FWIW, one of the things I did pick up from the YES broadcast last night was that Tosca's been trying to get JP to call up Brandon League all season to help in the pen.

Cat went nuts last night, I'm glad that we've got a bit of an explanation for that.

I'm not sure if I think the world MF Bomb is stupid, or kind of cool.

The toughest part of being a manager must be stomaching the mass quantities of Maalox you've got to drink whenever one of your relievers gets into a jam.

Earl Weaver used to light up a cigarette and hide in the hallway to the clubhouse when his closer, Don Stanhouse, was pitching (100 walks in 140 innings will do that).

Is that true? I'm surprised that YES would know something as obscure as that when we've been following Jays media all year and never heard anything like that. Maybe League would help the team but the Jays have to balance what's good for him with what's good for the ML team. Promotion of important prospects ideally should not depend on the big team's needs. Throwing him to into the fire at 21 a la Kelvim Escobar may not be the right answer.

Anyway, Frederick should have been left in for one more inning last night. Tosca could have kept his options wide open simply by sticking with the reliever who was going fine. It fine to complain that certain relievers aren't doing their jobs but if you keep calling upon them in high leverage situations or closing your options in those situations then that isn't helping anything.

Elliot makes a really good point about Carlos. Too many people expect players to automatically defer to the best interests of the team. If a player wants a trade when the team doesn't want to trade him, he's disloyal. If he doesn't want to be traded when the team wants to trade him, he's selfish. Blah blah blah...

I have noticed, though, that the media seems to be a lot more favourably disposed to Delgado lately. Is this a case of only learning to appreciate things when they're gone? (or almost gone?) Or are they gearing up to sink their claws into Ricciardi once he lets the incredibly valuable and loyal team leader leave?

Re:Tosca's been trying to get JP to call up Brandon League all season to help in the pen.

The Jays are really in sad shape if they expect a 21 year old in AA to come in and fix the problems with the bullpen.

There is more news regarding Brandon League as well. Namely he is no longer a member of the Fisher Cats bullpen. League has been promoted to the starting rotation, and Jamie Vermilyea is going back to the pen. League's first start is today for those who maybe interested.

Wouldn't it be cool if the Pat Hentgen was Nineteen Forever? Of course, then his career would have matched that of Joe Jackson...

/got nothin'
//Ah! I've been reading too much Fark!

I think League going to the rotation may be to get him more innings to work on some things. I think it's a good idea whether his future is in relief or as a starter.

Vermilyea going to the pen is interesting as he wasn't doing that badly as a starter. Maybe they think he can hump up his velocity a bit more as a reliever in which case HE could move pretty quickly to help the Jays' pen. I'd be very surprised if that happened this year as this is his first full season but he might get a long look in spring training.

The Jays basically need three or four guys more guys the quality of Frasor and Chulk. And preferably at least one guy who is head and shoulders above. Vermilyea, League, and maybe Peterson if he ever gets righted could provide that next year. But it makes JP's job a bit harder. How much do you invest in veterans and how much do you rely on the youth?

With the number of young arms the Jays have I think they can afford to spend a chunk of money on one experienced closer and maybe a small amount on veteran support. Frasor and Chulk look solid if not spectacular but I wouldn't automatically rely on them to do the same things next year. Remember the lessons of Bob File and Aquilino Lopez.

I thought Tosca was a little quick with the hook all night personally. I would have opted to leave Lilly, Frederick and Ligtenberg in longer than they were.

The other thing I think I think but I dont want to think, is that this umping crew doesnt seem to like the Jays a whole lot. I havent liked the way they've called the strikezone in either game in this series and the Catalanatto incident is puzzling to say the least.

Well, that umpire has just saddled himself with a new and rather unprintable nickname.

We were wondering what in the holy hell was going on from up in 518. I had my radio with me, but the guys in the booth didn't seem to know any more than we did at the time.

Too bad to hear El Duque left with an injury -- we thought the drum had gotten to him. It sure looked like it had. He was reacting just like Johann Santana: slowing down, shaking his head a lot, looking plaintively up into the upper deck.

Last night's game made me quite angry. I realized I was grinding my teeth. I've got to sit back and realize that I'm not actually on the team.

