Weekly Round Up: June 14 - 20

Consider this your required reading for the week.  Our boy Jay talks sibling rivalry.

Courtesy of GCOBB:

We know Roy Halladay has been amazing so far during his time with Phillies but there remains a question about his ability to dominate in big games since he pitched in very few during his time with the hapless Toronto Blue Jays.  We got a chance to see him in that situation yesterday against the New York Yankees.

Dickhead comment but there may be some truth to it.  How many times has an ace buckled under when it counted most?  Not saying Roy falls into that category but do we really know how he will preform in "the big game"?

Courtesy of Remembering '51:

Since the trade to Toronto though, Lewis numbers look a little funny. His slash line is .291/.333/.814, and his plate discipline numbers look even more peculiar.
His O-swing percentage this year is 30 percent, a career high, and the first time in his Major League career when it's been above the league average. His swing percentage is 49.4 percent, the highest percentage since his rookie year in 2006 when it was 50 percent.
But you know what? It hasn't hurt him. Yes, Lewis is drawing less walks (his BB percentage is only 5.8 percent, almost five points lower than last year), still striking out a lot (27.7 percent exactly) and his BB/K ratio (0.23) and OBP aren't as comforting as they were in his Giants days. Yet Lewis is producing. His wOBA is .351. His wRC+ is 110. He has already matched his doubles total from last year (21) in 113 less plate appearances. His ISO at .189 is a career high by 31 points.

Nice post on Fred from a fan who followed his career very closely.   

Courtesy of CBS:

Saddled with another disabled-list stint in 2008, Rolen worked his way back in Florida with Hap Hudson, his longtime rehab guru who currently is the rehabilitation coordinator with the Blue Jays.
"You have strength and you have the ability," Hudson told Rolen. "Let's find a way."
So they began the heavy lifting. So to speak.
"You can't do it like you did in '98 [.290, 31 homers, 110 RBI for Philadelphia]," Hudson told him. "And you can't do it like you did in '04 [.314, 34 homers, 124 RBI for St. Louis].
"Not like that."
They hatched a plan that was a concession to the limited range of motion in his left shoulder, but not an outright surrender to the surgeon's scalpel and Father Time.

In his stance, Rolen moved his hands closer to his shoulders. And he moved them down.
Point was, this would take the stress off his shoulder. 

GBOAT and his transformation as a hitter due to injury.

Courtesy of CBS:

Arencibia powering up for Las Vegas: Blue Jays C prospect J.P. Arencibia is just begging for a recall with his recent performance at the plate for Triple-A Las Vegas. Arencibia homered for the sixth time in nine games on Thursday. He also extended his hitting streak to eight games and is hitting .439 (18 for 41) in his last 10 contests. He has nine RBI and seven multi-hit games in that span.
(Updated 06/18/2010).

Fantasy Analysis

Arencibia has raised his batting average to .284 to go along with 14 homers and 35 RBI in 55 games. He had a .558 slugging percentage and .890 OPS. The only negative is that Arencibia has 50 strikeouts and just 16 walks. If the tandem of John Buck and Jose Molina hadn't worked so well for Toronto this season, then Arencibia probably would have been recalled by now. But he continues to toil in the minors in the meantime. Arencibia is considered the Jays' second-best prospect, according to Baseball America, and it largely has to do with his power potential. Arencibia is worth holding onto in long-term Fantasy keeper leagues and AL-only formats for a potential callup in 2010. (Updated 06/18/2010).

Courtesy of National Post:

McGowan’s latest MRI inconclusive

Dustin McGowan’s long comeback bid has taken another uncertain turn.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander, who has not pitched in a game since undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2008, felt a pop in his shoulder earlier this week in Florida. But an MRI showed “no new information,” the Jays announced Friday.
McGowan, 28, will visit specialist James Andrews in Alabama for further evaluation on Monday.
He has had a series of setbacks over the past year. In spring training, he seemed poised to start pitching in games again before shoulder pain shut him down.

Please don't give up on this guy everyone.  Remember some guy named Carp? 

