Hard to imagine we could only draw eleven thousand  and change in the last two games of the series against the Twins.

Who is the blame for this? Well! A bad record and behind 27.5 games back of first place certainly does not help the cause, but it's not the primary reason.

We are talking about an organization without a president and a general manager who is likely on the way out after the season and this is also the same club who is on the verge of losing it's franchise player in the off-season.

Commitment? This has to be the biggest concern with baseball fans here in Toronto. Since 1993 when we last  got to the post season, the commitment to put a championship team on the "dance floor" just has not been there period.

Has it finally caught up with baseball fans to where they are just fed up? Absolutely! There's just no direct approach from the ownership & management team right now that would indicate they want to put this club back on the baseball map.

If management thought it was discouraging having only 11,000 +  the other day,  with a Baltimore and Seattle series still remaining in the 2009 home schedule, those numbers could get uglier before they  even get better.... 

instability

Coming into this season, most of us projected the Blue Jays to have  a solid year, especially after finishing strong last year under the guidance of Cito Gaston, who took over half way through the season for John Gibbons.

But despite the overwhelming predictions that New York, Boston and Tampa Bay were going to be the main contenders of the American League East, the Blue Jays were the ones opening people's eyes early on,  playing the best baseball of the three and occupying the American League East for the most part over a month.

It's been a straight downhill slide since then, which has brought this club all the way down to a frigid 25.5 games back of first place as of  September 04.  As frustrating as it has been to see this club collapse, before it's all said and done it could still reach "uglier" proportions.

 With over a month still left to play, there's a good possibility we are going to break 33.5 games back of  first placement of 2004.

But what would be a major blow to this organization, certainly have to be finishing beyond 36 games back of first place at season's end.

This would break the record of the 1980 Blue Jays who concluded the 1980 campaign 36 games back of first in the American  League East final standings...

Let's keep our fingers crossed this does not happen...

We may have concluded last season a game under the five hundred mark and out of the playoffs, but you can rest assure it's going to be a completely different picture in the Northeast division for the 2009/2010 season.  With the exception of the Boston Bruins who are once again favorite to win this division, second place is going to be left in the hands of the other four teams to battle, particularly  the Leafs and the Sabres...

We have strengthen our back end and extended our goaltending situation up to another notch, which should translate into a 10-point improvement from the 81-point 2008/2009 season.

Ottawa finished strong last year, but their best player (Danny Heatley) doesn't want to be part of the organization anymore and you can bet this is going to have a significant  negative affect on the ice, which will make all of us Leaf fans very happy thank you...

As if losing Komisarek to the Leafs was not a big blow to Le canadiens, Alexei Kovalev signed with the cross rival Senators. I should also mention,  after watching Carey Price's confidence being shattered in the playoffs last year, Bob Gainey promised himself he would wear a rabbit's foot in his pocket in every game Price plays this year.. Just Kidding! But I'm not really kidding, when I say we are going to finish ahead of Montreal and Ottawa in the standings this year...

Buffalo always find a way to battle, regardless of how many key players they lose through free agency or injury. But that's a tribute to a great coach like Lindy Ruff.. The Sabres may be our only adversary  who can get in our way and stop us from finishing second in the Northeast this year...

Ever since the departure of Scott Rolen to Cincinnati, the Blue Jays have given most of the opportunity to Edwin Encarcion to play the 3b position. However, every time there has been a ground ball to his direction, you almost have to hold your breath to make sure the ball get's to first before the runner.  When ever he's been playing, it just seems he is not confident out there...

Other than the one good year last year where he hit 26 homers and drove in 68 runs in just over 500 atbats,  he became vey injury prone this year, which made it an easy decision for the Reds to move him. I suppose that now explains why experts claim the other two pitchers in the deal were the best part of the trade. Coincidence or not?  After appearing in just 16-games for the Jays,  he strains a left hamstring.

Jose Bautista, is the other option Cito has used at third since Rolen's departure.  Although he can play defense and  bring a respectible OBP to the table, hitting under .230 with 3 homers and just 18 RBI's in just over 200 plate appearances, is hardly the impressive numbers you expect from a MLB third baseman.

