"And this game is tied!"

by Mark Rose
North Bay, Ontario (via Prince Edward County)

This isn't a Roberto Alomar Hall of Fame post.

Instead, its my re-telling of my favourite moment as a Blue Jays fan.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

Somehow though, it was October 11, 1992. That is long enough ago that I'm not even going to figure out the exact amount of years that has passed since.

It was a sunny, but cool Sunday afternoon. Game four of the American League Championship Series between the Blue Jays and Athletics in Oakland. The Jays went into the game with a 2-1 series lead and had Jack Morris on the mound. Things looked good for a young, eager, awkwardly thin Jays fan.

Until the third inning.

The A's put up a five spot in the home half and added another run a couple innings later to take a 6-1 lead into the late innings and had it protected by one of the toughest closers in baseball history, Dennis Eckersley.

It was bleak until the top of the eighth inning, when Toronto finally started chipping away. As a kid, when your team is down five runs, you believe it to be an insurmountable obstacle to overcome. The Jays got a run to make it 6-2 before that mustachioed son-of-a-bitch Eckersley came to the mound. Game over.

But wait...

Run scoring hits by John Olerud and then Candy Maldonado cut the lead to 6-4. Eckersely struck someone out to end the eighth inning Jays rally, and in doing so, lit a fire in me, and more importantly, the Toronto dugout. He yelled and taunted, pumped his fist towards the Jays like the regular jackass he is.

I was livid. Temper that I had (have), I got in trouble for swearing at the television. Two seconds later, my Dad swore at it.

Today, at 29, I would recognize and could see the moment coming. Back then however, at the ripe old age of eleven, there was no hope. The Jays were losing going into the ninth inning, and had to complete the comeback against Eckersley, back then the most hated athlete in my life.

Enter the top of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup.

Devon White, that graceful bastard, led off the top of the ninth with a single and ended up on third base before Ricky Henderson stopped making errors on the play.

The guy up next is THE guy you WANT up next. Whenever a clutch hit was needed, Roberto Alomar had an uncanny ability to deliver. I knew that at the time, but still had no idea what was coming. I was still expecting defeat, still dreading the failure that was about to go down.

I'll never forget the call of Dick Stockton on that early Sunday evening when Robbie lined a two-run, game tying shot over the right field fence, stunning the Oakland faithful, the Oakland dugout, and their cocky prick of a closer.

"And a drive hit to right field, Sierra going back, looking up...and this game is tied!"

6-6. The Jays eventually won 7-6, and I can't remember how they scored the winning run. Beyond this game of course, the rest is history.

This isn't a Roberto Alomar in the Hall of Fame post. He is undoubtedly one of, if not the best second baseman in baseball history. His place in Cooperstown was never a question of "if", but of "when."

Of all the sports moments I've watched on TV, be it the Penguins winning Stanley Cups, the Patriots winning Super Bowls, even Joe Carter's World Series winning tater a year later, the 1992 Alomar homerun, called by Stockton is still the most vivid to me. The Jays had been close to winning the pennant several times before,but when that homerun sailed over Ruben Sierra's head, I finally got the feeling that it just might be our year.

Its fitting that Alomar will be the first Hall of Famer inducted as a Blue Jay. Without him, the Jays never get over the hump and never give us fans the thrills of 1992 and 1993. He WAS the Toronto Blue Jays, and in a way, he still is.

Thanks for all the memories, Robbie, but specifically, this one.

Free Agency Be Damned: A Look At The Toronto Blue Jays Coaching Staff

Thank Jebus for Proctor and Gamble, because Bounty paper towels did a great job cleaning my vomit off the floor after I read about the Carl Crawford signing.

The dude is now the highest paid outfielder in history and he's not once hit 20 home runs or knocked in 100 RBI's.

Meanwhile in Colorado, Carlos Gonzalez has an erection—but I digress.

I needed to step away from the insanity of free agency, so I decided to take a closer look at the re-vamped Blue Jays coaching staff. Since the beautiful (overly sentimental) departure of Cito Gaston, GM Alex Anthopolous has hired former Red Sox Pitching Coach John Farrell as his replacement.

I'll admit I knew little about Farrell before the interview process began. However, his pedigree with young arms like Bucholz, Papelbon and Lackey, not to mention endorsements from respected baseball people like "Un-named GM" really impressed me.

