Month: May 2015

Living in the world of drama

Posted on by Hosehead

One thing that I am really starting to take notice about is people asking celebrities questions that they know will create drama with a particular answer. Almost putting them into a pressure cooker if it gets answered incorrectly. Unfortunately social media is once again the culprit. As a society we are quickly offended by nearly everything. Celebrities have to walk on egg shells constantly. Tom Hardy was asked a question yesterday by Toronto Star’s Peter Howell.

“I have a question for Tom Hardy. Tom, I’ll preface my remarks by saying that I have five sisters, a wife, a daughter, and a mother so I know what it’s like to be outgunned by estrogen. But I just wanted to ask you, as you were reading the script, did you ever think, Why are all these women in here? I thought this was supposed to be a man’s movie?” Howell posited.

Why would Howell even ask this question? One wrong word by Hardy and the internet would have been all over him. He answered it perfectly of course.

“No. Not for one minute… That’s kind of obvious

This is the kind of thing that we social media users crave. We want a wrong answer to jump down their throat. We generally forget about what was said in a couple of weeks, but those couple of weeks we cry foul play. We want their heads on a swivel. We are the generation of drama. We want it created in everything. Whether it’s reality TV, the news, sports, or just in our own lives. We crave it. When did all of this start? I think reality TV is a huge culprit. The way that things are edited, it makes it seem that what happens in the next episode is so shocking that you must watch it (have you ever watched the preview for a Hell’s Kitchen episode?) Every single thing we do or see is turned up to 11 on the stereo.

Even sports has become drama filled. Deflategate, Kris Bryant, the Leafs, and Lebron have seemingly been all over the news. Most of it isn’t even sports related. It’s not about the game. The FIFA scandal has just happened. This is at least news worthy. The first thing I thought about after I heard about the FIFA bribes was that I would now have to hear about this for the next month. When you listen to talk radio it has nothing to do about what happened in the game. Unless they are talking about somebody intentionally injuring another player. It is so difficult to find anything with substance. What happened to reporting on the actual game?

We are the generation of likes. We are so influenced by the way social media goes that we just sway with it until it’s no longer news. One of the best interpretations of this is in the movie Gone Girl. Ben Affleck’s character is grilled for weeks about the disappearance of his wife. Social media is screaming for blood. Then she comes back. They reunite, and he is the best husband in the world. Things can flip so quickly. We were all in love with Chris Evans. He was doing great things for charity with Chris Pratt. He then makes the mistake of commenting about Black Widow’s character. He is now hated. Jokingly or not. It doesn’t matter. This is a misogynistic douche and shall be treated like one. I don’t care about all the great things he has done recently. It’s all about this now. Obviously what he said was wrong. It was a misplaced joke about an awfully sore subject.

It is extremely tiring living like this. Having to keep up daily with what has happened or what we like or dislike. Where do we stand with certain things? I have my own moral compass. I know where I stand with certain subjects. It’s where to voice your concern that’s important. We all know that certain celebrities know how to spin us. We just can’t give in to their attempts to bait us. Be careful on what you click on. It is really news worthy? Is it really worth your time? Or is it just fluff? If we start to consume what is actually important, things will switch. They are only reporting on what we crave. And what we crave is drama.

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What the Josh Donaldson home-run meant to the Jays season

Posted on by Hosehead

That game winning home run that was hit last night didn’t feel just like a game winning home run. It felt like a wake-up call to a team that has under-performed for the past three years. One of the most important things that I took from last night’s game was that they were for once able to get by a terrible start from a starting rotation member. Usually this is the type of game that the Jays lose. Dickey gets roughed up. Ruin a night of production from both Bautista and Donaldson. This changed with one swing of the bat.

Now we have seen what Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin can do for the Toronto Blue Jays. They lead by example. Show intensity when it’s required. Battle with each and every pitch. It’s a confidence that hasn’t been seen with the Jays for quite a while. A couple of proven playoff performers. They know how to get there, and are trying to get the Jays back into the race.
There is nothing more infuriating as a Jays fan than watching a bunch of high priced talent goofing around in the dugout when the team is five games under .500. Watching a player flip his bat after a long home run when the team is down by five, or watching the outfield jump into each other after their lone win on a 1-5 home-stand. There is a time for playful fun in baseball. When Donaldson cracks a game winning home run to start a bit of a winning streak is a great time for that. This is a team sport and the Jays have been playing as individuals for far too long.

