COVID Vaccine Update - by Moses

   So now we're aware that if you have the third shot of the vaccine (the booster) you have 75% coverage against contracting COVID, while you have only a 25% coverage against contracting the virus if you only have the two shots.  What this doesn't explain is this;  You have a 75% chance of contracting the COVID virus if you only have the two shots of the vaccine in you, but the likelihood of the virus turning into serious ailment is still very low (less than 5% of those infected with the first two shots).  Therefore, if you have the booster - the reports are that you have 75% coverage against contracting the virus which further reduces risk.  The problem I have with the current situation is that eventually everyone will contract the virus and in a sense become inoculated to the new weird, a day in which there are many strains of viral properties that will probably be treated by pharmaceutical properties in the near future (as vaccines really can't be used to treat every COVID variant with the precision of protection).

  What all this means in layman terms is that a pill will be available to the masses probably within two years.  This pill, taken once a week will offer the 98% coverage from contracting the virus that the medical community is concerned about for the current lack of coverage against current and new developing strains of the COVID.

Our City Employees - by Moses

      These guys are our fire fighters, police officers, sanitation operators, postal workers, and the list goes on and on.  How much does the average city worker make?  $26-27 Hour if you're a postal worker or sanitation worker for the city of Toronto.  As a fireman or a cop you'll see $33/Hour to start on the job.  Are the unions losing clout while inflation is on the rise? or, do workers still have rights in bringing to the table for the next collective bargaining agreement the concern of being low-balled in negotiation for minimum salary.  If it was attacked in this manner the minimum wage in each sect being discussed would go up by $8-9 Hour.  Would anyone really suffer in the least if the cop and fireman got $40/hour to start while the city sanitation workers get bumped up to $34/Hour?

  While it may be a luxury to have money the reality is that most unions today are forsaking and low-balling on salary issues for the vast majority, while 1000-2000 VP's see 20% increase in pay following the collective bargaining process - with the common worker seeing less than 5% wage increase.  This is what the Teachers Union in Canada has experienced in its' history.  The Board of Education see raises in excess of 15% and the teachers were lucky if they saw 4-5%.  It would stand to reason that the well off cannot put their needs ahead of the masses in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.  It should work both ways, and if that were the case we could have all our teachers, fire fighters, police officers, sanitation operators, postal workers, and management within each sect (including all the VP salaries) go up incrementally at the same rate.  At this point the average salary could be raised as high as $50/Hour in each of the aforementioned sects of employment at the sacrifice of an exec getting a fat bonus for being able to say he's more of an asset than the front-line people of the City of Toronto.  

  

The COVID Development - by Moses

   Now that there is another strain of more severity (Omicron) in the mix, flight restrictions are now in place.  This is seeming to be a long orchestrated effort by the World Health Organization and the U.S Military to close up shops and inflate the health care system to bring in money.   

  Wasn't it in 1994 when the movie 'Outbreak' came out and there was a concern that a disease could spread in an almost planet defeating manner.  Wasn't it in 1998 that the first case of SARS hit and researchers deduced then that this wasn't a global concern.  Weren't there two strains of the COVID that were SARS related that has surfaced.  I'm now remembering when I was a tot in 1977 and it used to get said that you should watch out for the COOTIES before washing your hands for dinner.  This is a seemingly long ordeal in the here and now that's being supported by the U.S Military, an exercise that has led to shops closing down because they can't support their businesses.  Of course Vaccine Suppliers, Pharmaceutical companies, Amazon, Walmart, and many other Corporation are feeding off this pandemic.  The small guy is being reduced and the well off are now holding more power as a result.  The American dream?   

Rittenhouse and the assailants in the Arbery Case - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

       One is a vigilante and the three in the Arbery killing were murderers.  Rittenhouse has the audacity to bring an assault weapon to a demonstration rally and pulls the trigger on three is symptomatic of the road America is heading towards.  When a case like this comes up the argument really should never have deflected from the root issue; bringing an assault weapon to a demonstration rally.  At this point we see the Arbery case and three men that hunted Arbery on the suburb streets he was in.  Will America choose to look at the innocence of plain and simply put murder?  When will clout be used to put these matters to rest?  If the Arbery case is dismissed may end up seeing vigilante acts is the way it played out.  A gross crime in the Rittenhouse case is what it turned into.  The argument of hunting on suburb streets because the guy is black, or the vigilante act of killing someone at a rally demonstration because YOU have an assault weapon and THEY don't.  Russian roulette some would say, what about American roulette is what I'd like to know.  Who is going to be punished as a result? 

Ongoing COVID Updates (Aaron Rodgers Debacle) - by Moses

       The media has been as active as ever on CNN as to how the vaccine to COVID will be implemented into the Canadian and American Health Care systems.  It will be an annual booster once the citizen receives his/her first two shots.  This annual booster was summarized to have been taken down from a bi-yearly speculation.  The rationale and reasoning used is that it would be easier to convince people still on the fence in taking the first set of vaccines (as a yearly booster is a much easier idea to sell over twice a year for your life). 

