May is a new month...

And THANK the baseball gods for it. April sure brought showers...showers of crapiness.

I think this is the first time I might be able to slightly understand why Leaf fans get so frustrated the years their team has the talent to win. To watch the Jays as much as I do and to see them not win the way they have...it really is heartbreaking. At least last year you could explain the lack of production on the injuries and playing time to those who might not have been the best to help up the teams offensive numbers. Scott Carson says it much better than I here. I will say that I agree about the Mickey Brantley move. Not that I dislike Denbo, but hey...dude...if you're M.O. isn't working, try something else. I do have a sort of funny experience with the new job, Denbo and some of the Jays...I might get to it later in this post, but I'll share it eventually.

I will say that I've been happy with the Jays playing more small ball this season so far. True, this might be because they have to try and get something going more to score runs, but hey...I'm just hoping that if somehow they do start hitting for more extra bases and/or power, they don't forget how to use their speed. With Rios now hitting at the top of the order, there's more speed up top to be used. I've been liking Hill in the 2 hole, but it does seem like he starts to press when he's in that slot for too long. I think changing him out of the 2 for lower in the order, and putting Eck up in the 2 could be a nice (small) tweak to the lineup to keep everyone on their toes. At this point, I don't think anyone's done enough offensively (except maybe Rolen) to be guaranteed a certain spot in the lineup.

Rock ons...

• to the return of Mactasticness in the top of the 5th inning tonight. On Johnny...how I've missed your pretty skills;
• Shaun Marcum for 4 out of 5 quality starts this season, which I think it being 5 of 6 after tonight's game;
• Shaun Marcum for being a strikeout pitcher (2 outings with 8 strikeouts this year, tonight's with 9); and,
• Roy Hallaway for having 32 complete games in the last few years. More so that some whole pitching staffs in the MLB.

As much as Eckstein can be entertaining to watch and all...anyone else see an argument being made for Mactastic to get more playing/starting time? Considering all the low and close scoring games the Jays have played so far, you can't really take the defensive hit at short for the offensive boost (HAHA!) in the lineup. Yeah, really...what offensive boost. Both guys that were brought in to lead off...one's hardly seeing any action except from the bench and the other's been demoted in the lineup for someone the Jays already had. Anyone else missing Reed?...At least the Cubbies have kept up the tradition of being nice to ex-Jays.

The one thing I've been really happy with since my last post is the return of Lindy (Hop). Yeah, yeah...stupid nickname for Adam, but deal with it. I always figured that he would come up in September, and would take over LF from Stairs next season and Stairs would move (pretty much) into full-time DH mode once Thomas left. Stewart's only here a year, so he wouldn't be in the mix. I'm proud to say...it seems like the Jays have just moved up the plan I forsaw them following. I've always liked Lind. His defense was lacking when he first came up in Sept. a few seasons ago, but he's worked on it and he's gotten a lot better. Sure...he might never be as good as Toronto's favourite billy goat, but still...he has a really nice,natural swing, and is another left handed bat in a pretty right-handed heavy 25 man roster.

This just thought...maybe Reed Johnson will be the goat that brings the Cubs to the Series, instead of keeping them from it. Here's hopin' for them...

I think that's about all for me tonight. I'm at a retreat and I want to get back to actually watching the game. I'm going to be working the whole Tampa series so it should be interesting.

Mactasticness AGAIN tonight as Johnny grabs the ball deflected by Rollie's glove and gets the out in the top of the 8th. Dude...you're Mactastic. No other word covers it.

Enjoy the rest of the series against the Sox. I'm not sure how much I'll actually get to watch, but it should be good.

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Jesse Listch goes tomorrow against John Danks. Good luck Pinky...getting your 4th win. Keep the score down, let your d go to work like we know it can...and you just might get it.

Stay dry this weekend, and keep hoping the Jays can win as much in May as they lost in April. So far...so good, I guess?

JaysGirl5

P.S. I'll tell the Denbo story next chance I get.

Long Time Coming...

Needless to say, posts have been few and far between lately. It's not for a lack of wanting to post...mainly a lack of time to do so.

See...this lucky girl started a part time job for MLBAM this season. Dream come true, get to be in my fave place every home game, etc., etc....but let's just say that dream job + regular day job = hardly enough time to sleep. It doesn't help that it's year end time at the reg. job...so it's pretty hectic. Things will quiet down soon, so I hope to be posting on a more regular basis.

