Mike - no game tonight, its wednesday.

Oops.. that's odd. Why is there a break in the series? Is it so everyone can watch hockey? :)

I'll change that ASAP.

Hentgen, we won't need you tonight, but hopefully he can go deep into Wednesday's game.

First, I had a great time at the game last night. Thanks to everyone that was there. The voice is very hoarse today, must pace myself next time as the thought of extra innings never crossed my mind. I'm not sure that the Jays liked 'the Hentgen', they did everything they could to keep it off the Jumbotron, which made it funnier as Pat continued to glide with the panning camera.

As for the trade, I'm not at all eager to save Rogers' money. My point is this, who cares if the Jays have $13 million to spend. The Yanks obviously can't buy a starter, sure it might help next year but that's next year. Also, there's no reason to believe that this money will carry over, i.e. the Jays will have $63 million next year. My opinion can be changed if people can come up with players that the Jays could get this year and keep for 2 more that would make the Jays winners.

Nice work, Christopher. I was trying to put together some sort of pun regarding my hope that the Jays can start to score runs "in excess".

Oops.. that's odd. Why is there a break in the series?

My guess is that the series was supposed to start on Tuesday, but
the game was moved to Monday for the holiday.

Nice work, Christopher. I was trying to put together some sort of pun regarding my hope that the Jays can start to score runs "in excess".

Nice! You win ten million points and a beverage to be named later.

Oops.. That was supposed to link to Christopher's post. Leigh only won a million points. :)

http://www.garnetknight.com/gas/pricelist.php?location=2
Nice! You win ten million points and a beverage to be named later.

Ten million, that's cool.
Any way to redeem those points for gasoline?

If the Jays do this trade, would they keep Encarnacion? Seems unlikely that they'd want him to me, which makes me think that JP would already have a trade worked out for him.

Why is there a break in the series?

Monday would have been an off day, but they moved up the Tuesday game because of Victoria Day to lessen the sting of having the Canada Day marquee matchup in Puerto Rico this year. Yay for MLB's scheduling drones!

Last night was a great night for the Cheer Club. I'm wrecked, too -- tea with lemons in it all day for me.

http://bigleaguers.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/6642/career
Wasn't Encarnacion given away this offseason? And that's all we can get for Delgado? That'd be a horrible move and I don't see Rogers putting the extra money towards next years team.

Looking back: Craig Wilson (COMN) of the Pirates was a one time Blue Jay (that horrible Merced trade continues to haunt). What with the Jays offensive struggles, that one really hurts right now.

And my answer to the question of the day: no way I trade Delgado for so little. The Jays don't have anyone to replace him, and the trade would pretty much destroy any casual fan interest in the club. Encarnacion and Loney aren't going to help the team.

If I were in DePodesta's shoes, I'd make the trade in a heartbeat. The Dodgers have the money, Encarnacion isn't helping, and Green can always move back to the outfield.

As for the trade, I'm not at all eager to save Rogers' money.

Exactly. But assuming Delgado waived the no trade, you knew you couldn't sign him to a 2 year $25 million deal, and the saved money would be used on the payroll I'd be for it.

Draft picks are great, and they make previewing the draft more fun for me, but you still have to pay about $1 million each (and probably more) for the other team’s pick and the sandwich pick, in addition to paying Delgado the rest of the season.

If you make the trade for Looney you get a player that’s comparable to a high draft pick, except that he’s further along and you don’t have to pay the bonus to sign him. I assume Encarnacion would be included to send money back to Toronto (I want to say he signed for 2 years and $8 million this year – which would leave about $7 million).

So the Jays would save $6 million over 2 years (plus not paying draft picks) and get a top prospect in return. I think it comes down to how much you like Looney. The money saved isn't that much with Encarncion coming back (unless I'm wrong about the contract).

Yes, I just realized I changed my mind as I went through the last post.

What's the over/under on when Phelps gets moved out of the 8th spot?

As soon as I give up and drop him from my fantasy roster.

