12:20 AM Eastern
Who knew?
It’s amazing that tonight, in the 69th game of the season for your Toronto Blue Jays, they got back-to-back homers for the first time all season. Matt Stairs smoked one deep into the 200 level in right field, a no-doubter if there ever was one, and Scott Rolen followed with a lots-of-doubter down the left field line that hit the concrete abutment beside the Jays’ pen. 340 feet of huge.
The last time two Blue Jays hit home runs in consecutive at-bats was last September, when Gregg Zaun and Russ Adams did it against the Orioles. Let that thought settle for a second, because it’s astonishing.
Anyway, it was enough for A.J. Burnett and the bullpen as the Jays scratched out a one-run win (they can, in fact, do that) with some help from second base umpire Jeff Nelson.
Brian Wolfe came in with two on and nobody out in the 6th and gave up a shot off the middle to Jim Edmonds. Nelson couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, and it hit him, which means dead ball, everybody gets one base. Had Nelson been able to avoid the hurtling sphere, one run would almost definitely have scored, and who knows if the Cubbies would have been able to cash a second. Instead, it was bases loaded, nobody out, and the best-hitting team in all of baseball could only score one run. Granted, that’s one more than it feels as though the Jays have been able to score most of the time, but it was only one nonetheless.
Jesse Carlson did a great job, striking out the only hitter he faced (Kosuke Fukudome) to end the 7th. Snakeface stranded a leadoff single in his only inning, and B.J. Ryan worked a hitless ninth, though he did make things interesting with a two-out walk to Derrek Lee before getting Aramis Ramirez, who has never hacked at a ball with less than 150% man-strength, to pop up foul to The Captain for the win.
Ryan has had a rough time lately, and has been raked over the coals by plenty of fans and analysts, but the TRUTH is the over his last four outings, he’s given up exactly one run. He had a really rough week, blowing those games to the Yankees and Angels, and as a result his June numbers are awful. For those two outings alone, his ERA was 27.00, which kind of colours everything else. But over his last four outings, totalling 3 2/3 innings, he’s allowed a grand total of one run. So everybody off the ledge, please.
I didn’t think A.J. Burnett pitched all that well, but for the 10th time in 14 starts he allowed three runs or fewer. He struggled with his control, walking four, but used that great curveball to massive effect in recording seven strikeouts even though he only got 15 people out. Not his most shining moment, to be sure, but good enough. I was stunned when the first two callers to The JaysTalk said that they thought he’d been great. Usually after an outing like this, the “.500 pitcher” people come out to say that he can’t go deep into games or some such. Here’s tonight’s show for you:
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Lastly, to the return of Reed Johnson. I expected nothing less than the massive outpouring of love and admiration that he received when he stepped up to pinch-hit in the 9th. The crowd was on its feet even before he was announced, and the ovation was so huge that he had to step out of the batters’ box. He even gave the tiniest little wave before he stepped back in. I’m sure he was overwhelmed. What I loved was that the crowd applauded loudly after he grounded out to second on the first pitch. That’s the way you do it – show your ex-fave some appreciation, but also appreciate it when he gets out, because it’s helping your team win a game.
I wonder how B.J. Ryan felt about that ovation, though, as he got set to try to get Reed out. He didn’t talk to the media tonight, so we’ll have to wait to get an answer. I’m not going to hold my breath.
Comments are encouraged, but with the extra pre-game show on the weekend now it’s going to be very tough to answer them before the game. And in advance, there will be no Father’s Day bloggage other than a line or two and a posting of that day’s edition of The JaysTalk.
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Nwo “Hollywood Hogan” or Red and Yellow Hogan?
MW: Huh?
- TerryBig fan, Mike, but I need to point out that BJ has given up 1 run over his last 3 outings, spanning 2 2/3 innings. In his fourth-most recent outing, he gave up 3 runs to the Yankees.
It’s ok, no one is perfect.
MW: No one is perfect, but I wasn’t wrong there. Ryan pitched a shutout 9th last night, gave up a run in 2/3 of an inning against Seattle on Wednesday, pitched a shutout 9th on Monday and pitched a shutout 9th and a shutout 9th on Sunday.
- darrenCheck that, New York was the fifth-most recent. Now I feel even dumber for wrongly pointing out a mistake. Like I said, no one is perfect.
MW: Yup.
- darrenOn another topic, what a terrible call on Barajas’ slide at the plate! Obviously he should have been dead by a mile, but I’ve never seen a major league catcher do as bad of a job as Soto did there. He didn’t block the plate, and he tagged Rod in the chest. Soto’s been one of the keys to my fantasy league success this year, but that was ugly.
MW: Good thing that defense doesn’t count in your fantasy leagues. But this is the major leagues, and if the throw beats you by that much, you’re out.
