Merry Christmoose

A completely off-topic post about volunteering and generosity.

...so I took up Dirk Hayhurst on his Best-Snowman-Slash-Best-Cookie challenge, to possibly win something.

Hey, it's Christmas Eve Eve, and I'd be doing my baking anyway, so why not?

I present... (drum roll)... The Garfookie.

It was the most disturbing thing to come out of my kitchen since 1998, when, for a Halloween party, I scammed some tubes from the hospital lab at which I worked and filled them with shooters that eerily resembled human blood.

Everything went wrong with Mission Garfookie. It was almost a giant pile of GarFail. I sculpted a brilliant Garfoose out of cookie dough, then forgot that cookie dough melts as it bakes. So I had to perform some surgery half way through and put it back in the oven. Then, my red cake gel was all watery - go figure, it was three years old - so the accompanying baseball Garfooseberry cookie looked like someone randomly bled on it.

/o\

No matter.

He didn't attach any trivia this time, but a lot of Hayhurst's motivation behind his contests is to educate people about causes that are close to his heart. Whether it's something that resonates with you is irrelevant: he just wants you to do something, and so do I.

I had an interesting conversation with a coworker last week. We were discussing volunteering. When you think of the word "volunteering", you automatically associate it with a job. Even if it's just three hours a week, it's usually structured like a job. You have to go for training, you have to find someone to cover your shift if you can't make it, blah blah blah... who has time for another job?

Not me. Not him, as we discussed.

But honestly, what I think is more important is having a volunteer spirit. Look around you and see what you can do. Think of things that involve little or no money:
- Is there someone to whom you could offer carpooling?
- Are there young parents you could help out by offering to babysit?
- Do you know any elderly neighbors, friends or family members who could use a hand? You could take them shopping, help them with yard work, or walk their dog.
- The next time you shovel snow, could you keep going for other people on your street? I always do my entire street. I live downtown and weekend snowstorms in particular leave travelers struggling to get to the bus terminal at the bottom of my street. Been there, done it a million times: I sure feel compassion for the pedestrians trying to navigate downtown streets.
- Practice random acts of kindness wherever you can. Recently, I printed off a bunch of copies of a coupon for a local discount store, and handed them out to anyone in the store that looked like they were spending enough money to use the coupon. Spend $50 and save $10. I knew I wasn't going to spend that much, but to those doing their Xmas shopping there, that $10 can mean a lot this time of year.
- Donate your old stuff to charities.
- If you have a few bucks, buy a few things every time you're at the grocery store, and put them in the food bank bin. Most major grocery stores have these.
- Are there charities that could use your skills? Graphic design, data entry, health care, skilled trades... is there someone who could benefit from your skill set?

Point is, don't give up on the idea of volunteering just because you don't have time for Capital-V Volunteering. Do what you can, whenever you can.

Merry Christmas. ♥

...

What I Was Thinking

...but lacked the words.

"Herman" in response to Stoeten's post on The700level.com:

This week, you got three 90-94MPH fastballs with distinct and abrupt motions that can be thrown in any count anywhere he damn well wants, a true ace who demands and expects to excel every single pitch, a workhorse, and a consummate professional, teammate, and neighbor.

By the end of 2013, you will have a couple more titles, Halladay will have two more Cy's, and there will be a new treatment wing at the local kid's hospital, and then you can say Roy Halladay is exactly who Jays fans told you he would be.

That.

Must-Read

The purpose of my little corner of the blogosphere is to toss out a few Jays-related screen caps and photos here and there for entertainment purposes. I don't like replicating content. It's rare that I'll make a blog post simply to say, "wow! Check this out!"

...but really, check this out:

FOR THE THRILL OF IT: JAYS LOSE A CLASS ACT IN HALLADAY

Will Hill gives us a perspective on Roy Halladay which is new, yet not at all surprising. Doc made prospects barf during pre-dawn spring training workouts? He silently sat and read "The Mental ABCs of Pitching" while surrounded by rowdy teammates tossing balls of tape like a bunch of 15-year-olds?

I bet that's exactly how most of us imagined him behind the scenes.