As for the umpires the do seem to be screwing the Jays. Every close play at first so far has gone the Yankee's way. The strike zone too. Why didn't they show the overhead reply of Rios slide at home. I don't think his foot touched the plate but did Posada get to him before the hand came in?

I thought it was funny when Lilly screamed into his glove after being screwed out of strike three.

I should point out the Jays are losing due to poor relief pitching and the inability to hit with runners on, not due to the umpires.

Is that true? I'm surprised that YES would know something as obscure as that when we've been following Jays media all year and never heard anything like that.

Ken Singleton's son is Justin Singleton who is on the team in NH so he's pretty familar with the players on the club.

Aaron,

Are you heading down to the Dome tonight? After some work commitments kept me away for some time, I can start coming to games again. Lieber versus Batista should be an entertaining match up.

I'm coming, probably late, but good news, Brent: the drum will be there tonight, too.

Did anyone else see Derek's wicked post in the game thread?

O-Dog certainly seemed happy to have the O-Drum back. When the first slow clap/drumming started in the top of the 2nd he was clapping in time with the beat. I thought it was a coincidence until he started speeding up his clapping at the same time as the drum.

Yeeehaw!

Am I missing things, or is there no link to the Blue Jays site in the links section?

Lefty Dave Maurer has come on for Syracuse in the last month. He missed all of last year due to an injury (surgery?). Does anyone know what his problem was? He also seems to have missed a chunk of 2001. He's put up pretty good numbers when healthy and has had a cup of coffee in the majors. Here are his July numbers.

ERA 2.00 IP 9.0 H 8 R 2 ER 2 BB 2 K 12

In his last 5 appearances totalling 6.2IP he's not allowed a run. They don't seem to be using him very much perhaps to ease him back after the injury. Usually 1-2 inning stints separated by several days.

MetO, Dave Maurer is coming back from Tommy John surgery

Thanks. He may be regaining strength. He looked good before the injury and might be worth a look in TO.

the drum will be there tonight, too.

I'm totally down. Bring on the "Over-rated" chants.

The jackass on the Fan 590 this morning is saying all the noise at the game last night was from Yankee fans. Someone call in and defend the Cheer Club, I'm busy with customers.

Rios was definitely out. His foot missed the plate.

The umpires definitely give the Blue Jays' pitchers a smaller strike zone than the Yankees' pitchers. This may be a Yankee symptom, I've heard similar complaints from other teams.

Rios was definitely out. His foot missed the plate.

That's not what's at issue. The question is did Posada actually tag him at all. The Sportsnet crew last night and JP Ricciardi this morning (I know not the most unbiased sources but it's all I got) thought not.

Am I missing things, or is there no link to the Blue Jays site in the links section?

There's a link on the left sidebar (at the top of the blue section). Just click on the logo.

The question is did Posada actually tag him at all

After the first 10 replays I didn't think so, but there was one angle where it looked like Rios jersey moved like there was contact made.

After the first 10 replays I didn't think so, but there was one angle where it looked like Rios jersey moved like there was contact made.

Fair enough. I didnt see it, I kept waiting for them to show the overhead plate cam but for some strange reason they never did. I would think that would have been the best angle, oh well. Anyways I dont think it's a huge deal, I was just trying to clarify what was the sticking point in the discussion.

All the noise was from the Yankee fans? What game was that guy watching, because Yankee fans did not say a word until the 8th inning. Being 2 hit for most of the game will do that to you. In fact, before the drum showed up, something seemed to be wrong with the skydome noises as they were only playing the foul ball noises (no clapping or other songs between innings). Amazingly the 30,000 crowd, with many yankees fans were pretty quiet except for a slight murmur. Then people started making noise when the drum got there, and they started the skydome noises again. It was nice that they went easy on the noises for awhile though, but I guess people just have to get used to it.

I noticed that they turned off the sound effects when we were really rolling. We had lots of people come up and join us, which was fun.

It was definitely much louder after each of Hinske's big hits than during any Yankee rally and I was sitting in the midst of Yankee-land down the firstbase line.

Noise at Skydome? What noise?

