A Champagne High?
While most St. Louis Cardinal fans are still gleaming with the World Series win, the heart and soul of the Cardinals flew to the GM Meetings and signed a monsterous contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Is that what they are called? I can’t remember as they change the name once to many times. Remember when they were the California Angels? Sorry, I got a little sidetracked, but that happens when you get a bomb placed on your computer screen that reads “Angels to sign Albert Pujols”. At first I thought it was speculation, but as I read the article further (www.mlbtraderumors.com), the realization of life without Sir Albert set in. I received emails, texts and BBM’s from my friends and a phone call from my brother sending me their condolences. For that, I thank them.
Like most Cardinal and baseball fans, I really thought that he would return to the Cardinals. My brother asked me a good question today. He asked if Tony LaRussa was still the manager in St. Louis, would Albert have re-signed. My answer is yes. You can say what you want about LaRussa, good or bad. But to Albert, he was great and he loved playing for him. With that being said, Pujols did actually play with the new manager Mike Matheny in the early 2000′s. Of course, this is all opinion and I don’t know obviously what Albert was thinking. But here are some reasons as to why he should’ve remained a Cardinal.
- He practically owned the hearts of everyone in St. Louis.
- In my opinion, he played for the redbirds and not for individual numbers
- How much money does a man need?
- His charities
- The countless people(not just kids) who looked up to him. Not just as a player, but as a person.
- To play for one team for an entire career.
In regards to #4; Did you know that he donates over a million dollars a year to his own charity and thousand of dollars to others? As for #5, Albert lived a clean life, no drugs, mistresses, alcohol or profane language. He was devoted to his wife, children, faith and his team. An all around great guy.
Now #6 is what disturbs me the most. I believe that he is the last of the ‘greats’ to have a long tenure on one team. Sadly, I do not believe that we will ever see a ‘great’ play his entire career for one organization. Doc Halladay didn’t do it. That arrogant basketball player LeBron James didn’t. Heck, even the Great One, Wayne Gretzky played for four NHL teams. To be honest, that was the beginning and Pujols is the end. I had hoped that the thought of being an icon, immortalized by one city crossed his mind (and I don’t mean in a self-absorbed way). Because how much more money do you need? I don’t know exactly what the Cardinals offered, but could’ve it been that low? Hopefully we find out.
Another thought of mine regarding him taking such a large amount of money was split into two thoughts. One, he did take the ‘hometown’ discount once and wanted what he deserved. The other, perhaps the players association pressured him into taking if not the highest, but perhaps second highest offer. Think about it, if he took (for argument’s sake), less than $20 million per season, would that mean that F/A Prince Fielder would get less? Perhaps. Again, this is just speculation, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
The title of this post is from a Sister Hazel song with the same name. “A Champagne High. A toast to the future, will that be a lie?”. I wonder if Pujols and his teammates thought that as they were celebrating their World Series victory. Just like any high, you do have to come down and I believe Cardinal fans have hit the bottom. An iconic manager departs and then the heart and soul of the organization and city of St. Louis leaves. Wow! How is that for a hangover? Metaphorically speaking.
So today, I am left with half a closest of Pujols jerseys, t-shirts, figurines etc. What to do with them? Burn them? Give them to the less fortunate? Or keep them and wear them? I will probably go with the last one, even though I am hurt, disapointed and bitter. These feelings will pass. Heck, just last summer, Michael Richards, a Kitchener Ranger alumni was traded from the Flyers to the Kings. I own two of his jerseys and still wear them. Personally, I believe that I was spoiled by having my favourite player of all-time play for one team. His name is of course Joe Sakic. Growing up, many of my friends would see there favourite players leave for greener pastures. I never had to experience that until this past summer. And for the second time, today.
So for anyone who is still reading, don’t worry, my rant and rumblings are slowly coming to an end.
In closing, I would like to say that Albert Pujols was a bright star (the greatest player of my generation, and certainly top 5 of all time) who people should look up to and cheer for . In my sky, his star is fading and may just disappear on the horizon.
