Opening Day

Despite ESPN's Sunday Night game with Astro's and Rangers, today is always Opening Day.

It is when at least half the teams get to expect packed stadium, have elaborate introductions, and all the fans renew their hope and faith in their home team.


So now I guess I must make some bold predictions. Rangers will not go undefeated. OK, that's cheeky.

Starting off where it matters, the Jays will tussle all year with Tampa, but deadline additions made by Toronto  will shore up the pen, and bench, and they will inch out the Rays for the East.
The Central should not be close, but lack of a cohesive bullpen will stalk the striped cats for part of the year, and allow the White Sox to stay in the conversation till August, but the Detroiters are simply too strong to stop.
There will be no wild card from the central division this year.
In the West, many expect the Angels to hold off the Rangers, but again, they will face stiff competition from Oakland. Angels will win, but they will expose holes in their rotation that may not be able to fix easily.
The Rangers and Devil Rays will play a one game sudden death to stay alive.

The National League I will discuss next time out.

Today let all fans bask in whatever sunshine they can muster, grab a dog and a beer and celebrate spring, and renewal.

2013 in Toronto promises to be a good one.

Happ-Y-Ness is a warm glove

Yesterday after the Pirates game, and long after manager John Gibbons provide the proverbial kiss of death proclamation that Rickey Romero was indeed the Jays 5th starter, he wastold to perform the old "remove thy footeth from they moutheth ".

The Jays brain trust, which I assume does not include Fisherman John decided Rickey has either physical problems, demons, or pixies or a combination of all these, and should stay where it's warm for a bit.

There is quite literally no margin for error for these 2013 Jays, is there. I mean, the money's been spent on acquiring new talent. The Yanks and Red Sox are serious on the fly rebuild, re tool programs, and these are your fathers Yankees. They are now old, older and injured squad. The Red Sox fast tracked there makeover with trades last year, and decent re construct this year.

These Jays cannot waste a month of Romero starts on ahope and a prayer. J. Happ is inserted into the 5th starter's position, while the organisation performs a seance to speak to the ghost of Mel Queen.
Mel, as any Jays fan will remember, did a make up job on Doc Halladay, and look where that has take him.

 A despondant Romero was informed hours after his 4 and a third less than sterling performance over a rag tag Pirates squad.

A subdued Happ was happy, but was resepctful of the situation, he danced opnely naked up and down the dressing room. Happ has made it no secret that pitching in the Queen city of Buffalo has no advantages for him. He does not like wings, and c'mon, it is Buffalo. So Happ now hasarget on him, whether he likes it at all. Get us 6 innings with the game tied or the lead kid, or face criticism.

Happ-Days are here !

A more interesting dichotomy I think is perhaps a disconnect between manager and GM. Hours after the game, the press were convinced that the rhetoric was true, and number #23 was the guy.
At 6 bells in the evening, the story had switched, and Gibby had tootled off to catch o' mess of fish.

Perhaps this was all staged, perhaps not, but if there is a gap in communication, it might be the only reason to be concerned, as Gibbons has been brought back not just to contend, but to win. Nothing short of  a division win will suffice.

Clock is winding down on spring, couple more observations, and we kick it old school.

Enjoy !

Spring Training Blog Report

Now that MLB has completed it's homage to World Baseball, we can return all the homeless to their Arizona and Florida camps, and allow managers to make decisions on 5th starters,

Two weeks from opening day, or therabouts, pitchers are stretched to 5-6 innings now, and the aches and pains have set in.

Pluis the dead arms, which will recover. You know they always do

In Dunedin, Florida, they await the Dominicans returning to the nest, Reyes, Encarnacion to complete the squad, and get down to brass tacks, or whatever phrase Gibby has resurrected.  He spends the off days fishing for Marlin in the Gulf. Someone tell Gibby they scooped all the Marlin in the off season.

Lawrie is banged up, Rickey still searching for his inner Romero, and we have yet to see the starting 9 on the field all at the same time, but in acouple of days for sure. Then , like all clubs, it is time to get serious, cause The Show is coming back to town.

There are job fights going on camp, mostly relief , maybe for the last man on the 25 man roster, and cuts to be made soon, who is going back to Double AA, who is being released, who goes to Buffalo to assume active and ready status.

In Toronto, the banners are unfurled on University Ave., the boys of summer are returning, someone tell the weather man about that please. Another cold day, with last night's snow lingering around.

Soon we leave the cactus and palm trees in the rear view mirror, and head back to familiar settings.

Shake off the rust and wait for the yells to "Play Ball".

Next blog will set the Eastern Division up for 2013.

Wiarton Willie and his pal Phil

Its early February, and the pitchers and catchers are weekand half from descending on south Florida and Arizona as Spring Break is also on the calendar.
Super Bowl is done, the NHL is back, and March Madness is 2 months off.

So there is a lot going on, but in the world of MLB, all we have is minor league signings, soon arbitration hearings and physicals before the warm Florida sun basks on pitchers loosening up with the back drop of palm trees, and blue waters.

Well , a man can dream, can't he ?

