IBTrini

Heavy rain and thunder passing thru London at the moment. Most probably will reach Toronto soon.

I may be wrong here but the stats for innings pitched etc does not included pitches thrown in the BP. With close games being played recently, especially after losing the lead, no one tracks how many pitches the BP is throwing to get them ready in case they are going to called upon. They could be throwing then sitting and then getting back up again without ever coming on the field.

I too am wanting but not expecting things to dramatically improve. If their plate approach does not change then juggling around the lineup will not help much. In the past they were more successful when they went with the pitch and got on base then passing it on to the next hitter. The coaches, manager, and fans have all mentioned this approach yet the hitters seem to dismiss this when they get to the plate. This ripping the ball as hard as you can while hoping it gets through the IF or trying to be the hero with HR swings at every at-bat will not cut it. Their approach to shifts are also cringe-worthy.

Jays seem to be showing patience at the plate and going the other way successfully. Makes me wonder why the manager and fans knew this yet the players just seem to feel differently with their pull-happy approach.

It's only a temporary situation so any of those could be inserted there. Well, we will see how it goes cuz when I dislike something with a move it normally proves me wrong.

Not a fan of this. Hope it doesn't mess with his head and send him spiralling backwards.

Originally I felt strongly that Gibbons erred in not playing his regulars more in ST however after all of April the hitters should be better than what they are showing. Gibbons also mentioned that the hitters need to have more discipline and hit the other way when the situation dictates but it seems that thought does not sink in when they are at the plate. It seems as if everyone is looking to hit the ball as hard as they can for a HR rather than passing the baton on to the next hitter. Baseball can be a frustrating game however right now the Jays are making it even more frustrating for the fans.

The media tries to create stories where they do not exist.

He is an "O" fan so I can understand his frustration however he is correct in stating that the umpiring behind the plate is not good.

No arguing about the bad umpiring but it isn't as though it is favouring the Jays.

I agree with this statement. They also need to stop the nonsense of having the umps wait around while the team in the dugout is checking video before asking for a challenge on the play - That was never the original intention and it does slow up the game.

As much as a Jays fan like not having Wieters in the lineup it's a little irritating how the umps keep influencing the game through their inflated egos. Let the guy have his say especially if he is walking away.

I thought he was penalized for violation of the new rule (not maintaining contact with the bag) and as such the penalty imposed resulted in both runners being called out. Anyway, no matter which way you look at it, I believe the call which ended the game was made correctly (even though I did not like the outcome) since an interference violation would have also been committed by the runner with the intent of preventing a DP (which was Bautista's intent). This violation would have resulted in the batter/runner being called out as well as the runner who committed the interference. That was definitely a heart-breaking result. I am anxiously looking forward to today's game but it is not starting soon enough (starting around 13:00 EST?). A win by the Jays will go a long way in minimizing the sting from last night's loss!

Not sure how accurate this site is but it corresponds to Buck's comment: http://mcubed.net/mlb/tor/tb.shtml

Looks so cuz Oct 3rd was the last regular season game he pitched in.

Every time I see this clip I think.... "Hmmmm, opponent underestimation of bibical proportions." "Human brain contains about 100 billions neurons (10^11) and about hundred trillions synapses (10^14). Each neuron can fire about 100 times a second. If we model brain as a simple neural network, then it would be equivalent to machine that performs 10^16 operations per second." I wonder at which one of those brain operations did his ego instantly realize just how much he misjudged his actions - when his opponent wrapped his arms around his upper body, when he was being lifted shoulder high, when he saw the ground rushing to meet his body, or when he felt himself being bounced off the concrete floor? Anyway, sometimes we need to hit our head against a wall (in this case a concrete floor) to learn a lesson the hard way.

ftfy...

