I can't think of anything witty to say, so here is the lineup for today:
R. Adams ss
O. Hudson 2b
V. Wells cf
C. Delgado 1b
A. Rios rf
E. Hinske 3b
G. Zaun c
G. Gross lf
E. Crozier dh

Sir Roy Halladay vs Sidney Ponson.

Just 6 more games after tonight.

Wistful about the passing of another season, or eager for the damn thing to end, or maybe a bit of both? For me, even a losing season is much better than no baseball...

I like the lineup.

You know what? I wouldn't mind going back and replaying this season, day by day, the exact same way. It was the Season From Hell, yes, but soon we will face the Offseason With Nothing, which is always worse than even the most hellish of seasons.

Plus, if we replayed the season, I would look like a genius when I predict Tosca's firing TO THE MINUTE! ;)

(I just said "season" five times in three sentences...)

But I would look ever so much smatter by predicting Terry Adams for John Hattig.

And I concur. The a terrible season is better than the offseason. The playoffs will hopefully provide as much excitement as they did last year, but after that it's a long 4 months until spring training.

good head's up baserunning by O-Dog

Breaking two SFH stereotypes:

Bringing home a runner on thrid, Rios hitting with RISP

Weak weak play by Delgado... I guess I can't expect too much from a soon to be FA on a losing team.

Weak play by Delgado? It wasn't his fault he was sent. He rightfully shot Butterfield a "what the hell?" look. If he hasn't got Delgado's speed pegged 150 games into the season, then when?

I'm saying its weak because he should have crashed into Lopez, instead he tried to go around Lopez, even though the ball was in his glove for about 2 seconds before Delgado got there.

Weak play by Delgado? It wasn't his fault he was sent. He rightfully shot Butterfield a "what the hell?" look. If he hasn't got Delgado's speed pegged 150 games into the season, then when?

Whoa, guess I missed something when I got up to get a drink.

Ahhhhhhh damnit.

Mora Unloads a Home run off Haladay... 3rd (4th) in 2 starts.

GOING GOING ZAUN!!!!

I don't know why but we play well for some reason at Camden Yards.

Wow, Zaun has nice hair. You mix those with Carlos's teeth, Sparky's body and Thrillhouse's glasses and thats a fine lookin ballplayer you got there.

Ponson hasn't actually retired a batter since Wells...that's 6 in a row to reach safely. Come on Adams!

In regards to the thread, I'm already sad that there's only a week left in the season-and I'm gonna miss Wed-Sun for a golf vacation, so to me there's only 2 days left! Good season, bad season, anywhere in between, all great to watch.

Adams must hate Bibgie. He's scalded two balls and is 0-2.

Not if Wells the rally killer can help it! Man I think this guy has his own pop-up and DP Instructors.

How many runners has VW left on base this year? Yikes.

Vernon...yikes. His .229 with RISP just went down. My championship in fantasy doesn't like that either.

Ponson is really one of the worst pitcher's I've seen who can throw a 95 mph fastball with a good slider.

JP, SIGN CARLOS NOW -DGRIEBELING

It seems less and less likely Carlos is going to sign here... offering him a 6-7 million dollar contract? Very unlikely he is going to touch that with a 10 foot pole.

we play well for some reason at Camden Yards

The Jays play well against the O's generally. This year is really the first major disparity in favour of playing Baltimore on the road.

Year Dome Camden
1992 5-2 3-3
1993 4-2 4-3
1994 0-3 2-4
1995 2-4 4-3
1996 3-4 2-4
1997 2-4 4-2
1998 5-1 2-4
1999 6-0 5-1
2000 4-2 2-5
2001 6-4 6-3
2002 7-2 8-2
2003 6-4 5-4
SFH 2-7 5-1

Total 52-39 52-39

So Jay Gibbons walks into a bar. Bartender goes "Why the long face?".