Thanks for reading and humbug to all the million athletes who we cheer for.
The Prophecy was fulfilled. Cardinals win World Series!
The St. Louis Cardinals are World Series Champions for the eleventh time! Talent, heart, determination and luck were a
few key factors in their rise to glory. However, perhaps the largest factor was me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my prophecy came
true. Sure, the pitching of Carpenter, the timely hitting of David Freese in game 6 and 7 and Albert Pujols helped. But, the five year trend doesn’t lie. Time continues on whether you like it or not.
In case you missed it, this World Series was one of the best in decades! Home runs, comebacks, errors and managers
(both) making questionable calls. This series had everything. Heck, even a 16-7 slugfest, which was followed by a shutout.
Here are some other things that happened in the series:
- Tony Larussa sets a playoff record by having 75 pitching changes in the playoffs
- The Cardinals come back five different times in Game 6, including David Freese’s walk-off home run in
the 11th - Matt Holliday sprains his thumb while he gets picked off at 3rd. Allan Craig replaces him for game 7 and hits what would end up being the game winning home run. Craig also stole a home run from Cruz in the 6th inning when he leaped up over the wall to make the catch.
- Albert Pujols line for Game 3 –
| Pujols, 1B |
AB 6 |
R 4 |
H 5 |
RBI 6 |
BB 0 |
SO 0 |
LOB 0 |
AVG .417 |
- Three of those hits were home runs
- David Freese becomes first player to win NLCS and World Series MVP in the same year.
- Chris Carpenter pitches on three days rest and gets the deciding win in game 7
Game 6 was perhaps one of the strangest games ever played in post-season history. Aside from the Cardinals coming back five different times, the game had five errors, twenty eight hits and a couple base-running blunders. To me, it seemed that nobody wanted the game. Not even in the eighth as Craig hit a solo home run to cut the lead to two. After his homer, the boys in red left the bases loaded. Then came the ninth, with two outs and two strikes against him, David Freese hit a two run triple to tie the game at 7! Texas scored two in the 10th and it almost looked like it could be over. But the resilient redbirds scored two to keep the game tied. Bottom of the 11th had only one batter. His name was David Freese and he launched one over the centre field wall to take the series to seven.
Game seven did not have the tension of game six, but it was stressful enough. Especially to this Cardinal fan. Those last three innings couldn’t finish soon enough. When Allan Craig caught the final out in left field, I stood up and high fived Virtually everybody in the tavern! That’s right, I did not watch it in my sports cave, as I was on a family trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan. So instead of watching it in the hotel, we decided to walk down to a local pub. Good people, good music, great pizza and cheap beer. It all added up to a great time and you couldn’t take the smile off my face for the rest of the weekend.
So if anyone is interested in my next prophecy? I will see you in 2016 when the Colorado Avalanche
win the Stanley Cup!
Thanks for reading and just over 100 days until Spring
Training begins!
Reasons Why the Cardinals will Win the World Series
This past week (actually month) has been exciting times for Cardinal fans. With the Redbirds at least eight games back of the wild card in early September, they battled back and won it on the last day of the regular season. With all the injuries and other factors, it was surprising to see them accomplish this. Now, with them having a manager named Tony LaRussa, we shouldn’t be surprised!
So today they square off against Doc Halladay and the Phillies. It will be my first time cheering against Halladay and I’m alright with that because the Cardinals are destined to win the World Series in 2011. Why do you ask? Keeping reading.
The boys are starting to ‘click’ at the right time. Pujols and company are getting timely hits and running the bases aggressively. Same goes with the starting pitching; very consistent. The bullpen has been a little suspect of late, but I have a feeling ex-Jays Rzypcenski and Dotel will help newly appointed closer Jason Motte out. Another reason is Tony LaRussa. This legend deserves one more ring and he has the players playing for him (the opposite of Tony Francona! To early? Maybe).