Doc, I'm In Pain.

Buddy Doc.




This might be it, kids.

I should have known something ominous was in the air when I noticed that someone left a dirty sawed-off plastic Piglet head on my porch.



Roy Halladay appears to have been traded to the Phillies. (Mike Wilner's take, just because it's the most recent on my RSS feed...) No confirmation on the deal at this time.

Dirk Hayhurst perhaps picked the wrong day to launch his site. No worries, we all have his book pre-ordered already, right?

It's December.

My god, my hiatus has been so long, I couldn't remember the url of this blog. And I spelled Inglett wrong.

I've been busy enough at work that I was home for exactly one (1) post-season game, and had a hard time giving a crap, anyway. Now that I have five minutes to breathe, I may as well write something.

Not much, just a farewell to the punny namesake of this blog.

Joe Inglett was claimed by the Texas Rangers off waivers on Friday. Good luck, Joe, and I hope you whip out the voodoo dolls earn a fair amount of playing time in Texas. You were a blast to watch in 2008 after you were technically sent back to AAA twice, but just weren't in a hurry to leave town... lucky for the Jays.

Batter's Box features a nice write up on Inglett as part of their December Daily Double POTD.

"I wanna feeeeeeeeel that waaaaaaaay again..."

The Fat Lady Sang...

She sang a little ditty called, "Here's One Last Heartbreaking 1-Run Loss In Extras."



...and thanks for not airing it on Sportsnet, Rogers. I wonder what Detroit or Minnesota fans would have thought if their team's games weren't aired.

Photo of the Year.

Amazingly, this resulted in a superb catch by Rod Barajas.

Sunset on Baseball

I haven't bothered posting in a while. With my seasonal job full-speed again, I've been behind on baseball. I'm sure there are 150 unread items on my RSS feed.

It was a rainy morning as I tossed my flex pack envelope into the recycling box, and unpacked my Baseball Bag. (Woman Of 100 Purses, am I.)

Despite the awesomeness of yesterday's game and the crowd that showed up, there turned out to be a little bit of a downer.

Out of all the people at the Rogers Centre that the event staff could have possibly screwed over and, in the process, inadvertently reveal that the winners of the Sweaty Jersey Giveaway were chosen well before the game, they did it to Dustin F.O. Parkes.

Look, I don't really care how Rogers wants to run their draws, or even if there IS no draw. If it's only for account holders, ie season ticket or flex pack holders and other repeat customers, fine. Season ticket holders only? Fine. But do the giveaway at a private session. Don't try to sway the entire crowd into believing that it was in any way random, and then throw in a bonus-kick-in-the-balls by making it a public spectacle at the end of the game and selling us the cute-little-kid factor. Everyone probably thought it was "so nice" that the J-Mac and Snider kiddies randomly won jerseys, when in reality, it had more to do with their parents being either (a) particularly annoying account holders, (b) Rogers employees, or (c) wealthy CEOs who buy box seats.

...and I thought the Yankeefied Sense of Entitlement™ was bad.

It's more than a little insulting, personally, because I fell for it. I buy aisle seats for a reason, and I held my beer for eight innings because I was afraid they'd call mine while I was in the can. That'd be my luck. I didn't even want a freaking jersey! I was honestly more paranoid at the public humiliation factor. I likewise fell for being happy for the random folks who got jerseys. I stayed and watched the presentations at the risk of missing my train. (I barely made it.)

As the aforementioned Drunk Jays Fan said,

I'm ashamed that this club represents the city and fans who turned out on Sunday and acted like one of the best baseball crowds I've ever had the privilege of watching a game with, second only to the attendees of the first World Baseball Classic game between Canada and the U.S.A. earlier this year.

We all deserve much, much better.

Damn straight. I'm not even trusting 50/50 any more. I'll participate in fundraisers where there's no luck or drawing involved, thanks.

From The 'WTF?' File

Scott Richmond and his regrettable meatballs are slowly killing me, so I need a laugh this morning.

Fugly Baseball

I took in yesterday's sloppy match from a seat in the outfield over the enemy bullpen.



Hmm, what's on that clipboard?



