Brendan Ryan's Moustache.

With the Jays playing the Yankees twice within the span of a week I've been exposed to the moustache of Yankees player Brendan Ryan.  Does anyone find it makes them think of the moustache Yankee great Don Mattingly used to have?  Ryan looks like he could have stepped out of a '80s baseball card. 

Thank You, Cleveland Indians.

Because of you the Jays are now half a game behind the Yankees for the lead in the American League East.  Do us a favour and beat them again tonight.

While we're talking, you probably should consider changing your name one of these days.

Broom, Broom.

The Blue Jays have just swept the Yankees.  This comes after they swept the Minnesota Twins in a four game series, something they've never done before.  The Yankees managed to score a grand total of one run against the Jays in this series.  The Jays are now a game and a half behind the Yankees for the lead in the American League East.  Pretty wild, pretty wonderful.

It sure makes up for how badly the Saskatchewan Roughriders are playing if you're a fan of both teams.

Loveable Numbers.

If you're a Toronto Blue Jays fan you can't help but love the current numbers.  The Jays are 5 games over .500.  They currently lead the American League East by a game and a half over Baltimore, and 2 games over the Yankees.  They've won 8 of their last 10.  And last night's win was over the Oakland A's, who are tied with the San Francisco Giants for most wins in the majors.

The general thought starting the season was that Toronto would be in the basement once again, just as they were last year.  Even as the season began there was talk manager John Gibbons should be fired.  You won't hear that kind of talk as much now, although there will always be people who want any manager fired.  Instead we have a contending team at the moment. 

Of course one of the big numbers is 115.  That's the number of games left in the regular season.  That's a lot of games.  So it's a bit early to be thinking about hoisting the pennant. 

Meanwhile, the fans of the Tampa Bay Rays(all 10 of them) are in the same position Jays fans were at this time last year, wondering what the hell is going on, and how much longer they have to turn things around before the season is lost.  At least they have one more win that the Jays had.  And Boston Red Sox fans are having a nasty case of deja vu, as it looks uncomfortably like their disastrous 2012 season all over again.  Except at this point in 2012 they had a .500 record, not the 7 games below .500 they do today.  I would imagine they'll be out for John Farrell's blood before long.  At least Farrell has last's years World Series win to tamper some of that.

The Yankees situation is also interesting.  There had to be some fear in their fan base that this year might be a mess.  Mariano Rivera has retired.  Derek Jeter is in his last year.  Robinson Cano signed with the Mariners in the off season.  But, as usual, they're in contention.  Sure, most people wouldn't have expected them to be 2 behind the Jays at this point, but as I noted above there's a lot of season left.  No one in New York is going to be panicking yet.(I should also note that the absence of Alex Rodriguez probably led to a few sighs of relief, as he would have pretty much been clubhouse poison this year.)

Whatever happens today the Jays will still be in the lead at day's end.  But Jays fans are hoping that today sees them increase their lead, and that it's just the beginning of a successful run to the playoffs.

Go Tigers!

With Baltimore knocked out there's only one choice in the American League.  I want the Tigers to beat the Yankees. 

Congratulations, Eric.

There's bound to be quite a bit of press over the next few days about Alex Rodriguez finally getting a World Series ring with the Yankees. But you don't have to be a superstar to have one, or even multiple rings. Former Toronto Blue Jay Eric Hinske was part of the Yankees's World Series lineup, marking his third appearance in the series in 3 consecutive years and his second with a winning team, having been a part of the Boston Red Sox's winning 2007 lineup. He also appeared in the Tampa Bay Ray's unsuccessful 2008 World Series appearance. Not bad for a guy whose role has for several years been that of a utility bench player. A lot of much more hyped players won't get to play in one World Series, let alone three, or end up with two World Series rings. And who knows, his career still has some gas left in it.

The Corner Series.

Today my mother asked me who'd I like to see in the World Series. Personally I think the LA Dodgers versus the New York Yankees would be cool. You'd have the two teams most far apart geographically in the majors competing, and of course would see what used to be the Yankees fellow New York team the Brooklyn Dodgers competing against them. On the other hand the Minnesota Twins representing the American League would be cool as well given that they are about to abandon the Metrodome for the new Target Field, which will open as their new ballpark next Spring.

They Forgot.

It seems the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees forgot what game they were playing tonight. A brawl broke out in the bottom of the 8th when Jorge Posada brushed Jesse Carlson as he came in to score a run. Guys, you were playing baseball, not hockey. Hockey is the game where time is wasted with silly fisticuffs.

A Necessary Evil.

Major League Baseball interleague play has proven controversial since its introduction in 1997. I like it, but it does mean having to do things you don't like, such as hoping the Atlanta Braves win tonight, since they're playing the Yankees. Otherwise I'd be cheering for the Braves to lose given such silliness as the Tomahawk Chop.

Scheduling.

Sunday night saw the last major league baseball game held at Yankees Stadium. (Unfortunately I missed the broadcast.) Frankly I was a bit surprised at this. You would think that given this historic event has been in the offing for a good while now Major League Baseball would have scheduled it for the last day of the season. Instead the Yankess will end their season on a road trip, including 3 games starting tonight against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Of course one assumes a lot of people thought that the Yankees would make the playoffs, and hence Sunday's game wouldn't have been the last. The new stadium is located across the street and will be open for the start of next season. The cost? A measily 1.3 billion. Nice cash if you have it.

Its Been A While.

The Toronto Blue Jays are currently tied for first place in the American League East with the Boston Red Sox. "Jays in first" is something we've heard all too little of in recent years. The Orioles are half a game back, and the Yankees a whole game. Since ole George was in his private box tonight to watch the Jays stomp the Yankees 7-2 I imagine more than a few Yankees will be looking for nice hiding places over the next couple of days.

The game was prefaced by a moment of silence for former Yankee reliever Steve Howe, who was killed in a truck accident today. Given Howe's long running substance abuse problems many folks are likely to suspect drugs played a role in the accident. However given that he was driving back to his home in Valencia, California from Arizona in the early hours of Friday its just as, if not more, likely he fell asleep at the wheel.

As I was sitting watching the Angels defeat the Yankees tonight I was trying to figure out which of the remaining teams I should support. Probably it should be the Chicago White Sox. After all they haven't been to the World Series since the days of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

I am certainly happy that Atlanta was eliminated. Their "tomahawk chop" nonsense and stupid chanting thing annoy me to no end, and should be eliminated forthwith.