As for the Delgado trade, if you're going to trade him, I think it's ridiculous to sell low now, rather than wait till he gets hot and trade him for something better than Encarrnacion and an 18-year-old 1B prospect. It's worth the extra $2 million or whatever to wait a month.

As for the Delgado trade, if you're going to trade him, I think it's ridiculous to sell low now

I agree. This is probably the worst time to trade Delgado. Not just because of the slump Delgado is in, but also because of the funk the team is in. The casual fan needs a reason to go to the ballpark, and a losing club without Delgado would make tickets an ever harder sell. Not that I'd base a deal entirely around the casual fan, but the timing just doesn't seem right.

Agreed, too early in the season. A salary dump for some prospects is totally cool at the trade dealine if the Jays are 15 or so games back. That's pragmatic, getting something for your assets. The trade today would be a write off of the season and a signal to fans not to bother.

This trade sounds highly suspicious. Possibly something the likes of RG would propagate.

That being said, a strong cheer club session, my first.

Alex and I got recognized by some people we know both on skydome and on TV. Apparently Rob Faulds commented on our noise, although these rumours are as of yet unconfirmed.

The sign shall reign supreme these next few days, despite the jumbotron's unwillingness to put on the sign, it got briefly seen and loved by all.

Good news on the Delgado injury. My CBS Sportsline fantasy site said that the worst case scenario is Delgado will be the DH Wednesday. Might take him a few days to get back to 1B, but he'll hit. Perhaps only hitting for a few days might help the slump too-which he was starting to show signs of emerging from anyway.

I was watching the game on ESPN and they mentioned that the Jays had no help on the way in AAA and AA as both teams were below .500 and the best prospect McGowan was out until 2006 with an injury. Buck then had to add that there were still a couple of good players that Gord Ash had drafted that were still in the system Rios and Quiroz and that was all. I heard Buck take those shots a few times...I guess he's still bitter at JP....

As for the Delgado trade, if you're going to trade him, I think it's ridiculous to sell low now, rather than wait till he gets hot and trade him for something better than Encarrnacion and an 18-year-old 1B prospect. It's worth the extra $2 million or whatever to wait a month.


1. Weak 2004 numbers notwithstanding, Loney is a stud. There was talk of him making the big team out of ST.

2. Delgado, even producing at his 2003 rate, will not fetch much because of his price tag and impending free agency.

If the Dodgers really are offering this, and Delgado agrees to waive his no trade clause, I'd take the money and run. BTW, Encaracion makes 3.65 MM this year, and is guaranteed 4.35 MM for 2005.

Having said all this, does it seem weird to anyone else that DePodesta would trade away his best hitting prospect for a rental? The only way this would all make sense is if Delgado got a contract extension in return for waiving his no trade clause.

I'd like to hear from the doctors about Loney's injuries before I'd even think about it, now or at the deadline. He seems to have a world of talent, and when he's healthy, he hits the cover off the ball, but he's rarely healthy.

http://`
I am a petty, awful person and long-standing member of the Grammar Police; I don't care if there are grammar erros in a blog post or thread, but Spencer Fordin should know better:

" ... of an extremely unique nature"

Ugh. The word "unique" cannot be modified in that way. Since "unique" by definition means "one and only one," then words like "very" and "extremely" do not and cannot apply. The word can only be modified in such a way that the modifier applies to something else, as in an observer who sees something that is "pleasingly unique."

That is all. Carry on.

Apparently Rob Faulds commented on our noise, although these rumours are as of yet unconfirmed.

I can confirm this. Not only did he comment on your noise, he named your section (518) and the camera then panned to you guys for about 10 seconds.

Buck then had to add that there were still a couple of good players that Gord Ash had drafted that were still in the system Rios and Quiroz and that was all.

Buck Martinez, David Bush. Buck Martinez, Gabe Gross. Buck Martinez, Russ Adams. Buck Martinez, Josh Banks. I'm sure you all have a lot to discuss.

