Quick Thoughts

The boys have done much better than I was thinking they would when Bautista went down in New York. I'm really happy that Brett Lawrie seems to be showing no ill effects from his very, very scary fall into the camera bay walkway in Yankee Stadium. 


I'm a happy, happy girl that Snider is back where he belongs, trolling left for the Jays. He looked like never left during his first series back in Boston. I really do have a soft place in my fan heart for Lunchbox. So much so, I'm probably going to get my first player uni tee in years, if they start selling some Travis ones soon. Even better, I'd totally buy one with his twitter handle. More seriously though, I think more than his playing the last week and a bit, I have such a very high respect for Mr. Snider's attitude mindset. He speaks so well about his experiences and how he's come to where he is now. So very mature for his mere 24 years.


As much as we miss JoBau, I gotta say...seeing these three playing the outfield on Sunday was pretty great.

I know it's been a while fellow fans. I've been a bit of a busy baseball bee writing a little more professionally about the beautiful game for some other sites. But, I'm back now! I've missed the ol' Camera Bay.

Rest up since the Boys are on the West coast this week. Those of us in EST have some late nights ahead. Luckily for this girl, I'll be relaxing in my other favourite place on earth outside Sudbury.

Stay gold Jays fans...

JaysGirl5

Sweep, then almost swept

At the outset of this past home stand, I was hoping for the Jays to go 4-2, with two series wins. After the highly unsuccessful road trip the week before, I (and many who follow the Jays, I think) felt that the six games against the Orioles and Red Sox could be a great opportunity to put the ugly behind them. Personally, I think that swing through Tampa then Texas was the most condensed ugly we’ve seen from the Jays in a long time. I totally accept that at occasionally throughout the season there will be games you completely want to forget; I just don’t remember them ever being so close together before.

But, moving back to the home stand. The Orioles were on a bit of a downswing when they rolled in to Toronto, but they were still a team the Jays needed to beat. The Red Sox, on the other hand, were in the midst of playing better baseball then when they were here back in April. When you throw that in with the bad taste of Tampa and Texas, it all rolled out as a heightened desire to win for the moral and morale victory it would mean for Jays nation.

Obviously, we know the results of the home stand beyond the 4-2 record. It was great for the team to get the win on Sunday (and avoid being swept). It was also nice to add Drew Hutchinson’s excellent outing to the growing list of wonderful outings he’s had at the major league level. The only thing I will comment on is the lack of call for Kelly Shoppach leaning into the pitch. Even if you don’t consider that he stuck his elbow out, it’s hard to say he actually made an effort to get out of the way of the pitch. To me, that’s the bigger issue with the call. Anyone remember when Bautista wasn’t awarded a base after being plunked in the ribs because he failed to attempt to get out of the way, according to the ump? This instance with Shoppach was the opposite. In regards to Youkilis, I understand being upset because the pitch was near his head. I don’t, however, believe it was a retaliation pitch, even though Hutch had had good control up to that point.

Long has the AL East been called the toughest division in baseball, mainly because of the grass ceiling that used to be the Yankees and Red Sox. Well, I think two months into this season we’re seeing the East live up to its moniker in the truest sense. Who knows if it’ll look this way by the end of June, but consider this: all first teams have winning records, only three games separate first and last place, and the standings have been pretty close from the get-go.

I do think the Jays have the chance to end up at the top, or at least close enough to the top for a shot at the post-season. To this point, we’ve seen what this team is able to do, but not as consistently as we the fans or I’d imagine the team would like. Still, being above .500 and tied for fourth when Bautista is still just a little off from regular form, Romero hasn’t found his consistent fastball control yet, we have the youngest starting rotation and two of our everyday players demoted to the minors, we’re doing pretty well. The biggest things now I think are finding some of the desired consistency and the ability to beat their own division, most importantly the Rays.

So now the team heads to Chicago, before heading down to Atlanta to pick back up on the interleague portion of the schedule again. I’m excited for when the team comes home to face the Nationals, for the chance to see Harper and Strasburg (who might be pitching in the last game of the series). I'm also looking forward to some redemption against the Phillies when they come to town Father’s Day weekend. I’m sad that we won’t have the chance to watch Doc pitch again, but I am wishing him a speedy recovery so he can get back to being Doctastic as always.

Stay cool Jays' fans. I’m wishing you much baseball filled days and nights!

JaysGirl5

P.S. Rock On to JBau for winning the Honda Player of the Month award for May. 

One down, five to go…minus six days.

We are officially a whole month and six days removed from that Holy day known as Opening. And, as usual, I don’t think anyone would have been able to predict what has and hasn’t gone on in that time. (A healthy Pujols  needing  a month to hit a homerun? Really?) But such is the glory and beauty of baseball, as many, many lifelong lovers and observers will tell you.

