Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

TDIB 23 May 2008

Ho hum. The Jays show what they can do with a couple of timely hits and pull out the finale against the Angels, 4-3. The Jays allowed only 10 runs during the three game set, but of course its the Jays so they scored only 7 and won just once.

The Jays are in fact the second lowest scoring team in the AL at the moment, averaging 3.78 runs a game (the Royals are worst, at 3.77). Anyway, enough of that. Lyle Overbay was the hero tonight, cranking a no doubter into the right field stands to give the Jays a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. Over his last 16 games Overbay has is hitting .315 with 7 doubles and 2 home runs; he's also drawn 9 walks. That Overbay is seemingly better after struggling for a long time with the after effects of his broken hand from last year is a big plus.

Elsewhere:

The White Sox win their 8th straight. I thought they would do poorly (and I know Magpie has struggled in Soxology as well) so go figure.
MLB is thinking about instituting instant replay in the Arizona Fall League as a precursor to using it in the bigs next season. It seems about time at this point, and has been said elsewhere, in the time it takes the Umps to huddle and make the call, video replay would solve the problem. Baseball is still about 20 years behind football in most things, as with this...
There is also going to be more of a concerted effort to speed up baseball games, with umpires calling pitchers on the 12 second rule, batters not being allowed to lollygag outside the box, etc. Of course if they were really serious about this they would limit mid inning pitching changes, have umpires not grant 5 requests for time an at bat, and perhaps even limit throws to first. Of course that would involve actually doing something proactively, so fat chance of that.
JOBA will make his debut as a starter soon - he's being stretched out. Makes sense I suppose - there is only so much value in 60 reasonably high leverage 8th innings, and all this 'bridging' the gap to the 9th inning stuff is overrated. Also, Joba conveniently will only pitch 180 or so innings (at a guess) maximum, as to avoid overworking him.
It's unclear when David Eckstein will be back - he suffered a setback on Monday, and didn't play Tuesday or Wednesday.He is, however, eligible to come off the DL.

The Royals come to town for a four game set, and it will be the unstoppable force versus the imovable object, or something. I wouldn't count on a lot of runs being scored - I'll put the over/under at 25 for 4 games.

Posted by Anders on Friday, May 23 2008 @ 05:09 AM EDT.

TDIB 23 May 2008 | 46 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

brent - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 05:53 AM EDT (#185761) #

game 48- WPA heroes Overbay (8), Ryan (9), Downs (7) WPA let downs Rolen (5), Hill (14), Wilkerson (5)

Chuck - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 07:02 AM EDT (#185762) #

Of course if they were really serious about this they would limit mid inning pitching changes

I know we've had a few discussions in these parts on speeding up games. I wouldn't want to limit pitching changes. Yes, they can be annoying, but they are part of a manager's strategy, agree with them or not.

What can be easily addressed is the between-pitch lollygagging by both pitchers and hitters. That's where time is wasted and the flow of the game seriously compromised. Pitchers need to stay on the mound. Batters need to stay in the box. This need to regroup after every single pitch is over the top. The game wasn't always this way.

rtcaino - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 08:24 AM EDT (#185763) #

I am dreading V-Dub's return to the line-up. Hopefully he can get back from the wrist injury, and rediscover the hitting prowess that he didn't exactly have this season, and earn that 17 mill JP gave him.

david wang - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 08:29 AM EDT (#185764) #

Well, short of Rolen, Vernon has probably been the best Jays hitter this year. And he is definitley better than his replacements, Wilkerson and Mench

ayjackson - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 08:34 AM EDT (#185765) #

Anyone have any educated thoughts on whether Vernon's left wrist break would be more or less power sapping than a right wrist break?

James W - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:06 AM EDT (#185767) #

Just looking strictly at the hands, the bottom hand will supply more power than the top hand. (So that's not good for Vernon.) Most a swing's power will come from a good weight shift in the legs, and the proper turn of the hips, however.

Pistol - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:15 AM EDT (#185768) #

There is also going to be more of a concerted effort to speed up baseball games, with umpires calling pitchers on the 12 second rule, batters not being allowed to lollygag outside the box, etc.

Don't we hear this every year? Next week we'll hear that the high strike is back.

