F-Yu!

Accountability and integrity in the media.  A code by which writers and bloggers abide by, or an oxymoron?  Baseball fans have been taken on a roller coaster ride by the media of late.  St.Louis Cardinals fans surely had their hearts ripped out when "Fat" Albert Pujols pulled a mini Lebron James and sold them out by taking his talents to LA.  This pain was intensified by an earlier NBC Sports report citing Yahoo! and an "unnamed MLB executive" and announcing that Pujols was "100 percent certain" to remain a Cardinal.  What type of irresponsible journalism is that?  I wonder if that got the hopes of Cardinals fans up.  Even though the writer of the article protected himself by referencing a different Yahoo! article citing the unnamed executive, the writer of the NBC article had no idea who the source was, and thus could have no idea of his credibility or familiarity with the situation.  Besides, how would an "MLB executive" have this sort of information, unless he was a close personal friend of Pujols himself, which he wasn't.  Yet there is the headline of the article, out there trying to grab as much attention as possible, feeding off the hopes and prayers of sports fans, with not a care in the world about whether it is reliable or not.  Hey, a lot of people read the article so probably the author got a lot of slaps on the back from his superiors and who gives a damn about accuracy?

Yesterday night it was Blue Jays fans who were given a dose of "F-Yu" at the expense of irresponsible reporting about the Yu Darvish sweepstakes.  The New York Post came out last Thursday with a report claiming the Blue Jays had likely won the sweepstakes, citing "several sources with knowledge of the situation".  Then Jays fans stay up late last night only to find out that Darvish will most likely be taking his talents to Texas.  Thanks again, media.  It wasn't just the New York Post, but every news outlet imaginable, who jumped on the bandwagon, announcing Darvish was coming to the Jays; all the while nobody knew these "knowledgeable sources" or even stopped to think about how someone would have that information as of last Thursday.  Hey, as long as they can point the finger at someone else (New York Post), it's all good.  In my mind, it is irresponsible and trashy, and one may as well be reading one of those celebrity gossip newspapers.

TTP Sports will meanwhile continue to do what we've always done - write articles with the utmost integrity and honour.  Unlike a lot of others out there.

Wakamatsu the matter with you?

Even though it has been months since the Toronto Blue Jays have reasonably had a chance to get into the post season (or is that decades?), losses like the one last night never cease to annoy me.  We all know the season is over, but as fans, we hate to see our team lose due to boneheaded decision making on behalf of the manager, or poor performance of the players.

With the Jays down 4-3 headed into the top of the 9^th inning, and much maligned reliever Kevin Gregg coming in to try to shut things down, Jays fans had to know there was at least a 50% chance of coming back against the woeful Gregg.  And that’s exactly what happened: a base hit by Arencibia, a walk, and a double steal later, and the Jays had two runners in scoring position with nobody out.  An incredible diving catch by Nick Markakis in right field accounted for the first out of the inning, with pinch runner Dewayne Wise scoring on the sac fly.  Unfortunately the Jays couldn’t cash in the go ahead run from third base with less than two outs after Thames popped out and Edwin Encarnacion (what happened to him??) tapped out softly to end the treat.

Nevertheless, the Jays ended up taking the lead in the top of the 10^th after a Kelly Johnson triple with nobody out scored on a wild pitch.  Thank goodness that was not left in the hands of Mike McCoy who has absolutely no upside and has no business being on the roster right now.  On this night I saw one good play from McCoy; tagging up and going to third base in the ninth inning.  I also saw him lose a pop up in the lights, strike out twice (once swinging after the ball was already past him, with two guys on base and none out), tap out softly into a fielders choice in extra innings, then get thrown out by a mile trying to steal to end the threat, when the throw wasn’t even nearly on target.  This guy sucks and we have no young top prospects in the minors who could fill center field for a week to give them a taste of the majors?  Hint, hint?  Honestly McCoy has no upside and no future here – give someone else a chance.

Anyhow, the worst part of the evening was still to come.  With the Jays suddenly up 5-4 entering the do-or-die bottom of the 10^th inning, for some reason the decision was made to bring in Brian Tallet, who on his best day is a poor to marginal left handed specialist only.  For some reason they trot him out to face a bunch of right handed hitters, and (surprise, surprise) the soft throwing lefty with no stuff gets lit up and the Jays lose the game before you can say “Come back Farrell!”  I don’t know the Jays bullpen situation but come on surely they could have trotted out a better option than Brian Tallet to try and get three outs to win the game.  Could former starter Casey Janssen not come out for a second inning after a quick and painless bottom of the 9^th?  Don Wakamatsu made a bad decision bringing Tallet in here.  It boggles my mind. 

If the Jays are looking for a player to fill in with no upside, and no future with the team, I will play for free.  Put me in center field and I’m perfectly capable of losing fly balls in the lights, swinging and missing balls that are already in the catcher’s glove, and getting thrown out by a country mile trying to steal.  Also if you want to bring me on in extra innings in a save situation I am perfectly capable of walking a couple guys and serving up a warning track blast to straight away center to a 150 pound rookie in his first week in the majors.  Give me a call Wakamatsu.  I’ll be ready, just give me two or three warm up pitches.

Beede Rhymes With -- You Guessed It -- Greedy!

With sheer angst, Jays fans impatiently awaited to see if their 1st round pick (and highest selection) Tyler Beede in the 2011 draft would sign with the team. Reports from a month ago led many to believe a deal was in the works, while news leading up to yesterday's midnight deadline suggested a complete 180. Just after midnight, while the Jays were in action against the Mariners in Seattle, it was confirmed that Beede in fact did not sign with the Jays, thus opting to follow through on his letter of intent to play with Vanderbilt University.

Little did I realize until this morning that Beede was the only one of 33 1st round selections who did not sign with the team they were drafted by. The Jays were offering nearly $2.5 million (all figures U.S.), while Beede and his camp were aiming for $3.5 million. Now, I fully understand wanting to obtain an education (I'm sure excessive partying and chasing skirt were a big component as well). But let's be realistic -- it's not often 18-year olds have an opportunity to hit the financial jackpot, and Beede forewent that.

Now, Beede is not eligible for the MLB draft until 2014. For the everyday person, that's not a long time. But a potential professional athlete, that could turn out to be an eternity. I get Beede's thought process -- go back to school, get bigger and stronger, work on my stuff, get drafted higher in the draft, and thus realize a higher financial windfall. Motivating. Then again, he could run into injury problems, lose the passion and motivation, not be as dominant, and end up slipping to who knows where.

Need proof? How about another high draft pick by the Jays in former 2nd round selection (2009), pitcher and nearby hometown talent Jake Eliopoulos? His demands weren't met, so back in the draft he went. Well, a struggled season in 2010 led him to be drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round. One year of pro ball and a pro contract already "thrown" away, he decided to once again refuse signing on the dotted line. Move forward another year, he failed to re-up his stock yet again, with the Jays of all teams ending up taking another flier on him all the way in the 43rd round. Surely enough, AGAIN he did not sign! So in a matter of two short years, Eliopoulos went from being a top selection with a guaranteed comfortable salary playing pro ball, to one who would be better served flipping burgers at McDonald's.

I don't know Beede, so I have nothing personal against him and hope he made the right decision. On the flip side, as a Jays fan, I wish nothing but success at failing for him. Talk to us in three years and let us know if you made a wise decision to pass up what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity over $1 million that may never be made up again. He better hope he was advised by the right people.

Pretty remarkable sporting landscape these days. Since when did raw 18 year olds earn the right to hold out for millions more when all that they are being based on is their talent and potential? Can't help but think "greedy" -- Beede, in my eyes, was just that.