The last and primary reason why the Cardinals will win the World Series is because of me. That’s right, me. What I mean is that my two favourite teams in pro sports are the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Cardinals. Now some people may want to know why a boy (I started cheering for both teams around the age of 7 or 8 ) from Southern Ontario would pick these two teams. For the Avalanche, it was because they were formally the Quebec Nordiques. They were a Canadian team, albeit french, but nonetheless from our great country. For what I recall, my Dad collected hockey pucks with NHL team logos on it. For whatever reason, I loved the symbol and started cheering for them. Being a loyal person, I stuck with them through some very dark seasons and when they moved to Colorado, I still cheered for them. Especially since one of the all-time greats, Joe Sakic was on their team. The Avs eventually won Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.
As for the Cardinals, not exactly sure, but I do remember 1985 when our Blue Jays lost to the Royals in the American League Championship. KC went on to face the Cards in the World Series. Perhaps it was because they had a ‘bird’ name that I started to cheer for them, I’m not really sure. St.Louis would make the playoffs several times and winning the World Series in 2006.
Now to the point of the past three paragraphs. My favourite hockey team, Colorado, won in 1996 and 2001. The Cards won in 2006. Do you see a pattern? That’s right, every five years one of my teams wins the Championship. And it’s been five years since St. Louis won!
So after reading this, some probably will laugh, others will shake their head and some may actually use their imagination and agree with me. Why not? What’s life without some harmless superstitions and fun?
You can call me eccentric or nuts, but I call it passion.
Go Cards Go!!
Colby Rasmus is a Jay!
It’s official, AA pulled off a monster three team trade that landed him the enigma that is Colby Rasmus. From one of my favourite teams to another.
The trades break down as follows:
(from mlb.com)
{The White Sox got reliever Jason Frasor and pitching prospect Zach Stewart from Toronto in exchange for Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen. About two hours later, the Blue Jays sent Jackson to the Cardinals, along with relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski and outfielder Corey Patterson and three players to be named later or cash, and received Rasmus, left-handers Brian Tallet and Trever Miller and right-hander P.J. Walters.}
Wow! That is a beauty.
So here is my early synopsis of the deal:
White Sox – They shed over $10 million in payroll with the trading of Jackson and Teahen. Mostly Teahen as he has over $7 million remaining on his contract thru 2012. The Sox acquire a very good reliever (yes, Dad, he is good) in Frasor and a prospect (Stewart) who they apparently have been interested in for over a year.
Blue Jays — Where to begin…….so many names. Let’s start with the biggest fish; Colby Rasmus! As I posted the other day, he has pure raw talent that just hasn’t materialized in the majors. Perhaps a change of scenery will do him good and he will be a significant upgrade in the duds called Davis and Patterson. Colby is also under team control until 2014. As for Miller, Tallett and Walters; Miller is suppose to be a left handed specialist, but has faltered (presumably Rzepzynski will take on that role). Brian Tallett has been hurt and very brutal for my Cards. P.J. Walters is a 6’4 right handed pitcher who has been recalled a few times in the past couple of years. You can just add him to the depth that is Toronto’s pitching. Let’s not forget about Canadian born Mark Teahen. He can play both corner outfields, third base and first. His average is terrible this year, but at one point in his career, he was projected to be a star. Again, perhaps a change of scenery will do him good. The consensus is that AA took Teahen in order to get Jackson. Remember Juan Rivera? Same thing.
Cardinals — Edwin Jackson will help solidify this rotation. Am I sold on this guy? Not exactly but is numbers are good. The Cards are not looking for a Carpenter or Wainwright, just a pitcher who can be at the back end of the rotation. Marc Rzepzynski will be loved by Tony LaRussa. This is a southpaw who just flat out, gets the job done. The other pitcher in the deal, Dotel, I’m not so confident in. With that being said, perhaps LaRussa will put him in a role that is not the 9th inning. Personally, his veteranship will be great and will be an asset if they make the playoffs. In the previous paragraph, I called Patterson a dud. For the Blue Jays that is. Not for the Cards as he will now be a bench player who will pinch hit against righties and pinch run. Anyone that has watched him played outfield this year knows that he is better on the bench!