Pistol - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:24 AM EDT (#185769) #

Josh Banks got called up by the Padres and it looks like he'll be starting for the injured Chris Young.

christaylor - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:58 AM EDT (#185770) #

I really liked the (by James?) of introducing a one ball penalty for the first batter for a mid-inning pitching change. A simple enough move and much more of a penalty than one would expect. It would introduce more strategy not less, as this who never ending chasing of the tail to catch a miniscule platoon advantage isn't fun.

How long before baseball starts doing things to increase run scoring? Never thought we'd see the day again just two or three years ago...

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 10:12 AM EDT (#185771) #

It's baseball - shaving seconds here or there (or even minutes in the case of pitching changes) don't really matter to me. I like the slow and relaxed gait to the game.

Besides, it's not the length of individual games that keep me from watching them - it's the start time of a lot of games that keep me from watching them. Unless baseball thinks the changes will shave half an hour to 45 minutes off of a game (doubtful), it doesn't really do much to help me.

I'd like to see MLB move all start times up to at least 6:30, if not 6:15. It's hard enough in the mid-West to watch weekday games on the West Coast, I can't imagine what it's like on the East. I bet the majority of baseball fans on the East coast never even see the 3rd inning of their team's games on the West Coast.

S P - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 10:34 AM EDT (#185772) #

Anders, do you really think the NFL is the model for quick games? Every game I've seen averages at least 3 hours and usually take 3:15 and I bet baseball averages less than that. College football games are even longer with all the other fluff. There's way more standing around and other dead time between plays in football than in baseball too. I think baseball's length is fine. The games can take up to 3:45 but they can also finish in 2:00.

Chuck - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 10:37 AM EDT (#185773) #

I like the slow and relaxed gait to the game.

Sounds like you are revealing your age! Relaxed used to mean 2 1/2 hours. Now it means 3.

Give me a nice, crisp Halladay vs. Buerhle match-up over a plodding Trachsel vs. Escobar match-up any day of the week. And if a batter, after a 1-0 count, say, wasn't allowed to not only leave the batter's box but the actual frame of my television, well, that would be nice, too.

Chuck - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 10:49 AM EDT (#185774) #

Anders, do you really think the NFL is the model for quick games? Every game I've seen averages at least 3 hours and usually take 3:15 and I bet baseball averages less than that

I'm trying to avoid the temptation of being and old "back in the day" fart, but...

NFL games used to be 2 1/2 hours. Then, like now, there would be 1:00 games and 4:00 games. The 1:00 games would end at 3:30 and from 3:30 to 4:00, they would throw it back to the studio to review the early games and preview the late games. Then, at 6:30, they would quickly recap the day's games and fill with local news until 60 Minutes at 7:00.

And then little by little, the NFL decided they needed to sell way more pickup trucks. So games ran 2 3/4 hours which still left 15 minutes for game reviews prior to the 4:00 games. And then games ran 3 hours, meaning that the 4:00 games started right on the heels of the 1:00 games. And now games run 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours and the 4:00 games have to be joined in progress.

Of course, the NFL seems to be able to do no wrong so doesn't have to fear losing viewers with their ridiculously long games. But the games are tediously long given how little of consequence actually transpires.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 10:50 AM EDT (#185775) #

Sounds like you are revealing your age! Relaxed used to mean 2 1/2 hours. Now it means 3.

Relaxed for me doesn't actually relate to a specific time. I think of it almost like golf. When I go golfing, I think of it as going out for the morning / afternoon, not going out for 4 and a half hours. Baseball's the same - it takes a full night (weekdays) - it's not 2.5 hours or 3 hours - I'll meet friends at the bar after work, watch the game, go home and sleep. 15 minutes either side won't change things. For games that I watch at home, it's usually while I'm working away on my laptop, so again, 15 - 30 minutes doesn't change much.

Besides, (and this is with absolutely no data to back me up, just a hunch), I think the reason games take longer nowadays is the emphasis on pitching match-ups (heavier use of relievers, which add time to the game) versus hitting match-ups (decreased use of pinch-hitters, which are relatively seamless). I don't like the idea of discouraging pitching changes and think adding something like an automatic first-pitch ball is not a good move.

Chuck - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:02 AM EDT (#185776) #

Baseball's the same - it takes a full night (weekdays) - it's not 2.5 hours or 3 hours - I'll meet friends at the bar after work, watch the game, go home and sleep. 15 minutes either side won't change things. For games that I watch at home, it's usually while I'm working away on my laptop, so again, 15 - 30 minutes doesn't change much.