In the end, I was sold after watching the press conference where his hiring was announced. Relatively platitude free, Farrell seemed like an honest, straight shooting guy with the requisite savvy needed to relate to today's pampered athlete; he also appeared to have a nice blend of older brother aloofness and cool dad authority that seems to gel with young players.

The proof will be in the pudding, but he will nonetheless be a refreshing departure from the comatose managerial style of Cito Gaston.

Zombies eat brains; Cito ate my soul.

So without further ado, here is my humble examination of a few key (non-managerial) Blue Jay Coaching hires.

Don Wakamatsu - Bench Coach:

I'm not sure what was more alarming about this hire: The fact that Don was just fired by Seattle because the Mariners sucked, or because he doesn't look even remotely Japanese.

Either way, I needed to really dig into this.

Turns out Tokyo Don was a career minor league Catcher who built a reputation as a superb game caller. If only he could hit a lick, he may have played more than nine MLB games.

Why is this significant? Catchers are great observers of the game and as a bench coach, his perspective will be a nice counter balance to the pitcher Farrell.

Not to mention his ability to craft the finer points of J.P. Arrencibia's emerging talent.

Torey Lovullo - First Base Coach:

Lady-ish first name aside, I'm really excited by this hire. Lovullo actually interviewed for the Dodgers in 2006 and the Pirates in 2007, while he was the Manager of the AAA Buffalo Bison's (Cleveland).

Most recently, as the Manager of the Red Sox AAA affiliate Pawtucket team, Luvollo brings a wealth of experience for such a young guy, as he won't turn 46 until late July.

In short, Luvollo is a natural leader and his talents as a utility infielder and teacher offer insurance in case Brian Butterfield departs.

Pat Hentgen - Bullpen Coach:

Outside of a stint in the minors, this is a great place for a first crack at MLB coaching.

Know the line-up, know the hitters tendencies, work on the pitches and game-plan to get the one to three outs needed from the arms in the pen.

As I evaluate this hire, it's tough separating my insatiable love for Paddy Hentgen, the former Blue Jay and Cy Young winner, from Coach Hentgen, member of John Farrell's staff.

However, this move intrigues me.

I fully realize that there is an undercurrent of pandering nepatism involved here; be that as it may, Hentgen is no shrinking violet nor party hack.

On the contrary, Pat won a Cy Young due to balls and brains. He was never a lights out type like Halladay or Clemons, nor was he a sharp shooter like Maddux or Cliff Lee.

Rather, Hentgen was known as a pitcher who would throw strikes early, and then break your ankles with a 12-6 curve if you gave him the count.

It's this combination of courage, tenacity and craftiness that could provide a marvelous influence on Toronto's collection of talented young arms.

Conclusion: Homerism notwithstanding, this an exciting young managerial staff.

Adding this kind of fresh talent to a group that already includes Batting Coach Dwayne Murphy, Third Base Coach Brian Butterfield and Pitching Coach Bruce Walton further enhances an already strong posse of baseball minds.

In other news, the Yankees jack up their offer to Cliff Lee.

Where are those paper towels?

Leaving Las Vegas: The Blue Jays Should Move Their AAA Team To Montreal

With the news today that Toronto Blue Jays GM, and Montreal native, Alex Anthopoulos has approved radio broadcasts to be transmitted in French for the first time in team history, my initial reaction was; what took so long?

After the Montreal Expos left Quebec in 2004, French speaking baseball fans had no team to root for. Instead, they were left to cheer for individual players from their home province.

Some current and former players from Quebec include: Eric Bedard, Eric Gagne, Russell Martin, Pete LaForest and uber prospect Phillipe Aumont.

Although this may stir feelings of regional pride, it wasn't anything to get excited about.

Until now.

Jeremy Filosa and Alex Agostino of CKAC radio in Montreal will begin their broadcasts for this Friday and Saturday's games. To generate some added buzz, the radio station has launched a ticket giveaway contest, "We gave away two tickets to our listeners with Porter Air and the Royal York (hotel) is participating as well," Agostino said.

With a fickle fan base that has grown cynical and discontent after the JP Ricciardi years, reaching out to baseball mad Quebec is both logical and way over due.

But is it enough?

Not for me. In 2003, when Bud Selig (who bought the franchise from Jeffrey Loria on behalf of MLB) torpedoed the Expos season, thus sealing their fate, he did more than relocate a franchise. He spat in the face of Baseball History.