Oh, it's fugly baseball.

(I Have No Words)

It's September.

I know "dread" was a word used on the twittosphere to describe at least one person's feelings toward hearing about today's call-ups, but here you go: Joe Inglett, Dirk Hayhurst, and Brian Wolfe.

If that doesn't excite you enough, remember that we get a double dose of baseball tonight! Got the beer in the fridge yet?

My Sentiment Exactly, Boys.

Mike Wilner postulates that yesterday's loss marked rock bottom for this team. I have to concur. I don't know what was more painful: not having that all-but-guaranteed gift-wrapped opportunity to win from Roy Halladay, or the offense getting shut down by Paul Byrd.

On Friday morning, I wanted to reply to Ian's Obligatory Scott Richmond Update. Bleary-eyed and insufficiently caffeinated to form complete sentences, I had to dash out the door to work. Now I forget what I was going to say, and too grumpy to give a f*ck.

(What was I going to say? Oh yeah.)

In speculating on reasons for his decline:

• It's more like just coming down to Earth, now that he's being seen for the second and third time. I'm too grumpy and lazy to go through the game-by-game stats, but off the top of my head, he did well against the Halos on the 22nd. They hadn't seen him before.
• If pitchers like Roy Halladay depend on their routines for their success, it should stand to reason that a lack of routine isn't going to do many guys many favours. Being shipped off to the 'pen (as recently as the 7th of this month), skipping his starts on off-days, plus weeks on the DL doesn't exactly sound like the path to throwing well consistently.
• On Friday night, the Sportsnet crew said that Roy Halladay and Kevin Millar caught him tipping during a previous start. I wonder how long that had been happening. (Kevin Yousuck Millar is useful for something, haters!)

If you aren't yet completely fed up of watching this team, don't forget, Sportsnet will be carrying four games in three days from Texas! Load up on the beer and nachos, baseball fans!

Photos Wanted

I started a new tumblelog. It was inspired by the Keggers of Yore tumblelog, which was recommended by Dave of Go Jays Go. Days earlier, I had been going through my own old family photos while visiting my folks. I get a kick out of humourous old photographs, and thought maybe others would, too. So I bring you... Retro Jays Fans.

The trouble is, material is difficult to come by. While everyone uploads digital photos to sites like Photobucket and Flickr these days, few people have scanned old shots and posted them. So I humbly solicit your contributions. If you've got old pictures of yourself in Jays garb or at Exhibition Stadium for a game, I'd love it if you'd scan them for me and let me post them. I will buy you a beer at the Rogers Centre!

My only "rule" is that it's truly old: wearing the retro garb they sell today doesn't count. As a guideline, if the picture is old enough that it's funny, I'll go for it. For example, if you were a gal wearing, say, a world series T-shirt with your baggy pants safety-pinned at the calves and your hair in a blunt cut with a spiral perm, that's pretty funny and retro.

I don't know anyone personally who fit such a description back in the early 90s. No-sir-ee.

Another Tidbit I Didn't Know...

Wayne The Beer Guy is back at the Rogers Centre! He's now a Jays Care Foundation volunteer schlepping Ice... Cold... 50/50 tickets.

Now there's a guy who obviously loved his job. How many of us would return on a volunteer basis to a workplace from which we were fired?

Indifference.

Indifference seems to be plaguing the Jays fan base of late. I'm no exception. That's sad. They say that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.

That said, though, plain old burnout is inevitable. Even if the Jays were in a knuckle-biting playoff race, I'd need a break.

I've only been half-assedly paying attention to the Jays blogs and news lately. I never even noticed that I could have been following Alex Rios on Twitter, if I missed him. And I never noticed that a young pitcher drafted by the Jays back in June shares a good whack of DNA with one of their current starters.

Yet, apparently, I will be dragging my ass out of bed at 7:00 on a Sunday morning to make the trek to the Rogers Centre and watch a ball game.

The days are notably shorter, school supplies lines the store aisles, and I need to enjoy baseball while I still can.