- darrenWhat’s up Wilner?
I have a couple of q’s for you:
Are the Jays seriously going to take a look at Bay, Dunn or even Beltran (can they afford his ridiculous $$$?)
2. Is Rios the laziest pro sports player ever?
Rios is THE laziest pro sports athlete I’ve ever seen in person. He always seems to demand his hat and glove brought to him if he’s the last out of an inning and he never runs onto the field at the beginning of the next inning
3. With all due respect, you really are the biggest homer on radio. I listen to Jays Talk after the games about 3 or 4 nights a week and all I hear is you telling callers off for “disrespecting” or ragging on any of the players.
MW: They’ll look at Bay and Dunn, but not Beltran. Rios is far from the laziest pro athlete ever. There are times when he loses focus and doesn’t run hard, probably more than any other Blue Jay, but it doesn’t happen as much as you think. Also, he’s so long and lean that a lot of times it doesn’t look like he’s really moving, but he is. I call that the Mario Lemieux conundrum. As for your third point, you’re completely wrong. I will argue with callers who say stupid things like the players “aren’t trying” or “don’t want to win”, but I regularly try to get people to understand that the players are the ones who are failing, and that it’s the players’ fault that the Jays are where they are in the standings.
- Frank the TankPlease give me the REAL reason you call Scott Downs “Snake Face”
Don’t insult me by saying he has a tattoo on his face.
I would love an actual “real answer ”
MW: That’s the real answer.
- RyanHey Mike you deserve to take some time off from this blog. I can take over for you. Just let me know how to access each post and add comments to them.
MW: I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.
- Jay Moneyahhhh, nothing like a 1 game winning streak.
- BobHey Mike, I just have three comments/questions.
1. I was at the game tonight, the crowd was NOT a good crowd, large yes, but very quite and not really in the game I felt.
2. I can’t believe nobody has mentioned this yet, (I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure of what I saw) Why the heck did Peavy send Barajas home on that short linedrive to LF? THERE WAS NO CHANCE.
3. Like I said, I was at the game and I was one of the few people who did not rise to salute Reed, I really don’t get the love affair with this guy. Then you have that caller who’s comparing Reed to Vernon?!?!?! Are you kidding me? Come on!
Anyways what do you think?
MW: I thought there was a great buzz and energy around the ballpark last night, though most of it came from Cub fans. I did talk about the Pevey send and yes, it was terrible. Reed is a lovable guy!
- The RatMike, did you see that save by Buffon? Game on the line. tournament on the line, Panucci in need of salvation for screwing up and he comes up MAMMOTH on a penalty kick in the dying minutes to keep Italy’s hopes alive at least mathematically. That’s what I’m talking about Mike.
MW: I don’t care in the least about Euro 2008. Sorry about that.
- Vito From HamiltonSolid outing by AJ, I dont like that umpires strike call though. He is not the show and should be told as such. I love the standing O for Reed. Something leads me to think Ted Lilly wont be getting the same reception on Sunday afternoon though.
MW: Tschida does have a weird little twitch strike call, and Joyce, who’s umping today, is a screamer.
- HBKI liked AJ today in that maybe he didn’t have his best stuff, but battled well. He didn’t get too flustered when the borderline pitches weren’t being called his way.
- twigs n seedsIt doesn’t really matter if AJ pitched well today, because he pitched well enough. Similarly, I don’t really care if the team can’t score five or six runs a game; we only need to score one more than the other guys!
As to the caller who complained about the Jays not advancing minor leaguers aggressively, you mentioned Snider and Cecil..but dont forget about Scott Campbell who was advanced all the way from Low A lansing straight to AA! Thats a HUGE leap..maybe almost as big a leap as AA to the bigs. Even Lind was advanced rapidly..and got a September call up two years ago. he has sort of stalled at AAA but thats not due to his performance, but rather situational…although i dont agree with the clubs decision to send him back after a mere 19 At bats. im pretty sure hed outdo stewar, wilky, et al. if given a nice months or two run.
here’s what drives people nuts about AJ burnett. and hes really a vitictim of his own talent. he goes out there and with the first hitter of the game, jumps out way ahead of him with two deadly , aggressive pitches. then he “d***ks” around tries to be too fine/perfect and walks the guy….he has to know that he can almost throw a fastball right down the middle in that situation and get 80 percent of the guys out. another example…in the fifth inning i think..he get two guys out in rapid succession..has a guy that hes made look TERRIBLE on prior at bats with an 0-2 count…and then HITS HIM. and of course this results eventually in a jam and he has to fire a ton of extra bullets to get out of the situation. on another day he wont be able to dodge the big inning. by the same token, on another day he wont be in any jams cause noone will make solid contact on him for an entire game. THIS is why hes so frustrating..its not cause he sucks…its cause he is so electric.