I am cautiously optimistic. Keeping tabs on other teams in the AL East it seems as though this division is winnable. Even with a mediocre record it is ripe for the taking. Every team in the AL East is floating right around .500. Injuries are piling up for multiple teams. The Red Sox already fired their pitching coach. If the Jays can pull off any kind of run they can play some meaningful games in September. They really need the starting pitching to put up a streak of quality outings. You know the offense will be there.

We have sung this tune before. The Jays are always a game away from a complete over haul of the lineup or a player away from competing for the division. Again they are at the same crossroads. If they don’t feel as though they can compete in September then they have to start dealing. As a fan I just want some consistency. I don’t want to hear Dickey talk for three years about how he is just about there. I don’t want Bautista to whine about the strike zone. A stuttering John Gibbons having a non-chalant interview that starts with his over-used “well.” Just shut up and start winning. Have some owner ship over what’s expected of this team. One thing that I do know is that Martin and Donaldson have both been there before. They are battle-tested. You are starting to see the mark that they are putting on this team. Here’s hoping that other players will continue to follow their lead and the Jays can make a bit of a run.

Jurassic Park and it’s involvement in butterfly style goaltending

Posted on by Hosehead

Mad Max – 9.4/10
This was one of the best action movies that I have ever seen. It was a visually stunning masterpiece of chaos. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are perfect in their roles. This movie is the reason that gigantic theatres were built.

Everybody has always had that neighbor in their apartment building that has the stomp walk. Why can’t you walk quietly? It’s just one foot in front of the other. Nope that’s a march. You don’t need to get to the kitchen one second earlier. Take it easy.

Food Truck events are huge in KW now. We went to one yesterday and it was a 20 min wait for lemonade. It reminded me of the Revenge of the Nerds scene with the whipped cream over the topless picture of Stan’s girlfriend. Why is everybody waiting 20 min for lemonade?

Mike Babcock has finally signed. He signed with Toronto. I hate it when the Leafs make good moves.

Everybody always has that person in their group of friends that would be willing to get into a garbage can and be rolled down a hill. Nothing good was going to come of this and everybody knew it. He knew his role. It was to get laughs regardless of physical ailment. We salute you.

While watching a NFL game I am generally the most entertained when a kick is blocked and the punter gets drilled by a defensive lineman. I lean up on the couch like a giddy 12 year old during a Call of Duty session to watch the replay over and over again.

Who has time to make all natural orange juice? Squeezing out 3 or 4 oranges seems like a lot of unnecessary work.

A rare thing happened at the Jays game yesterday. There were 45,000 fans at a sporting event that all had terrible musical taste. They have the shitty hat to prove it.

The people that are pushing shopping carts of grocery stores to their houses have zero shame. Every single person that is driving by them thinks the same thing. What a di**. Now, if you push the cart back. You are a hero.

I can understand why pets respond to the vacuum the way that they do. It’s a very unsettling noise. Do you think dogs will ever evolve where they can laugh?

Bloodline is a new show I started watching. It’s about a very well off and loving family that has an always getting into trouble brother that comes back to town to help with the family business. The first episode was excellent. It’s on Netflix.

Anime North was this past weekend. This is one of the few conventions that I really don’t understand anything that is happening. The only other time I feel this way is strolling around Tokyo. It’s all very pretty, but I don’t know what’s going on.

Sara and I went to see Spamalot on the weekend. It was excellent. I am a huge fan of Monty Python, and they did every gag from the Holy Grail that I wanted them to do. The sets were excellent, and the actors were outstanding. Cambridge does have a little bit of culture to it. That is until everybody started to honk their horns and head to Tim Hortons after.

There are so many breweries opening up in Southern Ontario. If you want a feel for just how many; start following a few on Twitter. It’s insane!

