Roy Halladay Will Rip Your Heart Out!

Recently i have been spending many restless nights worrying about Ol'Roy leaving us too soon. I haven't been able to properly describe my feeling in words until now. People say a picture is worth a thousand words, well a video must be worth a million.

I hope this helps you

Because it just made it worse for me

Today's Pitching Match Up

VS

Here is a reason to get excited about Blue Jays baseball again! A pitching match up to die for, "The Bloody Battle of the Young Guns".

Today's Pitching Matchups

Coming out of the Red Corner, weighing in at a slim 190 pounds, making his 2009 debut, the

pride of Nederland Texas, I give you Clay "The Real Deal" Buchholz!

And pitching out of the Blue Corner, with a respectable record of 7 wins and 3 losses, 3 losses

coming by way of little run support, I give you Ricky "The Rookie" Romero!

Well slap my ass and call me Judy!

Oh yeah, the Red Sox will also be in Toronto this weekend too. Newly "American" Jason Bay will be fashioning his shiny new dual citizenship passport all around for everyone to see but please everyone, please Do Not boo this guy. If i could get my hands on dual citizenship I would do the exact same thing.

All Star Hang Over

God bless the All-Star break. For a few days many of us loyal Jays fans were glad to see a break in the Jays schedule. Not only were we all saved from many potential walk off defeats at the hands of our division rivals, we didn't even have to watch David Dellucci look lost at the plate. What we did get to see though was a great performance from the true stars of the game including our own Aaron Hill and our current ace Roy Halladay. How awesome is it that two of the starters on the AL team were Blue Jays?

Even if your a so called "hater" of the All Star festivities, you can't deny that it couldn't have come at a better time for the Jays. Before the All Star break the Jays looked completely lost and helpless as they were swept by the Rays and some how managed to lose two of three to the lowly Orioles. The Tampa Bay games were extremely heart wrenching as the Jays faltered in the later innings. The two losses to the Orioles weren't nearly as painful as the Jays just looked like the lesser of the two teams.

Something to look for after the break would be for Travis Snider to be called back up and thrown into the fire. As long as his back is healthy he could really grow from spending the rest of the year with the big club. Before he was sent down his numbers were still better than what his numerous replacements were able to put up. Wasting at bats on Dellucci is getting this team no where.

The number one reason to really care about what this team does after the All Star break would be how the ongoing Roy Halladay Trade Saga works out. It's hard to say if this team will try to be sellers at this years trade deadline but if they did then they would have many teams knocking on their door. If the Jays were truly committed to rebuilding then they would try to get something for guys such as Rolen, Scutaro and maybe even McDonald.

Tell Me It Ain't So!

A lot of things can happen in a week. Since my last post the Jays have made three season defining actions. One being that they have all but officially dropped out of the playoff race and have dropped back to earth after their scorching start. Number two, J.P. has finally sucked it up and released the underachieving B.J. Ryan. The most disturbing piece of news was that J.P. has admitted to be openly shopping "Franchise Cornerstone" Roy Halladay. Just the thought of it makes me shudder. This is the stuff that nightmare and long sleepless nights are made of.

In reality there should be nothing surprising about any of this news though. Eventually the love affair between Doc Halladay and Toronto had to end as he is a winner and the Jays have proven over the last 15 years that they are not.

Sadly I was one of the people who bought into the idea of 2010 being the year that the Jays had a serious chance to contend in the AL East. Now i am buying into the Idea that if Toronto were to trade Doc then they would hopefully be able to restock their minor league system with some strong prospects. Not only would that make the Jays legit contenders in the near future it would also allow Toronto to cheer for a team in October as it is likely that a contender would be willing to part with more prospects than a non contending team would.

Although the best team for Halladay has to be Toronto. It would be interesting to see him play in a market like Philadelphia or Colorado. Colorado would be more fitting as Halladay is from that area and the "Original Doc Halladay" is buried there.

Oh Mr.Ryan, What have they done to your head?

It really makes me wonder. Oh my, how the mighty have fallen from grace. There was once upon a time when B.J. Ryan was a dominant and intimidating closer who baffled hitters with ease. He was once without a doubt one of the most sought after pitchers in the world. So what has changed him from his former self into this ten million dollar joke of a mop up man? First off, just from watching him he just looks like a different pitcher, long gone are his golden locks and his fast paced pitching routine when he would finish a whole inning within seemingly record time time. Statistically his stats also suggest that he is a different pitcher now. In 2006 he had a 1.37 ERA with a career best 38 saves. In 2009 he has a 5.20 ERA and 2 saves as of July 4th. If a betting man had to bet on as to why The Mighty B.J. has fallen, they would place their money on his Tommy John Injury riddled 2008 season. Many fans would suggest that the Jays should drop their former closer and his 10 million dollar salary but with another year left on his contract it looks like Rodgers is to cheap to pay him to sit at home. The only realistic option would be to option him to AAA and give someone else a tryout. Perhaps place Brad Mills in the Bullpen as he was a former reliever in college. This would allow him to get major league experience and also work closely with Brad Arnsberg. If there was ever a time for B.J. Ryan to return to his former self the time is now. The Jays desperately need some one to strengthen their thin and fragile bullpen.

