Well done again, Stoeten. You've managed to capture the vibe and address something that's been bugging me all year but that I haven't been able to articulate, a kind of general malaise around this team from the fanbase.
To repeat what Derek said, this is why I subscribe, and why every Jays fan should. #paytheman
Stoeten you surpass yourself once again. nice work.
Fellow readers, if you are not already a subscriber, I urge you if your financial situation permits, to sign up and "pay the man". This is quality writing and aimed at our community- well worth it :-)
I haven't seen the Twitter verse Jays threads but I am regularly on the Bleacher Report Blue Jays community. The vitriol and lack of understanding is sorta hysterical. Guys consistently calling the Jays shit and pathetic if they leave a man on, freak out if they don't score 15 in the first inning, or if a starter gives up a pair in the second. They see it as RISP left on is indicative of a terrible team, whereas I espouse the fact that they have 38 come-from-behind wins is indicative of a GOOD team. I just posted a link to this in there and told em all to read and subscribe for the best insight. Hope I have a part in increasing your numbers.
An excellent deep dive thought piece getting into Joe Pos territory! There's a lot to digest here. There's also the randomness of baseball to consider. More than any other sport it seems, there is a random element that is always present year to year - players coming out of nowhere to have career years, superstars not living up to expectations, unknowns rising to the fore while can't miss prospects fail. Poor teams doing well and consensus picks disappointing. I'm sure it happens in every sport, but it seems amplified in baseball. Maybe it's the length of the season and the individualness of the sport. The random element (which ultimately is a human element) drives me crazy - and all the digging into advanced stats doesn't seem to be able to quantify it. But how boring would baseball be without it?
In fact, this was some of your best writing. It ranks right up there with the piece you did for DJF about Gibby getting Devon Travis to bunt when he was on a hot streak. I still think that was deserving of a Pulitzer.
Well done again, Stoeten. You've managed to capture the vibe and address something that's been bugging me all year but that I haven't been able to articulate, a kind of general malaise around this team from the fanbase.
To repeat what Derek said, this is why I subscribe, and why every Jays fan should. #paytheman
Stoeten you surpass yourself once again. nice work.
Fellow readers, if you are not already a subscriber, I urge you if your financial situation permits, to sign up and "pay the man". This is quality writing and aimed at our community- well worth it :-)
Came here to say exactly this.
I haven't seen the Twitter verse Jays threads but I am regularly on the Bleacher Report Blue Jays community. The vitriol and lack of understanding is sorta hysterical. Guys consistently calling the Jays shit and pathetic if they leave a man on, freak out if they don't score 15 in the first inning, or if a starter gives up a pair in the second. They see it as RISP left on is indicative of a terrible team, whereas I espouse the fact that they have 38 come-from-behind wins is indicative of a GOOD team. I just posted a link to this in there and told em all to read and subscribe for the best insight. Hope I have a part in increasing your numbers.
An excellent deep dive thought piece getting into Joe Pos territory! There's a lot to digest here. There's also the randomness of baseball to consider. More than any other sport it seems, there is a random element that is always present year to year - players coming out of nowhere to have career years, superstars not living up to expectations, unknowns rising to the fore while can't miss prospects fail. Poor teams doing well and consensus picks disappointing. I'm sure it happens in every sport, but it seems amplified in baseball. Maybe it's the length of the season and the individualness of the sport. The random element (which ultimately is a human element) drives me crazy - and all the digging into advanced stats doesn't seem to be able to quantify it. But how boring would baseball be without it?
In fact, this was some of your best writing. It ranks right up there with the piece you did for DJF about Gibby getting Devon Travis to bunt when he was on a hot streak. I still think that was deserving of a Pulitzer.