Miller and Rauch blow it as Jays bullpen craps the bed once again

In a game with three times more home runs than Jose Bautista hit in the home run derby, Toronto fans who stayed up late had to endure an all too familiar site - Jon Rauch and the Jays bullpen handing away another game.  This time things started out promisingly with Eric Thames putting the Jays up 2-0  in the first inning.  Later it was Canadian phenom Brett "Don't say I have a girl's name" Lawrie putting the Jays up 5-4 with a solo bomb to left.  In the 8th inning, the Jays called upon Trever "Near 2.00 WHIP" Miller to face a couple lefties.  On an inexcusably flat breaking ball right down the middle of the plate, Mike Carp fished one out of the park to tie the game up.  Shame on John Farrell for letting Trever Miller be the one to blow the game in the 8th inning; at least put out there somebody who has a chance of getting the job done.  Speaking of who not to bring in, up strolls John Rauch who promptly allows Casper Wells to scare up a home run and suddenly the Jays who had led all game are trailing due to another case of inept bullpen work.  In the top of the 9th, the Jays went down like kittens to end a frustrating game.  The game ends and the camera shows Rauch sitting there staring blankly ahead in the Jays dugout.  Perhaps he is considering a new career as a salesman in a "Big and Tall" men's suit store rather than subjecting himself and us to this frustration night after night.

More Lawrie!

We all know the build-up that has developed for Brett Lawrie. He was a highly touted prospect coming into the season, and has played himself into one of the best prospects in baseball. Plus, he's Canadian so all Blue Jay fans had reasons to cheer him on. But what really should draw fans to him is the passion and love for the game. For anyone who saw his reaction to his Grand Slam the other night, you know what I'm talking about. To those who didn't, this is what you missed:
Lawrie, with the bases loaded approached the plate in his typical aggressive stance. After taking a couple of pitches, he skied a pitch over the left field wall. Everyone including Lawrie was hoping it would leave the park. But when it did, that's when Lawrie exploded. He pumped his chest, yelled as he rounded the bases and almost even passed Aaron Hill on the base paths in the process! The teammates he drove in would later meet him at the plate and he would respond by greeting them with vicious high fives! His other teammates in the dugout would greet him with the same fanfare, and Lawrie still maintained his adrenalined pumped attitude. It energized his teammates, but also energized the stadium. He was called out for a curtain call in only his first week on the team. Even I was getting pumped and loving what I saw.
This is what the Jays need to not only attract the fans but improve their play. Teammates will draw off of his enthusiasm and energy and fans watching at home will continue to watch to see what Lawrie will do next. The Jays' future is looking better and better each day.

Welcome home, Vernon

Tonight, at the Skydome, Toronto and the Blue Jays welcome back Vernon Wells for the first time since his trade to the Angels.  Wells was arguably the face of the franchise, along with Roy Halladay, for many years, and had a couple massive seasons along the way.  However, Wells will always be viewed by the majority of Blue Jays fans as a disappointment; and whether that is fair or not is a subject for another day.

Wells was criticized for having some of his worst years immediately after signing his humongous 7-year, $126M contract extension.  His perceived 'nonchalant' attitude on the field because of his always calm and smiling demeanor gave many the impression that he was financially set for life from his new contract and didn't care as much as a others - ie. Roy Halladay.  His tendency to always swing on the first pitch of a plate appearance often frustrated fans, particularly when he made an out on a bad pitch in a key situation.

In the past, I have ripped Vernon for a lack of desire and being content to miss the playoffs in exchange for some down time where he could sit back with a "Mint Julep" from his home in Texas.  Looking back, it was unfair for me to say that, as I am not in a position to know how much Vernon cared, or how effective he was as a clubhouse leader behind the scenes.  Wells also fought a nagging left wrist injury which lingered for a few seasons and undoubtedly sapped some of his power.

Off the field, Vernon was very charitable to the community, and on the field he holds the record or is near the top of most Blue Jays offensive statistical categories.  Let's not forget all his gold gloves in center field.  He never attacked the fans, and never disgraced himself with a Tiger Woods-esque scandal, spitting on an umpire (like another now god-like sports figure in Toronto), or anything like that.  The sad thing is people will be booing tonight.  I just hope there are enough cheers and standing ovations to overshadow those too bitter to appreciate Vernon's contributions.

Up yours, ESPN

It's just crazy the kind of crap that's being passed off as a sports article these days.  Take ESPN for instance, or as I now refer to them: Extremely Stupid and Pitiful Nitwits.  A story published today makes the unsubstantiated accusation that the Toronto Blue Jays have a "man in a white shirt" in the outfield somehow stealing and relaying signs to batters 420 feet away based on nothing other than the claims of 4 anonymous members of the White Sox bullpen, and the fact that the Red Sox and Yankees both have opted to use multiple signs when there are no base runners in what has now been dubbed the "Spydome".  What an assinine suggestion.  "If the Red Sox and Yankees are using multiple signs, there must be an organization wide conspiracy going on, regardless of how unrealistic, illogical, or nonsensical it would seem to be."

Imagine the time between a signal being flashed by a catcher and the time a pitch is delivered.  A couple seconds.  Here's what must be happening: White shirted man in the outfield (with binoculars of course) looks in and sees the signal being put down by the opposing catcher.  A split second passes while said man processes the information and decides whether to "wave his arms around" to signal the hitter a breaking ball is coming as is alleged by the article.  The batter must take his focus off the pitcher as he looks to spot the white shirted man in the outfield and determine whether he is waving or not.  In the case the batter is Rajai Davis, he will opt to swing and miss on the bouncing breaking ball in the dirt regardless.  The idea, says the stupid article, is that no signal from the fan on the grassy knoll means a fastball is coming.  Because the conspiracy is in effect, the man in the white shirt must be reacting accurately and responding with waves in kind to every appropriate pitch, since a single "lack of wave" means the Jays hitters are sitting on a fastball that's not coming.  This system has all the logic and common sense as Homer Simpson's "everything's okay alarm".

 

Imagine the spectacle this must have created on Canada Day.  Everyone in the stadium is wearing the red hand out shirts, and there is one fan in dead center field (where there are no seats) wearing a white shirt and obsessively rotating between staring in with binoculars at home plate and waving his arms like a madman on half of all pitches.  People must have thought the guy was crazy, but nobody took any note of it.

The article goes on to support its case by pointing out that "a lot" of Jays hitters have better stats at home as opposed to on the road.  Give me a break.  Everyone knows the Skydome is a great home run hitting park.  Everyone knows most hitters fare better at home.  Shut up would you please?

ESPN made a bad decision here.  They knew they were going to get attention from the story and they did.  They knew they were going to piss off Toronto and they did, they just didn't care.  It's not an american city after all.  But their story is baseless and everyone knows it.  It was irresponsible journalism, without a shred of evidence and an embarrassment to a network that I used to respect.  The caption under the article title boldly states "The Blue Jays deny they're stealing signs -- evidence may lead to another conclusion".  Up yours, ESPN.

Impressive Series Debut by Lawrie

The Blue Jays and its fans finally got to see first hand what the anointed next one -- both in terms of Blue Jays and Canadian ball players -- could bring to the team. He was destined to join the big club earlier in the season only to have his hand broken by a pitch, delaying his inevitable and much anticipated debut.

Well, it was sure worth the wait to get a glimpse of what the future holds for the Jays and their prized possession. A hit in his first big league at bat, a 5-fo-11 series (.455 average), his first home run and a couple RBI to go with it. The adjustment was short and sweet at the plate. In the field he was a bit more raw, picking up his first error in his first game on a ball that ate him up, but he looked a bit more comfortable as the series went along. You can tell he will need quite a bit more work to refine his play at his pretty much new position, but as a 21-year old on a team which is now gearing towards next year, he can continue to work out the kinks the rest of the way.