From this blog’s beginning, I’ve been hesitant when dealing with expectations or potential, mainly because baseball is played by human beings. We’re not perfect, we don’t perform as expected or up to any perceived potential all the time.

Over a six month season, averages and histories may win out; things may level out after a while. Do I think the Orioles are going to win the AL East this year? Probably not, but there’s no real way to tell. There is never a way to tell what is going to happen on any given day of the baseball season, let alone multiple months from now.

It’s been interesting so far this season to see the reaction to the Jays. Our offense and the re-vamped bullpen were supposed to be the highlights that  help support our rotation as they learned and succeeded on the job. At least, that’s what it looked like on paper, right? Well, looks good on paper hardly ever looks good in person.

Over the first 32 games this season, the general impression I’ve gotten from a loud part of the Jays’ fan base is that Lind needs to be gone all together; Bautista has lost “it”; our bullpen is going to give someone a heart attack; Arencibia’s just a placeholder; and, Encarnacion is awesome. (As a side, I’ve leaned towards that last one since EE came to town.)

By no means do I think those opinions are indicative of what the whole fan base thinks, but they are by far the loudest impressions out there from fans about the state of the franchise and the possibility of playoffs in 2012 for the hometown team. Somehow, the main thing that seems to get lost here is that even if the more negative statements above have even a shred of truth, we’re still not out of the playoff hunt; no team has yet to run away with our or any other division. We’re not the only team that’s struggling one way or another, or the only team with a big bat that has yet to be sizeable this season.

The proverbial sky has not and is not fallen/ing. To a man I’m sure the Jays probably haven’t performed the way they would have liked to this point, but all hope for the post-season is not lost. We are still in the running; we still have the chance to challenge the top spot(s) in the AL East.

You know the old adage “You can’t win the division in April, but you can lose it”? There’s a reason the saying has stuck around.

With that in mind Jays fans, take heart. Maybe the team hasn’t performed to expectation or their “potential”, but they’re still finding ways to win. Do I think Lind, Bautista and Arencibia are going to start hitting? Yes, they’re too good not to. But I also know it might not necessarily be what we’ve come to expect from past performance, either good or bad. Great part of baseball – tomorrow is a new day, and you never know what can happen.

Enjoy the ride fellow fans, as I have a feeling it’s going to be pretty crazy.

JaysGirl5

Ready, Set...MEET!

Early December is always an interesting time of year on the baseball calendar. Most players start getting back to their workout routines, if they haven’t already. The new baseball season seems so much closer than it did when the World Series ended. And, oh yeah, there’s this little matter of the yearly GM meetings taking place.

This year’s festivities are set to start today in Dallas, Texas. I’m always intrigued to see what might come out of them, but this year seems a little different. A lot of that has to do with the new CBA that has officially been ratified between MLB and the MLBPA. (In general, I have an interest in collective bargaining agreements and employer/union relations. It’s the nerd in me, and my past experience I guess.)The other part of me is just the continual curiosity I have about what creative move AA is going to pull out of his bag o’ tricks next.

Other than the new CBA, the offseason to-date has been pretty quiet. Sure, Papelbon signed with the Phillies (thoughts on overpaying/not overpaying?) and there have been numerous rumors about where Pujols will end up. On the Jays front, it’s definitely been quiet. A few small moves (Brad Mills to Anaheim for Jeff Mathis, Luis Valbuena from Cleveland for cash) have been made, but all’s quiet on the blue bird front. Until now.

By all accounts, AA is looking to make some majorish moves, or at least start the ball rolling on the “big” moves we’ll see coming out of Toronto this offseason. I refer to them as “big” because I don’t see any of them being huge blockbuster deals like we’ve seen in the part. Looking around the roster, there are some key spots to be filled (2^nd base, closer), but nowhere near the amount of holes we’re seen before. Our core roster is strong and young, will a whole host of awesome guys working their way up through the minors.

The one “move” I will comment on that a lot of Jays fans have been backing is bringing Prince Fielder to Toronto. Especially now with an unconfirmed report that Toronto’s on Fielder’s short  list for places he’d like to play. Not surprising as from all accounts I’ve heard, he enjoyed visits here while his dad trolled the outfield for us.

I wholeheartedly do not support this move. Part of it is his possible asking price, but on within the context of his role on the team. I am a LindyHop enthusiast. I have enjoyed watching Adam Lind grow as a player since he made his debut back in Sep ’06. I like him at 1^st and believed for a long time before he moved out of the DH spot that he would find a home there.  