...and it became known the world over that 518 is the place to be.

I can confirm this. Not only did he comment on your noise, he named your section (518) and the camera then panned to you guys for about 10 seconds.

...and it became known the world over that 518 is the place to be.

"Buck Martinez, David Bush. Buck Martinez, Gabe Gross. Buck Martinez, Russ Adams. Buck Martinez, Josh Banks. I'm sure you all have a lot to discuss."

Nitpick alert. Gabe Gross was an Ash Draft pick, his last first rounder. Brandon League was taken in the 2nd round after him.

I can confirm this. Not only did he comment on your noise, he named your section (518) and the camera then panned to you guys for about 10 seconds.

I heard it too. He made a comment about the drum starting up again so the camera panned up and gave you guys quite a bit of airtime. And so begins a legend.

Gabe Gross was an Ash Draft pick, his last first rounder.

Quite so. I was thinking more along the lines that Buck is overlooking all the other talent in the Jays' farm system, acquired by both regimes. No prospect currently measures up to Rios and Quiroz in terms of ceiling, but it's disingenuous for Buck to imply that the cupboard is otherwsise bare.

And of course there's Adam Peterson who may not be all that far off, along with Aaron Hill in AA. When you consider that it's taken Rios and Quiroz five years in the Jays system to get to where they are it seems a little unfair to blame JP for his prospects not being ready to make an impact after only 1-2 years.

Why did I choose to miss the game last night? It was a wild and crazy affair and the first time I'm not there for the drum, and 518 gets mentioned. My fifteen minutes of fame are gone.

I would hold onto Delgado for now, for both PRs sake and because he's slumping so much. If they get a great offer, then take it of course, but otherwise I'd wait for a while. Let teams grow a bit more desperate, let Delgado hit 4 homeruns in a week, and so forth.

If Loney is a stud (his numbers suggest otherwise), and if the Dodgers throw in a pitcher (they must have some loose gems in that bullpen with their legendary, low team ERA) and/or a solid bench player, and if they pick up Delgado's pay, I'd be very tempted to make the deal.

Toronto has always had a way to re-make re-model the castoffs of other organizations. Enarnacion could be the next Devon White. Then again he could be Raul Mondesi.

Buck Martinez does sound sour. I'm wondering if our minor league talent has been over-hyped?

Truth be told, no one is anywhere close to contributing to this current blue jays team, but probabaly Adam Peterson, Gabe Gross is struggling with power and his OBP is way down. Alexis Rios, is not embarassing himself, but looks far from a future superstar this season.

Comparing the Ash regime to the current one is difficult because of their difference in philosophies. JP likes college players for all the reasons previously mentioned including they get to the show faster. Their ages will be about the same, Rios vs Adams, they just entered the system at different stages. Right now there is little help ready, regardless who signed them and injuries are a factor. The guys in AAA will be ready in a couple of months, fingers crossed.

http://www.benmaller.com/archives/2004/may/25-angels_eat_240_burgers.html
COMN - Angels eat 205 White Castle burgers while on stop over in Detroit this weekend. Nice.

Isn't Loney, essentially just Vito but 4 years younger? Are we calling him a stud based on 1 good year in rookie ball and two mediocre years since?

I don't see why Loney is a factor. This looks like a pure salary dump to me. If that's the case, I hate to think that JP is calling the season off already.

Somebody tell me I'm wrong.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylc=X3oDMTBpcDBuM2RlBF9TAzk1ODYxNzc3BHNlYwN0aA--?gid=240524114&prov=ap
COMN for another recap about last night, but this one includes some strong words from Guillen to his pitching teamates.

Devil's Advocate, I edited your comment. You used < and > as brackets, which Greymatter (not the most sophisticated software) interpreted as HTML tags, messing up the formatting.

Isn't Loney, essentially just Vito but 4 years younger?