MW: I don’t think the majority of the A.J. bashers share your feelings. I think they just think he sucks.
- sammyMike, I need help.
MW: Of that, there is little doubt.
- Vito From HamiltonJP released the wrong guy. Clearly us fans like Reed. His absence form the team will have no impact on where we finish in the standings. Since we will not win the divison (with him or without him) why would JP release such a fan favorite?
MW: Because he’s trying to make the playoffs, and wants to put together the best group of players that he can.
- wayneMIke,
Just looking at some stats….did you know that as of right now the NL had scored more runs than the AL?
I just wanted to see if the Jays, thru 68 games had managed to pull out the “historically bad” rut. So far 25th in runs, slugging and Total Bases. While a respectible 13th in Ave and 7th in OBP. Same old story about lack of power but…does this qualify as an improvement over the fist 32 games?
The team rank in scoring runs…the point of an Offense…by month was 21 (april), 18 (may) and tied for 24th (June). Seems to me like they are what they are. Your small sample warning with time is lossing its small sample.
I have no suggestions, but i think it best that we accept that things are unlikley to get better on the hitters side.
MW: That’s your prerogative. I refuse to believe that an entire group of better-than-average hitters can just completely dry up.
- JWNow that was a very neat and tidy win for the Jays! A day off sure just might have been what they needed at this time.
What can you say about the pitching that hasn’t already been said – lights out from the 7th inning on. Acardo and his curve ball – yikes – forget who the batter was but to see Acardo throw 3 curves in row to get him was just wicked. BJ looked great again and I say again as he has looked good regardless of what happened recently.
The greeting for Reed Johnson was unbelievable and for Ryan to still be able to pitch effectively at that point shows great poise. Just wish the Jays faithful had given Vernon even half of that welcome back from his injury. However great crowd noise during BJ’s closing of the game – nice!
Despite the back-back homers I still like the Rolen-Stairs combo Vs the Stairs-Rolen order.
Happy Fathers Day Mike!
Thanks.
MW: I think you’re confusing Carlson with Accardo.
- Bobhey Mike few things…one why don’t we make the jays mascot make a good defensive play,get hit by a pitch,and bunt against a righty in between innings.That way we don’t half too hear how much “we miss” Reed Johnson(oh and make him sit on the bench for most of the games too)…two I’ll forgive Mike Toth (for now)…three Mike Wilmer.Theirs way too many people named Mike in this world(and not enough Stewarts)so why not try changing your first name to something more catchy and meaningful.For example;go Brazilian with Base Ballinho,why not polish with Strike Outski(no wait forget that one),Russian wouldn’t be bad with Needa Bigbatov(make sure too tell J.P. about that one),and finally why not sound like royalty with Count Pitch Wilmer(pause for laughter)…sorry about the lame comments I just have nothing too complain about.thanks a lot ______ ______ and keep up the good work.
MW: Is my name not on display right at the top of this page?
- stewyGreat win tonight. I love these kind of wins. And I am crazy about the throwback uniforms.
Just wanted to throw my two cents in re: the Toth etc. issue.
A few times I’ve left a comment and you have very accurately put my ‘facts’ in their proper place. I think it’s refreshing and great. You constantly stun me with the seeming clarity with which you observe the game.
I will say though that it is perhaps our right as fans to be a little manic depressive, irrational, and highly subjective in our commenting. It’s another thing for some broadcasters to speak this way on a regular basis.
I guess you’re kind of like our collective Jays psychotherapist:)
MW: There’s not a thing wrong with fans being manic depressive, irrational and highly subjective. Just don’t expect me to agree with you!
- Wong Kar-WaiReed Johnson is one of the very few athletes to be cheered in Toronto. We hear a lot of Toronto get booed, the most crizized is Vince Carter. Can you think of any player that played for Toronto that has been cheered like Reed Johnson and I’m not meaning the bluejays, but other Toronto sports teams as well?
MW: Anyone who has ever played for the Maple Leafs, with the possible exceptions of Todd Gill, Larry Murphy and Aki-Petteri Berg.
- andrewHi Mike,
Why do we need to know how Reed Johnson hits righties for? He was never going to face them as a Blue Jay. It was a platoon situation. He hits lefties very well and plays steller defence. This is why I and millions of others except JP still don’t agree with letting him go.
MW: Please read the archives from, oh, about every day in March.
- brunoMike, do you think the Jays are stashing Adam Lind in Syracuse for later use as trade bait?
MW: No, but I don’t think they’d be averse to trading him in the right deal.
- JimMike,
What time do you get to the ball park for 7:05pm games and what do you usually eat during the games?
MW: I get to the park just before 4:00, and I don’t eat during games.