Not all Jays’ fans share my Lind love, and that’s okay. But what I don’t get is the call to heave him out of 1^st after only one full season (minus a month missed for back issues). Some point to his defensive skills, some to his drop off at the plate. Well, you try playing a fielding position for a full season for the first time in the Bigs after being a part-time outfielder/mostly DH for your career, then see if YOUR production doesn’t suffer. Adam said as much near the end of the season. It’s a more difficult physical and mental grind having to transition to playing every day, instead of just walking to the plate 3+ times in a game.

There’s no denying that Fielder is incredibly productive at the plate. It’s an attractive, attention grabbing quality on his résumé; having that much homerun power could be a great protective agent behind Bautista. But, what about the possible hit we’d take in the field? Maybe this is a reflection of me being a pitching and defense kind of person, but I’ll take Lind’s defense over Fielder’s any day. For those statistically inclined readers, here’s my backing to that statement.

In 2011, Fielder had the lowest fielding% among all 1^st basemen, at .990 (159 games). Lind was 6^th at .996 (109 games). Remember, this was Adam’s first full season at an infield position. I will also concede that Fielder did play 50 more games than Lind, with 411 more total chances. But, I’ll still take Lind. You can also compare both their first full seasons at first, in which Fielder did have more games, but I didn’t want to overload with numbers here. If you’re interested, just search Fielder and Lind’s stats on the MLB site. I will note however, that Prince has had only one season with a fielding percentage over .996 (2010; .997) and I foresee LindyHop getting better next season.

There’s also talk about bringing Prince to Toronto to DH, but I also balk at that idea. He’ll only be 27 as of opening day 2012. That is so incredibly young to move someone into the DH spot, and part of the reason Lind (28) is now at first. The Jays didn’t want to make him a career DH before he hit 30. Fielder might not be my favourite option as a new team member in T.O., but I also don’t think it’s time for him to leave the fielding part of his game behind.

I honestly get the draw and (some) of the reasons why bringing Prince to Toronto is being so highly talked about, and not just bandied about in the fan world. But I honestly don’t see the fit. We have other, more pressing concerns (see above) to worry about without getting into replacing guys that have/will contribute to the team’s success.

I am an Adam Lind fan, just as I am a Travis Snider, Eric Thames, and Edwin Encarnacion fan. We have an overabundance of guys that could play great roles filling places in the roster where we need them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to all positions, but we’re in a pretty comfy (and soon to be very successful) place right now Jays' fans. Obviously AA is aware of that and is about the start workin’ his GM magic.

Pull up a chair Jays fans. It’s going to be a pretty neat next couple of days at the Winter Meetings.

Just wanted to send out some congrats/ROCK ONs to:

• -         Arencibia and Lawrie being named to the 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• -          And the following guys for being chosen by the BWA’s Toronto chapter Award winners:

o   RickyRo – Pitcher of the Year

o   JoBau – Player of the Year (Neil MacCarl Award)

o   JPArriba – Rookie of the Year

o   Janssen – Most Improved Player

o   McGowan – John Cerutti Award (given to a person who shows the cooperation, goodwill and character Cerutti was known for.)

Happy Early Holiday Season readers! I wish you and your loved ones the merriest, baseball filled (as much as possible in Dec/Jan) times!

JaysGirl5

P.S. the 2012 season is getting closer!

Werk It Boys!

In case you’ve been living in a sports world blackout the past two days, the Jays introduced their new logo and jerseys on Friday. They also introduced some very snazzy looking major league models, too.

I’m sure when @RickyRo24, @jparencibia9, @JoeyBats19, @blawrie13, @2Morrow23, Yunel Escobar and Adam Lind all became members of the Jays, they didn’t imagine they’d be putting on a fashion show someday.

Well, obviously they thought wrong. Sportsnet has been kind enough to host the whole thing online for those of us who couldn’t be there. (Scroll ahead to around the 10 minute mark to see the new jerseys.) Also check out some of the tweet histories for the guys above to see some pretty cool candid photos.

For all intents and purposes, I’m not really sure what number logo to call this. Technically, the first two logos of the organization aren’t really that different from each other. Plus, the current logo is an amalgamation of those two with a little updating. There’s also the one we just got rid of, and the bird of steroids that was an “interim logo”.

Regardless, this new logo and return to blue jerseys is pretty much a no brainer. The more the change settles in, the more it feels like the last piece to cement the AA years. (Although, I’m sure he wouldn’t want them to be called that.)

I’ll admit that nearing the end of the JP years, specifically around the time of Docgate, I had some pretty harsh words for and about the previous GM. I totally stand by them, but time (and a great somewhat realistic look at a GMs life in Moneyball) has a great way of allowing me some perspective. But here’s the best way I think I can describe how I feel about now (AA years) versus then (Ricciardi years) - They were like a jersey that just didn’t fit. For a multitude of reasons it was never right, and no amount of trying was going to change that. It finally feels like the Jays-verse can breathe again and has gotten back to having the right fit. I swear, Scott Carson explains it better than me.