I would first like to apologize to Ian. He was kind enough to host a liveblog of Wednesday's game, and despite The Tao of Stieb suggesting that a few adult beverages make those liveblogs fun, Yours Truly tends to forget that there are those who are relying on such liveblogs for their coverage of the game. Yours Truly recalls the conversation straying to everything from the Muppets to the shittiness of suburban Pizza Pizza locations.

My bad.

In my defense, I think ScribbleLive and similar liveblogging software lends itself better toward a good old-fashioned chat than something like a news update. It would be cool if said liveblogging software allowed for two separate streams: one for official commentary from the host, and one for all other chatter. Of course, there's already Twitter for that.

Okay. So something interesting to share with all y'all about last night's game:

As a car-less pedestrian, I take advantage of the 'net to check local weather via radar if I think there's a chance it'll rain. I kept a close eye on it last night, while I tried to find the perfect time to split from work to home at around 7:00 pm.

Long story short: I mentioned on Drew's liveblog last night that I was surprised that the lid at the Rogers Centre was being peeled back in the 5th inning, because it was obvious that it was about to piss rain again.

Environment Canada did not call it:



The arrow is the direction of the precipitation.

The NOAA's Buffalo radar, OTOH, seems to be far sharper:



That 5th inning break in the rain was just that - a break. Hey Rogers Centre grounds crew - take the radar images from Buffalo.

Goodbye, Alex

Like The Blue Jay Hunter, my desktop collection of baseball toys has just gotten a little more passé.

Who will thirteen-year-old girls cheer for at the Rogers Centre now?

I hope Rios earns his playing time in CF and thrives. I don't understand, however, why the Jays couldn't even get a box of donuts for him. Was there really nothing on the scrap heap in Chicago?

B2B Reunion Friday

- Cito underhanding the ceremonial first pitch to Pat Borders.

It was a hectic day for many Jays fans yesterday.

It was a beautiful afternoon for the lunch time barbecue and autograph signing at the TD court on Wellington St. On a sour note, though, most of us were caught off guard by the extra $20 charge for the autograph portion of the gig that the organizers conveniently omitted from their announcements of the event. A woman behind me in line was even reassured on the phone that it would only cost her ten bucks.

I have no objection to the extra cost considering it was going to charity, but I find it extremely tacky that the organizers felt it necessary to resort to the old bait-and-switch. They made it sound more affordable than it was, and there were a lot of disappointed people who either didn't have the money or couldn't get it because there's no way they could have made it back from a bank machine and still gotten a spot in line.

At least I left with a full gut and a few decent pictures. I headed to Chapters and picked up "Fantasyland" by Sam Walker. Thanks for the suggestions on books, by the way.

There was a signing for season ticket holders, a Q & A with Tom Henke for fan club members, and five autograph tables set up throughout the Rogers Centre prior to the game. Not surprisingly, it was chaos. I don't think I've seen actual chaos at the Rogers Centre since Opening Day.

The nostalgic love-fest before the game was fun to watch. My favorite moment occurred as the Jays Vision cameras were panning along the alumni. Cheers followed as each name was announced. As Dave Winfield's face was shown on the screen, the loudest cheering of the night was given up for him before his name was even announced. May Winfield forever get noise.

...and then there was a baseball game, the results of which you can find at bluejays.com or elsewhere on the blogosphere.

Overall, though, it was an enjoyable day. I'm going for round two tomorrow (Sunday.)

Friday Rock-Out?

"(Barry Zito) recorded this as his Demo (got leaked to me from studio) and thinks he has a shot at becoming a huge singer. I don’t understand why he just can’t stick to doing what he does best- ripping off the Giants."

I don't know if it's for real or not, but anything that can make me laugh this hard at 5:48 am is pretty damn funny.

HT, again, to Crane via Twitter.

HB, Mr Olerud

I'm about to dive into the sea of powder blue and hit a Flashback Friday game. It took the B2B reunion and a coincidental reprieve from work to convince me to pry my money from my wallet and make the trek.

(Eyeballing credit card menacingly... )



Before there was Johnny Mac, there was Johnny O. Olerud was my favorite player for a long time. Yesterday marked his 41st birthday.

