He was lookin' for a fourth-place finish.... Back in 1982, the Blue Jays finally escaped 7th place in the American League East when they tied for sixth with Cleveland. You can imagine that the Indians weren't really thrilled to be the team that the expansion Jays finally caught and eventually passed. Well, karma's gonna getcha, even if it takes 22 years, and now Toronto faces the prospect of being the team that the Devil Rays caught to finally get out of the AL East cellar. Josh Towers, returned from an injury timeout, and Doug Waechter hook up as mound opponents tonight, as Tampa Bay sets out to accomplish their first step towards franchise respectability. Three games up on the Jays and five back of Baltimore, the Rays have stars in their eyes. Can the Blue Jays keep them down?
Crawford, lf
Lugo, ss
Huff, 1b
Baldelli, cf
Martinez, dh
Cruz, rf
Upton, 3b
Hall, c
Sanchez, 2b
Waechter, p
Adams, ss
Hudson, 2b
Wells, cf
Delgado, dh
Rios, rf
Hinske, 3b
Zaun, c
Gross, lf
Crozier, 1b
Towers, p
And we have folks from Degrassi The Next Generation singing the anthem and throwing out the first pitch.
Lugo, ss
Huff, 1b
Baldelli, cf
Martinez, dh
Cruz, rf
Upton, 3b
Hall, c
Sanchez, 2b
Waechter, p
Adams, ss
Hudson, 2b
Wells, cf
Delgado, dh
Rios, rf
Hinske, 3b
Zaun, c
Gross, lf
Crozier, 1b
Towers, p
And we have folks from Degrassi The Next Generation singing the anthem and throwing out the first pitch.
The pitcher said "My name's Josh
And it might be a sin,
But I'll take your bet; you're gonna regret
'Cause I'm the best that's ever been."
And it might be a sin,
But I'll take your bet; you're gonna regret
'Cause I'm the best that's ever been."
Joshy rosin up your ball
And throw your fastball hard
Cause hell's broke loose in Skydome
And the Orioles deal the cards
??Yeah, I got nothing.
And throw your fastball hard
Cause hell's broke loose in Skydome
And the Orioles deal the cards
??Yeah, I got nothing.
Er, I meant the D-Rays, obviously. My brain is stuck in yesterday.
That was a Dunn-like shot from Delgado. No. 30!
http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Even in an off-year Delgado still gets to 30. Amazing.
Even in an off-year Delgado still gets to 30. Amazing.
Off-topic, just mentioning the Ontario PC leadership speeches are on CPAC tonight.
Does the length of Fransisco's suspension suprise anyone? I thought it'd be at least a month.
Warning were issued there - we all know about that fierce Toronto-Tampa rivalry, and all the bad blood there... Whatever.
Towers is clearly a little rusty. He's losing the strike zone for a few pitches at a time, which is not at all like him.
Either that or he absolutely refuses to throw Tino a strike. Two four-pitch walks.
Towers is clearly a little rusty. He's losing the strike zone for a few pitches at a time, which is not at all like him.
Either that or he absolutely refuses to throw Tino a strike. Two four-pitch walks.
Crozier is black? One of those names that fools you (or at least me).
Great stretch by Crozier in the top of the 4th. Good looking D at 1B
Great stretch by Crozier in the top of the 4th. Good looking D at 1B
After watching Adam's defense the last couple starts... wow he really needs to work on it.
I hope they deal with this come spring training.
I hope they deal with this come spring training.
Second time in his ML career that Towers has walked three batters in a game. Strange but true,and another sign of the rust.
Adams had a good idea trying for the out at 3B - there was NO WAY he was going to get Baldelli at first.
I can see, though, why people worry about his arm. You can see how hard he has to throw from SS - whereas Upton is able to get the ball across the diamond with the same velocity with just a little effortless flip.
Adams had a good idea trying for the out at 3B - there was NO WAY he was going to get Baldelli at first.
I can see, though, why people worry about his arm. You can see how hard he has to throw from SS - whereas Upton is able to get the ball across the diamond with the same velocity with just a little effortless flip.
Not that it matters a whole lot... but Junior Cruz is like 0 for September. Why walk him?
Ah. To pitch to the rookie....
Ah. To pitch to the rookie....
I hate to second-guess the manager, but I think that B.J. Upton has arrived.
Cruz hasn't shown plate discipline since July or hitting ability since June.
http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Crozier finds man-strength.
Crozier finds man-strength.
http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Damn you Rob! And my dial-up connection!
Damn you Rob! And my dial-up connection!
