Former Blue Jays Thread

[Spanky__99]

2 hours ago, Jays24 said:

Ya, youre just so smart Spanky.  Thats exactly how everyone views you. 

Seeing that you responded to a random comment from a week ago at like 2AM... put down the whisky bro lol

The village idiot projecting again, I've forgotten more ball than you'll ever know pal, read the room, you were T-Rekt in here, clown. 

[Jays24]

36 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

The village idiot projecting again, I've forgotten more ball than you'll ever know pal, read the room, you were T-Rekt in here, clown. 

Digging up a week old thread just to start a conflict with someone unprovoked.  Go seek some help man lol

[BTS]

If you guys don't IL each other I'm going to ban both of you. 

[Omar]

What?

 

 

[JaysFan99]

I’d like to know what that “the focus is baseball” comment means. Unless he’s just saying Toronto is a hockey town.

[Stangstag]

16 minutes ago, Omar said:

What?

 

 

Savage comments for his first interview as a Cub loll

[glory]

Gausman heel turn already. 

[Jays24]

22 minutes ago, Omar said:

What?

 

 

What does he mean "the focus is baseball" lol

[Terminator]

Wow, first he says the clubhouse atmosphere sucks because we didn't bring his buddy Bassitt back and now he's saying we don't focus on baseball?

Maybe he was the problem all along. Let's light him up tomorrow.

[Omar]

5 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Wow, first he says the clubhouse atmosphere sucks because we didn't bring his buddy Bassitt back and now he's saying we don't focus on baseball?

Maybe he was the problem all along. Let's light him up tomorrow.

He's not getting the start tomorrow.  He's going Friday.  Too bad.

[Spanky__99]

26 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Wow, first he says the clubhouse atmosphere sucks because we didn't bring his buddy Bassitt back and now he's saying we don't focus on baseball?

Maybe he was the problem all along. Let's light him up tomorrow.

He's starting Friday vs the Royals.

[Spanky__99]

Oops, my bad. And that is a strange thing to say?

 

[bronson44]

I guess filling the ballpark when the team has been s***ing the bed all year isn't focussing enough on baseball for him. Had to resort to the cliche about Toronto only caring about hockey. Pretty uncool.

[Brownie19]

That's it - I hate Gausman 😁

[hanton]

I don't care what players say, I only care what they do between the lines.  and maybe he's just telling the truth

Here's more:

https://www.mlb.com/video/kevin-gausman-discusses-being-traded-to-the-cubs?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share

[hanton]

the reddit crowd are probably losing their s*** right now.....lol

[Omar]

[Spanky__99]

6 hours ago, hanton said:

I don't care what players say, I only care what they do between the lines.  and maybe he's just telling the truth

Here's more:

https://www.mlb.com/video/kevin-gausman-discusses-being-traded-to-the-cubs?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share

That was great, nothing wrong said there, man we were so close.

[Olerud363.354]

9 hours ago, Terminator said:

Maybe he was the problem all along. Let's light him up tomorrow.

I'm going to get slammed on this but, while not exactly his fault,  we were 0-4 in games he started in the ALCS and World Series. 

His 7th inning in game 2, or 3rd inning in game 7 is not quite the same as Hoffman's game 7, but still... he had every opportunity to do what Yakamoto did but he gave up big hits instead.  

People talk about 'you need an ace to win the series'.   And to me, what that means, on the other side will be someone like Yakamoto, and you need someone to equal that.   I know he is a top 25 pitcher.  I think we had this discussion.  But I think the 'need an ace to win the Series crowd' pictures what Randy Johnson, or Jack Morris, or Yakamoto did, and Gausman, given that opportunity twice went 7 innings 3 runs instead. 

[Olerud363.354]

9 hours ago, bronson44 said:

I guess filling the ballpark when the team has been s***ing the bed all year isn't focussing enough on baseball for him. Had to resort to the cliche about Toronto only caring about hockey. Pretty uncool.

I went to Wrigley many years ago, and have gone to White Sox games too.  Just glancing at attendance through the years, the Cubs have gotten close to 3 million through thick and thin, which wouldn't happen in Toronto.  Like we go from 3 million instantly in winning cycles, then instantly back to 1.8 million in losing.

But Wrigley is also more of a tourist destination too.   

[bronson44]

7 hours ago, Olerud363.354 said:

I went to Wrigley many years ago, and have gone to White Sox games too.  Just glancing at attendance through the years, the Cubs have gotten close to 3 million through thick and thin, which wouldn't happen in Toronto.  Like we go from 3 million instantly in winning cycles, then instantly back to 1.8 million in losing.

But Wrigley is also more of a tourist destination too.   

I know but there's a more diplomatic way way to highlight all that without dragging us into it.

I don't really care that much. I'm just sensitive to that cliche as a Canadian non-hockey fan I guess. 