I saw bits and pieces of the game on YES, and it was almost dead silent the whole way through. Even after Wells hit a HR, it was more polite applause than anything. I don't watch a lot of Jays games from Skydome, but if it's always that silent...wow. The freakin' Yankees can't even wake these people up.

Where's Dave Winfield when you need him?

Noreaga, all I can say is that they can't have been miking the crowd, then. It was loud last night, so loud that I would compare it to the volume level at Fenway when I was there in June.

Here's the easy test: could you hear the drum on TV? If not, you weren't hearing what it sounded like in the Dome. With the lid closed the sound of the drum travels fantastically.

Maybe I'll bring a recorder tonight and put up a sample tomorrow of what it sounds like in there on a drum night with a good crowd.

Maybe I'll bring a recorder tonight and put up a sample tomorrow of what it sounds like in there on a drum night with a good crowd.

That would be awesome. I always a recording of "(Phelps) We need somebody".

Hey, Brent, we could sell CDs. If Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono agree not to sue us.

Wow Pistol, that was pretty obvious.
Thanks.
:)

Noreaga, all I can say is that they can't have been miking the crowd, then. It was loud last night, so loud that I would compare it to the volume level at Fenway when I was there in June.

Well, crowds generally sound louder in the stadium than on TV.

When I was watching the game, there wasn't much noise at all. Between pitches, it sounded like wind blowing through the stadium (the noise, not actual wind). When Wells hit the HR, it sounded VERY silent, some polite applause mixed in. When we had runners on, I rarely heard the crowd get behind the team. The Yankee broadcasters in the past have commented on the complete lack of noise at Skydome, and much hasn't changed. The atmosphere is dead over there. That's not to say there aren't some loud fans out there, but there appear to be more who enjoy watching the game while sitting on their hands.

I can't comment on Fenway, but I've been to Yankee Stadium a number of times and seen even more on TV, and 5,000 fans in a rain delay at YS can make more noise than 30,000 at Skydome. The atmosphere difference is like night and day.

Hopefully when the Jays start winning, the crowds will be more energetic. I can at least understand some apathy during a miserable season like this one. If the Jays were in the East or WC race, and the atmosphere was that bad, it would be unacceptable.

I agree with Noreaga. It did seem really quiet but I could hear the drum!

Here's the easy test: could you hear the drum on TV? If not, you weren't hearing what it sounded like in the Dome. With the lid closed the sound of the drum travels fantastically.

All throughout the game, I could hear the drum. I was surprised in that you guys kept going to work on the drum even when Lilly was out there on the mound! It was pretty darn loud on the YES network though.

I'm still shaking my head over the Catalanotto/Gary Darling incident yesterday. I see that Darling is disputing Frank's account of the incident (specifically the fact that he instigated the fracas), but he must have said something to get Frank so riled up. From all appearances, the Cat is a pretty mild-mannered individual, and I would hope that MLB at least looks into his claims. If what he said was accurate, Darling should be ashamed of himself. He wouldn't dare rip into Delgado and Wells the same way if they were looking at the monitor, and he shouldn't feel free to treat Bush and Towers any differently.

And what is so terrible about looking at the monitors anyway? Is there a major league rule prohibiting players from seeing replays? If so, why? What exactly is Darling afraid of? That Bush is going to instigate a riot because he thinks the replays shows the call was wrong?

When Wells hit the HR, it sounded VERY silent, some polite applause mixed in. When we had runners on, I rarely heard the crowd get behind the team.

Okay, that does not gel with the reality of being there at all. They must have the place really badly wired for sound for your home viewing, because it was loud when there were people on base and for Vernon's home run.

The only time I'd call it quiet was after the Posada homer, between pitches as the top of the inning was finished off.

I was surprised in that you guys kept going to work on the drum even when Lilly was out there on the mound!

We were giving him the two-strike slow clap.

What exactly is Darling afraid of? That Bush is going to instigate a riot because he thinks the replays shows the call was wrong?

Maybe MF Darling had a good angle on it and saw that Rios was safe and that's why he wanted so badly for no one else to see the replay.

Okay, that does not gel with the reality of being there at all. They must have the place really badly wired for sound for your home viewing, because it was loud when there were people on base and for Vernon's home run.