I didn't understand the comment either however it could be a reference to music. I find this to be easier on the ears and eyes and it can have a subtle reference to baseball terms - command and control: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDLLXUaqZxg

It was a nice interview and seemed very frank and not scripted. Bautista answered the questions candidly while showing a little more of how his mind works. Besides being very good at baseball he also has a good business mind. Unlike other players he recognizes how age is a negotiating factor even though there are other factors to be considered. What i got from the interview is that he is confident in what he is capable of producing and when asked what he thought would be sufficient to keep him in the fold he gave them his parameters ($ and years). Nowhere did he indicate that it was etched in stone as has been insinuated elsewhere. He does seem very interested in staying with the Jays but being business-wise he will definitely not undervalue his true worth. When I first read some of the other contract-talk stories I felt differently but now what I see is a very intelligent individual who has a lot of baseball talent. It certainly did not come across to me as an attempt at mending fences or a fluff piece. Anyway, thanks for posting this link.

I hear/see this comment often but it is not quite clear how much money it represents. On top of that the Jays needed to replace 2 starters and some BP arms so they got Happ and Estrada for a combined average of 25. Do you realistically think spending money on the following players to obtain 1 starter while not filling the other holes makes sense: Greinke at an average of 34.4 million (Previously had the Jays on a no trade list) Price at an average of 31 million Zimmerman at an average of 22 million Samardzija at an average of 18 million (I don't even think he would have been willing to come here) I am not a GM nor even play in fantasy leagues but from my perspective not knowing the real money amounts available is makes it hard to decide if it is realistic however just looking at what they have to pay to obtain players of that calibre does not make financial sense. To spend big money like that while depending on what they had (hardly any depth) would be a disaster waiting to happen. Just my uninitiated perspective.

Not to belabor the point but you are still quoting USD$ to reference the salary portion of their budget. Their player salaries/commitments/contracts are guaranteed in USD$ while Rogers earn revenue in CDN$. They still have to buy the foreign exchange to meet those commitments. Since the norm is to quote players salaries in USD$ it seems as if there is no movement when in fact they are spending more on salaries. If they made CDN$ 30 million in profit it was essentially rolled back into payroll - it's just semantics. 2015 salaries - approx CDN$ 161 million 2016 salaries - approx CDN$ 189 million Salaries did go up if you were to reference the correct currency. It's just unfortunate that the Jays is the only MLB team affected by this scenario. If they Jays was a US team operating with a US dollars their salaries would be reflected as a 28 million increase from the previous year. Take David Price contract as an example. It cost Boston 217 million however if the Jays were to win him over at that market value it would have cost them approx 293 million which is equivalent to 80 million more since they operate with CDN$. Rogers has money but it isn't a bottomless pit and as such cannot spend carelessly. It is still a business and must operate prudently and not emotionally.

The Jays had to fill a few holes in both the starting rotation and in the BP with no money so they had to do the best they could. They still have to figure out how they are going to approach the extensions of at least two big players - Encarnacion - no contract talks after spring training starts and Bautista's position both of which will be substantial amounts. Depending on how they are doing at the AS break they may need money to spend at that time as well. They are definitely in a bad place this off-season so expecting some big moves is just highly unlikely from my perspective.

Not necessarily but it does not preclude that scenario. Rogers is a Canadian entity which means their figures are reflected in CDN$. Let's say Dec 2014 the USD$ for approx 140 million was the equivalent of CDN$ 161 million. The exchange rate has plummeted in that year so USD$ 140 million is now the equivalent of CDN$ 189 million. There you have a 28 million increase yet the figure some fans will hear about is the USD$ amount which has not changed. The payroll did increase from the entity's point of view and it hurts to know that the Jays are at a disadvantage because of the exchange position but that is a reality for the organization.

I feel the same however I do not think this is the final starting rotation - maybe I am just an optimist. With a front end starter still to be added it gives the team some starting depth or currently as it stands, something to add as a package for the needed starter. The off-season is clearly not finished so there is still time for some other additions.

This meltdown was amusing however this can be a major reason. Some people just cannot multitask - be drunk and be reasonable at the same time. ***Spanky? Are you here or in the cab?***