A question I asked myself was this: Will this deal have the same public backlash as the Westbrook for Ryan Ludwick deal from last summer(others were involved in the deal)? After St. Louis GM Mozielak traded Ludwick, the offense tanked and although Westbrook pitched well (and he is still a Card), they failed to make the playoffs. Many fans and media members blamed that trade.
Winner(s)?: Everyone. The Sox get Frasor who has a club option for next season and they had an extra starter to part with anyways.
The Blue Jays get a player who could be the next Carlos Beltran or even better. I hope this is the case.
St. Louis gets players that can help them win this year. The trade rounds out their starting rotation, strengthens the bullpen and adds bench depth. Plus, they apparently get three more players or cash.
In the long run, Toronto wins, but if St. Louis wins the World Series then it’s great for both.
One more thing is that this was a baseball trade. Yes, there was a salary dump in Teahen, but the rest was for the benefit of the clubs, not the owners wallets. I love this and let’s hope that AA is not finished as I know Mozielak is not. Apparently, he is trying to pry Bell or Adams from the Padres.
In closing, I now have to dispose of my Rasmus ‘jersey’ t-shirt that I bought in St. Louis last year. It is now in the same pile as my Michael Richards Flyers t-shirt and jersey(s) (yes hockey is allowed on this blog. I am Canadian!) , my Flames Phaneuf jersey and Sanchez Pirates jersey. Let’s hope that Sir Albert stays a Cardinal as I would then lose half my wardrobe.
Thanks for reading and now my father doesn’t have to watch Frasor pitch anymore!
Reasons why AA should acquire Rasmus
I apologize that this is my first ‘blog’ of the 2011 regular season. No particular reason, just didn’t have much to say about baseball (if you know me, then you are probably laughing right now).
Now down to business. On my drive up to Orangeville to watch my wife compete in a horse show, I was thinking about how Colby Rasmus was sitting on the bench and Jon Jay is getting the starts in centre field for the Cardinals. It made think that perhaps young Colby could use a change of scenery. Then I thought, why not my other favourite team, the Blue Jays?
Most of us know of the turbulent past between Colby and Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. Is this what has led to him sitting on the bench? Probably not. I believe it’s because Jon Jay is hitting over .300 and Colby can’t hit anything since May. As I am typing this, Rasmus hit a home run today. But this doesn’t change the fact that he is slumping and I don’t know if he will ever materialize as a superstar.
A little background on young Colby for anyone who doesn’t know him. He was the Cardinals top prospect for three straight years (2007,2008,2009). In 2009, he had a great spring but was still sent to the minors. Apparently, he was a little unsettled about it and last season he asked to be traded. Personally, I think it was blown way out of proportion. You see, Tony LaRussa can be a tough manager to play for, and one thing about LaRussa is that he likes to change his lineup and keep everyone on their toes. Some players don’t like this (Rasmus), thus the tension between them.
Now onto why the Blue Jays should acquire him. First of all, has anyone watched Davis or Patterson(or Patterson in right for that matter) in centre field? Enough said. This past week, manager John Farrell has put Travis Snider in CF a few times and he performed well. However, we all know that he is better suited for the corner outfields. So this leaves a glaring hole that needs to be addressed. So why not trade a prospect pitcher and Aaron Hill for him? AA and the Blue Jays will not be picking up Hill’s option as he has not been playing up to expectations. Also, Aaron would be a starter for the Cardinals ahead of Skip Schumaker. Then top prospect Lawrie could play second base for the Jays instead of third(Bautista stays at third). Also, don’t forget that Rasmus is still under team control for at least three more years (I may be wrong on that).
Personally, I think dealing Hill and acquiring Rasmus would help catapult this team to a contender for 2012 and would also help my other favourite team the Cardinals in 2011.
