Wowzers!

That was definitely a bad ending last night. I was flipping back and forth to the Jays game and the Pens-Rangers game. It was 0-0, the 1-0 KC, then 1-1, then 2-1 KC, then 4-2 TO, then I turn back and it is 5-4 KC, then 8-4 KC. Holy shit, what the hell happened there? Then I just watched Nip-Tuck and all was well in my world again!!!!!

Over the last few games that they've lost (what is it now, 5 games in a row?), I've been trying to figure out where the blame can be laid? The thing is that it seems that every game, you can't really blame anybody in particular, including Gibby. It seems that the main problem is the lack of hitting with runners on (sound like last year?).

AJ pitched pretty damn good last night. He was throwing strikes all night, kept his pitch count down and finally started to bend in the 8th. Then Scotty Downs comes in and can't get an out. See, that is the problem with the team right there. Downs has been the go-to guy this year and last to get guys out. Somebody that Gibby can count on, but last night, it wasn't to be.

Two nights ago, the usually solid Doc, get's burned for a bat-around inning again Tampa. Zaunie hits a bomb in the 9th that would have been a 3 run shot, but falls short of leaving the Mickey Mouse Stadium (no pun intended) and even Zaun says that he can't hit the ball any harder.

Hopefully, Karma will once again shine on the Jays, and hopefully pretty damn soon, because they are 4.5 games back and it's the end of April.

Just for shits and giggles, check out this link to "The Tao of Stieb" http://taoofstieb.blogspot.com/. If you are a fan of Trainspotting, check out the picture of Spud in the bed. Scroll down a bit to see it!

Why Why Why????

Yikes, what a crummy night. Sometimes I think I am a jinx on any sports teams that I watch and want to win!

I was hoping the Capitals would beat the Flyers....strike one.
I was hoping the Raptors would beat the Magic....strike two.
I was hoping the Jays would beat the Rays....strike three.

Thank god the Habs won the other night!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, what is it with the Jays and their ineptness against the Rays? I'm sure that Rays fans and players must think to themselves "If the Jays were the only team we played, we'd be a great team."

I cannot figure out how the Jays, year after year, manage to have so much trouble with the Rays. I mean they aren't that good. They've finished last in the east for 9 years out of 10.

Hopefully the Jays will get their shit together down in Disney World and win the next 2 against the Rays. Then it is off to KC.

Anybody else like the KC Royals hats?

There are some great hats out there.

1. LA Dodgers
2. KC Royals
3. Detroit Tigers
4. The old Milwaukee Brewers logo with the glove and ball
5. The Flashback Friday Jays logo.

Cheers till later!

AJ Burnett's Pledge

The wife and I made it to the game yesterday. We decided after the 5th inning that we couldn't stand the guy behind us anymore. He decided that everybody wanted to hear his running commentary on the game, along with him and his wife continuing to sing the players intro songs while they were batting. I'm sorry, we came to the game to watch it, not listen to you and your old lady sing songs by Pearl Jam and U2. So if you are the doughhead sitting in section 518, row 3, seats 3 &4, "SHUT THE HELL UP!" We decided to grab a couple of beers and head over to where the emptier sections were and continue to soak up the rays, without the dipshit behind us doing his best Jerry Howarth impression. Definitely the way to do it, if you don't mind sitting a little a further away from the action.

Anyways, to the action at hand. I said to Holly (the wife) that AJ will either have great stuff or will struggle all game long. I guess that can be said about any pitcher though, so it wasn't earth-shattering commentary on my part! What I did say that rang true was something that drives me nuts with AJ. I said to Holly that AJ often gets 2 quick strikes on batters and then tries to nibble at the corners or throw curveballs in the dirt to get the hitters to swing at junk. I don't know how many times AJ went 0-2 on hitters to either walk them or give up a full count single. No wonder his pitch count was at 91 after 4 innings!

This is the same AJ Burnett that made his pledge during spring training to become a pitcher and not just a thrower!!!!! Hey AJ, you should be watching how The Doc pitches everytime he goes out. He doesn't care about padding his stats with the strikeouts. He cares about winning. That's how you win Cy Young awards. When The Doc faced the Rangers, not one out was recorded by the outfielders. He got all outs through the ground ball or strikeouts. The strikeouts will come AJ, but let the defense behind you get involved.