Aha! So the pace of baseball accommodates multi-tasking, allowing you to simultaneously socialize or work. Try watching a game doing nothing else at the same time. Then see if you aren't yelling at the batters to stay in the friggin' box.

It's not the 15-30 minutes of extra game length that is itself the issue for me. It's that those 15-30 minutes are composed of an endless barrage of 10-second periods of downtime. It's death by a thousand cuts.

Modern day televised sports seem to be designed to force you to multi-task, as if the broadcasters understand that their ADD-burdened viewing demographic is going to spend half the game flipping channels anyway.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:08 AM EDT (#185778) #

Aha! So the pace of baseball accommodates multi-tasking, allowing you to simultaneously socialize or work. Try watching a game doing nothing else at the same time. Then see if you aren't yelling at the batters to stay in the friggin' box.

I can see your complaint if you're watching baseball and doing nothing else. I don't think I'll ever do that. Nothing about baseball, just that I've always been a multi-tasker and probably push towards the ADD side of things anyway. For any sport that I enjoy watching, I'll always be doing something else at the same time - whether it's hockey, football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, car racing, golf, whatever.

Even if I watch movies or something by myself, I'll usually do work alongside.

And I read with the radio on.

I really have a hard time of thinking of anything I do by myself that doesn't involve some form of distraction.

Magpie - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:13 AM EDT (#185780) #

It's true that every hitter has turned into Mike Hargrove. Almost everybody actually steps out of the box after every pitch. There are very few exceptions.

Two minutes between every half inning, for commercials? Times seventeen? There you go. They didn't do that in 1912, I promise. Cut it to 90 seconds. Less time to sell to the sponsor, but when a commodity is in shorter supply, you can often get more money for it. Of course, I would no longer to able to complete a between innings bathroom run and be back in my seat for the first pitch of the next inning, however. Not without running, anyway, which would be a little grotesque...

I wouldn't mind reducing the number of warmup tosses a new pitcher gets on the mound. Cut them in half, from eight to four.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:17 AM EDT (#185781) #

Of course, I would no longer to able to complete a between innings bathroom run and be back in my seat for the first pitch of the next inning, however

Get a Tivo or any other DVR. Greatest invention of all time. Your tv watching life will never be the same.

Magpie - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:22 AM EDT (#185782) #

Chuck - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:23 AM EDT (#185783) #

Two minutes between every half inning, for commercials? Times seventeen? There you go.

I'd still take that over the Mike Hargrove madness. At least you know that those two minutes are in a contiguous block and you can do something else with that time if you want. It's when my time is stolen in 5- and 10-second increments that I get frustrated.

John Northey - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:42 AM EDT (#185785) #

To me the best move would be to limit rosters. Back in the 80's before LaRussa took over MLB 10 man staffs were the norm and 11 was rare (old video games never let you use 11 man staffs). Just say that all teams have 10 pitcher slots and 15 hitter slots and that would be that. Lose those 2 extra relievers and suddenly managers wouldn't be so quick with the hook and LOOGY's would disappear quickly. The game itself doesn't change visibly but the game times speed up and we don't see 2 guys warming at all times from the 6th inning on.

Also to speed it up you could always make the ball-strike calls automatic using the pitchFx machines, then adjust the size of the zone as needed (ie: if scoring is up then expand a bit - no need to retrain umps as it would be automatic). For instant replay have a 5th ump in the box upstairs with video screens so he could quickly decide if an on-field decision was in error, and since he is part of the crew the umps wouldn't complain (at least 15 more ump jobs - go from third to second to first to home to video replay, and on cold nights in Cleveland in September I bet they'll all really love it)

Magpie - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:57 AM EDT (#185788) #

I'd still take that over the Mike Hargrove madness.

About once a year, I get seriously interested in this and make a point of watching each individual. It truly is universal now. The worst offenders are never the obvious guys. Derek Jeter, with that magisterial and irritating hand held high to the umpire, almost never leaves the box. Nomar Garciaparra and Reed Johnson, with their catalogue of tics and twitches, still run through their weird repertoires far quicker than it takes most players to do their customary back-out-of-the-box and then take a couple of practise swings.

Worst Blue Jay I ever saw (well, since Cliff Johnson) was Frank Menechino. Some guys leave the batter's box. Mouse used to leave the dirt cutout, and was in danger of bumping into the on-deck hitter.

