6 Game Round Up

Some thoughts from the last 2 series, as we head into the last home series of the season.

It was nice to see Chris Woodward back in Toronto last week when Seattle was here. I have always liked Chris. He made one of the sickest plays I've seen (definitely Mactastic caliber) when he got to a ball hit into short left field and was able to make the throw to first to get the out. This was a ball hit well, well past the infield line. Did I mention his momentum was taking him towards the 3rd base side stands on the play? Yeah, pretty frickin' great.

But more than that, I remember Woody for being my first in person Blue Jays autograph and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I also saw him pull over to the side of the road near the exit for the Dome's underground parking and sign autographs for over a half hour, with his wife, daughter and another lady in the car. His wife was even helping facilitate the signings by passing things over from her side of the vehicle. Not mention his wife Erin is from Toronto. I always thought it was cute Chris met his wife while playing here.

I was once told a story of why Chris is so giving with his time for autographs that involved his childhood favourite, Cal Ripken Jr. and waiting for his autograph. Because it was a secondhand telling, I've always wondered about the truthfulness of it, but the person who told me the story said I should ask Chris about it if I ever for the chance. Sadly I didn't get to before he left the Jays. If you ever get a chance to ask him yourself, you should. It's an incredibly sweet story.

ROCK ON Bautista. 'Nough said. Except, it's insane that reportedly hit a foul ball out of the Dome on Friday. Insane!

Talk about Oriole domination this season. True, it's not nice to see you team get swept, but when you look at the fact the Jays went 15-3 against the Orioles this year...I think the bigger picture is pretty great. As for Bautista getting plonked twice yesterday, I'll agree the first time wasn't intentional. Marcum retaliated, case closed. But to hit him again, (more than likely) intentionally this time, especially after the benches were warned is just stupid. It's not like the games in the series had been super heated or anything previous to that play. Plus, it's not like either team was fighting for a playoff spot. I think I'll just have to chalk it up to a play I'll never really understand.

Thank You Cito Night's on Wed and building will be a rockin'. Regardless of the lack of playoffs in Toronto, I'm pretty sure the last home game of the season against the Yankees and a glorious sendoff for the most loved Jays manager will be well attended. I just hope by more Jays fans than Yankee fans. I'm also hoping the Jays will be able to help out the Rays by kickin' some pinstriped butt.

Stay tuned for "Portrait of a Baseball Fan...Part 2" coming soon. I'm also going to be starting my off-season challenge of getting to all the baseball books on my shelves I haven't yet. Between the ones I picked up in Cooperstown and ones I hadn't read yet, I have about 8-9 to get through. Technically I've started my challenge already because I just finished Dirk Hayhurst's "The Bullpen Gospels" which deserves a post by itself. So look for that as well.

Get your butt down to the Rogers Centre over the next three days. You won't regret it.
JaysGirl5

Rock On!

Just a quick Rock On to Jose Bautista for becoming the new homerun king in Toronto. After hitting #49 yesterday, I'm pretty sure that magical 50 mark will be reached and surpassed by JoBau by the end of the season.

Bravo Bautista. Bravo.

JaysGirl5

Portrait of a Baseball Fan (As A Young Woman)

First and foremost, I am a fan of the game of baseball. I love it more than anything. Secondly, I'm a Blue Jays fan; I'm a die-hard. Thirdly, I'm a Major League Baseball fan. I enjoy following the highest level of play of my favourite game. At times first and second are very closely intertwined, as the Jays are my main source of watching baseball being played, but there always remains a line between the three.

Now some may say that a baseball fan is a baseball fan is a baseball fan. Okay, that's fair. But the term "baseball fan" doesn't begin to cover the differences in the population that makes up that group. So sorry to burst any bubbles, but a baseball fan is not a baseball fan, etc., etc. There's gamers, teamers and leaguers and sometimes the types overlap, work together or go head-to-head, but they're still there. They do exist even if the dividing lines between them are hard to see or comprehend. For better or worse, or complete neutrality, all us "baseball fans" were not created equal.