Sadly, now when Ryan trots out of the Bullpen the opposition instead of thinking "oh no we are fucked" they now think "OK boys, time to pad the stats".

Into Left Field

As Vernon Wells continues to struggle at the plate this year there may be a case to experiment with moving him to left field. The chances of this affecting his play at the plate may not be obvious at first, and it probably shouldn't be obvious. After watching the Yankees and Jays game on Friday I look at Johnny Damon who recently has switched to left field after playing most of his career in center field. Although it may not be fair to compare the two players as they are very different in how they play the game. Wells was a Gold Glove center fielder in the prime of his career and is still very capable in center field. Damon was never as capable in the field as Wells. Both players are more than capable at the plate, both have good contact bats and great power. Although Damon has more career home runs he also has played 15 seasons to Wells's 11 seasons. Currently Wells's has a better career slugging percentage at .474 compared to Damon's .438. The similarities are there but the option isn't. At this point there is no one in the Jays system that is superior to Wells's play in center field. This idea has been brought up many times by many people before and will continue until it is finally put to rest. The prospect of Wells playing left field is intriguing but with the Jays outfield already crowded it seems like a very unlikely one.

Hey We Suck But We'll Take It!

Ladies and Gentlemen congratulations the TORONTO BLUE JAYS have taken 1 out of three against the WORST team in baseball. I'd like to take the time to point out a few upsides to this game. #1 Toronto will not become the first team in 2009 to be swept by the Nationals. Well I'd like to elaborate on the positives but then I'd just be regurgitating all the bullshit spewed by Jamie Campbell this afternoon. This is really quite an embarrassing performance by a so-called professional American league team. June was supposed to be the month to CHANGE all of HISTORY. Let's just put it this way, if the Jays sweep the defending champs then the WORST team in baseball, there might be a possibility that J.P. (in all his wisdom) would make a move to alter this team's 0 for 16 batting average with bases loaded during the latest road trip. The Philadelphia sweep left me salivating at the mouth for this team. After a pitiful preform ace against the MIGHTY NATS well lets just say this team is NOT for real. Don't get me wrong there is a ton of good player here but there is also a minor group of salary sucking disappointments who are dragging this team down. Is it time to write "THIS SHIP IS SINKING" on the club house scoreboard? After this performance i can't think of a better thing to do. Also may i suggest a prime candidate? Shea Hillenbrand would be more than happy to oblige.

Where have you been Russ?

Welcome back Russ Adams! The Toronto Blue Jays have optioned Joe Inglett to Triple-A Las Vegas and have recalled our "buddy" Russ "keep your eye on the ball" Adams. This news shouldn't be all that shocking since Joe Inglett hit just .167 with one RBI since being called up on May 22. What is surprising is that it was Adams who was called up and not David Dellucci. The good news is that the Jays have not given up on their former first rounder who showed so much promise earlier in his career. Hopefully this will be Russ's final call up and will eventually stick with the team. I mean it's hard not to like the guy, even after many of his embarrassing defensive meltdowns. One thing that this guy knows how to do well is hit. He hasn't had much success during his stints in the majors. His best year was 2005 when he hit .256 with 8 home runs and 63 RBIs in 139 games. This is his chance to show Jays fans why in 2002 J.P. Ricciardi picked him ahead of the likes of Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Cole Hamels, Matt Cain and yes even ahead of Canadian Joey Votto.

In other news, Vernon Wells finally broke his home run drought today by hitting one against Washington. Then after that he proceeded to show his sloppy defense in center field

Resurrected

He's back baby, and its about time. With no other choices left Cito put Accardo in where others had failed. Not only did Accardo save the 1 run lead, he looked good doing it. Here's hoping that Accardo will be officially annouced as our new beloved closer.

The Damn Injury Bug Bites Back!

This season started out with a big "IF", well it looks like we are going to have our October postseason dreams be decimated by injuries once again "IF" our pitchers can't stay healthy. Although any seasoned blue jay fan will tell you that they have grown accustomed to this as these types of circumstances arise year in and year out. I suppose injuries aren't all that bad i mean if we had Marcum and McGowan to start the season we wouldn't have been able to see what kind of stuff your younger pitching staff has. It has been a treat to watch young pitchers such as Romero, Cecil and now word has it that we will see Mills make appearance shortly. I think "throwing these guys into the fire" will be beneficial to their development as they will have this experience to lean on. This year was supposed to be devoted to developing players for 2010 anyways. Just having these guys around pitchers like Doc can only help them in the long run. If there was anything that J.P. could brag about, it would definently be the wealth of quality pitchers that have established themselves on this team today and eventually in the future.


Also does anyone honestly know what it going on with Accardo, cause i'm still left in the dark? I'm really starting to wonder why he isn't on the team. With the injury to Downs there is a good chance that we might see him make an appearance shortly UNLESS they move Janssen back to the bullpen.