Quickest was Russ Adams, whose back foot would often remain planted in the same spot for the entire at bat. Worked out great for him, wonder why no one copied it...

I guess I'll be telling Bob Gibson stories next. He used to throw at guys who stepped out on him. Try that today, Hoot.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 12:07 PM EDT (#185789) #

To me the best move would be to limit rosters. Back in the 80's before LaRussa took over MLB 10 man staffs were the norm and 11 was rare (old video games never let you use 11 man staffs). Just say that all teams have 10 pitcher slots and 15 hitter slots and that would be that. Lose those 2 extra relievers and suddenly managers wouldn't be so quick with the hook and LOOGY's would disappear quickly. The game itself doesn't change visibly but the game times speed up and we don't see 2 guys warming at all times from the 6th inning on.

This would definitely speed things up, but I wouldn't like the change.

Is game time really that important to warrant such drastic changes to the game? Baseball is never going to be a fast game - with an unlimited # of pitches per at-bat, unlimited at-bats per inning, and unlimited innings per game, I think things are always going to be considered "long." While the proposed changes would speed up the game, I think most people who find the game too long would still find it too long in its new format.

At the same time, second-guessing a manager's bullpen usage is almost as popular a pass-time as the game itself and I think limiting the bullpen removes this element.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 12:15 PM EDT (#185790) #

Nah, I can do it at home. And who cares if I miss a few pitches at home anyway? Its at the ballpark where I need the full two minutes. Its a much, much longer run, and I'm not supposed to miss a pitch.

You should still get the Tivo. It's truly life-changing.

Think sliced bread, a first kiss, and the wheel all rolled into one.

cascando - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 12:25 PM EDT (#185791) #

The U.S. college rule is (or used to be) that the batter can't step out of the box between pitches--probably where Adams developed his habit. Just pivot and look down to the 3B coach. I think that would be a worthwhile rule to bring into professional baseball. It speeds things up tremendously and I felt it gave the game a certain rhythm. Sometimes pitchers and hitters seem to be jockeying for an advantage, stalling so that they set the pace.

#2JBrumfield - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 12:48 PM EDT (#185794) #

So the pace of baseball accommodates multi-tasking, allowing you to simultaneously socialize or work. Try watching a game doing nothing else at the same time.

I'm always multi-tasking on my computer with my MLB.TV package and I guess I feel the need to do something instead of simply just watching. Even at the ballpark, I always bring a scorecard because it gives me something to do but I guess it also forces me to pay closer attention as the mind wanders sometimes.

I like the NFL but it's g.d. ridiculous how long the games are now. I remember the good 'ol days too when the 1:00 games ended at 3:30. Not like today when start times for the late games are 4:15 or 4:30 instead of 4:00.

John Northey - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 01:01 PM EDT (#185795) #

CJF: the reason I like the roster rule is it doesn't change the game. Trust me, we used to second guess Jimy Williams and Bobby Cox in the 80's a lot without worrying about LOOGY's. Pinch hitting and pinch running was a lot more common too, thus making guys like McDonald far more useful (ie: you could have a McDonald for the infield and a guy like Otis Nixon for the outfield, ideally both would be fast too so you could use them to run for the catcher or first baseman, you'd have more platooning in place, etc.). Just imagine if the Jays had 15 instead of 13 hitters.

Imaginary Roster...
CA: Zaun/Barajas
1B: Overbay
2B: Hill
3B: Rolen
SS: Eckstein
LF: Stewart/Wilkerson
CF: Wells
RF: Rios
DH: Stairs/Mench
UT: McDonald/Inglett/Scutaro

SP: Halladay/AJ/Marcum/McGowan/Litsch
RP: Ryan/Carlson/Downs/Tallet/Accardo with Frasor/Camp/Benitez in AAA

Suddenly Carlson, Downs, and Tallet would see far more right handers and Accardo more lefties. Their ability to go more than one or two batters becomes far more valuable. Pinch hitting and running occurs far more often and that is far more fun for strategy than 'lets bring in a lefty to face this lefty'.

vw_fan17 - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 01:04 PM EDT (#185796) #

I'd like to see MLB move all start times up to at least 6:30, if not 6:15. It's hard enough in the mid-West to watch weekday games on the West Coast, I can't imagine what it's like on the East. I bet the majority of baseball fans on the East coast never even see the 3rd inning of their team's games on the West Coast.