Angels 3B Chone Figgins who is eligible for free agency after this year, would be a perfect fit here in Toronto.  He can hit for average, steal bases, bring a high OBP and play his position well. The only negative, he doesn't hit for power, but this is overlooked considering how much more offense he generates for the players behind him in the batting lineup...

With a 1.5 month remaining to play in this year's campaign, the Bue Jays are on a current path that could very well see them finish the season with a record under the .500 mark.

With every baseball year, there's lows and highs each and every team must experience through the course of the regular season, as well as in the playoffs if they are fortunate to get there.

There's no question the lows have outdrawn the highs this year when it comes to the Blue Jays, but there's also a lot of positives that occurred this year for us to reminiscence about that inevitably will inspire us to look forward to next year..

ARON HILL, is having the best year of his major league career, after nearly suffering a career ending injury last season.  In my account, he is this year's  Blue Jay MVP and American League coming back player of the year. It's safe to say he is going to stick around for awhile...

Just when many people thought Marco Scutaro was only utility material, he raised his game to a level very few could ever imagine. If there's such a thing as a "pitcher's pest" well, I think Marco fits that bill quite nicely. Drawing 3-2 counts on a regular basis,  getting on base via walks, hitting for average, hitting homeruns and of course watching him play his position with authority, has been a blast  to see so far  this year. There's a real good chance, the Jays are going to make a strong pitch to sign him in the off season.

Coming into this year, Cito Gaston was very high on Adam Lind and now I can fully interpret why. Adam is truly the definition of cool, calm and collective for a young player. How can anybody not love his approach at the plate, especially with his ability to hit pitches with success to the opposite field. Glad this guy is all over our future..

Ricky Romero, Brad Cecil, Mark Rzepczynski, Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan, Jesse Litsch, 

Depth, depth and depth....  what a nice surprise Romero has been for this team along with Brad Cecil who up until the time he got hurt ,was also pitching very well.  Rzepcyzynski if he can work on improving his control, wow! Look out!

Marcum, McGowan are still very young and very much a big part of this team going into next year. Litsch who was solid with a 13-9 record and 3.58 era in 2008, is also a huge part of this team's immediate future.

So what, Travis Snyder's first major leagfue stint hasn't been what we had hoped it would be. However,  I'm confident after this year under his belt, he will be a big part of this team next year. Smoking the ball with regularity, is something he is going to do at the major league level for a long time.

World series Championship in 2010? In 1997, the Florida Marlns became one of the youngest teams to win a World Series. This is the same club who would win another title in 2003 with one of the lowest payrolls in the major leagues..Pehaps there is  hope after all for us in 2010......

It is hard to imagine people were regarding Tiger's loss to Korean's Ye Yang as a choke....Sometimes I wonder if people really do know as much about the sport as they claim...

 Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer were all great at their prime, but  in my opinion none comparable to Tiger Woods.  Here is a guy who is only 33-years old and is only 13-wins shy of having the most PGA wins in history, and is only four Major Championship wins behind the all time total of 18 which is held by Jack Nicklaus.. Chocking? Absolutely not associated with this golf phenom...

Coming into the final round of the PGA Championship, Tiger played three solid rounds of golf and was 8-0 going into a final round of a major championship.  It was all about one bad round of golf  which unfortunately,  transpired in the final day and ended up costing him the championship.

For Ye Yang, a 37-year old journeyman from Korea, is was just a case of taking full opportunity of a bad round of golf from his counterpart.  Yang was at the right place at the right time, period...Okay! It was a fluke and no one knows that better than Yang himself. If Tiger shows up Sunday, this blog is not even taking place...

It's hard to imagine it's been 43-years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last experienced those great emotions running through their bloodstream of winning a Stanley cup.

Not that this current club are on the verge of reaching to the top of podium anytime soon, as far as winning the Satnley Cup is concerned, but we are on the right path.

Brain Burke may not have been the favorable choice by many to become president of this club, but has at least given us a "light at the end of the tunnel" that for so long has just not been lit..

Our defensive positioning is going to be stronger, with the addition of Beauchemin and Komisarek to an already fair group that includes Kaberle, Finger, Van Ryn, Schenn and Ian White.

