What To Do...

If you have been following the Toronto Blue Jays spring training then you might have been hearing a
lot about this kid Brett Lawrie. This 21 year old B.C. boy came to the Blue Jays during the off-season in exchange for Shaun Marcum.  Throughout the 8 exhibition games that Lawrie has played in he has managed to tally up 8 hits, 2 homers, 5RBI, 1 stolen base, for a batting average of .381.The Jays have been playing him at third where he has been getting the job done. So with Brett Lawrie's solid spring performance so far, the question is will he be playing up in Toronto this season?

Lawrie has already shown that he can play 3B and if can keep his batting average going then he has a really good chance of making it. There has also been talk about Jose Bautista wanting to play in the outfield, which is giving Lawrie an even better opportunity. So if Bautista stays in the outfield that would leave Edwin Encarnacion and Lawrie as possible third basemen. Edwin has been trying out First base, but I don't see him staying there since Adam Lind has been trying it out since the end of last season. Here's a quick look at what the Field might look like opening day...

C - J.P. Arencibia
1B - Adam Lind
2B - Aaron Hill
3B - Brett Lawrie
SS - Yunel Escobar

RF - Jose Bautista
CF - Jaun Rivera
LF - Travis Snider
DH - Edwin Encarnacion

Bench - Jose Molina, John McDonald, Mike McCoy, Rajai Davis, Anthony Gose.

In my opinion Lind should be starting at 1B. Then if Lind is DH or taking a day off, Edwin can go to first.
Arencibia should be getting the majority of starts catching so we can see what the kid can do. Plus, last year Molina and Morrow worked quite well together so Jose can get the start when Morrow is pitching.

Those are some of my thoughts so far on the Blue Jays, but that's just what I think, you can take this and form your own opinion.

F*ck The Radio

Hello there.

I have been slacking hard with my end of this blog (the music side) so I will start this off with a really rad band. In short they are called Dean Lickyer and play good old fashion rock and roll, so if you don't want to read more go check their myspace and facebook.  

For those you who are still here I will talk more about Dean Lickyer. Recently I got to chat with some of the guys from the band, and I must say they are quite nice. The band is comprised of four young males, Josh (vocals), Sean (guitar), Justin (bass) and Zander (drums). They were on the Much Music show “DisBand” (if you don't know, “DisBand” a show which showcases young unsigned Canadian bands or groups. They get a music guru who helps them perfect one of their songs or write a new song which they will preform in front of a panel of judges. They judges can either tell the band to “disband” or they move on to compete for a record contract.) The judges liked what they saw in Dean Lickyer but did not win the competition. In 2009 they preformed at Canadian Music Week where they were awarded $10,000 by Gene Simmons for best performance at Canadian Music Week, they said they spent the money on a new touring van. They also got to open for KISS at Sarnia Bayfest (they said was it good experience although they are not the biggest KISS fans out there). In 2010 they opened for Flogging Molly on the Canadian part of their tour.  With it now being 2011 they are back at it in full force in the studio recording their second album (which they hope to consist of about 10 songs). In February they won a contest to open for Bon Jovi. Family seems to be a big influence for them Zander's father taught him drums and Sean's sister taught him guitar, also their band name comes from on of Sean's father's friends who help to inspire their musical taste. With their dedication and determination they are defiantly a band to watch. Also they put on a stellar live show.

Awards they have won so far include:

 Y108 - Winner, Breakout Band of the Year (2007)

Hamilton Music Awards - "Best Loud/Metal Recording" (2007)

Roger's Spring Music Festival - "Best of Fest" (2008)

Hamilton Music Awards - "Best Local Group" (2008)

Canadian Music Week - "Best Band" (2009)

View Magazine - "Best Local Band" and "The Band Most Likely to Make it Big" (2009)

Y108 - Winner, Y108 Rock and Roll Picnic (2009)

Break It Down

We are getting closer and closer to the NHL playoffs so here is a breakdown of the Leafs and what has been going on lately in the Eastern Conference.

Right now this is what the East is looking like

7th - NY Rangers (74pts)

8th - Buffalo (72pts)

----------------------------

9th - Carolina (71pts)

10th - Toronto (67pts)

11th - Atlanta (65pts)

12th - New Jersey (64pts)

Teams in action tonight are:

BUFFALO vs Pittsburgh (win would tie them with NYR)

TORONTO vs NY Islanders (win would bring them to 69pts but no movement)

NEW JERSEY vs Ottawa (win would put them in 11th)

With only 16 games left in the Leafs schedule and sitting 5 points out, these next 2 weeks are key. Their upcoming 7 games could very well make or break their playoff chance. If the Leafs want a shot then their going to have to WIN AT LEAST 4 of these games.

