Friday is all thumbs

Friday's thumbs up or down.

My thumb is up for the San Diego Padres, a team seemingly with no chance to win, and ready to trade off Adrian Gonzalez, who desperately wants to play in the post season, looks like he will get his wish. If he had been traded to Boston, who knows if the same wish would have been granted. The Friars own the National Leagues best record, deepest bullpen, a collection of castoffs, and manager Buddy Black, who has convinced the team that they can overcome the odds.

My thumb is also way up for the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds, who are trying to inject themselves into the post season after years of mediocrity. Yes, we'll still have the Braves or Phillies, and likely the Yankees and the Twins, yet again. So the chance to see some new teams make the playoffs is refreshing. No, it's not the LA Dodgers, or the NY Mets, Cubs or White Sox, so some major TV markets will be void, but we'll have the Yanks to root against. So thumbs extended upward to some new blood.

My thumb is down to fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, who have continued to stay awy in droves, despite an exciting team, the major's home run leader, and the best pitching rotation in 10 years, the fans would rather play golf on the weekend, go cottaging, watch another horrible Will Ferret movie, than go the park. Now I will defend the fans to the extent the ticket prices should have been lowered going into a year where the battle cry was, wait until 2012 or 2013 !!!!  If that is your plan, and you added no payroll during the season, then Rogers should be ashamed for the ticket approach. Of course they thought we'd flock to watch the Bills against anybody, and pay hundreds of dollars for pre season games. Greed triumphed over good customer relations.

My thumb is also down to MLB for the Arizona fiasco, and supporting an unjust law by insisting they will play the All Star Game in Arizona. Insensitive and impractical, and pandering to the state of Arizona looks exactly what it is, shallow, and not at all representative of the groundswell of opposite opinions.

My final digit extends up to my friends here in the office, who all year long have supported both my writings, and their home team, so my thumbs are both up to Luke, Brad, Clark, Andrew, Michael, Bobby and Joe C @ RSA for words of encouragement to me, and to the home squad.

Hey Beeston, these guys believed in your team this year, and should be rewarded with cheaper ticket prices in 2011 !!