As for the season so far...

I can't say 100% that I'm completely convinced the '08 Jays have gotten rid of all the ghost of '07. Sure, no massive exodus to the DL or anything like that...but does anyone else see the inconsistency of play that the Jays have showcased, not just last season, but season's past? I don't think it can be just me. A lot has been said about not playing down to teams and such, but a big part of that (and maybe the whole part) is just being consistent. No 11 runs one game and 1 run two games later kind of thing.

Okay...the small concession I'll make on that last point is that if one night you need 11 to win and the next 1's all you can get (to win) in a great pitcher's duel...that happens. But I have a hard time not believing that if the Jays could manage to be more even-keeled over the course of the season, October baseball would come north again. Sweeps are nice and all, but I'm more concerned with winning series.

I can't get past the look on Doc's face tonight after the loss...I wanna say it was a "what more can I do?" look...because you know Doc's thinking it, but it's not true. In none of the losses the Jays have had this season can you pinpoint it on one person. Last night's 14 inning showcase of the Jays inconsistent play is a perfect example. I commend and respect Zaunie and AJ all the more for both taking the blame for the loss, but I think I put the blame on the offence. Had they managed to score even 1 run in the multitude of chances they had up until AJ's wild pitch, that situation would have never happened. Sure if Zaunie hadn't let that ball go by, the Rangers might not have scored. But...then we still might be playing the game...so...

What I will say about the '08 Jays is that there are a few pleasantries so far. I've always loved watching Eckstein play, even though he was a pain in the collective Blue Jays ass before be became a Jay. I think he's fitting in nicely so far and starting things at the top of the order. Also, one of the perks of the part-time gig is that I get to watch batting practice every day (sometimes even a little on the field) and I think it's awesome that Eck wears a helmet even during BP, then uses it as a basket to gather balls with when his BP group's session is done. Yeah, small and weird fact, but oh well.

As for the pitching, I will say that I've been quite impressed with Jesse Carlson. I must say that striking out the side with the bases loaded was awesome and he seems to have a good idea what he's doing. I want to say I'm surprised by Shaun Marcum, but I don't really think I can. Last season I saw in him a good example of the even-keeledness (is that a word?) that I wish the team as a whole could have. He seems to have a good ability to stay within himself on the mound, and seems to slot in really nicely in the back end of the rotation. My only concern with him last year was endurance, as he never had pitched that many innings in a season before. It seems that might not be an issue this year as he worked hard on conditioning in the offseason, but it's early days yet.

Just some random thoughts before I catch some sleep...
- Yay for Doc making it out of Texas without some kind of freak accident and with a win!
- I really am enjoying the powder blues the guys will be doning on Friday night.
- It was pretty cool when I walked into work today and saw Pat Hentgen hanging out in the media area at the Dome. It was also pretty cool when I almost bumped into him on the way to the washroom. I seem to do that a lot, as I almost completely ran into J.P. Riccardi on my second day as I was exiting the ladies. _______________________________________________________________________
Kenny Rogers (0-3) and his Tigers come to town to face David Purcey, who is making his major league debut. Detroit comes to town with a 5-11 record, the second worst record in the majors (Washington is last at 4-12). Hopefully the Jays can get back to winning ways against the Gambler. Good luck David on your debut!

That's it for me. Tomorrow's my first night on the baseball gig by myself. Wish me luck, and enjoy the game.
JaysGirls5

The game that never was...

It’s easy to wax poetic about Opening Day, or…the makeup game because Opening Day was rained out. There really is nothing like knowing that after weeks of games that don’t mean anything, that it’s time for meaningful baseball again. For one day of the season, every team and every player is perfect.

That’s not to say that to die-hards players and teams aren’t perfect in their own way throughout the season, but at least on opening day they don’t have the baseball world and stats telling them otherwise.

All of the baseball previews I’ve seen have ranked the Jays 3rd in the AL. Nothing new. So what. I think other than roster changes, two of the biggest things to hit this team this season are attitude adjustments.

A lot has been said about Doc speaking out not quite as vaguely as usual. Aaron Hill said it right on Jays Connected/The Season: ’08 Jays this past Sunday…Doc leads by example. He’s not very vocal, so when he does say something, you listen.

