Top 10 Tuesday: Putting Us In Our Place One Point At A Time

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Sometimes things aren’t always as they appear… Sometimes they are!

So whether we like it or not here’s how things are in the world of sports from the last seven days.

10 – I’m pretty sure that it has never been done but a solid case could be made to replace John Gibbons in the middle of a play-off series. The Toronto Blue Jays manager didn’t have his team ready to play in game one of their ALDS series with Texas as the team was not focused and gave away the game with their ace on the mound. Game two an extra inning, lack luster effort could have gone either way. After refocusing his team for game four he lost it in game five. With his team ahead by six runs in the fifth inning ‘Gibby’ trots out his ace David Price to pitch the next three innings all but eliminating the possibility of having his best pitcher starting in the deciding game. Yes I know that you have to get there BUT Marcus Stroman is left to start. The sophomore looked good in September but that’s the only month he pitched after missing most of the season with a knee injury.

9 – More on the Jays and it is going to be an interesting off-season for the team. Marco Estrata and Dionner Navaro a great combination are set to become Free-Agents while Jose Bautista will become one at the end of 2016. I know that you are not thinking about it now but another base running bluff by Jose in Game four yesterday shows me that he is not the player that you want to hang your hat on. Instead split his projected money for Estrada at the very least to keep a good young pitcher in the fold.

8 – So I promised a chance to be put in our place and Major League baseball has done that. I alluded to it last week but MLB does not care about Canada. Their play-offs need to be a ratings winner for their broadcasters in order to maintain or increase their broadcasts rights revenue. That is why any game in Toronto is being played in the middle of the afternoon. AS soon as Kansas City forced a game five for the same day Fox Sports One had to go where the larger audience would be for prime time… And no it isn’t Toronto.

7 – Further to the point of game start times that’s not all that MLB controls in Toronto/Canada. I hate the fact that MLB has decreed that the roof be closed in Toronto. A little chill in the air is what October baseball is all about.

6 – So what do Americans actually think about Canadians? Well we found out all about it with a comment made by Fox Sports One analyst Harold Reynolds. After a foul ball was missed in the stands he quipped, “we were talking about foul balls in the stands up in Toronto, and because there’s not a lot of people that grew up playing baseball in Canada, they’re not used to catching a lot of balls in the stands … not many people catching that one, anyway.” To say that, that infuriated fans was an understatement even drawing an angry tweet from former Gold Glove winner and Canadian Larry Walker. Again it doesn’t matter. Reynolds is playing to his American audience and Canadians outrage definitely builds upon his prominence south of the border.

5 – One more from Toronto and despite a horrid effort by the umpires in game two. Forget it! There is no conspiracy theory in Major League Baseball. As much as it isn’t good for business having Toronto in post-season, I don’t for a second buy there being anything more to it than that.

4 – Lastly on baseball and I really what to know why they have instant replay. Calls that seem very black and white to an entire television audience somehow are not overturned or in some cases upheld. If you are worried about the fragile umpires egos or if you can’t figure out a way to use it so that you can obtain definitive evidence then scrap it and quit wasting time!

3 – The Saskatoon Hilltops perfect season came to an end on Sunday with an upset loss to the Calgary Colts. Granted the Toppers were playing their second and third string players but the message to the number-1’s is pretty clear that nothing short of a Canadian championship will do and the team needs to be ready for the post-season opening next weekend.

2 – Staying with football and stick a fork in the Riders. The team’s play-off hopes were dashed with a mediocre effort in Hamilton on Friday night. The team will now have a bye week before playing out the string. During the week off the one huge concern in Riderville has to the team’s flat starts when the play-offs were still a possibility albeit slim. I would submit that those lack-luster efforts were less about the coaches/management and more about the leadership.

1 – What are CFL schedule makers thinking? Friday night they have the Riders and Hamilton scheduled with the American League Division Series. That being said I get the whole Friday night Football idea and if you are going to try to lure eyes away from MLB you go with the team that attracts the most eyeballs, in the Roughriders. BUT then on opening night for Hockey Night in Canada the CFL schedules not only one but two games with Edmonton in Calgary and B.C. at home to Winnipeg. AND I’m not done! Why in the world would they not schedule a double header on Thanksgiving Monday. That used to be a thing! Come on CFL give your head a shake. I know TSN has a TON of input regarding the schedule but at some point common sense has to take over, doesn’t it?