A well-deserved "Whaddya think about that?" for Mr. Crozier.
Damn you Rob! And my dial-up connection!
Well, at least yours was a coherent sentence. Mine was just...well:
"Crozier! Man-strength!"
Well, at least yours was a coherent sentence. Mine was just...well:
"Crozier! Man-strength!"
And my dial-up connection!
Oh man. Switched from Sympatico to Rogers this week, and spent a few days in between with nothing but my old dial-up (which I normally use only at the ballpark.)
You can never go back. Just no way.
Carlos is saying "Come on, bring that Sosa into the game..."
Oh man. Switched from Sympatico to Rogers this week, and spent a few days in between with nothing but my old dial-up (which I normally use only at the ballpark.)
You can never go back. Just no way.
Carlos is saying "Come on, bring that Sosa into the game..."
Ah, not the damn pizza cheers again. The crowd is cheering for a 7th strikeout in a 10-4 deficit because they might get free slices of crappy pizza.
I have the worst luck, I tell you. I don't miss many Jay games, but so far I have missed:
-Rios' HR
-Gross' first HR
-Adams' HR
-Crozier's HR
-Menechino pitching
:-(
-Rios' HR
-Gross' first HR
-Adams' HR
-Crozier's HR
-Menechino pitching
:-(
I hate the pizza contest. It corrupts you, taunts you, makes you give Tanyon Sturtze the loudest applause of his career just for the chance for the pizza.
What's bad is that it always creates inappropriate cheering moments ("well, Ligtenberg did give up a grand slam that bounced off of Tom Cheek's Level of Excellence sign, but I'll forgive him, he got me my pizza") and it occasionally makes the Skydome crowd boo other kinds of outs. I've heard scattered boos for a 2 out groundout, with runners on.
All season long, I've thought that the Jays would be better against the O's and the Devil Rays, and they're being outscored 29 - 13. Add in the fact that Richard Griffin's "Batista for closer" movement is picking up steam, and you've got the makings of a depressing baseball week.
What's bad is that it always creates inappropriate cheering moments ("well, Ligtenberg did give up a grand slam that bounced off of Tom Cheek's Level of Excellence sign, but I'll forgive him, he got me my pizza") and it occasionally makes the Skydome crowd boo other kinds of outs. I've heard scattered boos for a 2 out groundout, with runners on.
All season long, I've thought that the Jays would be better against the O's and the Devil Rays, and they're being outscored 29 - 13. Add in the fact that Richard Griffin's "Batista for closer" movement is picking up steam, and you've got the makings of a depressing baseball week.
Did anyone have Friday, 1st inning in the Delgado 30 pool? I shall check...nope, nobody did.
http://me.woot.net
It seems like there's something fundamentally wrong with Toronto fans: they refuse to cheer unless their cheers are bought with cheap prizes. I was at the game tonight, but it isn't just tonight: the only time the fans really cheer is during the stupid delivery truck race, the hat shuffle, and the other sundry giveaways. Oh, and the damned wave.
The worst, though, is the damned Ks for pizza giveaway. It makes me embarassed to be a Toronto fan at a game where the rest of the fans are whoring out their cheers for a frigging slice of pizza. Where were your cheers before now? Is it necessary to buy your loudness?
(Written during the top of the 9th) This is one time I am happy to sit on my hands at a game. The whole time I am hoping the guy DOESN'T strike out so the maurauding hordes don't get positive reinforcement.
No screams of "Go Jays." No cheers at any outs that aren't strikeouts. (Boos, even.) Just chants of PIZZA over and over.
I've never been so sad to see a K. People jumping up and down and hugging each other because they got $3 of free food. And then they left the stadium. Bastards, the lot of them.
It seems like there's something fundamentally wrong with Toronto fans: they refuse to cheer unless their cheers are bought with cheap prizes. I was at the game tonight, but it isn't just tonight: the only time the fans really cheer is during the stupid delivery truck race, the hat shuffle, and the other sundry giveaways. Oh, and the damned wave.
The worst, though, is the damned Ks for pizza giveaway. It makes me embarassed to be a Toronto fan at a game where the rest of the fans are whoring out their cheers for a frigging slice of pizza. Where were your cheers before now? Is it necessary to buy your loudness?
(Written during the top of the 9th) This is one time I am happy to sit on my hands at a game. The whole time I am hoping the guy DOESN'T strike out so the maurauding hordes don't get positive reinforcement.
No screams of "Go Jays." No cheers at any outs that aren't strikeouts. (Boos, even.) Just chants of PIZZA over and over.