I'm not sure about the YES networks sound wiring, but I can tell you from what I heard, the Wells HR was greeted with very little noise, and the sound with men on base was typical Skydome noise, a few claps.

Again, when you're in the stadium, it sounds louder because you're actually present where the noise is taking place. On TV, the noise is generally more accurate as a whole. I may have agreed with your point if I hadn't seen Jays games on YES and MSG from Skydome before. What I heard last night was consistent with what I've heard from Skydome crowds for years.

I went to Yankee Stadium during rain delays and blowouts, and the fans were loud and into the action regardless. The only time I heard as much silence in Yankee Stadium as I did at Skydome last night was when the anthems were playing, and I'm only half kidding.

Noreaga, I dont know if something is up with your TV or if the sounds guys just turned the volume down but the dome yesterday was loud to a fault. I have never heard it so loud, and that was before I went to join the drum crew. The seemingly polite old man who was sitting beside me turned and said "too %*&#@! loud in here" and put on his headphones.

I just talked to a friend of mine who was in the 100's this morning and the first thing she said "whoa, I didnt know the place could get that loud"

Again, when you're in the stadium, it sounds louder because you're actually present where the noise is taking place. On TV, the noise is generally more accurate as a whole.

What does this sentence mean? How can the sound on TV be 'more accurate' than the sound when you're actually there at the ballpark? I dont see how that could be possible. I dont get it.

I went to Yankee Stadium during rain delays and blowouts, and the fans were loud and into the action regardless.

Yep, that sounds like a Yankee fan. "Into the action" during a rain delay.

This wasn't (and isn't) a competition, but somehow you managed to lose anyway. Nice job.

Noreaga, did you watch in on YES or another network? Dave indicates the drum was definately audible on YES.

I think that was one of the best drum sessions we've had all year, and it helped having 30,000 in the Dome, as we got some of the Jays fans there clapping with us. Maybe you didn't hear much, but it definately was louder than it usually is, even for a Yankees game. Maybe we have delusions of how loud we are as we're sitting right next to the thing, but I'd have been suprised that it didn't merit a mention on Yankees radio or TV.

I'm not sure about the YES networks sound wiring, but I can tell you from what I heard, the Wells HR was greeted with very little noise, and the sound with men on base was typical Skydome noise, a few claps.

And a drum and a whole section of people cheering and clapping along with it.

I don't know how you're trying to justify being right while watching the game on TV when you're being told the opposite by people who were there. We had people come up from 126 to be with us because we were so loud that they could hear us and wanted to be up where the action was. When we're making enough noise at the top of 516 to be heard in 126, that's a friggin' lot of noise.

What does this sentence mean? How can the sound on TV be 'more accurate' than the sound when you're actually there at the ballpark? I dont see how that could be possible. I dont get it.

You get a more accurate reading of crowd noise on TV. Of course it's going to sound loud at the stadium, you're directly in the line of noise. Are you going to say it sounded quiet when there is a drum blasting behind you, and people screaming in your ear? One eye witness at a game, compared to a TV that shows the crowd as a whole, are two different things.

Yep, that sounds like a Yankee fan. "Into the action" during a rain delay.

This wasn't (and isn't) a competition, but somehow you managed to lose anyway. Nice job.


Wow, you're whining and incorrect.

I'm a Blue Jays fan living in the Tri-State area. I never knew pointing out Toronto's mime-like crowd and comparing it to the only other Stadium I've been to makes me a fan of the Yankees. Nice logic, though. I guess the guy who said he went to Fenway is a closest Red Sox fan.

And what competition were you speaking of? Crowd noise? For one, if I was a Yankees fan, I would use championships, not crowd noise, in a "competition".

Second, Montreal's stadium comes off more noisy on TV than Skydome. Most stadiums do. If by competition you mean "stating the truth", than yes, I'm "competing" with you. Apparently, I lost. Too bad.

As for the rain delay comment, I meant after rain delays, meaning when impatient fans leave early or don't want to sit in the rain and end up going home. And yes, the significantly less than paid attendance that stayed during that game was a lot louder than the Skydome crowd last night, at the stadium and when I saw pieces of the re-run later that night.

