Blue Jays Miscellany

With the Top Down, the Rogers Centre is a Pretty Sweet Ride

I love that the Jays never suffer the inconvenience of a rain out (or snow out) at home. I don't live in Toronto, so on the rare occasion that I do make it to a game, I like knowing that no matter the conditions outside, they're playin' some ball. But a game played beneath the roof is preferable only to no game being played; we'd all rather sit beneath the sky, or watch a game played outdoors instead of in. So, while the season is a couple of weeks old, watching tonight's game - with the lid finally open - makes it feel, for the first time, that summer is actually on its way. A beautiful thing.


I Stayed Up For That?

Is a 14-inning game worth staying up for if it ends like that? Also, can we think of a better way to say "the ball slipped through Zaun's legs" than "between the wickets"? Like, maybe just, "the ball slipped through Zaun's legs"? Sometimes plainspeak is betterspeak. On the plus side, AJ's impromtu appearance means that we all get to see David Purcey (in powder blues, no less!). So that's something.

What Happened to Frank Thomas?

Nothing to add to that. No sooner did I gush over his monstrous bat then he flatlines (or reverts to his typical April performance levels, I guess).

Reed It and Weep

Reed Johnson went 4 for 4 today doing spot duty for the Cubs, who are playing musical outfielders with Alfonso Soriano out. It didn't help, of course; Ted Lilly (what the hell happened to Ted Lilly?) served BP lobs to the Reds for much of the afternoon, specifically Canuck Joey Votto. Alarming figure: Lilly's groundout to flyball ratio was 2:10. In Wrigley Field. I wondered, when Lilly signed with Chicago, if Wrigley was the right fit for him. When he's off - like in 2oo8 - he can get shelled, and the balls positively rain down on Waveland and Sheffield avenues.

Also, Junior "What if he'd stayed healthy?" Griffey hit his 596th off Jon Lieber; this stat blows me away: Lieber is the 380th guy to give up a homer to Griffey. Three hundred and eighty different pitchers. Is is me, or is that crazy? Can you name 380 pitchers? Am I wrong to be blown away by this?

Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, Votto's Cub-bashing didn't completely ruin my day; he's the backup 1B on my fantasy team, and he brought me 5 RBI. Such are the torn loyalties engendered by fantasy baseball.

Hourly Rates Available

After last night's marathon, it's a damn fine thing to have Halladay on the mound, whose workmanlike efficiency (even on a night when he's given up a few hits and - thus far - 3 runs) means a trim, sub-3 hour game (is there a Law & Order on later?).

Happy Birthday To You

Finally, congrats to The Tao on its first birthday. It couldn't happen to a nicer blog, and I'm not just saying that because this blog was once namechecked there (back when I somehow, miraculously, found time to post more than twice a week). Honestly, that header tagline - "One Day, We'll Be Perfect" - is so perfect, it nearly makes me cry. And the content is excellent too, obvs. Keep up the good work.