There's great anticipation, to see how highly touted and newly signed Swedish prospect Jonas Gustavsson performs at the NHL level.  Of course I'm not disregarding Vesa Toskala, who once again has the opportunity to become the number one goaltender for this club this year.

Putting the puck in the net is going to be a major challenge, even if Jason Blake is just as effective or even better than last year.  Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin were exceptional last season but they are still very young and unpredictable.

Our forward position is certainly  very questionable heading into this season. Stempniak was not a factor after being acquired from St.Louis last year, while Mayers and Hagman are the most average for their position.  Alexei Ponikarovski has size and potential,  but he still falling short of what most of us believe he can accomplish when he's on the ice. While Orr and Ondrus also  have a chance to make this club,  but are not impact players compared to most who play the same positon at the NHL level.

Young prospect Christian Hanson,  along with Swedish Center Rickard Wallin  both bring good size and are going to be battling veteran Wayne Primeau for a spot in the 3rd and 4th line.

We are not going to win the Stanley Cup in the immediate future, but we are going to the post season this year and that in itself is a positive step we should look forward to compared to recent years.

With the unleashing of Alex Rios and the $60 million he had remaining in his contract, the Blue Jays certainly created some payroll flexibility for the 2010. 

However, I have the consensus if the opportunity presented itself where Vernon Wells and the remaining of his ridiculous $126 million contract would be claimed through waivers by another MLB club,  it would have been a bigger sigh of relief for this organization.

There's anticipation, Rogers is going to explore the possibility of investing some of that freed up money from Rios' contract and help fill some much needed voids in this team's roster going into the 2010 season.

There's also a chance Rogers might not want to commit any more dollars to this club, who amongst the 30 teams in MLB is ranked 23rd in franchise value at $353 million. Meaning, sellng this club would be the proceeding step, but to who?

How about a JIm Balsillie? Here's someone who has deep pockets and the determination to own a major sports franchise. Alhtough his current objective is to acquire an NHL franchise,  I think this baseball club would benefit significantly by having an owner  with the financial/business credentials of a Jim Balsillie.

Although there's still lot's of baseball to be played, most of us agree the planning for next year
most likely has already begun. With all the negatives this club has experienced this year, there's been
plenty of positives we should look forward to going into next year.. With that, it's important to assess
the role of those in the current roster...



C
JEREMY ACCARDO  After such a geat season two years ago, he has not regained the same
form this season and with already so much young pitching depth  he might
not be in this team's plans for next year.

C
SHAWN CAMP It's been an up and down year for the veteran rightander, but he has been more
consistent in the second half of this season.

D
JESSE CARLSON After an outstanding season last year, he has to be one of the major
dissapointments of our bullpen. However, lately he has been more affective.

A
BRETT CECIL He struggled after his first callup from Las Vegas, but has since shown  this
organization he deserves to be part of this starting rotation for a long time.

A+
ROY HALLADAY Wtihout any doubt the class of this organization both on and off the field.  Despite
the adversity of this team on the field this year, he continues to perform consistently at a high level.

A
JASON FRASOR Before the season started, he added a breaking ball to his collection pitches,
which in essence made him a more complete pitcher coming out of the bullpen and
the results have spoken.

D
BRANDON LEAGUE  Coming into this season, Cito Gaston was super high on this guy.
Considering how hard he can throw and the potential he brings to the table, it's been one of those
years when  called upon from the bullpen, you just don't know which Brandon League is going to
show up.

B+
SCOTT RICHMOND A 30-year old rookie who has for the most part answered the call whether
it's been in the rotation or coming out of the bullpen.  

A-
RICKY ROMERO  If not with last encouragement from pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, it's hard to
believe this guy would not even be with this club at the start of the season. Oustanding season and
a worthy candidate for rookie of the year.

B
MARK RZEPCZYNSKI  Great potential and shown impressive maturity for a young pitcher..


B
BRIAN TALLET Thrown in the starting rotation to fill in for Jesse Litsch and responded
with the second highest amount of quality starts by Jays starters so far this year.


A
ROD BARRAJAS Has put up decent numbers for a catcher this year, but more significantly
has a done a masterful job by handling the young and inexperienced pitching staff.

B
RAUL CHAVEZ  Solid backup to Barrajas and reliable defensively when called upon
to throw out speedy runners.