Sorry for the large gap between posts as I will try to write one before the end of “August and everything after……..”
Thanks for reading and go support our Toronto Blue Jays!
Some call him ‘Venom’ Wells, I think I will call him Vernon
This past weekend, the ‘franchise’, Vernon Wells was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera. The $120 million ‘untradeable’ contract, was indeed tradeable. Plus, the Blue Jays did not send any money as the Angels are on the hook for the $80 million that is still owed over the next four years!
When I first heard of the deal (from www.mlbtraderumours.com) , I was really happy that he was moved. But upon reflection, it is sort of sad to see him go. Off the field he was a class act who did a lot of work in the community and was a genuinely nice guy. On the field, was a different story. He had a few underachieving years hitting wise but was always excellent playing defense. And that, my friend’s is what people are going to miss the most. Many fans took his defense for granted and will wish that he was still here once they watch Rajai Davis getting lost in centre field. I’m referring to balls that Vernon would’ve caught in his sleep.
Now with that being said, I was very critical of Vernon Wells in the past and by no means innocent on blaming him for some of the Jays woes. But, the problem was that he could never live up to that deal($120 + million). No one could, with the exception of perhaps Halladay or Pujols. After Wells signed this blockbluster deal in 2006, he was destined to fail and it was unfortunate that it got to the point where his new nickname was ‘boo’. Thankfully he bounced back in 2010 and had a solid year with 31 home runs.
Overall the Jays come out ahead in this trade because they unloaded a mega contract and now will have more financial flexibility in the upcoming years. AA did well to shed this contract as 2011 was the first season in which Vernon would be paid $20 million plus annually. The two players the Jays receive are legit major leaguers, who will help the club now. It was refreshing to see actual bodies instead of draft picks or prospects acquired. Don’t get me wrong, they need the aforementioned picks and prospects but it was good to see some players who could help right away. Rivera will be a solid depth outfielder who can hit for some power. Same with Napoli , he is a catcher/first baseman who fits the mold of a Blue Jay Slugger. You know, the one’s that can hit home runs but have a poor batting average. (See Hill, Lind, Encarnacion etc, etc.) So if Napoli plays behind the plate, what does AA do with Molina and highly touted prospect J.P. Arencibia? Does Coach Farrell let Arencibia rut on the bench, Cito Gaston style? Or will Napoli play DH and first more. It will be interesting to say the least.
In closing, I would like to thank Vernon Wells for his years in Toronto and hope that when the Angels come to town that people are sensible and mature to give him a standing ovation. Believe it or not, he will be regarded as one of the best players the Jays have ever had. Heck, if he wasn’t traded, he would’ve surpassed Delgado in many offensive categories as the all time leader in Blue Jay history. Vernon Wells never once blamed anyone or anything other then himself on his poor outings, which just proves that he is pure class and a very decent human being. So everyone out there that called him Venom (including myself), perhaps step back and think about that for a moment and I hope you come out with the same decision, I did. To cheer him and not jeer him when he returns to Toronto as an Angel and appreciate what he has done for this club.
And yes Craig, you can still wear your Wells Practise Jersey!
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
A Baseball Fan in Baseball Heaven
This week, my wife & I are on our honeymoon. It consists of each of our passions. For Sarah, horses and for me, of course, baseball. The former is the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. The latter is baseball in St. Louis. This city is where I first fell in love with visiting different stadiums. You see, when I was a boy, my family (Dad, Mom and little brother) decided one summer to spend our holiday travelling to a couple of different baseball parks. For what I recall, my brother Craig wanted to see Fenway Park in Boston. But, fortunately for me, we decided to travel to the mid-west and see my other favourite team, the St. Louis Cardinals! We watched a couple of games at Busch Staduim II against the Montreal Expos. I was young, but I do recall Ray Lankford hitting a home run for the Cardinals and having ‘fried’ ravioli for the first time! While in St. Louis, we did tour the Gateway Arch and of course the Budweiser factory. After a few glorious days, we travelled to Cincinnati and saw the Reds. This was in 1990, the year the Reds won the World Series. Upon arriving home and for years later, I always wanted to travel back to St. Louis. In 2006, it came true, as my brother, and our cousin Jeremy & I decided to drive to St. Louis for a weekend series against the arch-rival, Chicago Cubs. It was the first year of the ‘new’ Busch Stadium. This was a great time as well & one of my favourite moments was when Gary Bennett hit a walk-off Grand Slam to defeat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball. It was pretty cool to see 45,000 people screaming in celebration. It was a ‘sea of red’ that night! We of course, visited the Budweiser factory too.