I do not recall a Jays prospect in recent history who has garnered as much anticipation and hype as Lawrie has. He is genuinely a very talented player, but I am sure a lot also has to do with the fact he is Canadian and his career started (and hopefully lasts a long time) with Canada's team. Jays fans would love to have and root for their own Joey Votto. If this past weekend was any indication, this will certainly be the case. And he just might, over time, help put more butts in the seats at the SkyDome (I refuse to call it Rogers Centre).

Jays fans can show as such as he makes his home debut this Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics, who are in Toronto for a three-game set.

Who Put the Ouch in Rauch? Jon Did!

Well, Jays fans are still reeling nearly 24 hours later after Jon Rauch blew yet another save for the Blue Jays. That's his fifth of the year and the team's whopping 19th. Just last month I suggested that it was imperative GM Alex Anthopoulos address this issue by going out and finding a legitimate closer (they did test the waters on San Diego's Heath Bell, the main target I suggested in that column). Seeing Rauch serve up fastballs as if they are soft served ice cream for the opposition to knock them out of the park accentuates that fact.

Now, many will point that this is still a transition year for the Jays and these trials and tribulations are all part of the growing pains of a developing team. Which is true. There were many who suggested as well that the Jays would finish dead last in the AL East and be lucky to reach the 70-win plateau, let alone finish .500, which they are treading the line at now with a record of 56-55. So by all accounts, it could be argued that the Jays are ahead of schedule.

But is it really unfathomable to expect more from this team, especially after last season? Furthermore, the Rays have been a thorn in the Jays side for years and a series win down in Tampa Bay would have gone a long way in providing future confidence for the team. They are also a team within striking distance for the Jays, and although it's a petty consolation, finishing ahead of the Rays and 3rd in the division behind the Yankees and Red Sox would be another positive stepping stone for the team.

And with that, one can't help but think this -- had the Jays had a "lights-out" closer who nailed down even half of the number of games they have blown thus far, they would be mere games out of the division and wild card lead. Instead, they continue to trot out the behemoth Rauch and his silver platter-like 91 MPH fastballs only to see this team throw away games they should just as easily win. I fully expect this to be addressed before next season as Anthopoulos knows that the closer position is now the team's achilles heel (that includes either reducing Rauch's role or not picking up his option, which I hope is the latter at this point). You can't help fans though who feel a bit cheated knowing that yet another year has been pissed away and a non-playoff appearance is in the making.

Ouch.

Big Money for a Small Market Club

Any minute now the Nashville Predators and its fans will find out the fate of captain Shea Weber's arbitration ruling. The Predators were going in with an offer of $4.75 million (all figures U.S) while Weber's camp was seeking upwards of $8 million. (Writer's Note: Chances are he lands somewhere in between -- think Dion Phaneuf's $6.5 million, give or take).

This decision will likely have severe ramifications for not only the short-term future of the Predators, but also the long-term viability of the franchise in Nashville. By all accounts, Nasville is a small market team working on an extremely tight budget (all the more reason to praise GM David Poile's work since the team's inception). They are hardly ever in the mix for high-profile free agents -- Paul Kariya being the exception.

Weber is the face of the Predators. They drafted him, they groomed him, and now he is one of the game's elite defenders. He has expressed a desire to stay long-term in Nashville, but chances are he won't give up reaping a huge pay day that may never come around again for him during his career if the team doesn't pony up. Nashville has the cap space to easily fit him in, but are they willing to pay him the coin he is looking for?

If not, how will that effect the team short-term as will pending UFAs next summer in goalie Pekka Rinne and defenceman Ryan Suter even bother considering staying with the team? I'd hedge they likely would not. Long term, the inability to sustain their high-end talent, namely their franchise player and captain, will only signify the team will be in a perpetual rebuild. And with that, would the fans even care anymore knowing they would never get over the hump and would that be the beginning of the end of hockey in the "Music City"?

We've seen this song and dance before and chances are the NHL is grimacing while waiting for Weber's arbitration ruling as it will be just another team who may be destined to back up the moving trucks and pack up to a new home.

EDIT: As this was being published the arbitrator awarded Weber $7.5 million (one-year deal). The benchmark has been set -- we'll see where it goes from here.

Robbie, Robbie, Robbie

Talk about one heckuva whirlwind for Roberto "Robbie" Alomar. In a matter of a week, he had two significant accomplishments bestowed upon him -- induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the retirement of his No. 12 jersey in Toronto.

Now, I am a huge baseball fan, and remember the '92 and '93 World Series as if it happened yesterday while feeling as if they occurred an eternity ago, but having Robbie Alomar take the stage in the last week has heightened the baseball senses to a whole different level. With his face and highlights gracing the sports packages, one cannot help but conjure great memories of him -- as arguably the greatest 2nd baseman of all time; arguably, and widely recognized, as the greatest Blue Jay of all time; and one whose graciousness and adoption of the city of Toronto made Torontonians feel as if he were one of their own. It reminded me how fun and great things were during those times and for a few short days made me forget about salary caps and divisional disparities and all that is wrong and what has plagued baseball the last little while (I suppose we can stretch back to the '94 strike).

For it is Robbie who put the Jays and Toronto baseball on the map. Sure we had Bell and Stieb and since have had Halladay, but none of them had the impact that Robbie has. He was the turning point. His stellar plays, his clutch hits (who will ever forget the homerun off of Eckersley?), his sheer love of the game -- he is who helped pack the SkyDome with 50,000+ each and every night. And it was only fitting that on both the hot day in Cooperstown he was recognized with his bronze plaque and the day his number was raised to the SkyDome rafters, he was greeted with the same amount of joy and enthusiasm by the many fans for whom he brought just as much of those traits to them.

Congrats Robbie...it's well deserved. You will always be THE Blue Jay legend and you now have multiple forms of proof to show for it. Finally, and simply, thank you.

First Escobar, Now Rasmus

News broke earlier this afternoon that the Blue Jays orchestrated and maneuvered a few deals which saw them land centrefielder Colby Rasmus from the St. Louis Cardinals (who just two short years ago was ranked the 3rd best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America).

The acquisition was predicated on the Jays swinging pitchers Zach Stewart and Jason Frasor (who just last week became the Jays all-time appearance leader) to the White Sox for pitcher Edwin Jackson and 3rd baseman Mark Teahen; the Jays then shipped Jackson off (with not much else of substance) to St. Louis for Rasmus and fluff. Now, I do not know how anybody can think this is not a major coup for the Jays. They receive a highly touted, soon-to-be 25-year old who is tagged with the potential of becoming a top five centrefielder in the entire league.

You'll hear the arguments that he didn't get along with Tony LaRussa, and that he is much maligned. However, people can change, especially if placed in the right situation. Need proof? Look no further than last year's main acquisition of the Jays, Yunel Escobar. We heard the same things -- he doesn't get along with his manager (Bobby Cox)...he's selfish/lazy...he's wasting his talent. Well, who would argue now that wasn't a great deal for the Jays? Escobar is quickly establishing himself as one of the best shortstops in the entire game and has now found a home in Toronto, as evidenced by his 2-year deal with the option of two additional years to be tacked on.

These types of deals are ones the Jays have to make, even if they blow up in their faces from time to time. Competing with the Yankees and Red Sox is a daunting task, especially when they'll never be outspent, so identifying and picking up high-end, controllable talent is a major source of building up a core that would finally compete with the big boys. The deal for Rasmus -- as was the case with Escobar -- certainly fits the bill.

Some will point to Anthony Gose, the centrefielder of the future awaiting in the wings. "Why pick up Rasmus when Gose will soon be the guy?" is a common refrain heard. Well, for one, you can never have enough high-end talent. Two, Gose is still two or three years away, which means Rasmus provides more than just a stop-gap measure. And three, if Rasmus ends up reaching his potential that his talent dictates, the Jays will have yet another solid trade bait piece they can flog off to fill another gap (will an adequate closer ever be found?!).