I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to see that last year (and even years before) the Jays didn’t always take all their opposition seriously. Sure, the Yanks and Sox they had to beat. Those games are must win every time. What about the other 120ish games you have to play? That’s where the other attitude change comes in.

Scott Rolen got it right* when he said it’s not just about beating the Yankees and the Red Sox, it’s about winning enough games to make it to the post-season.

My take on it…if they happen to be 2 of the teams you have to play a lot to play in October, okay, but you still have to win enough games to get there (somewhere higher than mid-80s). True, as a Jays fan, any time you can stick it to the Yanks and Sox it’s great, but that doesn’t win you the division or the wild card. At the end of the season when other teams are staying warm in the autumn air still playing baseball, memories and gloat-worthy victories don’t really keep you warm.

The Jays have the talent to win the majority of the games they play. Is that being cocky? I don’t think so. Biased? Don’t think that, either. I don’t think every game is going to be a blowout or a sure win (since there really isn’t such a thing), but that doesn’t change the fact that the scale might be slightly tipped their way going in. True, there might be some chinks in the roster, but what team doesn’t have some? But you look around at the lineup and pitching staff, and you know they can do it. (Okay, so that last sentence might be a teensy bit biased. I love my team, so kill me!)

Still, in the end it doesn’t really matter to me what happens. I’m just glad they’re back. I’m looking for Doc to have another great year. It’s kinda cool to see Stew back, even though Reed had to go to Chicago. Shannon was a part of the Fab 5 Jays when I was younger and I have fond memories of watching them play. The Windy City was good to another Fab 5er (Gonzo), so here’s hoping they’ll be great to Reed.
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Doc faces off against Chein-Ming Wang tonight at 7:05. The actual game probably won't start closer to half past, since this is the last Season Opener at the current Yankee Stadium. Reports are that Stairs won't be in the lineup today and might land on the DL. Bad things happen in 3s and Stairsy would be Jay #3 on the 15-Day DL this year (if it happens).

Enjoy the game!
I'm SO Glad the baseball in BACK!
JaysGirl5

*Another quote from JaysConnected this past Sunday. I really do love that show.

"6 Days To Wait...I loooooove you..."

Okay, so that's a really sad rendition of "Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles...but like everybody else in baseball, I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

There's only just over 6 days left until the first Grapefruit/Cactus League games. It's kind of weird because this time last year, I was preparing for my first Spring Training trip. Even though this season is shaping up to be AMAZING for me personally, it's strange not going back. Someday I will make the trip every year. Someday.

But, back to actual baseball business. Today was the full team's first workout. Big reports from yesterday included David Eckstein and Matt Stairs.

So far everyone who had surgery last year is looking good. Vernon's getting back to full strength, Rolen feels better than ever, Lyle's been working well, BJ's been pitching great. Even Chacin seems to be making a pretty good impression post shoulder surgery.

I thought this article about BJ's surgery was pretty cool. Arnie talks about what it was like when he had the same surgery in '89. Give it a read.

Another article from the MLB site that I highly enjoyed was about this upcoming season, reviewing how the Jays are looking in all areas. I'm already looking forward to this season more than I ever have before, but having it all laid out there in the article makes the prospect of this season even greater.

As per the Mitchell Report and Roger Clemens, part of me does feel that he's almost not even worth the typing anymore. I kind of considered that Roger Clemens left the game when he retired, then signed with Houston. The Clemens since then is just some...I don't know, clone or droid.

It's one thing to be a player-in-demand or a successful player who plays with a lot of teams, but that's not what Clemens has been since after the '03 season. I have a hard time believing that someone is actually interested in being a professional baseball player when they don't travel with the team on road trips they're not playing in. I guess I kind of have a problem with someone being a baseball mercenary. In my heart of baseball hearts I realise I might be an idealist and expect that everyone wants to play because they love the game. I'm not saying I don't get going to the highest bidder, but at least when A-Rod did, you can't really doubt his desire to win a World Series, to be the best player he can be, and to compete and win at all costs. (Hence his "Mine!" shenanigans from last season.) It's not just all about the money. With this Rocket Roger clone/droid, I have those doubts. I have since he left New York for big ol' Texas and I always will. And it has nothing to do with the findings of the Mitchell Report.