Next 7 -

Today vs NYI

10th vs Philly

12th vs Buffalo

14th vs Tampa

16th vs Carolina

17th vs Florida

19th vs Boston

Tonight - They should be able to beat the Islanders. When Roloson was in net for the Isles it seemed they always had Toronto's number. But the Leafs have managed to get a win vs NY in their last 2 meetings (which have been since Roloson was traded) and in the first meeting of the season the Leafs were able to steal a point.

Philly - This game is not a likely win but would be HUGE if Toronto does. The Flyers are on a 4 game lose streak and have loss 6 of their last 10. It would also be a big confidence boost to the boys if they can hold their own against a top team in the east.

Buffalo - The Sabres are winning the series 3-1 but this game is a must win for the Leafs. This is their chance to gain some big ground before going into 4 games over a 6 day span. 

Next Week - Toronto starts the week with Tampa and finishes with Boston, both these games are going to be tough but have the ability to be huge for their playoff push. Not only for the ground they could gain but for their confidence too. In the middle of the week the buds have back to back games vs Carolina and Florida. Both games are must wins. Their best chance to gain a playoff position is to beat one of the teams that stand in their way. With Florida dumping their team since the beginning of February, the Leafs have to win this one because if they don't then it's going to be a complete let down.

Some side notes are that the New Jersey Devils have this weird burst of energy and are on a 4 game win streak. Winning 9 of their last 10. Also the top 5 teams in the East are all very close together and can be changing every day. With that being said, 6th place Montreal is not far out of that group.

Sorry if some stuff was repetitive but I think this information can be both useful and interesting in a way.

One tough dude

Spring training has started!

The Jays are currently in Dunedin getting ready for the upcoming season.
Today we are going to take a look at one of the Jays closers, Jon Rauch.

 

Rauch doesn't see himself no different then any other Jay. Some might think other wise when their up to bat against this 6'11" dude with a wicked death stare, throwing a mid 90mph fastball at you. But according to the Jays bullpen once you get to know him he's really not that intimidating and overall a great guy. This 32 year old veteran hails from Kentucky and is the MLB's tallest player, EVER. Rauch doesn't exactly like talking about his size or all his tattoos though, he would much rather talk about the Blue Jays.

“I made the decision to come here, and I’m excited to come here.  There’s a lot of young players on this team, and a lot of experienced guys too. You look at what Bautista did last year (54 home runs) and you look at 85 wins. This team is a good team.”

Leafs Trade...

Okay so we have been slacking hard on the blog and what’s a better way to actually get this thing going then a post about the newest Leafs.

In case you haven’t heard, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defensemen Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim in exchange for forward Joffery Lupul and prospect Jake Gardiner. The Leafs will also get a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2013. According to GM Brain Burke, this trade has been in the works for about 3 weeks now. Here is a little info on both guys...

- Lupul is a 27 year old hailing from Saskatchewan (that’s now 10 western Canadian plays currently on the Leafs roster). He has played 26 games for the ducks this season with 5 goals and 8 assists and is a -4. He has a great shot and it a solid addition. Lupul will likely play on a line with Bozak and MacArthur, and will be getting lots of ice time starting tomorrow, says Leafs coach Ron Wilson.

- Gardiner is a 20 year old defenseman from Minnesota. He was currently playing for the University of Wisconsin but will now be joining the Toronto Marlies. Gardiner has a tally for 30 points in 30 games with his University team. He will most likely be playing in the AHL for remainder of the season. Jake has lots of potential and will be a stud in the NHL after some time developing with the Marlies.

With Beauchemin now gone the Leafs only have 2 players who are 30 or older. Those being Kaberle and Giguere, and both have questionable futures with Toronto. But more on that later.

Clarke MacArthur vs Chad LaRose Jan 24, 2011

Rundown of Sports World

The Great One. Number 99. Wayne Gretzky. Today he turns the big 5 0. So happy birthday to him. For those of you who do not know who Gretzky is, that's a problem.

On to the Super Bowl, it's just 2 weekends away. Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm going with Green Bay to take it home to the Cheeseheads. Personally, I would have rather seen the Bears in the Super Bowl. So have Steeler fans forgiven Ben Roethlisberger? Now that he has led them to another Super Bowl appearance does that excuse what he did?

We are now half way through the NHL season. The Leafs are looking great.. you know 12th in the east, 12 points out of a playoff spot. If the draft were today then the Leafs would be giving Boston the 5th pick overall.

Speaking of hockey, the All-Star game is looking interesting this year. I like the way they have it set up  with the whole picking teams thing. I don't really like how there is not a representative from each club like there has been in the past. But with Eric Staal and Nik Lidstrom as captains im sure there will be some interesting teams. Will Eric pick his brother Marc? Will the twins be on the same team? Who's going first and who will be picked last? Funny how the players were picked regardless of what conference they play for but the captains ended up being from opposite coasts. Thought they trying to change it up so it wasn't East vs West.

For your enjoyment here is a nice video of Clarke MacArthur vs Chad LaRose fight.. well if what LaRose did was fight. Video is above.