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Bad to swallow you whole
Kick the clay that holds the teeth in
Throw your trolls out the door

Another night, another disappointing ball game, as the Season From HellTM reaches a new nadir. Watching the Jays go 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position wasn't much fun for us, so you can imagine how frustrating it is for them. The problem isn't apathy — Delgado and Phelps, in particular, appear to be trying too hard at the plate. Hudson's in an offensive funk, and Wells, understandably, isn't in his best groove yet. Getting all those runners to second and third was a positive, but the lack of subsequent timely hitting made it hard to appreciate a decent start by Lilly and some fine defensive plays by Hudson, Hinske, Woodward and Zaun.



  1. In Jays drop fifth straight, Spencer Fordin points out that a few Blue Jays reached personal milestones in the loss. Rios had his first three-hit game, and Hinske extended his hit streak to a career-high 15 games.

  2. Elsewhere on MLB.com, Fordin Notes on Catalanotto's "freak" injury — it's the abdominal wall, with referred pain in the groin. Roy Halladay is still scheduled to make his next start, with Hentgen as the most likely contingency plan.

  3. Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail paints a gloomy picture in Jays face life without Halladay: "there is a belief that he has some fraying in the shoulder that might eventually require surgery."

  4. In the Star, Mark Zwolinski's Halladay shoulders burden of pain suggests that Doc may be heading to the DL again, "mostly to rest his shoulder," and the club's decision is more about the timing of such a move.

  5. Rangers drop Jays to basement, also by Zwolinski, says the Jays' loss "reaffirmed that they are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the success story they envisioned back in spring training," and warns that the club might become permanent residents of last place.


Tonight, Miguel Batista, who did a very nice job of keeping the Rangers in the park at home in May, will attempt to stop the bleeding, but he can't do it without some run support. His mound opponent, Kenny Rogers, is nursing a sore hamstring, so maybe the Toronto hitters can (finally) capitalize. When the Jays last faced the Gambler, they got to him for six hits and seven walks in just 5.1 innings — only to lose, because all those baserunners produced just one unearned run. Sound familiar?

















Jays Roundup - When The World Is A Monster | 27 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Thomas - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:19 AM EDT (#51429) #
So with an 8:00 start this evening is this Toronto's annual appearance on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN? Any chance Sportsnet will carry that broadcast instead of Faulds and Candiotti?
_S.K. in N.J. - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:37 AM EDT (#51430) #
Nope. It's the ESPY Awards tonight, so Sunday Night Baseball starts at 6:00 p.m. which will feature LA vs Arizona.
_Mick - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:48 AM EDT (#51431) #
Hmm, from Toronto to LA/Arizona ... I'd say you can't get there from here.
Coach - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:56 AM EDT (#51432) #
Mick wins a whole slew of points and this special prize:

_Moffatt - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 11:16 AM EDT (#51433) #
Greatest. Prize. Ever.
_Matt - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 01:21 PM EDT (#51434) #
is there any news on the two first rd southpaws yet since JP's 'all's well in the signing process' quote he used last week?
Mike Green - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 01:28 PM EDT (#51435) #
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040717/OBCOGS17//?query=baseball+poetry
COMN for an obit of Fred Cogswell, the founder of Fiddlehead Press, a poet and a baseball nut. The obit contains a rare baseball poem, which may be just the thing for despondent Jay fans right now.
_mendocino - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 02:05 PM EDT (#51436) #
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/0716ALgame0716.html
• GM J.P. Ricciardi said that college pitchers David Purcey and Zach Jackson could be under wraps by the beginning of August. Both Purcey and Jackson - picked 16th and 32nd overall, respectively - pitched through a long college season and are taking their time with the negotiation process. COMN
_IainS - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 02:12 PM EDT (#51437) #
So I guess we can call this the Jay's "Black Season" now. Perhaps we may see blue uniforms again next season? Black seems to have a jinx.
_R Billie - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 02:20 PM EDT (#51438) #
If Halladay's shoulder is in doubt then why is there a question about the timing of sending him to the DL? Send him as soon as possible and minimise the risk of significant damage.
Thomas - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 02:29 PM EDT (#51439) #
Mike, thanks for the obit. I'm not usually one for poetry, but that was quite a good poem, and it was an interesting read on the whole, as well.
_whizland2000 - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 02:32 PM EDT (#51440) #
I totally agree about the uniform thing. Aside from it being extremely unattractive it also seems to have jinxed the life out of the jays. ANY THOUGHTS….
This will forever be known as “The season from HELL”
_Tim - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:43 PM EDT (#51441) #
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040718.wtrade0718/BNStory/Sports/
Montreal has traded Carl Everett to the White Sox for Jon Rauch and Gary Majewski. COMN for details. Looks like a decent trade for Montreal. Both of those pitchers have some good upside.
Named For Hank - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:43 PM EDT (#51442) #
I find the home whites to be okay, I love the home grey hat and I am head over heels for the road grey jersey. The black jersey I can live without, and I was glad to see the Jays wearing their road greys in Texas the last two nights.
_Rob - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:45 PM EDT (#51443) #
Gary Majewski...didn't the Jays grab him in the Rule 5 a few years back and then return him to the Chisox?
_SF - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:46 PM EDT (#51444) #
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tor/news/tor_news.jsp?ymd=20040710&content_id=794733&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp
I knew I recognized good writing when I saw it. That Arizona Republic blurb came verbatim from an earlier article. And I quote:

J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager, said that college pitchers David Purcey and Zach Jackson could be under wraps by the beginning of August. Both Purcey and Jackson -- picked 16th and 32nd overall, respectively -- pitched through a long college season and are taking their time with the negotiation process.

Where's my commission? COMN, as you guys say, for the incriminating evidence.
_Rob - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:51 PM EDT (#51445) #
NFH, you said yesterday Hey, did anyone listen to the Blue Jays This Week?

It's usually on Sunday nights, 7:00. Tonight's start might interfere, however. Pregame should be 7:30, so maybe "Blue Jays This Week" is a half hour this week. Mr. Wilner, you around somewhere to confirm? :)
_Mick - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 03:54 PM EDT (#51446) #
SF, you'll note that the Arizona Republic story carries the "byline" of the Associated Press. So it's not incriminating evidence so much as evidence that Fordin files his reports on the wire and contractual terms are that they can be used verbatim without sourcing.

About 90 percent of what appears in any newspaper is either advertising or wire copy; it'd be virtually impossible to staff in any other way.
_XX - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 04:01 PM EDT (#51447) #
MLB.com doesn't file on the wire. It may use wire reports for rare stories that it doesn't staff, but it's not a two-way street.
_Tim - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 04:01 PM EDT (#51448) #
Yes, the Jays did select Majewski in the Rule 5. It was last year, when they selected Aquilino Lopez, Gary Majewski and Jason Dubois. They ended up keeping only Lopez. Right now Majewski is pitching better in AAA than Lopez is. Dubois was hitting .300 in AAA with 20 homers, and has been called up to the Cubs where he's hitting .167 (2/12) with 5 strikeouts. Very hard to say, but the other two picks from that draft might turn out better than Lopez, unfortunately.
Joe - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 04:06 PM EDT (#51449) #
http://me.woot.net
Mick, I think SF might be a heavily-obfuscated acronym for Spencer Fordin. :)
_Mick - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 04:39 PM EDT (#51450) #
Well, then, I withdraw the observation/guess. And that explains the "commission" comment.

I've had enough of my own wire copy appear in other publications unbylined that it doesn't faze me much. If that's not the case here, then Fordin has every right to feel a bit ruffled.
_jim854 - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 05:10 PM EDT (#51451) #
I think Jays fans need a vitamin infusion to breathe some life, momentarily, into a rather moribund corpse.

JP, if you are reading the Box today, how about signing our top 2 draft picks as soon as possible, bringing them to TO when you return from the roadtrip, introduce them at Skydome and invite Gerry to interview them for the Box.

That would certainly lift my spirits especially if, as has been rumoured in the Star, Doc may be lost for the rest of the season! I mean when was the last time the Star wrote about something it knew nothing about!
_Jeff Geauvreau - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 05:15 PM EDT (#51452) #
Urgent Craig; Please check your email and call me collect at my phone number that is listed in the email.

Extremely Urgent Craig , Day or night call !

Thanks Jeff
_whizland2000 - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 05:19 PM EDT (#51453) #
I mean when was the last time the Star wrote about something it knew nothing about! Sorry don't know how to do italics

white jays comes to mind!!
_Loveshack - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:36 PM EDT (#51454) #
Aw Heck!!!!!!!!!!
_Loveshack - Sunday, July 18 2004 @ 10:36 PM EDT (#51455) #
Sorry wrong thread
Jays Roundup - When The World Is A Monster | 27 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.