Thanks Blue Jays! Now the hard work begins

 The World Series is about to begin and I do not have a horse left in  this race.  The Royals beat out the Blue Jays so it is a little hard to start rooting for them now, even if they may well have the most balanced team and are probably the favorites going in. The Mets have some great young arms but that KC lineup is very dangerous and can strike at any time. The Mets order is probably not as intimidating and  after a lengthy layoff may well have cooled down.

The dream match up I was hoping for was a Cubs vs Blue Jays World  Series. The Jays are my favorite AL team and the Cubs, well they are the Cubs, the lovable losers.

So now more focus goes to the off field game of baseball and there is  always. Much speculation on how teams will look to improve during the off-season.  Free agents, claims and trades come to the forefront during this time become topic of conversation and discussion. Who should stay, who should go and what upgrades can be made at a  reasonable cost (both in money and talent).

Normally this would be the time where I would start looking at The Atlanta Braves and begin feeling out what I think they need, where to get it and how they should go about it. This year is different.This year there are some extenuating circumstances that  very few could  have foreseen given the landscape of baseball in Toronto for the past 20 some odd years.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a great season, a winning season., a season  that saw them go 93-69. They won a divisional round series and just  came up a little short in a comeback that could have sent them to the World Series. How could focus go anywhere else?

The one good thing with this club is that there is a good chunk of the team that remains under club control.  The majority of those players will likely be back to for what proved to be a formidable offense and  provide stellar defense.  Turns out depth and a shaky bullpen proved  to be the team’s ultimate undoing.

With a relatively potent offense still intact the focus this off- season will be arms, both in the rotation as well as the bullpen. Well that and likely some bunting practice from some of the top of the  order guys.

The big question right now is what will the rotation look like going into next season. There will almost surely be an overhaul and what parts are left standing is anyone’s guess. The Jay’s have some good  young arms that could vie for a job as a starter but as for those who ended the season there will not likely be returning.

The club has an option on RA Dickey at a relatively team friendly salary. Not a top of the line guy anymore but an innings eater with a history of decent health so he is probably in the back end of the rotation. Mark Buehrle, Marco Estrada and David Price are all free agents. 2 of those guys will be looking to cash in this off-season and  1 may just retire. That leaves a lot of options and flexibility for the Jays to go in any number of directions.

Right now the only 2 Aces that the Jays
have is Marcus Stroman and this guy 

Here is the big thing on the pitching front, and this is where things  get murky. David Price will likely want somewhere in the ballpark of  7 years and near $200 some Million he is over 30 and as history will
show you are paying for about 4 maybe 5 good years before that  contract looks terrible and he is unable to throw to near that value. Marco Estrada has had 7/8 of a full year as a top end starter and entering the season was not even in the rotation. Giving him a big free agent contract based on 1 good season and one VERY good post season is a very risky proposition. The question now is Do You Feel  Lucky? Well do you, punk? The third member of this triad is Mark Buehrle. The decision may well be made by him and not by the club. He may want to return (but would have to do so at a very reduced rate) he may opt to retire or maybe he is just interested in moving on from the Jays altogether.

Oh, there is one other issue when looking at who or how this rotation  will be built. The GM, Alex Anthopoulos himself is going to become a  free agent on or near the completion of the World Series. So the current head decision maker and architect of this club may not be part of this club. Or, maybe he will be. Or, maybe there will be a sharing  of power in baseball operations with incoming Mark Shapiro as  President and CEO.  These are the most crucial decisions the Jays face  at the beginning of the off-season. After that it is all the easy  stuff like: Who is your second baseman Ryan Goings or Devin Travis who  will be returning from injury. What are you going to do at 1st base Smoke, Colabello or another? Do you need to trade a bat for an arm and  who can or are they willing to move? What young arm is ready to make the jump into the rotation? How and who are you going to set your bullpen and where are you going to find the ‘power arms’ that seem to  be a necessity?

And not unlike the Conservative Party of Canada attack ads.."and the budget will balance itself”. So too for the Blue Jays "the roster will fill out itself ’ right?

Baseball's Hall of Fame

Voting is a privilege not a right. 

A few voters in baseball need to remember or be reminded of that.