(Begin Aaron-Hill-esque Dos Equis ad spoof)

His resting heart rate is lower than the number many MLB players wear on their backs.

He jumped directly from college to the SkyDome with no use whatsoever for minor league baseball.

His eye in the batter's box was so superior, he had no need to tarnish his good name by committing theft of the basepads.

He is... The Most Interesting Jays Alumnus In The World.

(ETA) All you stank-ass MFers going back on Sunday, getting there at ridiculous o'clock to get your Henke figurine, for the love of gawd, wear lots of deodorant and dress cool. It's going to be about 41° on the humidex.

Soliciting Baseball Book Recommendations

I have: (a) a Chapters gift card, and (b) several hours to burn between tomorrow's barbecue and the ball game. As I was too dumb to write them down, I'll have to plow back through the blogosphere in search of the books I had in mind to pick up. Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite baseball books.

Best Facial Expressions Around MLB, Aug 5 '09

Amusing facial expressions:



The preceding were in response to:
1. Almost getting beaned,
2. Giving up a home run,
3. Loss,
4. Win, and
5. Dazed cat running around Kauffman Stadium.

Strange things happen during a full moon.

HT to Crane via Twitter.

Take Care, GBOAT.

You were beyond appreciated around these parts.

According to my observations of my fellow fans at the Rogers Centre, there are three occurrences during a baseball game for which people will bother getting off their asses, stand up, and dole out some very loud applause:

• A Jays home run,
• Near the end of a game when the ribbon boards tell you to "make some noise" (groan), and
• Unbelievable defensive plays.

In all honesty, only two players stand out in my mind for getting an assured ovation for their outstanding defensive plays: Prime Minister of Defence John McDonald, and Scott Rolen. It seems like Rolen had a web gem every game I attended. That's more than likely untrue, but that's the impact he had here. It put that kind of bias in my mind.

Safe travels, Mr Rolen.

Now, despite much evidence to the contrary, I have a good feeling about this trade. I can't put my finger on why, but let me state that for the record. I won't go into personal BS, but let's just say that despite the fact that I should be in a completely foul mood today, all in Jays land seems placid to me.

Edwin Encarnacion seems to have endured the hatred of many a Reds fan. He should feel right at home here in Toronto. Perhaps Vernon Wells could take him under his wing and show him all that this great city has to offer. I would absolutely love it if he mysteriously just starts lighting it up and kicking ass.

Oh, and in case you've forgotten or 10:00 pm is just too far past your bedtime, there is a baseball game tonight, yo. Take a nap, then grab yourself some Koolaid.

This evening, you may see Roy Halladay pitch for the Jays for the last time for the third time.

Two Grand Slams By One Player In The Same Game?!

It is possible, and has now happened for only the 13th time in the history of Major League Baseball. Your slugger extraordinaire was none other than that red-hot left fielder everyone's been gushing about lately, Washington Nationals Josh Willingham.

See? Baseball can be utterly random... and there is entertaining baseball to be seen beyond OMG WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!1

Hey, Look Who's Back!

Hi, Koolaid.

Nice homer, Lyle-Oh.

Apparently, Shaun Marcum is also with the club for treatment for a sore back, which took him out of his last rehab start after only 2 innings.

Two Rants

Rather, a public service announcement and two rants.

In honour of Dog Day at Ye Olde Ballparke, here's a gratuitous dog photo!



I attended today's game sans chien. I would have brought my German Shepherd, Bravo, if I did not have to rely on public transpo. I'm not sure his CadPat canine tactical vest, leash and collar would have convinced the Commuter Cops on the GO Train that he was a service dog. I'm a terrible liar.

I'll try not to get too far off topic here gushing about my dog. Long story short: this heartbroken shelter dog was an absolute gem in the rough. He is a sweet, intelligent, intuitive dog. Typical Shepherd. Please consider adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue if you're looking for a pet, and don't overlook the seniors.

The rant portion: people who beat, neglect and dump dogs deserve to be severely beaten themselves! How someone could have done that to this dog is beyond me. I wonder how s/he sleeps at night.