Mike Wilner from the Fan 590 is coming to Waterloo to the Starlight with a few more guys that know ball to discuss all things baseball. It’s called Pitch. It looks fantastic, and I will be there.

http://www.pitchtalksbaseball.com/

They now have a guy that has a French accent that works at my pharmacy. I always think he’s trying to fool me into taking the wrong medication for some reason now. He just sounds so sneaky.

Sometimes I wonder how those shady convenience stores stay open. You know the ones. They have the knock off Yankees hat that is either pink or has glitter all over it. Does anybody actually buy these items?

How did goalies not figure out that the stand-up style of goaltending wasn’t the most efficient way? “So if I stand up it takes up this much of the net, but if I go down into the butterfly it takes up this much.” Have you watched how many goals go in along the ice in the ‘80s?

Making a real Jurassic Park seems like a terrible move. I really don’t think humans and dinosaurs were supposed to live together. Even if they didn’t eat meat, you would have to worry about this hoser stepping on your car or wrecking stuff in the neighborhood.

Mike Babcok in Toronto. Now What?

Posted on by Hosehead

Mike Babcock signed an 8 year 50 million dollar deal in Toronto. This was the headline across the board on all social media forums. That is an insane deal for a coach. I guess if the Leafs really wanted to get their man they needed to outbid the Buffalo Sabres. The poor Sabres. Just keep getting passed over. Who in their right mind would want to go to that team with the drama of a “Keeping up with a Kardashian’s” episode? Mike Babcock must love a challenge. Or must love swimming in a vault full of money.

How will the Red Wings fare? The thing about the Detroit Red Wings is that they always have a backup plan. They will not miss a beat. They have a system in place that allows them to lose a vital piece, but it will never make them crumble. Their young nucleus (Tatar, Nyquist, and DeKeyser) are nearly ready to take over for the old war horses (Datsyuk and Zetterberg.) You need to have the players in place to allow the coach to have success. The Leafs have a few of the pieces. They just lack the leadership to not allow negativity to creep in. They play in the “we want it now” market. They had to hire Babcock at all costs. He can bring some stability to this franchise.

What do you do next if you are the Leafs though? You have your man in place. Things might simmer down a bit now. Can they keep any of those pieces? You have to assume that Lupul and Phaneuf are gone. I think Kessel, Bozak, and van Riemsdyk can be kept. You just can’t have a captain that had pretty much been dealt for the back half of the year last year. Who do you choose as captain? In my opinion. You don’t have a captain. You roll with a bunch of assistants to keep the pressure off any one individual. Unless you pursue a free agent that has a wealth of dealing with this ridiculous market. I would assume that Shanahan isn’t going to go after any high priced talent while he is overhauling this team.

On the back end you have a couple of pieces. You have Rielly and Gardiner. Rielly should be part of a top pair. He could be a top 10 defensemen for years. Gardiner can bounce back. He has the skating ability and offensive prowess to make him a top power play producer. In goal they have two very solid keepers. Bernier and Reimer can both start for quite a few teams. They just need some help up front. This is probably their strongest area. Up front you have one line. Other than that you have nothing. Kadri might never be more than an average second liner with defensive liability. This is the area that they need the most help.

The major issue is that they don’t have a lot coming down the pipe. A couple of trades near the trade deadline should help that. They have always been terrible at developing talent. This might change with Babcock. Detroit has been brilliant at drafting players late and making them into top line players. This has a lot to do with scouts and Holland, but also has a lot to do with Babcock knowing where to play them to have the biggest impact. He gets the most out of his players.
Instantly this turns the Leafs from the laughing stock to something that you chuckle at. They are obviously a few years away from contending. This is a move in the right direction though. You look at the money that he got and you just shake your head. The thing about the Leafs is that they have a pile of money. This doesn’t go against their cap. He’s the best head coach in the NHL. As much as I hate to say it. This was the right decision by the Leafs.

Tomorrowland Movie Review

Posted on by Hosehead

Witnessed an absolute massacre on the silver screen last night. We went to see an advanced screening of Tomorrowland. Brief synopsis of the movie. George Clooney is given a pin at the 1964 World’s Fair. He then gets transported into an alternate reality that is for the brightest minds. Years later he has become disgruntled, and ends up being exiled. But a wonderfully optimistic girl named Casey Newton gets the same pin. She ends up getting dropped off at his house so that her optimism can overcome his pessimism and eventually save the world from imminent destruction.

