Baseball

After an incredible start to the season, I for sure thought baseball was back in Toronto. Fans were excited, tickets were selling, and most importantly the Jays were winning.

Now, at 34-31 and tied with Tampa Bay for third place in the dreaded AL East, the Jays get a much needed day off.

With the day off however, we don't get to enjoy the Jays tonight. And after so many great games so far this season, I started to wonder about which game was the most memorable game so far. 

The Candidates:

If you are reading this article then you most likely read the title.  You probably put two and two together and found out that I am considering myself in a "Slump", a "Writer's Slump".  You are right, ever since I won the Article of The Day, a couple of months ago, I have a feeling that my writing hasn't been the same.  

LOWELL, MA – The Lowell Spinners want you to cast your vote as they try to round out the roster in the Most Hated Yankee Line-up competition. Cast your vote to let them know which shortstop is more disliked: Derek Jeter or Bucky "Bleepin" Dent.

The Spinners, Class A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have been leading the charge to find out the “Most Hated Yankee Line-Up” of all-time amongst Red Sox fans and are nearing the end of the campaign. Each week the Spinners have allowed fans to vote by position.

To date the winners are:

Last week (Sunday to Sunday), the Chicago White Sox went 4-5. They missed opportunities, failed to execute and threw away a chance to gain meaningful ground on the division-leading Tigers.

Then they went into Milwaukee and took two of three from the division-leading (albeit slumping) Brewers.

This week, that doesn't matter. The slate's clean, and the division race can take a backseat.

It's Crosstown Classic time.

The season isn't even half over, but there have been many spectacular performances out of unlikely, and likely, players so far this season.

Several players have stepped out of the shadows to showcase their abilities and many players have looked like stars in the first two and a half months of the season.

These players should not go unnoticed.

I recognize that you don't throw questions like this one around just because of a half season of mediocre baseball. Still, I want to know what the Cubs Community thinks: has Lou lost the fire in his belly?

Again, this is not an overreaction to what has occurred this season, though that is certainly part of it. The concern is based on the following:

Yesterday, before the Yankees walloped the Mets (very nice, I like), there was a bit of a tussle in the outfield. As anybody who cares knows, the confrontation was the culmination of two whiny jocks pretending to be tough.

Brian Bruney lambasted Fransisco Rodriguez for his excessive celebration on the mound. I agree that the excessive celebration (I'm looking at you Joba, Papelbon etc.) has got to go, but take it to him on the field.

Calling K-Rod out in an interview is cowardly and a desperate cry for attention.

Long after were all gone, people of the year 4718 will uncover some long lost DVDs. Scientists will analyze these videos for years upon years trying to figure out who it is. Some will say he was the prophet. Other may say he's God's second child. No one can figure out who this man was.

They will ask Peter Gammons (who reported on Jesus Christ's stickball league all them years ago) who this man was and if he has any relation to Christ. Peter will look up at the monitor and as if he was the old lady in the movie Titanic, he'll start having vivid flashbacks.

Is Hanley Ramirez talking his way out of South Florida? 

Marlins fans would certainly hope he is not, though his antics this season are certainly a growing concern.

In yet another bout of immaturity, the Marlins star player chose to speak out to the media regarding an 88 mph fastball he took off of the elbow in the sixth inning of yesterday's game. The pitch, coming from Toronto Blue Jays reliever Dirk Hayhurst, came two innings after a pitch found its way into Jeremy Hermida.

The All Star Game has taken its fair share of hits over the last 10 years. Whether it's ending in a tie or being the deciding factor for home field advantage in the World Series, the ASG has seen its better days.