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Geregistreerd op: 10 Jul 2019
Berichten: 1200
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 Geplaatst: 17-07-2019 02:01:50 Onderwerp: aimed high, so Im not |
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The Toronto Blue Jays got out of the gate with a dismal 10-17 record last season and dug themselves a hole they could never really get out of. Its a scenario they really cant afford to repeat in 2014. Prior to last season, 39 of the last 60 teams that were in first place in their division on June 1 went on to make the post-season. If you look at last years races division by division, there were only two teams that werent in first or second in June who went on to make the playoffs. In the American League West, Texas was in first through April and May with a 34-21 - two games ahead of Oakland. The As went on a 63-32 tear the rest of the way and won the division by five games over the Rangers, who played and lost a sudden death tie-breaker. In the Central, Detroit and Cleveland hit June 1firsy and second in the division with the Tigers leading by a half-game. Detroit wound up taking the division by one game over the Indians. In the East, Boston was on top at 34-23. This is one division where there was a slight exception. Tampa Bay was actually in 4th place heading into the games of June 1 at 30-25. But the Rays were only a half-game back of Baltimore and one game behind the second place Yankees. The Rays finished 61-46 to take second place. The Blue Jays were 23-33 through the first two months and never really came close to getting back in the race, even with that 11 game win streak. In the National League East, Atlanta was 33-22 through April and May and won the division easily with a 96-66 mark. Washington, a pre-season favourite, was 28-28 and missed the playoffs altogether. In the Central, St. Louis got off to a 37-18 start and led the division wire-to-wire on the way to a Major League best 97-65 record. Pittsburgh was third two months in, but overhauled Cincinnati for second place, though both teams won 90 or more and both made the post season. The National League West was the one division where all bets were off after two months. Arizona was on top at 31-24 with a two-and-a-half game lead on the Giants and Rockies. The Dodgers were seven-and-a-half games out through April and May at 23-31. The division practically turned upside down the rest of the way. The D-Backs faded and finished at 81-81 for the second year in a row. San Francisco and Colorado collapsed and both finished 10 or more games below .500. The Dodgers, though, inspired in large part by the arrival of Yasiel Puig went a scorching 69-39 down the stretch and won the division with a 92-70 mark. So it pretty much goes without saying, the Blue Jays need to be at least slightly above .500 through April and May to have any hope of competing in the tough American League East. Their schedule is, by no means, easy with 22 of their 57 games through the first two months against the A.L East, including six against Boston and seven versus Tampa Bay - the two playoff favourites in the division. The Jays only have 10 games over April and May against "lesser" opponents, with three against Houston, three versus Minnesota and a four-game interleague series against Philadelphia. 25 of the 57 are against teams that either made the playoffs last season or were involved in tie-breakers. The Jays also have just one day off in the month of May; a real test of the pitching staff. No team will ever admit theyre out of it after just two months. The Blue Jays didnt a year ago. But in five of the six divisions last season, the two-month mark painted a pretty vivid picture of where teams are really at. The other day I was reading about the new head of the Players Association, Tony Clark, when another name in the article caught my name. It was Steve Rogers, who also works for the Association as a liaison to the players among his many duties. I actually had to double check that it was the same Steve Rogers who once pitched for the Expos. It was. If you get into a conversation with anyone as to who the greatest pitcher in Expos history was, some might suggest Pedro Martinez, who went 55-33 in his four seasons in Montreal. Others might say Dennis Martinez for his perfect game, maybe Bill Stoneman for his two no-hitters or Ross Grimsley for being the Expos first 20-game winner. In my mind, though, it was Steve Rogers. I was surprised to see his career record was only 158-152, but its his other numbers that blow you away. Over 13 seasons, all with Montreal, he pitched over 200 innings in nine of them. Six times he was over 250 innings, four times over 270 and in 1977 when he won 17 games he pitched an incredible 300.2 innings. He actually pitched more innings per season than Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and had a better