I don’t even know where to start here. There are countless holes in this script. An incredibly unrealistic message behind the movie. A ruthless villain at the start to an “aw shucks” villain at the end. Strange energy between Clooney and a child android. It’s just a choppy special effects movie that has a thrown together script trying to duct tape the positive message to the Disney followers.

George Clooney generally makes good decisions on which roles to tackle. I am not sure what happened here. He is actually the only reason why this movie was tolerable. The special effects were entertaining. There were a couple of very good scenes especially. One that had a young Frank Walker (Clooney’s character) following a little girl that had given him the pin to Tomorrowland. He ends up following her through a swan river maze until they reach a secret area that leads them to his destiny. Another scene of robots coming to destroy both Walker and Casey (Britt Robertson playing the optimistic young girl.) Walker’s house is booby trapped with unseen technology created in case of such an attack. It’s about the only two scenes that stood out to me.

The thing that really bothered me about the movie is the message that they are attempting to portray. That if we just think positively and not always about doom and gloom that everything will just fix itself. It’s a lazy way to look at the world. In an infuriating scene right at the end they end up giving pins to all of these free-thinkers that think outside the box. Money nor power are not required, just put a guitar in somebody’s hands and they can change the world.

Currently this movie is in the 50% range on Rotten Tomatoes. I would have to assume that it’s due to the decent job that they do on special effects. Hugh Laurie also stars in this movie, but is forgettable. The director Brad Bird gave up Star Wars to direct the movie. Maybe he created Tomorrowland to go back in time to stop himself from making this decision.

I give this movie a 2.8/10

Handbags and the need for Spamalot to star Tom Cruise

Posted on by Hosehead

I have not watched Mad Max yet. All I know is that the reviews are through the roof on it. I am willing to admit that I thought it looked terrible in the previews. I have only been fooled one other time in the history of my career of movie watching. That was on Guardians of the Galaxy. We all know how that turned out.

Mad Men is over. I thought it ended brilliantly. Terrific show like nothing else on TV right at the moment. Mad Men was all about character building through realistic story-telling. It’s one of the few shows that doesn’t go into the dramatic soap opera type stories to get ratings. See every CW show for details. Farewell to Don Draper and the glorious characters. It was a good run.

Game of Thrones is taking quite a bit of heat for this past episode (I won’t spoil it.) If you realistically can’t believe that this would happen than maybe you have been desensitized to everything else that happens within this show. Constant death and torture. There are no rules when it comes to Martin’s books or the TV show. Have you not figured this out yet?

The fire John Gibbons rants have started. If you watch baseball and believe that every time that the Blue Jays step on the field and are not at a disadvantage; I would like to challenge you to a duel. You give me who you believe is the worst manager in baseball, and I will bet you they would have a better record at the end of the year than the John Gibbons managed team. Former Listowel Legionnaires managers are also included in this.

Going Clear Scientology and the Prison of Belief – 9.3/10

This is a maddening and sometimes hilarious documentary on the outrageous belief in Scientology. If the only reason that you watch it is because of your hatred for Tom Cruise you will not be disappointed.

Have you ever watched what a pitchers arm does in slow-motion, when a pitcher uncorks a 95MPH fastball? It’s actually a bit disgusting. You can understand all of the Tommy John going on.

Top 3 stories that I have heard about hiking recently that makes me wonder about people.

1. A kid from Arizona was beginning his hike on the PCT (This is a 2650 mile journey) had to be airlifted out 12 hours into the hike. He was starting to feel dehydrated and was almost running out of water. He couldn’t find any water and didn’t pack enough.
2. 22 year old man was killed by a bear in NJ while trying to take a selfie with it approaching him.
3. I was walking through Rattlesnake Point and witnessed a woman with a man trying to do the hike in high heels. She must have thought she was at the Cannes Film Festival.

