Toronto Blue Jays

Immediately, I nearly need to recuse myself.

This is a Google-mapped, Wikipedia-searched, and late night-compiled piece. But I believe it's valid enough to be written and so here it is.

Personally, I have no stake, other than an unpaid phone bill. Chances are I would have stayed home and watched the games remotely. Yet there's still something that perturbs me. 

Back in March this year, the feeling around Spring Training was one of cautious optimism. 

After coming off a humbling 75-87 season, the firing of J.P. Ricciardi and the trade of team icon Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays were clearly embarking to rebuild.

Fast forward to May 9, with a record of 19-14, the water cooler talk was all about our "great young arms", our "potent offense" and dare I say it—Wild Card! 

It was one series that was guaranteed to finally bring fans into the seats at Rogers Centre over the course of this year.

In the year following Roy Halladay's move to Philadelphia, the Phillies were set to travel to Toronto for a three-game interleague set from June 25-27.

Expecting a total crowd of 90,000 for the series, the decision was officially announced today by Paul Beeston, President of the Blue Jays, as a result of the upcoming G20 Summit which is set to take place the same weekend in downtown Toronto.

The signing of Fred Lewis has been a heist of epic proprotions; it's actually tightened security at Luftansa airport. Even more unfortunate: They haven't made an air freshener potent enough to purge the scent of swindle lingering in the San Francisco Giants' front office.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, having a true leadoff hitter in their ranks once more has been reaffirming. It hearkens back to a simpler time, when OBP was maybe just an acronym for something that was possibly offensive.

As I write this, my beloved Toronto Blue Jays are sitting third in the AL East (fourth overall in the AL) with an impressive early record of 16-13. This places us a mere four games behind the Yankees, for the Wild Card spot.

It's also May 6.

Have a cup of coffee, rummy.

The old adage of quality over quantity is dead.

In Toronto, anyway—for now.

When Roy Halladay left, there was a commotion over who would handle his superhuman workload. The Doc ate innings like an elephant eats peanuts. And he never forgot to snarl while he did so.

Bottom of the ninth and two outs. There was a runner on first and a ghost runner on third, and Moose, the neighborhood meathead and opposing team's best hitter, was at the plate.

Filthy, drenched in sweat, and a tightly wound bundle of nerves, I stood on the mound (which was actually just a chalk line drawn on the ground)—the loneliest kid on earth.

It is no surprise that 2010 is a going to be a struggle for the Jays. It is also no surprise that attendance is at an all-time low.

Alex Anthopolous made changes during the offseason that ultimately set the tone for this year, and more than likely the next two as well; rebuilding.

When fans hear the word rebuild, success is years away, and in a city where attendance has struggled to climb the ranks as results of intermediate play, it gives you an idea about where the club's focus is—rekindling the fan's interest with a young, successful product.

As this season warms up, the Blue Jays are slowly succumbing to the heat. That, temperature puns aside, was pretty much how this season was supposed to play out.

Low attendance numbers suggest that everyone and their pessimistic mothers knew that the Jays wouldn't compete (you bunch of know-it-alls).

Roy Halladay is weaving together his masterpieces in the City of Brotherly Love, and  Cito Gaston agreed to run the team only as an acknowledged placeholder. People are taking their cues from the attitude this team gives off.

With Adeiny Hechavarria being signed to the largest contract every given out by the Toronto Blue Jays to an international player ($10 million over four years), the Jays finally have hope that their shortstop carousel may be slowing down.

Hechavarria figures to be both a stolen bases threat and a leadoff staple for the next decade; however, I can't find anything about the kid other than really basic scouting reports and the fact that he had a .262 average last year on the Cuban National Team.