Noreaga, did you watch in on YES or another network? Dave indicates the drum was definately audible on YES.

I saw it on YES. I heard the drums, but I was talking about the crowd noise in general.

It could have been the YES mics, I'm not one to analyze that sort of thing, nor do I care, but I'm just going by what I heard, which happened to be consistent with the lack of noise I always hear at Skydome, whether it was on YES, ESPN, or anything else.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2611108
Blah, blah, blah on all parties.

What does everyone think of this rumor of Garciaparra going to the Cubs?

I think it's good for the Cubs.

One eye witness at a game, compared to a TV that shows the crowd as a whole, are two different things.

One? And only beside the drum? What the hell is the matter with you?

Noreaga, it sucks to post a triumphant "Holy heck, it was loud at the Dome last night" only to have someone repeatedly piss all over it. What are you trying to accomplish?

I'm going to take Derek's reports from the 100 level, Scott Carson's congratulations on the noise level and the number of people who came up from downstairs to join us as contrary indicators to your "it was quiet because I say so because I saw it on TV". Sorry.

Gentlemen, I think you're both right. You could definitely hear the drum on the broadcast but the microphone is close to home plate and the fans in the sushi seats are sitting on their hands that you don't get the impression that there is a lot of noise.

You get a more accurate reading of crowd noise on TV.

This is just stupid. Noise from the TV depends on the miking and the mixing done in the production truck at the studio. There is NO WAY IN HELL that the noise you hear out of a TV is closer to reality than actually being there.

I formally extend an unvitation to Noreaga.

it sucks to post a triumphant "Holy heck, it was loud at the Dome last night" only to have someone repeatedly piss all over it. What are you trying to accomplish?

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's "triumphant". On TV, the crowd noise came off very dull and silent. Period. I never made a competition out of it, just stating what I heard, and defending my stance on it. I don't see what the big deal is.

Noreaga, the big deal is that you're saying that my six months of efforts to liven the place up, which I thought were actually paying off in a big way, are all in vain and that I'm just fooling myself.

On TV, the crowd noise came off very dull and silent. Period.

But not period -- you went out of your way to tell us that the TV noise was a more accurate indicator of the reality. I said it was more likely an issue of the way the sound was miked, but you disputed that.

My guess is that the level of the drum would actually force the audible level of the ambient noise DOWN on the broadcast to avoid clipping.

Wait, wait, I see what the problem is --

Noreaga's hearing is still messed up from the time the US military played AC/DC at his house for like six days straight.

;)

This is just stupid. Noise from the TV depends on the miking and the mixing done in the production truck at the studio. There is NO WAY IN HELL that the noise you hear out of a TV is closer to reality than actually being there.

That may be true in some cases. On Fox especially, the crowd noise seems to vary mid game depending on where they place the mic, but it doesn't influence the crowd noise as a whole, loud or silent. My thing is, if it sounds loud in a stadium, it doesn't mean it's "loud" on TV or loud in comparison to what most fans would consider "loud". If I'm in a stadium with a section above me banging a drum and screaming, I'm going to say it was loud. That doesn't mean it was loud as a whole. For the most part, if it's loud in the stadium, it will come off that way on TV.

Some questions would be, is the mic and mixing done in production different at Skydome than any other stadium? If Skydome crowds sound quiet on YES, but Cleveland fans (for example) come off loud, is it production or crowd noise? I never said it's a perfect science, just a better indication than what you might perceive to be loud noise when you're actually at the game. At Yankee Stadium or Fenway or Wrigley, it sounds loud on TV. At Skydome it doesn't. I'm basing this on the YES network alone. I'm not the only one who feels this way either. Maybe our definitions of loud differ.

Again, at the end, it's not that big of a deal.

the big deal is that you're saying that my six months of efforts to liven the place up, which I thought were actually paying off in a big way, are all in vain and that I'm just fooling myself.

If you felt it was noisy, more power to you. It's really not a huge issue, I just read that you and others felt it was loud, and I thought otherwise from what I saw. No right or wrong, just differing of opinion.

If I knew mentioning the crowd noise would create this much of a stir......