Rant deux:

I don't blame anyone for being tired of watching Vernon Wells playing golf with curveballs in the dirt. I can even forgive the booing, because perhaps he got everyone riled up by joking about it ("Fans have been chanting my new nickname, 'boo,' and it's something you feed off.")

...but I was a little stunned today when I could have sworn I heard some hardcore heckling of the guy while he was walking with his family during the Dog Day parade. I was hoping I was wrong - surely I misheard that. That was probably just some dudes yelling to each other. Sadly, though, Siobhan confirmed what I heard. She was a few sections closer.

Unreal, jackasses! UNREAL. Yelling obscenities at the guy while he's participating in a charity event? With his two little kids with him?! As Siobhan pointed out, this officially makes Red Sox fans marginally classier than us! Jesus H. Cookies!

Laugh.

This one's for my buddy and new blogger Siobhan, in reply to a comment. Surely we could all still use a little comic relief after Saturday's numbing head-shaker, even if said comic relief is in the form of a rehashed link from god-knows-how-long-ago.

Under the category of "medical oddities," here are some of Baseball's Strangest Injuries. I can't vouch for this site's accuracy; feel free to debunk away, but they're still pretty funny.

"Jose Cardenal also missed a game in 1974, because he couldn't blink. He swore his eyes were stuck open."

Oh, I can relate to that. Mine were stuck open for a good three hours after yesterday's loss to the Rays.

Bob Saget

I suppose it's rare that players are injured by the equipment that is supposed to protect them.

Kansas City Royals right fielder Jose Guillen could miss up to 10 weeks due to a torn right knee ligament sustained while trying to put on a shin guard during a game.

Guillen was injured in the second inning of Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, saying he felt his knee pop while bending over to put on a shin guard before his first at-bat. He was taken to the hospital during the game and test results showed a partially torn lateral collateral ligament.

Oh Hai.

I had my 'net connection cut off this week, and I almost appreciated it.

I think the All-Star Break needs to be longer, because I've got baseball burnout. Not the game, but all the crap around it.

I am sick of indoor baseball 7/10 times I've ventured out to the Rogers Centre so far.

I am sick of trade speculation. Let's at least wait until it happens before we crap ourselves, okay? You bunch of girls.

Anyway, it was cool to finally see one of these:



And very cool to see all those dingers, especially two in one game from Marco Scoo-two-ro for the first time in his career.

Yeah, give that bat some lovin'.



Korean Heritage Night fail: Shin-Soo Choo got the night off.

I'm Trying To Like You, David Dellucci...

I think Ricky Romero was a Pharoah in a previous life.

The Dinger Derby

It was interesting. Neither compelling nor utterly boring... just interesting.

Cruz and Fielder.

The kids were almost more entertaining - both the ones full of comedic Fail falling all over each other in the outfield, and the ones sitting in front of the dugouts in lawn chairs, tasked with looking after their dads.

Little Pujols is going to go places, I tellya. This kid was so intense through most of the three-hour contest, he looked like a 50-year-old manager mysteriously trapped in an 8-year-old's body; whose job depended on each swing of the bat.

Wow, some not-so-fugly baseball. Young Mr Cecil tossed six innings, giving up four hits and zero runs. The Jays' offense wasn't exactly fireworks, but it was enough to get the job done tonight. Scott Rolen's hitting streak came to an end at 25 games. Bravo, GBOAT.

Don't worry, Cecil family, Sportsnet only showed you about 15 times, including when you had the signs backwards. Heh heh.

I had a total Twilight Zone/Coast-to-Coast-AM moment in the first inning, though:

Cecil had struck out Adam Jones... or so I thought. I did a li'l YEAH! fist pump, and watched pitcher and batter start walking away.

Then, Campbell and Tabler are laughing at Cecil for thinking it was strike three. Er, it was, thinks I.

Brian Butterfield comes out to argue it with the umpire. See? I knew it.

Then, Roy Halladay is laughing at the whole situation from the dugout.




Tomorrow, I'm going to cash in on the freebie sample of mlb.tv and watch that at-bat to see if there was something weird that fooled everyone into thinking there were three strikes.

Maybe I should just stop watching games on a beer and an empty stomach.

