Expos81

Lol … so true. Prior to the Jays signing this guy late in Spring Training I had heard his name but I didn't know anything about him. Then I saw him live on TV early in the season and I was pretty surprised. He does not profile physically as an athlete at all ! He looks like a dude who pitches underhand for the company slo-pitch team. Especially his legs that are all wonky from the knees down. But … his first day in professional baseball was one more than I could ever even fantasize about so I have to hand it to him. He got the most out of an awkward non-athletic build.

Very true AledmysDiaz . I like to think of myself as a loyal fan and will continue to support the team but it just sucks when it looks like they won't really make a run for the post season. Again, who knows ... it's only May and things could turn around. But not only did AA leave us with Vlad but I give Shapiro and Atkins credit for not getting greedy and trading away either of Vladdy and Bichette to win now. Here's a question ... if Shapiro and Atkins get pressure from ownership to do something about attendance would they be tempted to bring up the two prospects as a tool to bring people out ?

Ahhhhh ... Stone Cold. I get it. Sorry ... a little slow on that one. Yeah , one would hope that they have a 'plan'. I bet they were high fiving each other early in the season when the team was 12-5. Now , not so much. I don't see a turnaround happening with this team this season. That being the case then Rogers Centre will be a mausoleum come August. Then the dog days set in and we talk about next year. The forward looking talk was built around pairing up the 'Now' (Sanchez , Stroman , Osuna ) with the 'Future' (Vladdy , Bichette and Alford ). The 'Now' is looking a little pale right now. Not saying it can't turn around but it does make one pause and think. Oh well ... we must hope.

Hey Krylian, I agree that the reason people are not showing up is because they sense this team is not set up to really compete. I'm curious how much rope Rogers gives Shapiro and Atkins before they decide to make changes. Then again , I have heard that Rogers has considered selling the team so perhaps they just leave things as they are as they seek a buyer.

Ha ha ... Spanky ... I have no idea what you're trying to tell me here . It's a funny visual though .

Anyone believe that the current administration down at Rogers Centre is being called into meetings to discuss this ? http://proxy.espn.com/mlb/attendance I believe the Blue Jays were a top 5 team in average attendance for the past 2-3 seasons. This shows they are currently ranked #15. I'd love to have a handle on the year over year comps. That is a huge drop-off ! I have to think that Mark Shapiro's boss is asking questions. If this continues what do you think the impact will be ?

I'll 2nd that ! WTF ? I'm Googling that right now to get the skinny on why a fella pulls a 'gat' on the pizza man !

Hey Spanky , Can’t argue with you about focusing on results . I shouldn’t let his off-field personality bother me . The truth is that it doesn’t really matter . I’m a fan of the team and I want it to win . Period ... I just can’t help it though ... when I hear him do his thing in an interview I just cringe . Wasn’t trying to to get at anything . Honest . Was just curious if it resonated with you . But I get it , it doesn’t and that’s that . And you are so right about social media with some of the stars of yore. Good lord ... Jorge would be telling people to kiss his “purple butt” on a daily basis and then some . And Steib? Lol ... the guy who would stare down a teammate after he made an error would probably shread that guy in social media ! I have that same ‘82 Gary Carter jersey in powder blue . During the two recent Blue Jay playoff runs everyone in our office would wear their Jay’s jersey to work on playoff game days . I have a couple so I did as well but to mix it up one day I wore my Expos jersey . People liked it but I got razzed that the’Spos had one playoff appearance in their history .

Spanky, I understand that you are a Stro' fan and that's cool. Heck ... way back in the day I was a huge Gary Carter fan and my friends would get on me because he was a fellow who truly loved the camera and could be accused of being ... self involved. But still , I was a huge Gary fan and no one was going to convince me otherwise despite the fact that I knew that he did portray himself in such a way that I could see how it would grate others, Just wondering here though ... would you not acknowledge that Stro's constant chest thumping and stream of consciousness ("I just want to get back to being elite" ... "I just take the ball every fifth day and go dominate" ) ranting is a bit much ? I really , truly want to like the guy because his underdog persona is relatable to the average person. It's just when he blathers on about how great he is that I roll my eyes and tune out. I personally think that's what drives people nuts. The average Joe likes humility in their millionaire athlete. When I think of the prototype Toronto superstar I think of Carlos Delgado , Mats Sundin , Edwin Encarnacion ... they were elite but never told anyone. Whadda ya think ?

Doesn't everyone understand ?! Marcus just needs a short break ... Then he will be back to "Dominate" and be the "Elite" pitcher he tells us that he is ... repeatedly ... in every interview and InstaSnapFaceTweet posting.

Damn Connorp ... that was a beauty !

I agree with this. It's clear that Loup is not getting it done. He is a situational based lefty who has always been marginal. He has faced 27 batters over 5.1 innings this year so the sample size is small. WHIP - 2.250 FIP - 4.64 If the thought that the Jays (really Gibby) are trying to manage by meritocracy then Mayza over Loup is a consistent narrative. I see no real downside DFAing Loup and keeping Mayza.

