Results tagged ‘ burnett ’
Halladay vs. Burnett — Game of the year? (thus far)
Tomorrow night (Tuesday, May 12th) will be the most anticipated game so far this season. Perhaps maybe only for Jays fans as the rest of the league chooses to ignore us (that’s for another day) It marks the first time the Yankees & their new starting pitcher (A.J. Burnett) make an appearance at Rogers Centre. Toronto has been off to a very successful start thus far, and some people question how great they really are. They question it because the Jays haven’t played the Red Sox or Yanks. Well shame on those doubters. This team has gone through the whole American League, leaving teams with their heads between their legs, quivering. Why should the Sox & Yanks be any different? Because they spend more? I don’t think so. Personally, the Jays are hitting like they should’ve last season & the pitching has been surprisingly good. So this leads us to the question as to what will happen tomorrow night? Will….
· Halladay completely shut down the Yankees & leave his former protégé in the dust?
· Can Rios, Wells & Co. totally annihilate A.J.?
· Will Burnett sarcastically gesture the crowd? Again.
· Perhaps a pitchers duo, decided by the final at bat?
Tomorrow will tell.
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
Six games left for the Jays in 2008.
Just in case you didn’t know, baseball’s regular season ends this coming Sunday (barring tie-breakers) and so does the Blue Jays season. It was a gallivant effort, but as usual, fell short. However, there are some reasons to stay tuned to the Blue Jays in the final week. They are:
· Vernon Wells needs 3 more home runs to finish with 20 (which will lead the team)
· Travis Snider.
· Roy Halladay needs one more win for 20
· If Halladay wins twenty, could he win the Cy Young?
· If Halladay can stay ahead of Santana(Angels), in strikeouts. Than Burnett and Halladay will finish 1 – 2 in that category. Halladay is only one ahead of Santana.
· The Jays play three games against the Yankees. If we win the series and the final series of the season against Baltimore, than the Jays will finish ahead of the Yankees
· If they win the final six, they will have 89 wins
So hopefully this will help peak your interest a little bit and don’t worry, the playoffs are ten days away and they should be great.
Who will win the World Series?
Will it be the Cubs? Angels? Or perhaps the Rays!?!
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
Trade Deadline a snoooozze for Blue Jays
As expected, Riccardi and the Jays did nothing at the deadline this afternoon. I for one, am disapointed. Especially the Burnett thing. I heard on the radio today regarding that perhaps Godfrey and Riccardi did not trade Burnett or other veterans because they are hoping to finish the season on a high and therefore keep their jobs. If this is the case, than I am really disapointed and disturbed. If they want to keep their jobs, than they should’ve traded some players for some prospects. Having said that, they need not worry as most teams ‘stood pat’ at the deadline. There was some big trades today, but overall, very few. Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez and four prospects switched teams in a three team trade. Bay going to Boston, Ramirez to the Dodgers and four minor leaguers going to Pittsburgh. Interesting. To bad the Jays couldn’t get in on that and acquire Bay’s services. The only other highlight of the day was Griffey being traded to the White Sox for two players. I am posting this at 6:30, so hopefully some more trades get announced (even though the deadline expired at 4, sometimes it takes a hour or two to process).
Now there is always the waiver trades of August to get excited about. I guess.
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
Ecstatic about Eckstein
With the MLB trade deadline coming up, there will be many rumours flying around the Rogers Centre. So far, Burnett and Eckstein are the ones being talked about. A.J. has an option left on his contract and most people figure he will walk. I tend to agree with them. Davie Eckstein on the other hand, is a free agent after this season and judging by how Cito Gaston has used him, I don’t think he will be back next year.
Apparently, Riccardi is looking to trade Burnett for a shortstop with some power. He is not happy with the production of Eckstein, the fan favourite, John McDonald and Marco Scutaro. Let’s not forget about Joe Inglett. Not happy? Eckstein is batting over .270 (I realize his average is not that great for a lead-off hitter), McDonald is the best in defense and Scutaro has been more than tolerable. Why does Riccardi think that he needs some power from this position? What about Left-Field? (I believe Adam Lind is over-rated, but that’s for another blog). How about consistency at DH. Does anyone really expect to win a division with Matt Stairs as your everyday DH? I think J.P. and the Jays would be better off looking for a hitter in the two above mentioned positions, than at SS. All season I have heard the commentators and fans complain about Eckstein. Is it because of his awkward stance or how he throws to first. Maybe it’s his all out hustle to first base. I’m not sure if they realize that he has won two WORLD SERIES and was the MVP in the 2006 World Series. I believe that Eckstein will get his average up to .290 if Gaston would keep him leading off. Gaston can substitute him with McDonald if the Jays are winning late in a game. And if Cito doesn’t want him to lead off, than why not put your shortstop in the ninth spot of the batting order? That’s why there’s a designated hitter, so you can place a lighter hitting/defensive player at the end of the lineup. This way J.P. could go find a slugger for the middle of the lineup. Perhaps Jason Bay?
If the Blue Jays come out stumbling after the All-Star Break, than I think they should dismantle the team. I’m not saying everybody, but why not Scott Rolen, Gregg Zaun, Matt Stairs, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan. Just imagine what you could get for Ryan and Rolen. Heck, even Lyle Overbay. This way, we get some good prospects in return and if we want, trade them in the off-season for some veteran help. This is just a suggestion, I wouldn’t expect anyone to totally dismantle this team, but something has to be done. Nothing against Scott Rolen, he is one of my favourite players and I don’t want to see him go. But, if we could get something great in return, than why not.
Now I know it sounds like I have given up on the season, but you have to realize that we are currently 9 games out of a wild card spot, with seven teams ahead of us. It doesn’t look good. Sure, in the past couple of years Houston and Colorado have come out of nowhere in the second half to get into the playoffs. But we still lack ‘punch’ in the middle of the line-up.
Interesting Tidbit: The Jays are 12-21 in one run games. Imagine if it was reversed? That’s right, we would be tied for a wild card spot. Hmmmm.
Tomorrow the Jays are at home against the fourth place Orioles. Let’s see if we can climb past them with a sweep.
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
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