Earlier this spring, my wife & I were trying to decide where we would go for our honeymoon. The World Equestrian Games were being held for the first time in North America & she really wanted to go. I had no problem with it, and that’s when she suggested that we go to St. Louis as well. So you see, it was an unsolicited trip to St. Louis. With any luck, and me being on my best behaviour, we’ll get to see four baseball games. Three against the lowly Pirates (one being an afternoon game), and one against the NL West pennant chasing Rockies. It’s too bad the Cardinals are pretty much eliminated as I wanted my wife Sarah to see what a sold-out, passionate stadium looks like. With that being said, there was still a large crowd for Monday night’s game. They announced 38,000, but I highly doubt that.
So to quickly run down what has transpired so far, yesterday morning we awoke and walked over to Busch Stadium & took the tour. It was exceptional. The guide took us through the different parts of the park, including the radio booth, a high end restaurant and of course the dugout. I sat on the bench, probably where the great Albert Pujols has sat. While on the field, two guys were training their American Bald Eagles to fly to them from centerfield to the pitcher’s mound. We got to meet the eagles close up. What magnificent looking birds.
After the tour, we travelled to probably the best store in the world, the St. Louis Cardinals official merchandise store. It puts all the other team stores to shame. The Blue Jays try, but not as nice as this. Surprisingly, I only spent just over $200. To be honest, that number is a bit misleading, since Sarah purchased a sweater for me for Christmas. We then walked around a bit as I was anticipating game time. It finally arrived as we walked over to the stadium around 6 p.m. We travelled back to the store & I bought a couple more t-shirts (I told you the $200 was misleading). The game was great, a little cool, but fun. The Cardinals beat the Bucs 6-4, and Sir Albert had a RBI.
The title of this entry has the words ‘baseball heaven’ in it. What I mean by this is that the minute you walk into that park, you know that you are in baseball heaven. It is a marvellous looking stadium and the fans are just awesome. I’ve been to some nice parks, PNC Park in Pittsburgh comes to mind and it is a great park. But if you factor in the passion of the fans, I would have to say Busch Stadium is number one for me. If I could only watch a baseball game in one park, it would be Busch Stadium.
In closing, I would like to say that I am very fortunate to have a wife that enjoys baseball (perhaps not as much as I do), and loves to go on these trips. We’ve been to Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and now St. Louis. The same goes for my Mom, who never complained when we went on these sporting trips. And for that I thank her, as it is a memory that I will never forget. Just look, this is now my third time in St. Louis, and hopefully someday, there will be a fourth.
Now off to the Budweiser factory!
Thanks for reading a bye for now.
Conclusion: 3 Games in 4 Nights
My three games in four nights has sadly come to a conclusion. Unfortunately the Jays lost all three. That being said, it was still a blast to be at the ballpark.
Father’s day was a bright, sunny, Sunday afternoon game. Just over 20,000 took in the game. My brother and I spent some quality time with our father. We checked the Jays Store and there is some nice merchandise to be bought. Surprisingly, I did not buy anything for myself. Craig(my brother) and I bought our dad a Blue Jays hat & a really cool golf shirt. Looks good.
