The good guys scored early and often and they needed most of it. It took a while to get it done, but a win is a win. Gregg Zaun and Vernon Wells had three hits apiece, and Aaron Hill's hitting streak is up to 13 games.
When JP Ricciardi was in the booth it would have been funny if they came back from commercial and JP accidentally left his microphone on while talking on his cell phone.
"Chacin, Gross, AND League?! You're breakin' my balls Larry, you're breakin' my balls!"
"Chacin, Gross, AND League?! You're breakin' my balls Larry, you're breakin' my balls!"
I will definately not include league, and I am not sure I would include gross in a deal for burnett. I believe the marlins are desperate to move him since otherwise they will get nothing except meaningless draft picks in the offseason. Not to mention the health concerns and the fact burnett never pitched like a top of the rotation starter for the entire season. Chacin and Gross is the most I would offer.
I think the first priority is to obtain a big bat in the lineup... and jettison hinske, preferably to the minors. It appears all the names in the proposed burnett deal are known, but it is pure speculation at this point regarding who might be involved in a deal for dunn/kearns/mench/etc.
Does anyone out there think that perhaps we should hold onto chacin to include him in a deal for a big bat ... seems like what the reds and rangers are after.
I think the first priority is to obtain a big bat in the lineup... and jettison hinske, preferably to the minors. It appears all the names in the proposed burnett deal are known, but it is pure speculation at this point regarding who might be involved in a deal for dunn/kearns/mench/etc.
Does anyone out there think that perhaps we should hold onto chacin to include him in a deal for a big bat ... seems like what the reds and rangers are after.
It's 7-0 A's over the Rangers in the 7th inning and the Texans are getting no-hit.
A replay of Rich Harden's gem last night? Nope. Tonight it's Barry Zito. If you have the package with all the Fox Sports regional cable feeds, dial it up!
And yes, this may jinx Zito, the ex-Rangers draft choice. If so, well, good.
A replay of Rich Harden's gem last night? Nope. Tonight it's Barry Zito. If you have the package with all the Fox Sports regional cable feeds, dial it up!
And yes, this may jinx Zito, the ex-Rangers draft choice. If so, well, good.
Did anyone who was at the game see the guy dressed as Kelly Gruber? Classic!
Check out the Oakland Game. I think Zito is trying to one up Harden
These are the same Texas Rangers who dropped 28 runs on the Blue Jays in three games last week, right?
Our very own Mr. 30+ ERA himself suspended for Minor League Drug use policy.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050715&content_id=1132216&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050715&content_id=1132216&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor
That should probably read 'banned substances' policy. Doesn't mean drugs or steroid use.
Mench just homered at exactly the same point in the game Soriano broke up Harden's perfecto yesterday.
Unbelievable. Soriano breaks it up in the 8th inning. Again. This time with a homer.
So Whiteside got busted for smoking pot or something?
It wasn't quite clear on whether it was steroids or narcotics.
It wasn't quite clear on whether it was steroids or narcotics.
Mags, Soriano grounded out to Chavez just before Mench homered.
Ah, Mench. GameDay was a little confused there.<p>
What does Blanton do tomorrow?
What does Blanton do tomorrow?
If he follows form, Blanton takes a seven-run lead and a shutout into the eighth then loses it with one out.
Makes sense. Harden was perfect, Zito had "just" a no-no, Blanton will have to settle for the near-shutout.
Makes sense. Harden was perfect, Zito had "just" a no-no, Blanton will have to settle for the near-shutout.
Still doesn't reach 'no hit Nelson' (Liriano that is). As I remember it he broke up two no hitters in the ninth inning over a one week period, Nolan Ryan was one of the victims, can't recall the other one. I think it was before Stieb had those two consecutive no-hit bids lost with 2 out in the 9th.
I guess Whiteside's suspension is the reason Gronk was called up -- otherwise, I think he would still be in AA.
Whiteside was busted a few years ago allegedly for smoking pot, if I'm not mistaken. Of course, he was also arrested on suspicion of spousal abuse in 2000. Not the best character guy at times.
Gregg Zaun is without question the most underrated player on the Jays, and one of the most underrated in the majors. He has the highest OBP (.384) among catchers with 200 PA, the second highest OPS (.811, behind Varitek), second in RC27 (6.39, behind Varitek), and 3rd in RC (40.9 - despite missing a few weeks, and is only .1 behind Pudge Rodriguez).