A+
ARON HILL  In my opinion the MVP of this team. He has been the most consistent player offensively
for this team this season and just as flawless in his defensive position at second.

B
JOHN MACDONALD  His play has been limited this year, and it's always a delight watching him
play on the field when he's given the opportunity.

D+
KEVIN MILLAR had quite a good start to the season, but since has been brutal to say the least.

C
LYLE OVERBAY  A very unpredictable year for a guy who certainly has the potential to put up
better numbers than he has shown this year.

A+
MARCO SCUTARO  Without question the surprise of the team this year. Best OBP on the team
played like an allstar in the SS posiiton and hitting nearly the .300 mark most of the season this far.

B
JOSE BAUTISTA  Amongst the league leaders in assists playing only in limited time. But below an
average hitter.


C
JOE INGLETT  Has been called up twice and making very little impact. Time is running out on
opportunities for him to play at the major league level with this organization.

C
ALEX RIOS As bad a first half of the season he had, he has been able to make better contact in the
second half and in the process drive in a few more runs and hit a few more balls out of the ballpark.

D
VERNON WELLS It's been a mjor underachieving year in all categories for this guy, especially in
HR"S and RBI's. Watching him hit nearly .300 with bases empty and around .205 with men on
base is just puzzling.

A+
ADAM LIND  What a year and a great future he has in front of him. Hitting the ball hard to both sides
of the field, driving in runs, hitting for average and putting a few balls over the fence, is certainly
been fun to watch....


B
CITO GASTON It's been a very difficult year to manage a team that has sustained so many
key injuries to his pitching staff. But the biggest problem to resolve has been finding a way to
get hitters to drive in runs in scoring position, which is something that has contrbuted significantly
his team collapse after a 27-14 record to begin the season.


A
BRAD ARNSBERG   a commanding job handling and teaching avery young stafff that filled in
so many holes  due to injuries this season.

There's no question with 11.5 games back of the wild card spot heading into tonight's game against New York, the Blue Jays are already playing for next season.  However, it doesn't necessarily mean we should no  be winning as many games as possible. When I looked at today's batting lineup and noticed Millar was penciled in as the cleanup hitter, my eye balls nearly popped out of it's sockets.  Lind, Hill and even Encarnacion were all options Gaston should have considered ahead of Millar who has struggled all season and won't be part of this club coming next year. Another poor decision came In the bottom of the 7th, when with runners on first and second and OverBay on the bench, Gaston opted to stay with righthanded hitting Bautista  to hit against righthander Phil Hughes, which resulted into an inning ending ground out....

A brief note.... tomorrow serving Jays CEO Paul Beeston is going to be on the Bob McCowan show, where then he is to unveil the soon to be  permanent CEO of the club...

I think we should applaud the efforts of Brian Colangelo for the moves he's pulled off in the off season in efforts to try to get this team to compete at an elite level with the remaining teams of the NBA.

I like the acquisitions of Jack and Belinelli at the guard position and even  getting Reggie Evans for toughness.   But I'm still not convinced resigning Bargnani is going to translate in him bringing his game to another level.  I think it's still very important Colangelo acquires a tough center that will provide the team with more toughness in the paint and help open scoring lanes for Bosh....

since the Jays inauguration in 1977, there have been quite a few players that have come and gone through this organization,  including some players with real "head turning" last names.. Here's just a few I gathered as personal favorites. If you have a personal favorite name from a former player in the organization please post it here..

