jaysblue

Yeah I don't agree that AA is only good now because he learned from being in the Dodgers organization for a couple of years. Yes with experience, most do gain more knowledge and get better. AA did a lot of great things in Toronto. He built back the farm system. Made some big trades that worked out and some that didn't. He locked up two core players in Bautista and EE to very team friendly extensions. Made some big trade deadline deals that turned this team into a legit World Series contender. He made baseball relevant again in Toronto. We could say Shapiro and Atkins walked into a good situation which they did. Baseball was extremely popular again here, they had a World Series contending team in 2016 and even believed they were competitive in 2017 before the injuries.

Yeah the new infield Club 100 looks pretty sick. They have something like that in San Francisco. Nice enclosed area so less crazy than the whole concourse. If the team doesn't win games and has a couple of losing seasons, attendance will take a slight hit though. That's the reality.

Season isn't over but yeah no room for error the rest of the way. Just have to take it one game at a time. Like some have said, tough to really cheer on and like this group given the way they've played this season. Still want to see Postseason baseball in Toronto. But if it doesn't happen, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Even when the Jays didn't make the Postseason before, I still enjoyed October baseball.

Yeah attendance numbers have been really good this season. Mostly earlier on because the Leafs/Raps were out of the Playoffs, the hype surrounding the new renos, and since it was summer. A lot of casuals or people I know who never went to a Jays game before went to a couple this summer. Sure Rogers isn't complaining but if this team doesn't produce a winner, attendance numbers will take a hit. I think the low attendance this series is a factor of many things: everyone back at school, people tapped out from the summer, and less excitement around this team/group given their struggles. Leafs and the Raptors are crazy expensive and awful. Mostly corporate owns a lot of those seats.

I bought myself a beautiful new Samsung 77" OLED TV with a soundbar, woofer and rear speakers. Its an awesome setup. No need to spend money on expensive tickets and expensive food and drinks at the Rogers Centre unless there is a particular matchup or player I want to see. I'll save my money and plan a weekend trip in October down in the States to see a DS or LS series. Get to experience a better ballpark and better teams at least!

I was saying this over the summer and was being heavily criticized for it by some members. I don't get the praise Atkins gets on here while those same posters don't give AA the credit he deserves. All excuses during the months of May, June and July and look at where we are now. This team is a borderline playoff team, plain and simple. Enough of "oh it's bad luck," or "it's early" or "just wait until the Jays have any easier schedule after the All-Star break." Now the excuses are "everyone in the lineup is largely underperforming and that was tough to project." While I don't believe all the blame should be placed on Atkins, he does own some of it. He's the one who created the roster and put it together. He's the one responsible for hiring the manager and coaching staff. He's the one who traded the teams top asset for Varsho who hasn't done much. He's the one who signed Springer to a long term deal. He's the one who made the decision to build the roster around the fact that Vlad and Bo were going to be their elite stars. He's the one who traded away some offensive minded bats like Teo and LGJ. He's the one who never addressed the issue with this lineup earlier on in the season or at the deadline when it was evident they could have used another power bat or two. There should be no excuses. This team was one of the healthiest teams in baseball and it's not like they lost 1 or 2 key players to long term injuries. A number of players like Kikuchi, Whitt, Belt and KK over-performed. The Jays even ended up getting Ryu and Green back for the stretch run. They had a lot of luck on their side considering. During his tenure, his teams have produced ZERO playoff wins to this date. Atkins has made some solid moves and has fielded competitive teams, but the homerism surrounding him on here is too much. So far his tenure here has been subpar when you look at the results to date.

That's why Spanky got hosed buying that Bo jersey over the weekend. The dude is gone after 2025 and that jersey will be 50-60% off!

If you're downtown sure. What happens if you live and work outside of the downtown core? Easily 45 mins to an hour commute each way. As well, factor in the cost to watch a game live now. Not like it was used to if you purchase from the Jays box office or from people outside of the Rogers Centre. If you want to purchase decent seats, buy food and have one or two beers, easily $100. Tough for people given the high cost of living and everything now to just do that a couple nights a week, unless they're running up a balance on their credit cards.

