Breaking the Silence

One by one the reluctant bloggers emerge to the pale light of a late winter sun. Hell, even Joanna's awake and alert, shaking off her crushing ennui. Rumour has it that despite the immediate evidence of snow falling outside my window, the venerable spring rituals are underway. Bastien says so. So I figured I owed it to my legions of readers, not to mention my lone Blogger Follower (big up, Lloyd), to drag my carcass out of hibernation and say a thing or two about baseball, specifically but not exclusively about the Jays, because that's what this here blog's reputedly about.

• General thoughts: Toronto's not going to win the World Series this year. There, I said it. If I'm proven wrong, I'll be deliriously happy. But let's be honest. Does that mean it won't be worth watching this team? Well, so far as I'm concerned, even if they lose 100 games (which they won't), it'd still be worth tuning in every fifth game. And the ongoing theatre of the maturation of Lind and Snider will be fascinating. Will Overbay rebound? Can Rios put all the tools together at the same time? We probably know what'll happen with the reclamation projects (Clement, Maroth, Burres and to an extent Takahashi), i.e. nothing more than an all expenses paid tour of the Pacific Coast League, but who knows? Maybe Michael Barret wakes up and takes Barajas' job, the way Barajas wrested it from Zaunnie's calloused hands? And in the rotation, in what's become an annual ritual in Toronto, who steps up and surprises us all? How will Lil Litschie handle the pressure of being a number 2 guy? These are the storylines, among others, and they're the reason I watch. If I lost interest everytime this team wasn't picked to win the division, I'd be a Yankees fan. (Besides, Lloyd posits this team could overperform like the '03 Mariners, and it's that kind of longshot optimism that makes me love baseball and baseball fans.)
  

• Jesus God, I love Roy Halladay. I love him and his "BBs in the dark." And let's instigate a total and complete ban on any and all talk of trading him this or any other season, deal? I want this man in a Toronto uniform until the day he dies at a ripe old age. I'm serious -- pitching coach, bench coach, eccentric clubhouse institution, spinning nightmare scenarios about the end of days and unhittable cut fastballs. Never leave us, Roy!

• Kevin Millar, huh? What the hell, if he can make this team a little more interesting, I'm all for it. Because let's face it, we're Jays fans, but even we have to admit that there isn't a lot of character in this clubhouse.

• Did we know about Robbie Alomar's health issue? Is there anything to know? Because I had never heard this, and you'd think it would've come out in the coverage of his addition to the Rogers Centre's Ring of Honour last spring.

• G'bye Russ! G'bye Curtis!

Elsewhere:

• Is A-Rod an idiot and an asshole? Of course. Would I scoff if he was available during my fantasy draft? I would not (lest you accuse me of possessing morals). And I'm still convinced this is Selig's fault more than anyone else, mostly because he looks like Emperor Palpatine.

• With or without the approval of Willie Mays and, er, Harold Reynolds, I don't feel convinced that Griffey can provide anything more than feel-good vibes for people who haven't been to a game at Safeco for several years. But at least that whole thing is over. Now if only Manny would sign (Dodgers) or go to Japan for a year, then I could open my feeds tab in the morning without cringing.

• Ichiro pitches! The legend grows.

That is all.