Courtesy of The Blue Jay Hunter:

To begin his acceptance speech, Roberto Alomar thought back to the morning of December 5th, 1990 when he received the call that he'd been traded from the San Diego Padres to the Toronto Blue Jays.
He asked his father for advice and Alomar's father said he was going to play for one of the best managers in the game, Cito Gaston.
Along with his former coach, Roberto Alomar spoke very highly of his teammates from the Toronto Blue Jays and relayed an important message which rings true today:

"When I came to Toronto, I played with a great bunch of guys. And to win championships, you have to win together and you have to lose together."

Since Alomar's retirement, there was been talk of him returning to the Toronto Blue Jays in some sort of coaching capacity. As he looked to his right over to Paul Beeston sitting on a picnic table, Alomar said:

"Hopefully one day, the Blue Jays can give me a job!"

 Beeston boozing it up on said picnic table

I was lucky enough to link up with The Blue Jay Hunter and we sat together for this ceremony.  Gotta say Paul Quantrill's acceptance speech (which Ian has audio of) stole the show.

Courtesy of Orioles Insider: 

Markakis expresses frustration with team, offensive approach

On team needing better approach: “Sometimes, guys are going up there and it looks like they have no idea what they’re doing. I’m not saying that to bash guys. I want guys to be successful, I want this team to be successful, and I have to produce as well. I'm part of this. But it takes a lot more than one big bat. We definitely need that one guy who could hit you 40 home runs, but from top to bottom, you need guys getting on base. You need guys in there who have a plan, who have a clue and who know how to execute that plan and get on base. We don’t need every guy in this lineup trying to hit home runs. We’re paid to get on base and figure out how to score and drive in runs. You look at the Yankees. They have guys who can hit home runs but everybody in that lineup can get on base.”
On hitting coach Terry Crowley and player accountability: "You have to go up there with an approach. [Crowley] has 110 percent nothing to do with the way we are going about our business at the plate and on the field right now. You can have anybody come here and you still are going to have a couple of guys who are not going to change their approach and fix it. It’s worthless. You can point your fingers here and there, but it is what it is. You’re in the big leagues. You have to change your approach on your own. If you go up there clueless, you’re going to come back [to the dugout] clueless. It’s that simple."
On direction of the club: “At this point, yeah, where are we going? I know we have a lot of injured guys, we’re in the toughest division in baseball and we’re a last-place team. But at this point, it’s mind boggling. You don’t even know what to think, but you still have to be professional and go out and play every day.”


Sounds like there is some trouble brewing down in Baltimore.  They already fired their manager, so what do you do next?

Courtesy of CBS:

Lind adds 1B to repertoire: Blue Jays OF Adam Lind has been working on fielding from first base prior to games and is going to be available as a backup first baseman, according to MLB.com. "Lind's played first base before," manager Cito Gaston said. "He's taking ground balls over there just kind of as a backup thing. If something happens to [Lyle] Overbay, or we want to give Overbay a day off, we can run Lind over there."
(Updated 06/19/2010).

Fantasy Analysis

Lind would need a handful of appearances at first base to gain eligibility at the position. Still, his greatest value would remain as an outfielder in Fantasy and his .209 batting average is hard to start in any position at the moment. Lind has been one of the most disappointing players in baseball so far in 2010 and he's being benched in many mixed leagues as a result. He has plenty of time to turn things around, however, so don't give up on him just yet. (Updated 06/19/2010).

Courtesy of National Post:

“It’s something that we’ve been talking about the last little while, just to get him going,” Anthopoulos said. “Certainly, he was disappointed in the decision that we made, but again, we told him this wasn’t permanent. He goes down there, plays well, starts to get his swing going a little bit, he should be able to find his way back here.” Anthopoulos stressed that the move does not represent punishment for Encarnacion’s erratic defence or perceived lack of hustle.
“He’s a great kid,” the GM said. “Edwin is first-class. He’s a good person. This one was tough. He’s classy. A lot of times you have things like this happen, players storm out of the office, don’t shale your hand. He shook our hands. He’s a very good human being. He cares.”

I was feeling bad about getting the round up posted a bit late today.  But then this story broke.  E5 to AAA.  Wonder how he responds..... 

