Blue Jays - 2013 Home Opener

Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.
Proverbs, 27:17, NRSV

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investors know that the worst stock picks one can make is the stock that was hot last year in the hope and / or belief that they will certainly be hot in the coming next few years. It is hard to believe that Alex Anthopoulos didn't read Moneyball by Michael Lewis ! Perhaps he should have compromised and went out to see the movie during the last off season! Moneyball was the story of the the Oakland Athletics, with a payroll of under 40 million, went on to compete and utterly kick ass against teams like the New York Yankees who had a payroll at the time of 125 million! But this is the kind of crap that is going to happen when the general manager is equipped with an arts degree...

Alex - Last season?

The Moneyball method is a lot like the Warren Buffet method of picking stocks. Or what the old school of investors calls "value investing". Trying to buy the next World Series using the New York Yankee method of more money than brains does not always work, especially in the new and present world of Major League Baseball. But at least Alex filled all the seats of Sky Dome once this season.

One could tell that the spin doctors and marketers were given full and total run of the event. Some things the Oracle of Ottawa liked, and a lot of things the Oracle of Ottawa did not like at all. The Canadian flag display that covered the whole outfield was pretty impressive and looked great on an HD flat screen. But the absence of the French verses of of Oh Canada were a total fail. Surely there is one singer available in Toronto that is familiar with Canada's both official languages. The absence of John Farrell grieved the Oracle of Ottawa very deeply. And that replacement! Were the hell did the Blue Jays get this guy? At the old rummy baseball sweat flea market held in the off season in the Dominican Republic? From total class to no class in one iteration, so to speak. But John was better looking than Alex, and you just can't have that can you?

The Oracle of Ottawa also has to comment that the new team song totally sucks! And that band? Never heard of them and will probably be soon forgotten. It appears to the Oracle of Ottawa that the Blue Jays organization put out the honor of the position to the bidding recording companies. And the no-name band managed to cough up the highest amount of (wasted) loot. It may have been good marketing, but the band still sucks.

Another high lite of the evening was the choice of Geddy Lee to toss out the first pitch of the game. (By Tor and the Throw Dog?) And he was serious. He was in top form, that sinker was no stinker! He had a way better night than R. A. Dickey! The final good high light of the night was the return of the great Greg Zaun. The Oracle of Ottawa likes Greg Zaun. But give him back his elegant lapel microphone please! That fruitty face boom mike made the Oracle of Ottawa think that he was suffering a flashback to a Madonna concert. And if possible start working Greg Zaun into the role of play by play when possible, it would be like Vin Scully, on LSD...

Where O Where Is My Greg Zaun?

The product on the field is the players, it's the game,  it's not the ownership, it's the players and the game, and there the ones that deserved to get paid, and that's whats going to happen in this case.
Greg Zaun, Sportsnet Connected segment, commenting on NHLPA talks,  on or about September 09, 2012.

The Oracle of Ottawa knows it can only be bad news in Canada when you go to tune in for your favorite on-air personality and he or she is not there anymore. And you can be pretty sure it is final when the new on-air personality(s) act like that person that you tuned in for was never even here, ever. The Oracle of Ottawa wishes that the corporate over-whores would explain the absence of an on-air personality. The Oracle of Ottawa can take it! If you fired the person for cause, let us know! We are the viewers. We own your five something or other ragged media asses! You really shouldn't ever forget that. Ever.

Jamie Campbell(left) basks in Greg Zaun's immaculate light...

 It has been a great summer for the Oracle of Ottawa. Free from all the old bullshit. I had time to watch the most baseball that I have ever watched in years. And, the Oracle of Ottawa really liked the frank and edgy commentary of Greg Zaun! No Blue Jay game is really complete unless it starts with Greg Zaun's "Three Ways To Win" segment in the pregame show! And the Oracle of Ottawa could really tell that no corporate whore fart catcher/communications type, could get Greg to go to a "How to Dress for TV" course! Only an old school dude such as Greg Zaun could wear what he wore, and actually get away with it, and not look stupid like Don Cherry! I will bet he even had on the two-tone water buffalo brogues!!  Ya, it was a hell of a good summer, until earlier this week, and no more Greg! And to be replaced by somebodies sweet Latino boyfriend, (Jose somebody....) ever so accommodating, that I swear I could feel little Jamie Campbells love-hole winking.....  Shudder.....

