Oh hey, no preamble today.
Blue Jays Related
More to baseball than just the result - Sportsnet.ca
Mike Wilner wrote a nice story about how his old friend caught a Jose Reyes homer and was able to give it to his daughter to try to "pass the baton" of baseball fandom to the next generation. Judging by the comments, a couple of very, very, sad people thought otherwise. I feel sorry for folks like that who are so cynical, angry, and incapable of being happy over positive things despite the bad season.
Janssen thriving in lost Jays' season - TSN
Scott MacArthur spoke with closer Casey Janssen after getting his 30th save. Apparently, Janssen was still experiencing discomfort from his surgery in the first few months of the season and that it was difficult for him to "justify the injury early on." I might be reading way too much into the quote but is he saying that the Blue Jays trainers weren't able to help him feel comfortable early on?
J.P. Arencibia: Blue Jays Catcher's Season Hits A New Low - Jays Journal
Meh. J.P. Arencibia is horrible but it's not like he has never been pinch hit before by a subpar offensive player. Remember this?
Bob Elliott's wish list for the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays - Toronto Sun
Every sportswriter's dream is to win the Ford C. Frick and be able to pull off a piece like this and have it published.
Young Haitian ballplayer throws first pitch at Blue Jays game - Toronto Star
This month, Sportsnet Magazine has a feature on long-awaited arrival of baseball in the country that shares the same island as the baseball-obsessed Dominican Republic, so the Blue Jays invited a young Haitian ballplayer to throw the first pitch on Sunday. Asked if he was nervous, Wilson Izidor responded wisely, "(The crowd and the stadium) are very different, but the game is the same I play in Haiti."
Uniforms worn by 2013 Blue Jays - SportsLogos.Net
Last time I wrote about this topic (at the All-Star break), the Blue Jays were 13-12 (.520) wearing their home whites, 3-15 (.167) wearing their road greys, and 27-22 (.551) with their blue alternates. Now they are dangerously close to falling below .500 for each of their jerseys, according to the latest tally by Chris Creamer, with their white record having fallen to 20-21 (.488) and their blues fallen to 40-39 (.506). Interestingly, since the wide publicity over the Blue Jays' poor record wearing grey (again during the All-Star break), the team has worn them just five more times, going 2-3.
Down on the Farm
Minor League Injury Update: Bad News Edition - Blue Jays from Away
Add another list one to the list of injuries: Shane Dawson will not be going to Instructional Leagues in Florida. Notable pitchers on the roser: Jacob Brentz, Chase DeJong, Tyler Gonzalez, Justin Jackson, Jairo Labourt, Daniel Norris, Matt Smoral, and of course Zakerv Wasilewski. I have no idea who Zakerv Wasilewski is but that's an 80 name. Also, he reports that there are "rumours" that Derrick Chung is going to the Arizona Fall League in place of A.J. Jimenez, but he mentioned nothing about where these rumours started.
Alomar looks forward to T-12 Showcase - Canadian Baseball Network
Evan Peaslee spoke with Robbie Alomar about why he decided start Tournament 12. It's great to see how much more support Canadian amateur baseball players seem to be getting in the past few years.
Food & Beer Related
Reminder that Tallboys Craft Beer House in Toronto is hosting their second Diamond Club Event that is co-presented by Left Field Brewery and Bluebird Banter tonight at 7 pm. Read a little bit about the event here, and remember to bring a piece of baseball memorabilia for the swap!