Montreal has a long and rich baseball legacy that predates the Expos by more than 70 years. The Royals began playing as a minor professional club in 1897. After shutting down in 1917 due to the influenza epidemic and WWI, they resurrected themselves in 1928.

In 1939, The Montreal Royals became the AAA Farm Team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was here that the team began to make its most significant mark on the game's history.

The Royals launched the careers of such players as Sparky Anderson, Duke Snyder, Don Drysdale, Gene Mauch (coincidentally the Expos first Manager), Roberto Clemente, Roy Campanella and Tommy Lasorda. As impressive as this is, there is one name that stands head and shoulders above the rest: Jackie Robinson.

After he was signed by Dodgers GM Branch Rickey in 1945, Baseball's "color barrier" was broken in Montreal when Jackie stepped on the field for the Royals in April of 1946. Later in that season, he was followed by two more black players, John Wright and Roy Partlow, both pitchers.

Jackie only played one season with the Royals, but he finished it in spectacular fashion.

After leading Montreal to a Little World Series title, adoring fans actually chased Jackie to the train station to see him off as he embarked on his MLB career. Paraphrasing a remark in the narration of Ken Burns' Documentary, "Baseball", "...it was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind."

Jackie Robinson would always remember his time in Montreal with fond gratitude. The fans adored him, and the citizens welcomed him and his family. His reception in Brooklyn would be far less tolerant.

The Royals folded in 1960, and seven years later Montreal was awarded a MLB franchise, The Expos.

Although they didn't have any watershed moments like the Royals, the Expos were one of the pioneering teams in baseball in terms of recruiting players from the Caribbean and Central America. Andres Galarraga, Vlad Guerrero and Jose Vidro were but a few names. Not to mention hiring Baseball's first Hispanic GM (Omar Minaya) and first Dominican born Manager (Felipe Alou).

Returning to the topic at hand, JP Ricciardi's decision to move our AAA affiliate from Syracuse to Las Vegas in 2008 was indeed a head scratcher. Not only did it end a 30 year relationship, it moved our farm team from nearby upstate New York to Nevada.

However, recent reports indicate the two year deal JP signed will not be renewed due to the unreasonable travel distance between Las Vegas and Toronto.

Admittedly, I don't have any answers on the question of minor league expansion or relocation. Be that as it may, it’s high time that Major League Baseball honors the legacy that Montreal has indelibly left on this game.

Hey, if history isn't enough of an incentive, just think of all the licensing revenues the league could generate from sales of the Royals classic jerseys.

Class In Session: How To Properly Identify Fantasy Football Sleepers

Accurately predicting the Sleepers in Fantasy Football can prove to be almost as difficult as resisting the power of the Kavorka.

However, I'm here to assist you in your quest to find the gems in this years fantasy NFL season.

First, lets define what a Sleeper actually is:

Differing slightly from a "Break Out" player, a sleeper doesn't have an existing NFL resume to suggest consistent and sustainable growth. Whereas Break Out Players have shown steady improvement over the course of their first 2-3 seasons in the league, Sleepers come out of no where to have significant statistical impact.

Or do they?

A great example of this are the (not) Brothers Rice, Ray and Sidney. Last year Ray and Sindney Rice burst on the scene to become one of the elite Running Back and Wide Receiver options, respectively, in Fantasy Football. In fact, with regards to Ray Rice, we haven't witnessed such a colossal jump in statistical performance from one year to the next since His Holiness Priest Holmes exploded in to our collective fantasy consciousness during the 2001 season.

So what was it about these two that predicated their 2009 Sleeper status?

Where Was He Drafted? Both were second round picks, Ray in 2008, and Sidney in 2007. First and Second round draft picks are selected with the expectation of top end performance. This alone would suggest that their touches would increase.

Does He Have Any Competition? Ray was drafted as the successor to the oft-injured Willis McGahee, and although Le'Ron McClain had a nice season in 2008, no team wants a Fullback to be their top option in the backfield. So no, Ray didn't have much competition for the top job as long as he had a good pre-season (he did).

Sidney had even less competition with the inconsistant (and one dimentional) Bernard Berrian, and rookie Percy Harvin the only guys in camp to worry about. Also, at 6'4" tall, neither of those other receivers can offer what Sid can: Height. Tall receivers are invaluable to an offense as they are better suited to fight through coverage and offer a much better red zone target.