When the Hall of Fame ballots are finally all counted up and announced on Wednesday we should hear the names of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine announced.  Both of these former Braves pitchers should be locks to make it on their first go around.  In the case of Maddux he should be a unanimous choice... He should be the first unanimous choice ever... however he won't be.  It has already been reported that at least one writer has left him off their ballot. 

Voting for awards, and not unlike speculating who will make a certain country's national hockey team can and will be very subjective.  One's person's list likely differs from the next, but only moderately. Can you imagine a Team Canada roster that does not include Sidney Crosby on it?  Probably not. Why? Common sense, he's the best player in the world how could he not be included? The same thing applies to Maddux? The greatest pitcher in his generation, over 300 wins, no suggestions of steroid abuse, just a great pitcher with great numbers, gold gloves, All-Star selections a World Series title and a professor like mentality every time he takes the ball on the mound. Sounds pretty much like Hall of Fame credentials doesn't it?  And yet he would not be unanimous decision because some fool decided he wanted to be the story he wanted the limelight.  In actuality he has brought shame and disrespect to the Hall of Fame the American Baseball Writers Association and himself.  For that he should have his vote taken away and anyone else who decide to use their position to make a silly statement and clearly not take this more seriously should lose their vote too.

This is not an open vote, this is a particular honor given because of his job title. You would like to see a media member, a journalist show some integrity when given an opportunity such as this. When they teach sports journalism one would think that the first lessons would be let the story be the story, don't you be the story. Be objective, be critical if it is warranted but be fair, be honest do not show a bias. 

Now as it relates to the Hall of Fame voting, if this is going to continue to happen reform needs to be made to either the voting process or the members who vote or the criteria required.  If some idiot who covers the Dodgers can make a mockery of the system he should lose his vote, Vin Scully does not even get a vote and I think most will admit he has probably forgot more about baseball that a lot of people know. Dan Shulman, the leading broadcaster on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, does not have a vote. You're giving guys way too much power who probably do not deserve it.  Ever seen or been in a newsroom before? There are usually a lot of people who are severely under qualified to be given this much responsibility. 

Each ballot should be reviewed upon completion by some sort of 'quality control' group or committee and any questionable ballots should be set aside and those who sent it in should be called in and ask to rationalize and defend their decisions, explain why they made the choice they made and if they can't do so that either revoke their right to vote and have the vote completely discounted and then lose their right to vote in the future or perhaps give them the opportunity, a second chance, as it were to make it right going forward.

The other issue in the Hall of Fame voting as to whether or not to allow players from the steroid era to be inducted.  This is an interesting dilemma because it also takes in not just numbers or even perception but also more only issues.  Does Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa or Rafael Palmero deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?  Based on what they do on the field the answer's yes. What they did off the field to make themselves better, that is a different question. There were no rules of the time or testing that prevented them from taking any questionable substances nor did they test positive.  It is naive to think that they were clean, but whose responsibility was it to ensure that they were.  Major League Baseball clearly turned a blind eye to the rampant drug use among their players.  The players association fought tooth and nail to keep drug testing it out of the game.  The baseball writers, the same ones that have the final vote of who is hall worthy did not do anything about it either.  If they are so ethical now and they suspected there was wrong doing at the time either should have done some investigatory journalism and exposed the players or the culture at that time.  They were writers during the steroid era, so by extension shouldn't be subjected to the same standards that they're holding the players to.  Because they were writers during the steroid era all their Hall of Fame votes should be discarded under the same cloud of suspicion and speculation, maybe 87% of the writers were `juicing too`.
Clearly a new system used to be put in place where there is a committee made up of baseball professionals former players and managers and executives something needs to be done.  It is sad when politics and greed and indeed for attention enter into sports and corrupts it. Leave politics to the politicians.


As a side note it is probably about time to open up the doors for Pete Rose.  Sure he is probably not a great guy but the hall is filled with probably not great guys.  But what he was able to do between the white lines is clearly Hall of Fame worthy.  You want him out of baseball, not be able to work in baseball that's fine keep him banned from the game, but a Hall of Fame without the all time hits leader just does not make sense. Not from a game that holds numbers in such high regards. You can have it both ways. 

Robbie Alomar- Fact or Fiction?

I am sure that many sport and Blue Jays fans are familiar with former second baseman, and Hall of Fame member Robbie Alomar. He was a great player for the Jays and also for many other teams including the Orioles and the Indians.