Do I believe Roger Clemens used HGH or steroids? I don't really care. His career is what it is. Everyone's career that was a part of the "Steroids Era" is what it is. We can't go back and change it. It's stupid to * everything, all the numbers, all the records. It happened. Live with it. Can we please stop standing still, still? Let's stop looking back and pointing fingers and FINALLY move forward from this whole thing. Steroids already claimed enough time in baseball, why let it have any more?

With attendance and revenue steadily growing season after season things are only looking up for Major League Baseball. So...keep it going. With the climate the way it is, drug testing getting better and more reliable, and testing for HGH hopefully going to be incorporated soon, I would think any baseball player would be dumber than a post to take anything banned or illegal.

On the other side of things, it might only be my personal belief, and not be able to be backed up by anything concrete, but it's not hard to see why pro baseball players would juice up. As contract amounts steadily grew, more importance was put on the kinds of numbers you put up every season. In guys who I would believe are naturally competitive, is it so hard to believe that even though they're teammates and union members they would be competitive with each other for how much money they got? So, if the option was available to you to boost your performance, that wasn't against any rule, and the only place it was illegal was in the court of baseball traditionalism...why not? If it wasn't banned and wasn't tested for, who would know? How would you get caught? And all the while...you'd be smiling all the way to the bank. Part of me would hope there would be at least a little piece of them felt a little guilty for (yes I'm going to write it) sullying the purist competition of the game of baseball.

By no means am I saying it's okay or that I would even do the same thing myself, but I can't hate the players who did it. I can't even be mad at them really. It might be an ugly part of the game's past, but so was pre-integration. All that's really left now is moving forward. Can we just get on with it, please!

I must say, I've never really been the biggest Jason Giami fan, but I do respect him for his comments towards the whole Mitchell Rreport/Andy Pettitte situation.

And as usual, I agree with Mr. Carson. Same with Mr. Campbell. Especially with Mr. Campbell.

YAY!

Enjoy Spring Break next week if you're so inclined. Otherwise, enjoy the countdown to Spring Training Games like I will be.
Bye for now!
JaysGirl5

P.S. Looks like the Jays will win the World Series again...I posted again. WOO! lol.

There's Always Next Year!...and now it is.

Considering pitchers and catchers report in less than 5 days, I thought it was about time I (gulp!) acknowledged the end of last season.

I know, I know. It’s been…almost 5 ½ months since the 2007 regular season ended, but it’s a hard thing to type aloud to cyber space for me. As long as I don’t admit that the season is over, a part of me can get through the wonderful Canadian winter and hockey season. Mind you, neither one has been terribly bad so far.

It’s winding up to be an exciting season. The lineup is looking good, and although I have some questions regarding Mr. Johnny Mac and his playing time, I’m really, really looking forward to seeing what this team will be able to do.

I must say, I pretty much agree with all the deals that were made this winter for the Jays. Yes, I was looking forward to having Mactasticness in every game, but Eckstein does give a slight offensive boost without losing too much defence. If the lineup can produce like it was designed to, even before the Rolen and Eckstein additions, you could take the average hit where Johnny is concerned. I realise it’s hard to say whether Johnny Mac’s clutch hits (especially with the bases loaded) will continue this season, but considering he was training with Travis Hafner (I believe) this off-season, you gotta believe he’s been working hard-core on his batting.

As for the Mitchell Report, well, hallelujah! I don’t mean that for the results or for the names mentioned, but just for the fact that the thing is finally released. Now the baseball world can quit concentrating on who’s name is going to pop up next in the investigations to put the report together, but can move forward to dealing with the whole steroids era and move forward from it. I’m going to have some more personal thoughts on the whole “is taking steroids, etc. when they weren’t illegal in the game still cheating” question later. I figure for my first post, post season 2007 I’ll take it easy. All I will say, is that once I again I totally agree with Scott Carson. I'll also have some more thoughts on Clemens, too...but not many. Don't really know if he's worth it anymore.

Let the countdown official begin and continue for Spring Training, the Regular season, and my first/last pilgrimage to the House that Ruth Built later this summer.

Just a note, I do believe Dustin McGowan has shaved the chops. I saw him at the Flex Pack autograph signing, and although I wasn’t specifically looking for them, I don’t recall seeing them either. Who knows…maybe he’ll grow them back throughout the season. Or…maybe he’s just waiting for some March Mustache Madness. Stranger things have happened.

I’ll post again soon, cross my heart, hope to die, may the Jays never win the Series again if I don’t!
JaysGirl5