- BeburgHey Mike, I was wondering if you and your crew could post an audio clip on the blog of Jerry calling a homerun. I have searched high and low on the internet for something to use as a ringtone or voicemail. The one’s that play on the air “walk off homerun by Aaron Hill” “long run garett anderson” are awesome. Could you please try? Thank you.
Also, do you ever see yourself stepping in as a play-by-play man down the road either on radio or tv? I think you would be solid as one. Take care and thanks for the bloggage.
MW: I don’t have the power to post those kinds of clips, and I wonder if it’s legal (you know, that whole “express written consent” thing – though maybe implied oral constent would be enough). I’d love to eventually move into one of the big chairs, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing right now.
- JamieIt was an interesting game to attend. A lively crowd was almost lulled to sleep by AJ’s 32 pitch first inning but it responded well to the massive outburst (by Jays standards) of 3 runs and carried the energy through the game. Going to the park is a lot more fun when it is like that.
AJ was just good enough and they won, which is great, but once again the game contained my two favorite plays – Rios tracking a fly ball like he thinks it is out of the park and Pevey, well, clearly just being Pevey.
I guess I am starting to accept that Rios is what he is and your not going to get full effort from time to time but Pevey??? Why is that guy still here? I have now attended 6 home games and he has messed up in each of them. Some more glaring than others but last night was astonishingly bad. As a third base coach are you not supposed to know your runners and pay some attention to how the defense a) lines up? b) reacts to the ball? Sending Barahas on that play was inexcusable. Even with the Jays’ poor results I’d rather have runners on first and third and take my chance with the next batter than sending a runner with absoluteluy no hope of making it. A 4th run would have been huge at the time. Who does this guy have pictures of? That is the only explanation I can come up with that can explain why he is still coaching!
MW: J.P. was asked about Marty last week, and said that while he’s been shaky, he hasn’t cost the Jays any games yet, and they’re willing to let him grow into the job.
- MikeJamie Campbell mentioned that “Mighty” Joe Inglett had read the book -The Secret- and believes in it. Now I understand injuries are a part of the game but this book seems to work better than the “chicken bone cross”.
Some of the coincidences-
Eckstein and McDonald same game
Wells – wrist
Eckstein takes out Hill
Stewart – rolls ankle
Ryan mysteriously goes in the toilet for a week.
I’m sure there is more. You must find it and destroy it.
MW: That’s your common denominator?
- LarryMike, my problem with the Stewart signing–which looked great on paper–is the same as my problem with the Thomas signing–which looked great on paper. JP Ricciardi has an unerring instinct for the guy who has just had a banner year, but he has much. much less of an instinct for signing the guy who is going to have a banner year. He has signed guys who did. Matt Stairs was amazing last year and isn’t bad this year. But Matt Stairs is Canadian, so will always get looked at seriously by the only Canadian team left. If Stewart had worked out, then JP would have looked like a genius, but he didn’t. And a lot of others haven’t either. And that was and still is my point. The perception around here among a lot of fans, and maybe a large majority of fans, certainly the fans I see around me when I go to the games, is that JP Ricciardi has more than outstayed his welcome. That perception may or may not be justified but there it is. That’s why I spoke about realpolitik earlier. If these guys get it together, then, maybe, Ricciardi will survive the season. If they don’t, he won’t. And whether it was a baseball decision or not, the axe that fells him will have ‘Reed Johnson’ written on it somewhere. Not because Johnson was such a favourite, (although he was, and I’ve rarely seen anything like the ovation he got yesterday, which had to have been a big ‘up yours’ to Ricciardi) but because it represented yet another FA signing that didn’t work out.
Maybe that’s how I’ll sum up the Ricciardi years: Sweet FA.
MW: You’re not alone in how you feel, for certain, but the collective feelings of the fan base can’t be a determiner of personnel decisions.
- reyesWhat are your thoughts on this…
As I see it, the play where the umpire was hit didn’t have an effect on the game as many people are thinking. The run doesn’t score then, but it scored anyway later. On the hit, there was no way the runner from 2nd would have gotten to 3rd as Wells was right on the ball. That still would have left them in position for the double play that ended the inning after they got the one out. Only one run would have scored.
There are only two unlikely ways that the 3rd run scores as I see it. One, it doesn’t hit the ump and the 3rd run scores if they throw home on the play and the runner on 2nd advances to 3rd. I doubt this though, as the play to home would have been a no chancer I think and they would have cut off and held the runner.
The only other way is that it hitting him changes the whole complexion of the game and the way that the Cubs approach things, meaning anything could happen. One way to look at it, but I don’t see it though.
Anyway, as things played out, it still would have been 3-2 after the end of the inning, even if the ump had been able to get out of the way.
Great game to be at either way!