career ERA at 3.17 than another Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Rogers was a five-time all-star and finished second in the rookie of the year voting and one year was second in the Cy Young balloting. It was a different era, but compare Rogers numbers to one of the Blue Jays all-time greats Roy Halladay in a couple of categories. Rogers had 129 complete games and 37 shutouts and Halladay had 67 complete games and 20 shutouts. Rogers, 64 now, had to retire at 35 when his shoulder essentially gave out on him. He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame at St, Marys and tries to get back for the Induction Ceremonies every year. He concedes he might even have had a shot at Cooperstown if he had been able to pitch another 5-7 years and could have won another 70 games. The Expos only made the playoffs once in their history - 1981. Steve Rogers beat Phillies legend Steve Carlton twice in the division series and then defeated the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS. But say his name today and many will only remember his relief appearance on "Blue Monday" at the Big "0," when he gave up the series deciding homer to the Dodgers Rick Monday. 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Its what I think and what I want to do," said the five-foot-six golfer from Kettering, England, prior to hitting the driving range at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club to prepare for the CN Canadian Womens Open. Hull, the youngest ever to play in the Solheim Cup, racked up an impressive 2-1-0 record and took apart American Paula Creamer 5 and 4 in Sundays singles. "I didnt feel it (the pressure) as much as I thought I would. I felt like it was just another game of golf, you know," said Hull. "The crowds were really, really big. People can find them intimidating, so I just kind of tried to trick my mind (to shut the crowds out) and go out and play my own game." Hull, who turned pro in March, will play in Edmonton as a sponsor exemption, but has already received permission from the LPGA to play on tour before she turns 18. Shell participate in the second stage of Q-school in October, and if all goes well she will be on tour starting Jan. 1. She has already been tearing up the courses so far on the Ladies European tour, with five runner-up finishes -- but says she wants to tee it up with the best. "I want to get on the LPGA," she said. "Everything seems bigger. The players are better. Its just playing in front of bigger crowds more, so its more fun." Hull has already made an impression by not standing out. She has not courted sponsors in order to avoid distractions. Her red and black Titleist golf bag is a monument to minimalism. Aside from her name, there is little to distinguish it -- no puppet heads or cutesy club covers ("Thats not me," she said.) The only personalized item is a fist-sized stuffed heart hanginng on the side done up in the flag of Great Britain.dddddddddddd Does it have special meaning? Sort of. "My friend gave it to me, so I thought rather than just put it in the (rubbish) bin, Ill put in on the golf bag," she said. How about the Yankees hat? Big fan of Americas iconic sports franchise? No, she said, its just something she picked up in England. "I wear this hat because its more comfortable on my head than the other hats. I dont even know what the (NY) symbol means." Hull is already known for her plain speaking. Recently she said its "silly" for some golf courses to have male-members-only policies, adding, "We are all equals and should be treated as such." Hulls father, David, said she got some of that from him. "Ive always brought her up to tell the truth, and be honest," he said. "I think thats what people should do in life. Say what you see." David, with Charley in Edmonton, said he could see early on that his daughter was wired into golf. "When she was four she just picked it up. She was so gifted. A natural, the way she could hit a golf ball," he said. "I could show you a video of her swing when she was seven. Her swing was pretty similar (to what it is now). "She could use her hands. (The club) seemed to be a part of her. It was strange." It wasnt in the genes, he added. "I didnt start playing golf till I was 45. It doesnt come from me." He said his daughter practises six hours a day and is always about the challenge: challenging the field, challenging herself. "When she was little they used to say Oh, youre a girl, you have to play off the ladies tees, he said. "She would say, I dont want to do that. Im playing with the boys. I want to challenge them. So they let her play off the back tees with the boys." Thats why the LPGA is the next step. "Theres a lot more competition here," he said, "If she wants to get better thats what she wants, so Ill have to come with her until shes 18. "Ill babysit her," he laughed. ' ' ' |
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