BigCecil

Amen to that. I've seen some epic blow outs like Will Middlebrook 3 HR game for the Bosox he started. I think its the right call to go with Price and then Stro.

They would start Price in that situation unless his rotator cuff was shredded. And even then they might. He is a rental and with our backs to the wall he must get the call.

We will know soon enough. Always a danger in being too cute in these situations. I agree with your statement regarding odds but I like the idea of taking our best chance to win the first 2 @ home and put Texas one loss away from elimination. Then we rely on RA/Estrada or Price and our offense to get it closed in Tex.

I think you go with your best 2 SP first and do everything you can to go up 2-0. Then hope your 3/4 or #1 on 3 days rest finishes them off in Texas. The upside of any possible Dickey effect is negated by the off day anyway.

I didn't call diabetes anything. I didn't take a position. I just cut and pasted another view from a reputable source. If you speak for the entire "scientific community" with unanimity on this subject of alcoholism and mislabeling i'd be very surprised.

Respect and like Hamel's ability. He has been a very good pitcher and it seems like he has been around forever. I wanted him at the deadline as I think he is an overall better asset than Price for us (notwithstanding how great Price has been for us in restrospect). But I've watched a few of his Texas starts and agree that our RHH line up should get to him.

That's a little harsh but I take the point and agree that baseball has a way of equalizing things for players who do things like that. Be thankful for several 96+ arms in the pen.

That's a highly debateable opinion. Not a fact. A contrasting view below: Alcoholism Disease Alcoholism is a Disease The NCADD states, 'Alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug...use of alcohol despite adverse consequences and distortions in thinking, mostly denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or episodic.' What the NCADD, that is the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, is saying here is that, yes, alcoholism is a disease. This view of alcoholism as a disease is also held by 90% of the American public (according to a Gallup poll). It is also advocated by many professional organizations such as the AMA (American Medical Association), WHO (the World Health Organization), APA (American Psychiatric Association) and countless others. Those who hold this idea believe that the alcoholism disease is.... ...a primary, chronic and sometimes fatal disease. ...progressive. This means that alcoholism starts relatively innocently much like moderate drinking e.g. a few drinks at the weekend. Then it gradually worsens and progresses until the sufferer is a full-blown alcoholic. The disease hypothesis states there are three alcoholism stages. ...a 'mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink.' Many drink addicts talk of having 'a monkey on their back'. This monkey is constantly at them, urging them to pick up the next drink from the moment they wake up to the moment they sleep. The only way to get the monkey to shut up is to have that drink and then another and then...you know the story. It is an intense craving that never leaves the sufferer. ...a disease of the brain. Drinking alters its functioning. It is known as alcoholic brain. ...a biopsychosocial disease. ...no different from other chronic diseases like diabetes. It has be managed throughout the life of the sufferer. ...has signs and symptoms like any other disease. ...50-60% of the time caused by genetic factors and 40-50% of the time by environmental ones. ...with the sufferer from birth. Alcoholics Anonymous which brought the alcoholism disease concept to the attention of the public state that alcoholics are a special group of people. They cannot control their drinking. They have an alcohol allergy. ...a cause of shame for many. If it is labeled a disease then those suffering from it are more likely to seek help.