Not at all. He hit .343/.385/.571 in 35 AB in the Dodgers camp, with 5 doubles and a homer -- as a teenager. His last year of high school, he hit .509-8-58 and was 12-1, 1.51 with 120 strikeouts in 69 innings. BA called him a future Gold Glove 1B. David Cameron made an extensive BP report on Loney in March. So did John Sickels at ESPN.com -- everybody who has seen the kid raves about him.

Some might say he's "brittle," after knee surgery in high school and two DL stints in as many pro seasons, but last year's broken wrist was a result of a HBP and that spring performance suggests he's fully recovered. His poor numbers this year are a direct result of another fluke injury. He broke the tip of his left middle finger when hit by a throw trying to break up a double play. It wasn't a big deal until it became infected and needed minor surgery. So it may not be 100% yet, which explains his slow start in AA.

I'm not suggesting that there was any truth to the rumours, and of course it's all pointless speculation unless Delgado has given a trade to L.A. his blessing. However, if Carlos is determined to go there anyway after this season, it's highly unlikely that the Jays would get anyone with Loney's talent and potential from the resulting draft picks, so I'd be pretty happy with Loney and an everyday OF in return.

And lest we forget, Carlos has a no-trade clause that he has never shown the first indication he wants to waive, particularly not mid-season. Carlos is a smart guy, and he knows that Chavez Ravine is the worst possible place for a slugger to display his prowess in his free-agent year, particularly when he's mired in a terrible slump.

I'm wrong!

Thanks Coach.

Everyone was screaming for Bengie to hold the ball but it was so loud. It was just odd -Jeff DaVanon

Way to go Cheer Club!

Gabe Gross is struggling with power and his OBP is way down

Gross is doing just fine right now. His K/BB was something like 24/3 at the start of the year iirc, and now it's up to 29/14 and his OBP is up to .352. The power isn't all there yet but hopefully it will continue to come around. I still expect he'll be the first hitter called up, possibly in a month or two if the firesale does begin and Cat gets sold off.

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-146/epid-1433/
Is the National Grammer Rodeo in Canada again this year?

If the Dodgers really are offering this, and Delgado agrees to waive his no trade clause, I'd take the money and run.

But what would be the fate of the saved money?

If it were (a) not going to be tacked onto next year's budget (which I doubt it would) and (b) not spent in-season this year to upgrade the team (what would be the point?), then how does the casual fan (or even the ZLC, for that matter) stand to see our enjoyment of 2004 not wane even further?

Do we even know for sure that LA "has money"? Recall, they are under new ownership.

If I'm LA, I'd much rather spend a prospect on Carlos Beltran than Delgado, and then spend the balance of the year getting a head start on signing Beltran to a FA contract.

Having said all this, does it seem weird to anyone else that DePodesta would trade away his best hitting prospect for a rental?

Well, the NL West is ripe for the picking this year.

The unofficial poster has been unveiled for THE INSURRECTION.

It's in that titled thread, #1798. Check it out.

Griffin's piece on Escobar is on very shakey ground. I'm not sure how J.P. is the bad guy when Escobar is the one headed to court.

Escobar has also pitched worse this year for the Angels than he did for the Blue Jays last season and it's pretty clear that he'll never fully realize the magical potential that he apparently has.

Off topic, but a good explanation...

"Vegas is great. But it's tough to push yourself away from the craps table and the blackjack table to go to the ballpark."
--Tanyon Sturtze, Yankees pitcher, on his time pitching for the Las Vegas 51s (Yankees.com)

Looking back: Craig Wilson (COMN) of the Pirates was a one time Blue Jay (that horrible Merced trade continues to haunt).

More and more, I think the trade that smarts the most is trading away Michael Young, which also led ash to waste another 10 million on Loaiza. If the Jays had a middle infield of Young and Hudson, they'd be looking pretty damn good.

As for the Delgado rumours --- well, to me at least --- that's a pretty terrible deal. Loney is awful young (at least 2.5 years away from the Majors) and Encarnacion didn't even have his last arbitration year picked up by the Marlins. The only way I do any deal with the Dodgers is if Loney and Edwin Jackson are in the deal. Otherwise, why not wait until the deadline when some teams are bound to be more desperate? One thing for certain though is that the chances of Delgado remaining in TO even for the rest of this season seem to be getting smaller and smaller.