Alomar was known as being a versatile player with a solid bat, good speed and spectacular range and defensive prowess. He was what every team would love to have at the top of a lineup and up the middle. He hit for average, had some power at the plate and could turn a double play as well as just about any other player to ever play his position. A truly deserving inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame and a key member to the Blue Jays World Series Championship teams. He can be put right up there as one of the best second basemen of all time with the tools he had in his prime.

All of this is common knowledge and known by most, that is far from the interesting part. I am sure that both sports fans and regular people are at least familiar with hearing that back in 1996 Alomar was involved in a spitting incident involving an umpire.  Alomar got into a heated argument over a called third strike with umpire John Hirschbeck and spat in his face. He defended himself by saying Hirschbeck had uttered a racial slur and that Hirschbeck had been bitter since one son had died of ALD and another had been recently diagnosed as well. Upon hearing this public disclosure of his private life, Hirschbeck had to be physically restrained from confronting Alomar in the players' locker room.

This is where the un-proven and never verified part comes into play, and is part of a bigger part of the story that I had not heard before just a few days ago. Like I said before, I remember the story but never this version and now that it was mentioned it kind of makes sense and is a very interesting theory. This is all just alleged but is a somewhat plausible explanation. It was said that Alomar had heard a racial slur from Hirschbeck. Perhaps it was not a racial slur but maybe it was a sexual preference slur. If this was the case it would help validate the second part, the part that was a little more interesting.

Alomar joined the Mets in 2002 and it was in this time period that It was during this era that the "Mike Piazza is Gay" rumors began -- somewhat as a result of comments that Bobby Valentine made about Major League Baseball being ready to accept an openly gay athlete. This was a big deal at the time, so much so that it forced Piazza to hold a press conference to make a formal announcement with his model girlfriend saying he was not gay, that he was heterosexual. No active player has come out as being openly gay and to have to hold a press conference to state your orientation was big news. It was because of this that many still believe that Piazza is gay and he was just trying to get get ahead of a possible story. What was news to me was the possibility that Valentines comments were possibly made in regards to another prominent Met at the time...Robbie Alomar. He too had a prominent, beautiful, and famous girlfriend in tennis player Mary Pierce. Apparently there were whispers for years about Alomar's "preference" but it was Piazza who bore the brunt of all that crap at the time. Most people now have no issue with a persons personal preference, but in pro sports, especially team sports, there is still a stigma and an announcement of that nature would be a very difficult to do. There is also allegations of HIV and AIDS linked to Alomar (which do not help by any means either) and has been sued by a former girlfriend and his wife.


Weather or not any of this is true or not is up for debate, but because I had not heard this theory/story before I found it interesting that a lot of these pieces fit together and is at least plausible. It is up to the reader to decide what they want to believe. To many Alomar is and always be that Blue Jay who was a vacuum at 2nd to others he will be that Mets player who's skill almost disappeared overnight and was more of a train wreck then a ballplayer. It just makes it more interesting that it was his time in New York that all this happened and at the same time his play began to erode.

A Brave(s) Celebration - Part 1 of 2

Well, my Atlanta Braves had a nice ceremony before a packed house at Turner Field before the game Saturday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The attendance was the most for a baseball game in either Atlanta Foulton County Stadium or Turner Field of all time. I was nice to see a packed house in Atlanta, It has been a long time. The occasion was to celebrate the career and contributions of their manager Bobby Cox. Cox will be retiring at the end of the season, which was prolonged by some gut wrenching baseball, but I will get to that.

Cox is the only manager that I gave really ever known since I began following the Braves in the Early 90’s. Until that point I was Blue Jays thru and thru but there was something about the Braves when I was first exposed to them in 1991 when they went to the World Series versus the Twins.
Bobby was hired as manager first in 1978 but was fired in 1981 and replaced by Joe Torre who led the team to their first divisional title since 1969. Cox landed with the Blue Jays in 82 and managed until 1985. At that time Cox went back to Atlanta as the General Manager. Bobby began to build his team over the next few years and in 1990 decided to replace Russ Nixon with himself, where the team ended with the worst record in baseball, at 65–97. Apparently Bobby knew what type of team he was building and figured he was the best person to lead them. Apparently he was right because for 14 straight years (OK a strike may have gotten in the way and maybe the Expos would have won the World Series but unfortunately we will never know) the Braves won their division and won one World Series. I don’t know what it was that attracted me to the team but I am glad that I attached my fan cart to that teams horse.