There is nothing like spring training in baseball, and because most other sports don't spend a month in warmer climbs, long tossing, stretch, after Wiarton Willie and that Pennsyvannia critters have determined when spring officially arrives.

I will tell you when it arrives, when Pitcher & Catchers report, and ball fan will tell you that !



   This young fellow has hibernated long enough, and must be ready to shed off his winter pounds chasing ground balls and shagging fly balls in the outfield.


Soon I will provide some good old fashioned predicting for the 2013 season, but for now, we are in count down mode.

10 days and most camps will be open.  3 weeks and there will be spring games. 2 months and itès Opening Day.

It is closer than we think.

Now we wait until the snow melts

As we enter this new era of optimism in Toronto, imagine if you will what other cities endure until April.
In Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Diego and Houston, there is little of consequence going on.
Their ticket offices are fairly quiet, perhaps the odd 10 or 20 game packet is sold during the Christmas season, perhaps as a gift, perhaps the disposable income from no NHL hockey in markets such as Pitt, LA, and Anaheim or Dallas.



Here in Hogtown, we did boffo numbers once the Marlin deal was announced, then an up tick when Melky was signed. It hit it's crescendo when the RA Dickey trade and contract was finalised. Folks responded.
They have been buying jerseys for Christmas, they have been jerseys just because the team is legitimate.

If they get news that Sergio antos is 100 % healthy , barracade the doors, these fans are ravenous.  The Jays are also pretty lucky.

They have the opportunity that other markets don't have. No hockey to rival them.

We soon enter the 4rth month on no NHL hockey and the expectations that after mid January we will have run out of a workable schedule.  The Jays need not fear the Raptors, again nothing but also rans, the Argos championship season peaked at the Grey Cup, nothing after. The Marlies play in little Ricoh Centre to sparse crowds of 4 and 5000 well wishers, and the World Juniors are live when only insomniacs are awake.

A clean run through January until mid February when pitchers and catchers report, and the y have the sports pages to themselves. Sprinkjle in some boring arbitration news, some injury updates, and we are in March.
If Rogers were smart, they would seize the opportunity to televise exhibition games from Florida. Fol
ks will watch, PVR, and live stream at work just to get their fix.

If they play this right, they have the entire Toronto sports landscape to themselves.  They will be the inevitable distractions, like NCAA Men's Basketball, and a few Grand Prix races, the NBA, but the stage is theirs to own.

I think it is their's to cultivate new fans, embrace old ones, and foster a lot of good will before the umpire says play ball.

In other cities, say New York, the Mets are second tier, the Yankees are old and wounded, the city and region still recovering from Sandy, and no glitz or glamour.

We should enjoy our advantage, our current slight advantage, and as they say make hay when the sun shines.

Next blog we analise the current state of the pitching staff.

First off, a Christmas Wish goes out to anyone who has had the misfortune to stumble across this blog, and find it interesting enough to bother reading, so thanks to Brad, Mike, Luke, Clark, my son Kevin, Aaron and Andrew.
I guess I have not excatly made any progress with trhe female demographic, have I ?

Christmas is a time of giving, so this blog is devoted to giving out pine cones to the good folks and lumps of coal to those who deserve it most.

My first pine cone goes out to the families of the victims of the recent madness in Conneticutt. My heart goes out to you.

My second pine cone award goes to Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto, because rarely do local politicians give me so much pleasure and amusement.  His antics and pratfalls are the stuff of legends.

My first lump of coal goes to anyone stupid enough to agree with "guns don't kill people, people kill people" theories. Don't waste your breathe speaking.

Another lump goes to whoever booked the musical acts at Londo Olympics, get real folks, who werer those acts. The Who and Sir Paul, but yech on the rest.

More coal lumps to Yunel Escobar and the idiots that let this kid go out and embarass the organistion.

Oh, and a reminder that Paul Beeston allowed him to continue to play and represent the team then sold off as fast as he could means he had  abest before date stamped on him.

Pine Cones to Mike and Luke for their dance of romance during game 1 of 162 in jubilation. Was not even the game winning hit, guys got the bromance going. Give em that.

A box of Turtles and a new sweater to Anthopolous for his impersonation of Pat Gillick, his Trader Pat ended his saga as Standing Pat, or Alex.  Marlin deal, Melky, then Dickey, netted us a rotation not based on Romero as the ace. Can anyone remember the crappy summer, not now.

I would like to give a bucket of coal to Bill O'Reilly at Fox, but the would burn and not care about pollution, and I would really like the Kardashians to just go away.

Since I cannot control those matters, let us leave with a hopes for a safe and wonderful Christmas, and a pennant in 2013.

The Death of Innocence

Today In Conneiticut, 27 souls were lost to an indiscrimenet shooter with no morals, and in the wink of an eye, a tragedy unfolded at what should be the happiest time of the calendar.

There is nothing that can be said that will make sense so why try.

In the coming days, we will hear about the victims, their parents, the shooter, his possible motivation, and who gives a crap.

27 souls lost, and so I ask , "how many does it take to change a moronic law "

How many must pay so dearly, how many families have to lose members, how many.

It is a loss, of innocence and perhaps today we don't have the right to call ourselves a civilised.

Life has go on, but for many, it goes on in fear and doubt.