Sil Campusano 1988    John Candelaria 1990   

Chip Cannon*2006-2009     Gustavo Chacin*2004-2009


Vito Chiaravalloti 2006            Pasqual Coco* 2000-2002   

Jordan De Jong*2006-2008    Huck Flener 1993-97           

John Frascatore 1999-2001        Balbino Fuenmayor* 2007 

Dirk Hayhurst* 2008-09               Mark Lemongello 1979

Ryan Klosterman*2006-08        Mickey Klutts 1983     



Hector Luna*2007-08        Mike Maksudian 1992       

Cliff Politte*2002-03        Marc Rzepczynski*


Scott Schoeneweis*2005    Shaun Skrehot 2006       

Steve Staggs 1977        Tanyon Sturtze*2003

When I learned Toronto had traded Rolen to the Reds, I was both surprised and disappointed.  I have followed baseball for about 20-25 years,  and I've never seen a third baseman consistently baffle the oppositon with amazing plays from his position such as Rolen has this year.  Ed Encarnacion is the main piece of the puzzle coming back here, he's only 26-years of age and he did hit 25 homers for the Reds last year.  The other prospects, P Josh Roenicke is 27 and has a 2.74 era in 13 innings pitched for Cincinnati this year. Zach Stewart  is also a young pitcher from the Reds minor league system. I like this trade, We've acquired a young third baseman who is young and has potential, and receiving two additional young pitchers is only an added bonus...

Even as a longtime and dedicated Jays fan,  I have a  difficult time grasping, just on what direction this club is really going in the immediate future, especially after losing two winnable games against the Mariners the last couple of days .

Aron Hill, Adam Lind and and Marco Scutaro all have had exceptional years,  along with Scott Rolen and  Rod Barrajas.  But asking these guys to perform day in and day out, it's unjustifiable and ridiculous.  Those expectations should automatically be put on the shoulders of the highest paid players in the lineup, of course that's Vernon Wells and Alex Rios.  After all, a typical batting order consists of nine batters,  in our case our lineup consists of seven regular batters and two invisibles.   I know, we can't move these guys, because no team in baseball really wants neither player right now, especially with their overpaid salaries.  Then what? Reassigment to the minors wouldn't be a bad idea, but we all know there's not a chance in hell  this is going happen.

by valter on Jul 26, 2009 5:02 PM PDT 0 comments

Just when we barely are getting over the shocking death of Arturo Gatti, we lose another great champion Vernon Forrest.

Forrest was found shot to death Saturday night, after he was trying to defend against a bunch of thugs who were trying to rob him.

Over recent years he was a huge fan favorite for many of us who followed the sport. He was a fighter and a consistent one at that, as by the 41 wins in 45 fights would indicate. In 2001 at Madison Square Garden, he dominated favorite IBF Welterweight Champion Raul Frank.  But he did not stop there, as in  the following year again fighting another fierce opponent he defeated WBC Welterweight Champion Shane Mosely  twice  in only six months.

Two of his three losses came at the hands of Ricardo Mayorga both in 2003, while the other was to Sergio Mora of the TV Series The Contender in 2008.Later

Forrest not only is going to be missed in the ring, but off it as well.  He assisted in the creation of a group home to help provide housing assistance to mentally challenged adults.

VERNON YOU ARE GOING TO BE SADLY MISSED FOR SURE!

Are the Blue Jays shopping for a future GM? Only those in their big fat suits behind closed doors in the front office only know the answer to that question. I got a suggestion,  scribble down the name Jed Hoyer..

Hoyer is currently senior vice president of operations and assistant GM of the Boston Red Sox to current GM Theo Epstein.  He joined the Red Sox organization in 2002, along with the new ownership. You can't argue the success Boston has had since Esptein and Hoyer have been in Boston. It would certainly be nice to have half of  that winning formula here in Toronto...

The Glen Abbey golf club in Oakville, Ontario Canada is the host to this year's Canadian Golf open, a national golf championship which suppose to be equivalent to the United States and British Opens. There's two distinctive differences, British and US Opens are major championships and both also usually include the best players in the world. With no Tiger Woods, or Phil Mickelson and some other notable names in the Canadian Open,  you feel almost  as if you are watching the Nike "Tour, by the way that's the tour before the PGA. When I look at the leaderboard after three rounds and see names such as: James Dufner, Michael Letzig, Jerry Kelly,  and Peter Tomasulo, I ask  myself :" who are these guys."

Retief Goosen at least is amongst those on top of the leaderboard, which is a sigh of relief for a lot of golf fans here,  along with Canadian Mike Weir who is in the hunt for a change going into the final day sitting just four shots back...

It's been an incredible roller coaster ride this far into the season for the Blue Jays,  but after witnessing the Jays lose two heart breakers in extra innings the last two days to the Rays, you have to presume a major shakeup could soon be on the way. 