The game itself wasn’t one of Toronto‘s best games, but that is why they play 162. Shaun Marcum was the starter and lasted only five innings. He didn’t pitch well, but only gave up one earned run. The Jays went into the 6th with a 3-2 lead. Three outs later, they were down 7-3. The final score ended up being 9-6 for the Giants. But on this day, the score did not matter. John McDonald had been away from the team for two weeks because of his ailing father. His father past away early last week and apparently he told his son to hit a Home Run for him. Well, McDonald came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth as pinch hitter. John did what his father asked for and launched one over the left field wall. The remaining fans all stood up and gave him a standing ovation. It was very touching and made you remember that the score isn’t all that matters.
Onto Tuesday’s match up against my other favourite ballclub, the St.Louis Cardinals. I arrived early and got to watch Pujols, Holliday and the rest of the Cards take batting practice. It was fantastic. Holliday hit the Windows restaurant a couple of times. The Dome was closed for BP but just before seven o’clock, they opened it. I know that a lot of people say the Rogers Centre is out-dated but it is stll pretty neat to watch it open. The game itself was a slugfest. The Cardinals mashed out four while Jose Bautista hit two for the home team. Brett Cecil didn’t have his best outing, but he is young and I think he has the mental make-up to bounce back from this. Cito’s constant mis-management of the bullpen put this game out of reach. Just under 17,000 attended the 9-6 Cardinals win. Typically, there would be more people at the game, but because of the G20 Summit, people are staying away.
I sat beside two people who were from Southern Illinois. Apparently they travel around to see their Cardinals. They commented on the Rogers Centre and said that it was nice. Perhaps Canadians are too harsh on our stadium. The people sitting behind us were from Nova Scotia and the two in front were from eastern Ontario. All Cards fans. I asked them what there favourite stadium is, and they all said PNC Park in Pittsburgh. I agree with them, that place is the best.
Wednesday’s game pitted Romero against Carpenter and they didn’t disappoint. Both pitchers threw eight innings of shutout ball. Kevin Gregg gave up the only run in the top of the ninth. Franklin closed out the game for St. Louis. Only 14,000 attended this game as the G20 approaches. The funny thing about it is that the area is a ghost town. There is hardly any traffic or pedestrians, just lots of police officers and fences. I’m glad that I made it to the games and again, there is nothing better than being at the ballpark.
Thanks for reading and go attend a Jays game.
3 Games in 4 Days
Today I embark on a three games in four day journey into Toronto. Don’t worry, this blog will not be all about the traffic/parking woes that is Rogers Centre.
My brother and I are taking our Father to see the Jays battle the Giants on Father’s Day (today). The Blue Jays have an off day tomorrow and than my other favourite MLB team flies in. The St. Louis Cardinals. I believe the last time the Cards played in Toronto was in 2004? I’ll have to check, but I know they have only been here once. So, since I travel to other cities to watch my Cards (Detroit, Washington, New York, St.Louis), I definitely need to see them ‘live’ when they are in Toronto. Unfortunately, as I have written before, the G20 Summit is next weekend and this series is the final one leading up to it. Yes, the traffic will be nuts, but that’s okay, as I get to see my two favourite teams square off.
Will facing a genius that is Tony LaRussa, finally expose Cito Gaston for what he is? A coach living off two World Series, where he managed a bunch of All-Stars? La Russa manages the game the way it should be. Perhaps Gaston will learn that you just can’t go up there and hit home runs. Sure, the Jays are leading the majors in HR’s, but have a team batting average under .250. You cannot play a whole season like that and expect to come out ahead.
My wife, Sarah, asked me who I will be cheering for when the Cards play the Jays. My answer was simple, “I will be wearing my Pujols jersey and Cardinals ball cap”. Why? St. Louis plays the game the right way and the above mentioned paragraph regarding La Russa. Pitching, Defense, Hit and Run, Bunt, you name it. The Cards do it. With that being said, I won’t be standing up and yelling like an idiot when St. Louis scores, but I will be clapping sitting down.
Doc Halladay Update: It looks like Halladay will be facing his former club next weekend. The Phillies have an off day tomorrow(Monday), so he will be pitching either Friday or Saturday. It all depends on if the Phillies keep him on a regular 4 day schedule. It’s too bad the game is being played in Philly, but it will still be exciting to watch.
