Toronto: The Games

That was a rough series. Unfortunately, I witnessed it all first hand. It was rough. The Jays fans were all over the Yankees all series. They were riding high and they deserved every minute of it. My seats were awesome. I was in the lower level, front row, down in RF. We were pretty close to the action and i was right near Bernie. He was getting heckled all weekend long, especially about being old. Poor Bernie.
Jaret Wright should never be allowed to pitch against Toronto. they flashed his career stats vs. the Jays in the pre-game and if I recall he was 1-6 with an ERA over 9. It went up and I wasn't surprised.
A-Rod is in a huge slump. He's obviously still one of the best players in baseball, regardless of how he's doing. I think the boo birds have gotten to him and are in his head. He'd definitely hurting the Yanks. The throwing error cost us game 1. The golden sombrero was awful. He's hurting. But he did rack up his 2000th hit and 450th HR. He made a comment that the accomplishment reminds him that he can still hit the ball and it's just a slump that he's in. Nobody that can do that by the age of 31 is a bum. He's slumping, plain and simple. Maybe he needs a mental health day or two. Anybody that thinks he needs to be traded is an idiot. The guy is the reigning MVP. His career numbers are remarkable and he's a first-ballot HOFer. You don't trade that. For those that think he can't handle NY, I don't buy that either. His performance last year was stellar. He's just in a funk. He'll break out of it. Everybody, regardless of how good they are, slumps. And it's not like his numbers are awful either. I'm an A-Rod supporter all the way.
Scotty Proctor had a great series and was lights out. 17 pitches in game 1 and 16 were for strikes. Kyle Farnsworth was also pretty dominant in the lone Yankee victory. Man he can bring the heat. We saw triple digits on successive pitches, the highest being 101. Ron Villone also was looking good.
Even though the team is slumping, we're still in pretty good shape. We're only 2.5 games behind Boston for the East and only 2.5 games behind Chicago for the wild card. Both are easily within reach and I'm confident that come October, I'll be trying to get playoff tickets.
The Jays are a great team. The lineup is so potent. Everyone with the exception of Troy Glaus and John McDonald are hitting around, or well above .300. Vernon Wells is awesome. Reed Johnson is awesome. They are going to make a serious run at the playoffs.
I didn't have a good feeling about the Yanks going into this series. I knew the Wright and Ponson games were going to be tough to win. Anytime you face Halladay you're starting behind the 8-ball. The only game I felt confident about was the Wang game. Man he's underrated, don't you think? The Yanks offense was pretty good the whole series. The pitching and A-Rod's defense left a lot to be desired. And the pitching really wasn't bad. It is the combination of Ponson, Wilson, Chacon, and Wright that are horrible. They are the ones that aren't getting it done. I said it before: CALL UP THE KID!! Or put Villone in the rotation. The 4th and 5th starters need to be upgraded.
So it's off to Texas. I feel a lot better about this series. A-Rod is going to back to a ballpark he's had success in. Randy and Moose are getting the ball. I'm expecting the boys to bounce back. The trade deadline is fast approaching. I've been reading the rumors and nothing has given me that feeling that popping a Viagra would. I know Cashman is content with the team but after the Jays series he has to see that something needs to be done. We'll find out by this time next week what, if anything, he can pull off. I have to think he'll do something. Just don't trade Cano, Cabrera, Hughes, or Wang and I'll be happy.
You think anyone wants a Chacon, Ponson, Wright package??
J