As an aside, the wave was going strong yesterday, much to the chagrin I'm sure to Drunk Jays Fan, who absolutely despises the wave. I myself enjoy watching it go around and how it gets the fans at least moving a little. Perhaps, if we brought some Toronto FC fans into the Rogers Centre for a game, it would liven things up a little!!!!!

You've Gotta Bury These Guys!

Last night reminded me of the Raptors. The Raptors have beaten the following contending teams this year: Pistons (2 times), the Spurs (on the road), and Boston. Then they come home to the ACC last week and shit the bed against the Charlotte Bobcats who were something like 28-46 at the time.

The habit of playing down to the competition has moved down the street from the ACC to the Rogers Centre. As I said earlier this week in an earlier blog, my biggest worry is that the Jays will play down to the A's, and sure enough, they have. The Jays, despite their recent wins against the Red Sox and a competitive series vs. the Yankees which could have also been a sweep, have yet to show me that they've got that killer instinct, much like the Raptors don't seem to have it either.

When you are facing a pitcher making his major league debut (who has not played more than half a season above AA ball), you've got to get to him early and often. The Jays managed to get 3 runs across in the first (on 1 hit, a walk, hit batsmen, and a sac fly with a throwing error). The next hit the kid gave up was in the 5th inning. Not exactly making it difficult for him are we? You allowed him to get in a groove and get comfortable.

Is it just me, or does anybody else not have a ton of confidence in Accardo right now? I just don't feel like his has the goods right now, and I am looking at the calendar saying, "OK, when is the BEEJ coming back?" The problem is, who else could fill in for Accardo? I guess Gibbons may have to ride out the storm and hope BEEJ comes back soon and gives the Jays that closer that tells the opposition that the game is over. Right now, I think the opposition knows it has a chance against Accardo. If you look at Mariano Riveira with the Yankees, everybody in the stadium, including the batter knows that he is going to throw the splitter, but how often does he get beat? Not often. He has the intimidation factor that makes it difficult for players to beat him.

On a positive note, despite the fact that McGowan wasn't very sharp last night, I like it how he has developed into a pitcher that will bend, but won't break. He had the bases loaded, 2 innings in a row, and in the 5th, none were out with the bases loaded and he got out of the 5th with no runs. I think that it shows his teammates that he buckles down and refuses to give up the big inning that deflates the offence (hello? AJ Burnett?)

Anyways, hopefully the Jays can salvage a game tonight (although my loyalties will be torn as the Habs are opening up against the Bruins tonight). I hope they can get one against the A's tonight and then it is off on the road to Texas and Baltimore. Despite the fact that Baltimore is off to a hot start, the Jays have to take the two series on the road here to get back on track.

On a side note, it is too bad that the boneheads in the 500 level ruin it for regular ball fans by boozing it up so much at the game that now the Jays have to ban alchohol sales on $2 Tuesdays. I have a flex pack, but luckily it isn't on those nights so I'll still be able to indulge while I'm there.

Till tomorrow,
Booze

News from Dunedin

Some Tuesday Morning Musings:

Good to hear BJ Ryan threw yesterday again. Not so good about Gustavo Chacin though. He gave up 4 runs in 2 innings. Not sure it really matters right now for the big league club considering the rotation looks pretty good right now. However, it would be good to see Gustavo get straightened out and possibly use him as trade bait later on in the season.

Hopefully AJ will bring his good stuff tonight. The only thing that worries me is the fact that the Jays have in the past been known to play down to their competition. With the A's in town, I hope the Jays don't let them sneak in and take 2 of three from them. Winning 4 of 6 from the Sox and Yankee's is great, but the Jays have to beat up on the teams that aren't as good (on paper) as them, and you all know how well (or not well) the Jays have been doing that in the last few seasons.

It should be a good matchup tonight with AJ vs. Rich Harden.

Cheers,
Booze

Frank the Tank is not Dead!!!!!

Wow, hell of a weekend for the Jays!