I've never been so sad to see a K. People jumping up and down and hugging each other because they got $3 of free food. And then they left the stadium. Bastards, the lot of them.
For a second there, I thought I posted that, but I saw Joe's name at the top. It's exactly how I feel; I hate Toronto fans.
It seems like there's something fundamentally wrong with Toronto fans: they refuse to cheer unless their cheers are bought with cheap prizes.
Joe, this comment is patently false. I have attended many Blue Jays games this year, and there have been a number of moments when the crowd has been moved by an exciting play, and have exploded into spontaneous and loud waves of applause. The only problem with that is, this cheering always followed the announcement of a goal at a hockey game.
The giveaways bug me for two reasons. First is that they're heavily weighted towards to club seats. I attended around 6 games in the past month. At every game, the Blue Jays did the free binoculars giveaway. At every game, the binoculars were given away to a fan behind homeplate, level two hundred, within rows 1 - 3. It's like the Jays have an explicit policy that says "Give the fan of the game to some shirtless kid in the 500 level, the sub shuffle to some guys in 500, and everything else, give to the premium seats."
The second thing that bugs me is that the giveaways are always done at inopportune moments. Pizza chants in the 9th inning when the Jays are down by 8. "We are baseball north" / Toronto Tidal Waves when the Jays are down by 5. The inevitable appearance by the Jays Force Breakers during a critical pitching change in the 8th. Go ahead, cheer for a fake truck race, but yawn as Lilly gets a key strikeout.
Joe, this comment is patently false. I have attended many Blue Jays games this year, and there have been a number of moments when the crowd has been moved by an exciting play, and have exploded into spontaneous and loud waves of applause. The only problem with that is, this cheering always followed the announcement of a goal at a hockey game.
The giveaways bug me for two reasons. First is that they're heavily weighted towards to club seats. I attended around 6 games in the past month. At every game, the Blue Jays did the free binoculars giveaway. At every game, the binoculars were given away to a fan behind homeplate, level two hundred, within rows 1 - 3. It's like the Jays have an explicit policy that says "Give the fan of the game to some shirtless kid in the 500 level, the sub shuffle to some guys in 500, and everything else, give to the premium seats."
The second thing that bugs me is that the giveaways are always done at inopportune moments. Pizza chants in the 9th inning when the Jays are down by 8. "We are baseball north" / Toronto Tidal Waves when the Jays are down by 5. The inevitable appearance by the Jays Force Breakers during a critical pitching change in the 8th. Go ahead, cheer for a fake truck race, but yawn as Lilly gets a key strikeout.
Congradulations to Barry Bonds for number 700. You couldn't have hit it off a better pitcher.
And yes, I echo Joe's sentiments whole-heartedly. Everything from the We are Toronto when we are down by 10 (I doubt the Rally Monkey appears at every Anaheim game) to the fact a free Fed-Ex t-shirt likely got equal applause to Delgado's 30th homer for an 8th straight year.
To me, that seems like the perfect opportunity to give him a nice curtain call, especially given what will likely occur at the end of the year. However, I doubt that occured to more than 10 fans at the ballpark.
And yes, I echo Joe's sentiments whole-heartedly. Everything from the We are Toronto when we are down by 10 (I doubt the Rally Monkey appears at every Anaheim game) to the fact a free Fed-Ex t-shirt likely got equal applause to Delgado's 30th homer for an 8th straight year.
To me, that seems like the perfect opportunity to give him a nice curtain call, especially given what will likely occur at the end of the year. However, I doubt that occured to more than 10 fans at the ballpark.
Off-topic surreal experience of the day ...
As I was sitting in the waiting room in the offices of Texas Retina today, the three people called before me were named (I don't know how they spell their names, obviously) Torii Hunter, Tony Perez and Jerry Narron. No autographs; the seven-year-old girl, elderly man on a walker and middle-aged woman would've been confused at the request, I think. Hey, wait ... elderly man on a walker ... maybe it WAS "the" Tony Perez!
As I was sitting in the waiting room in the offices of Texas Retina today, the three people called before me were named (I don't know how they spell their names, obviously) Torii Hunter, Tony Perez and Jerry Narron. No autographs; the seven-year-old girl, elderly man on a walker and middle-aged woman would've been confused at the request, I think. Hey, wait ... elderly man on a walker ... maybe it WAS "the" Tony Perez!
From the Sept 18 Globe and Mail online:
Dallas — Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Curtis Thigpen was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving after he was stopped for going about 32 km/h under the speed limit and weaving between lanes on an interstate, police said.