Before believing that I've gone off the deep end, stop and think about what I'm about to explain. Really think about it. I guarantee you won't think I'm so wrong by the end.

At this point you're probably starting to ponder exactly what the differences are between the three types of fan I named above. (Which is should state may not be the only three, but I believe they are the basis for any fan you could find.) Maybe you've guessed by now or maybe they were obvious to you before I even wrote about them.

But, to make sure we're all on the same page going forward, here are the types of fan as I see them:

Gamer: A lover of the game of baseball, no matter its form. Be it hardball, softball, slow-pitch, lob ball, three pitch, professional, pick-up, little league; it doesn't matter to a gamer. They love the actual game of baseball, whether it's playing or watching it. As long as there's a bat, ball, batter, and pitcher, they're in. The outcome doesn't matter, only that the game existed. They truly love and understand the game.

Teamer: Loves and follows a particular professional team. Falls somewhere on the level of fan spectrum from casual to die-hard. Isn't automatically a gamer or a leaguer. Is mainly concerned with the wins and losses of their particular team, and any post-season success. Ex. John Smith is a huge Dodgers fan and only really cares if they win and make the playoffs. He doesn't really care what else happens around the Majors.

Leaguer: Loves and follows the Majors Leagues, both American and National. Can have a preference between the Leagues, but at least slightly follows both. A leaguer can just root for the Major Leagues in general, but most will have begun as a Teamer and their support/interest has grown and led them to be a Leaguer.

Just to clarify a little more before we go any further. You don't have to be one of the above things to be another. You can be just a gamer, teamer, or leaguer or any mix of the three. Just because you're one doesn't mean you're the other two. These definitions (teamer, leager) can be applied to those who don't follow a Major League team or MLB, but do follow another team and/or the league they play in.

From my experience, the most common mixes are gamer-teamers and teamer-leaguers. But, and this is an important disclaimer, that doesn't mean there aren't a whole bunch of other mixes of fan out there; varying degrees in each type, varying degrees of seperation between types, varying orders of importance of types or that there aren't other master or sub-types that I haven't encountered yet. Even though I'm trying to make sense of "baseball fan", I recognize and respect that we all come in different levels and kinds of love and appreciation.

So, where do we go from here? Well, even without my declaration above, I'm sure it's no great suprise that I'm all three types and which order they fall in. Some of my previous entries make it pretty obvious where my heart truly lies in baseball, when you take into account the definitions above. But I felt it was important to explain all this, to put it out there to be thought about, discussed, dissected. I think this is an interesting/important point to look at in general, without taking into consideration the effects (if any) all this might have on the way fans look at baseball or the future of baseball itself. I also think clarifying how I see "baseball fans" will serve as a buoy when jumping in to the PEDs/cheating discussion. Not only will the definitions above serve as a starting point, but they'll also be a lifeline to avoid getting too lost or far from home when navigating the messy waters of the steroid era and post-steroid era.

They say you should wait an hour after eating before swimming. Well, I think the same thing about thought and discussion. Take some time to digest what I've written, think about it, then get ready to dive on in to steroids and cheating.

Your faithful gamer, teamer, leaguer and blogger,
JaysGirl5

T.B. Shout Out!

A few notes from the weekend series against Tampa...

Even though the recent successful years for the Rays have made the AL East an even tougher division for my Jays, I still have a soft place in heart for them. I'm not sure if it's because they seemed like the eager little brother trying to impress their older sibs for so long or what...but I like 'em. What can I say?

There are a lot of guys on their team I enjoy watching. I loved the area when I stayed in Tropicana territory in '07 for Spring Training and I really love Joe Maddon's themed team trips. Plus, one of their upcoming giveaways is a superhero cape. It's only for kids 13 and under though. But still, how cool is that?

I will honestly say that I don't begrudge them their success. If I can't have my Jays in the playoffs from the East I want it to be Tampa, instead of those other two (usually) contending teams. I will be so happy someday when it's Rays vs. Jays for the division lead and the Wild Card. Imagine that series...