What About Scheme and Complimentary Players? As Offensive Coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, Cam Cameron loved to incorporate fast, elusive running backs into his passing attack. During his one season as Head Coach in Miami, he turned Ronnie Brown in to a pass catching dynamo who was on pace for a ridiculous 90/900 receiving season until he blew a gasket in game 7.

So what might he do with a fast, elusive running back who amassed 2000 yards and 24 TD's in his final year at Rutgers? Well, we saw the results last year.

Sidney Rice benefited from a single Free Agent signing: Brett Favre. The fabled gunslinger is a far superior option at QB then the mediocre duo of Jackson and Rosenfels. Over his career, Favre made superstars out of guys like Sterling Sharpe, Javon Walker, and Donald Driver, so what could he accomplish with Sidney Rice who has a similar skill set as the aforementioned receivers?

How about 83 grabs for 1300 yards. Tasty.

No One Likes A Tease (unless you are hunting for sleepers): Although used sporadically in 2008, Ray did show us a glimpse of what he could do if given the chance. In week 9 of that year, and with McGahee injured (shocked!), and the Browns stacking the middle and limiting McClain to a paltry 34 yards on 13 carries, Coach Harbaugh decided to see what his rook could do. Methinks Coach was impressed as Rice carried the ball 21 times for a whopping 154 yards.

Sidney didn't have a big game like Ray's. However, he offered hints to his potential during his rookie year in 2007 (he was injured in 2008) when he caught four Touchdown passes, including an impressive 60 yard score in week 12 against the Giants.

Of course there are exceptions to the rules above. Miles Austin was an undrafted free agent from small time Monmouth College who's previous high was in 2008 when he had 13 receptions for 278 yards. If you drafted him last year you are either the worlds biggest Cowboy fan or Nostradamus reincarnate.

Either way, trying to predict the Austin's of the fantasy football world is an exercise in futility.

So who are this years Sleepers?

You'll have to wait until my next article. Or you could follow these rules and figure it out for yourself.

Class in Session: How To Win Your Fantasy Football League

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight."

This is for all the Fantasy Football junkies out there who, try as they might, just can't seem to get over the hump and win their leagues. If you fit into that category then I'll guarantee you've missed at least one of the following points on a consistent basis.

1. Know Your League and How It Scores:

This may seem obvious to most but you'd be surprised how many poolies out there make this mistake. If you don't have a firm grasp of your league's type and scoring system then you are doomed in your quest of determining player value. You've lost your league already and the season hasn't even started.

The ranking systems used in most fantasy magazines are based on an auction drafting style with standardized scoring (non-ppr [point per reception]). If you're in a ppr league but using one of these rags as a study guide then you need to manually re-adjust the rankings.

Example: A standardized scoring system will rank Michael Turner ahead of Ray Rice . In 2008 Turner scored 275 fantasy points (he was injured off and on last year so we'll use his 2008 stats) whereas last year Ray Rice scored 242 points. However, in a PPR league Turner would have scored 281 in 2008 while Ray Rice's numbers jump to 320 points (based on the 78 extra points for receptions in ppr-leagues).

Either find yourself a mag that's relevant to your league's scoring system or get out your calculator and create an excel spread sheet. Otherwise you're toast.

2. Keep On Mocking In The Free World:

I have news for you. Michael Crabtree is not a sleeper—he will not be available in Round 14. If you suffer these types of delusions when going into your draft you will only end up disappointed.

Solution: There are several sites you can visit that host live mock drafts (practice drafts). A mock draft is a good way to get your feet wet before the big draft day arrives. I usually do no less then 10 and I record all the results. I then examine them for trends—like which players are consistently drafted later than their pre-draft rankings, who seems to be a popular reach, etc. This information can be invaluable for the novice drafter.

In other words, Crabtree will be long gone by round nine, never mind 14.

3. Free Agents Aren't The Only Dudes Who Change Their Address

You need to pay close attention to coaching changes almost as much as player movement. Coaches have differing philosophies and obviously varying degrees of historical success. This can have a significant impact on the performance of your players.

Example: in 2008 the NY Jets were ranked 16th in total defense, in 2009 they were first. Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard didn't make that much of a difference so what, or who, did? The answer is new head coach Rex Ryan—he was a member of the second ranked Baltimore Ravens defense in 2008 (as Defensive Coordinator).

