Everything Is Exciting With A Countdown!

13 Days until the wedding!

2 Days until we make our way back home to Hamilton!

This is exciting stuff!

http://www.mywedding.com/victorandlise/

This Week's Shitty Blue Jay: Shannon Stewart

Batting lead-off, and should be on base shortly, Shannon Stewart.

That statement was pretty much a given when Stewart was on the Blue Jays' roster from '97 until we traded him in 2003.

He was a prototypical lead-off hitter. An on-base machine, posting a .365 OBP for his career in Toronto. He had an open stance in the batter's box (one I ended up mimicking), helped him see pitches better and propelled him into a consistent .300 hitter pretty much his whole career. In his early days, he was a dangerous base-stealer, swiping 51 in his first full year, and 37 his next. Those numbers tapered off, citing leg injuries as the main reason.

Shannon was an average defender at left, running balls down. But his noodle of an arm encouraged base runners to go amok on him, feeble throws coming to the plate . . . (wait for it) . . . later.

Thanks to economics, keeping home-grown players posed a difficulty in TO. Around 2003, there was a very expensive contract that took almost 1/3 of the team's payroll, and at times left the Jays' front office paralyzed. Given Stewart's years of service (7), he was due for a hefty raise. The Jays, knowing they wouldn't be able to afford the left fielder, traded him to Minnesota for Bobby Kielty.

Bobby Kielty's only memorable moment was robbing Trot Nixon (?fact check?) of a home run by climbing over the outfield wall at Fenway Park, nearly ending up in the Sox' bullpen. Other that that, he looked like he couldn't wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag.

Stewart ended up in Minnesota in the heat of a playoff race, and had appearances in the playoffs for them and with the Oakland Athletics.

CURRENT WHEREABOUTS

Last seen with Toronto in 2008, winning out a roster spot over fan favourite Reed Johnson. Was released in August of that season because of total uselessness. Currently a free agent.

(Be sure to vote for your Favourite Shitty Jay! It's currently a tie between Delgado and Mondy, and someone has to break the deadlock to determine the winner. And how hard is it to BUY ME A FUCKING COFFEE?!)

Next Week: King Carlos Delgado!

17 Days Until the Wedding!

Just saying that the countdown is on!

And check out the wedding website, with all the new bells and whistles here:

http://tinyurl.com/28m9vkg

Be sure to check out the 'wedding favours,' tab, and support our local Breakfast Club!

I'm still waiting on that coffee . . . CLICK on the Paypal link on the corner!

will you marry me?

Um, sorry, but I'm betrothed. Getting married to my girl in 3 weeks.

Ask me anything

Because You're #1 . . .

. . . I decided to share some baseball blog links.

Here are my favourites:

www.drunkjaysfans.com

the tao of stieb

www.humandchuck.com

a pack a day

mop up duty

dodger blues

I'm sure you're all smart enough to find your own profane, sad, yet funny baseball blogs out there on the interwebs, so please go out there and find your own.

Can't find it? Make one your damn self!

This Week's Shitty Blue Jay: Greg Myers

"PED's, PED's, PED's!"

Every fucking know-it-all hack has been blubbering this shit after every Bautista home run now, which is utter shit and unfounded. It just human nature these days to question and suggest nonsense when somebody is having an unusually good year. Performance-Enhancing Drugs, my ass!

Before Baseball started implementing their drug policy in 2005, the team clubhouse was a totally different culture. There were always unlikely dudes every year since the early 90's having career power numbers.

Enter Greg Myers. The 2003 edition. Another Toronto reclamation project for spare parts. He had been with the Jays for the beginning of his career from '87-'92, and just capping off the end of it with the team he started with. It seemed fitting.

It did seem fitting. Myers, a catcher, was going to platoon with Ken Huckaby and Kevin Cash, the Jays' catchers of the future(HAR-HAR!). What the Jays didn't expect was Myers, on the wrong side of 37 years, slugging his way to our hearts.

He hit .307 with 15 HR, both career achievements, very unusual numbers at his age. His clutch hitting was at its best that year. He just had a swing that was locked in.

Sound familiar?

His playing time was reduced the following year, and got hurt in 2004 sliding into second base. Retired in 2005.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Was Nolan Ryan's final strikeout. Number 5,714.

(I'm not going to suggest or whisper anything about steroids. It was Baseball's responsibility to police themselves when it came to that bullshit. The way they've handled that era, in regards to players' careers and numbers. It's just one BIG FAIL.)

Feel free to comment below, and name some other one-year wonders.

(Go to the right of this page and vote for YOUR Shitty Blue Jay! We might pay the winner a visit and contribute to their charity of choice! Click on that Paypal button to donate! And someone BUY ME A FUCKING COFFEE!)

Next Week: Oh Shit, Shannon Stewart!

Crystal Fucking Castles!

This Saturday's whirlwind of shows in two separate area codes left me exhausted and humbled.

It was enough that I finally got to see the band that provided the soundtrack of my childhood in Tears For Fears (Tears For Fears, the show is another story.), but to make it back to TO for Crystal Castles' sweaty set was more than a fitting end to my night.

The funny part was, I saw Fugazi in that very same venue 15 years ago. I watched Ian Mackaye mourn over the loss of his prized Gibson SG, his one and only axe. I'm sure none of the kids at this show were aware of that fact, let alone care. It was basically the same punk spirit, though.

It was a mess of punk proportions, with Alice Glass' junkie-chic vocalizing and egging on the hipster crowd, the tempo of all their songs faster and louder, paired with Ethan's cacophony of sound and lights. They really claim to be a punk band, dismissing the disco beats as incindental.

It moved me the same as that band I saw there some 15 years back.

I recall every summer, having that one claustrophobic, hot, smelly, club show, rubbing against other wet entities. And none of us in that room ever making a move towards the door. Because it was THE show that defined THAT VERY summer.

Crystal Castles last Saturday was THAT very show.

Here is a sample of what I saw. Imagine it twice as fast and Alice acting like a crazy fucking junkie.