If The Jays...

Beer Shits and Blow-outs!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Went to the games on weekend vs. the Red Sox. Talk about good games. On Saturday I sweated my ass off in the sun with the wife as we watched the Jays blow-out the Red Sox 11-0. Yesterday, I drank my ass off inside the lid closed/lid open Rogers Centre and then after 5 innings, Cookball and I headed up with a few other drunks to finish watching the game from the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a good time up there as we had a running commentary going with some Boston Fans.

When you have over 44,000 fans at each game (with about half being members of Red Sox Nation), it sure made for a great atmosphere for both days.

With the Jays now being 8 back of the wild card, it will be difficult to make up the difference. It would be nice though if the Jays can get back to winning series after series to see how they finish up. If they can continue the great run they've been on (24-14 since July), it would be nice to finish strong since July, and not the usual strong September that inflates their record.

Too bad A.J. Burnett couldn't get it together yesterday to continue his strong roll as he gave up 2 different leads.

On to the Tampa Bay Rays (nee Devil Rays) at Tropicana Field to face off against the AL East leaders. They continue to be for real and impress me, even with Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford out with injuries.

Go Jays Go!

Underachieving continues

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Yikes....losing 2 of 3 to the Mariners. It used to be losing 2 of 3 to Tampa was something to wring your hands about, but they are actually contending this year. Once again, the Jays are scuffling along and playing down to the competition.

Please check out the link below (you'll have to copy and paste as the browser that I use does not allow me to make links easily). Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail wrote about the .500 club and the need of GM Riccardi to make some changes because John Gibbons is trying his hardest to get the team on the plus side of the win ledger. However, he just doesn't have the horses to get him there. The pitching is awesome, the batting average is pretty good, and the on-base percentage is 3rd best in the league, and the Jays are stealing bases this year. They just cannot hit in the runners in scoring position. They are 2nd last in the majors this year, just ahead of the lowly (but Jays beating) Mariners.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080611.blair12/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/home?cid=al_gam_mostview

Cheers.

Friday Night Boneheads!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

So there we (Holly and I) were on Friday night, at our usual seats, 2nd row, section 519. After 3 innings we decided to move to some a more spacious row that had some room to stretch out! We grabbed a beer and moved up to the 11th row where we had nobody beside us or behind us. After 1 inning, 2 guys came up and sat behind us and the one douchebag just started yelling and screaming at the players. Of course, don't the two of them then pull out a mickey of booze and fill up their pops. Not 5 minutes later, 4 girls come up and join them. The group's age was probably about 22 at the most. Of course the girls come up and proceed to gaggle and screech about how drunk they were! Super, we thought, it is time to check out of here. Especially after douchebag #1 started screaming again.

We went to get another beer but I couldn't purchase 2 at once. Holly had to come to the vendor to get one herself. We also got ID'd as this is a new procedure on Friday nights. The security guard at the beer stand told us that Friday night games are starting to attract rowdy fans that come to get loaded and cause problems. I had to give the Rogers Centre and Jays management credit. They are trying to limit the amount of drunkenness without eliminating sale of beer on the 500 level altogether on Friday nights. Holly and I noticed after we had changed sections that security actually went up to the douchebags and spoke with them. After that, the screaming and swearing stopped.

To add to the night, as Holly and I were waiting for the GO train to go back to Burlington, there was another douchebag puking on different platform at Union Station. It was a nice cap to the night!

Cheers.

Hangin' In

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:01:00 +0000

Four for 8 with runners in scoring position???? Are you talking about the Jays? The '08 Jays??? WOW!
I was reading the paper this morning and was surprised to learn that The Jays are in 4th place in the AL with the number of hits and on-base percentage. However, as you probably know, it is their inability to get the runners in scoring position across home plate that has proven their hindering factor against a +.500 record.

It was good to see a few bloop singles drop in and score some runs. Then Lyle Overbay hit a homerun to put them ahead after the Angels tied it. The BEEJ, coming in and saving his 10th in as many tries looks better. Even when he puts guys on with walk or a hit, he manages to bunker down and hold the fort!