I paid attention to this fact and drafted the Jets ahead of favorites like New England and San Diego.

Do the extra research on coaches and that might be the edge you need to explode into the playoffs.

4. Know The Draft Needs of Your Fellow Poolies:

I can't stress this enough. If you've heeded the first three steps then you should be more then prepared for every pick, ideally with a shortlist for every round. However, you still need to be flexible enough to roll with the punches depending on how your draft unfolds.

Example 1: It's now your turn to draft and you've short listed two WRs and two RBs for this particular round. Take a look at your draft sheet to see how the other teams are looking. If you notice that most teams are set at RB for now but several are in need of receivers, then take your top ranked wideout now (before someone else does) and you can be confident that at least one of your shortlisted backs will slide to you in the next round.

Example 2: You've neglected the receiver position in favor of stacking your team with multiple top end talents at QB and RB. You're now in the middle rounds and you start to panic that you are leaving yourself exposed at that position.

Solution: Take a look at the other teams. Are they relatively set at WR? If so, you should consider starting the run on TEs. Dallas Clark or Jason Witten will be much more valuable to your team than a wideout like Nate Burleson. There should be a dozen players like him still available so you might as well let him pass if it means you get the top ranked TE.

5. Kickers? We Don't Need No Stinking Kickers!

It never ceases to amaze me when a poolie drafts a kicker with more than 4-6 rounds to go. Don't be that guy.

Every year there's the idiot who thinks he's being clever by drafting "The Best Kicker In Football". Super, you just passed on Ray Rice (this actually happened last year). Thanks for your money, moron.

I always wait until the last two rounds to draft my starting and back-up kickers. Last year I still ended up with David Akers (and Ray Rice) so I lost nothing by sitting on the position until the bitter end.

Kicker is in a constant state of flux and the top ranked guy from last year could be the 20th ranked guy this year. Also, why pass up a player with 170+ point potential like a Jahvid Best or Kenny Britt for a kicker who will at best give you 130 points.

Well hard luck poolies, I hope this helps you in your pursuit of a title. Good luck!

The Wait Is Over forToronto Blue Jay Fans: The Other Shoe Has Dropped

Back in March this year, the feeling around Spring Training was one of cautious optimism.

After coming off a humbling 75-87 season, the firing of J.P. Ricciardi and the trade of team icon Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays were clearly embarking to rebuild.

Fast forward to May 9, with a record of 19-14, the water cooler talk was all about our "great young arms", our "potent offense" and dare I say it—Wild Card!

And why not? We had just taken 3 of 4 against Chicago and previous to that we swept the Indians.

The Jays are the top power hitting team in baseball with 51 Home Runs and lead the AL in Total Bases with 535

John Buck, with a .237 career batting average, is all of a sudden a .270 hitting juggernaut who's on pace to obliterate his career highs in every major statistical category. This includes almost tripling his previous bests in HR's and RBI's.

How about Alex Gonzalez? The light hitting baseball nomad has either been eating out of Victor Conte's garbage or is on the hot streak to end all hot streaks. The most glaring stat? His SLG% (Slugging Percentage) is a ridiculous 185 points higher than his career number.

As for those "Great Young Arms", Ricky Romero and Shawn Marcum are indeed pitching well. However, Romero has been the recipient of great defense and quite a bit of luck as his unusually low .288 BABIP (batting average for balls in play) would suggest.

Once that number climbs to around .300, Romero's stats should even themselves out.

Even still, 19-14 is nothing to scoff at. Until we went on the road to face the Red Sox.

After allowing seven walks last night (six in 1.2 innings from starter Brendon Morrow, one of our "great young arms") we narrowly lost a sloppy game to Boston. However, that was just one game and there's no way we walk seven again tonight.

Well we didn't walk seven, we walked eight. Red Sox 6 - Blue Jays 1.

That loud THUD you just heard was the other shoe dropping.

This is to be expected from an elite hitting team like the Red Sox. They are third in the AL with a .353 team OBP and 4th in fewest strikeouts (from their hitters).

On the other hand, the Jays are in the bottom three in the AL for OBP and have struck out at the plate more times then any other team in baseball.

Home runs are great but nothing kills a rally more than a strikeout or hitting into a double play. There's a reason why Adam Dunn is playing in Washington and guys like Russell Branyon and Jack Cust can't keep a job even though they are legit power hitters.