Although Halladay certainly will be the biggest piece of the puzzle soon to leave this organization,  don't be shocked if other packaged deals involving Scutaro, Wells and possible Alex Rios could also follow . 

We should also not rule out, that the axe may fall on Ricciardi before the end of the year.  This organization is no further now then they were when Ricciardi came in with his bag of promises, which until this point he has never delivered.

If Ricciardi is let go and a new general manager is brought in with a new plan, there's  a distinctive possibility Cito Gaston might not be retained.  Yes, Gaston won two championships for us in the early 90's, but the game of baseball has changed.

Baseball games are no longer just being won on home runs and base hits,  speed and situational strategies are very much becoming a huge part of the game.  Bringing in a younger and established manager with fresh ideas would be a good move for this organization in the immediate future..

There's no question Roy Halladay is the best pitcher this organization has ever had and if or when he leaves the Blue Jays for another organization, he will be greatly missed.  There's  a lot of speculation, tonight's start against the Rays could be his last in a Jays uniform.  It's understandable Roy wants what every player wishes, and it's winning a World Series Championship.

It's such a shame Rogers are not putting forward better efforts the last couple of seasons to  put a contending team on the field to compete with New York and Boston.  Although Ricciardi has been highly criticised, in reality he just has not been given the money or flexibility in his budget that would produce a championship team here.  However, he also deserves to be heavily criticised for the ridiculous figures in new contracts awarded to Wells and Rios.  To add to that, 5-years are more than sufficient time to build a respectable team, which he has miserably failed.  Halladay could have stayed here for a more considerable amount of time, if this organization were really committed to put a winning product on the field. But this ain't happening and unfortunately  the  great and dedicated baseball fans of this city are once again going to be left out in the dark.

It was a very painful to watch the Raptors perform last year, but don't expect the Dinos to take leaps and bounds in the Eastern conference coming the 2009/2010 season either.  Sure they sored up their guard position by acquiring Turkglu and Jack.  But that simply is not going to to get it done and bring this team over the hump. Colangelo need's to fill the center of the court with a proven power forward or a center who is not afraid to get into the paint and mix things up physically...It's also important to recognize, although Jay Triano has contributed so much to this country's basketball program and served well as an assistant before taking over the head coaching position with the Raptors,  he is not  the approriate person that one day  will guide this team  to an NBA Championship period...

Low scoring baseball games sometimes are not the most exciting to watch. Even today after the Jays go down 2-1 to Cleveland, it was impressive to witness Cecil repeatedly get out of jams and  go seven scoreless innings.  As for someone and for the rest of the Jays fans who's just about seen enough of Vernon Wells perform to the lowest level this season,  we were not left disappointed as Wells once again did what was expected, which was nothing.  The only positive thing that transpired with each time Wells got out, was that the boos directed at him were getting louder.

After such a great start to the season, the Toronto Blue Jays are sinking faster than a sinking ship. 

Hard to imagine after a 27-13 record to begin the year, this team is almost at the bottom of the AL East standings.

Sure they've a suffered numerous injuries to the starting rotation, but it's been the offense and their inability to drive in runners who are in scoring position.  As of July 17,  The Jays were only 3-games back of the Baltimore Orioles for bottom spot in the East division.

The Orioles haven't exactly been on a roll during the Jays colossal collapse, but they have won more games than Toronto which almost subsequently has enabled them to caught up to Toronto.

What's next for  the Jays? Well, the worst could still be ahead, especially when you consider this team's confidence continues to dip to lower levels with each day. If there's anything inspiring that could transpire with this team right now would be for them to continue to lose  so the following could happen: (1) They fall last in the AL standings and get the opportunity to obtain another top pick in the next year's draft.

(2) They trade Halladay and receive some top prospects that could have a positive impact on the team in 2010 season.

David Beckham is finally on his way back from Milan to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS.   But the question is, Was he really missed? Mind you the Galaxy have not exactly been tearing it up during his absence. However, the Galaxy were not exactly putting up positive results either when he was part of the starting eleven.

Despite playing well during his tenure in Milan, it's important to digest he was surrounded by a very elite group of players who happen to make him look good more often than not when he was in the starting lineup..

David Beckham is a good player, but he should not be labelled in the great category, because he's  not.