  The Aaron Rodgers debacle leaves this writer wondering why the media threw Rodgers under the bus by popular opinion.  The reality is that Rodgers didn't lie when he spoke to the media and told them he was being treated by his team of Doctors for the Covid in raising his levels in promoting a strong immune system.  He just neglected to tell the media that he didn't receive the vaccine.  It's unfortunate that he is now suffering from COVID but that may still have been the case had he received his two vaccine shots before the year began.  This is symptomatic of America today; When the media wants to impress an idea before the population they have no problem embarrassing their elite athletes or their personalities in TV and the Movies.  Aaron Rodgers will probably end up losing $10 Million U.S.D a year in endorsement deals that are now in question with all the digging the media has put into towards a negative cycle for supposedly lying.  This also happened to Bill Cosby a number of years ago when public opinion turned sour towards him for the alleged date rapes that he orchestrated.  In actual fact these were only allegations and has rendered Bill Cosby as impotent to being in the public eye to this day.  The decline of Modern Day Western Civilization some would say.  Something North America needs to stray away from.  Would Walter Cronkite have thrown Steve Carlton under the bus for something nasty he said about the media?  No he would let it play out without bullshit commentary.  You're supposed to stand by your common man when you're here.  You never know when you'll need someone to get your back. 

100 Greatest Race Car Drivers of All-Time - by Moses

The Greatest Race Car Drivers of All-Time (including Nascar, Indy 500, Cart, Formula One, World Rally Championship, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans) - by Moses