Pure gold.

Game 50 Recap: It's Been A While

That right there is the grip used for quite possibily the best change up in the Major Leagues.

I have been watching as many games as I can. The west coast swing made it quite difficult to stay up and give you all a report. With the boys back in town for what use to be known as Flashback Fridays, I had a chance to make some notes.

Aaron Hill is running MUCH better. He didn't hesitate to advance to second base on a poor relay throw after his solid RBI single in the first inning. He even tagged up on a medium fly ball and went to third, eventually scoring on Bautista's triple. Neither of those leg plays were possible even a week ago. Important to have that speed in the two hole. He also homered on an 0 - 2 fastball / mistake that was up in the zone in the bottom of the 6th.

Buck Martinez referred to the Rogers Centre as the SkyDome during the Wieters at bat in the top of the 2nd. Wonder if there is a fine for that?

John Buck really controlled this game from behind the dish. He helped Marcum get out of trouble all day and made some huge blocks on balls in the dirt. That gives the pitcher confidence to throw the breaking ball in any count, in any situation. Buck even went to the outside indicator after veteran Miguel Tejada got to second base. As a former catcher, I was disappointed in the fact that I did not really know what the purpose of those signs were. Obviously, they are signals similar to the fingers but after a few phone calls to the crew, jaysaremy2ndfavoriteteam informed me that they are usually used to signal to the middle infielders on attempted pitch location. He used to be a shortstop, you see. Fucking little guys.

Roberto Alomar made a brief appearance in the booth with Pat and Buck. He is in town for the roll out of his new clothing line called Second 2 None.  After sucking The Cito's dick for a bit, he stated: "There have not been a lot of big, big numbers offensive wise" when discussing the Jays style of play this year. Apparently he has not been watching to close.  I wonder if he is going to stick around for a little Men's C slopitch on Monday night in Georgetown?   I'm being serious.  Click that link right now.

Starting pitcher Shaun Marcum had to work for this W. He struggled with his command a little bit but he was able to get out of a few jams and strand the base runners. In the 6th inning, his final inning, he reaches back into the tank and K'd the side. Impressive performance.

His line: 6 IP, 6 Hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 106 Pitches

How do you not mention V Dub?  He hit a laser beam in the bottom of the 6th inning giving him 12 on the year. It also put him second on the career all time list for home runs by a Toronto Blue Jay with 204. He now trails only King Carlos and his 336.

#SorryVernon

I will end with this: my prayers have been answered.  Lyle fucking Overbay and his .197 average got moved down in the order.  Thank fuck.  He responded with an 0 for 3.  Shocking.

Roberto Alomar inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

The best Toronto Blue Jay to ever wear the uniform

Catch the taste Robbie fresh off of being shafted by the untrustworthy Americans earlier in the month, headlines the class of 2010.  It is sad that our neighbors don't recognize a Hall of Famer when they see one.  We certainly do.

Here is the list of inductees he will join.  If you are thinking of maybe attending, here are all the details on how to get in touch with The Hall.  ROAD TRIP

For immediate release
Thursday, January 28, 2010

Alomar, Quantrill headline Ball Hall's 2010 induction class
Owner Calvin Griffith, stats guru Allan Roth to be enshrined posthumously
St. Marys - Roberto Alomar, arguably the greatest all-round Toronto Blue Jay player ever, and Canadian pitcher Paul Quantrill, whose 841 game appearances rank him 35th all-time in major league history and first among Canadians, will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 19th, 2010 in St. Marys, Ontario.

Joining the duo of former Blue Jays will be a pair of Montrealers who will be enshrined posthumously.

Calvin Griffith, who began his 60 years in baseball as a batboy with the Washington Senators, had a brief minor league career and then re-joined the Senators front office. He took ownership of the team in 1955, moved them to Minneapolis in 1961, and owned the Twins until 1984. Griffith, who will be represented by his son Clark at the Induction Ceremony, passed away in 1999 at the age of 87.