The Braves, in celebrating Cox presented him with a very nice portrait of him up on the top step of the dugout, a bench that was made of baseball bats and balls (autographed by the team) and a nice new car. Apparently he has enough pickup trucks that they thought he should also have a car. My favorite player, one Mr. Chipper Jones, who does not do a lot of talking, presented a nice speech to commemorate Bobby and his time with the Braves and all his years in Baseball.
This is the conclusion to part 1 of the end of the Braves 2010 Regular Season. Part 2 will be the gut wrenching way the Braves extended their season and managed to obtain the Wild Card birth on the last day of the season. Stay tuned for that soon.

The Evil Amongst Us

Well Baseball is done for another year and the Champions have been crowned, and it is in fact the Evil Empire. The New York Yankees have dismissed the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. This was a big win for the already history heavy Yanks. To manage to win the title in the first year in moving into the brand new New Yankee Stadium will be brought up until it is closed and a third version is built. Will it ever live up to the original stadium with all the ghosts? Probably not in the beginning but perhaps over time, knowing how crazy and the blind loyalty fans have for this team that they will make it the shrine that they already believe that it is and should be.
It is now the question who built this stadium ARod, Rivera, Jeter? I just hope that it is not Matsui...granted he had a great game but that is what it was 1 game. I was pretty shocked when they named Matsui as the MVP that was I guess was a convenient cop out in a series that didn’t have a defining player or moments that you could say there was no other choice. Rivera would have been a better choice in my mind but what can you do?

I pose the question is there anyone who is less deserving of any praise in this championship then the duo of Joba "The" Chamberlin and manager Joe Girardi? Maybe it isn’t his fault but if there is one thing that I havn’t been able to understand or tolerate is the "Joba Rules". It is things like that that is ruining pitchers and not allowing them to progress to the level that they could get too. Young pitchers with strong arms are not china dolls. If they are treated like babies that is what they will develop to be. That ties in with Girardi who help enforce that strategy in addition to over managing in game situations with that novel of a stat book that he has on his bench. You ever see a manager pull out a bible like that and make decision after decision based on that? The absence of a "gut" feeling takes away some of his credibility.

I guess that you have to give credit where credit is due. When you pay for starting pitchers like AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia and mix it in with Mark Texteria then add that to the rest of a star studded high priced lineup it is hard not to win it all.

Who Are You Rooting For vs Who Will Win?

It is an interesting question whether you have a vested interest in either team or not. Obviously If you are a Yankees or Phillies fan you will clearly be rooting for your team to pull out the win and for one - close out the series and become 2009 champions or for the other- Prolong the series and brig it to a 1 game do or die showdown.

This is where the managers make their money in deciding what to do with their pitchers. Each manager will have some decisions to make and one and maybe even both will get it wrong but for sure in the long run one will come out on top. It will be interesting to see looking back, which of these 2 managers come out triumphant and will their team have won the World Series because of or in spite of the decisions that they make.

As a casual fan who enjoys the game for what it is or enjoys watching history unfold most will want this to reach a game 7 and hope that the Phillies can pull it out. The interesting thing about baseball is that of all the major team sports, baseball’s game 7 is the greatest in sports. When you look at it, game 7’s in other sports are just a continuation of what you have seen up to that point. The game plans are basically set and the rosters see little or no change. Basketball is what you see is what you get. Hockey is the same. When it comes to baseball the biggest variable is that of the 2 starting pitchers. Who gets the nod, do they go out on full or short rest, do you go all hands on board and every pitcher, starter or otherwise is at the ready? How much does age and experience factor in. It is questions like this that makes the baseball game 7 the most compelling in sports.

In a selfish way I just want to see more baseball and don’t want to wait until next March to see a game. It is an added bonus to have the Yankees lose to force said game 7 but that is not the sole reason to want it to turn out like that.

Who Is Your MVP?

The Phillies sent out ace Cliff Lee to toe the rubber last night in game 5 of the World Series on full rest, the Yankees countered with AJ Burnett on short rest. Cliff was old school good and AJ got lit up like the 4th of July. What is interesting on how just the smallest thing can change the outcome or flow of a game of baseball. In game 2 the ump was giving AJ the wide outside strike allowing him to dictate each at bat. Game 5 the ump calls strikes-strikes and balls off the corner as balls. That made Burnett throw his fastball over the plate where he got tagged and was ineffective for the most part.