MW: But you’re assuming that the game would have continued the same way had the ball not hit the umpire. The truth is, had the ball not hit him, a different space-time continuum would have been created, and there’s no way to know what would have happened.
- DarrenOops, in my last comment, I said runner from second, but I meant runner from first. Just a quick correction.
Since I am writing, just wanted to give quick praise about what a fine job you do. Sure, you sometimes infuriate me (you want replay review? he he) but you are simply the finest post-game baseball person I have ever heard (I have lived in L.A, listened in New York, SF,…)
I grew up a huge Dodger and baseball fan in Saskatchewan, voraciously reading everything on baseball I could get a hold of. Then fell away from baseball a bit in my 20s. Moving to Toronto has brought it all back (and I have become a huge Jays fan, finally). I swear that your post-game show has been half of what has drawn me back. My friend Mike and I often comment that we might like your show more than the game, and we LOVE the game. Just wanted to say thanks.
MW: Wow. Thank you.
- DarrenHi Mike
- marioGreat win tonight.The jays needed to get off on the right foot.With Doc going today we have a good shot to take 2 of 3 this weekend.Good to see that Rolen can still hit the long ball and Rios had a good game also.Peavy at third base is starting to become a joke.I believe in forcing the defence to make a good play but sending Barahas was a ridiculous move. I know we can’t hit with 2 out but a least we got a chance unlike Barahas who I actually thought slid under the tag.I hope he gets better because with all our problems trying to score runs we can’t afford costly errors from our 3rd base coach.
mario
Go Jays!!!
Hey Mike,
You get stunned easily! I said AJ was “rock solid” not great! Which he was… sure he bent, but didn’t break. With his last outing (including the hat tipping), his home record and facing the best team (stats wise)in MLB, I was slightly stunned he got not only a quality start but the WIN which is always GREAT!!!
Gotta Luv it. Go DOC!
Dave from Oakville.
MW: He didn’t get a quality start. Rock solid is about the same as great, no?
- DaveHey Mike,
I was the second caller last night and I was wondering why they would bring up Diaz over Thigpen for their starting catcher?
I’d like to add that I said AJ had a good start, not a great start. I was condsidering he bounced back from his outing last week and he got key outs when he needed them.
Thanks,
Ryan
MW: Diaz is a better hitter.
- ryanHi Mike
Unfortunately I am writing while Saturdays game is in the 5th inning and Wells just made a stupid attempt on a single that he turned into a triple with the cubs up 5-0.I am writing to say this is my rock bottom not because they are losing the game but because there is absolutely no chance that they attempt to make a comeback.4-0 is not an insurmountable lead but this team has not shown that they can comeback from a deficit of more than 2 runs.The discouraging thing is that the pitchers feel they have to be perfect for the team to have a chance to win the pressure is just to much for anybody to withstand.I am not saying the pitchers will crack but what I am saying is that if a team can not comeback from4-0 it cannot win and I am at my bottom with this team.I hope I am wrong and I hope they turn it around.
mario
Go Jays!!!
MW: OK. This team certainly does make it feel that even a four-run deficit is too much to overcome.
- marioWhy is Eckstein starting when Halladay is pitching? Shouldn’t Mcdonald be the starting shortstop since Halladay is a groundball pitcher and the Jays need the best possible inflield defense. The Eckstein error should be blamed on Gibbons as much as it should be blamed on Eckstein himself. Secondly, the Jays will go nowhere with this atrocious offense. Marquis is no Cy young winner and he is cruising right now. I don’t understand how you can honestly say that as presently constructed the Jays can make the playoffs with this pathetic offense. They need a big bat desperately.
MW: A big bat won’t help if everyone else keeps hitting like this. And I agree with you, Eckstein should not be playing when Halladay is pitching. Not because of today’s error, that’s been my position all year.
- aviWhen was the last time the Jays performed any heroics like that? When was the last time anybody on this team stepped up to bail out the whole squad? You don’t have to care about soccer Mike. If you’d rather watch the n’er do well Jays, than the thrilling do or die competition of championship soccer then by all means…at this rate, I’ll die of old age before the Jays ever do anything even remotely incredible again.
MW: There are no heroics in sport. There is no do or die in sport.
- Vito From HamiltonWow! Reed Johnson hit a 3-run homer! You gotta love that!!!
Wait. What?
(Thanks for fixing up my previous post! Language and it’s usage means a lot to me as well!)
MW: “It’s” usage???????
- reyesI just tuned into the game. 6-0 Cubs with the bases loaded for Inglett. Just waiting to see how they maroon these guys again.
- Vito From HamiltonRios goes down looking. Surprise! I’m trying to suppress my laughter, here Mike.