1.   Mario Andretti - Indy 500, Cart, and Formula One

2.   Michael Schumacher - Formula One

3.   Richard Petty - Nascar  

4.   A.J. Foyt - Indy 500, Cart, and Nascar

5.   Lewis Hamilton - Formula One

6.   Al Unser Sr. - Indy 500 and Cart

7.   Tom Kristensen - Formula One and 24 Hours of Le Mans

8.   Helio Castroneves - Indy 500 and Cart

9.   Dale Earnhardt Sr. - Nascar

10. Ayrton Senna - Formula One

11. Jimmy Johnson - Nascar 

12. Alain Prost - Formula One 

13. Nigel Mansell - Indy 500 and Formula One

14. Jacky Ickx - Formula One and 24 Hours of Le Mans

15. Jackie Stewart - Formula One and 24 Hours of Le Mans

16. Rick Mears - Indy 500 and Cart

17. Kyle Busch - Nascar

18. Emerson Fittipaldi – Indy 500, Cart, and Formula One  

19. Juan Manuel Fangio - Formula One 

20. Sebastian Vettel - Formula One

21. Johnny Rutherford - Indy 500 and Cart

22. Lee Petty - Nascar  

23. Jeff Gordon - Nascar

24. Dario Franchitti - Indy 500 and Cart

25. Derek Bell - 24 Hours of Le Mans

26. Louis Meyer - Indy 500 

27. Frank Biela - 24 Hours of Le Mans

28. Wilbur Shaw - Indy 500

29. Emanuele Pirro - 24 Hours of Le Mans

30. Hurley Haywood - 24 Hours of Le Mans

31. Nelson Piquet - Formula One 

32. Mika Hakkinen - Formula One 

33. Darrell Waltrip - Nascar

34. Alexander Wurz - 24 Hours of Le Mans

35. Bobby Allison - Nascar

36. Kevin Harvick - Nascar and Cart 

37. Alberto Ascari - Formula One

38. Bobby Unser - Indy 500 and Cart

39. Kimi Raikkonen - Formula One  

40. Cale Yarborough - Nascar  

41. Dale Jarrett - Nascar

42. Al Unser Jr. - Indy 500 and Cart

43. Mauri Rose - Indy 500

44. Fernando Alonso - Formula One

45. Takuma Sato - Indy 500 and Cart

46. Juan Pablo Montoya - Indy 500, Cart, and Formula One

47. Rodger Ward - Indy 500 

48. Niki Lauda - Formula One

49. Dan Wheldon - Indy 500 and Cart

50. Tom Sneva - Indy 500 and Cart 

51. Tony Stewart - Nascar

52. Arie Luyendyk - Indy 500 and Cart

53. Nico Rosberg - Formula One 

54. Bobby Rahal - Indy 500 and Cart

55. Graham Hill - Indy 500, Cart, Formula One, and 24 Hours of Le Mans 

56. Damon Hill - Formula One

57. David Pearson - Nascar

58. Jim Clark - Formula One

59. Gordon Johncock - Indy 500 and Cart

60. Jacques Villeneuve - Indy 500, Cart, and Formula One  

61. Tim Flock - Nascar

62. Scott Dixon - Indy 500 and Cart 

63. Greg Moore - Indy 500 and Cart 

64. Buck Baker - Nascar

65. Tony Wallace - Indy 500 and Cart

66. Ned Jarrett - Nascar

67. Bill Vukovich - Indy 500

68. Davey Allison - Nascar 

69. Sebastien Loeb - World Rally Championship 

70. Denny Hamlin - Nascar 

71. Michael Andretti - Indy 500 and Cart

72. Carl Edwards - Nascar

73. Kurt Busch - Nascar 

74. Will Power - Indy 500 and Cart 

75. Sebastien Bourdais - Indy 500 and Cart 

76. Rusty Wallace - Nascar 

77. Alan Kulwicki - Nascar

78. Keke Rosberg - Formula One

79. Bill Elliott - Nascar

80. Carlos Sainz - World Rally Championship

81. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Nascar 

82. Alexander Rossi – Indy 500 and Formula One

83. Brad Keselowski - Nascar

84. Joey Logano - Nascar

85. Riccardo Patrese - Formula One

86. Jenson Button - Formula One 

87. Rubens Barricello - Formula One 

88. Danny Sullivan - Indy 500 and Cart

89. Bobby Isaac - Nascar

90. Felipe Massa - Formula One 

91. Ryan Newman - Nascar 

92. Tony Kanaan – Indy 500 and Cart

93. Bob Welborn – Nascar

94. Buddy Lazier – Indy 500 and Cart

95. Eddie Cheever – Indy 500 and Cart

96. Kenny Brack – Indy 500 and Cart

97. Ryan Blaney - Nascar

98. Erik Jones - Nascar

99. Gilles Villeneuve - Formula One

00. Paul Tracy – Indy 500 and Cart

The 75 Greatest Drummers of All-Time - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

1.   Neil Peart - RUSH

2.   Buddy Rich 

3.   John Bonhom - Led Zeppelin 

4.   David Weckl 

5.   Keith Moon - The Who

6.   Mitch Mitchell - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

7.   Stewart Copeland - The Police

8.   Alex Van Halen - Van Halen

9.   Ginger Baker - Cream and Blind Faith

10. Tommy Lee - Motley Crue

11. Chad Smith - The Red Hot Chile Peppers

12. Charlie Watts - The Rolling Stones

13. Lars Ulrich - Metallica

14. Bev Bevan - E.L.O

15. Rick Allen - Def Leopard

16. Chester Thompson - Phil Collins 

17. Phil Collins - Genesis and the Phil Collins Band

18. Michael Shrieve - Santana

19. David Grohl - Nirvana and The Foo Fighters

20. Gil Moore - Triumph

21. Dave Lombardo - Slayer

22. Matt Cameron - Pearl Jam

23. Sunray Grennan - The Satellites

24. Ian Paice - Deep Purple

25. Benny Benjamin - Motown

26. Steven Adler - Guns and Roses

27. Don Henley - The Eagles and solo work

28. Raffa Dean - Big Sugar and The Resonators (now Dub Brethren)

29. Anton Fig - Joe Bonamassa

30. Frank Beard - ZZ Top

31. Jaime Oldaker - Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, and Peter Frampton among others

32. Terry Bozzio - Frank Zappa and 'The Mothers of Invention'

33. Tommy Aldridge - Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent, Thin Lizzy, Vinnie Moore and Yngwie Malmsteen

34. Mike Portnoy - Dream Theatre

35. Taylor Hawkins - The Foo Fighters

36. Bob Burns - Lynyrd Skynyrd 

37. Phil Rudd - AC/DC

38. Carter Beauford - The Dave Matthews Band

40. Roger Taylor - Queen

41. Lucas Fox - Motorhead 

42. David Lovering - The Pixies

43. Bill Ward - Black Sabbath

44. Scott Sundquist - Soundgarden

45. Mick Fleetwood - Fleetwood Mac 

46. Larry Mullen Jr. - U2

47. Collin Edwards - House of David Gang

48. Levon Helm - The Band

49. Louie Bellson - American Jazz

50. Danny Carey - Tool

51. Les Binks - Judas Priest

52. Elvin Jones - American Jazz

53. John Densmore - The Doors

54. Greg Errico - Sly and the Family Stone

55. Phil Trudell - Max Webster

56. D.J. Fontana - Elvis Presley

57. Earl Palmer - Played on thousands of recordings, including nearly all of Little Richard's hits, all of Fats Domino's hits, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers.