Chase Utley just keeps mashing and is getting to the point where regardless of who wins the World Series, he may be in a real good position to be named MVP. If the Phillies mange the improbable and do somehow pull the upset then it isn’t an issue but if the Yankees do manage to close things out at home then who is most deserving of the honour? Utley is tearing it up so far and has tied Reggie Jackson’s home run record, his hits are coming in important times and not just meaningless tag on runs. Does Mariano Rivera finally get credit for not only a post season but career of being the best of the best at that position. Does Jeter or Damon get the nod for having some multiple hit games and scoring a few runs? ARod has had a decent series on the whole. He hasn’t lit it up but the 3 or 4 hits that he has got have been big or game changing. As well his overall numbers over the course of the playoffs are very good. An MVP and a World Series win just might finally make him a true Yankee.

Despite the fact that the series has been fairly interesting, which is a change from the last few years of being anti-climactic, there has not been a clear cut dynamic performance by any one person. It is that team effort thing and not the one guy saying ‘jump on my back and i’ll take you there.’ That is what makes it such a tight race for the award. Since this is baseball I guess it is anyone's guess until the ballots are counted.

Best And Worst

Best: Jimmie Johnson finished 6th extending his lead in the NASSCAR Chase. He was in 30th position with as little as 15 laps remaining at Talladega when all it took was Ryan Newman to flip his car repeatedly and have it come to rest on its roof requiring them to flip the car over and cut the top off to get Newman out. another crash that he narrowly avoided that saw Mark Martin end up on his roof for a moment and then car after car run out of gas. not too bad to be able to get out of that place in one piece and have your two closest rivals have trouble on the last few laps.


Worst: Ryan Newman...His car flipped repeatedly and he had to be cut out of it. People are always praising NASCAR for how safe the cars are that someone can actually survive a crash like that and actually walk away. Maybe the focus should not be so much that the car can withstand that impact and be more on avoid having these cars put in a situation where it is not only possibility of happening but almost guaranteed. Restrictor plates merely restrict the drivers to drive safely and prevent passing making for un-exciting racing. Lets be clear, flipping cars and crashes are not racing that is a demolition derby...2 very different sports.

Best: Brett Favre went back to Green Bay, he played the Packers, he beat the Packers. he was boo’d by Packers fans. There it’s done, please let it be done. The story has run its course, the intrigue is no longer there if it was ever there to begin with. The fans got their say so now it is up to the media to JUST LET IT GO, let the Vikings become a regular football team and let Favre become just another 1 of 30 starting QB’s in the NFL.

Worst: The fact that the Lions couldn't beat the Rams, the Titans won a game with Vince Young at QB, and JaMarcus Russell makes soooo much money in Oakland and is basically useless. There is nothing worse then watching an overpaid under-achieving un-motivated player. Why is it that the most undeserving people always seem to fall ass backward into good situations or get all the benefits??

Best: The bankruptcy judge has approved the Phoenix Coyotes’ sale to NHL. That is one major hurdle towards getting this team out of the news for all the wrong reasons and perhaps some acknowledgement to the fact that they are actually playing half decent on the ice.

Worst: The NHLPA for, well I don’t know. Not being able to keep its own house in order I Suppose. Yet another high ranking employee has either resigned and/or been dismissed and it is once again a rudderless ship. As annoying as it is to hear about it is just as bad for the NHL and any potential talks in the future regarding the next CBA. the sooner this gets fixed and out of the public the better. Fans are tired of it, I am sure the players and the NHL are tired of it and it had better not be a reason that there is another work stoppage. The sport probably isn’t strong enough to bounce back from another potential PR nightmare.

Best: Cliff Lee pitches tonight in the World Series. Hopefully sending the series back to New York for a game 6. If he pitches like he did in game 1 it will be things that World Series lore is built on. His last time out he looked like a throwback to the way a pitcher looked in the 1960’s. If he loses then the title will go to the Yankees, which is not good and the baseball season is done for another year, also not good.

\Worst: David Beckham will return to Milan on loan from Galaxy...how can you be on loan to another team? This is yet another reason why soccer sucks. You don’t see Derek Jeter loaned to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (This is actually a real team, they are associated with the Arizona Diamondbacks...awesome) of the Japan Baseball League.