This may not be the best summation of my reaction to the new logo, but I’m still kind of in the middle of it, you know? I love it, can’t wait to see it at the Home Opener and think it’s about time. I also can’t wait to get my new hat and jersey.

There’s change and excitement in the air, Jays fans! 

Here’s to wishing the boys “werk” it on the field next year as much as they “werked” the new jerseys yesterday.

JaysGirl5

Life Happens

In the months since my last post, life took some interesting turns that kept me away longer than I would have liked. The lure and love of blogging and baseball took a backseat to the everyday. But just like baseball (and Backstreet), I'm BACK!

Obviously, notable things have happened since November:

• We wished Marcum well on his way to the Brew Crew,
• Everyone's favourite Garfoose became a Ray,
• We signed Bautista for the next few years, and
• We bid fareWells to the longest tenured Jay.

I'll admit I was a little surprised with the Marcum deal, but not the saddest to see him go. I did enjoy his pitching skills and I think he was a really good testament to not having to overpower hitters, but there was always something that didn't seem to quite fit for me, something that rubbed me the wrong way about his attitude towards the atmosphere after Doc left. I don't know. But still, I wish him well and am excited to have a high ranking prospect in the Jays system who's (possibly) being groomed for 3rd and, oh yeah, is CANADIAN!

Dirk Hayhurst will always be a favourite for me. The window he offers into the world of baseball is an incredible peek for those of us on the outside. Plus, I just happen to think he's a damn good writer. If you don't already, make a point to read his blog. Good luck with the Rays Mr. Hayhurst. Hope to see you in Toronto again someday.

As for the Bautista deal, it's been oddly comical to me hearing and reading comments about how he's being overpaid. I do get the argument because it's true he's only had one massive year and that most of the totals he produced last year blow any previous combined totals out of the water. It's a gamble, but pretty much any contract offered and signed nowadays in baseball (and most professional sports) is. You're basing a contract on past performance with no guarantee for that same perfomance to occur again. Sure, you can look at the historical data, the work ethic of the player in question, service time, and whatever else you want to use to create a deal. But in the end, it's a crapshoot.

Personally, I don't have a problem with the deal. When the amounts and terms were just rumors, I was fondly reminiscing about when King Carlos signed his (then) massive contract of $68M over 4 years in 2000 and how much people thought he was being overpaid. At the time it made him the highest paid player. Wow how contracts have changed in a decade...

If feels like AA is trying to build a team where they look at the player as a whole person, not just a number. I like that. I think it's important to get players that fans can invest in and get to know, and part of that is signing guys that are more that just number producers. It's part of the reason I loved the Winter Tour 2011. Watching the video footage, it was awesome to see fans (mostly young kids) across Canada coming out and getting to interact with the players they see on TV. It makes it more personal when you watch them play in a game. It makes the Jays and baseball more personal. And baseball being more personal with the youth of Canada is awesome in my book.

The actual mechanics of the Wells deal are still...surprising to me and AA deserves another round of applause for his creative style towards trades and team building. I am sad to see VDub go. Not in the same way as Doc last year, but it is hard to fathom that in the past two off-seasons we have lost 2 of the longest tenured Blue Jays. I wish Vernon all the best, I really do. I think a lot of times fans didn't always get him or appreciate his consistency away from the plate. He made covering CF at the Dome look easy. Frighteningly easy sometimes. I've written before about how I feel about Wells. I honestly think fans won't realise the place he held in this organization until the season is underway. That's not to say the Jays won't go on without him, but he was so much more than just our CFer or cleanup guy. And for that, he will always be one of top 3 favourite people who just happen to play baseball. I'll stand and cheer (or watch and cheer) when he comes back to TO and I hope Jays fans will join me.

Pitching is an interesting area this spring so far. Lots of competition goin' on in the bullpen and a little for the back end of the starting rotation. I hope RickyRo gets the season opener start. If you haven't checked ou his Nike commercial yet, get your butt to youtube. Same goes for the segment ESPN did with Ricky during an off-season workout. The link is on Ricky's twitter (@RickyRo24) or his official Facebook page.

I hope everyone is as excited for Grapefruit League games as I am and for the regular season. I'll be posting a little more often now, and I'm still going to posting about baseball books I've been reading this off-season. Former Commissioner Giamatti's collection of essay and The Mental ABC's of Pitching will be up in the next couple of days I promise. Also going to finish working on the third (and last) installment of the Portrait of a Fan (As A Young Woman) series I started posting last year. It's taken me a while to get it right.

Stay warm in these pre-baseball season days friends.

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

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