Allan Roth, referred to as the "Father of Sabermetrics" by Bill James, was a pioneer in convincing teams to use baseball statistics as a tactic. After charting stats for his hometown Montreal Canadiens and the National Hockey League, Roth became the first full-time statistician to be hired by a major league club when Brooklyn Dodgers' president & general manager Branch Rickey hired him in 1947. Roth, who will be represented by his son Michael at the Induction Ceremony, died in 1992 at the age of 74.

"Quantrill, Griffith and Roth further demonstrate the often-underestimated impact that Canadians have had on so many facets of the baseball industry," said Ball Hall president & CEO Tom Valcke.

"And while we do not strive to be identified as the Expos/Blue Jays Hall of Fame, there is little doubt that the calibre of player that Robbie Alomar was during his time with the Jays penetrated every grass roots program from coast to coast and helped develop infielders. Being superb at his position made countless Canadian youth wish that they could play like Robbie Alomar, and that distinction is why we'll be honoring him here in St. Marys in June."

Roberto Alomar

"This is an honour, truly a privilege," said an excited Alomar, who is currently in Toronto launching a clothing line called Second 2 None.

"I cherished my years with the Blue Jays and have always loved the Canadian people. Those years were the very best of my career."

Alomar, born February 5,1968 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, began his major league career with the San Diego Padres, arriving in the majors in 1988. He became part of one of the biggest trades in baseball history on December 5, 1990 when he and Joe Carter were sent to Toronto in return for 2008-CBHFM-inductee Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff. Alomar, who played 17 years in all, went on to play for Baltimore, Cleveland, the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona, but his longest stint was in Toronto, where he led the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93.

The slick-fielding second baseman was named to the All-Star Game all five years he played in Toronto, and 12 times in all. He also won five of his 10 Gold Glove awards and one of his four Silver Slugger awards while toiling for the Blue Jays. The 1992 ALCS MVP was named Blue Jays Player of the Year in 1991, '92 and '95, and later was named to their "Level of Excellence."

Alomar's .307 batting average with the Blue Jays ranks him first all-time. He compiled a lifetime .300 BA and a .313 post-season BA. His 206 stolen bases ranks him second to Lloyd Moseby, and he swiped 474 in his career. His .382 on-base percentage during his time with the Blue Jays is fourth-best all-time (his career OBP was .371). Alomar had 832 hits and 55 homeruns with the Blue Jays while amassing 2,724 hits and 210 homers in his 2,379-game career.

Alomar, who recently missed being inducted into Cooperstown by just eight votes, currently resides in Tampa, Florida with his wife Maria. He has an eight-year old son named Robertito.

Paul Quantrill

"Baseball has been a huge and wonderful part of my family's life, so getting the call from St. Marys created a lot of excitement around our home," said Quantrill from his residence in Port Hope, Ontario.

"The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame represents a community that has a true love and respect for our game. I hope my genuine enthusiasm and passion for a kid's game reflects well on the Hall. Thank you for the tremendous honour of representing our baseball community, and we can't wait to be in St. Marys with Robbie and representatives from the Griffith and Roth families this coming June."

Quantrill, born November 3, 1968 in London, Ontario attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was originally drafted in the 26th round in 1986 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then again by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round in 1989. The rubber-armed right-hander's first appearance was with the Red Sox on July 20, 1992, and his final game was on September 27, 2005 with the Florida Marlins. In between, he played for Philadelphia, Toronto (his longest stint with one team, from 1996-2001), Los Angeles, the New York Yankees, and San Diego.

Quantrill even toed the rubber for Team Canada during the 2006 inaugural World Baseball Classic. He also coached Team Canada in the 2009 WBC along with 2009-CBHFM-inductees Ernie Whitt, Larry Walker and Bernie Soulliere, and assisted Greg Hamilton with the Canadian Junior National Team as well.

Known for his spot location and nasty sinkerball, Quantrill appeared in 386 games with the Blue Jays from 1996-2001 (4th overall), where he won 30 games and saved 15, compiling a 3.67 ERA. 64 of his career 841 appearances were starts, and the majority of the rest were middle and late-game relief. He chalked up 68 wins, 21 saves, and a 3.83 ERA over his 14-year career, striking out 725 over 1,255 innings.