The October Classic

Last night the New York Yankees finally sealed the fate of the LA Angles of Anaheim. The Yanks put their foot down and killed any chance of a game 7 - 1 game do or die scenario. On paper it probably was closer then it should have been. When you are outspending the team you are playing by about $90M you are expected to win. That being said they have been outspending every other team for years it is just a matter of spending money wisely. of that $90M you are basically talking about 3 players extra, Mark Texteria, AJ Burnett and C.C. Sabathia. Granted those are a pretty good players.

Now we can look forward to what should be a very entertaining World Series and The Yankees from New York take on the Phillies from Philadelphia. As is usually the case it will likely come down to the best run of pitchers and this series has some solid rotations. The Yankees have a bit of an edge as their starters appear to be a bit more consistent but at any given time these guys can shut sown a team. If the Phillies hope to hang they will continue to need good solid performances from Pedro Martinez, AJ Happ Joe Blanton and have Cole Hammels rebound a bit.

Both these teams have lineups that they can throw at you that doesn’t give you a chance to relax 1 thru 8 and 1 thru 9 are jam packed with offence and no one can be taken lightly. That will keep the pitchers defenders and managers on their toes. It will be interesting to see who will see more pitches to hit ARod or Ryan Howard. Both are pretty close to that place where it is a safer bet to just walk the guys an not let them hurt you. Sometimes it is just easier to stomach having Nick Swisher or Shane Victorino beat you.

As much as I don’t want to see the Yankees win since they are still the Evil Empire I also don’t want to see the Phillies do well just out of principle. The Phillies are coming out of the National League East and that is where MY Braves should be. All that being said one of these two teams are going to come out the victors and with the staff that the Yanks have and Mariano Rivera at the back I have to give the edge to NY and they will likely take the series in 6 games. If and when they do win the World Series it will also probably be in spite of and not because of Manager Joe Girardi. I don’t trust his judgement and he has had a bit of a rocky run not only in this years playoffs but over his tenure as team manager. An interesting side note to this series, if the Yankees do win, does that finally make ARod a true Yankee?

Baseball Fever - Catch It!

It all begins tonight. The Phils and Dodgers get their NLCS rematch underway at Chavez Ravine. Dodger Stadium will host game 1 tonight for the right to represent the National League in the World Series. The Yankees will begin their series tomorrow in game 1 of the ALCS versus the LA Angles.

The Phillies, defending World Series Champs will throw ace Cole Hamels up against 21-year-old left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Hamels took the loss in Game 2 of the NLDS but may have a bit of an excuse as his wife went into labour during the game. After he was taken out he was notified and was rushed to the hospital. Hamels said: "Best cop ride I had ever been a part of when I wasn’t in the back, Just being able to be there with my wife and my family and then to go through that process of the labor and then all of a sudden the birth -- it was definitely an emotional day." He may be a little more focused this time around and will have to be facing a difficult Dodgers lineup.

Don’t discount the young arm that LA is throwing out there, Kershaw has shown that he may be big time and deserving to take the ball in game 1.

What is interesting but not necessarily a good thing, all 4 teams involved in the LCS’s have payrolls that surpass $100M. It is good that they seem to have spent their money wisely enough to get to this point but it also reminds us that in baseball you seem to need to spend money to compete.

In any event it is October and it is baseball and that is truly what is important. This is time for baseball fever and unlike the Swine Flu this fever is ok to catch!

The Day The Majors Died

It was 15 years ago today that marked not only end of the 1994 Baseball Season but it was the beginning of the end of the Expos as a franchise. The Montreal Expos finished the season with the best record in the Majors with a 74-40 record . The ‘94 Strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history, as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 23 years. It lasted 232-days and lasted until April 2, 1995 - Wiping out the World Series for the first time since 1904.

This not only affected the Expos, who at the time had the second lowest payroll in baseball, and their attempt to bring a championship to Montreal but would have put an early halt to the Atlanta Braves record run of consecutive division titles. I guess on a personal note it was a good thing for my Braves but bad for me as now I can’t go see them play anymore because the Montreal team is gone.