Screw Harold Reynolds.

[bronson44]

“You know, it’s funny. My five-year-old, after the first game here, was kind of poking me a little bit and said, “You know, I like the Cubs. They can beat the Dodgers,'” Gausman said during a 12-minute in-game interview on the Marquee Sports Network early in Wednesday’s finale of the three-game set.

“Man, it’s just different here,” Gausman said on the broadcast, as he stood in the Cubs dugout. “Everybody’s excited. There’s something in the air and these guys are all playing for each other, and they’re really excited to go out and play. I’ve only been here for two days, but man, they’re a fun team to watch.”

Just feels unnecessary

[Brownie19]

9 minutes ago, bronson44 said:

“You know, it’s funny. My five-year-old, after the first game here, was kind of poking me a little bit and said, “You know, I like the Cubs. They can beat the Dodgers,'” Gausman said during a 12-minute in-game interview on the Marquee Sports Network early in Wednesday’s finale of the three-game set.

“Man, it’s just different here,” Gausman said on the broadcast, as he stood in the Cubs dugout. “Everybody’s excited. There’s something in the air and these guys are all playing for each other, and they’re really excited to go out and play. I’ve only been here for two days, but man, they’re a fun team to watch.”

Just feels unnecessary

I've argued this for years and remain convinced that fans should stop listening to interviews - or at least start taking them all with a gain of salt.

Gausman is required to give this type of interview.  What did anyone expect him to say in his first public interview with this new team?  Of course he's going to say something nice about his experience so far and give some heart warming story about how his family is adjusting.  That's PR Training 101.

Obviously he's not going to say a bunch of negative things. He's also super unlikely to give some neutral answer that it's still too early to tell and while the teammates have welcomed him, he's still getting the vibe of the clubhouse and figuring out where he fits in on the team (which is probably the truth).

Choosing to judge or rip him for the exact words he used an interview where he's trying to sugar coat everything off the cuff is dumb.  Just because he says its different here and the guys are playing for each other, doesn't mean he didn't feel the same way about his time in Toronto.  And I bet there is something different in the air in Chicago right now v. in Toronto.  Chicago's buying and loading up to go on a playoff run, while the Jays have sh*t the bed all year.  No sh*t there's more excitement in Chicago.

 

[Omar]

It didn't sound that bad if you watch the interview in the link hanton posted above.  

Maybe Gausman needed a change of scenery too.  Wouldn't surprise me if goes out and dominates the rest of the season.

[bronson44]

I get all that and it is dumb. Again, I think there's a better way to hype up your new team without the very subtle digs at the Jays. Feels like he might be a little bitter about being traded. I thought he way a little more media savvy than that. Anyway don't care that much and will drop it.

[Omar]

 

 

[Brownie19]

Is Griffin Conine developing into the next Schwarber?

156 wRC+, .296 ISO, 12% BB, 30% K

Obviously a stretch to compare him to Schwab, and still a relatively SSS, but he's been great this year.  He's essentially giving them what thought Owen Caissie was going to give them (and he still may).

[Olerud363.354]

On 8/6/2026 at 11:17 AM, bronson44 said:

I don't really care that much. I'm just sensitive to that cliche as a Canadian non-hockey fan I guess. 

Screw Harold Reynolds.

Jays fans are great but the variation in attendance is a little more than other similar market sizes.  Like San Francisco and the Texas Rangers don't dip as much in a run of losing seasons as Jays would.  

I believe that is one thing Shapiro mentioned he wanted to fix.... get the attendance higher in down cycles by making it a destination...  hopefully he doesn't get a chance to see if his fixes worked. 

[Laika]

On 8/6/2026 at 4:04 AM, Olerud363.354 said:

I went to Wrigley many years ago, and have gone to White Sox games too.  Just glancing at attendance through the years, the Cubs have gotten close to 3 million through thick and thin, which wouldn't happen in Toronto.  Like we go from 3 million instantly in winning cycles, then instantly back to 1.8 million in losing.

But Wrigley is also more of a tourist destination too.   

You could even describe it as a tourist trap. 

[Olerud363.354]

2 minutes ago, Laika said:

You could even describe it as a tourist trap. 

I saw an X some guy planned a big trip there to watch his beloved Kansas City Royals at Wrigley.  Life time dream.  He gets there takes a selfie in front of Wrigley all excited - then next tweet is "dang, they are playing in Kansas City, should of checked, what to do in Chicago?"

No idea if this is true.  A lot of X is just bots trying to create social disruption.  Seems innocent and a funny story but a post like that, it gets me thinking how dumb this guy is, and how dumb everyone is, guys probably a liberal.  Probably 5 times boosted.   Probably the vax got him brain damaged so couldn't read the schedule **

** not political just speculating on how this guy ended up at Wrigley for a Royals home game.