"Q", as he is known by friends and teammates, was the Blue Jays Pitcher of the Year in 2001 and was named to the All-Star team. He led the American League in games pitched that season with 80, and his .846 winning percentage that season (11 wins, 2 losses) represented the second highest in Blue Jays history. He also led the AL in appearances in 2004 with 86, and led the National League in appearances in 2002 (86) and 2003 (89). He led the AL in "Holds" with 32 in 2002. Both his 841 career appearances and 89 game appearances in the 2003 season are Canadian records.

Quantrill's only complete game happened to be a shutout, when the Red Sox rookie allowed only a single by Jay Buhner and a double by Mackey Sasser, both in the second inning, as he went on to strike out six in blanking the Seattle Mariners 6-0 on July 4, 1993.

Quantrill has been married to his wife Alyson for 16 years, and they have a son Cal (14) and two daughters, Reese (12) and Avery (8).

Calvin Griffith

"To be remembered a full decade after his death is a true honour for my father," said Clark Griffith from his home in Minneapolis.

"This is just fantastic news, and all of us our very proud that his legacy remains strong and will carry forward in St. Marys."

Born Calvin Robertson on December 1, 1911 in Montreal, brother of 2007-CBHFM-inductee Sherry Robertson, he was the nephew of Clark Griffith, a former major leaguer and owner of the Washington Senators. Calvin was from a poor family and when his natural father Jimmy Robertson died, Clark Griffith began raising Calvin and then adopted him in 1924. The youngster became a baseball junkie under his uncle's tutelage, and was known to have spent countless hours in the living room figuring out batting orders and farm team acquisitions to help the team as a youngster. Calvin played baseball and basketball at Staunton Military Academy from 1928 to 1933, and then baseball at George Washington University beginning in 1933. Following that, he managed in the minor leagues in Chattanooga and Charlotte from 1937 to 1941. He moved into several administrative positions throughout the organization, including secretary-treasurer and then vice president beginning in 1942. By the early 1950's, Calvin was basically running the Senators' day-to-day operations, and he was handed the ownership of the team after the senior Griffith's death in 1955.

Calvin Griffith was instrumental in bringing the club from Washington to Minneapolis in 1961, where he served 24 more years as president and principal owner of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins won three AL West titles under his reign (1965, '69, '70), one AL pennant (1965), and they hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 1965, the year that Calvin was awarded the AL's Executive of the Year award. He was inducted into the Twins' Hall of Fame in 2000, and the organization named the team MVP award after him. Canadian Justin Morneau won that award in 2006 and 2008. There are currently a row of seats in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome named "Calvin's Seats," which are used to host underprivileged families at Twins home games.

When Carl Pohlad purchased the Twins for $38 million in 1984, Griffith cried at the signing of the agreement. He spent most of his final years in Minnesota, still attending Twins games and serving as an icon on the Minneapolis sports scene.

Both Calvin and his father were knows for some famous one-liners.

His father Clark, who is inducted in Cooperstown, once said about his Senators, "Fans like homeruns, and we have assembled a pitching staff to please our fans!"

Calvin was quoted saying "He'll either be the best manager in baseball, or the worst," after giving a young Billy Martin his first job as a manager.

But his sense of humour was hidden during contract negotiations. Pitcher Bert Blyleven offered this story about negotiating with Griffith. Agents were not a part of baseball at that time, so players had to negotiate with Griffith one on one.

"You would go into his office and he would sit in a high chair behind a high desk and you would sit on a couch that sank down, so it was like you were looking up about ten feet at this big owner. He would then basically tell you what you were going to make the next year, because that is what he thought you were worth, period."

Griffith passed away on October 20, 1999 in Melbourne, Florida. He was survived by his wife Belva, his son Clark, his daughters Corrin Pillsbury and Clare Griffith, his sister Mildren Cronin, and his brother Billy Robertson.

Allan Roth

"My father's induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is a great thrill for my mother, and a huge honour for our entire family, and we will be proud to participate in St. Marys" said Allan's son Michael from his home in Los Angeles.