Had the Expos either won or at least made a good run there would have been a great chance that they may have been a better chance to get a downtown stadium built and kept the team in the city. After the strike there were a lot of fans that were so upset with baseball that they just turned their back to the game and it showed not only in the ratings but more importantly in Montreal, at the ticket gate. Dwindling attendance and ownership that either didn’t want to spend, didn’t know what they were doing or just flat out wanted to move alienated fans and political officials alike.

Today is a sad reminder of what could have been and that if things could have played out differently there could still be baseball being played somewhere in the city of Montreal to this day. It would probably be in a nice state of the art stadium too.

Here is the Roster of the Expos that could have changed the landscape of baseball before the fire sales that eventually happened:

Pitchers: Jeff Fassero, Rod Henderson, Butch Henry, Jeff Shaw, Brian Looney, Pedro Martínez, Heath Haynes, Denis Boucher, Kirk Reuter, Ken Hill, Gabe White, Joey Eischen, Mel Rojas, Tim Scott, John Wetteland
Catchers: Tim Spehr, Darrin Fletcher, Lenny Webster
Infielders: Mike Lansing, Jeff Gardner, Sean Berry, Wil Cordero Freddie Benavides Juan Bell, Cliff Floyd, Randy Milligan
Outfielders: Lou Frazier,Marquis Grissom, Moisés Alou, Rondell White, Larry Walker
Manager: Felipe Alou

Around The Horn

Today marks the beginning of a Tradition Unlike Any Other. It is time for The Masters. For golf fans this is the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the Final Four, the World Series wrapped into one.
Rumor has it that this Tiger Woods fellow is supposed to be good and has a chance to even win this year, it is like he came out of nowhere

The Columbus Blue Jackets have finally made the playoffs for the first time...ever in life. Will It be enough to make Rick Nash decide to commit to the team and sign a long term deal? Good question.
So does Doug Maclean still take credit for building this team? Is this just a coincidence that they made it in after he was relived of duty?

French officials say that Lance Armstrong violated the rules of their testing policy. His samples came back clean and there was no signs that he had done anything wrong. The agency, known as AFLD, said in a statement that the doctor leading the tests maintains Armstrong “did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the testers.
Just another point that proves that the French really do hate Lance and will likely continue their witch hunt well after he decides to call it quits...for real this time.

Andrew Bynum of the Lakers is apparently ready to return to the team after rehabbing his injury in time to get ready for a playoff run.
Bynum had little choice but to re-join the team after he was seen at the Playboy Mansion with a bunny on his shoulders. Granted she probably weighed less then the bar he uses to put his weights on, but optically it just looks bad.

Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will be suspended three games by the NFL Lynch was arrested near Los Angeles on Feb. 11. In searching a parked car carrying Lynch, Culver City police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack in the trunk. Police also found four marijuana cigarettes in the car, but no drug charges were filed.
This may not be good as far as personal conduct goes but at least he didn’t shoot himself in the leg with his gun.

Cory Clouston Signed a 2 year deal to coach the Ottawa Senators.
With the amount of coaches that the team has gone through after some 8+ years under Jacques Martin it would be fitting had they left the Interim Head Coach title on him.

Terrell Owens shocked all of Up State New York by actually attending a voluntary workout with the Bills.

World Series Game 5 1/2

Tonight might just be the conclusion to game 5 of the World Series...or maybe not. The Phillies might be World Series Champs...or not.
The series may be on its way back to Tampa...you guessed it, or not.

There are many factors one must be accounted for:
• With Barack Obama’s 30-minute TV spot with CBS, NBC and Fox may push the game just a little bit later, at this point I guess sure why not, just pile it on.
• It will be 30 degrees F at game time, that isn’t good for anyone
• Do they play the National Anthem? If so is it Patti LaBelle again and does her butchered version last longer then the game itself?
• Do they announce the players?
• Is there already guys warming up in the bullpen at the beginning of the game? Are any starters available to throw tonight?
• At what point do they stop serving beer? If it is in the mid 6th inning already most stadiums stop in the 7th
• How many people show up, sit down, and then get up to leave immediately to beat the traffic?
• Does Bud Selig make up some new rules midway through the game but not tell anyone, not the players, umpires, managers or announcers.

The question for the last few days has been who does this suspended game benefit more the Phillies or the Rays? We know that it hasn’t been the fans or the audience and probably many gamblers.
The answer is easy... The team that WINS.