Apologies to my fellow Jay fans out there as I know I can come across as a bit a buzz kill . However, this is still a rebuilding season and when we beat up on some the leagues lesser lights we all need to take it with a grain of salt.

Having said that, there are still lots to be excited about! Lyle Overbay is making Mendoza look like Tony Gwynn so we can expect to see Brett Wallace manning First Base hopefully by July when we make our west coast road trip.

It’s all about perspective.

Harshing Your Buzz: A Sobering Reality Check for Toronto Blue Jay Fans

As I write this, my beloved Toronto Blue Jays are sitting third in the AL East (fourth overall in the AL) with an impressive early record of 16-13. This places us a mere four games behind the Yankees, for the Wild Card spot.

It's also May 6.

Have a cup of coffee, rummy.

First allow me to preface the remaining article with the following: You will be hard pressed to find a more devoted Blue Jay fan than I. However, I'm also a strict realist who deals in honest, factual reasoning and absolutely does not suffer fools. I'm a shotgun diplomat who leaves the platitudes for the horde of Pavlov's Dogs that seem to inhabit the sporting news blogosphere.

As for the Jays, sometimes you just need to tell your girlfriend "yes honey, you do look fat in that dress."

At first glance a 16-13 record looks fairly impressive for a team that was supposed to be a bottom feeder this year. However, when you dig a little deeper you'll notice that it just isn't the case.

We've played four of nine series' against teams with winning records last year, Boston, Los Angeles, Tampa, and Texas. Our record stands at 3-9 in those games, including 1-6 against AL East teams

We have yet to play New York, Detroit, Minnesota, or Seattle and we still have 16 games left to play against Tampa and Boston. That leaves 99 games left against winning teams from '09—not including 12 games against the Rockies, Giants, Cards and Phillies, all winning teams from the NL.

At our current pace we are looking at a record of 33-66 against the winning teams in the AL. Lets say we run just over .500 during Inter-league games at 8-7, that leaves us at 41-73.

48 games left to play against the worst of the AL.

Lets be optimistic here and say we have a .700 record against these teams and end up 34-14. That gives us a record of 75-87.

Coincidentally, that was our record last year. Good enough for 4th in the AL East, a full 28 games back of New York.

Now for some sobering reality about our roster:

Alex Gonzales' best year offensively was in 2004 with the Marlins when he hit .232/23/79.

To illustrate how much of an anomaly that is, his career per season numbers are .248/10/45. Of his eleven other seasons, only in three of them did he eclipse 10 home runs and 55 RBI. His pace so far projects to .278/45/123. Needless to say you can cut those power numbers in half and knock off 30 average points. More than expected yes, but Alex Rodriguez, he is not.

John Buck is hitting very well of late (though his avg/OBP are putrid as expected).

However, in four of his six years in Kansas City, when he was the clear starter, Buck had never hit more than 18 HR or 50 RBI. His current pace of 27/76 (based on 135 games) simply cannot be sustained.

As advertised, Brandon Morrow has been a strikeout machine.

But with a K:BB ratio of 10:5, we can expect his ERA to stay at around 5.00. Control is a skill that is slow to develop and expecting Morrow to "figure it out" and start shutting teams down in the next couple of weeks, or even months, just isn't reasonable. Also, as long as he's averaging five innings per start, he's going to decimate the arms in our bullpen.

Now lets quickly discuss Vernon Wells.

He's also on pace for a 45/120 season although at a significantly higher average than Alex Gonzalez. Also just like A-Gon, he will not maintain that pace.

That's not a bad thing either.

His bloated contract puts him squarely in the cross hairs of both media and fans alike.

However, over the course of his career Vernon has proven to be a very respectable .280/25/90 hitter to go along with great defense in center field. I think we need to stop blaming him for the contract J.P. Ricciardi signed him to and realize that he just isn't the .310/35/115 guy we all want him to be.

Jays fans need get off the road to Jonestown this season.

We are not winning any divisions or wild cards. We are, as expected, a middling team just trying to stay relevant in the cutthroat A.L. East.

Lets just sit back and enjoy the emergence of some great young talent like Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero, and Travis Snider. I suspect that fairly soon Brett Wallace will be here and we should catch a glimpse of J.P. Arencibia and Kyle Drabek come September.

Now take a cold shower and get ready for more kool-aid.

NHL offseason starts in July!