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Welcome to your hockey-free Jays Roundup. [Feel free to bring it up. I just don't want to seem like I'm gloating :) ]
  1. It seems like forever since we've had good news in the game reports. We've got: Spencer Fordin's "Jays bats come alive in win", Larry Millson's "Gomez ends Jays' slide in grand fashion", CPs "Jays' 1st home win costs Schilling", Allan Ryan's "Jays rally in grand slam style", and Josh Horrigan of the Boston Herald's "Schilling not so grand: Sox 'ace' sputters, slammed by Jays".

  2. Today's matchup features the 0-0 Josh Towers for the 4-11 Blue Jays at the 1-2 Eric "Don't Call Me Josh" DuBose for the 9-5 Orioles. It'll be interesting to see the lineup, as DuBose is a lefty. Spencer Fordin has a game preview.

  3. Today's Fordin Notes features the use of the term "sample size". When does Mr. Fordin get his Batter's Box Offical Members Card? Who is going to teach him the secret handshake?

A trivia question I don't know the answer to

What team holds the record for most pitching changes (relievers used) in a season?

Last year the Jays made 442 pitching changes. You can calculate this using the data at Baseball Reference by taking all the games played for the pitchers and subtracting 162. Can you find teams that made more pitching changes? The Rockies would be a good place to start.
Jays Roundup - Because You Make The Darkness Seem So Far | 23 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Joe - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:00 AM EDT (#70626) #
http://me.woot.net
Choice quotes from last night's game thread:
The Jays can't hit the road soon enough...

Three sweeps in a row at home to start the season.

[T]he expansion Jays weren't as bad as this team.
Talk about counting your chickens before they're hatched.

Jimmy Key's Christmas Lights in particular was full of vitriol. 2000 people in SkyDome indeed. Salary dump?! It's the freaking 23rd of April!
_Tom - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:01 AM EDT (#70627) #
http://mothershipconnection.blogspot.com/
Was today's reference a paean to Chris Gomez? Because he was definitely your lucky star last night...

(Still grumbling to self that Schilling could actually give up a grand slam like that.)
_Moffatt - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:16 AM EDT (#70628) #
Three million points to Tom. Today's song choice was no accident; it had everything to do with Chris Gomez.
_Gwyn - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:17 AM EDT (#70629) #
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040422.wtruth23/BNStory/Sports/
I thought this was good from William Houston today (COMN)

Then there was the sideline reporter for the New England Sports Network who, during a tour of the SkyDome on Wednesday, when the Jays played the Red Sox, said, ”This is a tremendous improvement over the old Olympic Stadium.”
_NDG - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:28 AM EDT (#70630) #
Are Jim and John Muckler the same person?

"But it's like the oldest cliche in the world in our industry, you can't fire 29 people. Is it right?" he (Muckler) said. "Sometimes it's not, but I know one thing that's right. We needed a change."

Actually Jim I'm just playing with ya. I thought you're argument for firing Tosca was fine (although i wouldn't do it). I think it was unfair how you got criticized for being a "troll", when these types of things happen all the time in real life sports franchises.
_Jim - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:34 AM EDT (#70631) #
I agree that it's knee-jerk and reactionary to fire the manager after 15 games. Keep in mind if the ghost of Grady Little wasn't haunting the Sox last night they could very well be 3-12.
Named For Hank - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 09:53 AM EDT (#70632) #
http://bluejayscheerclub.com
When does Mr. Fordin get his Batter's Box Offical Members Card? Who is going to teach him the secret handshake?

One of us...one of us...one of us...one of us...

When I was with Coach acting as the official photographer of Batter's Box, we saw Mike Wilner transcribing the results of his fantasy league draft on his laptop.
Leigh - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 11:20 AM EDT (#70633) #
Fan 590 keeps saying that Hentgen is starting tonight, but every other source that I can find says that Towers is starting. Is the Fan wrong?
_Steve Z - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 11:21 AM EDT (#70634) #
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe, has this article on Orlando Hudson's huge 8th inning AB last night!
Craig B - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 11:26 AM EDT (#70635) #
Interesting and sad news update... Pat Tillman has been killed in action in Afghanistan.

