Dear God I love the Blue Jays. After all, what’s not to love? Sure, they may blow crucial games in crucial series, 90% of the time they can’t get a hit in extra innings to save their lives, they don’t steal bases and have never been able to beat the Rays (Devil or not), but after that, what else? Oh yeah, they can never seem to beat rookie pitchers, take advantage of bases loaded situations and every pitcher not named Halladay seems to start every at-bat with a ball. But still, every day I try to catch the opening pitch and every night check the standings… What’s wrong with me?

When I was growing up in Vancouver, I had my choice of three teams to follow. TBS showed every Braves game, KIRO played the Mariners and TSN covered the Jays. And although I had my choice of Maddux and Jones or Griffey Jr. and Johnson (all in their primes), I picked the team that starts the season with almost no shot at the playoffs and was in the midst of a funk that they are still struggling to pick themselves out of today. Did I already ask what’s wrong with me?

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Entrance into the Hall of Fame is the highest individual honour that baseball has to offer. Getting into Cooperstown means that without a doubt you are one of the greatest players of your generation and have earned the right for children to stare at your plaque as parents tell tall-tales of your abilities for years to come.

My own personal opinion – which I must admit that I took from my brother – is that to be a hall of fame player, you must be among the greatest at your position for at least a few years. It means that league wide, if you were to name the top three or five players in the league at a given position; one person’s name is always present. In football, find a fan who will name the top 3 QBs without naming Tom Brady. In hockey, Martin Brodeur would be the first or second name mentioned for over a decade.

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With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

The MLB playoffs reward the team that did the best over the long baseball season and consistently wins over a long period of time. Even a team that ‘backs in’ had to have been a dominant team in their division for 5+ months and being that good for half a calendar year unless their division was a mess. And although there may be no wildly anticipated matchup that involves throwing batteries, there is logic behind the current system. You have to earn your way to get a chance at the multiple-flags-on-a-block-of-wood trophy and it doesn’t come easy.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"