To the people that write graffiti on the walls of bathroom stalls. We are not paying attention anymore. We have our phones. You can stop it.

Has anybody seen Spamalot? Sara and I are thinking about going this week. I love everything to do with Monty Python, but balk at musicals.

The most dangerous place I have been recently is on the next hole over at River Edge Golf Course when 4 guys were teeing off with out of control swings that created a wicked slice off of an elevated tee block. They had the get around a big belly swing.

I think when parents say to their child. “Are you pleased with yourself” in a certain tone; 50% of the time the child is pleased with themselves, but will not say it due to the fact that they might receive further punishment.

Handbags? What is the deal? What do I not understand about them? How could they possibly cost $500? Why can’t you use a $25.00 handbag to carry whatever you carry in them? These are questions to the women or men that love handbags.

Silicon Valley is back. They created a character I believe you get to meet in episode 3 of the second season that is brilliant. You will know instantly who I am talking about once you meet them.

I am not a huge fan of CGI. Especially if the scene can be made without using it. I feel like this is how the world is now. If we can find something easier and cheaper than the real thing than let’s do that. Food is probably the biggest culprit.

Nascar had another near death from their drivers. You know that any professional sports that have concussion issues are fine until they decide to ban this sport.

You never really understand those laundry commercials that have people smelling their clothing until you actually use one of those detergents. Yes, my apartment does smell like a spring day with golden haired girl that looks like she is from the ‘50s running around my backyard trying to catch the golden lab with a tennis ball in it’s mouth.

Green Lantern’s oath after having a massage from Little Mac’s trainer

Posted on by Hosehead

It’s Sara’s birthday today.  She has flown off to Brazil while I am awaiting to go to the dentist.  Seems a bit unfair.

Our plants are still alive in the household.  Plants are good because they don’t whine like animals do when they don’t have food.  It’s only been 3 days without food.  What do you want, to be fed daily?

After dropping Sara off at the airport I went to Nickelbrook Brewery.  The traffic on the way there almost made it not worthwhile.  What a fantastic brewery.  They will fill up any other breweries growler.  This is uncommon, most breweries will only fill up their own.  9.8/10 (they were out of two of my favourite beers.  No perfect score.)

Welcome to me – 6.7/10

Kristin Wiig stars as a woman with some mental issues that goes off of her meds.  She ends up winning the lottery and purchases time from a TV station to run her own talk show.  Wiig is the perfect casting for this role, but the movie lacks substance.  It really under-utilizes the other talent in the movie.

One of the best jokes that I heard from a comedian recently.  He was talking about Home Depot and their slogan of “you can do it, and we can help.”  No I can’t do it, and you can’t help; because you are a retired math teacher.

I have lived for 36 years and I have never run through laundry that is on clothes lines outside chasing another person with a flower while the sun beats down on me.  Movies always thinks this happens.

Nerds the candy should be illegal.  Have you ever listened to what somebody sounds like while chewing them?  I have to turn away.

Watched an extremely interesting documentary on Voluntourism recently.  One of the most interesting stories was a girl talking about how she went with no knowledge on how to build a house.  They would start laying bricks down, and complete the day’s work.  One day she woke up early in the morning and witnessed workers tearing down the work that they did and redoing it in the night time.  People always want to believe that they are doing things that help, but do research before you pay a pile of money to a company that may only give a small amount to the community.

We always bash the younger generation for staying indoors and using technology all-day.  I believe that if any generation had the same technology at their disposal they would do the exact same thing.  Do you know how many hours I played Mike Tyson’s Punchout?

Why did they dress the trainer in a pink sweatshirt while training?  That seems like such a weird move for the era that game came out.

I am happy that I am over 6’0″ tall and don’t have to overcompensate by working out and bulking up.

If you are going to be a drifter in a major city you should never wear a poncho on a sunny day.  You always look shady and unstable.  My mind always goes to back to the original Rambo when I think of drifters.  That’s not so bad.

As a young lad I believed that people put an eavestrough on the house so they could steal tennis balls.  It was a good business plan I decided, but it was kind of a dick move.

Poopy is the absolute worst nickname for anybody.  There really can’t be any good reason to have that nickname.

