Well, fuck. If those standings don't have you reaching for a drink, your affinity with sobriety is a lot stronger than mine.
Roy Halladay went into Saturday's ball game in the Bronx having allowed seven home runs in 109 innings. In seven innings of work yesterday afternoon, he surrendered three long balls; one a fly ball to Johnny Damon. Nope, nothing strange about new Yankee Stadium. Nothing at all. (Fuck the Yankees, and their new ballpark.)
If I haven't yet developed a full-blown complex from supporting the Blue Jays while they play in the AL East, it can't be far off. I'm not sure how much more I can take - the Yankees and Red Sox and their deep pockets, and the Tampa Bay Rays finally doing what it took the Pittsburgh Penguins only a few years to do: tank their way to success. It's frustrating. Like you wouldn't believe.
Don't look now, but it's those devilish Rays with the division's best run differential (+78). The Jays led in that respect during the salad days of April and early May. All of a sudden, the Jays are seven games behind Boston, and six behind the Yankees for the Wild Card. If I could take solace in the fact that Toronto is better than Baltimore, I would. But that's like being proud of yourself for finishing the race ahead of the one-legged kid. Where's the God damn pride in that?
Now that divisional play has begun in earnest, I can't help but look back to June. Twelve wins and 14 losses; simply not good enough. To compound matters, Scott Richmond just hit the disabled list. It's unbelievable, really, the luck, or lack thereof, when it comes to Toronto's pitching staff. As if playing in the AL East wasn't hard enough. Fuck off, baseball Gods.
Oh yeah, Vernon Wells. As you know by now, The Cito finally - no, mercifully - moved him down in the lineup to the six-hole, and he's responded. Well, kind of. Three-for-eight, with two doubles, two runs scored, a walk, a home run, and one RBI. We remain at SEVERE on the Hatred Advisory System. Until Wells starts helping this team win some games, it's where we shall remain. Hard to believe that on July 5th, Wells and Alex Rios are batting sixth and seventh in the Blue Jays lineup. Overpaid idiots, the both of them. I can only hope they're taking notes when Scott Hoss Rolen, he of the 21-game hitting streak, steps up to the plate.
All that being said, there's still half a season to play. After the Jays took the loss in extras on Saturday, I immersed myself in Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. I'm coming down the home stretch of the massive 748-page book, and came across a most apt quote on page 686:
"There is always hope - hope enough to balance our despair. Or we would be lost."
There is much baseball to be played. Fuck the AL East; when Toronto does make the playoffs, having overcome the odds will make it that much sweeter. Believe.
If not, there's always 2010. Am I rite?
15 comments:
For the Jays to succeed in this environment, they need a majority of their players to have career years. Simple as that.
Sucks but that's life.
On The Fence Sports
Testify.
That's all I got.
You are a Fan in true order. For your unshaking and unwavering support for your team, I dub thee: Sir eyebleaf, Lord Duke of Fandom.
All that said, unfortunately, the Blue Jays are in deep doo-doo.
@ OnTheFence: Hence why I hate the fact the Jays play in the AL East. Although Hill, Scoots and Lind are all doing what you say they need to do. Lind, especially. What a man.
@ The Ack: You are appreciated.
@ William: Deep doo-doo is correct. And while I like "Sir eyebleaf, Lord Duke of Fandom," I think "Sir eyebleaf, Lord Duke of Homerism" might be more suitable.
Raps sign Turk just as the Jay season starts its death throes...These last 2 Halladay starts (vs. TB and NY) were must-wins, and we just couldn't get the job done.
At least Hill made the All-Star team. And I spent 15 minutes voting for Lind.
*sigh*......fuck. I just hate this juxtaposition of we score runs we can't pitch; we pitch good we can't score. So dissapointed in Wells and Rios right now. The pitching has been destroyed by injury so I'll give them that, except for a certain few...... We missed our chance with the Massholes getting swept. A-bedee A-bedee A-bedee that's all folks!
Perhaps luckily I've had too much other stuff to do lately that has kept me from all but the replays and the box scores. I think I'd be more depressed otherwise. Still ... a lot of games to go.
Here's a sad thought. The Orioles are fewer games back of the the Jays than the Jays are of the Yankees.
my affinity for sobriety only exists right now because of the copious amounts of Tanqueray consumed in Canada.
PLAYOFFS!!!1!
I believe in believing in the Jays.
And bud, it's just like Yogi Berra once said "It ain't over til it's over"
If a man like me can come back in a pool match down six balls facing elimination, the Blue Jays can come back too.
I was at Saturday's game.
Damon's HR looked like an infield fly when it left his bat. I'm not sure, but I think the new Yankee Stadium may be titled down at an 80% angle.
@ Escaped: I think we can all set aside 15 minutes in our lives to vote for Adam Lind.
@ Loosh: That type of attitude will get you nowhere around here!
@ QJays: Half a season to be played, yo.
@ Mathias: You keep those sad thoughts to yourself, man. I don't need to read that shit!
@ Schultz: I hope Canada was everything you thought it would be and more.
@ BK & Dan: Playoffs!!!1
@ DGB: That stadium is full of shit. Where were your seats? Any interesting stories? Other than being full of shit, how is the stadium otherwise?
@ Anon: Thanks for the witty and insightful comment, douchebag.
These injuries have now become ridiculous. Halladay's barely back and now word is Richmond's out?
These pretzels are making me thirsty!
+10 for the completely random Seinfeld reference.
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