," he said. "So Ive dug my own ditch here." Discount Air Jordan 1 . 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At first glance, Saqlain Mushtaq seems an unlikely cheerleader. At second glance too.Certainly in the modern sense. Hes never been seen with a pair of pom-poms and his dancing days are probably behind him.But that was the description of his role on Englands tour of India offered by Zafar Ansari. It was not meant as faint praise, either. It was meant to underline the unstinting support he has given to Englands spinners in his role as coaching consultant and, in a subtle way, it recognises the sensibly soft touch he has taken.These brief coaching stints are tricky. On one hand, the coach is keen to make as much of an impact as possible in the short period they are with the team. In the case of Saqlain, that was originally only going to be for two weeks on this tour, though it has now been extended to something approaching a month.On the other hand, such short-term coaches can be reluctant to force themselves on players. One highly respected batting coach who was invited to spend a session or two with the team during the summer departed having hardly spoken to the players for fear of tinkering without sufficient time to make substantial progress.Saqlain understands this. He understands that, as a consultant, his role is not to completely overhaul anyones technique and that, going into a game, the worst thing he could do is inject any negativity or doubt into a players mind.He has made it explicit that he didnt want to come in and change anything, Ansari said after Englands training session at the not especially catchily named Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. He hasnt had time to change our actions and, in the lead-up to Test, the last thing you want to be doing is changing what youre doing.He acts as our cheerleader to some extent. He boosts us and makes us feel good about ourselves. And as someone who has been so successful to come in and say I think youre a good bowler and I think you can take wickets at this level, that gives you a lot of confidence and that is important for Test cricket.Saqlain may have learned a thing or two in this regard. During his first stint with the England team, just ahead of the Manchester Test against Pakistan, he mentioned to Moeen Ali that he may like to alter his grip a little in a bid to gain more bounce. But when the result was a couple of head-high full tosses, they both concluded that the time for technical changes is not a couple of days before a Test.His input is not limited to bowling, either. Moeen credits his improvement against spin bowling in part to Saqlains comments. So when Saqlain mentioned that Javed Miandad had recently told him how much he admired Moeens batting, Moeen was thrilled and more receptive to the advice - advice offered many times previously by Mark Ramprakash - that he might like to come down the pitch more often against spin bowlers. Sometimes the source of the advice is just as important as the subject.Thats not to say that Saqlain is nothing but a cheerleader. He also has the experience to offer practical advice. So, while Adil Rashids Test career has previously been characterised by coaches suggesting that he would need to bowl quicker to succeed in international cricket, Saqlain has recognised that Rashid has several gifts but that speed will never be one of them.Instead, he has encouraged him to embrace his natural strengths: to give the ball some air, to give the ball a rip and to back his own skills to defeat the batsmen. On the evidence of thee Rajkot Test, where Rashid produced probably the best bowling performance of his Test career, it seems to be working well.dddddddddddd.Its more about your approach to bowling and bowling in Test cricket, Ansari said. How you can maintain your composure when batsmen are coming at you, when the crowd is loud and when youre playing on TV. All these external factors, he brings a certain perspective to that.Saqlains background may be relevant, too. Four of this England squad identify as British Muslims and three - including all three of the spin bowlers from the Rajkot Test - have family roots in Pakistan. Saqlain is a man they can identify with, and not just as a cricketer.Ansari, while reluctant to think of himself as a role model as an individual at this stage of his career, nevertheless celebrates the success of the collective and feels their visible success is a good thing for society.As a group of four British Muslims there is something in that, he says. Theres no doubt. Thats really exciting and something were proud of. A lot of people outside the group clearly care about that and value that a lot. And that is a good thing in our society.From a personal point of view, I wouldnt hold myself up as a role model. At least in that way. Im from a very privileged background. I dont necessarily challenge norms in a particularly obvious way or even in a superficial way. So I wouldnt necessarily characterise myself as breaking down boundaries. But Moeen, Adil and Haseeb Hameed - all of them are doing a wonderful job representing their communities. And thats not an easy role to play.On a day of optional nets - the seamers from the first Test plus Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow took the opportunity to rest - James Anderson ran in hard and looked as if he was raring to go. But it was Steven Finn who troubled the batsmen most, generating unpleasant bounce from just back of a length. Both are set to be frustrated, though, with England likely to play the same XI that featured in Rajkot.And that would mean another chance for Ansari. Though he is modest about his own talents - he describes himself as not a natural ball-player and seems somewhat in awe of Moeen having spent a month or so watching him at close quarters - he concedes that he is growing more comfortable with the glare of life in international cricket.The second game felt easier from a psychological perspective, he says. Just the attention being removed from you to some extent - as an England player, people are always observing - but that singular attention shifting away is a big thing for the second Test and going forward. It allows you to play the game as a game rather than as an event that you are the centre of.Im not a natural ball-player. I guess its all relative. Im probably comparing myself with Moeen or people like that. They work incredibly hard but, from the outside, they have a certain touch that maybe I dont feel like I quite have. But this is just my perspective. Other people might say youre talking rubbish; youre being self-deprecating. But thats genuine.Ansaris skills are likely to be tested to the full in the second Test. While the pitch at Visakhapatnam currently has some grass on it, the groundsman expects it to turn from day two. It is likely that spin will play a greater part than it did in Rajkot and likely that the toss will, once again, prove important. ' ' '