Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

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  • sabresfan
    Rookie
    • Jul 2003
    • 414

    #316
    Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

    Hmm, looks like Ricciardi may be getting a little ansy now:
    "I like our team, these guys play hard and we've had our heart ripped out and stepped on a few times, and for them to continue getting off the mat I think is a testament to them," Ricciardi said. "I do think we're at a point, though, where it's like the PGA, it's becoming moving day. We can't keep wallowing two-steps forward, two-steps back, we've got to start making some progress. I know we're capable of doing it but we don't want to get to a point where we're looking at July and saying, `We've dug a hole for ourselves."

    Comment

    • bad_philanthropy
      MVP
      • Jul 2005
      • 12167

      #317
      Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

      Whatever JP says, bottom line is this team had a very good road trip, but failed to reach the next level when it had the opportunity, they left too many men on, their bullpen has started to slump and Ryan blew two saves. Then they come home to lose three of four games to two of the worst teams in the league.

      The rotation has been the best in years, but the team is still finding ways to lose, I really just don't get it.

      Comment

      • SPTO
        binging
        • Feb 2003
        • 68046

        #318
        Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

        I hope JP doesn't get too antsy and make a "win now" trade or two that probably won't save his job in the long run anyways and screw us in the future. It sounds like he may be in hare trigger mode soon and looking at his track record that's a very mixed bag.
        Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

        "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

        Comment

        • sabresfan
          Rookie
          • Jul 2003
          • 414

          #319
          Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

          And the thing that gets me is that lately even guys like Rolen and Eckstein who never really fell into the RISP funk everyone else did have stopped getting the clutch hit.

          Now I was advocating that Jesse Barfield become the hitting coach long before we hired Denbo, and I'm wondering if anybody else heard Barfield really ripping into Denbo's philosophy Saturday during the broadcast. If you didn't hear it, he basically was going off for like 5 minutes on how all the Jays hitters watch good pitched to hit in the name of working the count only to get behind and be put in bad situations at the plate. He was saying that you go up there with one thing in mind that you're looking for and it doesn't matter when in the AB you get it you need to unload on it. I couldn't agree more. How often do we see the Jays get into 2-0 or 3-1 counts and then watch nothing better than a BP fastball down the pipe for a strike? If the hitters weren't so intent on working that count, we would be in significantly better positions to hit and probably knock in far more than 2 runs more often than not.

          Comment

          • SPTO
            binging
            • Feb 2003
            • 68046

            #320
            Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

            I didn't hear Barfield's rant but I agree with him. I've said it before and i'll say it again but Mickey Brantley shouldn't have been fired. After all he was the man that helped Alex Rios break out into a legit threat in the lineup. I liked the aggressiveness the Jays showed at the plate and now they've gone a complete 180 degrees. It's like unlearning everything that made you into a good hitter the year before.

            Now i'm not saying Denbo's style is no good because the Yanks played that way during their '90s run but it takes a certain type of hitter and type of team to pull that off. The Jays are a team of mashers up and down the lineup with the exception of a couple guys. Power guys generally don't like going too deep into counts. They like to be aggressive and go after the pitch they want.

            In many ways the firing of Brantley was just JP looking for a scapegoat but in reality he fired a guy that brought a lot of good to the team.
            Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

            "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

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            • sabresfan
              Rookie
              • Jul 2003
              • 414

              #321
              Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

              Wow, what a game by McGowan tonight. It was great to see him just in control all night, and topping it off with the complete. I also loved Wilkerson with the big blow against the team that dumped him. Nice amount of hits, but Overbay again blows a chance to really extend the lead and make it a comfortable game.

              Comment

              • SPTO
                binging
                • Feb 2003
                • 68046

                #322
                Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                It's nice to see McGowan actually show the stuff that everyone raves about. I've found he's taken a bit of a stutter step backwards this season but that was a nice game from the highlights I saw.
                Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

                Comment

                • RAZRr1275
                  All Star
                  • Sep 2007
                  • 9918

                  #323
                  Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                  The blue jays staff is really coming along. Marcum, McGowan, and Litsch are all doing well. And they got B.J Ryan back a while ago. Now they just need a bit more offense.
                  My latest project - Madden 12 http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2043231648

                  Comment

                  • sabresfan
                    Rookie
                    • Jul 2003
                    • 414

                    #324
                    Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                    Originally posted by SPTO
                    It's nice to see McGowan actually show the stuff that everyone raves about. I've found he's taken a bit of a stutter step backwards this season but that was a nice game from the highlights I saw.
                    He was totally in control, now the only question is whether or not he can start pitching like on the road. At home his ERA is under 2, on the road its over 6!