What ever could the reason for the sudden absence be? The Oracle searched and searched, and discovered a very frank segment on the recent NHLPA talks, that looks like from here, the beginning of a long cold grey winter. Could it be that Greg Zaun was a little too pro labour for the corporate over-whores at Rogers Communications, that also just so happen to also own the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team? The part where Greg states with full confidence that Donald Fehr did not come out of retirement to lose damn near  busted my gut!

Well whatever the outcome is, whatever happens, the Oracle of Ottawa can be certain that when Greg Zaun draws his last breath, his last words certainly won't be "I wish I had said that....". In the Oracle of Ottawa's book Greg Zaun is a stand up guy.

Could this be the reason why Greg Zaun is no longer on Sportsnet?

Screw The 'Harper Government' - I'm Watching The Bluejays!

One thing a writer has, if he is fortunate, and I have been fortunate, is a partnership with the years. 
Roger Kahn, The Boys Of Summer, p. xxi

Re: Memo from the Sports Desk....

Well dear reader, if you thought this piece was going to be on the Oracle of Ottawa's impressions of the latest 'Harper Government' interview with the Fuhrer himself, on the state broadcaster of the CBC, you are going to be disappointed. The Oracle of Ottawa was watching the Toronto Blue Jays  just whooping the Chicago White Sox on Sportsnet. But during the commercials, the Oracle of Ottawa checked in briefly, and came to the realization that I could miss 90% of it and still cover it for my adoring readership.

Rogers Centre - The wealth of summer...

The Prime Minister states that he doesn't pay much attention to the Canadian media! The Oracle of Ottawa was very surprised when the pig-eyed little man's nose didn't explode out of his face! He doesn't pay attention to Canadian media? If that is true, why wasn't he wearing his favorite Do- Me Hot Pink lipstick, in double high gloss? Is it because some one in the Prime Ministers Office picked up my wicked trashing of it in this blog? You can rest assured dear reader that that is the case. The Oracle of Ottawa collapsed in laughter when the Great Man mentioned that we are "running out of runway"! He should have listened to those young punks in the NDP and not have closed it!

Now the Oracle of Ottawa knows that somebody in the Prime Ministers Office will have read this piece within twenty four hours of this 'umble blogger pushing the "publish post" button. And the Oracle of Ottawa has two serious observations to be taken into consideration. The first is; stop buying the Great Mans suits at Walmart! Second; if that is his old Walmart suit, someone had damn well better book him into the DND medical Centre for a cat-scan! It appeared to this blogger that this man has lost at least 15-20% of his body mass in a very short time of about a week! Or has he had a near death experience in the form of a very frank chat with, say, that nice American Ambassador to Canada, whereupon the 'Harper Government' was confronted with the facts of their nuts deep depth (debt?) to the Peoples Republic of China, especially relating to a recent certain "tele-com" deal? Ya, those frank discussions can be near life or death, can't they?

Yes dear reader, the Oracle of Ottawa sensed like Peter Mansbridge, that something was deeply troubling the Fuhrer. What ever could it really be? Hmmmm.... But back to the ball game...

It seems that the "syringe era" of Major League Baseball is over. The Oracle of Ottawa has not seen one guy so far that looked like a comic book character. And watching baseball in full 1080HDi is just like watching a shiny  baseball card in full motion! Baseball is so real in HD. The Oracle of Ottawa is again enjoying the great game. The Rogers Sportsnet coverage of the Blue Jays is just the best out there. The commentary isn't Harry Cary, but is the best I have seen and heard so far. Could it be possible that the corporate lads in Toronto still have some semblage of a soul left? There may be hope for Canada after all... 

What is the definition of  great character team? Even when they lose, you can't stop watching! Hats of to the corporate overlords at Rogers Communications! (And please don't screw it up!!)