Weekly Round Up : May 3 - 9

Consider this your required reading for the week. G20 update.  Looks messy.....

Courtesy of Fan Graphs:

Signed to a one-year contract with a team option for 2011 by the Blue Jays this offseason, Alex Gonzalez did not attract much attention on the free agent market after being cut loose by the Red Sox. He netted just $2.75 million for this year and his option is worth only $2.5 million. There was good reason for that lack of fanfare. Alex Gonzalez hasn’t been a good hitter ever aside from 2007. He has survived by being a solid glove man at short stop but having turned 33, one had to wonder how much longer that would hold out.

If he keeps up his hitting, how much value Gonzo will have in a trade later in the season to a contender?  That is a pretty cheap option for next season.

Courtesy of Fox Sports:

The Romero game marked the start of Buck’s education.
“I’m not really a superstitious guy,” he says. “Just after the seventh inning, going into the eighth, I talked to Papi (pitching coach Bruce Walton) and asked him, 'How many pitches do I have? Do I need to push my pitcher?' He looked at me like I was crazy. I thought, ‘Why are you looking me like that?’ Then I looked up and saw zeros across the board. I said, ‘Damn!’”
Buck says he was simply locked in on the hitters. “I’ve got a little pea brain,” he explains, chuckling. “I can only process so much.” But seriously . . . “My superstitious thing is not breaking my routine,” Buck says. “I always go over the hitters from the previous inning (with the pitcher), talk about a couple of pitches may have been overthrown, what we want to do on the next guy.”
And so it was Monday night, when Cecil took a perfect game into the seventh inning. “I kind of noticed I was the only one sitting by him, talking to him,” Buck says. “But once we got to the seventh, it was in my mind.”

It's not your fault John, it's King Jordan's doing.  He is all powerful.

Courtesy of St. Paul Saints:

Kevin Millar and the St. Paul Saints announced Wednesday that he will return to the ballclub after a 12-year Major League career.  Millar, one of the most incredible stories in Saints history, began his career in 1993 with St. Paul and will return for his victory lap with the Saints beginning this Saturday, May 8.
The Saints roster now stands at 25 players, 11 pitchers and 14 position players.  The Saints can carry 27 players during spring training, but must be down to 23 by opening day.  The Saints then must be down to 22 players 14 days after the beginning of the season. 
Millar will make his Midway Stadium return on Opening Day, Thursday, May 13 when the Saints take on the Wichita Wingnuts at 7:05 p.m.

I wonder if his victory lap will have a pit stop after they realize he is a fucking shitty baseball player.

Courtesy of MLB News, Rumors, Scores, Predictions, and Stats

We have yet to play New York, Detroit, Minnesota, or Seattle and we still have 16 games left to play against Tampa and Boston.  That leaves 99 games left against winning teams from '09—not including 12 games against the Rockies, Giants, Cards and Phillies, all winning teams from the NL.
At our current pace we are looking at a record of 33-66 against the winning teams in the AL.  Lets say we run just over .500 during Inter-league games at 8-7, that leaves us at 41-73.
48 games left to play against the worst of the AL.
Lets be optimistic here and say we have a .700 record against these teams and end up 34-14.  That gives us a record of 75-87.
Coincidentally, that was our record last year. Good enough for 4th in the AL East, a full 28 games back of New York.

Hate to rain on the parade but we have had a pretty easy schedule up to this point.  

Courtesy of BlueJays.com

It was a decision that fell in line with the Blue Jays' overall approach to their starting pitchers this season. Gaston and pitching coach Bruce Walton do not want to exceed 100-105 pitches with any of the starters unless the situation dictates otherwise. Up to this point, the Jays have done well in executing that strategy.
Through 30 games, the rotation has exceeded 105 pitches only four times, and no pitcher has logged more than 111 throws in any one outing. Entering Friday, the Jays' starting staff was averaging 15.5 pitches per inning (fourth best in the Majors behind the Cardinals, Twins and Rays) and 98.1 pitches per game.

Pitch limits are a fact of life.    

Courtesy of Toronto Sun:

Stats

Expected to go in the second or third round, the San Jose native was hitting .407 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs when he tore his quad late in 2008 and his stock fell.
Asked if he remembers the incident, Eric Thames answers as if he thinks of it every day.
“It was against Santa Clara, ground ball to second, I was running up the line and beat it out,” Thames said.
He didn’t go on Day 1 of the 2008 draft and the next day was at the Lucky Stars tattoo parlour getting “Rage of the Gods” burned into his left biceps when his agent phoned. The Jays selected him in the seventh round and he was given a $150,000 US signing bonus.
“I’m into mythology and history,” he said.
Thames shares the league home run lead with seven, and has 25 RBIs, two behind the leader. He has a .324 average, third on the team.
“You should see him in the batting cage. He’s an animal. He hits for hours,” manager Luis Rivera said. “His work habits are outstanding and if you want to make the big leagues, you need good work habits. When he was drafted, he wasn’t 100%.”
A muscular six-foot, 205-pounder, built like a running back, Thames was a weightlifter for years. No more.
“I’m into yoga now,” he said. “Lifting makes you look good on the beach. Yoga helps guys get to the big leagues.”

You had me right up until that last statement Eric.  Don't ever say shit like that again.

Courtesy of The Blue Jay Hunter:

Usually, it's been the Blue Jays who have been suffering from late-inning collapses. Lately, they have been the ones delving out the frustrating losses.
I know this is a couple of days after the fact, but listen to Bruce Drennan's rant from Sports Time Ohio on the Cleveland Indians late-inning loss to the Blue Jays back on Wednesday.

Classic stuff.  I have been giggling over this video for a few days now. 

Nerding it up in Simulation Nation:

According to OOTP 11 we go 3 - 3 for the week.  Our record is 18 - 21, good for 4th place, 7 and half games behind the Red Sucks.
Of note: I got an e-mail about Aaron Hill's injury.  The manager said: "You can't make excuses in baseball, because there is always a game tomorrow."

According to The Show we have a huge week!  6 - 0.  Our record sits at 25 - 14 and we are tied with the Evil Empire for 1st place.
Of note: Shawn Camp is having a nice season.  4 - 1, 2.97 ERA, 33.1 IP, 29 K, 19 Appearances, 4 Holds, 2 Saves and righties are hitting .143 off him.