Many of you will recall Tillman, a former standout strong safety for the Arizona Cardinals, who left behind a contract worth millions to join an Army Ranger unit after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Tillman's brother Kevin Tillman, an Anaheim Angels 2B prospect, also left his baseball career behind at the same time to join and served alongside Pat.

I don't want this thread to degenerate into a discussion of U.S. military policy or action, pro or con. I just thought you all would want to know.
_EddieZosky - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 11:43 AM EDT (#70636) #
Truly sad news about Tillman - I heard it on ESPN when it broke.

He never ever granted an interview about his decision to quit football to join the Army (Rangers), nor did he release any kind of statement to the media. He turned down 3 million+ to become an Army Ranger and make 18,500 per year serving his country. Talk about a hero.

It's no worse than any of the other deaths going on over there, it just makes it hit home that much more.
_Moffatt - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 11:50 AM EDT (#70637) #
He turned down 3 million+ to become an Army Ranger and make 18,500 per year serving his country.

No matter what you think of the war, you have to admire a guy who is willing to give up so much and risk his life for something he believes in. I know I wouldn't do it.
_A - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 01:09 PM EDT (#70638) #
OPENING DAY IN MONTREAL!!
_Moffatt - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 01:11 PM EDT (#70639) #
OPENING DAY IN MONTREAL!!

Sweeeet. The Expos don't get nearly enough discussion here. Maybe I should start including a few Expos articles in the roundups each day.
_A - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 01:39 PM EDT (#70640) #
That'd be great, Mike. The 'Spos get no love in this city, especially when the Habs make the playoffs (that fluke should be over a week from tomorrow ;-)...But far and away, the worst part about Montreal's baseball coverage is the lack of knowledge in the fan base and the local press corps.
_Moffatt - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#70641) #
I'll start adding an Expos article or two from now on. The Expos have always been my favourite team, and I feel like I'm cheating on them with all this Jays business. Plus I prefer baseball to dhball. ;)
Craig B - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 01:49 PM EDT (#70642) #
the worst part about Montreal's baseball coverage is the lack of knowledge in the fan base and the local press corps.

Maybe, but the Expos' fan base is much, much more knowledgeable than Toronto's. The Expos' fans are baseball fans; few casual fans make it down to the Big O.
_Rob - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 02:07 PM EDT (#70643) #
It's Eric DuBose, is it not? Either that or you're just Joshing us, Mike.
_Moffatt - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 02:12 PM EDT (#70644) #
Crap.. that's twice in two days that I've used part/all of the Jays starter's name for the opposing starter's moniker. I'll fix that ASAP.
_Dr. Zarco - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 03:26 PM EDT (#70645) #
Mike, I'm a little surprised the "dhball" rip didn't start a DH debate. If I had more time right now, I probably would. My favorite line was from Rick Reilly in SI (this is only an approximate quote) "and can we please stop making pitchers hit...i'm sick of watching them swing like they're trying to swing at a bee inside a car."
_Matthew E - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 05:37 PM EDT (#70646) #
http://www.bluejayway.ca/forum/index.php?topic=2936.0
I just ran some numbers to figure out the average lengths of relief appearances for AL teams. I was checking to see if Tosca's bullpen habits had changed from year to year. They haven't. So far, they're the same: the average Toronto relief appearance is a little less than one inning long, shortest in the league. COMN for the numbers.
Mike Green - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 06:06 PM EDT (#70647) #
Matthew, I've noticed a change since the Boston debacle of a couple of weeks ago. I think that you'll find the numbers are different if you measure it in mid-May.
_Matthew E - Friday, April 23 2004 @ 06:53 PM EDT (#70648) #
Well, we'll see. I thought I had noticed the same thing, but I would have expected it to show up in the numbers by now, and I don't think it has.
Jays Roundup - Because You Make The Darkness Seem So Far | 23 comments | Create New Account
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