Diehard Jays Fan

Don’t do it!

mlblogsjays — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:06:28 +0000

- sorry for dropping off the radar for awhile there!
Anyways, the news of an impending Frank Thomas signing is shocking to say the least. The Big Hurt is a Big Gamble. Yes, he had a good year for the A’s, but was the comeback a one-year wonder for a 38 year old?

The Jays need to make a decision on Vernon Wells and find some pitching! Spend your money wisely JP and the playoffs are possible. Spend it poorly and you’ll find yourself out of a job at this time next year!

My prioritites:
- Re-sign Vernon Wells
- Re-sign Ted Lilly or a solid #3 guy
- Find a competent middle infielder
- Shuffle the bullpen up a bit, and pray we get a full season out of Halladay, Burnett & Chacin in 2007

And finally, if they do sign Thomas, it looks like it’ll be sayonara to one of my favourite Jays: Frank Catalanotto… say it aint so!

Cory Lidle

mlblogsjays — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:33:27 +0000

I wish I knew what to say…. like many others I watched the tv reports with great sadness yesterday.
My heartfelt wishes to his family.

Rest in peace Cory. Too young, far far too soon

SHOCKTOBER!

mlblogsjays — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 14:25:24 +0000

It’s taken a few days to recover, but going 0-4 on my first round playoff predictions was embarassing to say the least. (just think how the Yanks feel)
Never gave the Tigers much of a chance, and most media pundits thought the same…. but man, in the 2 games at Comerica the Yanks looked like the rookies and the Tigers looked like, well, the Yankees of old.

No predictions from me for the LCS….. I don’t want to jinx anybody!

By the way, with the Dodgers out, will Tommy Lasorda follow his own advice and watch the remainder of the playoffs and support someone else???

Post Season Predictions

mlblogsjays — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:11:04 +0000

Here ya go: (your comments more than welcome!)

Tigers vs Yankees – Yanks in 4, maybe even 3. Tigers struggled past 6 games, while Yanks are on a mission.

A’s vs Twins – Twins in 5. Twins momentum & the Metrodome fans to be the difference. Morneau for MVP! Becca the Bullpen Baker for rookie of the year!

Dodgers vs Mets – This could be a classic. A very very tough call, but I am going to go with the Dodgers in 5. They’ve been in playoff mode for weeks now. Memo to Fox: Please have Vin Scully do the games.

Cardinals vs Padres – Padres in 4. Cards obviously stumbled their way in and have not much to offer other than Carpenter and Pujols.

Long term prediction: Yankees to defeat Dodgers in World Series. Their pitching is suspect, but their hitting will carry them all the way. They won’t be denied this season.

Safest prediction: Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to over-hype, over-talk and over-analyze as the most overrated broadcast team in MLB history.

So there you have my predictions of what I THINK will happen.

What I WANT to happen (and who I’ll be cheering) is for the Tigers to go all the way

A Good Finish

mlblogsjays — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 23:42:19 +0000

I have been critical of the Jays in this blog many times this season, but I also give praise when it’s due…. so kudos to the boys for playing hard down the stretch and overtaking Boston. To be honest, I didn’t think they had it in them but I liked being proven wrong!

87 wins is encouraging, but it’s going to take 8 to 10 more next year to grab a playoff spot.

It’s obvious that with so many players unsigned there’s going to be alot of new faces on the team next year.

For the record, I hope we have not seen the last of Frank Catalanotto. He’s been a solid guy his entire time in Toronto, and has earned himself a nice raise wherever he may go. Please sign him JP!

Alot of people are pushing for Adam Lind to be given a full-time position next year. I’m not so sure he’s ready for primetime just yet….

Coming in the next day or two… my 2nd annual Player Report Card!

Saturday’s picks!

mlblogsjays — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:57:14 +0000

5-4 last night, the late games killed me!

Saturday’s picks:

Toronto @ Yankees – Marcum has been pitching well

Baltimore @ Boston – just a hunch

K.C. @ Detroit – can’t believe how they blew it last night

Houston @ Atlanta – barely alive

Philly @ Florida – ditto

Chi Sox @ Minny - playing for pride

Milwaukee @ St.Louis - gonna squeak in

San Diego @ Arizona – will recover from last night

Dodgers @ San Fran - LA on a roll

Just for a laugh

mlblogsjays — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:55:07 +0000

Lots of big games tonight in one of the best final weekends I can remember. I think I’m going to need a new remote after tonight!