I'm going to the game tonight against the Royals. Candy Maldanado will the the Flashback Friday feature player. I still remember his hit in the '92 World Series that gave them the win (I think in game 3, but may have been 4).

I went to the Toronto FC game on Wednesday night and I have to say that it is the best sporting atmoshpere in Toronto by far. The Jays home-opener this year was a blast, but considering the FC game was a regular, middle of the season game played in a steady rain, it was amazing. The crowd is constantly singing, chanting, playing drums and cowbells (that's right, more cowbell).

It will be interesting to compare the two events. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog.

Cheers.

Back to the same old, same old

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:05:00 +0000

Nothing like having the bases loaded on 3 separate occasions and not being able to cash in a run. YIKES.

I've got to give Rios a little credit though. He is going through a terrible slump (13 for 78 with 23 strikeouts) and he got caught looking at a called 3rd strikeout to end the game with the bases loaded. However, he did have the onions to stick around after the game and face the media. That could not have been the place that he wanted to be, but he is getting paid big bucks and at least he realizes that he has to be accountable.

At least the Yankees got crushed last night 12-2 by the Orioles!

Cheers.

Hooray for Overbay!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:56:00 +0000

Good Evening:

It's been a few days since my last post, but it's been a busy weekend!

Holy crap, did you see Lyle jack a pinch-hit 3-run shot yesterday against the Phillies? He should have taken more time to admire that monster!!!!!!!!!
Reading The Star today and learned how Halladay got into the game as a reliever. It wasn't that Gibby asked him. Nope, The Doc volunteered to go in because he thought it would be tough on an already tired relieving corps so he pitched in with 2+ innings of work. Too bad that he didn't get the win for his efforts!

Looking at the standings in the AL East, the Jays still remain 4 back of The Bosox, but aren't in last place. That honour belongs to the Yankees for the time being. However, I'm sure the Orioles will find themselves there in the very near future. I have a new sense of respect for the Rays (nee Devil Rays) as they continue to hang tough in the divisional race. I'm not entirely convinced yet that they can keep it going. Although they do seem to have the pitching and hitting going right now.

If the Jays can get their shit together, I think they have a legitimate shot at beating the Yankees in the division for the first time in how many years???? I'm guessing since 1995. The Yankees just don't seem to have the pitching after Chin Ming Wong to keep up with the Sox, Rays, and Jays. Time will tell and the Yankees have been written off in May a few times in the last 3 years, but managed to find themselves in the post season for the umpteenth straight year.

I'll be at the game on Friday night vs. the Kansas City Royals.

Cheers.

More on Alan

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:22:00 +0000

In my earlier blog I spoke about Alan Ashby as the colour commentator for games on the radio. As I was listening to the game, I realized what great insight he brings. He caught in the majors for 17 years. He caught some hall of famers as well. Who is that guy again, you know, 5000+ strikeouts, 7 no-hitters???? Oh yeah, Nolan Ryan!

Anyways, he was talking about how a catcher approaches a mound visit differently depending on the pitcher. He used the Jays pitchers and Greg Zaun as an example. Zaun will visit Halladay on the mound to discuss an approach against a hitter, but won't approach him to cool him down after a bad hit or a run scoring single. He knows enough to leave him alone because Halladay can deal with it on his own, and Zaun visiting him will only piss him off. Contrastingly, Zaun would visit Marcum or Litsch to cool them down and get their head in the right place, perhaps as a steadying hand during troubled times.

Not really something that I had thought of before.

Didn't hear any of the game today because it was an afternoon deal, but it is good to see they swept the Twins.

Cheers.

O Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:02:00 +0000

It was an impressive display last night by the Canadian boys, Matt Stairs and Justin Morneau. Stairs hit a grand slam in the first and Morneau hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the inning.

