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Features Game Day!
There are real live baseball games being played today.

This of course makes it is a good day. The Jays are up against the Pirates at 1:05, and there is coverage on the radio. If you have mlb.tv, they start their spring training coverage today with the Yanks-Phillies at 1:05 and the Red Sox against Boston College at 7:05.

Also here's a hilarious JPA story over at The Classical.

Posted by Gwyn on Saturday, March 03 2012 @ 01:00 AM EST.
Game Day! | 21 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Richard S.S. - Saturday, March 03 2012 @ 02:00 PM EST (#252461) #
Glad I've got Gameday Audio on my iPhone, the Fan 590 is broadcasting the game, through 3.5 IP Jays lead 2-0 on a Lawrie double.   Delighted Baseball's back.
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Cal Jays - Saturday, March 03 2012 @ 09:36 PM EST (#252469) #
So Cecil loses about 5 MPH on his fastball last year. He goes from a solid AL starter with even more upisde to someone unable to compete at the MLB level. Every beat writer down in spring training wrote stories about cecil losing 30 lbs and having a new attitude. Today he pitches and none of them bothered to do some actual journalism and go behind home plate to check out rhe guns and see if all of the Cecil chatter has amounted to anything.
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Chuck - Saturday, March 03 2012 @ 10:29 PM EST (#252470) #

From this article:

On the mound, Brett Cecil started for the Blue Jays and the slimmed-down lefty looked sharp, even if it was just for one inning and there were no radar gun readings available to gauge his much-talked about velocity.

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Ryan Day - Saturday, March 03 2012 @ 11:19 PM EST (#252472) #
There was a story earlier this week that mentioned the Jays effectively banned radar guns early in spring training, since they don't want anyone worrying about velocity at this point.
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Richard S.S. - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 12:22 AM EST (#252474) #
Jays won!   Start planning the Parade! 
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smcs - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 12:38 AM EST (#252475) #
So Cecil loses about 5 MPH on his fastball last year.

It was 1 MPH. 1 stinkin' MPH.
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bpoz - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 10:08 AM EST (#252477) #
I expect Cecil to comment more as ST comes to an end. A long time has past since I was in my mid 20s, but I do recall saying & thinking many stupid things IMO. Fortunately as a non VIP my words meant little or nothing. Maybe nothing has changed.

IMO Cecil & other young pitchers as rookies in 2009 got hammered by the strong teams like Boston.

Cecil expressed his opinion on that by saying the following year that he is now experienced. I cannot be sure but I think that he said that he expects to now beat those teams.
He then did that.
Will he be quiet this year? Should he? That is a work in progress. But according to R Romero, he tweeted that his off season preparations are going well and he expects to challenge him for the distinction of being the Ace of the staff.
For what it is worth I expect 100% from a lot of players this year. Like running harder on what looks like an easy out.
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Thomas - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 12:24 PM EST (#252478) #
There was a story earlier this week that mentioned the Jays effectively banned radar guns early in spring training, since they don't want anyone worrying about velocity at this point.

From what I understand, this is relatively common across baseball.

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Ryan Day - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 01:32 PM EST (#252479) #
Jesse Litsch's bad luck continues: He had an injection for inflammation in his shoulder, then developed an infection and had to have emergency surgery. He's shut down for six weeks.
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Richard S.S. - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 04:22 PM EST (#252480) #
An 8-5 win with the Minors team playing, 2-0 for the season, life is good.
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Kelekin - Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 09:58 PM EST (#252483) #
Cecil's velocity was 89.1 on average last year, down 1.4 from 2010 (90.5).  There were more than enough other problems than his velocity.
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Lylemcr - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 08:56 AM EST (#252484) #
I love this time of year....
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Lylemcr - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 09:04 AM EST (#252485) #

BTW, I love the video. 

This is why I like JPA.  I think his personality would make him beloved by the fans.  If he was here for 10 years, he could be a fan favorite. 

Overall, I really like the personality of this team.  They do lots of fun things like this and as a fan, I really enjoy it.  In the past, the Blue Jays have been accused of lacking personality.  It is a fresh change.

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mathesond - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 11:02 AM EST (#252486) #
JPA - Ernie Whitt for a new generation?
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greenfrog - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 11:35 AM EST (#252487) #
Pirates extend McCutchen for 6/$51.5M or 7/$66.25M (depending on whether the team exercises its $14.75M option for 2018):

http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/pbc-blog/115191-shots-across-the-bow-six-years-515-million

I expect that these deals will become increasingly common under the new CBA, as teams will want to secure their best (and increasingly hard to acquire) young talent before the price becomes exorbitant. If Lawrie proves to be the real deal, I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a similar offer within the next year or two. If AA wanted to be really aggressive, he could make him a preemptive Matt Moore/Evan Longoria-type offer this spring, say for 5 or 6 years plus a few club options.
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John Northey - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 12:56 PM EST (#252488) #
So, two games in and Thames has an OPS over 2.000 and Snider is at 1.000 and neither has struck out yet - hardly mind blowing (8 AB total between them) but at least it suggests they both came to spring ready to battle.

Always fun to watch early spring stats - they are just so silly and mean so little. It is the tea leaves method of looking at the season to come. Still, Snider-Thames is a battle we'll all be watching closely. Wonder what AA will do if both have a very strong spring?
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92-93 - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 06:36 PM EST (#252494) #
I know what I'd do if both are mashing - option down Francisco and carry both. Platoon Lind/EE and give Thames the starts at DH vs. RHP.
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bpoz - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 07:27 PM EST (#252495) #
AA is probably looking for Quality ABs, but I do't know what his version of quality is. Maybe BB or hustle or some kind of weakness in hitting method.
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Richard S.S. - Monday, March 05 2012 @ 11:49 PM EST (#252498) #

A.A. prefers Snider and Thames to play full-time at this stage in their career.   Neither player will be on the Bench, no matter how good they are hitting.  

Travis Snider was sent to AAA to learn how to hit, just about everything.   It took a lot of work, but from all indications, he learned.   Unfortunately, he was injured near season-end which carried well into his off-season.   It doesn't matter how well Snider hits, if he can't show he's learned what he was supposed to learn.   If he shows he's learned, he makes the Team, to stay.

Thames makes the Team only if Snider can't, even if he hits better.   How long Thames stays, depends on how well he defends.   His future might be as a D.H., or traded.  

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Maldoff - Tuesday, March 06 2012 @ 07:24 PM EST (#252513) #
Don't know where this should be posted, but on ESPN today, old friend Keith Law listed Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek as two of his youngsters-ready-to-bounce-back. Colby Rasmus was listed under honorable mentions
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John Northey - Wednesday, March 07 2012 @ 09:44 AM EST (#252524) #
I could easily see EE/Lind platooning at 1B while Thames is the DH and Snider the LF (let Snider DH sometimes and Thames goes to LF, or put Thames & Snider out there to give Bautista a DH day here and there). Davis has the 4th outfielder role while Francisco gets mixed in somehow...

Of course if both Francisco & Davis are on the roster along with Lind/EE/Snider/Thames then you have a major issue. The bench becomes Lind or EE, Davis, Francisco, Mathis, and you are out of slots with a 7 man pen and no one to backup SS/2B/3B. More likely is Francisco being optioned (if possible) or either Francisco/EE or Lind being traded (or 2 of them being traded) so you can have space for some utility infielders.

Boy was roster construction easier in the days of 15 hitters and 10 pitchers.
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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.