"We are well aware that baseball has a very long and rich history in Canada. My dad was baseball's pre-eminent statistician, working with the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers, but he originally fell in love with baseball as a child in Montreal and enjoyed seeing the Royals when he could. As a young man, he was thrilled watching the exploits of a young infielder named Jackie Robinson, and my father joined the Dodgers organization in 1947, the very same year that Jackie broke the colour barrier. My father then went on to a 45-year career working in Major League Baseball, but it all started in Canada."

Allan Roth, born in Montreal on May 10, 1917, made a pitch to Branch Rickey in 1944 that made the case for opinions such as on-base percentage being more important than batting average.

"And, wouldn't it help a manager to know, for example, that a certain batter hit .220 against right-handed pitchers and .300 against lefties?", Roth asked.

Rickey became intrigued, and his hiring of Roth in 1947 initiated a trend that has made the personal computer an essential element of an MLB clubhouse's paraphernalia.

Roth did stats for the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers until 1964 and developed the RBI percentage (batting average with runners in scoring position). He charted every pitch and did the requisite calculations either in his head or with a simple calculator, insisting on working by hand throughout his career. He began working the NBC and ABC games of the week until 1990, feeding pertinent information to the broadcasters in the booth such as Al Michaels.

"Long before there was Mary Poppins, there was Allan Roth," said the legendary Vin Scully.

"If you had some question that came to you in the middle of a game, he would reach down into his bag and the next thing you knew, you'd have your answer. It was marvelous!"

Roth once said, "Baseball is a game of percentages; I try to find the actual percentage."

He was featured in a 10-page story in Life Magazine in 1954, and became the editor of "Who's Who in Baseball" from 1955-71.

"Allan Roth was as vital to Branch Rickey as Robin was to Batman," said New York Times writer Alan Schwarz.

Still today, there remains a Los Angeles chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) named after Allan Roth.

Remembering: Roberto Alomar

Whenever you hear the name Roberto Alomar  it's hard not to think about a moment from the 12 time All-Star's playing dominating days for us early during his hall of fame career.  The bomb he hit off Eck Sunday October 11, 1992 to tie the game in the top of the ninth in Oakland sticks out.  Your Toronto Blue Jays had been trying to beat the A's for years and couldn't do it.  We went on to win Game 4 in extra innings and took a three games to one lead in the American League Championship Series.  That was the TSN turning point, the momentum changer if you will, in our quest for the city's first World Series trophy.  In my opinion it was the second biggest homerun ever hit in team history.

Hearing his name for me personally, makes my mind wander back to the summer of 2008.  I remember it was July 28th, a regular Monday night not unlike any other.  My slopitch team, the Georgetown Goodtimers, were  scheduled to play our weekly game at 7:00pm in a very small town named Hornby located just off Steeles Avenue between Milton and Georgetown.  We always hated playing in this bandbox because the fences are short, the infield is never groomed and the light standards are low which makes picking up fly balls in the evening rather difficult.

I recall rolling into the parking lot and noticing a group of people loitering not far from the field.   I got out of my car, grabbed my gear and started to walk towards the diamond.  I glanced at the group of people in mid stride and thought to myself: hey, that guy right there looks a lot like Robbie Alomar.  Realizing immediately how far fetched of an idea it was that Robbie fucking Alomar was at a t-ball diamond in Hornby, I dismissed the notion completely and figured it was just the pre game festivities talking.  I continued my stroll to the bench and began preparing for the game.

As game time drew near, my teammates trickled in one by one.  Each and everyone of them saying that some guy by the parking lot looks like the ten time gold glove winner.  Then our leftfielder Mash arrived and  he was adamant that it was in fact the great Robbie Alomar.  Mash would routinely jog five kilometers one way to the games instead of drive,  so his mind was no doubt clear.

As the game began, we didn't care.  The questions were endless.....

What the fuck is he doing here?  Should we ask him to pinch hit?  Can this really be happening?  Should we ask him for autographs?  What can I get him to sign?

Our shortstop and clean up hitter, Ike Zelek, was the first to gain the courage and went out to where he was.  He returned with a big smile on his face, confirming our thoughts that it was the four time silver slugger.  Jimmy Triggs, the team super utilityman/DH, by chance wore his Jays jersey to the game.  He instructed some of the player's wives to head over there and get him to sign it with his classic phrase "Catch the taste".