I thought this was a pretty good read on the Jays decisions this past week. The "iffiness" of playoff baseball and the sport of second guessing decisions. Blue Jays introduced to the unfair logic of playoff baseball TORONTO — The Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Oct. 04, 2015 9:57PM EDT During the final week of the baseball season, the Toronto Blue Jays have veered into Donald Rumsfeld territory. They’ve made correct decisions, incorrect decisions, correct-incorrect decisions and as yet unknown number of incorrect-correct decisions. Get your highlighter out. We’re entering the fog of playoff war. Giving all the regulars the second leg of Wednesday’s double-header off after they’d won the division in the first – correct. Giving every single one of them the next day off as well – incorrect. They were all a weekend away from three successive days off. How badly do these men need their rest? With the exception of Jonathan Papelbon, we’ve rightly turned away from the old-timey tyranny of ‘play-hard-on-every-out-whether-it-matters-or-not’ philosophy. However, the pendulum has begun swinging a little too hard in the other direction. These are elite performers. They know how and when to protect their bodies. Standing in the outfield and going to bat three times in the course of an afternoon – even if they’re hung over – is not going to drain them of their vital essence. You and I have done it. They can, too. Considering that the Jays gave back their best-in-the-league record on the final day of the season, that decision looks profligate. Scratching David Price from his last start of the year? Yet to be determined. If he’s sharp in Game 1 of the American League Division Series – correct. If he isn’t – it’s a nice idea that blew up on you, and therefore incorrect-correct. Welcome to the unfair logic of playoff baseball. A lot of things that are textbook good choices will be revealed as real-life bad ones when they don’t work out. They may have been the smart thing to do, but they weren’t the right thing to do – ipso facto. This is why we don’t erect statues of visionary military tacticians who lost wars. Conversely, every dumb thing the Jays do from now on will, in the end, not have been dumb if they win. Winning makes everybody a genius. Even the idiots.You can try this at home with a simple test: Does home-field advantage matter in the baseball playoffs? I don’t know what you said, and it doesn’t matter. You’re wrong and you’re right. For now. Last year, home teams went 1-8 in nine postseason rounds. So it doesn’t. In 2009, home teams went 6-1. So it does. Over the past decade, the home team has gone 41-42. So it’s a statistical wash. The bottom line on home field: If you have it and you win, it works. If you don’t and you win, it doesn’t. Because you’re not playing a statistically average series. You’re playing a very specific, chaotic one. Should you be feeling a little worried today that the Jays lost four of their past five, lost home-field ‘advantage’ and lost the right to play a wild-card entrant who’d already burned their ace? I’ll tell you in a week, when they’ve either won or lost their first-round series against Texas. That’s how every decision works from now on – its wisdom is a mystery … until it isn’t. On Sunday, Toronto started Mark Buehrle on one day’s rest in an attempt to push him to 200 innings pitched for the 15th consecutive year. Buehrle is beloved in the clubhouse, making the team’s gesture of respect not just cordial, but cunning. Then it got all no-good-deed-goes-unpunished. Buehrle allowed eight runs in two-thirds of an inning. It wasn’t all his fault. Toronto committed two errors behind him. But by the end, he looked like he was throwing batting practice. Buehrle has made nearly 500 starts. He’d never before given up six or more runs while working for less than an inning. So what was likely the last outing of his career is arguably his worst. It was the wrong thing done for the right reasons, but you could see the disaster coming a long way off. Call this one correct-incorrect. This is the sort of choice you now need to eliminate. The Jays can no longer afford to be sporting – letting a pitcher stay in one batter too long because you don’t want to hurt his confidence; or giving a guy a shot at postseason glory when you’re pretty sure he’s not up to it. Baseball puts a high value on chivalry, but it’s a luxury born of the regular season and its interminable length. Those mistakes even out. In the postseason, every minor ripple can become a campaign-ending, reputation-destroying tidal wave. Ask Bill Buckner. This is the time to be ruthless. The Jays will make errors – physical and tactical – in the coming week(s). It’s an inevitability. We’ll spend a great deal of time obsessing over what the manager does or does not do, because that’s easy. Few of us have the bonafides to second-guess the players, and most would not assume to do so. All of us imagine we could handle the pitching staff under in-game pressure. We’re wrong, but we still think that. However it turns out, you hope it comes down to a Joe Carter-esque moment of brilliance rather than a Buckner-esque miscue. But I suspect it comes down to plays and decisions that only seem smart in retrospect – the incorrect-correct. When the San Francisco Giants pitched their now-and-future ace, Madison Bumgarner, on two days rest in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, that was an iffy decision. Sure, you want to win a championship. Also, you do not want to break or humiliate a cornerstone of your organization. Had it gone wrong, it would be remembered as a Buehrle-esque pratfall at the most critical moment. Instead, Bumgarner pitched five, remarkable shutout innings. So a choice that could have been panicky and foolish became inspired and brave. Have the Jays made that sort of decision yet, or can they, or should they? Maybe. We’ll know when it’s over.

Not sure why anyone would be worried JD might lose on WAR when Trout has lost in the past to Cabrera for so many other stats and "intangibles" that seem to interest the old school voters.

Explains his late night altercations some. He had been pitching ok but maybe this was a situation where he wasn't going to be on the 25 anyway? I hope he gets the help he needs.

Im not a new fan or new poster. But Im from Cal so I think I panicked and paid too much. The guy going with me is from Whitehorse, Yukon. Requires planning to do this trip A bud of mine is very senior @ Cdn Tire in TOR and they scrambled to buy a box after having not bought tickets in forever. I saw that and thought the corp money was going to push everything up. oh well. At least I'm going to the first two games and after 22 years of waiting im ok with it.

^ this. We gave up Norris and Boyd for a rental. Honestly, the chances of us signing Price and minimal at best. Use the arm we rented to our max advantage period.

Please don't be 3pm. I land @ 1:30 and don't want to scramble.

Maybe....likely.

We mash these f***ers...respect, but fear not the Rangers.

We are. Lots of hard hit balls into bad luck. I feel good about this match up.

In every facet of the game he has better tools than izzz-eeek-iilll. Can add more value. Should be a no brainer. But won't be as you say.

Good post. Agree. I think a big part of what gave this team a diff feel was two huge upgrades @ 3B and C. Travis also gave us a lot of hope when he could/did play.

Me too. Even though he is only RHH he is > Penny.

Quick bat by Pompey. Should be on on playoff roster.

Its a brand new season and we are going into the post season relatively healthy. These last few games mean nothing. We don't have HFA advantage if we go to a 7th game against KC. f*** it...lets move on. Lets crush Texas!! Go Jays!!

Was @ my kids little league so PVRED this to watch this special moment for Mark B. The score is now 9-0. We booted 2 balls in the first that would have gotten him out of the 1st. Mark B is now out. Brutal. Too bad it didn't go close to plan. Yuck.

Feel exactly the same I think Krylian. I just don't see the point in anyone glossing over the last 5 weeks for Osuna. I'm sure they aren't. Runs will be harder to come by in the playoffs.

in this league nowadays V of 97 ish in high leverage is expected unless your Houston Street. Its all about location and secondary out pitches command. That is where he has struggled so badly for 5 weeks. Hence the line. Osuna: 6.35 K/9, 3.18 HR/9, 30.8% HR/FB, 4.76 ERA, 6.84 FIP