I'm praying for Kelvim to win the Cy Young.

(I overpaid for a game-worn jersey in a charity auction and I'm hoping a Cy will allow me to unload it on Ebay.)

The Toronto Blue Jays are between 2.8 and 3.4 wins below their expected level, based on runs, equivalent runs and equivalent runs adjusted for strength of opponent. The 3.4 wins below expectation is tops in the majors. According to adjusted equivalent runs, the Jays ought to be 20.4 and 23.6, or .464 (75.1 win pace, compared to their current 66 win pace).

Griffin's piece on Escobar is on very shakey ground. I'm not sure how J.P. is the bad guy when Escobar is the one headed to court.

I couldn't agree more, Niles. I'm not sure why Griffin even mentioned the lawsuit at all if he was just going to shrug it off like it was a dispute over a parking ticket.

Classic Griffin story about a former Jay returning to T.O., where he had been spurned by a tightfisted J.P. I'm looking forward to next week's Texas series, where Griffin will no doubt share the heartbreaking tale of how Brad Fullmer really wanted to be a Blue Jay for life, until Ricciardi turned his world upside down.

If the Jays could get James Loney for Carlos Delgado they should do it. Along with Kotchman and Morneau, Loney is a stud and amongst the best 1B prospects in the game, a position the Jays don't have anybody decent ready to take over.

But like Jon Weisman, I'd be really surprised if the Dodgers would be willing.

Encarnacion would only serve to block the AAA guys. The Jays outfield is not strong and although he would probably improve it short term, the Jays are not in a position where they can realistically expect to compete this year. It is better to not waste next years budget on him and take your chances at siging Delgado.

"Vegas is great. But it's tough to push yourself away from the craps table and the blackjack table to go to the ballpark."

Translation : "Not even I can take my career seriously anymore".

Thanks Tanyon.

I'm not entirely convinced of that short-term improvement either.

The only way I do any deal with the Dodgers is if Loney and Edwin Jackson are in the deal.

That's asking for a little much, isn't it? Sure, if Delgado were reasonably paid, it might be realistic. But he's not. So it isn't.

Otherwise, why not wait until the deadline when some teams are bound to be more desperate?

Yes, JP might possibly find a desperate team, willing to pay more at the deadline. Or, he might find that the Dodgers are the only real suitor and the only place Carlos would be willing to play (don't forget about his relationship with Shawn Green). By waiting, he'd be betting that the Dodgers are still going to be in the hunt at the deadline and wanting to add players instead of selling.

Also, if they don't think they could sign him at the end of the year, wouldn't the Dodgers likely pay more for 4 months of Delgado than 2 months of Delgado?

More and more, I think the trade that smarts the most is trading away Michael Young, which also led ash to waste another 10 million on Loaiza. If the Jays had a middle infield of Young and Hudson, they'd be looking pretty damn good.

I don't blame Ash for this one. At the time, the Jays had zillions of middle infield prospects - Izturis and (Felipe) Lopez both were ahead of Young, who was mostly a second baseman at the time. Even the best GM's can't get them all right.

As for the six prospects for Plesac and Merced deal: it was a bad trade, but the Jays would have lost most of those guys in the expansion draft anyway. (As it is, they lost Nigel Wilson and Rich Butler, and a couple of those guys were ranked higher than Wilson and Butler.) They didn't have room for all their low-level prospects on their protected list.

No way the Players Association lets Delgado sign for one third his current salary no matter how much he wants to. The pressure on he and his agent would be extraordinary.

Not so sure about that, look at Roberto Alomar, he signed for $1M and it STILL seems like a burn for Arizona as he hasn't been able to play all year.

if the firesale does begin and Cat gets sold off.