I figure now's a good time to chime in with some comments.

Before the season started, I got one of the 9 packs of tickets. I've been to games in the 500 level, the 200 level, and the 100 level.

I've discovered that it doesn't really matter where I sit, if the drum's at the game, the crowd gets more into it.

I was at the infamous Anaheim game, where the Jays came back to win on a freaky baserunning play in the bottom of the ninth inning, and an Anaheim player commented that there was so much noise that he couldn't concentrate.

When Lilly's pitching, I look for the Roosevelt K's.

My favourite moment at a Jays game was the time that the "Hentgen for Closer" sign briefly made it onto the Jumbotron, only to have an embarrassed cameraman pan away quickly.

At the Jays game on Monday, I found myself appealing to THE HAMMER when Chris Gomez came up in the ninth, and sure enough, he doubled home two runs.

The point is to say that the opinion of someone who watches the games on TV doesn't matter. The Dome's a much better place because of the Cheer Club, and anyone who's gone to a game knows that.

Thanks, 6-4-3.

I was at the infamous Anaheim game, where the Jays came back to win on a freaky baserunning play in the bottom of the ninth inning, and an Anaheim player commented that there was so much noise that he couldn't concentrate.

Maybe someone should tell Davanon that they watched the game on TV and it really wasn't that loud. ;)

Something that caught my eye, an article in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

It included this tidbit buried at the end:

SkyChiefs get new pitcher

With starter Sean Douglass and reliever Micheal Nakamura recently promoted to the Toronto Blue Jays, the SkyChiefs needed a pitcher and they activated former major-leaguer Jesus Sanchez on Tuesday. The Blue Jays claimed Sanchez, 29, on waivers from the Cincinnati Reds last week.

Sanchez, a left-hander, was 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA and one save in 22 games for the Reds' Triple-A team at Louisville this season. Sanchez, who has appeared in 159 major-league games with the Marlins, Cubs and Rockies, is scheduled to start for Syracuse Thursday.

Still one player short, the SkyChiefs could soon get another pitcher. One possibility: Jason Arnold, who opened this season in Syracuse before going on the disabled list May 20 with a sore right shoulder. Arnold has been rehabilitating his shoulder at the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla.

Now the Sanchez-waiver-claim thing doesn't appear right. Sanchez cleared waivers but refused to report to Louisville... so he became a free agent. Now the question is, did the Jays sign him so quietly that nobody heard about it?

But not period -- you went out of your way to tell us that the TV noise was a more accurate indicator of the reality.

It was my opinion on what I saw, I brought up reasoning to defend that opinion, and you disagreed with it. Welcome to a message board.

I said it was more likely an issue of the way the sound was miked, but you disputed that.

See above. I admitted it could have been a mic issue, but I don't think a mic would drawn the noise out that significantly, and if it was a loud crowd, mic or not it would have showed. Again, on TV, it wasn't loud. Not even a little bit. If you were watching a Devil Rays game, and thought the atmosphere in Tampa was horrible, but a fan from the live crowd said it was mind boggling loud, you'd probably disagree with it, too (of course you won't admit it here).

We'll just agree to disagree and move on. Thou shalt not question Ricciardi or Skydome crowd noise on this forum. I'll keep that in mind.

Thou shalt not question Ricciardi or Skydome crowd noise on this forum. I'll keep that in mind.

Oh, get over yourself. People were mean to you? Boo hoo.

One other thing I noticed today... Felipe Lopez got the call back up to Cincy yesterday.

Noreaga, whether it was your intention or not, you are slightling what Aaron and the rest of the members of Cheer Club have been doing all season by saying that it sounded quiet on TV (which may be the case), and that TV provides a more accurate picture of the stadium noise (as stated above, a ridiculous claim). We have put a lot of effort into trying to bring some noise to the Dome, and while it may not be inspiring as much noise from other fans as we'd like, it does make a difference when the Drum and Club are there, compared to when they are not.

