Wednesday Bantering: Zaun vs Stroman, Jays for sale?

There isn’t all that much for Blue Jays news, but there are a couple of things worth talking about.

The Zaun vs Stroman thing is heating up again.

Zaun says:

“Now, I don’t feel bad at all. The players today are so thin skinned. They’re used to mommy and daddy telling them how pretty they are. I have no problem giving them a dose of reality. And I never criticize the man. It’s my job to analyze the performance. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad. Apparently some of these guys have forgotten that it’s a game of failure, that the best hitters are only successful three of every 10 times. What am I supposed to do? Spin it positive all the time?

“The guys who play the game the right way never have to worry about me. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, I will never forget how hard it is to play the game. I wasn’t a great player. I was an average player at best. But it’s not hard to try to do the right things. It’s never hard to hustle. If people do these type of things, they’ll never have a problem with me.”

I don’t have any problem with someone criticizing players....that’s kind of the job around here. But I hate the idea of ‘there is a right way to play’. Former baseball players have been trotting this thing out since the beginning of baseball. I’ve seen quotes from the 1870’s with former players saying ‘modern’ players don’t play the game right.

I hate that. I hated it when I was a kid and some old player would say Gary Carter plays wrong because he smiles and has a good time out there.

And I hate it now when some former player thinks guys shouldn’t be allowed to show some personality. To me, I like guys that have fun. I like Price’s line...if you don’t like it, play better. You don’t want Stroman to ‘be animated’, get some hits off him.

This is Zaun’s line that I don’t get: “And I never criticize the man. It’s my job to analyze the performance”. Well no, Stroman being ‘animated’ is the man, not the performance. The performance is pitching. Him enjoying his pitching is ‘the man’.

I understand I’m supposed to be old and I’m supposed to hate all this stuff too, but I’ve always liked the players who have a personality. Basketball has become more popular because the players have become the stars. Football is allowing players to celebrate more. To me it is all good.

Baseball has ‘the fun police’. Don’t flip a bat, you might ‘show someone up’ (I figure the showing up part is hitting the home run, silly me). Don't enjoy striking someone out. Baseball players can get their feelings hurt quicker than a kindergarten kid. I don’t understand why they can’t just grow up.

I’m so glad to see Brandon Morrow doing so well. He was one on my favorites, when he was a Blue Jay, it is great to see him succeeding.

At Blue Jays Nation, Andrew Stoeten writes about speculation that Rogers could be looking to sell the Blue Jays.

I know Rogers isn’t exactly loved, but I remember when the team was owned by Interbrew S.A. It wasn’t good. I can’t imagine that we would ever have a sold out park with those guys as owners.

There aren’t all that many corporations in Canada that have enough for assets to a) buy the team and b) be fund the team to the extent that we’ve become used to.

Expecting a new owner to suddenly open the flood gates on spending on players and spend on improvements on Rogers Centre, is overly hopeful. It might happen but we also might go back to the days of being a low payroll team.

Bo Bichette won the 2017 MiLBY Top Offensive Player award. He’s winning everything. He was also Midwest League MVP.