Jays Take Two of Three from Orioles

After the shellacking in the first game, Toronto won the other games in the series: 3-0 on Wednesday and 8-5 last night. On Wednesday, Ricky Romero almost got a complete game as he poured in 8 1/3 innings to get the win and J.P. Arencibia slammed a solo home run in the game. Here's the story. Last night, Edwin Encarnacion and Eric Thames went back-to-back last night for solo homers in the game. The starter for the game, Carlos Villaneuva struggled in the first inning as Baltimore hit his fastball well, but later on he resorted to his other pitches and played a solid game. Here's THAT story. That's all for now. I'll be back later with some more postings. Take care.

Bautista A Hit with the Glove at All-Star Weekend

On Sunday night, Jose and the rest of the all-stars played their game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Granted, Jose didn't get a home run but he did contribute with a great catch early on in the game. The ball was heading to right field. As Bautista was falling down, the ball landed in his glove to save the American League from being scored on. That play elicited decent amounts of cheers and excitement from both myself as I viewed the action on TV and from the crowd who were attending the game at the stadium. In addition to the amazing play, Jose Bautista also contributed a single in the game before going out in the 6th inning. So, the game was more successful for Jose than the Derby. As for Ricky Romero, he didn't get a chance to play as there were more than enough relief pitchers for the teams to use. Needless to say, the National League won 5-1 and Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers received game MVP honours. So now the rest of the year begins for the Jays as they start a 4-game series at home vs the New York Yankees. Game time is 7 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Here's the game recap. Have a good one.

Home Run Derby not a Success for Bautista

So last night was the Home Run Derby in the Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend. Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays was one of the participants in the event. I wanted him to win because he is on the Jays and because he has hit the most home runs so far in the season in all of the major leagues (31 homers). Sadly, he didn't win the contest, hitting only 4 home runs in the 1st round and thus was unable to continue. The event was won by Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees. After the 1st round, I switched off my TV in disgust because the remaining players were mostly from either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees, and I don't like either of those teams. The only other participant left was Prince Fielder from the Milwaukee Brewers. All in all, it was a disappointing night as a Jays fan, but I did admire Bautista for backing up his pre-game words about just having fun and not worrying too much about winning the Derby. Here's the story.

That's it. Stay tuned tonight for the All-Star Game which will be at 8 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Be good.

Reminder About Tonight's Home Run Derby

This is just a short post reminding everyone that you can catch Jose Bautista and the rest of the participants in this year's Home Run Derby tonight at 8 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Also too, you can catch Jose Bautista and Ricky Romero in the All-Star Game tomorrow night at 8 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Enjoy the festivities, everybody! Take care.

Ricky Romero Struggles vs Red Sox

So far, Toronto's ace has become a solid pitcher in the majors. However, he wasn't solid at all last night in Boston. Ricky gave up 6 runs in just 4 1-3 innings to get the loss, 6-4. Two of those runs were homers, one from Jacoby Ellsbury in the bottom of the 1st inning, and the other was from Kevin Youkillis in the bottom of the 2nd. After I saw the disastrous bottom of the 4th when Romero and the Jays gave up 3 doubles and 4 runs to Boston for them to go ahead 6-3, I switched off my TV in disgust. It's a good thing I did, because the only other thing I missed was 1 run afterwards. Ricky Romero is now 7-8 on the year while Tim Wakefield the "knuckle-baller" improves to 5-3 with the win. John Papelbon earned his 19th save of the year in the game. Toronto now has to travel to Cleveland for a series vs the Indians in the last few games before the All-Star break. Here's the recap vs Boston. That game against Cleveland will start at 7 PM and it can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet. Until then, be good.

Toronto's Jose Bautista All Raring to go in All-Star Weekend

Last evening, Jose Bautista was officially named to the 2011 Home Run Derby which will take place at All-Star Weekend. That will take place on Monday at 8 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. He got the news in a phone call from Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz. Jose will also be in the All-Star Game as well since he received the most fan votes of any player in the running. The game will take place on Tuesday at 8 PM on Rogers Sportsnet. Here's the story. That's it for now. Be back with more later. You all take care.

It's Official: Greedy NBA Imposes Lock-out on us Fans!

As of midnight today, the NBA and its players entered into a lock-out. This means that, at least for the time being, there will be no more NBA basketball to be played and watched. Why is there a lockout? Answer: It's ALL about the money! The players want more and the owners want a hard cap (which I actually agree with). Why should the players get more? They already make enough, and so do the owners and commisioner crew! As far as I see it, the players are going to starve the league into submission while clown David Stern and his crew of game-fixing officials and people cower in fear. If that doesn't happen, then we can kiss the league goodbye forever. What is basketball? Is it about entertainment, or money or media prestige? NO! It's a game that we all love and cherish, and it stirs up great emotions and memories. For me, it's always going to go back to when I first started watching the Raptors. That team was tough, with many veterans to back up a much younger and more athletic Vince Carter. Who can forget the 2001 team taking out the New York Knicks and then duking it out with Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers? The next season was also memorable, seeing the team come back to the playoffs after losing 13 games in a row, all without Vince! Antonio Davis was key that year, and he helped lead the team to duke it out with the Detroit Pistons. For me, that's where it's at. Heart, hustle, determination, and a willingness to be loyal: this is what Raps fans want. Say no to the league's current direction! Demand change, and go watch the Jays or Leafs instead. I'll just close by embedding a great Bruce Blitz video down below:

By the way, here's the official press release from the league. Have a good day!