From Jeff Davanon's aforementioned statement (do we have proof of that, to demonstrate the point?) to it being menitoned on the radio several times, to Scott Carson's comment in last night's game thread to Yankees fans congratulating us on our efforts, the evidence from people there is that the Dome is louder. Whether YES picks that up or not is irrelevant, because its the case. If Frank Cat came out of the Trop and said that he had problems because it was so loud, and members of the Tampa TV crew said the crowd was much louder, than I'd be inclinded to believe them, no matter whether I heard it or not.

We're not saying the Dome is Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, but I challenge you to come to an O-Drum game and a non O-Drum game and say you didn't notice a difference.

When Hudson restrained Frankie during the game:

DOG NABS CAT

Baseball Prospectus's stat of the day is all time stolen base percentage for a team.

The 1995 Blue Jays come in second.

This is neither here nor there but at Monday's game, the Jumbotron flashed a picture of Jesse Harper when Frederick came into the game. The picture was a white guy in a Jays hat.

1) Is there a Jesse Harper on the team?
2) Has there ever been a Jesse Harper on the team?
3) Am I suffering from the Pox?

If you were watching a Devil Rays game, and thought the atmosphere in Tampa was horrible, but a fan from the live crowd said it was mind boggling loud, you'd probably disagree with it, too (of course you won't admit it here).

If I had different fans in different sections plus members of the broadcast team telling me different, I'd have to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'd be silly not to.

Official Hazel Mae to Boston, for SA(Sports Anchour)TBNL. What will I watch while I eat my cereal? They better get a good looking woman rather than going with just the other guy.

1) Is there a Jesse Harper on the team?
2) Has there ever been a Jesse Harper on the team?
3) Am I suffering from the Pox?

Jesse Harper was a minor leaguer (Dunedin) who was claimed on waivers by Milwaukee earlier this season.

I noticed the Jesse Harper bit too. The name sounds familiar (though it's a very generic name) but on the depth-chart offered here at Battersbox he isn't listed and nor is there a Jesse Harper listed on Baseball-Reference (we have a Jeremy Harper on the depth-chart and a couple Jack Harpers that played around the turn of the Century).

Ugh, that's what happens when you let a post sit on your desktop for a minute: you get beat to the punch and show'n up by someone with better info.

They better not replace her with Jim Lang. Uh.
I think Jason Portmando (sp) does a good job though.

This is even more reason to like Cat:

Catalanotto believed he was right to speak up and stand up for his teammates, especially the younger guys, but wasn't happy about getting tossed in what at the time was a close game -- the Jays had a 2-1 lead.

"I can't get thrown out of the game," he said. "I screwed up there."

The thing is, we've had testimony from many people who were at the game in different parts of the stadium. They all say it was much louder than usual.

Most of all, Scott Carson, who sits in the TV broadcast booth and is in perhaps the best physical loaction to judge overall crowd noise, said it was loud.

And I still think it's stupid to make a judgement based on a TV broadcast. In the past I've listened to a radio broadcast and TV broadcast of the same game and found widely differing noise levels. There are so many variables that go into it, that any comparative judgments based on TV broadcast have no meaning whatsoever.

the Jumbotron flashed a picture of Jesse Harper when Frederick came into the game.

That's not as good as when it had Menechino's picture but said he was McGowan for his first at-bat as a Jay.

Or during the Mariners series when Hinske's biographical tidbit said he was the first Mariner to have so many RBIs or some stat like that.

Poor JumboTron people.

Jesse Harper was a minor leaguer (Dunedin) who was claimed on waivers by Milwaukee earlier this season.

What a half assed way for Frederick to start his major league career. Poor guy. Thanks for those that confirmed the sighting.

What a half assed way for Frederick to start his major league career. Poor guy. Thanks for those that confirmed the sighting.

Mind you, at 27, he's probably just tickled pink to be in the majors at all! For a long time there he looked like a career minor leaguer

You get beat to the punch and show'n up by someone with better info.

I have tons of useless baseball information running around in my head for quick reference... I can name every player in the majors and most of the better known prospects and tell you basic information about them, but for some reason that doesn't impress the ladies... Go figure!

As Marc sort of said, I'm pretty sure Kevin Frederick wouldn't have cared if the Jumbotron people had flashed up a picture of him wearing Spider-Man underpants and called him "Francine".

...or singing Born In The USA...