Finally, Roy Halladay got some run support, although he didn't make it easy on himself. Given a 4-run lead before he had thrown a pitch, he gave 3 back in the first and then the game was tied in the 3rd. Luckily, newcomer Brad Wilkerson knocked home Shannon Stewart home and then Scott Rolen scored on a bonehead move by the pitcher to score the winning run as the Jays won 6-5.

In an earlier blog I spoke about Rance Mullinicks as my preferred colour commentator on Jays broadcasts on TV. I am now really starting to enjoy Alan Ashby on the radio. He adds insightful comments, but also has a good command of the english language. Sometimes, with colour men being former athletes, they can butcher the language (remember Joe Carter as a Jays and then Cubs colour man?) He provides a nice change from Jerry Howarth when he takes a break, and then compliments him well when they work together during the middle innings. It is tough though to beat Howarth's call of a Jays home-run (Yes-sir, and there she goes, a grand-slam by Matt Stairs!) That call sure beats the commentator on YES (the Yankees network). That douchebag does this stupid call of....SEE YA everytime a Yankee hits one out.

Spoke to The Dad on Tuesday as it was his birthday (Happy Birthday again Dad) and it was great to hear that although he lives in BC, he still catches the Jays on XM! You can take the guy out of Ontario.....but you can't take Ontario out of the guy!

OK, let's hope for the sweep and get closer to .500 for the year.

Cheers.

Jesse the new Gus?

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Remember a few years back when Gustavo Chacin won 13 games in his rookie year? He did it despite seeming to give up 1 run less than was scored for him. He would win games 8-7, 6-4, 11-9, and so on. He would never seem to pitch more than 6 innings though.

Jesse Litcsh pitched 5 and 2/3 innings last night, but to his credit, only gave up 2 runs. It seems that whenever Jesse is on the hill, the Jays bats seem to scrape together enough hits and runs to give the sophmore the win. He leads the Jays with a 5-1 record. To the rotation's credit though, all of the pitchers would have more wins if the bats would have give them more support than they have.

Matt Stairs went deep last night for the 5th time this year. As a team, the Jays have hit just over half of the home-runs that they had hit at this point last year. So far in '08 they have 25 HR's compared to 48 last year at this point.

It is a little scary to think that the pitchers have to be almost perfect for the Jays to win each game since the bats are almost comatose. It must be difficult on the pitchers to have to bear down on every pitch because they know that if they make a mistake, it could end up costing them and the team in the win column since the bats won't be able to get them back in the game.

Hopefully the Jays can get all over Boof Bonser (best name in baseball, but Coco Crisp is a close second) who isn't have a great year so far. Then again, if you look at the numbers only, Roy Halladay isn't having a great year either, but we know that he record is 2-5 because he has had terrible run support. You don't get to pitch 5 complete games when you don't have your best stuff. You pitch 3 complete game losses because you've pitched so good, the manager wants you to have a chance to get the win but the bats do squat.

Cheers.

A Saving Split...Step Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Morning Jays Fans (I know you're out there....somewhere)

Sorry about not having a post since Thursday, I was in Montreal with some fellas for a stag party. Gotta love Montreal! Special thanks to Lewin for helping me out with a Top 5 question (Step Out...sorry if I woke you up).

Too bad about AJ in the first game yesterday. He pitched pretty good. 7 plus innings, 3 runs, 9 K's but takes the loss as once again the Jays bats are nowhere to be found. Shawn Marcum had it tough against Cliff Lee last night but didn't flinch and held his own. Lee is 6-0 with an ERA of 0.81 which will fall after his scoreless 9 innings last night. Those are some hot numbers!!

It figures that with the Jays offence totally floundering, manager Gibbons tries to manufacture some runs by putting on the hit-and-run with runners on 1st and 2nd and Overbay up batting and it all goes wrong...triple wrong! Lyle hit into an unassisted triple play, only the 14th in history of baseball. Luckily the Jays got the bats going in the 10th after 21 scoreless innings and won the 2nd game 3-0.

It will be interesting to see how the Jays do with Wells out along for 6-8 weeks. I just can't picture them being able to get the bats going enough to get back into the East. They've lost their opportunity, as they did last year, with Boston and New York relatively struggling at the start of the season.

