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simonus

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Looks like Towers has finally pitched a good game.... even though he gave up a 2 run shot in the 9th.

:hlogo:

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Well Bonds got his 714th homerun :puke:

The real interesting moment from yesterday was the brawl between the Cubs and the White Sox. Michael Barrett will probably get a lengthy suspension, probably AJ also.

And Pujols continues to light it up, 21 and counting.

It seems like this years season has a bunch of great storylines, anyone else noticing the same thing?

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  • 2 weeks later...
I wondered when somebody was going to mention it. I don't know wanted a change. That pic is right up on the wall in my room next to a Trudeau pic. Why whats wrong?

Nothing wrong at all... just curious... now the Laurier one... I expect you'll change it again and again sometime. No problem with that either. I'm looking forward to the picture of prime minister Kim Campbell or John Turner. Or... maybe some really obscure type like Charles Tupper who was PM for 2 months 7 days from May 1 to July 8, 1896.

Another possibility would be Mackenzie Bowell (if you can stomach the idea). :wacko:

And, of course, there's always everybody's favourite (well, his own anyways) John Diefenbaker... the man who's government was so gloriously responsible for not only canning the Avro Arrow project but also having almost every existing model destroyed. :blink::blink:

Lots of possibilities. Lots of possibilities... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

:king: :hlogo: :king:

Edited by shortcat1
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I hate to phrase it this way, but I dont see how the sox and yanks would allow the jays to win the east. The thing is that both teams will be stronger after the all-star break than they are now, certainly after the trade deadline. Dont be surprised if/when the sox pick up a new shortstop+pitching and the yanks grab outfielder+pitching. Now, I dont know exactly how the yanks will work out a trade considering their lack of a farm, but they seem to be able to make things happen.

Maybe the yanks will have no assets to trade. Maybe the sox will want to keep the farm intact and try for next year... maybe the jays are good enough to win no matter what the sox and yanks do... but I'll believe it when I see it.

Edited by simonus
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I think the Jays are good enough to steal the Wild Card from the Yankees. I honestly believe the Sox take the division with the Jays taking the Wild Card. If Burnett can stay healthy for more then a couple days, then they really have a shot.

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If and when (if only...) Burnett can come back and be healthy all season, we'd stand a super chance at going to and staying at the top of the AL East.

The World Series championship would then be a distinct possibility.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

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I would like to note that with pitching not up to snuff, the Jays have managed to keep the division standings close. With A.J. injured so long it is good to see this is a good team that can challenge the big powerhouses.

I think it was jetsniper on here that said Boston will win the division and he is probably right. Redsox are very good on defence and can hit the long ball. Biggest problem they have right now is those pesky Jays chipping away at their lead and pitching I really question. Jays are my favorite team.

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I hate to phrase it this way, but I dont see how the sox and yanks would allow the jays to win the east. The thing is that both teams will be stronger after the all-star break than they are now, certainly after the trade deadline. Dont be surprised if/when the sox pick up a new shortstop+pitching and the yanks grab outfielder+pitching. Now, I dont know exactly how the yanks will work out a trade considering their lack of a farm, but they seem to be able to make things happen.

Maybe the yanks will have no assets to trade. Maybe the sox will want to keep the farm intact and try for next year... maybe the jays are good enough to win no matter what the sox and yanks do... but I'll believe it when I see it.

No offence, but thats a pretty typical Sox/Yanks fan outlook on things in the AL East. None of you guys believe that the Jays are in the race for the division title, and that's fine, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Jays can not only compete with the best in the AL East, but that they can win the division title. The Jays only really need a couple of relievers to start performing and a competent fifth starter. Those relievers could come from the people that are already in place (Frasor and Schoeneweis have struggled but i still believe in them in the long term) and the fifth starter might already be there with Casey Janssen performing admirably so far this season.

Top to bottom, i think the Jays have a better lineup than the Sox to be perfectly honest with you, it's just that you guys never in the States probably never hear about any of them. Alex Rios is leading the league in batting but I'd say with relative confidence that he garners less attention than Kevin Youkillis. Troy Glaus has 17 homers and has provided solid D at third but all anyone in the U.S. would talk about is David Ortiz or Jason Giambi. And i challenge you to come up with an argument against Vernon Wells being the front runner for AL MVP thus far.

You may not believe it now simonus, but this is and will be a three horse race!

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haha, Red Sox envy.

From what I've seen, everyone is slotting the Red Sox and Jays as 1/2 in the AL East. Must've missed it Quebecois, but I think the Jays have shot. I'd have to disagree that the Jays have a better all-around lineup but you certainly are better then the Red Sox in some areas. If you want to look at all-around offense then the Blue Jays have us beat. We have the best offensive player though in David Ortiz who I would take over Glaus, Rios or Wells any day. Defensively, I think the Red Sox are much better and for the starting rotation we are pretty much even. We both have our big guns (Halladay, Chacin, Schilling, Beckett) but we both have our weak links (Towers, Clement). And with Papelbon, Timlin and (at a minor edge) Foulke...I'd take our bullpen too.

Come August, it will be a two horse race. Between Boston and Toronto. I must say, I look forward to it considering I'm a Canadian. I love both teams.

EDIT: Noticed I had Clement as a big gun. I meant Beckett. :P

Edited by jetsniper
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I know you were giving the Jays some respect, it was more simonus who was shunning this season as another Yanks-Sox showdown for the Division title.