I've got to say - a while ago before I even knew the cheer club existed, I was at a game with my brother, against Anaheim. We were directly across the stadium from 518 and the drum was insanely loud and clear. People down in the 100 level below us (probably farthest away from the drum, but I'm bad at geometry) could clearly hear it and were getting into it. It's not just the drum, but even the cheer club as a whole that I've seen getting more and more people into games.

Yesterday was the first game I was ever at with the cheer club that had the drum present, and damn it was fun.

There are three things that I have seen getting the Skydome (or parts of it) noticeably more into games (other than the Jays doing well).

1. The Drum
2. The Cheer Club, sans drum
3. Those fans in the 100 level a few games ago who were going "oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAHHHH!" during pitchers' windups.

It seems to me that the only testimony we get from people who disparage the drum and the work of the cheer club are people who have never truly experienced such a game. I wouldn't take their claims too seriously.

Those fans in the 100 level a few games ago who were going "oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAHHHH!" during pitchers' windups.

They were the best. Cheer Club is stealing this idea.

I swear, I will get out and join the Cheer Club as soon as I can. Not being able to drive (yet) really hampers my efforts and the only people who could drive me are my parents...who don't like noise at ballgames, so that's out. (Old people wanting others to be quiet? Well, I never!) And I couldn't go in alone -- that would kill them.

But I will join you guys eventually.

They were the best. Cheer Club is stealing this idea.

Well, plagiarism IS the finest form of flattery.

And I couldn't go in alone

You wouldn't be alone -- you'd be with us!

Oh, get over yourself. People were mean to you? Boo hoo.

That's amusing. 'Named for Hank' accuses me of raining on his parade and takes a harmless analysis of crowd noise as a personal insult, yet I should get over myself? Was that a joke? And sarcastically implying that this board takes crowd noise critisism too seriously equates to people being mean to me? How about I get over myself after you learn to comprehend sentences and what they mean? Deal?

Wow.

whether it was your intention or not, you are slightling what Aaron and the rest of the members of Cheer Club have been doing all season by saying that it sounded quiet on TV (which may be the case), and that TV provides a more accurate picture of the stadium noise (as stated above, a ridiculous claim). We have put a lot of effort into trying to bring some noise to the Dome, and while it may not be inspiring as much noise from other fans as we'd like, it does make a difference when the Drum and Club are there, compared to when they are not.

No one has come close to refuting the statement other than saying "it's ridiculous", which is an easy copout. Again, if you're in an arena, the noise will be loud. It's 30 freakin' thousand people in one building! I've never been to a show or game where the crowd didn't come out noisey live, you are right there in the action, of course it'll be loud. The key about crowd noise is how it comes off on TV. Mics don't turn hot crowds into dull ones, they may increase or decrease the amount of noise in a particular instance, but it doesn't change the outcome of a crowd's overall enthusiasm. Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Wrigley, Baltimore, etc, have all had loud crowds on the YES network when I saw it. Was that mic enhanced noise? Was the production team on YES piping up noise for the other cities, while purposely destroying Skydome's noise level? Come on.

The "Cheer Club" may have been loud, but the crowd noise as a whole didn't come off that way when I saw it. Don't take that as an insult. It's the furthest thing from one.

The key about crowd noise is how it comes off on TV. Mics don't turn hot crowds into dull ones, they may increase or decrease the amount of noise in a particular instance, but it doesn't change the outcome of a crowd's overall enthusiasm.

Well, somehow they turned a cheering, screaming crowd, a drum and fireworks into scattered, polite applause after Vernon's home run.

I give up. You're right. There was no enthusiasm. We didn't play the drum, no one screamed, and the fireworks did not go off after Vernon's home run, because all that was heard on the TV was "VERY silent, some polite applause mixed in". I obviously was somewhere else.

'Named for Hank' accuses me of raining on his parade and takes a harmless analysis of crowd noise as a personal insult, yet I should get over myself?

I think you should re-read the comments, especially your own. I posted my pride at our achievements last night, and you responded that our achievements were no good, that we achieved nothing. I don't know how else I should take that.

If we've had a more pointless subject to argue at Batter's Box, I can't recall it. Call it a day, people.