Uhhhhhh..... anyone else wondering why Sportsnet had a twenty second close up of Zaun's ass?

Sportsnet had a twenty second close up of Zaun's ass?

Now there's an upside to being stuck with the radio broadcast :)

Oh baby. The Doc pitches his way out of a big jam. I missed this guy.

Oooogh, Roy, you bitch, that was cold.

Pretty displeased at Gibbons' decision to pull him at the end of the inning.

I'm saying its weak because he should have crashed into Lopez,

Why?

At this point... what's the point?

what's the point?

Maybe Carlos would leap into Lopez's arms and they'd fall in love.

anyone have any hook ups for Hotels near the Dome for this friday night?

Zaun has nice hair. You mix those with Carlos's teeth, Sparky's body and Thrillhouse's glasses and thats a fine lookin ballplayer you got there.

You're scaring the crap out of me, Jobu.

Pretty displeased at Gibbons' decision to pull him at the end of the inning.

You and Doc. But this is like spring training for Halladay as far as management is concerned.

Come on, you don't have to be flaming to admit Zaun's got nice hair, Carlos has perfect teeth and Sparky's got a good body.

Of if you were just scared that I'd bother stating my thoughts of mixing them online, then that's fair enough.

Nice slap by Thrillhouse.

Magpie, I wasn't displease, I was just relaying the information. Pardon my lazy typing skills, I'm full of Mexican food :)

WOOOO!!! O-Dog brings in a run.

Yowzah, that one was a tasty tater to Hudson; fine hit up the middle, 3-1 Jays.

Damnit Wells! What the devil's wrong with you?

Nice inning by File. Where's the superfan?

Ok the hair and the teeth comments I can live with, but saying another man has a nice body? Thats a line I will not cross.

Anyone know why Kazmir only went 3 1/3 tonight?

Zaun has nice hair.

Look at Zaun's hair, listen to his at-bat music, and try to tell me the man doesn't drive a Trans-Am.

Kazmir got tossed. Aubrey Huff got hit by a pitch, so Kazmir hit Manny AND Millar back-to-back, earning ejections for both himself and Sweet Lou.

Tyler he was thrown out after hitting Millar with a pitch

Anyone know why Kazmir only went 3 1/3 tonight?

Rick Peterson does!

Hmm...BoSox have been involved in some testy games of late. Oh well, I suppose it means Ortiz is available off the bench when needed.

Hmm...BoSox have been involved in some testy games of late. Oh well, I suppose it means Ortiz is available off the bench when needed.

I sure hope the SFH isn't followed by the OSFH. But if Carlos leaves...

I've been really impressed with League so far... the ball just deadens with the batters make contact.

but saying another man has a nice body? Thats a line I will not cross.

Oh common. You guys gotta stop being so suburban ;) Aren't there any lady Bauxites who can back me up on this??

And Johnny, I can totally see the Trans-Am. But oddly enough I also thought of Phelps like that, but his hair isn't even close.

Can anyone give an assessment of Halladay's performance (stuff, command, general well-being)?

I like that Gibbons has stayed with the reliever who's pitching well (League).

Has anybody heard why Mike Barnett is coaching first, and not Joe Breeden?

Is Gregg Zaun a free agent after this year?

Breeden is not there because he had to go to his home on the coast . Apparently his home and family were disrupted by the hurricane.

What a job by League!

It's about time this team has a young stud like that (he's only 21).

And with those goggles you just know he's gonna be a great closer.

What a job by League!

It's about time this team has a young stud like that (he's only 21).

And with those goggles you just know he's gonna be a great closer.

Based on tonight's Orioles performance, I suspect that Angelos will have to offer Delgado about three billion dollars to get him to go to Baltimore next year.

More than anything else, the whole Washington / Baltimore dynamic is what makes me think that Delgado will be somewhere else next season. I read that if MLB keeps the Expos for another year, and moves them to Washington "temporarily", they will add players to make the team more attractive. One of those players could be Delgado. Or, Angelos could decide that he needs a star to compete, and he could take his settlement / bribe and spend it on Carlos.