I was expecting a pitcher's duel with The Doc and Josh Beckett facing off. I guess with Beckett coming off the DL, it was to be expected. I'm not sure why Francona pulled Beckett in favour of a reliever, especially the reliever that gave up the 2-run double to Frank Thomas on Friday night's win. He has won 2 world series titles in the last 4 years so I will give him the benefit of the doubt!

Do you think Julio Lugo had a case of "The Yips" today or what? 3 errors, and the flyout to centre to end the game.

I was listening to the game on the radio when Thomas went yard. Jerry Howarth is great. He suggested that Frank Thomas might be looking for a first-pitch fastball to drive before the at-bat as Thomas doubled off of the reliever on Friday night when he threw him a change-up. Sure enough, first-pitch fastball was drilled over the left-centre field wall. Listening to it on the radio certainly proves once again that baseball is by far the best sport to listen to on the radio.

As I was listening to the radio after the game, I realized that Mike Wilner's act is starting to wear thin for me. I think he is very knowledgeable but he is a little to arrogant for my liking. He had a young sounding male call in asking a question about the outfield situation for the 2010 season (e.g., Adam Lind and Alex Snider). Mike basically ripped the poor guy apart for calling in with such a "stupid" question after the Jays swept the Sox, especially since the Jays are 4-2 and it is only April 6th. Give me a break Mike, if it weren't for people calling in and listening to the game, you wouldn't have a job. It wasn't a stupid question, but sure enough, you have to pull a "Bob McCowan" on him and rip him apart. Remember who pays the bills buddy.

Tuesday's match-up should be a good one. Rich Harden vs. AJ Burnett.

Cheers,
Booze

Once through the rotation...

Alright, once through the rotation and things look good. It will bode well "IF THE JAYS"... can continue to have the type of pitching that the rotation provided this week. The Doc was his usual, AJ was sharp (but possibly an injury waiting to happen), McGowan and Marcum picked up where they left off last year, and Jesse Litsch did enough today to get the win.

As were have become accustomed to in BJ Land, Roy Halladay almost always gives his team a fighting chance. What a treat it is to watch a game with him pitching. There is no time wasted in the land of The Doc. Pitch the ball, get it back, and pitch it again. Nothing better than a 2 hour ball game!

A.J. Burnett....when he is on, watch out! When he is not, you wonder, where is that guy that is making $12 million? Let's just hope that he stays healthy (shall we start an over/under on the number of games before he misses a start Lewin?) because when he is on, it's lights out.

Dustin McGowan and Shawn Marcum were great so far. They have both really seemed to have figured out what you have to do to give your team a chance. Last night it was Marcum's turn to deliver. Pitching in front of 50,000 fans must be somewhat difficult early on in your career. Kudos to him for his focus and performance.

Jesse Litsch today pitched well enough to go just over 5 innings for the win. He worked his way out of trouble each inning (except for 1, the 4th inning). It is not bad when your 5th starter can hold the World Champions to 2 runs over 5 innings and then turn it over to a bullpen that is without 2 solid arms, and still deliver.

Johnny Damon of the Yankees observed that the Jays have the best pitching staff, from top to bottom. Hopefully they will continue to deliver as expected and the bats will use today's 10 run-outburs as a launching point to have a strong start that will give the Jays a balanced attack that will have them competing in September for a playoff spot!

Cheers,
Booze

Best Home Opener Ever!!!!!!!

During the Jays home opener for the '08 season and I looked down enviously at Lewin as he sat in the first-first rown (yeah, the seats in front of the first row seats!), my quasi brother-in-law referred to us last night as "The proletariat" or a few of the "unwashed masses".

It was in the Top-3 live sporting events that I have ever been to (the first being the clinching game of the ALCS vs the A's in '92, the second being the last game against the Nordiques at the Montreal Forum). The game had great excitement in the air as the Jays were producing on the field and some rowdy fans were producing off the field!!!

Up in section 518,just 2 rows in front of us, some of the "unwashed masses" were cranked up on booze and testosterone and decided to challenge some rather well-kept looking fans to a stare-down. However, after one of the dudes took off his shirt, followed by one of the guys in a suit getting hit with a full coke, all hell broke loose!!!!! A big brew ha-ha broke out with about 8 guys throwing lefts and rights and pounding the crap out of each other. As extra security finally "restored" order, one female started kicking one of the guys as he was getting dragged away. I guess she got caught in the cross-fire flurry of lefts and rights! The funny thing was that during the fight, I looked down at the field to see what was happening and I saw Boston 1B Kevin Youklis taking in all the action up in our section!