I agree with most of your assesments, except for the Sox being "much better" defensively. Theres not a weak spot in our outfield, Wells and Torii Hunter are neck and neck in my books for being the best defensive CF in baseball, Rios and Johnson/Cat have been great as well. Overbay and Glaus have been really good on the corners for the most part. Up the middle might be the weak spot on the team, but Johnny Mac is very good defensively and Aaron Hill is holding his own. Behind the plate we have two time gold glover Bengie Molina and Gregg Zaun, who i think has been better than Molina in more limited time.

Your right though, it's going to be one exciting stretch drive...

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Yeha, you're right, much better might be an overstatement. You do have us beat in the outfield but with guys like Lowell, Loretta and Varitek I think I would take our infield over the Jays with a slight edge.

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Yeha, you're right, much better might be an overstatement. You do have us beat in the outfield but with guys like Lowell, Loretta and Varitek I think I would take our infield over the Jays with a slight edge.

When I watched Boston win its first World Series in a BILLION years (Jays have won more in that same time span right?) it was a team with heart, determination, talent and a city that was going nuts cheering them on. I certainly was cheering for them too as I like the Bosox even though Toronto is my team.

Every team has holes, it is just up to the players if they want to win. Boston always fields a very competitive team. What helped Boston over the top was Pedro and Curt. Pitching, pitching, pitching....

This year Boston's pitching may not be as good as management wants it, however there are some guys like Beckett that could make a difference. In toronto Chacin, and if Burnet ever pitches should challenge all the way.

I did not mention NYY as they always buy their way in somehow.

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When I watched Boston win its first World Series in a BILLION years (Jays have won more in that same time span right?) it was a team with heart, determination, talent and a city that was going nuts cheering them on. I certainly was cheering for them too as I like the Bosox even though Toronto is my team.

Every team has holes, it is just up to the players if they want to win. Boston always fields a very competitive team. What helped Boston over the top was Pedro and Curt. Pitching, pitching, pitching....

This year Boston's pitching may not be as good as management wants it, however there are some guys like Beckett that could make a difference. In toronto Chacin, and if Burnet ever pitches should challenge all the way.

I did not mention NYY as they always buy their way in somehow.

Don't forget Lowe and Wake were on fire during those playoffs too. Foulke was really good too. You're right though, its all about pitching. Boston and Toronto have definitely got it and the Yankees don't (although Mussina has surprised me). I think the Yanks will be out of the picture come late August, like the O's last year.

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No offence, but thats a pretty typical Sox/Yanks fan outlook on things in the AL East. None of you guys believe that the Jays are in the race for the division title, and that's fine, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Jays can not only compete with the best in the AL East, but that they can win the division title. The Jays only really need a couple of relievers to start performing and a competent fifth starter. Those relievers could come from the people that are already in place (Frasor and Schoeneweis have struggled but i still believe in them in the long term) and the fifth starter might already be there with Casey Janssen performing admirably so far this season.

Top to bottom, i think the Jays have a better lineup than the Sox to be perfectly honest with you, it's just that you guys never in the States probably never hear about any of them. Alex Rios is leading the league in batting but I'd say with relative confidence that he garners less attention than Kevin Youkillis. Troy Glaus has 17 homers and has provided solid D at third but all anyone in the U.S. would talk about is David Ortiz or Jason Giambi. And i challenge you to come up with an argument against Vernon Wells being the front runner for AL MVP thus far.

You may not believe it now simonus, but this is and will be a three horse race!

wow, really hit a nerve there.

I am not so baseball ignorant as you might think and I know how good wells and glaus etc are.

Rios' BA is very impressive, especially considering his SLG, but as a lead-off guy I'm liking Youkilis' ~.40 more points of OBP.

Of course Boston gets more coverage than TO in the United states, the Sox are arguably the second most popular team in the US. That being said, TO probably gets as much if not more coverage than most teams. I hear about as much about the Jays as I do about the Tigers.

My whole point was that the Jays are very good, and can compete, but recent history suggests that the Sox and/or Yanks will make a large acquisition to sew up the division. The sox and yanks are 1-2 while having some pretty severe holes in on the roster. Now, one can think that those holes will get exposed, or you can think that those holes will get fixed and make the team that much stronger. Im guessing at least one of the 1-2 teams will go the way of the latter... perhaps it is a typical opinion because it makes sense.

this is not to say that the jays cannot win the division. I just think it is a long shot.

Edited by simonus
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My whole point was that the Jays are very good, and can compete, but recent history suggests that the Sox and/or Yanks will make a large acquisition to sew up the division.

I highly doubt the Sox are going to be buyers when they tried to trade their best player at the end of the season and couldn't do it. Plus aging Wells salary does not help in acquiring an expensive talent. NOBODY outbuys the mighty pinstripes in desperation times. Plus getting a large acquisition works how often?

Once boston can evaluate their pitching staff performance, they may make a change. I really don't see Boston making wholesale changes as it is a pretty strong lineup Defensively and can plaster the ball out of the park. With Coco finally in the lineup they just increased the pop in the bats.

As a Jays fan I am more wary of Boston than New York. Since the curse has been lifted this is a team that is not uptight, has fun at the park and plays hard no matter what the score is.

Ah I am off my soapbox....

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