That, and Mr. Delgado goes to Washington would be a funny story, if you ignore the part where he leaves the Jays.

Miguel Tejada isn't a star?

Hey, a really good save!

Impressive save.... Why must they always tease us like this before the off season?

Jerry's saying Batista is the closer now, no question. Does anyone else think so?

I thought the heckler at the Trop was going to drive Arroyo out of his mind in that game...

Yeah--haven't the Jays finished strong each of the last two or three years? I like seeing them play well, but there's always an asterix in my mind because they're out of contention, and the pressure is off.

In Texas:

Anaheim has scored two in the top of the 8th, Figgins drove in one and scored the other. Halos up 4-3, Vlad batting with two on, one out and he walks. Bases loaded for G.A.

Old friend Ken Huckaby is catching as I type. No signs of Jeter nearby, though.

Good relief work by the guys with starters' endurance built up (League, Batista). I wonder how much that helps.

First ML win for Brandon League. Did they interview him after the game?

Going to the bottom of the 8th in Arlington: Texas down 4-3. Colon to face Nix, Huckaby, and Eric Young.

Wilner doing his thing on the radio, still haven't heard Flyin Hawaiian Punch-Out or Thrillhouse yet....

ARGHHHHH!!! No Jays talk tonight. It's my favourite part of the show!

You mean The Brandon Heat King Major League SHOOGY Hawaiian Punch-Out with Goggles!
Let's just call him BHKMLSHPOWG and make it easier.

Damn, not enough time for Jays talk tonight. I guess I have to..*sigh*..do my math homework. Boy, I love Grade 12...

Jerry's saying Batista is the closer now, no question. Does anyone else think so?

I have no idea who will be the closer. They change closers more often than some of the more annoying hecklers change their socks.

This was the first time I've seen Batista The Closer, and one thing I noticed right away is that he threw virtually all fastballs. He seemed, at least in the outing, to have junked the other 38 pitches he throws, and was just trying to fog it in there for strikes. Not sure how well this strategy will work against good teams, but so far so good.

you mean BHKMLSFHPOWG dont you? ;)

I did it again! I left out the Flyin' in League's nickname!

Man, I gotta stop doing that.

Attention all GTA Bauxites (who are still reading this Semi-Dead thread):

Through email I have been conversing with fellow Bauxite and Yorkie Leigh Sprague. We're interested in trying to have a mini-beer club get together at one of the York pubs known for showing Jay games. I have never been but apparently it's a nice place to watch a ballgame. If it lives up to expectations we could watch playoff games there. But for now, if any one in the GTA is curious to watch a game of the Baltimore series with some ball fans and good brew drop me a line and I'll give you more info of where to go and park and such. We don't have a set date until we see when we can get most people out. And don't be shy of my previous Sparky comments.

Hey, Wilner's still on the FAN, everyone.

I can't believe I've missed the Flyin' part of Leagues' nickname twice now...it started with Flyin' Hawaiian.

But really, folks: cross-products of vectors in R³ are calling. I would rather waste my time here, but I can't.

League's, not Leagues', but I'm sure you knew what I meant.

What about those intrigued specifically because of the Sparky comments, Jobu? What about them?

They have no excuse not to come out and watch Sparky with cheap beer all around ;)

Bases juiced in TEX, 5-3 Halos, Percival on the mound, none out...

The Godfather pops out to first in Anahiem. 1 out.

Mench pops out to third! Down to the last out, bases loaded.

Can someone tell me why Showalter brings in a pinch runner for Teixeira after the first out? Surely he knew that that was the tying run. This reminds me of Tosca doing the same thing with Delgado earlier this year, can't remember who it was against though. Is the bottom of the order that much less powerful that all of the sudden, it's a good move?