How many times do you think you have purchased golf balls from the side of the road and the bag that you purchased had one of your golf balls in it that you shot out of bounds?

Top 3 worst things about MC’ing a public event.

  1. When MC’ing a sci-fi convention and you have to repeat the Green Lantern oath’s in multiple made up languages.
  2. Having somebody yell louder after you get your first word out.
  3. Being in charge of cutting off the drunk sailor mouthed Aunt or Uncle.

One of the many reasons that I own a car is that I am not thought of when people think of somebody to help them move.  It also helps that I drink expensive beer, and am extremely weak.

In all zombie movies and shows it’s always the worst when they are waiting for the person to turn.  Why do they always have to sit so close to them?

Everybody has that one power bar where you are not sure if you have too many things plugged into it.

We have gotten rid of most of our small kitchen tools.  I only miss one of them.  It’s the garlic press.  Cutting stupid garlic makes your hand stink for 3 days.  It’s like the bog of eternal stench.

Is there anybody that wears a cod piece with an everyday outfit?

Every time you get your oil changed at your local place they will show you the stupid air filter.  You feel like a bad parent if you tell them to put that greasy air filter back in there.  It’s like telling your child to put his dirty underwear back on.

In the Philippines they eat eggs of partially formed chickens.  On that note.  I am out.

Billy Beane’s Lightning in a Bottle Theory

Posted on by Hosehead

As you look up and down at the Oakland A’s lineup year after year it really has a resemblance to the movie Major League. “Who are these fu***** guys?” Every year Billy Beane gets players off of the scrap heap from other teams. He deals his proven stars for unproven prospects. He signs players coming off down years to cheap contracts. Beane is a mastermind. We have seen it in the movie Moneyball, and we see it year after year. The A’s always seem to be in the running for the division or the wild card.

Beane has always been an against the grain kind of guy. You have seen multiple teams steal his Moneyball on-base percentage idea. Billy had to evolve again. Dealing proven stars that have a couple of years left on their contract for highly touted prospects. Finding players that fit his mold that he can sign to cheap deals. Signing players from other countries to below market prices. Last year Beane thought they had a chance to win it all. He went out and paid a fortune for two aces to come in and try to be the last piece of the puzzle. Then the hitting went dry. Lester had one bad inning and *poof* the season was gone.

Again this past off-season Billy had to change things up. He had rolled out a very similar lineup three years in a row and couldn’t get it done. Whole sale changes came. Lester, Samardzija, Moss, Donaldson, and Norris are gone. In are Lawrie, Graveman, Zobrist, Semien, and Butler. Younger cheaper talent. This is the way that the A’s have to do things. Always have to be a step ahead of every other team. The A’s are off to a sluggish start this year. This is to be expected with the whirlwind of moves that he made. I have a feeling that the A’s are going to compete this year once all the pieces are in place. You have one of the best hitting catchers in Steven Vogt (who they received for a player to be named later.) Josh Reddick is a 5 tool player that is just starting to hit his groove (received from the Red Sox for Andrew Bailey.) Jesse Chavez is a reliable back end starter (received from the Jays for cash.) Drew Pomeranz is a middle of the rotation former top prospect (received from the Rockies for Brett Anderson.) They are close to getting back Jarrod Parker and AJ Griffin. All of these players come in and thrived in the A’s system.

It’s really difficult to describe Beane’s style. I would relate it to a bargain shopper or a stock market player. Buy low and sell high seems to be easiest way to describe Beane’s way of doing things. Generally with teams that don’t have all that much in revenue that they will have a decade of down years while they retool with young cheap talent. The A’s compete year in and year out with a misfit crew. Every year Billy attempts to find that lightning in a bottle that will get him that elusive World Series ring. Tinkering, overhauling, and recycling the roster. One of these years it’s going to be Billy’s year. They have some of the pieces in place. Gray is an ace. They have always had a fantastic pitching staff, but never a pitcher that could go up against David Price or Felix Hernandez. Now they have that. It looks like they have a future all-star in Semien. Lawrie at 3B hasn’t even come close to hitting his peak. It hasn’t come together yet, but I don’t think it’s far off.

