12-17-2019, 12:55 AM
The Chicago Cubs have been taking a lot of heat lately. Fake 76ers Jerseys . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". But the bigger target was the franchises owners of the past four years, the Ricketts family. Under their stewardship, the Cubs have compiled a record of 273-375 and havent come close to being a contender in any of the four seasons. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein felt compelled over the weekend to defend the Ricketts, saying at the Cubs Fans Convention in effect they were absorbing short term pain for long term gain. Epstein explained that the Ricketts had a long term plan that would ensure success for the organization. Last I looked, the Cubs havent won a World Series since 1908 and havent been in a Fall Classic since 1945. Thats not the point of this story though. I decided to compare the Blue Jays record to that of the Cubs over the last four seasons. The Cubs are 273-375. Thats an average of a little more than 65 victories per season. The Blue Jays are better but not by a significant amount. Their record from 2010 thru 2013 was 313-335. So the Jays averaged a bit more than 75 victories per season. Thats 10 more per season over the four years, but still under .500 and still nowhere near a post-season position. The Blue Jays record of futility in nowhere near that of the Cubs, but just the same, they havent been to the post-season since 1993, a stretch of 21 seasons. Over that span Kansas City is the only other Major League club that hasnt made the playoffs. The Blue Jays record since Rogers acquired the club consists of five winning seasons, eight losing seasons and one .500 campaign. The Cubs may be breaking their fans hearts, but the Blue Jays are hardly inspiring the planning of victory parades either. The Days of Key When the Dodgers signed their ace lefty Clayton Kershaw to that massive seven-year $215 million contract last week, it brought back memories of a veteran left-hander the Blue Jays had to make a decision on back in the off-season of 1992. Jimmy Key wasnt in the same talent class as Kershaw, but he will go down as one of the top pitchers in Blue Jays history. In nine seasons with the organization he went 116-81 with a 3.42 ERA. Key was to become a free agent after the 92 season. He and his agent wanted at least a four-year contract. Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick had a steadfast policy at the time of giving no more than three years to starting pitchers. So sure enough, Key left, signing a four-year deal with the Yankees. He was outstanding in his first two years in New York, and in fact led the American League in the strike-shortened 1994 season with a 17-4 mark and a 3.27 earned run average. In 1995 though, he blew out his arm and missed almost the entire season. Key bounced back strongly in 1996 though, and actually outdueled Hall of Fame-elect Greg Maddux to beat Atlanta in the final game of the World Series. That would be his final game as a Yankee and earned him a second World Series ring. Jimmy Key would sign with Baltimore for 1997, where Gillick was now in charge and would finish out his career with the Orioles. In an ideal world Key would have pitched his entire career in Toronto. I still distinctly remember three landmark starts in his career, that helped define the pitcher and the man he was. On the final day of 1987 season at old Tiger Stadium, the Blue Jays had dropped six straight games and needed a victory on that last Sunday over the Tigers to force a tie-breaker with Detroit. Key engaged in an epic pitchers duel with Detroit southpaw Frank Tanana. Detroit won the game 1-0 on Larry Herndons home run that barely cleared the low fence in left. The Tigers went to the ALCS against Minnesota and the Blue Jays went home. In 1991, the Jays were facing Minnesota in the American League Championship Series. The organization made the decision to go with knuckleballer Tom Candiotti in the opener at the Metrodome against Jack Morris. Many felt Key should have been given that start. Just being around Jimmy as long as I had been, I could see how angry if not crushed he was at the snub. Candiotti was horrid in that game and the Twins got the quick jump in the series. Key finally did start in Game 3 with the series tied at a game apiece. Jimmy pitched six innings of two-run ball, but got saddled with a no-decision. The Twins ultimately won 3-2 in 10 innings on Mike Pagliarulos homer off Mike Timlin. Minnesota would go on to take the series in five games. I said to myself after that series that resigning Key would be next to impossible after he was passed over for that Game 1 start. To his credit, Jimmy put all that behind him and had a strong season in 1992. The game I will never forget was Game 4 of the World Series against Atlanta. Key was at his absolute best and went 7.2 innings against the Braves. When he walked off the mound towards the dugout, he received an incredible ovation and tipped his cap. I just felt at that moment, and Im sure Jimmy did too, that it was his final performance as a Blue Jay. As mentioned earlier, Key signed that four-year deal with the Yankees in the off-season, and the Jays took a fair amount of grief for letting him go. To this day I cant remember any other Blue Jays player who ended his time in Toronto with a moment like that. First Impressions Drake did an incredible impression of Alex Rodriguez on Saturday Night Live. If they ever do a movie about this sordid tale, Drake can play A-Rod and actor/comedian/radio host Jay Thomas can play Anthony Bosch. Thomas played Carlas second husband, the hockey player Eddie Lebec on Cheers. His character died when he was run over by a Zamboni, and Thomas bares an uncanny resemblance to Bosch. First Date The Blue Jays season opener at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays has an unusual starting time. They kick off the season at 4:10 in the afternoon in the opener of a four-game series on March 31. Julius Erving Jersey .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? Check out the duster for yourself. Philadelphia 76ers Pro Shop . – Team Canadas Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Womens Amateur Championship on Wednesday. https://www.cheap76ers.com/376e-dolph-sc...76ers.html . PAUL, Minn.OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators put an end to speculation and officially named Jason Spezza as its captain Saturday afternoon. The announcement came as no real surprise as Spezza was the odds-on favourite to take over the captaincy after Daniel Alfredsson chose to sign with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in July. "This is a huge honour for both myself and my family," said Spezza, as he read from a prepared statement. "Its something that is very important to me." Spezza becomes the eighth captain in franchise history and admitted wearing the "C" is a dream come true. "For me Ive always dreamed of being a captain," said Spezza, who missed most of last season with a back injury. "My main goal is to try to win the Stanley Cup and thats something that Ive always wanted. I take the game of hockey very seriously and I like being able to help my teammates. "I like being able to push myself and try to become a better player everyday." Being the face of the franchise is an honour and a challenge that Spezza says he is looking forward to. Spezza said that having had the opportunity to play alongside Alfredsson and experiencing the highs and lows of a professional career have allowed him time to grow as both a player and a person. "I feel like its come naturally, I feel like its not something thats been forced upon me and that gives me the confiidence to know that I can do a good job. Charles Barkley Jersey. " With over 600 games and 621 career points, Spezza is the second longest serving member of the Senators. Chris Phillips, who was also in strong contention to take over the captaincy, holds the distinction of being the longest serving member. Phillips will remain an alternate captain, with Chris Neil joining the leadership group as the second alternate. Both Neil and Phillips were drafted by Ottawa and have spent their entire NHL careers with the Senators. "The Ottawa Senators have a history of strong leaders, strong captains and we believe that will continue today," said Senators general manager Bryan Murray. "This years team we believe will be one of the youngest if not the youngest in the NHL so having a strong leadership corps headed by our captains is going to be very, very critical if were going to be successful." Head coach Paul MacLean admitted the fact that Spezza has spent his entire career in Ottawa was a significant reason the team selected him as the new captain. The 30-year-old Spezza was the Senators first-round pick (second overall) in the 2001 NHL Draft. He has registered four 30-goal seasons and two 90-plus point campaigns. The Mississauga, Ont., native has represented Canada on six different occasions, and has earned five medals at various international tournaments throughout his career. ' ' '