Falling into Place

You knew pitching like that couldn't go unrewarded much longer.

I've been scarce around here, and have failed to comment on any of the 4 wins the Jays have strung together since that abysmal roadtrip stumbled to its inevitable conclusion. That has been the result of real life (read: non-baseball) responsibilities, but as the streak grew, it came to possess a momentum of its own. Sometime early Sunday I thought, What if my failure to post is all that's making them win?!

That's a stupid line of thinking, but if you're a baseball fan I dare you to tell me you haven't had similar thoughts at some point in time. It's the philosophy behind the rally cap. It's why boxer shorts, t-shirts and jocks sometimes go unwashed. Its hockey corollary is the playoff beard. It's myopic and self-centered, but it's a tempting thought, and proof that fans are wont to seriously invest emotionally in their teams.

But rationality prevails this morning; clearly, it's the continuation of some absolutely absurdly amazing pitching, coupled with some actual offense that has the Jays winning in May. The second half of the equation was, of course, sorely lacking for most of April, and the results were horrid.

The line separating these wins from those loses still feels razor-thin, though, and they serve as a heady reminder of the precariousness of baseball streaks. I'd be more comfortable if Toronto cashed even a few more of their RISP (7/33 in May), built huuuge leads, and had to lean less on their starters. Still, Ws are Ws.

My Commitment is Less Than Total

As I hinted up there a few short paragraphs ago, I got things going on, real life stuff, that has and will continue to prevent me from posting as often as I'd like. Basically, prepping a house for sale in a matter of weeks. You know all those things you look at every day and think, One day I gotta get to that? Well, imagine learning that you have a few weeks to get them all done. It means a lot of paint, some drywall, a ton of elbow grease, some grass seed, yada yada. Most importantly, it means listening to games instead of watching them, and not having time to write about them when they're done. But it has also underscored for me the incredible commitment shown by my fellow bloggers. Guys like The Tao, the Ghostrunners, the Southpaw and the Drunkards (and everybody else I'm forgetting to mention) do this because they love it, and they do it every damn day. Whatever shit Buzz Bissinger says, you guys are fun to read, and you make me a better baseball fan.

Anyway, when all this is over, I'll be closer to the Jays, and (probably? hopefully?) back to posting on a regular basis.