The road trip continues for the Jays....

1st in 20 Games!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:01:00 +0000

Hot Stuff. The Jays bats came alive to score more than 5 runs in a game for the first time in 20 games. The longest streak in the AL for scoring 5 runs or less was 5 games this season. The last team to have a streak as long as the Jays were the 2002 Tigers.

Shaun Marcum was on fire last night. Too bad he couldn't get the complete game shutout.

What was really interesting last night with the offense was the way that after Rolen's HR in the 8th, the batters just seemed to relax and let the pitches come to them. There were lots of opposite field hits through the infield. I can imagine that about a week or two ago, those hits were getting hit right at the shortstop and double-plays were getting turned.

Speaking of Rolen, I was speaking with my buddy Foucault last night and just commenting on Scott Rolen. He is just a vacuum out there at 3rd. I imagine you don't win 7 gold gloves for being lucky. It's not that he is flashy at 3rd base (I haven't seen many flashy plays yet, but I'm sure we will), but he always seems to be in the right position to make the play. I suppose that could also be the excellent coaching of Brian Butterfield who is the infield coach (along with bench manager). But what a cannon of an arm. It is a confidence builder for the pitchers when they know they can put the ball in play and have Scott ready at 3rd to gobble them up.

Tonight it is Jesse Litsch. Let's see if he can get the good times rolling again and beat the damn Rays. They just always have such a tough time against those guys!

Cheers.

Hello Syracuse....Is Russ Adams Handy???

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:02:00 +0000

Uh-oh, the streak ends, the shortstops go down, and Hinske hits a difference making home-run last night.

The move by JP to pick up Marco Scutaro looks pretty good right now as both Eckstein and Johnny Mac went down last night with injuries. Eckstein went down with a hip flexor/groin injury and is probably day-to-day. Johnny Mac went down with a high ankle sprain and could be out a while. Luckily, the Jays do have Scutaro to fill in and he has played a lot of shortstop over the years so it isn't too much of a worry. I'm thinking they may have to call up Russ Adams if Eckstein will be out for a while because I'm not sure who else can play second or short.

Loved to hear the boos raining down on Eric Hinske last night and especially after he hit a bomb off of Windows restaurant. Can't believe he has 7 home-runs already!! Come to think of it, can't believe that the Rays actually have a decent team this year. Their bullpen is 2nd in the league in ERA and that can make a huge difference in the Win/Loss column. It will be interesting to see if they can keep it up. But tell me...is Troy Percival huge or what. When was the last time that guy hit the exercise room???

I really enjoy the colour work of Rance Mulllinicks during Jays games. During a Lyle Overbay at bat last night, Rance observed that Lyle has started to look really comfortable and his body language is really quiet. He stated that Overbay is starting to look dangerous. What does Overbay do on the next pitch??? He just launches one to center field that hits the top of the fence and bounces back into play. Too bad really as it would have tied the game if it had gone out. However, it is good to see his bat starting to heat up because the Jays need all the bats to get going. Aaron Hill and Alex Rios also have to get the bats going.

Looks like AJ's curveball was working last night as he struck out 10. However, the usual AJ inconsistency befell him last night as he only pitched six innings while giving up 9 hits and 5 earned runs.

Come-on Marcum, get the boys back on track tonight please!!

Cheers.

Tuesday Morning Musings!!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:02:00 +0000

Good morning Jays fans. A bit of a nail-biter last night with BeeJ on the mound but in the end, he got the job done.

Maybe it's just me, but a sense of calm comes over me when Matt Stairs comes to bat. I think it is because you never see him get cheated at the plate. You don't often see him come up to bat with a couple of runners on and hit a dribbler back to the pitcher or a slow roller to 2nd base. He's either going down swinging, or more often than not, he is driving the ball to the outfield or beyond! He just seems to be clutch! Last night, his solo home-run was the difference as Vasquez and McGowan each pitched a gem.