I should also mention that I really enjoy listening to their broadcast team. Most of the time when the Rays come to town I'm treated to listening to the easy banter between Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson. I've actually put a lot of thought in to why I enjoy listening to them so much and I can never really figure it out. Part of it is you can clearly hear the fun they have commentating on a baseball game, but even more so the fun they have just talking to each other. I don't always get that feeling when listening to all broadcasting duos.

Speaking of Brian Anderson, he celebrated the 17th anniversary of his MLB debut last Friday. Which oddly enough had him coming out of the bullpen in Toronto to face Paul Molitor in 1993. Apprently all he kept thinking was how much he didn't want to hook a spike in the old astrofurf and fall on his face. Gotta love it.

Best quote of the weekend, courtesy of Mr. Anderson..."[The pitcher] puts one in your happy zone and you come out of your shoes." He was talking about getting a great pitch to hit from a pitcher, in case you needed the clarification.

One quick mention of Jaysland stuff...how awesome was JoBau's homerun on the 2nd pitch of his AB on Friday night after not getting the time-out call? I thought it was great that he kept his composure (again). You could just tell that something great was going to happen on the next pitch, and BLAM! He tied the game. If only it could have ended there. At least LindyHop hit the walkoff on Sunday. Too bad they couldn't win in extras tonight in Baltimore.

Look out for Kyle Drabek's debut on Wed night, although it's going to be on Sportsnet One. I was sure that game was listed on being on Sportsnet as of this weekend, but oh well. Call and harrass your cable providers (not Sportsnet please!) about getting the channel. Trust me on this...

I'm working on my piece about the murky waters of cheating and steroids, but I'm trying to make sure I get my exact point across so I'm taking my time with it. The end of the regular season countdown is on my friends and I'm starting to get the blues. As much as I love the smell of fall in the air, my hearts dims a little every year around this time as baseball season gets ready to end. But, I still got to enjoy this season and there's always next year.

Enjoy the games we have left everyone!
JayGirl5

"Touch 'em all..."

As it nears the end of baseball season, the fan portion of deciding who receives the Ford C. Frick award is upon us. Now, I'm not going to say much on the topic. I believe Tom Cheek deserves to be on the list of recipients that hangs in Cooperstown. For pretty much every Jays fan across the country, he was the voice of baseball in Canada (along with Jerry Howarth.)

I'm still undecided if I will be getting involved in this year's voting. I agree with The Tao of Stieb. I urge all Jays fans to decide for themselves if they will vote. Just remember...even if the rest of the baseball world never knows of Tom Cheek, we were lucky enough to have him for over 4000 consecutive games and as the soundtrack for one of the greatest moments in Blue Jays history.

On another small side note, two things that stood out about Jose Bautista recently for me:

1. His composure while arguing the strike-that-wasn't-a-strike over the weekend in New York. By the end, he did start finger pointing at the ump, but he started arguing by clasping both hands behind his back and not getting in the face of the ump too much. I've never seen a player react like that in that situation before and I think it speaks to JoBau's professionalism and maturity.
2. While watching his interview on Jays Connected today, I absolutely loved when he said "It's not fair to me" when discussing the steroids stuff that's been going around. It wasn't said egotistically or with any malice. But, it was nice to see a definitive stand. We're all familiar with the stereotypical platitudes and responses in the pro athlete's media repetoire. But sometimes it's nice to hear a guy say exactly what he feels/means, instead of saying something meant to be placating and to put an end to the question.

They say things are bigger in Texas, but lucky for us you can't get any bigger than Toronto when it comes to homeruns.

Enjoy the rest of the series against the Rangers!

JaysGirl5

Pilgrimage by Picture

I had planned on putting these up with my post about my trip to Cooperstown. But I took over 500 pictures and it took me longer than I thought to condense my trip to under 10 pictures.








Original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League uniforms. Go Peaches!

Ted Williams' hot zones, according to Ted Williams.

World Series Champs

















Doc's game cap and ball from his perfecto.
