Well, unfortunately, for someone like me - a Jays fan on the west coast - I almost never get to catch any games live during the week (I have MLB TV). By the time I leave work, the game is usually in the 5th inning or later.. Moving that up, and I'd only ever get to catch games on weekends..

Even when they're in town (as in this coming week) - 7:00 is not that late. I have to hurry to leave work early, rush to the ballpark, etc.. I may just go to the noon game next week to avoid all the traffic..

Of course, things are VERY different now that I'm married with kids. When I was single, I'd easily stay up until 1:00 am to watch/listen to a Jays game on the radio. Heck, I often listened to the Jays late at night 1-2 hours past my bedtime when I was 10-12. On a mono radio, single ear headphone :-)

Anders - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 01:13 PM EDT (#185797) #

Anders, do you really think the NFL is the model for quick games? Every game I've seen averages at least 3 hours and usually take 3:15 and I bet baseball averages less than that.

Ah, but my point here was about baseball being behind football with regards to instant replay, which was first adopted by the NFL in 1986, with the more familiar challenge in 1999. The NFL also beat MLB to a host of other ideas, such as the salary cap, draft slotting, etc, and I would say has generally been the more well run league. The NFL is far to slow, all for the almight dolalr.

As far as speeding up the games, I'm all for it. I remember the Jays playing a series of 3 1/2 to 4 hour 9 inning games at the beginning of the year, and it near killed me. Bill James has been quite an advocate of this, and I agree. There's no legitimate reason why players need a 30 second break between pitches. I don't see why suggesting that a pitcher has to record an out before he can be removed is so bad either. I would also argue that, in general, more rules means more strategy, not less. If you want to call reflexively bringing in a lefthanded pitcher to face a lefthanded batter in late, close situations strategy, thats fine I guess, but the potential of having to leave him in to face a righty if he walks the first guy, as opposed to going to another pitcher, means that it is a decision that has to be considered - you don't get a free pass if things go wrong.

owen - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#185799) #

Heck, I often listened to the Jays late at night 1-2 hours past my bedtime when I was 10-12. On a mono radio, single ear headphone :-)

You sound exactly like me. It had to be a single ear headphone, because I was lying in bed pretending to be asleep, and my Dad would constantly try to bust me.

Magpie - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 01:22 PM EDT (#185800) #

15 hitters and 10 pitchers?

Works for me - Earl Weaver used to carry 16 hitters and 9 pitchers - but I can tell you (from my long-promised look at the 2007 bullpens) that no one was able to make it through the season last year limiting themselves to just 11 pitchers. Only six teams tried it at all, and only two went with it for more than a few weeks. The Angels carried six relievers for just over half of last season; the Twins carried six relievers for a little less than half the season. Both went with seven man pens the rest of the time. Several other teams (Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston) went with just six relievers for brief periods (never longer than two to three weeks.) Of the other eight teams, all but Toronto actually carried eight relievers at various times during the season (and both Detroit and Cleveland switched to eight relievers as well at various times in the season.) Oddly enough, the Blue Jays were the only team in 2007 that carried the same sized bullpen from April 1 through August 31.

VBF - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 02:31 PM EDT (#185802) #

As of today, Marco Scutaro has an OPS+ of 101 (due to his .387 OBP), versus Eckstein's 77 he posted before he got injured. Scutaro hasn't been horrible in the field, but I'd definitely consider starting him over Eckstein at least until his on-base cools down.

ayjackson - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 02:39 PM EDT (#185803) #

Eckstein started the game (Dunedin) yesterday at DH and was removed after two plate appearances. I'm not sure his recovery isn't going a little slower than planned.

uglyone - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 02:55 PM EDT (#185804) #

don't start Scutaro ahead of Eckstein.

Start him in the outfield instead of Wilkerson or Stewart.

Heck, start both Scutaro and Inglett ahead of Wilkerson and Stewart in the outfield, at least while they're hot.

FisherCat - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 04:10 PM EDT (#185810) #

don't start Scutaro ahead of Eckstein.

Start him in the outfield instead of Wilkerson or Stewart.

