One Weekend, Some Things

Blue Jays Dominate Orioles, Split with Cleveland

Note: This title has been borrowed from the Globe and Mail's Michael Grange, for my money the best beat writer the Raptors have, and by far the most insightful. Too many blogs by burgeoning sports writers such as myself merely repeat things they hear on the raido or TV or read in the newspapers. The best blogs, the best columns, try to find the little nuances we sometimes miss as fans. Michael Grange is terrific at it, and this blog is my own humble attempt at the same.

1. Sweeping the Orioles: This was probably a more important series than people realize. Coming off the first series loss of the year in KC, there was concern that the Jays would 'settle down' to 'who they really are'. Building a winning team has a lot to do with attitude, and the transition years can be very tough. Last year, there was a sense the club was not mentally tough, as exemplified in those categories, such as hitting with runners in scoring position, come from behind wins, and batting average with RISP and two outs. The blown save in late spring last year to the Angels was the catalyst, and the Blue Jays never recovered. Baseball and golf are very similar in that they are both uniquely skilled sports that place a high value on the mentality of those who play them. In other words, they're "head" sports. Basketball and football and hockey require less in that fashion, and athleticism is generally more important than the inner psyche.

2. Rios is coming around. This is obvious, but from all the postings, please stop talking about Rios, his swing is coming around and he's been seeing the ball much better. The same is true of Wells. Better at bats. Better pitch selection. Better focus. The same can't be said for Overbay.

3. The lineup will probably hit well all year. I wasn't convinced of this in April, but to have a great hitting team means you need about six or seven of your hitters going at once. Not all nine. This never happens. Besides, when the Jays' get their arms back we will probably forget they survived the first two months on hitting. When healthy, this is a deep and well stacked pitching staff.

4. The importance of their start can not be overstated. For people who think 19-10 is no big deal, let me explain it this way: The Blue Jays could lose their next nine, three-game series, win only one game in each series, and be a .500 ball club in the middle of June. This is their best start since 1992, the year they won the World Series. My prediction: if they have the same winning percentage in May that they had in April (which would work out to about 18-11), their record would be 33-20 going into June, and they will be a playoff team.

5. My MVP's so far for this club, in order:

1. Roy Halladay - (5-1) The stud on which the whole thing hangs.

2. Adam Lind - 29 RBI's. More clutch hits than anyone on the team. Vital, especially during the struggles of Wells and Rios.

3. Mitch Richmond - (4-0)AL Rookie of the Month for April. Righties are hitting the now No.2 starter to the tune of .111. Completely unexpected.

4. Scott Downs - Simply "the man" in the bullpen.

5. Aaron Hill & Marco Scutaro - Setting the table at the top of the order. Scutaro leads the league in walks, and Hill has been the driving force of the offence.


Note: Send me your top MVP's so far this year, and I will post them on the site.

-Steve

The Bills Score High Grades in Draft

Attitude and Instinct the Theme on Draft Day

There's nothing worse than being stuck in traffic with a sore back and a standard transmission. Such was the case Saturday night as I headed home in the wind/rainstorm that produced a number of fallen signs, wet bystanders and grumpy callers from Western New York about the Bills' first day draft choices.

I have to admit, I was a bit concerned myself when I looked up and saw Michael Oher, one of the top rated tackles in the draft still on the board at 23, and the Bills making no effort to trade up. Eric Wood, projected as a second round choice, was the Bills's choice for the first round pick they'd picked up from Philadelphia in the Jason Peters' trade. And the fans were not happy about it. For over an hour I listened to callers complain about the Bills penchant for "reaching". You'd have thought they'd done the scouting themselves, by the way they frequently referred to the Bills' needs and what the team should have done.

Of course, that's the great part about being a fan. And the Bills haven't been in the playoffs since 1998, so they have reason to be cynical. When I looked through the descriptions and scouting reports however, I found a common theme among the Bills' choices.

Not a single problem athlete. As a rule, the Bills drafted hardworking players who will put their nose to the grindstone, play with injury, and work well with their teammates. This has been the mantra of New England (who always escapes criticism from the experts because they've proven to be very effective at picking in the later rounds) for the past decade, and they've done pretty well.

Take the case of Eben Britton, the highest rated tackle still on the board before the Jags picked him with the 39th pick. His quote, "every team that passed on me will regret it for the rest of the history of their franchise'' says everything you need to know about why the Bills passed. The reason they traded Peters was essentially his poor attitude. (I'm better than two of the guys on the line, so why are they making more than me.) After which, he went out in 2008 and had an ordinary year, while demanding top dollar.

And when we talk about attitude, I'm not talking about confidence or a mean streak. Those are good things. (Center Eric Wood, who New England apparently loved, possesses both of those qualities) We're talking about arrogance, the kind that kills a locker room. Any one who has played team sports understands how important this is, and that a team can be greater than the sum of its parts if they play together. (Which makes the Terrell Owens deal even more mystifying)

The other theme behind the Bills' draft choices is that they chose football players over great athletic ability. (See Raiders, Oakland, for comparison) Even Maybin, still raw after essentially a one year career at Penn State, is considered an instinctive, smart, fluid player.

The second day of the draft looks even better to me, especially the tight end from Southern Miss., Shawn Nelson, who should immediately upgrade the passing game. The Bills will have a number of corners for their cover 2 zone in camp, and hopefully Maybin will address their pass rushing issues. The only question, really, is whether Langston Walker can hold up at left tackle. If he can, than this draft goes from good to great.

-Steve