This is not for you.....but I'm happy to share

This blog isn’t for you; it’s for me.  It’s for me because I needed an outlet for my random Jays thoughts.  I had previously been bugging friends over email and in my baseball pools with my limited analysis and fan euphoria, but it wasn’t fair to them.  I mean I can be quite tiresome.

I also decided to blog for the season because I legitimately believed this would be the year.  A Special Year

http://jeffsoutoftheblue.blogspot.ca/2013/02/out-of-blue.html

I may have been wrong about that.  We haven't yet thrown in the towel, but as Rocky & Apollo showed us, you shouldn't hold it too long.

Rocky Balboa - Champ, I have to stop you. This fight's finished.  I have to call it.  Champ, you can't do no more out there.

Apollo Creed - I'm here to fight.

Rocky Balboa - He's killing you. I have to stop it.

Apollo Creed - I'm here to fight.  Promise me you won't stop this fight.

Broadcasters - That was a pulverizing round for the ex-champion.  Ivan Drago is definitely for real.

Apollo Creed - Don't stop this fight no matter what.

Broadcasters - Creed comes out for round two, dancing around.  The legs appear to be  still a little rubbery.  Now it is the Russian just standing there.  The Russian trying to intimidate Creed.  The Russian throws a right hand  and staggers Creed!  Another right to the jaw!  A left to the head! Creed is being pounded  without mercy!

Mary Anne Creed - Stop the fight!

Broadcasters - The referee tries to step in, and he's thrown across the ring!

Duke - Throw the towel!

Broadcasters - I have never seen Apollo take so much punishment!

Duke - Throw the damn towel!

 

 

In any event, I’m happy to share my obsessiveness with others, but really this space is just for my own shits and giggles. Hence the fact I am not focused on a perfectly grammatically correct blog and tedious proof reading. It is simply a stream of consciousness type thing.  Looking at you Cook!

Given the above, I give very little thought to “borrowing” ideas or photos from other sources and that’s wrong.  So here is a partial list of who I regularly read.  I recommend them all.

My absolute number one read is Drunk Jays Fans run by Andrew Stoeten. I’ve been following them from the beginning, and it is the best Jays blog out there.  I highly recommend checking it out every day.

http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/

Other Blue Jays fan blogs I sometimes visit include:

http://taoofstieb.blogspot.ca/

&

http://mopupduty.com/

Getting Blanked is sort of the sister blog to DJF in that it was started by Dustin Parkes (Co-founder of DJF) but is focused on the rest of MLB.  Now edited by Drew Fairservice with numerous contributors, it is well done and feels local (in a good way) but covers everything baseball related.

http://blogs.thescore.com/mlb/

On a more mainstream scale, check out SI.com (Jay Jaffee is excellent) and ESPN on a regular basis. The Sweetspot blog by David Schoenfield is an old reliable.
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot

It was formerly run for years by Rob Neyer who has now moved over to SB Nation.  Rob is a pioneer.

http://www.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer

Other essential sites include:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tor - Obviously

Plus check out Gregor Chisolm's blog

http://gregorchisholm.mlblogs.com/

FanGraphs – You can spend a lot of hours on this site. A lot of hours.....

http://www.fangraphs.com/

Baseball Reference - Another great time thief

http://www.baseball-reference.com/

MLBTR – Um yeah, I must check this thing a million times in the off-season and near the trade deadline

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

 
Cot's Baseball Contracts which is part of Baseball Prospectus.  The go-to source for contract details. 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/

Lastly, the local Toronto mainstream media have their pluses and minuses, but each of the following have something to offer:

John Lott - National Post

Bob Elliott - Toronto Sun

Richard Griffin - Toronto Star

Jeff Blair - Globe and Mail

Mike Wilner, Dirk Hayhurst & Shi Davidi - Sportsnet

You can also follow almost all of the above on Twitter. 

Remember, I’m happy to have you check it out, but......

 but I'm happy to share.