Heck, start both Scutaro and Inglett ahead of Wilkerson and Stewart in the outfield, at least while they're hot.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, Shannon Stewart has been batting at a 0.364 clip (12/33) over his last 10 games. Including his current 7-game hitting streak. So I think Shannon should be in the lineup everynight now!

Mike Green - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 04:34 PM EDT (#185811) #

If ever there was a time to trade a left-handed reliever, now would be it. With Ryan, Downs, Tallet, and Carlson on the big-league roster and Purcey and Davis Romero as back-ups for the role in Syracuse, this is an area where the organization is loaded.

Shannon Stewart has grounded into 8 DPs in 37 games. He's putting the ball on the ground more than usual so far, and he has lost speed, so the result is not pretty.

brent - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 07:09 PM EDT (#185818) #

Things I Would Do

1. not allow the pitcher to rub up the baseball after he gets a new one (unless he's on the pitcher's plate looking in at the sign i.e. doing it very quickly)

2. no warm up pitches for mid-innning pitching changes and four warm up pitches to start an inning

3. you can't change pitchers mid-inning unless the tying run is at the plate, the pitcher is over 100 pitches, or over 45 pitches for the inning (injury exception where injured pitcher must be placed on DL)

4. hitters must stay in the box

5. not allow the extremely tapered handle bats (for safety because they are dangerous when shattering, more broken bats can cause a delay)

6. players must hustle going on and off the field to and from the dugout (just because I like it)

This is a starting point and more changes could be made or rescinded upon results.

King Ryan - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:10 PM EDT (#185820) #

Sometimes I hate living in Canada.

Can someone tell me when these bloody CHL playoffs end so we can go back to watching the Jays?

I even ordered MLB.tv on the advice of Mr. Campbell only to find out that ALL Jays games are blacked out EVERYWHERE in Canada. So even though Jamie Campbell constantly hocks MLB.tv during Jays games, no-one who is on the receiving end of these advertisements can even watch Jays games on MLB.tv. Wonderful.

</rant>

AWeb - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 09:28 PM EDT (#185822) #

89 pitches, 4 hits, no walks, 5 K's - good thing this game wasn't on and a blowout minor league hockey game was instead, that would have been a boring game to see. Who likes dominating pitching and Toronto's first win by more than 4 runs in more than a month </sarcasm>

But enough complaining- even if I didn't get to watch, again, I'm happy with the results.

ayjackson - Friday, May 23 2008 @ 11:11 PM EDT (#185826) #

I don't mean to nitpick, but it was 104 pitches.

I guess Doc got the Memo from MLB about the length of games and took matters into his own hands.

Bailey - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 12:15 AM EDT (#185827) #

The past few games have been on the Jays Preview channel, channel 399 on Rogers for me. They've been showing the visiting team feeds - FSN LA and FSN KC. The KC guys weren't too bad. They even talked about the Memorial Cup towards the end of the game.

Timbuck2 - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 12:17 AM EDT (#185828) #

ALL Jays games are blacked out EVERYWHERE

I get the games on channel 399 on Rogers Digital Cable.

King Ryan - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 12:28 AM EDT (#185829) #

Great for people in Ontario, but those of us out west are still SOL.

92-93 - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 12:51 AM EDT (#185831) #

KR, if you search for a proxy IP from the US you can mask your computer's identity so MLB.TV will work for Jays games in Toronto/Canada.

Lefty - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 02:08 AM EDT (#185833) #

King Rat, you gotta get out more often. Whats the matter with he Memorial Cup tournament. I mean theres still something like 144 Jays games a season televised.

Why couldn't TSN or CBC pick this weeks games up? Why do you have to blame junior hockey?

Chill brother. Oh and the final will be on Sunday, Kitchener vs Spokane. Its going to be a doozy. Guarantee it.

King Ryan - Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 02:18 AM EDT (#185834) #

It just frustrates me how long the hockey season goes. I mean, it's almost the end of May...it's 30 degrees out, but the NHL finals haven't even started yet and the juniors are still going. Come on already. It's baseball season, damn it! :-)

And I'm more frustrated that I can't watch the game on MLB.tv. Apparently even though I'm 4000 KM away from Toronto, I'm still in Rogers's "market" so MLB.tv has to black it out so that Rogers can get its ad money, even though Rogers isn't even showing the game. Bah!

Also, I'm not King Rat. He's nicer than I, probably.

TDIB 23 May 2008 | 46 comments | Create New Account

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