The A’s might not make the playoffs this year. They might be a year or two away. The prospect cupboard is full once again after all the dealings in the off-season. It’s just another year for Billy Beane trying to find that right formula that will get him to legendary status.

Toronto Blue Jays minus the off season of 2012

Posted on by Hosehead

Miami Marlins send Jose Reyes, Mark Beurhle, Josh Johnson, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, Jeff Mathis, and Jake Marisnick.

The New York Mets send R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, and Mike Nickeas to the Toronto Blue Jays for Travis d’Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, and Wuilmer Becerra.

With Syndergaard about to make his MLB debut we must look back upon the two trades that will cost the Jays for years to come. One of the main reasons that fair weather fans do not run MLB teams is the fact that everybody thought that these were terrific trades. Fans were screaming from the highest roof tops in Toronto that this was their year. Vegas had the Jays as the odds on favourite to win it all. There was no way that this could backfire.

Not only did the Jays take back over 100 million in salary. We cleaned out the cupboard of prospects that were masterfully obtained. The Jays were going for it. Having Jose Bautista clamoring for more presence in the lineup and staff probably didn’t help. Antholopous showed an extreme amount of patience for years. He traded away Halladay in a no-win situation. Drafting high ceiling prospects. Making smart signing decisions. Not blowing the budget on any one player. Toronto is a city of we want it all now. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in it. Antholopous thought they had a chance at making that jump before they were ready. Witnessing a decline in both the Red Sox and the Yankees after years of chasing them.
Let’s have a look at the lineup without these two trades being executed. This isn’t exact. It’s what I believe the smartest moves would have been. Yunel Escobar will not be included in this. He would not have been back with the Jays regardless.

1. Travis – 2B
2. Cabrera – LF
3. Bautista – RF
4. Encarnacion – 1B
5. Donaldson – 3B
6. Lind – DH
7. d’Arnaud – C
8. Pillar – CF
9. Hechavarria – SS

Starting Pitchers:
1. Marcus Stroman
2. Drew Hutchison
3. Henderson Alvarez
4. Anthony DeSclafani
5. Noah Syndergaard

The lineup doesn’t look stronger on first appearance. What it does have is a bunch of players with huge upside and a lot of room to add payroll. No need to bring in Martin at a huge price tag. The Donaldson trade might not need to happen either. Adam Lind could still be their DH rather than thriving in Milwaukee. Melky Cabrera could have come back. Nearly every one of the prospects that were involved in both trades are now contributing members with major league teams. This isn’t a told you so. I was on board with both deals. The Dickey trade not quite as much, but I would have made the same trade. Teams that are thriving in ball now are the teams that are able to grow up together. The bringing in high price talent hasn’t worked for about a decade now. Look at the SF Giants and St Louis Cardinals. Nearly every player on both of those teams were drafted by the club. Terrific coaching, and great scouting is now the key to a championship team.

Maybe it’s the being in the AL East that makes it tough for the Jays not to ride it out. You see the Red Sox and Yankees just throwing around money. The Jays if anything should use the Tampa Bay type of strategy. Grow the talent. One thing that the Jays have that the Rays don’t, is fans. People come to their games. They might even be able to keep the talent after they develop it. Keeping up with the Jones’ has been the Jays moto for the past 20 years. It has come with zero playoff appearances.

What do you do now? Unfortunately start over. Encarnacion should have a few more monster years in him. Donaldson will be solid (he will want big money soon.) Travis looks like the real deal. Their young pitching needs a bit more development, but it should be untouchable. They were taken advantage by two National League teams. The quick fix didn’t work. Eat the mistake, and get what you can for Dickey, Beurhle, and Reyes. I would also look at dealing Bautista. He is an aging superstar that is going to have a sharp drop off. You need to develop pitching. Every team that have won rings has had that one ace. You need to start to stock pile pitching talent to find that next Gray, Harvey, Fernandez, or Cole. They might have it in Stroman or Sanchez, but they need more options. Teams have been winning with average lineups, but great pitching. Again the Rays style of play.