In all, it should be considered an exciting day for Jays fans who can look forward to not only the end of this season, but next season seeing a mighty fine core coming together. Of course, the trade deadline is still four days away, and you just know GM Alex Anthopoulos is continually working the phones to improve his team. Ubaldo Jimenez anyone?

Rasmus a Jay!

TTP Sports has learned from an anonymous source that the Blue Jays have just acquired Colby Rasmus from the St.Louis Cardinals.  Jays fans can also finally wave a thankful goodbye to Jason Frasor, as the veteran right hander was shipped to the Chi-Sox along with highly touted prospect Zach Stewart for Edwin Jackson and Canadian veteran Mark Teahen.  It is rumoured that Jackson was flipped to St.Louis as part of the compensation for Rasmus.  More details to follow.

German Grand Prix

After the British Grand Prix weekend where the race was probably compromised by some last minute car setup rule changes, the Grand Prix in Germany at Nurburgring was a success. The rules were changed back to what they were before the British Grand Prix and the weather cooperated by the rain conveniently stopping as the race was starting.

Going into Qualifying this weekend, all the talk has been about who can beat Vettel. So far, this season has been dominated by Vettel who has won 6 out of the first 9 races and his lowest finish of the year up to the German Grand Prix was 2nd. Qualifying ended with Weber taking poll position, Hamilton finishing 2nd, and Vettel in 3rd.

The race started with Hamilton taking the lead from Weber after the first turn. Vettel slotted himself into 4th place after the first few turns. He would capitalize on a small mistake by Alonso and move into 3rd place on the 2nd lap.

Weber would pass Hamilton to take the lead a dozen laps into the race. I’m sure that felt really good for Weber as that was the first lap he has led this season.

Vettel ended up ruining his chances of a 10th straight podium finish this year with a spin out, putting him back into 5th place, well off the lead. He would end up passing Massa to take 4th place on the last lap when both of them pitted. The Red Bull crew simply had a much faster pit stop than Ferrari.

The only accident of the day came on the 10th lap when Heidfeld was moving into position to pass Buemi but Buemi moved over to block the pass and ended up making contact with Heidfeld’s car. Heidfeld’s front wing shattered and he went sliding off the track. The most useless ruling of the day came from the Stewards when they gave Heidfeld a drive through penalty even though he was already “walking” away from his car.

It was an interesting race with numerous lead changes which is a nice change from the previous races. Throughout the entire race the top 3 racers were within 10 seconds of each other. The McLaren team made the best race decisions as to when to pit and Hamilton would end up winning the race with Alonso not that far behind in 2nd. Weber would finish in 3rd , and for the 2nd time in three years wasn’t able to win the race after taking the coveted poll position.

It looks like the other top teams have closed the gap on the Red Bull team which should make the rest of the season fun to watch. Next weekend’s race in Hungary should be a good one.

Will we see a dynasty again?

I was watching a game on the Classic NHL network and it was a 1983 playoff game in the Smythe divison between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Not only was it good to see the name, Smythe Division, again, but it brought back good memories watching the Oiler Dynasty team of the 80's. In net was Andy Moog, backed up by Grant Fuhr. On defence was Paul Coffey, Charlie Huddy and Randy Gregg to name a few. Up front was a collection of Hall of Famers - Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and of course Wayne Gretzky. In that game, Gretzky scored a hat trick with relative ease (one of them being of the short-handed nature). The game was 7-1 by the end of the 2nd and it didn't seem like the Oilers had broken a sweat.

I was wondering whether we'd see another purely dominant team like this ever again in the NHL? A part of me doesn't think so. With the age of salary caps, contractual terms and inflated player egos, I would find it hard to believe there would be a team that would be as stacked as the Edmonton Oilers. Especially with 30 teams in the league, the talent pool just seems too diluted. I guess it's good in a way that it gives all teams a better chance at competing, but it would be fun to see another Oiler-like team again (especially if it's your home team!).

Hockey Night in Canada...on TSN?!

Last night came word that Pierre LeBrun has joined TSN as one of its analysts. To me, LeBrun is one of the best in the business in what he does, so naturally, I think this is a major coup for TSN. This announcement comes mere weeks after another Pierre, McGuire, announced he was "taking his talents down south". Pretty darn good tradeoff if you ask me.

LeBrun, of course, leaves his role on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) as one of its panel members of the Satellite Hot Stove. Just last week CBC lost another HNIC member in Jeff Marek, who joined Sportsnet. With all the tribulations the CBC has faced the last few years (losing the rights to the Olympics, namely), it only leads to questions of whether this is a telltale sign of its demise. I'm sure some will point to a few years ago when they elected not to pony up to maintain the Hockey Theme, which naturally, was scooped up by, you guessed it, TSN.

I will say, the thought of CBC no longer holding the rights of HNIC in a few years is kind of sad. It's what I, along with many other Canadians, grew up with. It's nearing its 60th birthday and you'll have grandparents telling their grandkids nowadays how they would all gather every Saturday night around their black and white TV with the fireplace crackling in the background to watch hockey. Personally, it helped define my childhood -- you just knew what you were going to watch every Saturday and it led to some of the most fun times with family and friends. And it's still carrying over to today. And sadly, it may be coming to an end.

Perhaps I am putting the cart before the carriage, but you can also see the writing on the wall. Now, all that needs to be done is for Ron MacLean to leave CBC for the channel's utter collapse. Seriously...what is TSN waiting for?! (I think he'd be out of the price range for Sportsnet). He's one of the best in the business and not only would he be your face of hockey, he'd be one of the better Olympic hosts (it was an absolutely crime not seeing him hosting the 2010 Vancouver Olympics).

Now I do think TSN would do a great job, but it'd take some time adjusting to. CBC is just synonymous with HNIC. Plus, you will no longer be able to catch a Saturday night game(s) at a remote cottage in the heart of winter on an old school TV whose bunny ears have to be fiddled with for 2 minutes just so the fuzziness doesn't overall distract your viewing pleasure. It's small subtle things like that that will be missed.

I suppose though, if anything, the reuniting of the perfect unison of the Hockey Theme and HNIC would make things feel natural once again.

Take a Step Back, Breathe, and Relax

So the MLB All-Star game has come and gone, and each team's representative(s) is/are now back on a flight to join their team in the upcoming series. As such, today, and every other day following the MLB All-Star game, signals the lone day in the entire sporting year where there is not a single professional game/match played.

For this is the one day of the year where we as fans can take a step back from our vested interest in sports and perhaps spend some time with our family, enjoy a BBQ, do some gardening, go for a walk, et cetera, without illiciting a mere thought of checking in to see how our favourite team is doing.

It's funny -- we as fans clamour for days like this but end up having this voided feeling (similar to how hockey fans say the season drags on way too long into mid-June only to look forward to training camp by the end of the month). I will say, it will be weird flipping over to the various sports channel tickers to not find a boxscore, as it will checking the boxscores online or in the paper tomorrow morning.

Oh well, time to decompress. Hope you enjoy today because come tomorrow, it's back to the grind and today will have been all but a distant memory.