(Shakes head)

Oddities

Pirates RHP gets W... for Nationals

"Joel Hanrahan earned his first win of the year the easy way -- hanging out in his hotel room.

And it was a victory that defied geography.

The Pittsburgh Pirates reliever was enjoying a day off in Philadelphia on Thursday when his former Washington Nationals teammates were finishing off a suspended game in Houston by winning 11-10 in the 11th inning, and he was the winning pitcher.

'It's pretty funny,' Hanrahan told The Associated Press by phone from Philadelphia, where the Pirates face the Phillies on Friday. 'It feels pretty good in the situation that we're in. Houston is a team in our division and we gained ground.'

How did he learn he finally has a win this season: 'I got a bunch of text messages.'"

Schtuff.

Despite some stellar defense from the Jays, today's 7-6 win over the Yankees was a little uglier than it needed to be. A balk, two hit batsmen, a run walked in, and some pretty psychotic umpiring didn't interfere with Ricky-of-the-Year Romero earning another win.

God, I hate the Yankees and their ballpark.

I have to say, though, in John McDonald's defense: I'm not sure we can credit the bizarre physics of New Wankee Stadium for his home run. The wind was blowing in FROM left field, and that's where J-Mac deposited Pettitte's 3-2 offering. Let the man relish in his 'no-doubter', as dubbed by the Yankee's broadcasters.

--

Courtesy of the drama ensuing in my backyard over the last week, you are all now cursed with seeing a baby blue jay pic every time a rookie makes a debut.



...and courtesy of young Mr Mills having bruised ribs (!?), tomorrow's victim of being thrown into the deep end of the pool is... Marc Rzepczynski. (How's that name for a rainbow across his back from one hip bone to the other? Hell, I had to get 'Richmond' in children's sized letters...)

Zep (can we just call him that?) becomes the fifth baby jay to make his ML debut this season, breaking the club record set in the 1977 inaugural season.

Break a leg, kiddo. WAIT - I take that back. I should just say, "good luck." Don't break anything, for the love of gawd.

Random musing, and because I'm not a Real Blogger™, I couldn't be bothered looking this up: has there ever been a team with all five starting pitchers being rookies, even very briefly? The Jays have come close: with Halladay on the DL recently, the Jays were down to Tallet as the only non-rookie starting pitcher.

Michael Barrett is now off the DL. Funny, I was just wondering yesterday if his rehab was being (cough) extended due to coming down with a case of Raul-Chavez-being-awesome-itis. I must say, I'm liking the way Chavez wakes me up in the middle of not-paying-attention-to-the-game with snap pick-off throws.

We Interrupt This Losing Streak To Bring You Cute.

I am a girl, and I am cashing in on my god-given right to cheer myself up with Cute Shit.

I'm sure you've all been biting your nails waiting for an update on Little Dude. Well, here you go. I took this picture on Friday morning:



Today, he was joined by a sibling:





Other than that...

"I'd rather miss two starts than the second half. I'm looking at the big picture. It's tough, but I'm trying to help this team. If I go out there not 100 percent, I don't feel like I'm helping the team." - Scott Richmond

"We've got so many guys down in this organization as far as pitchers. We're just going to let him rest until after the All-Star Game." - Cito Gaston

"Fuck off, baseball Gods." - Eyebleaf

Things That Make You Go "Huh?"

"Scott Richmond, originally expected to start Sunday's game, was placed on the 15-day disabled list after Saturday's loss to the Yankees, so Cecil will be moved up from Tuesday's start to pitch at Yankee Stadium."

o.O ?

Bitter

Jays lost. 'nuff said. Grumpy.

Hey, surely there's some good news elsewhere on the ol' blogosphere!

...or not.

(via Go Jays Go via Orioles Magic)


"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just polishing my MVP trophy. How many MVPs do YOU know who can't make that tag?"

Take note, Aaron Hill! That's what it takes to be an All-Star!

--

Brighter news: the li'l baby blue jay is thriving. Just four days later, and he has the stripes on his face and he can fly short distances, though he has yet to master the art of landing. He did quite the faceplant trying to land on my chain link fence today.