Speaking of McGowan, he really has come of age. Remember the time of 2 years ago where he would be lights out through the first four innings and then he would have a blow-up inning in the 5th or 6th, give up 4 runs and then it would be it for him? Now, he still gets into the odd jam (see 3rd inning last night), but he limits the damage and continues on with the game. Last night, he had runners on 2nd and 3rd with none out, but got out of it without giving up a run (albeit with some questionable baserunning by the Sox).

Don't look know but here come the Jay's achilles heel (sorry Lewin...sore spot for you). The Tampa Bay Rays. Let's pay them back and sweep them. It is too bad that despite the 5 game run that the Jays are on, they haven't made up any ground in the east. But as I said yesterday, they haven't lost any ground either so although they are still 4.5 back of Boston, at least they aren't 8 back!!!

Cheers,
Booze

The Doc is In

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:52:00 +0000

It was good to see The Doc get some decent run support this afternoon, although he almost gave it all right back in the 4th inning.

Matt Stairs was crushing the ball whenever he stepped up to the plate, as were a bunch of the Jays. It was good to see that the bats are coming around (slowly but surely).

Of course with the Bosox winning this afternoon against the Rays, the Jays didn't gain any ground on them, but they didn't lose any ground either. If they keep winning series, they can get right back in the race. Hopefully, they'll come to play tomorrow night and sweep all 4 games against the ChiSox.

Until tomorrow....

Great Game....Terrible Audio!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Good game, good outcome, terrible audio is the theme for today.

When I was watching the game last night, I realized how much I like watching Mark Buerhle pitch. He is like the Doc. He pitches quickly. The only thing better than having Marcum pitch last night would have been for Halladay to have pitched and then the game would have been done in less than 2 hours.

The game was broadcast by Sportsnet, and I'm going to have to watch the game today to see if it was just last night's telecast that had terrible audio. I found that I could barely hear Jamie Campbell and Rance Mullinicks' commentary as it was drowned out by the echo of fans and ambient noise at the Roger's Centre. I'm no audio technician, but can't they turn the mikes down that are used for crowd/ambient noise and/or turn up the mikes of the commentators? By the eighth inning, I was going so crazy trying to hear what they were saying that I used an old Cookball trick and actually emailed the network. For those who don't know who Cookball is, well, I suppose we should refer you to Top5ives.com where I think a top 5 list of Cookball moments is called for. He is a mate who once called Fox in the US to tell them to put the score back on the screen during the baseball playoffs. God Bless that Kid!!!

Anyways, good game result. Hopefully the Jays can keep the W-Train going and get back in the East race.

Booze

What an April!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Holy Crap!

11 and 17 in April! Not a good month to start the year. And is that the Tampa Bay Rays (nee Devil Rays) that I see at the top of the AL East? I must be dreaming. I must also be dreaming as I've watched The Doc pitch 3 consectutive complete game losses in a row.

In the latest Jays swoon, you definitely cannot fault the pitchers. They have all made quality to great quality starts in the most recent trip through the rotation. It is the bats that are in the shitter. What doe JP Riccardi need to do? Fire John Gibbons? Why would JB deserve that? He is not up there hitting the ball. He is trying to manufacture runs any way he can. To give Riccardi credit, he took full blame on Jays Talk with Mike Wilner after last nigh'ts debacle.

Hitters are in the tank and once again, it is hitting with runners in scoring position (or lack thereof) that is killing them.

As an aside, does anybody else cringe when a ball is hit to David Eckstien and he has to hurry a throw? I watched him last night lob a ball over to Overbay as if it were a hand grenade. Luckily, Lyle was able to dig it out of the dirt. It was an ugly, ugly throw.

Hopefully, the Jays can win tonight and at least finish the road trip from hell at 2 and 7.

Wowzers!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:14:00 +0000

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????

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:02:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:10:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:34:00 +0000

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!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:07:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:11:00 +0000

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!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Booze) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:29:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Lewin) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:06:00 +0000

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.