Brian Jordan strikes out swinging! Angels win! Man I'd hate to be a Rangers fan tonight. And you thought the Jays couldn't bring home RISP in the clutch.

Interesting question posed by the gentleman with Wilner

"Now that the Expos will be gone, does MLB go any extra lengths to 'protect' the Jays and their investment in Canada?"

I love Wilner's idea of a restructured league.

Ah, hell, I gave up on the math. What did Wilner say about the league structure, Jobu?

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Seeing as how MLB was poised to contract a couple of franchises, I doubt they care about the legacy of baseball in Canada.

Jobu, are you joining the Bauxites for the game on Oct. 1?

I WISH I was but I do not know for sure. Unfortunatly I must work but technicaly if I tried I could call in "sick" or try to pass of my shift. I plan on going the 2nd and 3rd though. Why do you ask?

Rob: don't forget the right-hand rule, and don't forget about alternating the positive and negative numbers. If you can keep them in mind you ought to be fine.

Wilner sugested moving the Jays to the AL Central to reunite the Tigers rivalry and moving Cleveland or Chicago to the East. He also sugested moving the Washington team to AL and moving the Pirates out of the clogged NL Central and adding a wildcard.

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Why do you ask?

A) Still trying to move tickets. :)
B) Leigh "Son of Ed" Sprague is down for 2 tickets, didn't know if the other was for you.
C) Have a soft spot for Yorkies having survived the incompetent bureaucracy for 5 years myself.

What pub were you thinking of for playoff ball?

I already gave away a Sunday shift to attend the last game of the season, if I give away Friday I'll be broke for the week. But if everyone is going to be there, I just might. Is there a drum and cheer club appearance assured for the 2nd and 3rd?

Leigh suggested the Grad Pub in Ross for the Baltimore series and if it's a good spot, why not the playoffs? I've never been there myself though. Interested in joining?

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Hmm. Possibly for the playoffs.

I believe the drum will be there on the 2nd at least, that's when I'll be taking my Little League team down. Probably the 3rd too.

Will the drum and cheer club be in the 500s on the 2nd and 3rd or the good seats?

Just saw Joey Eschein of Montreal on Sportsnet.

He said he was disapointed that more people aren't coming out for the games, especially considering that we're buried under snow most of the year. He likes taking his son to hockey games, and he doesn't understand why people don't go to Expos games, cause tickets are less than a pack of smokes in this country.

Interesting comments anyways.

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Jobu, if you're Toronto-based and will be around for the summer, I would also suggest York's intramural softball league (if you're not already a part of it). If you can hook up with some decent people - attitude-wise, not so much ability - it's a good time.

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Last I heard from Aaron, they will be in the 500 level on the 2nd and 3rd.

Rob: don't forget the right-hand rule

Uh-oh, I've never heard of it. Maybe Rob needs to do some more reading...what is this rule?
And don't get me started on positive/negatives. It's amazing how much a "+" looks like a "-" sometimes...

Ahh, you mathies; I can't believe how quickly all of that left my memory....

If you're trying to figure out which direction the cross-product vector aXb goes, you start with your right hand along the a vector such that you can curl your fingers toward the b vector. Then, whichever way you can point your thumb (i.e. into or out of the page) is where the aXb vector points. Ideally this explanation would be delivered face to face, with gestures, but I hope you get the idea.

Thanks for the tip Jim. I'll definatly keep that in mind for next summer!

And hopefuly we can get the cheer club out in FULL FORCE for the 2nd and 3rd.

And I don't really get Wilner's system. Unless I missed something:
Toronto to AL-C.
"Montreal" v.2005 to AL-E.
Pittsburgh to NL-E
Chicago or Cleveland to AL-E.

Now you have 15 teams in both leagues, which means at least one interleague game five days out of the week. Also, the clogged NL Central becomes the clogged AL East, with six teams (MFY-BOS-WAS-BAL-TBD-CHI/CLE).

