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So, the bossman is in town. Better make it look like I'm doing something. In case you missed the news, Bluebird Banter head honcho Tom Dakers is in Toronto for the week and will be catching the upcoming games against the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Go say hi to him (and maybe me) if you plan to be at the game this week!
Blue Jays fandom was in a horrible state all weekend up until around 3:00 pm Eastern yesterday, when the Jays turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 lead in a +.673 WPA inning while facing Livan Hernandez's 65 mph "fast"balls. Thanks to the offense (and Hernandez) the tone of this little opening bit is a lot lighter than it would have been if the Jays had limped home on a four-game losing streak. Funny how a little blowout can turn everything around.
Without further ado, here is your weekly Monday Morning Media Mashup (this time the links will open in new windows). "Weekly" may be kind of a lie this month--I will be out of town for the next two Mondays, so I am not sure when the next edition will be.
Blue Jays Related
Give it up for #38 - Infield fly
Greg Wisniewski writes about a very underrated gem in the Blue Jays bullpen.
Griffin: Bryce Harper makes Rogers Centre debut - thestar.com
Who's ready for Harper vs. Lawrie, Round 1? Let's fill the seats the next three days, Toronto!
Flashback Friday: The Upside Down Canadian Flag - The Blue Jay Hunter
Ian wrote a timely piece on the infamous international incident before game 2 of the 1992 World Series.
Five Pitchers And Plate-Discipline Stats - Baseball Nation
Jeff Sullivan writes about Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander, R.A. Dickey, Kyle Drabek, and James McDonald. Did you know that Kyle Drabek's strike percentage is the lowest in the league? I would not have guessed. (Just kidding, I would have guessed.)
Toronto Blue Jays Website and Weekly Video Podcast – Back in Blue Network
Producer Brad James, and hosts Nick Hansen and Reid Price at Back In Blue (BIB) do a tremendous job, turning in a professional-quality video podcast on the Blue Jays every single week. Bookmark their site and make sure you tune in to episode 23 this week!
Down On The Farm
Where top draft picks fit in organizational player rankings - ESPN
I'm paywalled but Keith Law ranks the draft picks in their new clubs.
51s infielder Diaz shows drive in comeback from auto wreck - Sports - ReviewJournal.com
Jonathan Diaz and his fiancee (now wife) got into a horrible accident in a taxi in Las Vegas last year. Todd Dewey writes about Diaz's battle back to the 51s.
Last week I stumbled upon this great minor league blog. Brian Moynahan did some great interviews with Blue Jays' minor leaguers (I spent around 3 hours poking around the site): Clint Everts, Brian Jeroloman (Brian also did a feature on him), Justin Jackson, Deck McGuire, Koby Clemens (part 2 here), Kevin Howard, as well as current Blue Jays starter Drew Hutchison.
Around The League
By the numbers: Examining the walkoff hit - National Post
One of my favourite Toronto writers, Guy Spurrier (follow him @grspur), did the research on one of my favourite websites, Baseball-Reference.com, to make one of the prettiest infographics I've seen this year (actually I think Richard Johnson deserves the credit for making it pretty). Spurrier looks at all the different ways a baseball game ended in 2011. Here is my post from last year about the Blue Jays' walkoffs featuring much less pretty graphs.
Future Perfect: A Balanced Schedule for 2013 - High Heat Stats
At High Heat Stats, birtelcom suggests a more balanced schedule for 2013, while keeping 72 intra-divisional games. How? By introducing a "points" system to select the wild card teams, offering teams 3 points for inter-division wins, 1 point for intra-division wins, and 0 points for interleague wins. I think this is a pretty creative--albiet unrealistic (as the author admits himself)--proposal. What do you think?
What does future hold for Roy Halladay and Philadelphia Phillies? - FOX Sports
Roy Halladay said that "[his] goal is to finish my career with the Phillies and win a World Series"-- how realistic is that?
Dumb move by Humberto Quintero, but Bruce Chen teammate forgives him, tweeting "I am proud to be of asian descent and I love the way my eyes look! I think it makes me look sexy. I am not offended by Quinteros actions."
Yesterday's journeymen become 2012 stars - ESPN
ESPN profiles A.J. Ellis, Mike Aviles, Alejandro De Aza, Gregor Blanco, Justin Maxwell, and Jerome Williams, who are all having career years this season.
Jose Canseco toils away in obscurity - FOX Sports
Chris Strauss writes about Jose Canseco's time with the Worcester Tornadoes and his online persona.
Leafs win back to back games for first time this season - Recap
The Toronto Maple Leafs (5-9) have won consecutive games for the first time since the beginning of the year! Yay streak! The Leafs beat the London Majors 6-5 yesterday down at Christie Pits (take that, JohnnyG!).
1986 World Series Game 6.....in Kenya - YouTube
Thanks to Guy Spurrier for the hat tip. A group of young Kenyans re-create the infamous Bill Buckner error in game 6 of the World Series. One day, they are going to re-create the Red Sox collapse of last season.