There's no question Beckham has proven he's a a world class player by performing at a high level in the world's most elite leagues such as the Premiership, LaLiga and Serie A. But it also should be noted, he's been a huge under achiever when ever his name has been called upon to represent England in International competitions.

Great players perform successfully at all levels, something Beckham has not done since joining the MLS.  This is why Beckham has, is and will always perform below greatness....

For all the years major sports leagues such as the NHL, MLB and NBA have implemented the all-star game with the idea of honoring those performing at the highest level of their respective leagues.

In Major league Baseball, you have AL versus NL, in the NBA you have East versus West, which the NHL also follow.  In reality this type of format is pointless and  a complete failure.

Some argue this is not the case, because all-star games always sell out and they are a huge success. Actually, the pre-all-star game activities such as slam dunk competitions, (NBA) breakway contest  (NHL) and homerun hitting contests such  as the one in major league baseball, in reality is what markets the game and attracts interest and brings fans to all-star games.

In NBA all-star games, there's no defense and who ever has last shot most likely decides the game. While in the NHL allstar games, it's also about offense and there's not that hard hitting you usually see in regular NHL games.

In baseball allstar games, the pitch-by pitch philosophy you find during the course of a real MLB game is basically none existent, and that's evident by the consistent number of fast balls thrown by pitchers during the course of a MLB all-star game.

What about having MLB allstars facing the Japanese baeball all-stars, or having the best US players against an International team of none US baseball players..Other options, World Series Champions against the all-stars....anything to get away from this easy and nothing to prove concept our major sports leagues currently adopt...

In the last two weeks sports fans all over the globe lost two very speical athletes, Steve McNair and now Arturo Gatti. Each case were similar, in that both had very young girlfriends who also happened to be involved in both homicides.

One thing I could never understand, where the hell these guys get these girls? McNair who was a highly respected player in his day was recenlty separated to his long time wife. While Gatti who also was married once, also followed the same trails of McNair.

Okay, let's cut to the chase, Money! Money! Money! Yeah that's what it''s all about. McNair made his fair share over his longtime football career, which dangerously brought to the forefront a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle others were seeking but could not obtain unless they connected with someone like McNair. 

Gatti a great boxing model and entertainer,  always put up a fight to the last second of every  final round. Unfortunetly, he probably din't even see coming this last knockout, as his wife is now being accused of murdering him....

Gatti and McNair you are going to be very deeply missed by the sports universe..

After such a fiery start, it's been very dissapointing watch the Toronto Blue Jays nearly hit "rock bottom" at the allstar break.

Sure the starting rotation has been depleted with injuries, but it's been the offense which has let down this club, especially after a rocketing first six weeks into the season. During that time, the Jays were knocking the cover off the baseball, including driving in runs in key situations and winning games in late stages of the game.

Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, clearly have become the worst performers for the team this year. Wells is amongst the top of all major leaguers with the worst batting average batting with men in scoring position.While Rios, after signing a big contract extension last year, appears to have dropped a level lower from the solid year he had two years ago..

Marco Scutaro is having the best year of his major league career so far, but at 34 years of age it's not known how much fuel he has left in the tank...We need to start shopping for highly touted young shortstop...

Rod Barrajas and Chavez have been adequate in their catching post so far this year, but they are also in their mid 30's and expecting  more from these career backups to perform at higher level, is not going to happen...they need to start shopping for young prospect to fill this position as well..

Brandon League has been given the opportunity to many times and failed horribly  to prove he can pitch at the major league level, he has to go...Shawn Camp and Dirk Heyhurst are solid Triple AAA pitchers the most and should not be with this club, Jesse Carlson perhaps with some reassignment he can reobtain the magic he showed last year.. Toronto should seriously give Fabio Castro a chance to pitch this year at the major league level, he can't do worse than Brandon League has this year...

Cito Gaston:It was great winning back-to-back World Series Championships in the early 90's, but times have changed and perhaps it's also caught up with  Cito Gaston and his old style managing philosophies as well. There's no life in the Blue Jays this year, they are agressive at the plate all right, but the results at the allstar break this year prove one important point,  the Blue Jays record this year is no better than to  when John Gibbons was manager last year..