Part IV, The Final Chapter - Royals 6, Blue Jays 2: We really don't have much to say. It's kinda depressing to lose (and lose ugly) to Odalis Perez. But yet again, an inept night at the plate on the road, topped with three Jays errors lead to a split against the mighty mighty Royals.
We need a drink.
Postgame follies
We haven't had much of a chance this year to listen to Mike Wilner's postgame Jays Talk program this year, but decided in our frustration last night to tune in. Wilner was every bit as good as the fellas at Drunk Jays Fans describe, while the callers were just brutal. If you've never listened, just imagine a bunch of puckheads spewing the inanities that they use all year in their frustrations at the Leafs latest defeat, but trying to impose that axiomatic bunk onto baseball. "The Jays, they just don't got any heart." "They need some veteran leadership." We were half expecting someone to break out the idea that if the Jays were going to win, they need more Canadian players. (Maybe they can sign Gary Roberts.)
Part III, Sunday - Blue Jays 4, Royals 1: A.J. Burnett was muy macho in his return to the lineup, giving up one run and two hits in 7.1 innings. (Three walks, but still. Don't rain on our parade.)
As for the offense, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but seeing Troy Glaus get two hits in consecutive days helps to at least alleviate the affects of our Jays-induced ulcer. Moreover, the swing that Lyle Overbay put on his two-run double in the fourth was the best that we've seen from him since his return to the lineup.
We don't have that much love for Joey Gathright, a Giant Tiger version on Corey Patterson who can run like the wind, but likely wouldn't break in to any lineup other than the Devil Rays or Royals. But we have to bow in deference to the two -count 'em, two - home runs he stole from Aaron Hill this weekend. Credit Hill with being classy about it, stopping on the basepaths to acknowledge Gathright on Sunday.
Part II, Saturday - Royals 4, Blue Jays 1: Four hits and one run. A dropped fly ball by Vernon Wells(!), and a passed ball by Greg Zaun, and our pal Dustin McGowan is left out in the cold. The Jays offense is completely somnambulatory on the road (again!), although in a Bizzarro World development, the struggling goes Troy Glaus goes 2-4 with a double in the loss.
Oh yeah, Leo Nunez (who dat?) gets the win and drops his season ERA to 1.80 with his six innings and one earned run.
Part I, Friday - Blue Jays 2, Royals 0: Shaun Marcum pitched himself into a fit of dehydration last night, giving up one hit and no runs in 6.2 innings, helping to lead the Jays to a 2-0 win over the Royals. As great as Marcum pitched, would it have killed him to have gulped back a bottle of Aquafina before the game? It was painful to watch him hobbling around with leg cramps, especially on a play where he had to cover first.
It reminds us of what Ichiro said about KC: "Kansas City in August is hotter than two rats fucking in a sock."
If it's a road game, they must have left the offense at home
In the first two games, the Jays manage just three runs on the road. Which for some reason reminds us all of those old tales about the Jays stealing signs at the Rogers Centre. Just sayin'.
Also, come see us at our place (taoofstieb.blogspot.com) if you can't get enough Sil Campusano references.
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12 comments:
Yeah it was ugly and depressing. I had to tune out around 10:00 with the Jays down 4-2 but evidently didn't miss much. Thomas' K with the bases loaded was particulary disappointing, he even got the benefit of 4 strikes during the AB.
I am lockstep with you on the comments re. Wilner and the hosers who call up ( the Gary Roberts joke is very funny ). I listen to the radio broadcasts if I'm in my vehicle and Wilner does know his ball. Howarth & Ashby are a quantum leap ahead of Campbell and his rotating cast of sidekicks.
Read William Houston in the Globe today. Sportsnet audiences for Jays broadcasts are down 26%, that's BIG. Houston poses some questions about the quality of the Sportsnet presentation of Jays games in comparison to CBC & TSN.
The last I saw Jays attendance was up a negligible 3% this season. Combined with the precipitous (sic?) drop in TV numbers I am curious to see what the beancounters at Rogers recommend for the future...
Thanks for taking that one up... Wilner's been a revelation in that role as post-game host -- knows his stuff and doesn't take any guff. The callers have been a revelation too -- the argument hopefully is that the smartest fans out there just would never stoop to calling a radio show and are too busy writing blog posts. ;)
Classic case in point was the extra-inning game vs. the Rays a couple weeks ago where Brian Wolfe was inexplicably left to pitch a second inning and Carl Crawford homered to win it for the Tampans. So what did the first caller want to whine about? Not Gibbons' managing or the terrible hitting, but Josh Towers, who'd pitched three nights earlier.
As for Sportsnet's broadcasts, they don't seem much better or worse than any regional broadcast out of the States, but that's hardly any standard to aspire to. I know I've been flicking on the radio an awful lot this season, more than any year where I've had cable.