Thigpen, 21, played for the University of Texas last year and now plays for Toronto's single-A Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Pennsylvania League.
Thigpen was released from jail about noon after posting a $500 cash bond, said Dallas County Sheriff's Department Spokesman Sgt. Don Peritz said.
The arresting deputy said Thigpen had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech, smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests, according to an officer's report.
Thigpen was part of the Longhorns squad that reached this year's College World Series finals.
Toronto took him in the second round of this year's Major League amateur draft. He played in 45 games for the Doubledays this summer, batting .301 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.
Dallas — Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Curtis Thigpen was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving after he was stopped for going about 32 km/h under the speed limit and weaving between lanes on an interstate, police said.
Thigpen, 21, played for the University of Texas last year and now plays for Toronto's single-A Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Pennsylvania League.
Thigpen was released from jail about noon after posting a $500 cash bond, said Dallas County Sheriff's Department Spokesman Sgt. Don Peritz said.
The arresting deputy said Thigpen had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech, smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests, according to an officer's report.
Thigpen was part of the Longhorns squad that reached this year's College World Series finals.
Toronto took him in the second round of this year's Major League amateur draft. He played in 45 games for the Doubledays this summer, batting .301 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.
From the Sept 18 Globe and Mail online:
Dallas — Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Curtis Thigpen was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving
Not to state the obvious, but this can't be good.
Season from Hell is right.
I'm hoping next's year's success will be that much sweeter due to this year's trials.
Dallas — Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Curtis Thigpen was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving
Not to state the obvious, but this can't be good.
Season from Hell is right.
I'm hoping next's year's success will be that much sweeter due to this year's trials.
Fisher Cats playoff game postponed till today -- ergo, no minor-league report.
Hey, at least Thigpen was going 32 km/h *under* the limit :)
http://me.woot.net
Oh, and also in the realm of "me complaining about the SkyDome":
Oh, and also in the realm of "me complaining about the SkyDome":
- I was never really aware of the true volume level of the pre-game and between-inning commercials until last night when my Dad and I were actually trying to have a conversation. The problem is one the Jays need to tackle with a sound engineer, because I swear it doesn't seem that loud. Speakers need to be moved and volumes need to be tweaked.
- The pre-game dancers just seem sad. They're probably supposed to be warming up the crowd, but it ends up as a silly spectacle.
- The crowd really does need to be warmed up, though: witness the silence for the first few innings, slowly moving towards a crescendo of "the wave" and other noise through the 5th and 6th. Maybe if the Jays did their giveaways prior to the game, the crowd would be warmer in the early innings.
- The crowd starts really filling in between 7 and 7:30, which hurts the noise level in the early going; pre-game giveaways might be able to help with this, too.
- I like the breakdancers in the 7th or 8th. Maybe it's just my white "can't dance" self, but it's a neat thing to see. It doesn't fit in too well with baseball, though.
I was never really aware of the true volume level of the pre-game and between-inning commercials until last night when my Dad and I were actually trying to have a conversation.
Someone has to tell the people who operate that sound to do something about it. Everybody I've talked to says they can't talk to the person next to them between innings because the noise is terrible.
But it's not the SkyDome operators' fault. Look at the Argos. Their games don't have the typical Toronto fan -- sit on his hands, cheer for crappy giveaways -- in attendance. Those guys make some real noise. Beach balls are bouncing around. Slamming ThunderStix together is way better than clapping for two hours. It's a lot of fun.
There is lots of "nothing time" in the CFL, yet they don't crank the volume up to a Spinal Tap-like 11 during the breaks. Why not?
I also think there should be a designated Seniors' Section -- "Enjoy the game in peace at a reduced price!" Make sure the loud fans don't go near the section and anyone over 50 gets in at a cheaper rate. What's wrong with that?
Someone has to tell the people who operate that sound to do something about it. Everybody I've talked to says they can't talk to the person next to them between innings because the noise is terrible.
But it's not the SkyDome operators' fault. Look at the Argos. Their games don't have the typical Toronto fan -- sit on his hands, cheer for crappy giveaways -- in attendance. Those guys make some real noise. Beach balls are bouncing around. Slamming ThunderStix together is way better than clapping for two hours. It's a lot of fun.
There is lots of "nothing time" in the CFL, yet they don't crank the volume up to a Spinal Tap-like 11 during the breaks. Why not?
I also think there should be a designated Seniors' Section -- "Enjoy the game in peace at a reduced price!" Make sure the loud fans don't go near the section and anyone over 50 gets in at a cheaper rate. What's wrong with that?