I remember thinking to myself that I had nothing worthy to be autographed.  I asked our team rep and equipment manager,  The Clamp, for a unused game ball and he told me he may have one in his car.  Lucky for me, he had one and I proceeded over to Robbie's group meekly with a red sharpie in hand.  The 1992 ALCS MVP was very engaging and had no problem signing the ugly, yellow, flight restricted ball.  I can remember my hand was trembling when I was passing him the ball and sharpie.  I was starstruck, this guy was truly my hero growing up.  I was completely unprepared to meet The Best Toronto Blue Jay to ever wear the uniform when I got up that morning.  Collecting myself somewhat, I then mustered up the balls to ask him how he was enjoying his time in the lovely town of Hornby.  This prompted a laugh from all, I shook his hand and thanked him for the memories.  

Walking back to the diamond with my new treasure, I passed by Sammy in right field and begged him to let me keep it.  He laughed loudly at me and agreed, no doubt seeing that I would have not taken no for an answer.  

One final twist to this totally random story.  As it turns out a guy named Rob Alomar number 97 is on the roster of a Men's C team, in the Georgetown Slopitch League.  They played the 9 o'clock game that night.  Don't believe me?  Check for yourself here.

From this experience I learned one very important life lesson: Always have a new baseball on hand at all times.

For the record, I keep one still in the wrapper in my glove box and look forward to my next Blue Jay encounter.

Anyone out there have any chance meetings worth sharing?

The Hawk flys solo into the Hall

Andre Dawson has been inducted into The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  The ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 25th.  This is great news for me, as I am the proud owner of an autographed ball bearing his name as well as a certificate of authenticity.  If you want one for yourself, The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has about a dozen on sale for $65.  You can contact them at: baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca of by calling 1-877-250-2255.  I hope he goes in as an Expo.

Pitcher Bert Blyleven got shafted.  He missed being inducted by a slim margin of fives votes.  Of the 539 ballots submitted, five were left blank.  He only has 2 years of eligibility left.  He's gotta be pissed. 

Our boy catch the taste Robbie received 73.7% of the vote, needing only 75% to get in.  It was the closest time a first-year candidate ever came in history without being elected.  He is a lock.  I have a great Alomar story to tell, but it is certainly worthy of it's own post.  Look for that in the future.

Quickly



Doughboy has agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Braves for the 2010 season.  I hope the "utilityman" stayed away from his regular off season diet of donuts and pork grinds because he has to pass a physical before the deal becomes official.  If you can believe it, they are planning to use the World Series good luck charm at first base in a possible platoon with another former Blue Jay Troy Glaus.  Unfortunatley, the Braves are not scheduled to be in town next season so I won't be able to use my sign.  Let's all hope he gets traded back to the AL at the deadline to a team in the race.  Wouldn't it be wild if that was us or the Orioles?  No chance but history is on our side.....

What We Need Is.....

So, after a few hours at the home of the inlaws, I had some time to reflect on what it is the Jays need. There are very few certains in sports, in the NFL you have the white kicker. In the NBA you have the athletic swingman. In the NHL you have the cocky Russian Sniper and the French-Canadian Goalie. And in Major League Baseball you have the Dominican middle infielder and the right handed pitcher from Texas. Take a look around Jays fans, how many dominant pitchers have been right handed and from Texas. Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Josh Beckett. Remember when the Jays won it all? Who did we have up the Middle? Catch the taste Robbie and Dominican Tony. And who did we have on the bump that year? Granted he wasn't a star, but we had Gregory Scott "Woody" Williams from Houston Texas in the rotation. We need a sweet fielding middle infielder to go with the Hill up the middle and we need a good ol' fashion corn fed fireballer from Texas. Maybe he's already in our system, Robert Ray is from Lufkin, Texas, and we have a kid named Gustavo Pierre in the low minors, he was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Maybe all the so called "baseball writers" are right, maybe, just maybe 2012 will be the Jays year.....