Just for a laugh, here are my picks for some of tonight’s games: (tune in tomorrow to see how bad I was!)

Toronto @ Yankees – Yanks want home field & the Moose is on the loose!

Baltimore @ Boston – I know it’s not a big game, but it has bearing on how my Jays will finish. Sox will finish strong at home.

K.C. @ Detroit – Cat Scratch Fever!…. and hey, Kenny Rogers: just hand the manager the ball next time ya big baby! (real opinion censored)

Houston @ Atlanta – Braves to be spoilers tonight

Philly @ Florida – Phils hanging in there

Chi Sox @ Minny – Twins Win!

Milwaukee @ St.Louis - Cards come through tonight, but their collars are still pretty tight.

San Diego @ Arizona – Padres can taste it now

Dodgers @ San Fran – A Giant pain to LA hopes

- More picks tomorrow! -

Close one at Comerica

mlblogsjays — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:01:10 +0000

I FINALLY made my first road trip of the season today (better late than never) and it was worth the wait. After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, the bullpen almost gave it away as the Jays hung on for an 8-6 victory at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Mrs. and I made it to our seats with only about 5 minutes to spare, after a 4 1/2 hour drive.

I brought a decent camera today and have posted plenty of pics on my sister site:

http://www.diehardballfan.com/jays.html

Jays have now won 5 of their last 6, lead Boston by a full game, and finish up with 3 in the Bronx.

Today’s summary:

The Good – seeing a road win in person…. In all my years of ballpark travels the Jays tend to lose way more than they win when I’ve seen them on the road. The drive home always feels a little easier after a victory.

The Bad: barring a miracle lottery win, this was my last MLB game that I’ll see in person this season. Hmmmmmm, maybe MLBlogs can send me as a correspondent to the playoffs…. yeah, that would be nice! I’m not picky – Shea, Comerica, Petco, the Metrodome, Yankee Stadium, Oakland… wherever! Will work for tickets!

The Ugly: Windsor Tunnel traffic jam… perhaps I should have taken the Ambassador Bridge?

Well, that was quick!

mlblogsjays — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 23:21:44 +0000

Ummm…. 2nd place was nice…. all 24 hours of it!

Jays lost a tough one at Comerica, while Boston beat up on Tampa Bay. Only caught the late innings tonight, but all in all, it was a fairly entertaining game which is about all you can ask most days. It was nice to see a road game in HD too….. at the risk of sounding greedy… how about ALL games in HD next year?

Congrats to the Tigers and Twins for clinching… it gives me hope for the Jays next season! I’m hoping the Dodgers can hold off the Phillies for the wild card… and kudos to the Astros for creeping up on the Cards to atleast make things interesting.

I really hate to say this but I am thinking we are going to have a New York – New York World Series this year. If that’s the case I will be cheering for the Mets for no other reason than former Jay Carlos Delgado. BUT, sooner or later you know the Yanks are gonna win it again so brace yourselves!

Another thing I hate to say is that I kind of feel sorry for A-Rod after reading the recent Sports Illustrated article on him. Yeah I know, why feel sorry for a guy making as much as him? I guess it’s because the New York fans and media have been just merciless on him. Geez…. anybody can have a bad year. I, like many others will be watching him very intently this postseason to see if he can perform up to expectations.

Finishing on the road

mlblogsjays — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:10:15 +0000

The Jays finished off their successful home campaign last night with a 5-0 shutout over Boston, backed by Shawn Marcum’s best start of his career. Shawn flirted with a no-no for over half of the game, but it was not to be. Homers by Alex Rios & Bengie Molina lifted the Jays to a slim half game lead in 2nd place. Boston has a much easier schedule than the Jays though, so 2nd place will be very hard to hold on to.I’m looking forward to attending Thursday’s game in Detroit. I have 3rd row tickets in the Upper Deck behind the plate with AJ Burnett facing Kenny Rogers. Should be a good one!

Last night’s summary:

The good – Free tickets last night for being an Inside Pitch subscriber!
– Taking 3 out of 4 from Boston, easily winning the season series, and a solid home record all season… (the road record, gulp, needs a little work)

The bad – fans booing Eric Hinske. Yes, he had his struggles and a big contract, but the past couple of years he was a solid guy coming off the bench, and versatile enough to either dh, or play 1st, 3rd or Right Field. Best of luck in your future Eric.

The ugly – opportunists or price gougers (whatever you want to call them) jacked up parking prices around the stadium just for last night…. $25 to park under the dome. It’s not that the game was sold out or anything. Just disgusting.