Baseball Legends














Fergie Jenkins...only Canadian inducted in the HOF so far.


















Hopefully you enjoy this very small taste of Cooperstown. If you've never been, get to it!
JaysGirl5

P.E.D.s = S.U.C.K.

I hate steroids. I accept that in some medical instances, they're awesome. But within the context of professional sports, I HATE STEROIDS!

Now, the following comments might come a little late after the mention by a sports writer in Toronto that Jose Bautista must be on the juice, or at least should be considered to be drugged up until he proves otherwise. Well, I didn't have internet for a while, was too busy to sleep, then got my ass kicked by a cold. So, forgive my tardiness.

Before I get into the heart of my post, let me just say that this isn't going to be about whether or not using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) is cheating. That's a whole post by itself. It's more about what the public acknowledgment of PEDs in professional baseball has done to us as fans.

First some basics statements to get us started.

- Whether we as fans like it or not, PEDs have played a role in the history of professional baseball. Hell, illicit drugs and alcohol have played a part as well.

- The guys who play the game are only human and can make questionable decisions like the rest of us.

- We can all agree that they work in a more highly competitive environment than a huge portion of the population.

- In every kind of competition some individuals will look for any way to get a leg up, or in baseball's case, production numbers up.

- If someone was so inclined to research it, I'm sure there could be a direct correlation found between the rise of PED use and the importance placed on power numbers in both pitching and hitting when negotiating salaries.

I'm not naïve enough to think that there hasn't been circumventing of the rules in professional baseball since it started over 100 years ago. I think any fan who has lived through the steroids era and the Mitchell report release looks at most (or all) records and stats with a grain of salt; still in awe of them, but realistic enough to know that there might have been some help along the way.

Skip ahead some decades, and now we're living in the post-steroids era.

It's sad for me to think that a time in baseball where more fans are watching and attending games and the players and teams have a strong agreement, that we're still overshadowed by drugs. All of the things that have come out since the League (and Congress) started cracking down on this whole mess have served to shake the integrity of the game of baseball and the faith/confidence fans had in the professional sport as a whole. Sure, it's more than likely that the additional interest in pro ball is the result of the crazy offensive numbers put up throughout the '90s and the early part of this decade. Which, let's be honest, in a lot of cases (some confirmed and some not) are a direct result of the use of PEDs or some type of substance that wasn't banned at the time. I believe that and even accept it.

But now what I seem to be left with is the constant question: When will it end? When will the stale taste of the steroid era be allowed to leave the game of baseball? By no means forget is happened; it IS A PART of the game now. But will there ever be a time when a guy can put up a career year, and he's not marred with the mention of PEDs?

Don't get me wrong, if a guy is using and it comes out, that's his own damned fault. But are we now, as fans, spectators, commentators (even bloggers) conditioned to always question whether a player having a good year is using? Is that the view we're forced to take now? I hope to hell not. I want to believe in the integrity of the game again. I want to have faith that players and the League are doing their best to respect the idea of fair play, even if there might always be a few who don't. I have blogged about some of these sentiments before, and they seem as true now as they were then.

But this is where I'll stop because I'm starting to get into the murky waters of the game's integrity and whether PEDs are cheating. And it is incredibly murky. Steroids, banned substances and performance enhancing drugs have stirred up the muck something fierce, and it still hasn't settled back down again. I do plan on writing about this, but the post is currently brewing in my slightly-still-cold-foggy brain.

_______________________________________________

Brandon Morrow makes his last start of the season against the Yankees tomorrow. I don't completely disagree with the notion of shutting him down. He's been a very pleasant surprise and addition to the starting rotation this year. No sense pushing him too far this season and risking his possible contribution next year. Of course, if the playoff picture in Toronto was more realistic, this would probably be a moot point.

Enjoy the long weekend Jays fans. Tampa's in town starting Monday and is should be a great series.

JaysGirl5

P.S. Anyone else not that shocked that Strasburg has to have surgery? Can we say "rushed to the majors?"

The disclaimer that now appears in the HOF records room.