Here are some baseball ramblings for a beautiful, Sunday morning: Remember the Blue Jays trade of Troy Glaus for Scott Rolen? Well, both players are no longer on the Jays but a poll taken by USAToday’s Sports Weekly puts both of them #3 & #4 for NL MVP votes for this season. Mind you it’s still early, but it is kinda funny considering the Jays got Edwin Encarnacion(plus two others) for Scott Rolen. The Jays signed yet another weaking hitting middle infielder, Nick Green. They optioned two weak hitting players (McCoy, Reed) and signed DeWayne Wise (career .215 AVG) and Green. Why do they need another SS? Not sure. Gonzalez has been exceptional & McDonald is McDonald. Perhaps Green will surprise me (remember my Gonzalez blog back in December?).
So in closing, I am really looking forward to watching some ball games live and hopefully it’s not to chaotic at the Rogers Centre(protesters for the G20, parking, etc.) Three games in a row is a lot, unless you are on holidays & are staying close to the stadium. I, however will not be on holidays as I need to work in order to attend these games.
Thanks for reading and go attend a Blue Jays game. I am.
Fans come in ‘flocks’ to watch the boys in blue.
What year is it? Is it 1992? Or 2010? My reason for this question is that over 37,000 people were in attendance for the Yanks-Jays game yesterday. Myself included. It was great to see the dome over three quarters full. The enthusiasm was great as the fans in the section beside me got the ‘wave’ going. I believe it went full circle (100 level, 200 & 500) four times.
Now with all that being said, there were some drawbacks to such a large crowd. First off, the Rogers Center staff. Or lack there of. There were too few beer concessions and not enough ushers. Typically you have an usher for each section but that was not the case. Section 209 could’ve used a full time usher. Not sure what the problem was, but many people in 209 (seats 1-12) had issues sitting in the right spot. There were numerous occasions of a logjam at the top of the section as people struggled to find their seats. Another problem is that when you get a large crowd, there will be a lot of people who don’t really follow baseball. By saying that, I mean you get some rift raft. Not all, as lots of families come out and enjoy the park too. But, these people generally sit in the cheaper seats. Ie. Outfield seats where I was sitting. People were constantly getting up to get food, beer, whatever. Even worse, was the ‘losers’ who consumed large amounts of alcohol and than decided that it would be cool to smoke a ‘joint’ in the 10th or 11th inning. Doing all this while some children sat a couple rows back. If we had an usher there, this wouldn’t have happened. Shame on those mouth-breathers. Don’t get me wrong, if you want to smoke pot, that’s your prerogative, just don’t do it in front of kids.
The other negative was of course, traffic. It took nearly an hour and a half from the Kitchener area. The Gardiner was completely jammed as it was down to two lanes at the Jameson cut-off. Than of course, you have the single lane exit(Spadina) to the dome. Now with that being said, if you leave early enough, it doesn’t really matter. And that is what I did. Today,(Sunday)part of the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner is closed due to a bicycle charity event. I’m not against charity bike rides, but why not do it on a less important road?
Now back to the game. It was a pitchers duo between Andy Pettitte and Ricky Romero. Both pitched at least into the 8th inning. The game remained tied until Aaron Hill’s single knocked in Encarnacion in the 14th inning. Most of the 37,165 stuck around until the end.
In other news, the Jays signed DeWayne Wise to a minor league contract. Some of you may remember him from his breathtaking catch to preserve Mark Buerhle’s perfect game last season. You may also remember that Wise was once a Blue Jay prospect. He doesn’t hit for much power, but can still run & play defense. It will be interesting to see if the Jays recall the left handed hitting outfielder.
Overall, it was a great day & there is nothing better than watching a baseball game live. Especially when the stadium looks full. Today the Jays look to sweep the Yankees and be only half a game back of them in the standings.
Thanks for reading and go attend a Blue Jays game.
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