Some Constructive Criticism for Major League Baseball

The past few years, I have always been so excited about the MLB All-Star game.  The best pitching against the best hitting - how can you go wrong?  Unfortunately, the same scenario has been unfolding for the past 5 years or so.  Said scenario unfolds something like this:

1) Roy Halladay or some other ace starts for their respective team.
2) All-star hitters not wanting to strike out or drag out their at bat swing at the first pitch remotely near the strike zone.
3) These defensive and non-selective swings early in the count result in many quick, scoreless innings of boring baseball.
4) After two plate appearances, the all stars are replaced by subs, while the premier pitchers continue to mow them down.
5) By the end of the game, any potential excitement is limited by the fact that only the most low-profile subs are remaining in the game (ie. last night top of the 9th: Carlos Quentin (replaced Bautista); Matt Joyce (replaced Hamilton); Michael Cuddyer (replaced both Gonzalez AND Cabrera); and Paul Konerko (replaced Ortiz).  How in the world did Cuddyer even make the all-star game???  Give me one statistic of his that stands out.  And yes, I'm sure as the announcers said many times that he's "a good baseball guy."  Having Quentin/Joyce/Cuddyer/Konerko playing the last half of the game instead of Bautista/Hamilton/Gonzalez/Ortiz is stupid.  I thought "this time it counts" and that the managers were trying to win this game.

Major League Baseball needs to limit the amount of "token" players who make the all-star teams.  Guys like Cuddyer, Joyce, Brandon League(???!!!), and many others that were in this game should not be playing, while all the best, most popular players play the first four innings and are then removed.  We want to see the best players in the key situations.  If you need to put Cuddyer in the game then have him start.  Put him in the cleanup spot and let him have a quick pop up to get it out of the way and then put in Adrian Gonzalez or Miguel Cabrera to try and win the game and give the fans the best show.  If you need to put in Carlos Quentin, get it over with quickly, then put in Jose Bautista (who is the best player in the world) to try and win the game and make things more entertaining too.

I understand why Major League Baseball does what they do with respect to roster size.  They want all teams represented so that the most fans will watch.  I also understand why managers put as many players into the game as possible.  But they have to understand that seeing Michael Cuddyer and Matt Joyce trying to win the game for the American League is not what fans want to see.

Here's to you, Mr. Robinson

What an incredible show.  That derby had everything.  A close contest, monstrous home runs, a guy in the crowd catching a ball while jumping into a pool - what more could you ask for?  And I have a new favourite Yankee.  Not that I'm a big fan of any Yankee, but it's a start.  What I said about Robinson Cano not belonging in this contest, well, as Striker in X2 once put it, "I was wrong."

What an awesome show of power.  I had no idea that Cano could hit balls consistently over 440 feet, with one gargantuan blast into the concourse measuring in at 472 feet.  Just incredible, and with his proud father pitching no less.  But the other competitors (other than Jose Bautista) deserve a lot of credit for putting on a great show too.  Prince Fielder and David Ortiz looked like they were done after a paltry 5 homers a piece in the opening round sent them to an unusual three way bat-off versus Matt Holliday.  With the chips down, Ortiz and Fielder put on a show, hitting 9 out of 10 possible home runs, all of the jaw-dropping variety.

Adrian Gonzalez was the hard luck loser in this one, but he exceeded expectations as well.  One could set their watch to his smooth, consistent, precise left handed swing as he hit balls out to right, center, and left field.  This was the best home run derby I can remember watching, and in the case of Robinson Cano, I'm glad I was wrong.

Home Run Derby Predictions

The home run derby means different things to different people.  For fans such as myself, it is an opportunity to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching the boys of summer sock some dingers.  For the snootier sports fan, it is an opportunity to look down on the masses who marvel at the sight of balls hit a long way.  For Prince Fielder, it is an opportunity to "beef up" with a couple of pre-derby cheeseburgers.  Here are some derby predictions:

Round 1:  Holliday, Matt: 4; Cano, Robinson: 5; Weeks, Rickie: 5; Gonzalez, Adrian: 8; Kemp, Matt: 4; Ortiz, David: 9; Fielder, Prince: 10; Bautista, Jose:9

Round 2: Gonzalez, Adrian: 6; Ortiz, David: 8; Bautista, Jose: 10; Fielder, Prince: 9

Round 3: Fielder, Prince: 8; Bautista, Jose: 9

Champion: Jose Bautista

Solid NHL UFA's Still(man) Available

While NHL teams prepare to open training camp, and most of the star unrestricted free agents (or should I say the only star UFA - Brad Richards) have been claimed, it is easy to overlook the fact that there are still some solid puzzle pieces left in the box.

Cory Stillman, at age 38, is unquestionably nearing the end of his NHL career; although we've been saying that for some time now.  A scoring winger, he had 16 points in 21 games finishing out the 2010-11 season with the Hurricanes.  To be effective he will need to find a home on a team where he will be assured a spot in the top six forwards.  For such a team needing a veteran presence on the second line, a salary in the range of $2M would be a bargain on a one or two year deal.

After skipping the 2011 World Championships to rest his knee, Vaclav Prospal is looking for a new contract.  With the Rangers having blown the bank on Brad Richards, it is doubtful they will extend an offer to Prospal.  If the Rangers do not reach out to him, expect Prospal to once again have the motivation to "stick it up somebody's butt" - of course referring again to John Tortorella.  This is a 36 year old veteran who can score, but mostly when put on a stacked line with at least one or two elite offensive talents.  I do not see Prospal having much value to a team, unless he can play alongside their top scorer on the first line.

Nikolay Zherdev the enigmatic Russian winger is anything but a solid pickup for an NHL team, as he has never put things together at the NHL level.  From day one, analysts have drooled over Zherdev, but after so many disappointing seasons of not living up to potential, one has to wonder if the break though will ever occur.  Some team will roll the dice on him.

Alex Kovalev is once again an unrestricted free agent.  Say what you want about him: he disappears in some games, he is old, has been overpaid in years past, his defense is suspect, but even the harshest critics cannot deny the slick hands and premier talent that this man possesses.  He will never be a first liner again, but at the right price (less than $2M on a one year deal) he would be a bargain and provide some secondary scoring.  He also has a Stanley Cup ring.

Bryan McCabe is not a popular name among Leafs fans, but imagine him reuniting with Tomas Kaberle in Carolina.  Combined with Joni Pitkanen, the trio could form one of the more potent threats from the back end in the Eastern conference.  Just remember Bryan, if you're going to take a shot on a goalie, make sure to check what team he is on first.

Home Run Derby Haiku

For all of you home run derby and haiku lovers out there:

Chris Berman's trademark
Repetitive but classic
Back, back, back, back, gone!

Derby fan's lament
Prince has gone mad with power
No Ryan Howard.

Cano can hit bombs
Most of them are in New York.
I can hit there too.

Manny and Papi
A charismatic duo
Which one took more drugs?

Fielder smacks dingers
Baseball's version of Popeye
Fast food his spinach.

Cause for confusion
One of nature's mysteries
Weeks in home run derby.

Joey Bats can hit
Pigeons on upper deck seats
A Bautista Bomb!

Please submit your Haiku's in the comment section!

Someone Needs to Save the Jay's Bullpen

So just like that April 1st has turned into mid-July, thus signalling MLB's All-Star Break. Heading into the break, we see an all-too-familiar snapshot of the AL East Division standings. Red Sox and Yankees 1-2, Rays 3rd, Jays 4th and the hapless Orioles 5th/last. The Jays enter the break with a 45-47 record after reeling off three straight against the Indians. In fact, they should be .500 (46-46) had they swept the Indians as they should have after blowing a comfortable 4-0 lead in the first game of the series.

Actually, if you dig deeper, the team many thought would be hard-pressed to win 70 games this year should in fact be well above .500 and consequently right in the mix with the division's "heavy hitters". How so? Well, out of the 47 losses, 28% have come off of blown saves! 28%!!!!! That works out to 13 losses (in total, 15 games have been blown, signalling the Jays' inability to muster up that killer instinct that's been sorely lacking almost two decades now). Had even half of those games been nailed down as they should have, they'd be only a handful of games out. To note, at the beginning of June the Jays were 3.5 games out of the division lead. Today, 11.

So wherein lies the problem?