Not 5 minutes later, a really well-endowed Jays fan of the female variety was persuaded by the 10 rows behind her to "take it off, take it off" and sure enough, up came the shirt to show off her goods. Security came up to escort her out but was unsuccessful as she refused and fans started booing and throwing drinks at the guards. Then the cops came and this girl was smart. She booked it out of the row out the other side and headed out a different exit onto the concourse. Her last known whereabouts are uncertain, but the fans in section 518 and 517 certainly enjoyed her enthusiasm.

At this point, we were all thinking that this was the greatest game ever, when with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, 2 fans ran onto the field. One was a girl sans her top, but with a bra on. She didn't make it much past first base into fair territory. Her male friend, also topless, faired much better as he made it into shallow centre field before being tackled and led off the field in handcuffs.

After that, Jeremey Accardo recorded the final out and we all went home happy!

Can't wait for opening night in 2009. Hopefully it's on a Saturday night this time so fans have all afternoon to get "primed"!!!!

Rios Locked Up

I just read on MLB Trade Rumors that the Rios contract extension will be announced today. Solid move by the Jays to lock up Rios, he has looked mighty awesome this year.

Runners in Scoring Position

It looks like the struggles from last year continue when trying to bring in runners that are in scoring position.

The Jays ranked last in the AL last year and it has cost them again in this series.

The Jay's starters have done a more than admirable job. The Doc gave up 3 runs, AJ gave up 2, and Dustin McGowan gave up 2 as well.

But....the hitters cannot come through when needed. I guess that what separates the Yankees & Red Sox from the Jays. The Yanks get 2 of their 3 runs with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

Aaron Hill strikes out looking with Vernon Wells 90 feet from tying the game. In the bottom of the 8th, the Yanks get a flare to centre to score the go-ahead run. The better teams find a way to win.

Until the Jays can find a way to get the job done when it counts, they will remain a 3rd place team.

I'm still a believer, but as "If The Jays..." motto says "No.More.Excuses."

Lookin' forward to the Home Opener tomorrow. 11 of us heading down to cheer on the Jay's.

Booze

Booze's Top 5 Blue Jays Moments

Sorry about the late post in response to Lewin's Opening Day Post.

Here are my top 5 Blue Jay's Moments:

5. Watching the wave go around and around the SkyDome went it was packed to the rafters, night after night!
4. Carlos Delgado's 4 HR night. His bat toss after the 4th bomb was awesome.
3. Roberto Alomar hitting a HR off of Dennis Eckersley in the '92 ALCS. That really was the turning point for the series and made me a believer that '92 was the year...finally!
2. 1992 World Series. Being in Union Station and celebrating the win with a whole bunch of people that immediately seemed like my best friends!!!
1. 1993 World Series. Watched it with friends in a restaurant when I should have been working. Staying up for the rest of the night drinking with my brother (I was only 17!) and going to get the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun with him at 6am to check out the headlines was something I won't forget!

That's what I'm talking about

Jays came through with a solid "W" tonight as A.J. pitched a great game. I'll admit that I was pretty sure he would need help off the field on Jeter's trickler to the mound. It's obviously a big contract year for the AJ' so he manned up and played through the pain...that's commitment.

More positive signs...

1. V-dub had a great game and his 2 run shot basically sealed the game for the Jays
2. Accardo came through great after a slow start
3. Aaron Hill is for real

Lewin

No Problem...161 to go

Play Ball!

I was jazzed all day yesterday waiting for the first pitch of last nights game and by the end of the night I felt the familiar feeling of under performance! All in all it was the first game and there were some positive things:

Zaun finally bagging someone on a stolen base
Halladay - He is nails. He looked great and ready for a good season - IF the Jays can hit with runners in scoring position

Analysis

This is what Stoeten over at Drunk Jays Fans had to say about the effort last night
Drunk Jays Fans: Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker): My View From the Danimal's Couch
The analysis for The Tao of Stieb
Alan Ashby @ Sportsnet.ca
Wilner

I'm looking for a bounce back performance tonight