I am thankful our positional players have been able to stay mostly healthy. I am sure there will be some scapes and bruises throught the season but so far everything is good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Report Cards Thus Far

The time has come for some reports cards to be handed out as we are inch closer and closer to the midway point of the season. Of course i can't grade players that have spent large amounts of time on the D.L. so i'll have to leave them out for now. I will also have to leave out Accardo since no one really knows what seems to be going on with him but i wish him the best of course. Of course im interested in your comments on how I did.

Pitchers:

Shawn Camp = B (has provided many mop-up innings)
Jesse Carlson = C- (What happened to this guy?)
Scott Downs = A- (Has been clutch in securing closer role)
Jason Fraser= B+ (Has he picked it up or what?)
Roy Halladay = A+ (No words will suffice)
Casey Janssen = D (Really hasn't caught on ...yet)
Brandon League = B+ (Returned to form this year)
Scott Richmond = B (tough call on this guy, how about "unconsistent"?)
Rickey Romero = A- (He showed why J.P. picked him in the first round)
B.J. Ryan = D+ (What happened to you B.J.?)
Brian Tallet = A- (I can't say enough about this guy)

Catchers:

Rod Barajas = B+ (Has been exceptional with the young pitchers)
Raul Chavez = B- (Haven't really seen enough of this guy yet to decide)

Infielders:

Jose Bautista = C+ (He has been O.K. so far)
Aaron Hill = A (Has become a premier player in the AL this year)
John Macdonald = B (Has played great... when he gets a chance)
Kevin Millar = C+ (Really needs to pick it up in the second half)
Lyle Overbay = A- (Mr. Consistency ...so far)
Scott Rolen = A- (Gold glove at third and scotty on the spot with doubles)
Marco Scutaro = A (Where did this guy come from?)

Outfielders:

Joe Inglett = C (Just has not been good enough in his brief stint so far)
Alex Rios = C+ (Could Alex be turning his season around after the "incident"?)
Vernon Wells = D (Has been nothing but terrible)
Adam Lind = A (Has become an impact player with his play this year)

In summary this team has left many of their fans wondering if they are the real deal or if they will end up competing for last place with the Orioles. Got any ideas? leave a comment

The Dellucci Factor

Today I’ve decided to look a little deeper into the acquisition of David Dellucci. The glass half full approach would be to look at his 2005 season in which he mashed 29 homers and 65 RBIs. He may also bring some stability to the outfield and push either Wells or Rios but I doubted. The only real good thing that I can get out of this is that he may bridge the gap for Snider returning next year. Now the Jays may not be pushing to rush Snider back before he is ready. Also why is Vernon Wells still holding the four spot? I mean before Snider was sent down, he was playing better than how Wells is playing now. There is absolutely no way that Wells will be, or could be moved but here’s hoping that he breaks out of this God awful slump sooner rather than later. HAVE NO FEAR, DELLUCCI IS HERE!!!

Making House Calls

Wow the good Doctor was making house calls tonight. Looks like he brought his medicine and Senoir Gaston let him use it. Give Gaston credit where credit is due. I'd be nervous about leaving my ace in after he has already thrown 100 pitches. In the end he got through it with 133 pitches thrown and with only 4 runs allowed. I'm beggining to ask myself if Roy is the best pitcher of his generation. I mean the stats speak for themselves. I doubt that he'll hit 300 wins, but hey ANYTHING is possible with this guy. Another question I have is, what in the hell has Jeremy Accardo done? He went from being a stud closer to being stranded in AAA. I hope he gets called up soon. God knows the bullpen needs him.

Are you f-ing kidding me? Four hits in 9 innings? Once again we were forced to sit and watch the jays throw away another pitching Gem from Roy Halladay. Its almost as if the jays jumped into a time machine and travelled back to 2008. Next time someone's at a game make sure you let the players know that they are playing for Cito "F-ing" Gaston and not John Gibbons. Im still baffled as to why they sent Snider down and not Wells or Rios. I mean at least Snider hustles. It may not be much but it gets other players moving. Im kinda hoping (well dreaming) that the Jays can unload Well's mammoth contract at the trade deadline or even this offseason. Yet there is HOPE! Maybe just maybe Snider will be able to get his timing back in AAA, until then Hill will have to continue to carry all the dead weight on his back.

Bandwagon anyone?

I know, i know that we're only 44 games into this young season but WOW! If anyone said that they had seen the jays emergance coming this season, feel free to call them a liar. Im very impressed with what this team has been able to accomplish thus far. The biggest suprise to me has been the instant success from Lind and Hill on the offence and Romero and Tallet on the pitching side. It seems as though Aaron Hill has crawled back from the dead after an injury filled 2008 campaign. I wouldnt hesitate to call him one of the best all around second basemen in the majors today. What boggles my mind is, what did Scutaro do in the offseason? When J.P. signed this guy a few years ago i was under the impression that he was supposed to be a utility guy and an injury fill in. This season he has single handedly solved the bluejay's woes at the shortstop position. But what about Justin Jackson you ask? Well from what i've heard, he's still a few years away from seeing any time in the major leagues. Could this mean that J.P has finally shut his constant revolving door at SS? Well hold your breath on that one folks. Its been a gas thus far tho.