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So the Red Sox were swept. So what?

JEFF BLAIR

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 3:59 PM EST 08/04/08

The sweep means something to the Blue Jays but, frankly, nothing to Boston
...Read the full article

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  1. Sean O'Reilly from Canada writes: Another positive article from Jeff Blair.

    Instead of focussing on the red sox reason's for their terruible weekend. How about focuss on some Jays positives.

    Its a good first week to the season, and what do you do. Write from the negative perspective.
  2. Kevin Cummings from Hanover, NH, United States writes: I agree. Obviously the Red Sox will downplay this sweep. A more thoughtful arguement - that being that gaining 3 games on the Red Sox at the beginning of the season is worth just as much as at the end - was passed up by Blair.
  3. J L from Canada writes: Well the Red Sox's did themselves in with some sloppy play 4 ERRORS They did not look like World Series Champions at all.This is a encouraging start for Blue Jays but it's a long season and there's a lot of ball to play yet.Their starting rotation looks promising but injuries and alack of experience could catch up with them over the long haul.All in all a good start and Blue Jay fans will be hoping it continues.There in a tough division with Boston New York and Cleveland all expected to be at or near the top of the standings.and Tampa Bay has given them fits in the past.
  4. Shades of Grey from Whitehorse, Canada writes: Jeff, if you mean we shouldn't start organizing the World Series Parade, I'm with you. But like Kevin Cummings says, that's 3 games the Sox have to make up, and the Jays are 4-2 instead of a possible 1-5 - just imagine what you and the other Toronto writers would have been saying if that was the case.
  5. Frank Godfrey from Canada writes: Leave it to the Globe writer to undermine the neat weekend sweep of the Red Sox . Who cares what it means to Beantown. Go Hogtown !
  6. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: I am happy with the way they have played so far... very happy.

    Lets see them beat up on the also rans over the next week.... then I will be impressed.

    Cheers
  7. Shawn Bull from Canada writes: This pitching staff gives me something to be very hopefull about. Also the new additions this year seem to bring a different chemistry. The Jays looked and felt different this weekend. I am hoping for a good year.

    This Jeff Blair guy sounds like he would be alot of fun at a party.
  8. Dwide Schrude from Canada writes: Any way you slice it, they're the only Toronto franchise with an above .500 record right now.
  9. Irish 222 from Ottawa, Canada writes: Jays won. Who cares what it meant to the Red Sox!
  10. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Ouch Dwide Schrude... but true.

    Cheers
  11. Ed Flynn from Saint John, NB, Canada writes: Good, objective piece, Mr. Blair. For a Toronto paper billing itself as a national one it's refreshing for a non-Jays fan to see an opinion expressed that's not totally slanted to the "home team".

    Go Saaawks.
  12. bruce t from Boston, United States writes: It means nothing. How many games into the season are we???? The Jays have always played the Yanks and Sox closely. However for them to break into the top two in the east they will need to also consistently beat the weaker teams. This is where they have failed in the past number of seasons. But I'm optomistic. If injuries are kept to a minimum, and they get the intensity, there is no reason why they won't challenge those two.
    Of course when they get back to the top it would be nice if they first straightened their uniform colour out. Lets see Raider black disappear! Blue baby, blue!!!
  13. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Exactly bruce....

    But what the helll is a Boston resident doing cheering for the jays???

    Something frozen over without telling me?????

    Cheers bruce.
  14. J S from Toronto, Canada writes: I didn't know Richard Griffin's pen name was Jeff Blair...
  15. Dwide Schrude from Canada writes: Roy Halladay said it best before the season began. He had the whole team in front of him and told them that they needed a sense of urgency.

    Think about how many times last year these guys had won two of three games and were playing the third game with the potential to sweep and didn't. There was this feeling like "Well we've already won the series, why push hard for a sweep, winning the series is already pretty good." It was lowered expectations and you could see that a lot of players were too laid back about it.

    This I think can only be seen as a positive. It's exactly whay Halladay was talking about. The ability to go in with two wins down and close on the series with urgency. Not to chalk it up as a success with just the series, but going out and fighting for the sweep.

    The Yankees series concerned me because it felt like there was no urgency even with such tight scores. I hope they can achieve this type of success away from home and not allow themselves to feel beaten with an unfriendly crowd. These guys need to toughen up and get ready for the long grind.
  16. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: I agree with you Dwide.

    He also said (most important methinks) is that they had trouble getting up against low end teams...

    They will be challenged over the next week..... crush the bottom dwellers and I am a serious Jays fan for the summer.

    Cheers.
  17. james ho from Vancouver, Canada writes: I agree with Jeff here, there is really nothing to get excited yet. With the pitching that we have, we should be able to avoid long losing streaks, and play 500 ball most of the time. But it is always the long winning run that separates the contenders from the pretenders.

    Unless the Jays can get on a roll and start winning (like Halladay says: urgency in the clubhouse), they can never be taken as a serious contender. If the NYY or the BoSox get off to let say a 10-15 start, no one will ever panic yet because everyone knows that these teams will get hot and start winning a bunch to push a team like the Jays down in the standings. If the Jays get off a start like that (10-15), we will be talking about firing Gibby. The main pt is that NYY and BoSox have done it year over year, but the Jays have never done it since their World Series team.

    No need to get excited yet, Jays fan!
  18. Knowledge is True Opinion from Canada writes: I am SO SICK or Red Suxs Nation, anytime we can stick it to them is a giant positive.

    Pitching has been great, situational heading has been way better and they are stealinig bases what's not to like.
  19. Andrew Berthoff from Toronto, Canada writes: Blair continually reports on the other team because none of the Jays' players want to talk to him. The only person who he relies on for news is Ricciardi. Blair not only doesn't understand baseball, he doesn't even like it!
  20. Corrado S from hammaton, Canada writes: winning on the road will be very important this year. The below .500 performance on the road last year is what kept the Jays out the playoff race.

    For the Jays to have a shot at a playoff spot this season they will have to be consistent for the whole season, cause once New York and Boston get hot, it will be tough for them to get back into the mix if they are not playing well.

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