Now this I won't stand for. If you do trade Delgado, sign the Cat to a 3 year contract extention immediately. He should be a fixture here.

JKCL,

If I'm not mistaken the Ortiz deal is $12.5 mil FOR two years, not each year.

Assuming JP wants to trade Delgado and assuming Delgado agrees to it I think the deal will look similar to the Stewart trade from last season. The Jays would eat Delgado's salary for the rest of the season. It's a sunk cost for the Jays anyway and this would clear the way to trade him to contenders who would otherwise not be able to afford him. It would also let the Jays off the hook to take back salary in return like Encarnacion.

Everyone was screaming for Bengie to hold the ball but it was so loud. It was just odd -Jeff DaVanon

I can confirm this. Not only did he comment on your noise, he named your section (518) and the camera then panned to you guys for about 10 seconds.

Damn, as if I wasnt upset enough about missing last nights game. DAMN YOU QUEEN VICTORIA!! I despise you! I'm having an Anti-Queen Victoria day today for her making me miss a game I so wanted to be a part of. I mean, away players saying the dome is too loud!? It's like bizzaro world!! I got alot of cheering to make up for on wednesday.

As for the fictional Delgado trade, just talking to casual fans, they seem to think the Jays are expo-bad this year and staying away. I dont want to imagine the fallout in attendance if they hear "and Delgado traded for (insert prospects or players they never heard of here)" while flipping channels. It'll be like the kiss of death (okay, maybe not death) but something bad for the franchise.

DAMN YOU QUEEN VICTORIA!!

I assume you're using your Stewie voice when you say this.

Is there any other voice to use when threatening historical monarchs?

I dont want to imagine the fallout in attendance if they hear "and Delgado traded for (insert prospects or players they never heard of here)"

Well, yes. But there'd be freakage from that level of fandom if the announcement was "Delgado traded for Mark Teixeira, Gerald Laird and Laynce Nix," because, natch "Who the *&^%$$# are these guys I never even heard of????"

Not comparing the LA rumour to this entirely fictionalized Ranger rumour. Just saying that no GM should care a whit if fans will rebel. It's a non-issue.

It's a non-issue.

unless there's some kind of curse involved.

I don't think a lot of fans would rebel anyway. It's not as if Delgado is beloved by casual Blue Jays fans. My Dad, for one, calls him "That %@#&^@# who doesn't hustle". While extreme, I think that sentiment is shared by quite a few fans.

I guess we just have very different associates. Most of the casual fans I know only know two people on the blue jays, Delgado and Hentgen. It's hard enough convincing them that the team isnt that bad and they should go see the team, it'll be a total right off if they do a pure cash dump. Not that trading for great prospects would be bad like those texas fellows, but i mean a PURE cash dump would be awful for the fanbase. Not that I think the management is that dumb to trade for someone who doesnt offer a nice amount of aid to the club in some way.

Most of the casual fans I know only know two people on the blue jays

I didn't say no one knew Delgado. :)

I think quite a few people would be upset if Delgado were traded, but it's not like he's a hugely loved Toronto sports celebrity, like, say, Wendel Clark was.

I think these rumours are a whole lot of smoke and not much fire, but if the right deal came along (that Delgado would agree to), I'd say you'd have to send him. I don't see how Delgado will fit into the 45-50 million dollar budget the Jays will have next year, so he's going to be gone sooner or later.

like, say, Wendel Clark was

Wendel who?

Just kidding, hockey fans.

Oh, no question if the right deal came along I would be fine with sending him. Im just saying that a complete and total cash dump along the lines of Carlos Delgado for Jamie McCouan would be awful for the city. If a trade comes along for a great young player who fits the clubs needs than sure, why not. But like I said, I think the management has enough smarts to not just send Carlos away for nothing so I dont even know why I'm discussing it really.

After the debacle of the 2004 season

its not even half done yet! Try to have SOME optimisim, we cant sit around and lament a season when the majority is still left to play.

its not even half done yet! Try to have SOME optimisim, we cant sit around and lament a season when the majority is still left to play.