                    Comment

                    • sabresfan
                      Rookie
                      • Jul 2003
                      • 414

                      #325
                      Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                      Once again a great pitching performance wasted by the garbage offense. Wells and Stairs didn't exactly have banner days as they both missed out on huge chances to knock home some insurance runs. I didn't watch the game with the lack of TV coverage, but it sure sounds like Ryan got squeezed big time which ended up costing the Jays the game. But honestly, how much longer can you go before some kind of major shake-up happens? The team just flat out isn't performing like it should be. I have a feeling Gibbons will be the fall guy, but I seriously think that Denbo has broken our hitters with that wait it out approach of his. I know a lot of JPs player moves have been questioned, but I think that personnel move may be his worst in his 7 years.

                      Comment

                      • SPTO
                        binging
                        • Feb 2003
                        • 68046

                        #326
                        Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                        Yeah, I kind of knew the game would end badly after they couldn't cash in a run in the 6th with only one out. BTW here's something that's illustrative of how Denbo has ruined this lineup. Thigpen was batting and he struck out. Well Ashby said something like "He let two hittable pitches by him and swung on the third pitch". The whole "look at pitches" approach is killing this team.
                        Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                        "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

                        Comment

                        • sabresfan
                          Rookie
                          • Jul 2003
                          • 414

                          #327
                          Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                          Man I watched the archive feed of that ninth inning on MLB.TV and I can not believe the pitches that went as balls 3 and 4. Those were flat out strikes, I am flabbergasted by how often we see the Jays at the plate with huge strike zones and then pitchers getting squeezed. I don't know if you read Blair's blog the other day but he said he was either told of or overheard (I don't remember and don't care to look it up right now) a conversation between umpires discussing how they were told to tighten the strike zone when the Jays pitchers (specifically Doc) were on the mound. If that is true, it is unbelievable that the MLB is basically telling the umps to screw the Jays. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything Bud does when it relates to baseball in Canada, but still...

                          Comment

                          • SPTO
                            binging
                            • Feb 2003
                            • 68046

                            #328
                            Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                            Originally posted by sabresfan
                            Man I watched the archive feed of that ninth inning on MLB.TV and I can not believe the pitches that went as balls 3 and 4. Those were flat out strikes, I am flabbergasted by how often we see the Jays at the plate with huge strike zones and then pitchers getting squeezed. I don't know if you read Blair's blog the other day but he said he was either told of or overheard (I don't remember and don't care to look it up right now) a conversation between umpires discussing how they were told to tighten the strike zone when the Jays pitchers (specifically Doc) were on the mound. If that is true, it is unbelievable that the MLB is basically telling the umps to screw the Jays. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything Bud does when it relates to baseball in Canada, but still...
                            Wow...I can understand tightening it up for Doc and Marcum because those guys work kinda like Maddux in his prime where they take a little and take a mile but to punish the bullpen guys is just crazy.
                            Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                            "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

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                            • Vince
                              Bow for Bau
                              • Aug 2002
                              • 26017

                              #329
                              Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                              Why is Adam Lind still in the minors when he's preety much killing Triple-A pitching?!?!
                              @ me or dap me

                              http://twitter.com/52isthemike

                              Comment

                              • bad_philanthropy
                                MVP
                                • Jul 2005
                                • 12167

                                #330
                                Re: Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays!

                                Jays have to get rid of Denbo and get away from small ball. The weather is warmer now. Seriously what the hell is a team in the AL with players like, Wells, Rios, Rolen, and Matt freaking Strairs doing playing high pitch count small ball? Bottom line is that with the rotation this team has they are better off taking their hacks. Somebody tell Denbo that this isn't the NL West.

                                It's a good thing Lind isn't up with the big club, his brain would probably end up busted as well.

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