Just a thought: What if Toronto switched leagues with Washington/Vegas/Portland/Arlington/Tokyo/Havana/Basra next year and became an NL team?

**

Matthew: Oh, that's the rule from physics. Something to do with magnetic forces, electricity, or something. Okay, so I'm not completely in the dark here. Thanks.

which means at least one interleague game five days out of the week

That will never fly. Interleague Play will then lose all of its novelty. What point in having two leagues then?

The more I think of it, the more I realized something I missed that would make what Wilner said make sense. I just wish I remembered what it was. Wilner if you're reading this tonight or in the morning, PLEASE grace us with your wisdom and explain what you were trying to say. On the radio it seemed to make great sense.

Interleague Play will then lose all of its novelty.

I think it already has. And it doesn't work with the unbalanced schedule either. If they do that 15/15 split, then it will turn into the NFL. What's the difference between an AFC team and an NFC team? Nothing, except the second best AFC team might be better than the best NFC team, and how fair is that?

And Willie Bloomquist hits a 3-run homer to tie Seattle with Oakland at 5 in the 7th.

I can't even come up with a good analogy for that one so I'll just bang my head into my desk repeatedly.

I can't even come up with a good analogy for that one

There was that horse becoming Pope...

I think the two leagues are still quite distinct. Certainly less distinct than they were ten years ago, but distinct none the less. As an avid follower of an American League team I can say that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies seem completely foreign to me. Even if we play a series against one of these guys once every five years, I still think there is a healthy division between the two leagues. And as the interleague games are clumped at the same time, in the middle of the season, it feels like a break - like a holiday where you get to meet new people. It's fresh, I like it. If interleague games are played all over the season the foreign qualities of the other league will disappear, and the meetings will be taking place at inappropriate times, like during a pennant race. Whereas now it always seems to work that you're playing key division rivals down the stretch. How beautiful the AL West is with the Angels playing Oakland, Texas, then Oakland again.

And the A's take it in the bottom of the 9th. What a game.

LA also won in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded. You gotta love this sport.

A funny thing from the archives, 2002:

Paul Godfrey, his boss with the Jays, won't interfere with his GM's plan, at least until it includes asking for cash to sign a free agent for the 2004 pennant drive

----------------------

LA also won in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded. You gotta love this sport.

Except that the events of tonight inhibit my postseason desire to see the Angels in and the Dodgers completely collapse. I still think the Angels have a good shot. But this Guillen thing is a stupid distraction. Really, I wonder if Scoscia could have just let it go; there was only seven games left. What good is it to send a message now? I wanna see K-Rod and Vlad in postseason. If the Dodgers do make it, there should be some good Gagne moments at least.

Eeeeccccccchhhhhhhhh......

I just saw 30 seconds of "Growing Up Gotti". I couldn't change, I was like a deer caught in headlights. That's 30 seconds of my life I'd never get back. I feel like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters shaking the goo off him.

If the Dodgers do make it, there should be some good Gagne moments at least.

And it's been a long five years since we've seen Lima Time at work in the postseason.

There is no reason at all for Montreal/Washington to move to the AL. Baltimore would be dead set against it. It would put two teams in one league in one market, something MLB has always sought to avoid doing. The only people who want this are Blue Jays fans, seemingly desperate to put the team anywhere but the AL East. It's not going to happen, it shouldn't happen, and only the most narrow-minded and parochial person would see any benefit at all to it happening.

Also, the idea of moving Toronto to the Central and Chicago or Cleveland to the East is the single most asinine realignment proposal I have ever heard. You might as well ask for Toronto to be put in a "Special Ed Division" with Arizona, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay.

"Special Ed Division"

In that division *everyone* is a winner!

Hey.... that special ed devision sounds sweet! Toronto, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Miliwuakee, Kansas City.

Where do I petition for that!?

Ah man, we would SO win the special ed division... ROCK ON!!!!