In how many ways can the 2013 season be described for Toronto's team in Major League Baseball?
The Blew Jays, because goodness knows they blew it - and early. They were so far out of the American League East race by the quarter pole that not even an A.L.-high 11-game winning streak in June got them out of fifth and last place. (The high point occurred on June 22-23 when the Jays were tied for fourth - and last - with Tampa Bay. )
How about the 'blue' Jays, to describe the feeling of Jays' fans all over Canada, who had high expectations after a winter of big-name acquisitions that had many experts picking the Jays to not only contend in the powerful A.L. East, but to be a World Series threat.
In Quebec, the only thing that can be said is 'sacre bleu'; francophone fans, who now have only one Canadian team to root for, had their hearts broken early and often as loss after loss piled up and manager John Gibbons tried to figure out a winning combination. Not to mention trying to figure out what went wrong.
So what happened? How did the 2013 Blue Jays become the Blow Jays? In hindsight, the pre-season awarding of the pennant bestowed on the Jays because of the pitching staff overhaul (adding R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle) was hasty. Dickey, the 2012 Cy Young winner in the National League, lives and dies with an unpredictable flight of a knuckleball and in more outings than he would have liked, that 71 mph floater hit opponents' bats far more often than it hit catcher Josh Thole's glove.
Somehow, the Jays have taken an enormous amount of individual talent and managed to screw up the 'team' angle. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are two of the most feared sluggers in baseball and are both having great years. Besides the aforementioned trio of starting pitchers acquired over the winter, the Jays picked up hitting sensations Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera and have a bullpen that has overachieved to the point where two relievers - Steve Delabar and Brett Cecil - played in the all-star game.
With expiring contracts and advancing age, Toronto has a short window of opportunity to cash in on all the talent GM Alex Anthopoulos has accumulated. But after a summer of discontent in 2013, Canadian fans can look forward to another winter of great anticipation and, hopefully, a summer of success in 2014.
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "A massive sinkhole opened up at Ste-Catherines and Guy Streets in downtown Montreal. The hole goes so far down, witnesses say, that gawkers could even see the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "Morgan Shepherd, 71, became the oldest driver to start a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. You could tell Shepherd's car. It was the one that left its turn signal on the entire race."
Among David Letterman's top 10 pieces of advice for young athletes:
"- It helps to be 6-foot-5, 240 pounds
- Accentuate brown eyes by playing for a team with green uniforms
- Trash talking is part of the game, but always follow up the next day with an apology note
- Talk to friends, family and clergy about which Kardashian is right for you."
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com on the Milwaukee Brewers giving away about $3 million in food and drink vouchers to fans at the ballpark for the rest of the season, basically spending the money they would have paid Ryan Braun: "Gosh, if/when A-Rod gets suspended, the Yankees could afford to turn their stadium into an all-inclusive resort."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce said he is not happy about his demotion to backup. Great. Now even his pride is injured."
Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: "As of July 15, the Las Vegas betting line on the Houston Astros winning the World Series: 5,000-1. To provide a little perspective, the odds of a space alien landing at midfield during the Super Bowl halftime show are 4,500-1.
Headline at eTruSports.com: "Putin to offer A-Rod asylum."
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Eagles receiver Riley Cooper's racist utterance: "Living proof that Marge Schott and John Rocker once had a romantic fling."
Alex Rodriguez headline in the New York Post: "Banned plays on."
Another one from Dickson, on A-Rod celebrating his 38th birthday last week: "If you're shopping for a belated gift, you can't go wrong with clean urine."
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "It's becoming more and more clear that Tiger is only Tiger in regular PGA Tour events. In majors, he has been downgraded to a pussycat until further notice. "
Janice Hough again: "Not saying Johnny Manziel is getting a big head. But at this point I half expect to read that he gets pulled over for speeding and tries to charge the officer to sign the ticket."
And a groaner from Currie to finish: "When CFL import receiver Brandon London was born, were his parents reading A Tale of Two Cities?"