- Vito From HamiltonAre John Gibbons severly mislead political views reason enough to fire him? If he still views George Bush as a good president then I have no confidence in his ability to make a sane decision in the much more difficult scenario of getting a baserunner home in the 9th inning if a tie ball game with the bases loaded and none out.
MW: Let’s not get into politics. You may disagree with Gibbons’ politically, but that doesn’t mean you’re right and he’s wrong.
- JimboThere are no heroics in sport? You’ve obviously been hanging around Blue Birds a bit too much. They get ONE run. And you find ME predictable? ONE run Mike on a bases loaded walk. This team stinks Mike. I don’t care how you spin it.
MW: Last night, the Cubs had the bases loaded and nobody out, and they got one run. Regardless, what does that have to do with athletes as heroes?
- Vito From HamiltonAlex Rios. Providing Blue Jays fans 69 million reasons to laugh.
- Vito From HamiltonHere’s what I don’t get about the Stewart signing (and I just want to say that I’m not really a Reed Johnson fan), but Reed was here to hit left handers – something that Stewart has never been particularly good at – and to platoon with Stairs, since Thomas was to be the DH. So when they got rid of Johnson, wouldn’t it have made more sense to find someone who kills lefties? Why wouldn’t they just bring in Kevin Mench at the start of the season?
MW: As I said back in March, Stewart not only provided a solid bat against lefties (not as good as Reed’s), but a MUCH better bat against righties. The position was, indeed, supposed to be “left fielder against lefties”, but the Jays wanted that player to be able to play everyday if the need arose, especially since two 40 year-olds were set to play regularly against righties. Stewart was supposed to provide insurance against an injury or a major drop-off by any one of Thomas, Stairs, Wells, Rios or Overbay. Reed couldn’t do that.
- AndyThe Cubbies can be excused for their bases loaded one run inning. They’re actually the best team in baseball where the Jays aren’t even in that area code. What is a hero by your definition, Mike? A true hero is a father who goes to work everyday to provide for his family imo. A piece of wood has the potential to die a hero. The bat dies a hero.
he·ro (hîr)
n. pl. he·roes
1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine.
At no time while reading this definition, did a current member of the Blue Jays cross my mind.
MW: At no point in time while reading that definition did any athlete at all ever cross my mind.
- Vito From HamiltonTerry Fox?
MW: Not a professional athlete, but I’ll give you that one.
- Vito From HamiltonMike, the only thing worse than your homerism is your complete dismissive attitude towards everyone who disagrees with you. Hope you’re enjoying the cheque signed by JP. This team is abysmal but for you the team remains a contender. Thanks but many of us know better.
MW: See you in September.
- SoulsticeWilner,
Do you have Vito on the payroll?
3 points on today’s game.
To start with I’m not upset they lost, they played the best team in the league, so you’d expect them to lose. I’m also happy for Reed and the fact that he hit the game winning home run today.
1. After the 2nd inning and the 4 spot the Cubs put up, I was surprised to see the body language of the Jays. Even though they still had 24 outs to go in the game it seemed like they already accepted defeat. Do you agree with my assessment? Did you feel that offensively they believed they had no chance?
2. I watched the broadcast on CBC and I really liked the way Jesse Barfield and Rance Mulliniks commented on the game. I believe Mullinks was the one who saw something on Vernon’s wrist. Did you see anything? Do you think he’s injured it again?
3. When the Jays won the World Series in ’92 Manuel Lee was the starting shortstop. He is not the offensive juggernaut that would scare anyone. Why not use McDonald as your starting shortstop? Eckstein is a better offensive hitter then McDonald, but do you think the defense provided by McDonald would prevent more runs, then Eckstein’s offense?
MW: No, I don’t believe that they felt they were out of it after the four-spot. I didn’t notice anything with Vernon, but he did say after the game that the wrist “grabbed” on him. When the Jays won’t the World Series in ’92, things were very different. Remember, they had Pat Borders as the starting catcher, who was no scary offensive juggernaut, and the clean-up hitter had a .309 obp.
- BobbyI’d trade Litsch, Lind, and Purcey for Bay and 3 years tacked on his deal. Would you? Would Pittsburgh?
Also, about that Vernon call today. Apparently he was seen shaking his hand/wrist, I wonder if now that he’s hitting a lot of balls it is starting to get sore because it could still be a little weak with how fast he came back.
MW: Pittsburgh would, I wouldn’t – that’s too much. You don’t need to give up that much to get Bay. See above for the Vernon thing.
- AriI had to chuckle at comment #19. Who knew that an internationally-renowned film director was a fan of your blog? ;)
Good win on Friday night followed up by a tough loss today. I agree 100% with your notion that Johnny Mac should be an automatic inclusion in the lineup whenever Halladay is pitching.