- Frank "I put the F in F U" Francisco has not come as advertised. He's conjuring up images of a limp-armed B.J. Ryan and his penchant to allow the opposing team to get right back in it.

- Jon Rauch has had his moments. Some days he's throwing darts, the next it's balls on a 'T'. I can't help but wonder ever since the first pitch I saw him throw as a Blue Jay -- how in the world does the tallest pitcher/player in MLB history throw no harder than 90 MPH?! I was expecting a flame-thrower. Those tattoos...that stare in picking up the signs...that behemoth presence -- all for naught.

- Jason Frasor -- yeah, he just doesn't do it for me. He's as unstable and scary to watch as Brandon League was *shudder*.

- Marc Rzepczynski is being groomed as Scott Downs lite, and he's better suited as a shut-down/set-up guy. Won't fault him, but he's not the solution.

What the Jays, and Alex Anthopoulos, need to do is find a closer. That should be the first priority in all honestly. Imagine having a Rivera/Papelbon/K-Rod-type closer who you know will pretty much nail it down for you? As stated, the Jays would be right in the thick of things if that were the case. They haven't had anything automatic since Duane Ward and Tom Henke back in the World Series days. We've seen a guy like Billy Koch come out like a gangbuster only to fizzle out a short while later. B.J. Ryan I have no clue how he didn't get hit around harder. And most recently, Kevin Gregg seems to have left some of his aura behind.

Ideally, if Dustin McGowan is ever able to battle back from the long road of recovery, he may fill that need. But that's a lot to expect from a guy who has been through a lot in the last few years. The fact he may ever pitch in a big league situation again is a feat in itself. But if, and that's a huge if, he can come back, he could take the job and run with it. Other than that, the team either has to go the trade route (Heath Bell from San Diego?) or groom one. I know it's not something teams look for at the draft, but perhaps taking a flier on a guy in a later round who you think can be tailored as a closer is something that should be considered. I know, it's like an NHL team drafting a guy to become its 3rd line checking centre, but it's a position that may end up being just as important in the long run.

After all, how many more games (and ultimately seasons) can be pissed away before saving those who save?

Who are these wrestlers?

I was flipping through the channels today and I came across WWE Smackdown. I've been out of the loop for awhile, so I have no idea who is the champ or what the story lines are. This just led me to think...how good was wrestling 10-20 years ago?

Who can forget Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior at the Skydome? The crowd was electric as the Warrior Gorilla-slammed the Hulkster. Or how about years earlier when The Hulkster body-slammed Andre the Giant? The 80's also brought forth some of the most creative characters like The Macho Man, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, Jake the Snake Roberts...and even the Brooklyn Brawler, the lovable wrestler who always lost on Saturday morning wrestling.

The 90's was where my interest really peaked. That was the WWF Attitude Era. Not even now, have I seen the charisma and entertainment value that Stone Cold and definitely The Rock displayed week after week. I remember attending a live event in Toronto, the lights went dim, then all of a sudden we heard..."If ya smelllllll, what The Rock, is cooking!". That's one of the few times that I leapt out of my seat at the ACC (and this includes Raptor games). A couple of weeks ago, I even played an old PS2 game (Smackdown vs RAW 2006) and playing as the Rock was so fun. The People's Elbow! The Rock Bottom! Wrestling in the 90's was a good time. This isn't even mentioning the legend Bret Hart, the always entertaining DX and the still jaw-dropping TLC matches from The Dudleys/Hardy Boyz/Edge & Christian.

The 90's were also home to WCW and who can forget the nWo? Their storylines were so unique at the time and drew everyone in. This also led to the transformation of Sting, who I still think was one of the coolest characters there.

But alas, wrestling started to go downhill, at least to me it did. I'm not sure if it was because I grew older or that the entertainment value just wasn't there anymore. Well, wherever wrestling goes in the future, we'll always have the past to reminisce. Check out YouTube for a quick fix of classic wrestling; maybe Rock vs Hogan at Wrestlemania? Or the aforementioned TLC matches? Or how about Bob Bauckland mentally snapping and pulling the Chicken-Wing on unsuspecting foes? Ah wrestling, fun times.

Home Run Derby will be fun, but Weeks and Cano?

Every year I look forward to the MLB Home Run Derby.  I won't soon forget the memory of Mark McGwire in 1999 hitting bomb after bomb out of Fenway Park.  That year the contestants were announced by none other than Michael Buffer; how awesome is that?  Watching the game's most feared power hitters tee off in an attempt to hit as many impressive home runs as possible is something that really entertains me, even if the snooty observer labels fans such as myself "unsophisticated idiots".

The 2011 Home Run Derby in Arizona will feature a somewhat impressive cast, but with some disappointments as always seems to be the case.  Seemingly every year, there are two or three guys there who don't belong; guys who just don't have the natural power to compete in a contest like this.  In 1999 it was Nomar Garciaparra - at least he was there to satisfy the home town fans.

The contestants are:

Captain "Big Papi" David Ortiz - The Alex Ovechkin of the derby; he will always be a pleasure to watch, as you know he will be ready with some comical antics that will surely include pretending to be amazed by his opponents homers as he does year after year, and if he makes it to the finals he will surely come out and interrupt his opponent to offer him a drink and towel him off.  Funny stuff.  As far as home run hitting goes, word on the street is that Ortiz is having lunch with Brian McNamee on Monday; hopefully we will see some results of that with some mammoth dingers.  He did win the contest last year.

Adrian Gonzalez - This guy is a really good hitter, who can hit for power, and drive in a ton of runs.  Almost like a Rafael Palmeiro type, he's got a great swing but is not really a guy who hits tape measure home runs.  Hopefully he can share another thing in common with Rafael Palmeiro and Big Papi can bring him some "left overs" to give him a little more pop come Monday evening.

Jose Bautista - This is what I can't wait to see.  Arizona is a great home run hitting park, and "Joey Bats" can crush a pitch like nobody else.  If he doesn't make it to the finals I will be seriously disappointed.  Oh and I'm not even going to make a joke about steroids in this paragraph.

Robinson Cano - Come on.  This guy is a great hitter.  An amazing hitter.  But not a home run hitter.  Sure he can hit homers in Yankee Stadium, but so can I.  I could hit a ball into the upper deck of Yankee Stadium from here and I live in Toronto.  Seriously the guy is on pace for less than 30 home runs playing in the easiest stadium in the league to hit bombs.  The guy is a hitting machine, but doesn't belong in the home run derby.

Captain "The artist formerly known as" Prince Fielder - Any guy this "big" will be fun to watch.  Heck, any guy named Prince will be fun to watch, regardless of what he's doing.  The only substances this guy needs to help him crush baseballs are cheeseburgers and milkshakes.

Rickie Weeks - What the hell?  The guy is having a fantastic year the one year I didn't draft him in my fantasy league, but again, he's not a guy who's going to succeed in a home run derby.  There's a difference in a guy like this who can jump on a first pitch fastball where the pitcher supplies all the power, and a real power hitter.  I will just be happy if he manages to make it through this experience without hurting himself.

Matt Holliday - Another guy who is a great hitter, but seems to disappoint in these competitions.  Still, I'd rather watch him than Cano or Weeks.  He'll struggle to make it to the 2nd round.

Matt Kemp - I have no problem with him being here.  If for no other reason than he is one of the top 5-tool players in the league.  He may not get more than 4 home runs tops, but he deserves the shot.