Hotel prices in Toronto are always crazy expensive. Heck even a s*** box near the airport goes for $200 a night. I don't know how some people travel here or in Canada for that matter. Glad you decided not to come down. Tickets (which have more than tripled since Shapiro took over) + $18 beers ain't worth it IMO. Better off saving your money and going down to the US for a weekend to see a DS or CS matchup. Planning to fly down to ATL one weekend if I could redeem points for my flights and if hotels aren't crazy expensive.

As bad as this series has gone, the Jays are still 0.5 games back of a WC spot. It's not like they're 3-4 GBs. But yeah these losses against the Rangers have really hurt. Jays could have put themselves in a better position if they won 2 or 3 of these games.

Geez Kirk has looked awful catching Hicks. He looks like he's checked out!

Imagine the newspaper ads in New York about Vladdy, Kirk, Varsho, and Manoah. They wouldn't survive. They're so lucky the Toronto sports media like Sportsnet were sugar coating this team all season. It's shocking to see the narrative change all of a sudden just over the last week or so. Even Buck Martinez saying the way the Blue Jays have played, they aren't a Playoff team.

Nice to see the crowd booing at Vlad. Enough sugar coating this team and this season! Time to start winning baseball games!

You dingleberry! If Allen wins the MVP, I'll buy you Muskoka beers at Joey's for Happy Hour. If Allen doesn't win, you buy them.

It's not all his fault, but yeah he deserves some blame. I couldn't care if Atkins stays another year or is gone. His tenure overall has been a subpar one in comparison to the AA years. Given the teams expectations, payroll, extra WC spots and balanced schedule, will be a huge disappointment if they still have ZERO Postseason wins after this year. Hasn't been able to take this team to the next level despite solid roster pieces to build around.

I just said it sucks for them. Not sad for them or anything.

Yeah would be better if the games started at 7:35 PM or 8:07 PM. Since games now are moving at a much faster pace, wonder if Shapiro pushes for later start times. Wouldn't be a bad idea. Tough to make it downtown if you finish around 5PM. Plus mostly after a long day, people are exhausted. Going to a Jays weeknight game, you won't be home till at least 11PM haha.

Damn that sucks for them. Huge loss to their rotation.

Yeah attendance the past two games was shocking. Think people might be tapped out from the summer and a lot of people back at school now as well. Weekends should be solid regardless this month. The cost of going down to a game now given the rising cost of living is likely also a factor. You need to pay for public transit if you're coming from outside of the downtown core or pay for parking. As well, the prices of tickets have increased under Shapiro. You were able to get infield seats for $50-$60 and now you're lucky if they get you seats down the foul lines in the 200 level. Also, the prices for concessions and expensive $18 beers. You're better off watching the game from the comfort of your own home. Imagine paying close to $3000 a month in rent, along with other expenses. Can't spend that money to go down to a Jays game or any sporting event. Have to think twice.

Haha all I said is that Josh Allen won't win the MVP this season. It should be Josh Allen vs. the field since you really are confident that Allen will win.

Wasn't this supposed to be the easy part of the schedule? They barely beat some of the awful teams like Oakland, Colorado and Kansas City. A lot of those games were close and could have went the other way. Just have to take one game at a time and hope they keep in it. Have to win these next two games against the Rangers.

Yeah the J.P. Ricciardi years don't get enough love on here. He put together some very good teams in years where the Red Sox and Yankees were powerhouses and dominated the AL East. No balanced schedule like now. The Jays didn't have a really crazy payroll and no extra WC spots. The Jays from 2005-2008 were likeable and a fun team to watch. JPR doesn't deserve the hate he gets on here. The Jays under Atkins could possibly miss the Postseason in 2 of 3 years where they should be in contention and haven't even won a Postseason game. This is with a balanced schedule and extra WC spots. Yet Atkins still gets praised on here by some, but AA and JPR were awful GMs who aren't on the same level as Atkins. Put those Jays teams in another division, they likely make the Postseason in a couple of those seasons during the JPR regime.

Don't forget some Jays that got traded like Synderagaard, Musgrove etc.

Babe has been amazing! I swear he better be in the starting lineup everyday for the rest of the year, hitting 3rd, 4th or 5th!

Yimi Garcia pitched great tonight. Just left some pitches over the plate that got hit hard. Bad luck!