I have no problem with the Jays letting go of Reed Johnson, given that overall, he’s a pretty average-to-mediocre ballplayer. It’s funny that the same people who rip on “gritty” Eckstein for being nothing more than a media creation fall all over themselves praising Reed Johnson, who’s basically just Eckstein at a different position.
MW: Who knew, indeed?
- Alex PReed on this team would not make the Jays anymore competive then they are now. While your taking a mild rip at Eck, I am not liking what Rios is bringing to the plate. Eigth inning 11 pitches on Inglett and Rios one swing and two strikeouts again leaving the bases loaded with no and one outs. I thought JP said they are going to be more aggressive with runners in scoring position, Rios standing with his bat on his shoulder looking at slider after slider looking stunned. Put Rios on the DL, the kid needs a heart transplant.
MW: 11 pitches on Inglett? When did that happen? And I don’t think I ripped Eck at all. Pointing out that a guy is an OK shortstop isn’t a rip.
- jasonNot that this has anything to do with the Blue Jays but I just had to contribute an answer to andrew about former Toronto players being cheered on their return. Morris Peterson received a standing ovation similar to the one Reed Johnson received when Mo Pete returned to play for the New Orleans Hornets against the Raptors last March. The crowd was on its feet and cheering as soon as the words Michigan State were uttered.
- DebbieMike, I have to disagree with you when you say that fan opinions and feelings about a player cannot be considered while making personnel decisions. Certainly it cannot be the only factor or maybe even a significant factor, but fan reaction is definitely considered. After all without the fans there is no baseball team.
Furthermore, I think JP agrees with me otherwise Johnny Mac who they obviously have no use for whatsoever would have been released the minute Eckstein was signed.
MW: McDonald has a two-year, guaranteed contract that would have been hard to swallow, but is still an excellent back-up even if Eckstein is going to start, so there was no reason to release him. The truth is that if a team wins, fans will find their favourites, so you can’t consider fan reaction, you just have to try to win.
- DebbieMike, why do you respond to ppl like Vito? Actually he is pretty much the only one.
Why would he come on here to talk about Italy? This is a BASEBALL blog..
Go cry about your sad Italian team somewhere else
- TOMMYPNow that your season average in comments of 100+ per blog does not seem to be slowing down, maybe you should try getting creative with time-saving measures. Here’s a suggestion: quickly eyeball each comment and if it looks like it has more than 1 spelling or grammar error per sentence, put a little note in the “MW: …” slot noting that you are not going to try to read it. You can even create a stat for this. If a commenter’s SAGES (Spelling and Grammar Errors per Sentence) > 1.00, you can ignore the comment, thereby saving you time and contributing to the effort to stop the deterioration of the English language.
That said, I’m not quite sure that this comment, with its awkward sentences, could pass the “SAGES” test.
MW: I don’t want to do that, that’s mean. I’d prefer to help people get to the stage where they could pass the SAGES test.
- XiaoWhy don’t the jays sign me I’m certain I can provide more then Stairs/Wilkerson/Overbay combined and you don’t have to trade anything for me.
MW: I’d sign you, but I don’t have that kind of power.
- Barry BondsHi, Mike:
During today’s game, Jerry commented on the Umpires’ rotation on a ball hit to deep center. According to Jerry, the 2B ump went out to center to watch the play, the 3B ump rotated to cover second, the HP ump moved to cover third, and the 1B ump moved in to cover the plate.
Jerry commended the umpires for their good work.
Fair enough — but wouldn’t it have made more sense for the 1B ump to simply follow the runner into second (if the ball had dropped)? The other umps (3rd and HP) could have remained at their stations, and all the potential plays would have been covered without all that movement (and therefore the potential for being out-of-position for a possible call).
I know that there are times when an umpire rotation of some kind is required, but it seems to me that this one was “excessive”.
On another note, is that Overbay throw home another play that Captain Rod should have had, or was that “unplayable” (as it was scored — no error given)?
MW: Your idea sounds like a good one, maybe they should try that. The Overbay throw was low, and Barajas had to try to short-hop it. No error should have been given.
- NormI am glad to see you bring up Matt holliday. I think this would be the best fit for us, even if it means giving up lind, Purcey, Cecil and possibly Litsch. Wells has always hit better with a big bat behind him, he (Holliday) would spark this offence. Even if the Jays were to trade Holliday in the offseason or at the deadline next year they would get quality prospects back. I just believe the Jays have this year or next to contend, the young talent in the minors are at least three years before being major league quality.
MW: The Jays’ core is under contract through 2010. I’m not sure I buy Holliday, because his numbers outside Coors Field are nothing special. I certainly wouldn’t give up that much for him.