So that's the field for the 2011 Home Run Derby.  Obviously, my hope is for all the big guns (Bautista, Ortiz, Fielder, Gonzalez) to fare well, because I really don't expect much from the other four.  Regardless, for us "unsophisticated idiot" fans who love to watch dingers, it promises to be a fun night no matter what happens.  Unless McNamee doesn't show up for lunch.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

To all my armchair athletes out there who aspired to one day be that hero scoring the winning goal in game seven in OT to capture Lord Stanley, or rip a grand slam or hit for the cycle in the MLB, or even win the NBA Slam Dunk Competition (man that is so overrated these days, all you need is to hire a choir and park a car on the court to win)....but I digress. Now those aspirations have faded and you’ve been snapped back to reality resorting to beer league softball, intermediate floor hockey or a pick-up game on the court that lasts five minutes before getting winded and in desperate need of an oxygen tank or inhaler. Now before you get all depressed and want to huddle in the fetal position on the couch while eating Doritos in your PJ’s I have some news that might make you feel better about yourself….it might even make you laugh.

This past Sunday you may have heard that Thomas Levet won the 2011 French Open at Le Golf National. However during this tournament he was severely injured having his shin broken and is now in need of an operation which includes a metal plate and several screws inserted to ensure it heals properly. This injury has now cost him the chance to participate in the upcoming British Open. Now you may ask “Wow how did a golfer get injured that badly?”…. one word STUPIDITY! Okay that might be harsh, but he was injured by celebrating his win in a tradition of jumping into a course lake.

The incident got me to thinking of other weird sports injuries that have occurred in various sports, so here’s a small but funny list:

-San Diego pitcher Adam Eaton was placed on the DL when he stabbed himself while trying to open a DVD he had purchased.

-Cardinal’s kicker Bill Gramatica tore his knee after jumping up and down to celebrate a field goal, almost costing him his career (it was his kicking knee).

-Tigers Chris Brown was noted for missing a remarkable number of games (over 250 between 1984 and 1988) due to bizarre claimed injuries such as a bruised tooth, and he was nicknamed "Jake" by teammates convinced he was no more than a malingerer. The last straw for Tigers manager Sparky Anderson in 1989 came when Brown missed a game after complaining that he "slept on his eye wrong." The Tigers released him soon thereafter, and Brown never returned to the major leagues.

-Ken Griffey missed a game after his jock slipped and pinched his “juniors” before a game.

-David Seaman an English soccer keeper dislocated his shoulder while reaching for the remote (shout out to all my armchair athletes).

-Milton Bradley tore his knee while arguing with the ump (couldn’t have happened to a better guy).

-Pitcher Joel Zumaya hurt his wrist while playing Guitar Hero.

-John Smoltz scalded himself while ironing a shirt….while he was wearing it!

I’m sure the list could go on and on and you might all have your favorite stories, so feel free to post them in the comments and I hope this has resurrected your ego. Pro athletes may have their time to shine, but some shine dimmer than others ;)

Why MLB Needs to Eliminate Human Umpires

Firstly, a disclaimer: if you are such a closed-minded traditionalist that you would prefer to see a game decided by an umpire’s blown call rather than a fair, consistent, undisputable outcome to Major League Baseball games (for a change), then please read no further.  Such traditionalists are surely disillusioned by the following rule changes which have already been made by MLB:

-Prior to 1857, games were not 9 innings, but ended when the winning team scored “21 aces”.  What a change that surely has many purists seething!

-Before 1858 there were no called strikes.  The purists must hate the faster pace of the game!

-In 1880 a walk was 8 balls – even Kyle Drabek could have kept his walks down

-Prior to 1887 a batter could request a “high or low” pitch – baseball in its purist form!

-Prior to 1893, one side of a hitter’s bat could be flat – I can’t believe they went back to round bats. (from majorleagueblogging.com)

This article is for the rest of us, who want to see baseball played “the right way” and games decided in a fair manner, regardless of the reputations of star players, teams playing, or the location of the game.

How many times are we watching a baseball game, and a pitch that is well off the plate is called a strike, or a pitch which should obviously be a strike is called a ball?  It happens every single game.  What the casual fan may not realize is the consequence each of these “little mistakes” can carry with it.  A 2-0 count in most cases leads to a fastball that the batter is expecting and can tee-off on.  Conversely, being behind in the count puts a hitter in a defensive mind set; reducing the chances of him driving the ball.  We may see on the highlight shows a clip of an upper deck grand slam that wins a game, but very seldomly is any attention paid to the count - the situation which led to the home run - which is heavily influenced by the individual pitch calls made by human umpires.

Now let’s slow down for a minute and talk about a subject that really annoys me.  When Derek Jeter or Bobby Abreu are batting, doesn’t it always seem that they get the benefit of a generous call from the home plate umpire?  Jeter does his little “jump out of the way” on a pitch easily over the plate and because of that and his reputation the ball is “inside”.  When I was at the game on Saturday, Roy Halladay was getting strike calls on pitches 8 inches outside.  Conversely in the ninth inning of a one-run game, full count situation with two outs, Jon Rauch throws a change up down the heart of the plate that even Leslie Nielson in The Naked Gun would have called a strike.  Well, this one was called a ball, and an RBI single, a confrontation, and a torn shirt later, the Phillies have a two run lead and Rauch is ejected (see photo).  As a Blue Jays fan, it is particularly hard to take, as virtually no visit to Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium ends without an obvious, game-deciding botched call in the favour of the home team.  Are the umpires trying to screw up like this?  Are they intimidated by their surroundings?  Are they corrupt?  Or are they just not good enough at their jobs?  I don’t know the answers to these questions.

Lets give the umpires the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are trying their best and just make mistakes.  If we estimate that 250 pitches are thrown in a game, it’s impossible for a human to get them all right.  Yet the mistakes can and often do change the outcome of the game.  As I write, Jose Bautista just got called out on a knuckle ball clearly outside with a runner in scoring position and two outs.  Who knows what would have happened had the umpire got it right?

This stuff really bugs me because I love to see a good competition.  I want to see who can win a match-up between pitcher and hitter, with all things being fair.  I want to see who’s going to win a baseball game when both teams have equal opportunity, without one team being granted an extra out to work with in an inning or an out taken away from them like was Bautista’s case in the preceding paragraph.

So where do we start?  What is the best way to allow for the game of baseball to be officiated more fairly?  We need to start with the strike zone.  Technology is being used on virtually all television stations to show “whether the umpire got it right” – a rectangular box displayed at the point the ball crosses home plate (called K-Zone, Pitch Trax, among other things).  When a borderline pitch is tested on Pitch Trax against the umpires call, the umpire gets it wrong about half the time.  This is human error that a computer would not be susceptible to making.  Major League Baseball should replace home plate umpires with Pitch Trax computers immediately to remove the unpredictability, inconsistency, and unfairness associated with the frequent mistakes on balls and strikes currently being made every day by human umpires.

The next step is improving the calls on close plays at home plate or second base when a steal takes place.  It seems the umpires just take a random guess most of the time about whether the runner is safe or out.  The technology of today may not be sophisticated enough to automatically make accurate rulings in situations such as this, but I am hopeful that it will be in the near future.  In the mean time might I suggest it would be prudent for MLB to hire younger umpires, who are in good physical condition, so that at least they can get into proper position to make calls rather than a lot of the current umpires who are not “physically equipped” to do anything but waddle around and make bad calls.

At the end of the day, I sympathize with the traditionalists out there.  When it comes to hockey, I am the last one who wants to see some of the proposed rule changes such as larger nets to increase scoring, or 4-on-4 overtime in the playoffs.  But when it comes to something like replacing umpires in baseball with computers, I would much rather throw tradition out the window if it will mean a more equal, fair, and better product.

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New Reign in Tennis No Djok(ovic)

This past week at the Wimbledon Championship at the All England Club, it could be suggested we saw the passing of the torch on the men's side. Novak Djokovic, the exuberant Serbian, has surpassed both Roger Federer (arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time) and Rafael Nadal to become the #1 ranked player in the world.