(Strangely, on ESPN.com, he's still not "qualified" despite having the 3rd best RC total among MLB catchers. It reminds me of the "qualified" fallacy, rightly brought up by several SABR members, regarding Pinch hitting, where the AB is the unit of qualification for BA instead of the hit.)
Now for some more anecdotal evidence. Zaun is a workhorse. I don't have the #s in front of me, but I'd be willing to bet he's caught one of the highest percentages of the Jays' total innings this year, if you don't count his stint on the DL.
He also seems to be one of the most fired-up players on the team. The pitchers like him, and he calls a good game. He also takes a beating out there. He makes our lack of a decent backup catcher more tolerable, since we know Huck figures less than if Zaun would have to take more games off.
And the best part: he's being paid less than $1 million. In my short time as a Bauxite I haven't seen as much praise for Zaun as I think he deserves.
(Strangely, on ESPN.com, he's still not "qualified" despite having the 3rd best RC total among MLB catchers. It reminds me of the "qualified" fallacy, rightly brought up by several SABR members, regarding Pinch hitting, where the AB is the unit of qualification for BA instead of the hit.)
Now for some more anecdotal evidence. Zaun is a workhorse. I don't have the #s in front of me, but I'd be willing to bet he's caught one of the highest percentages of the Jays' total innings this year, if you don't count his stint on the DL.
He also seems to be one of the most fired-up players on the team. The pitchers like him, and he calls a good game. He also takes a beating out there. He makes our lack of a decent backup catcher more tolerable, since we know Huck figures less than if Zaun would have to take more games off.
And the best part: he's being paid less than $1 million. In my short time as a Bauxite I haven't seen as much praise for Zaun as I think he deserves.
Re Trading for Burnett. IMO he's way too high a risk to give up Chacin, Gross and League. It's much safer to trade for or buy hitters and develop pitchers cause fans always remember the trades far more than the draft pick who blows his arm out and never makes it. The Jays have a lot of pitching prospects but both Chacin and League..... no way Jose.
Not to mention the health concerns and the fact burnett never pitched like a top of the rotation starter for the entire season.
You have pretty tough standards given his 3.30 ERA over 29 starts in 2002.
Now for some more anecdotal evidence. Zaun is a workhorse. I don't have the #s in front of me, but I'd be willing to bet he's caught one of the highest percentages of the Jays' total innings this year, if you don't count his stint on the DL.
Yes he has. last time I checked, he led the AL in this category. He is also ranked second in CERA. He's an extremely valuable player to this team.
As I remember it [Liriano] broke up two no hitters in the ninth inning over a one week period, Nolan Ryan was one of the victims, can't recall the other one.
You remember it well. The first one was indeed Nolan Ryan on April 23, 1989. Liriano tripled with one out in the ninth and scored on a Gruber ground out. In Anaheim less than a week later, on April 28, 1989, Kirk McCaskill's no-hitter was broken up Liriano led off the 9th with a double, pinch-hitting for Tom Lawless.
My own memory had told me that Mark Langston was involved in one of those games. Not quite. But on May 10, 1989, Langston took a no-hitter into the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 2-0, the Jays got a single from Lawless, a double from Bob Brenly, an RBI single from Junior Felix, and then George Bell drove in from Felix from second with a game-winning single.
Ah, the Jimy Williams death-watch!
Ah, the Jimy Williams death-watch!
Do they sell consonants on Wheel of Fortune? What would Vanna charge for an M?
Every time I see Jimy, I am reminded of a Scarborough slo-pitch league I played in many years ago. One of the top teams was to be known as the Slammers, but owing to the academically challenged team member responsible for getting the jerseys printed up, they were the Slamers. In subsequent years, the name stuck and the word was pronounced with a long a rather than a short a.
The Slamers. That's priceless. That's better than the Cozy Home Carpet Raiders! (A friend's football team was sponsored by Adventure Electronics, and was therefore the Adventure Raiders, until Adventure went bankrupt and they had to find a new sponsor.)
Ah, Jimy... I was disappointed that Jimy Kelly never got to play for Jimy Williams...