- jasonMike
After the game on June 1, you criticized fans for being on A.J. when he had pitched brilliantly and came away wth a no decision. Last week you pointed how fortunate Halladay was to win when the team scored 3 late runs to give him a ‘lucky’ victory. The last 2 games represent a reversal of fortune for both pitchers. A.J. battled hard and won. He pitched okay. Doc had no luck and lost. That happens to all pitchers and all players from time to time. The point that I think that you are missing with the fans is that A.J. has Hall of Fame ‘stuff’ but lacks consistency (mental toughness? who knows) and I think most fans find that terribly frustrating. Remember, no matter what his record is at the end of the year, he will opt out and make even more money. This is a team with excellent pitching, average defense, and inconsistent hitting. If you are going to rely on great pitching, then emphasis should be placed on having excellent defense. This team has enough talent to win over 90 games but will be lucky to finish over .500.
MW: This team has far better than average defense, whether Eckstein is starting or not (I assume that’s the reference). I don’t get the consistency argument. What’s consistency – four good starts out of five? Nine out of ten? So far this year, Burnett has been great over 2/3 of the time.
- BrianIt was six pitches to Inglett and five to Rios with only one swing from either one, in the eigth. JP had noted that the Jays were being to patient with runners in scoring position, and were going to be more aggressive. I guess Rios never got the memo.
MW: That’s better. It’s not as simple as getting the memo, it’s about putting it into practice. But Carlos Marmol is no chimp out there, there’s a reason the guy has 63 strikeouts in 42 innings. That’s an historical-level K/IP ratio.
- jasonMichael “Big Nasty” Wilner,
Couple of points; while I don’t think John Gibbons has been terrible and there is probably little point in firing him now, if the Jays aren’t in the race come September I think they should definitely bring in a new skip for next year. Like I said, he hasn’t been awful, but I haven’t liked a lot of his moves and decisions thus far. I mean, not having McDonald play when Halladay is pitching for one. If McDonald is going to get his one start a week, why wouldn’t you make it on the day that the biggest ground ball pitcher in baseball is on the mound? So I think at the end of the year there will be a lot of managers available that could do a better job than Mr. Gibbons.
MW: It’s a bad decision not to use McDonald with Halladay pitching, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. I wish it were, but you have to deal emotionally with people, too. I’m not excusing it, though, because if it were up to me I would explain to Eckstein that he’s going to start 80% of the time, but McDonald gives the team the best chance to win when Halladay pitches, and that’s the only thing that should matter to any of those guys.
- Juan Duress“MW: “It’s” usage???????”
I’m telling you, get me an edit button! I meant to do a PS but then I thought, ‘what the hell, I’ll leave it and have him pick it up…’
So enough of the non-possessive ‘it’s’ and on to the post that I’m seeing above me. Gibbons should be starting Macdonald whenever Halladay pitches and there’s really no way he can explain why he doesn’t. Yes, Eckstein is the main s/s. But no, he’s not as good a defenceman as Macdonald. As you said, it’s a bad decision. Now you know I’ve left behind Gibbons as a lost cause, and if this season ends badly he’ll be gone along with his patron. But I do hate throwing games away. And the way this offence is going, if we don’t start Macdonald behind Halladay, that’s what we’re doing.
- reyesYou would not give up Litsch, Lind, and Purcey for Bay. Are you kidding me? You think PIT would do that deal. JP should be fired if he does not do that deal . You are giving up two low ceiling pitchers and one outfielder with talent, but has proven nothing in the majors. Why not do that? Bay is a proven offensive producer. I would rather get Dunn than him though. The problem is I don’t think CIN or PIT do that deal. They would want more highly regarded pitching prospects.
MW: I don’t think you have to give up that much to get Bay, but there was a fourth guy in the trade that the commenter suggested.
- aviYeah, I’d like to go cry about my sad Italian team somewhere else, alright TOMMYP. How about your place. You just name the time.
- Vito From HamiltonIs Reed Johnson the most beloved player in Toronto? Can you think anyone more beloved then him?
MW: Plenty. Just about anyone who played on the ’92-’93 teams, along with most of the ’85 guys.
- andrewthe time Vito?? how about right now you ***
MW: Sorry, Tommy, you’re done here after that.
- TOMMYPHey Mike,
I’ve gotta say, even after my slightly less than positive post above, you really seem to handle things with class and I appreciate that as a consistent listener and second-time blog respondent.
Keep up the hard work, I’ll be frequenting your blogs and radio show even more now. :)
MW: Great to have you along!
- Frank the TankI’d award the Most Beloved Blue Jay Trophy to Shea Hillenbrand.
- Vito From Hamilton2-0 Mike. Game Over. Start preparing your postgame report because this baby over. Very disappointing. Call me stupid for believing this team had it in them to have a big day today. I’m off to the beach Mike. I can’t see giving the Jays any more of my time today.
- Vito From Hamilton