For those who have followed Djokovic over the last few years, you had the sense that it was only a matter of time before he reached the pinnacle. With a thundering serve and gazelle-like quickness, you could tell he was becoming a thorn in each of Federer's and Nadal's side. After starting off the 2011 season with a spectacular 41-0 record (snapped no less by Federer at the French Open), Djokovic put an exclamation mark while staking claim to his new ranking by defeating Nadal at Wimbledon.

Now, this is no flash-in-the-pan type thing. We have seen Andy Murray always be the bridesmaid but never the bride. We've also seen Andy Roddick being talked up as the next big U.S. great since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, only to become who I consider not only one of the most overrated players in tennis, but in all of sport. Djokovic, on the other hand, gets it done.

He holds 3 Grand Slams, a far cry from Nadal's 10 and Federer's record 16. But this is only the beginning. As sad as it is to see Federer entering the twilight of his career and his stranglehold to Grand Slams all but a thing of the past, us fans can take solace that there is a new charismatic player we can latch on to.

The two-headed monster has now made way for a third. And this time, it's no Djok.

Miami parade postponed ...sorry!

Ok, Miami Heat fans. You’d better check out another blog article from this site because you won’t like it…

How satisfying was that NBA Finals?! Seeing how a team like Dallas just totally dismantled the supposed Miami Heat juggernaut was poetry in motion. Dallas took advantage of every misstep that Miami took and never looked back. They made plays when it counted. They fought until the very end.

Some could say that the turning point was in Game 2 and the Heat were up by 15 pts in the 4th quarter. After a timeout, they walked off the court, seemingly planning their parade route already. Then Dirk took over. No one could stop the guy. I thought Lebron was supposed to be the unstoppable one, but it was the 7 foot German that stole the show. Speaking of satisfying, how good was it to see Dirk manhandle Bosh in the last minute of that game (and actually, the whole series)?

I’m sure everyone remembers “The Decision” as well as that ridiculous party to introduce the Big Three to Miami. How dumb does that look now? Yes, the Heat may win a title in the next 5 years, but unless they do something, it’s not going to be the dynasty they had hoped for. It’s still Wade’s team and it looks like Lebron has trouble finding his role with another superstar on the team. Bosh was solid at times, but at other times, was exposed on the defensive end and had horrible shooting nights. They still have a ways to go. Lebron has a ways to go. For someone who was supposed to be the next Jordan (I know we’ve heard this before [Stackhouse, Hill, Carter, etc.]) he simply disappeared at the end of games in the Finals, especially Game 6.

But enough, of the Heat bashing…I’m sure there’s enough of that going around the world as it is. Congrats to the Mavs. They truly had the better, deeper and more cohesive team. Congrats to Dirk, showing the world he is one of the best players in the league. Congrats to Jason Kidd. I always loved his game because he worked so hard on both ends of the floor and made everyone on his team better. Congrats to Mark Cuban; crazy owners can win championships!

How long until the Raptors reach this kind of excitement? Well, unless Valuncianas is the 2nd coming of Nowitzki, then sorry folks, you won’t see that anytime soon.

Kaberle to the Canes!

A source has reported that Tomas Kaberle has signed a 3-year deal worth slightly less than $13M (a very affordable price!) with the Carolina Hurricanes.  This puts to rest any speculation that he would return to Toronto following his Stanley cup victory.  I wonder if he would have returned had Burke been willing....

Nobody Wants Stamkos

There are 29 NHL teams in the league right now other than the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Since July 1st, all have been eligible to submit an offer sheet to the 21 year old sniper.  Up to this point, none have made such an offer, while Steve Yzerman continues to try to low-ball his restricted free agent.  I guess nobody wants Stamkos.

The only other possible reason for this inactivity is the pressure faced by GM's to abide by an unofficial "code of conduct" towards their fellow GM's.  It is perceived as taboo around the league to offer an RFA an offer sheet.  Let's remember for a minute that these general managers were hired to MANAGE THEIR TEAM; and as such make their team the best possible.  In Toronto's case, Brian Burke owes it to fans and the organization to set aside the stupid fraternity rules among GM's and do what he can for his team.  If he thinks four 1st round draft picks for Steve Stamkos is too much to pay, then by all means that is just cause for not submitting the offer sheet.  But if he thinks having a 50 goal scoring center would help the team for the short and long term; I suggest the logical thing is to offer Stamkos a multi-year contract at $10M per season.  If Tampa Bay does not match, we get our franchise player for slightly more than was paid for Phil Kessel.  If Tampa Bay does match, they spend more than they intended to with their low-balling tactics, and are less able to sign additional talent.  Let's not for one second forget that teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay are in direct competition for a playoff spot.

So Mr. Burke, please, at the risk of pissing off Steve Yzerman, make Steve Stamkos an offer that makes sense to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Who said that general managers have to be best friends?  This is a business and Leafs fans don't give a damn for one second about taking away Tampa Bay's best player - neither should their general manager.

All Frans-on Deck!

So there I was enjoying a meal from yet another long weekend BBQ when I quickly see across the ticker scroll: "Leafs trade Brett Lebda and minor-leaguer Robert Slaney to Predators for Matthew Lombardi and Cody Franson." My immediate reaction was, "This has to be a joke -- there's no way we got Franson alone for those two scrubs." But yes, indeed, the Leafs sure did.

Well, as my reaction suggests, this was one heck of a deal for the Leafs. Here's yet another instance of the Leafs "buying" a highly touted/talented young defenceman, as they did when they "bought" Jake Gardiner from Anaheim by taking on Joffrey Lupul's salary in exchange for Francois Beauchemin. It's nice to see them flex their financial muscle around in a salary cap world. The Predators did not hold insurance on Lombardi, so the Leafs and the money bags they possess, swooped right in and said, "Hey, we'll help you guys out -- just make sure you throw in Franson."

Now, as much criticism as Burke gets and deserves for not yet obtaining a true #1 centre (sorry Tim Connolly), he has turned his defence into one that not only is good today, but can be even better tomorrow. We should have known as Burke has repeatedly said he builds from the net out. Phaneuf, Schenn, Aulie, Gardiner, Franson, Gunnarsson -- that has the makings of one heck of a blue line in a couple years. Throw in Liles for this year and perhaps beyond and there is a great mix.

Now, Franson obviously can't be viewed as a saviour. But let's look at the bigger picture here: deals like this add depth to the system. Piece by piece, the Leafs will go from a bare cupboard (thanks JFJ) to one that is chock-full of capable NHLers. With that, instead of being forced to hold on to the one or two rare nuggets, the possibility will be there to grab a few of the "jars" from the cupboard and turn it into something real good.

Knowing Burke, he is far from done. And if he's shown anything, it's that he is not afraid to make the big deal nor have it come from left field. So just as free agency has started, so has trading season. It's still a long ways 'til training camp, and the dog days of summer are upon us, but I don't doubt this is the last we hear about any Leaf doings during that time.

He's not good enough for the Islanders, but he's good enough for us

Ok that's unfair, but on a website with 400 views in almost a full calendar year you need bold headlines.  In a move akin to the hockey version of "The Odd Couple", the Leafs have hired Scott Gordon as an assistant coach to Ron "Snarky" Wilson.  Gordon, as you will recall, was head coach of the lowly New York Islanders last season before he was scapegoated and fired by the quirky Charles "Best friends with Alexei" Wang.

So what do you get when you mix a head coach who promotes run and gun, firewagon, pedal to the medal offensive hockey, with an assistant coach who specializes in a tight defensive style with no excitement or risk taking?  I think that's the hockey equivalent to what happens in Ghostbusters when they "cross streams".

As the Leafs continue their quest to become "Team America", will this latest gimmick in what surely must be a further attempt to gain Leafs support from south of the border pay off?  I'm so confused right now I have absolutely no idea.  Let's wait for October to find out.