Iit’s going to be a lengthy process. It’s not Toronto Maple Leaf lengthy, but it will be about 3 years before they see progress. They have some pieces in place. Their young pitchers are coming along. Do they have the right guys in place to develop them though? As a fan you need to look at the teams that are constantly in the races until the end. What do they have that the Jays do not? It comes down to the right person behind the controls. After witnessing the past three years, do you think they have the right people in charge?

Distracting nose hair left at Bingeman’s by Brendan Fraser

Posted on by Hosehead

The show Fortitude is excellent.  It’s like Fargo on drugs.

Went to Sheridan Nurseries to pick up some plants to help enhance the taste of the salads within our household.  This is a middle aged adults dream.  The excitement for attractive plants is at an all-time high in May.

It Follows – 9.2/10

The best horror movie of the year.  Shot like an ’80s movie.  Tense moments without using gore or the boogeyman tactic.

Black Sea – 7.8/10

Jude Law puts together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure after being let go from his job.  Law is terrific.  The premise of the movie is cool, but lacks execution in the end.  Still a good watch though.

If you haven’t been to Adventure Room, you must go. It’s one of the most original things to do in the KW area.  It’s like being in a video game yourself.  There are so many variations that are possible for this.  It will be the next big thing.

Block 3 in St. Jacobs was packed on Saturday.  I guess after being bored out of your mind antiquing in St. Jacobs you deserve a growler of fantastic beer.

Omar Khadr, you’ve got more class than the whole f—–g cabinet.  This was awkwardly said while the theme for Welcome back Kotter was played by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.  It was about as well received as Seth MacFarlane at the Oscars.

You always felt bad for that kid that had a parent that had no idea how to tie skates.  How their ankles didn’t break out there is beyond me.

Saying Scouts Honour shouldn’t be used anymore.  There is no question that you will be back stabbed if this is stated to you in a movie.

I hope that I never become that dude that has so much nose hair coming out that it’s distracting.  Do you think that shaping your nose hair into a moustache will ever become a style?  No, well then pluck your nose hair you greasy animal.

What do you think Brendan Fraser is doing right now?  He probably locked himself into that underground shelter from Blast From the Past.  His popularity was never higher at that point.  He probably has a stuffed Alicia Silverstone from Clueless down there as well.

“Sir” is the best title to have in front of your name.  “Captain” isn’t bad either.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao – probably could never live up to the hype.  It was about as exciting as receiving cheese and crackers in your lunch in grade 6.  You weren’t quite as exciting as yogurt, but a bit more exciting than the apple.

I had my first french vanilla from Tim Horton’s yesterday.  I didn’t sleep last night.  The combination of sugar and caffeine in that drink is similar to drinking straight syrup from the slurpee machine.

Cheers to those times that you get mad at your vacuum for not picking up that thing that you could pick up with your fingers very easily.   You just constantly go over the same thing.  “You are going to pick up this full potato chip whether you like it or not.”

The Blue Jays are .500.  What a surprise.  Meat Loaf and gravy for all.

There is going to be an electric dance music festival at Bingeman’s in Kitchener.  They have cabins and camping.  This is not going to end well for anybody.  I would rather have my child skateboard down the side of the 401 rather than go to this festival.

We are going to start to put the stickers with the years written of when the wine is at it’s best to drink on the side of the bottle.  It’s like we discovered fire 30 years after it was actually discovered when this was thought of by us.

Dairy Queen was a zoo yesterday.  You have two styles when you order food from Dairy Queen.  The quiet whisper of large blizzard or the overly aggressive “I will have Rolo, Reese, and Oreo in there.”

Mother’s Day was yesterday.  The constant ambush of baby pictures was put on hold for one day.  The cease fire will not last long.

Hozier has a terrific voice.  Take me to Church is a wonderful song.  Could you please play it every ninety seconds on multiple radio stations?  Thanks.

Is there a knuckleballers association that says that you must have at least one knuckleballer in Major League Baseball at all times.  There always seems to be a mid 40’s mediocre knuckleballer being run out there every 20 years or so.

Don’t sit on the roof if you are contemplating anything.  People always get the wrong idea.  Go sit on a bench in a park or something.  You don’t look stable up there.