Who else is getting stoked for the season to start ?! Despite the fact that the current temperature outdoors is 0 degrees I can feel that Spring is in the air and opening day is just around the corner. Love this time of year. Hope springs eternal. We're undefeated! Yeah ... reality sets in soon enough but by god ... it's almost time for baseball! One thing that will be weird will not hearing Jerry Howarth saying "Hello friends ...". Makes me sad thinking about that. Been hearing that for so , so long. Anyway ... Go Jays !

Anyone else find this scenario a little confusing ? Here are the sequence of events leading up to this: The Jays decide not to resign Darwin Barney or Ryan Goins in the winter and both players walk. Management make the following moves to shore up the middle infield due to injury concerns with Tulo and Travis: 1) 11/17/17 - Jays make trade with Pirates for Gift Ngoepe. 2) 12/1/17 - Jays makes trade with Cardinals for Aledmys Diaz. 3) 1/6/18 - Jays make trade with Padres for Yangervis Solarte. Current Middle Infield Status: Travis appears to have recovered and will be the starting 2nd baseman to open the season. Aledmys Diaz will start the season at Shortstop in Tulo's absence. Solarte is described as a "floater" who spells people when they need a day off. They sign Espinosa. OK ... seems like a reasonable thing but I guess what I'm scratching my head at is , is there really a discernible difference between Danny Espinosa and Ryan Goins ? Their gloves are comparable (Goins played a full 41% of his career defensive innings at Shortstop and is more than serviceable. Early days but Espinosa has made 4 errors in a short period of time so far ) . The career slash line is as follows: BA OBP OPS WAR Ryan Goins .228 .275 .611 3.3 Danny Espinosa .221 .297 .675 7.6 The WAR variance is misleading though. The 'trend' (past couple of seasons) are almost the same. The only real difference is that Espinosa has in the past displayed real power and Goins has not. I have no issue with Danny Espinosa. None at all . I also have no real affinity for Ryan Goins. My confusion is that they did not foresee that they would need an extra infielder (they had to know Tulo was not going to start the season on the roster ) and why they didn't just keep Ryan Goins ? Keeping a known entity that seemed to fit in the clubhouse as opposed to brining in a very comparable player very late in camp just feels ... scrambly and unprepared by management. I guess that is what concerns me . Am I not seeing something here or is there facts that I have not considered ?

Jays3891, I'm new as well so from one rookie to another , welcome aboard! At the risk of straying I do want to make one personal statement that I believe is the single most important thing to do in a moment like this. And that is to act with empathy. I am as white as the driven snow and have never personally felt marginalized because of my skin colour , religion , sexual preference etc ... I count myself fortunate. I believe that because I lack that experience I need to empathize with those that have. How can I understand what it feels like if I have never had to go through it ? The answer is that I can't. So in my opinion I need to give those that have and who do feel uncomfortable the benefit of the doubt. Their FEELING is real to them. So I need to accept that. Doesn't mean I need to accept guilt for every bigoted action that every white person has bestowed upon others. I merely need to accept that person's experience as real to them. So if Jays3891 is feeling that way then that feeling is real to him. I accept that and am going to now shut my mouth so as not to continue to make the fella feel uncomfortable. Feels like the decent thing to do ...

Not intentionally . Guessing it was a Freudian slip.

I personally do think that the very nature of being a 'fan' of a team involves liking the players that represent the team. Yes, we want them to be skilled and deliver results but we also want to like and admire them. In my father's day it was different. You hear stories all the time about a member of the Maple Leafs living on your street. Being a somewhat middle-class person. Times have changed. These guys make more in one season than many of us will make in our whole careers. But still , we follow them , cheer for them and want to in some way relate to them. Why did everyone love Munenori Kawasaki so much ? Why do fans seem to love the scrappers and grinders so much ? Because we admire and in some way , relate to their struggle. Carlos Delgado ,Edwin Encarnacion and Roy Halladay were beloved by the fans of Toronto. Yes, there were exceptional at their craft but they also endeared themselves to us through their class , charm and humility. Not sure about you guys but it seems that in every office , work setting or team environment there is almost always the guy who is just a dick. He can only think of himself. He is completely self-absorbed. However, if he does his job and produces we tolerate him. Stroman feels like that guy. He has delivered some great performances and his talent and will are undeniable. But ... he's a dick! Two things that seem clear about this post: 1) I have not heard one person say that Stroman is lacking in ability and has fallen short performance-wise. This is clearly about him being a total doucheasaurus. Anyone refuting this or denying it is either Marcus himself , a member of his family or is a jag off himself and doesn't yet know it. 2) This is NOT about race or colour! I have been on many boards where people hiding behind the veil of anonymity will fly their bigot flag. If this were about race someone would have let some nasty garbage fly. Hasn't happened. Marcus is an intolerable , insufferable jerk. Period. Full stop. The odds of Stroman being able to sustain his level of performance given his stature are very low. Not impossible , just improbable. The Jays should plot out an exit strategy to capitalize on the asset at it's peak value. Once he's gone ... none of us on here will mourn his absence so long as the return in the trade is equitable.