Speaking of Towers, I heard a rumor this AM that the Rockies are interested in him. They are in the thick of the Wild Card battle but are down a couple of starters, Hirsch & Lopez. Tim Harrikala ( spelling wrong but I ain't lookin it up ) started for them a few days ago, what does that tell you about how difficult it is to find big league starting pitching?
The Tao had some mention of the Towers-to-Colorado rumours yesterday, saying he had cleared waivers and could be dealt. I went mad trying to find a link on my parents' dial-up...
The Jays have a pretty solid rotation, although the jury's out on Lil' Litschy (he challenges guys and competes, but does he really have the stuff?). Moving Towers might be the best for both parties.
The Jays do have a very solid rotation, Burnett, Doc, Marcum & McGowan. They need a fifth but get in line, who doesn't? I see Litsch's future in the big leagues as a middle reliever. Has everyone given up on Chacin? What about Jansenn? I hear Darrin Fletcher musing that when BJ is healthy Accardo moves into a set up role. I see his logic but I question if Jansenn has the stuff to be a starter.
This is the great disappointment of the 07 season, they found pitching but the offense stiffed. That's why sports is fun, it is unpredictable becuase it is played by humans.
Predictions - Jays take 2 of 3 from Angels, Towers is headed to Colorado.
A great thing to do is call into JaysTalk and say something intelligent. I think those rare calls (maybe 1-2 a night) are what keep Mike Wilner from exploding.
On Towers - it's too little too late to send him to Colorado. Maybe it'd work as a cop-out to the fans, but I mean there's no way Colorado's taking his whole salary, and the hefty contract expires at the end of this year anyway.
Sad thing - Darrin Fletcher is now finished for this season on the Sportsnet broadcasts. A pity, because he's the only colour guy there who isn't pretentious or arrogant and literally just tells you his view, even admitting when he's wrong. He's absolutely terrific, and so of course he gets the fewest games.
There's also nothing wrong with Jamie Campbell, folks - do realise that in Canada you don't get the chance to practice these things with minor league teams like you do in the states where they'll broadcast anything that moves. Campbell got thrust into this position and though I'm not calling him my favourite guy by far (Jim Hughson is just the definition of awesome, and was in the early 90s as well as today), he is LIGHT YEARS ahead of Rod Black. Then again, so is a table lamp.
it would be good to find out if there's a cause-and-effect between the stifled offence (good one, P.T.) and the ratings being down. Most likely it's just that the team had that 13-21 start and people tuned out.
Still, have to wonder... the Jays' pitching and defence has been fairly solid this year, while the hitting has been not-so-much. Can the Jays get viewers with a team that wins a lot of 4-2 games?
http://drunkjaysfans.blogspot.com/2007/08/let-submissions-begin_14.html
This should be pointed out -- Ricciardi is hinting Mickey Brantley doesn't have great job security. Unfortunately, cogent similes just aren't coming today.
Mickey Brantley has about as much job security as Lindsay Lohan's personal assistant.
I think the Jays' old hitting coach Mike Barnett was once voted something like the 4th or 5th best such coach in the majors by the players.
I think he was fired in the post-2004 massacre that took Gil Patterson.
I was wondering if Towers contract expires this season...if it does, it makes more sense that the Rockies would have interest in him if they aren't on the hook for next season. How many pay cheques are left this season? We're past the 2/3 point of the schedule. I believe Colorado is 2 games out of a playoff spot. Again when you are running Tim Harikalla out there when you are that close to the playoffs, Josh Towers doesn't look that bad.
As for the Sportsnet ratings, I don't think Toronto fans care what brand of ball they are viewing as long as the Jays are winning. I think Houston's comments are interesting but I don't think Sportsnet's presentation of the games is the problem. I agree with Naete, the terrible start is the problem.
As for Jamie Campbell, I don't like his work. I think the bigger problem is Cdn nationalism. Why must we have a hoser in the booth? Dan Shulman is great but beyond him who else do we have here? Give me a qualified play by play guy, I don't give a crap about his provenance.
Towers, I believe, is a FA after this season and will likely be non-tendered, as is my understanding.
Again, it's a good debate... should the Jays have Canadians as announcers, especially (as T.King points out) when there are so few avenues for developing them? The Raptors have an American as their play-by-play voice, Chuck Swirsky, and he's as much if not more of a booster for Canada and than Campbell is ...
I don't think Campbell was hired simply for being Canadian. Even then, two of the best Blue Jays play-by-play guys ever, Shulman and Jim Hughson, were both Canadian. I'd say the whole concept of nationality should simply be made irrelevent - I don't honestly think it affects the broadcaster.
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