Hear hear.

If Delgado, Hinske, and Phelps were hitting at all, we'd be 27-18 instead of 18-27. And don't forget that Halladay and Batista aren't exactly performing like they are capable of either.

Hey all,

Just back from a baseball dream weekend, and on an off-night for the Jays, thought I'd throw up some general thoughts and comments from the weekend.

We started out Friday night in Syracuse, watching David Bush battle the Louisville Bats. Fun stadium, not much of a crowd, and apparently you can drink beer all the way up to the gates. Saturday and Sunday were spent at Fenway-more about that later. Then a loooooong drive back to TO, for a Monday night under the stars, watching the Jays win one a wild one.

The Syracuse game was a lot of fun. I don't know how many of you guys have been there, but the park is absolutely wonderful, and it's tough to beat 7$US tix that put you four rows back of home plate. Home plate is also much closer to the stands, so really it's like being in the action, absent the hot chick feeding you ice cream. As for the Jays, the three guys we saw who are considered to be prospects really did stand out. Bush struggled a bit, but his breaking stuff really looked good. Once he locates it better, he's really going to be something. Rios was a lot of fun to watch-he's got an absolute cannon, and I look forward to seeing him join Wells in the outfield. The other thing I liked is that every swing he took, he was hitting the ball hard. No flies, even on the fouls-just balls hit with authority. THe Bats had Jung Bong up as well, and he's spent some time in the majors, so Rios was facing legit pitching. Adams looked good too, although I see his average is down. He played well, and smoked a nice double, IIRC.

Now, a few comments about the Fenway experience. Absolutely unbelievable. The atmosphere there was incredible, and it kind of made me a bit depressed about being a Jays fan and watching my home games at the 'Dome to be honest. Even with a pair of blowouts, the fans were completely into the game. I absolutely love how they will throw up some sort of situational stats on the scoreboard for every at bat-would it kill the Jays to do this? There was no loud between innings music, Mr. Sub hat shuffle or Ryan Greer and you know what-the place was packed with young people, who were into the game. This suggests to me that maybe baseball just doesn't understand young people, and that the Jays in particular need to try and turn the focus at SkyDome to the game. Spontaneous chants broke out for favoured players-just incredible. The only downside to the in-stadium experience was that the ushers let people come and go as they please from their seats-luckily, one of the guys I was with quickly established a "we don't move until after the batter is done" policy, which maintained our ability to enjoy the game. Props to the 'Dome for the control they maintain over this. One other thing I liked-they play "Sweet Caroline" at the end of the eighth, and the whole crowd sings along, tons of fun.

I don't really want to get into how disappointed it was to see the Jays blow the two games-Sunday's game in particular was just depressing. I'm really starting to think Delgado is more injured than we know-there was a playable ball to his left that he barely moved for, as well as a 3-0 75MPH fastball with the bases juiced that he didn't swing at. Wells sure has a cannon though-he almost nailed someone coming home, and you could tell the whole stadium was amazed by the throw. I absolutely hate Terry Adams, and thanks to the bullpen in Boston being accessible to the fans, got a chance to tell him so in no uncertain terms. If anyone can explain Tosca's thinking in bringing in Frasor in a 7-2 game now that he's the putative closer, I'd love to hear it. De Los Santos was warming up-why he didn't come in I'll never know. I'm firmly in the fire Tosca camp, if only because he seems so clueless with the bullpen.

As for Monday at the 'Dome, bit of a letdown after the experience over teh weekened, but great to see the Jays win one. Not too much to say, other than I considered heading up to 518 to say hi, but figured it'd be too cold. Some day...great work with the O-Drum though.

Don't mess with # 17 *angry look*

I think the chances of this deal becoming a reality hinges on Shawn Green recapturing his form as well as the frugality of McCourt. Tracy recently questioned Green's performance in the media. The dodgers can't survive much longer with him struggling so. They could make a panic move with the Angels stealing alot of their thunder the last 6 months.