58. Bill Bruford - Yes 

59. Steve Ferrone - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Eric Clapton

60. John Moore - The Jesus and Mary Chain

61. Jeff Porcaro - Toto

62. Joey Kramer - Aerosmith

63. Max Roach - American Jazz

64. Steve Gadd - Studio Drummer

65. Alan White - Yes

66. Topper Headon - The Clash

67. Eric Carr - KISS

68. Carl Palmer - E.L.O and Asia 

69. Sheila E. - Prince

70. Kenny Aronoff - John Cougar Mellancamp

71. Moe Tucker - The Velvet Underground

72. Max Weinberg - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

73. Ringo Starr - The Beatles

74. Chris Steffler - Platinum Blonde

75. Sean Kinney - Alice in Chains

75. Tony Robollo - Bedoin Soundclash

75. Paul DeLong - Kim Mitchell 

75. Steve Smith - Journey

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time - by Moses

1.    Jimi Hendrix - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

2.    Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

3.    Steve Vai - Frank Zappa and 'The Mothers of Invention', and extensive solo material

4.    Joe Satriani 

5.    David Gilmour - Pink Floyd

6.    Eric Clapton - The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, Blind Faith, and solo work 

7.    Geddy Lee - RUSH

8.    Yngwie Malmsteen 

9.    Joe Bonamassa

10.  John Lee Hooker 

11.  B.B. King

12.  Stevie Ray Vaughan - Double Trouble

13.  John Petrucci

14.  Jimmy Page - The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin

15.  Angus Young - AC/DC

16.  Alex Lifeson - RUSH

17.  Santana

18.  Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top

19.  Frank Zappa - Frank Zappa and 'The Mothers of Invention'

20.  Jeff Beck - The Yardbirds and extensive solo work

21.  Prince

22.  Randy Rhoads - Ozzy Osbourne

23.  Robert Johnson 

24.  Muddy Waters

25.  Chuck Berry

26.  Richie Sambora - Bon Jovi and extensive solo material w/ Orianthi

27.  Orianthi - Michael Jackson and extensive solo material w/ Richie Sambora

28.  Les Paul

29.  Rik Emmett - Triumph and solo work

30.  Thor ('The Iceman') - Tonar

31.  Joe Perry - Aerosmith

32.  Tony Iommi - Black Sabbath

33.  Kirk Hammett - Metallica

34.  Johnny Winter

35.  Slash - Guns and Roses

36.  James Hetfield - Metallica

37.  Pete Townshend - The Who

38.  John McLaughlin 

39.  Robert Cray

40.  Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits

41.  Brian May - Queen

42.  Ritchie Blackmore - Deep Purple

43.  Buddy Guy 

44.  Eric Johnson

45.  Jimmie Vaughan - Double Trouble and The Fabulous Thunderbirds

46.  Lighnin' Hopkins

47.  Keith Richards - The Rolling Stones

48.  John Lennon - The Beatles

49.  Robbie Robertson - The Band and extensive solo material

50.  Duane Allman - The Allman Brothers

51.  Joe Walsh - The Eagles

52.  Jeff Healey - The Jeff Healey Band

53.  George Harrison - The Beatles

54.  Billy Sheehan - Mr. Big and extensive solo work

55.  Kim Mitchell - Max Webster and Kim Mitchell 

56.  Gary Moore

57.  Paris Romani

58.  Jack Thammarat

59.  Adrian Smith - Iron Maiden

60.  Brian Robertson - Motorhead and Thin Lizzy

61.  Cesar Rosas - Los Lobos

62.  Ron Wood - The Rolling Stones

63.  Stefan Lessard - The Dave Matthews Band

64.  David Wilcox

65.  Vernon Reid - Living Color

66.  Kim Thayil - Soundgarden

67.  Mike Campbell - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

68.  John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin

69.  Andy Curran - Coney Hatch and solo work

70.  Vic Johnson - The Circle

71.  Matthias Jabs - Scorpions

72.  Neil Young - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and extensive solo material

72.  Mike Machado

73.  Danny Kaminsky

74.  Jay Jacobs

75.  Dave Dunlop - Rik Emmitt 

76.  Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave

77.  Malcolm Young - AC/DC

78.  Elvis Costello - Elvis Costello and the Attractions

79.  Albert Collins

80.  Gerry Finn (Dwarf) - The Killer Dwarfs

81.  Isaac

82.  Andy Summers - The Police

83.  Edge - U2  

84.  Ace Frehley - KISS

85.  David Grohl - The Foo Fighters

86.  Lorne Gula  

87.  Deo Da Sousa

88.  Leadbelly

89.  Roosevelt Sykes

90.  'Mississippi' John Hurt

91.  Carl Martin

92.  Graham - Dub Brethren (formerly The Resonators) 

93.  Mick Mars - Motley Crue

94.  Myles Goodwyn - April Wine 

95.  Paul McCartney - The Beatles

96.  Billy Bragg 

97.  Jerry Cantrell - Alice in Chains

98.  John Entwistle - The Who

99.  Stuart Hamm - Joe Satriani and John Petrucci

100.Phil X - Triumph

100.Rick Nielson - Cheap Trick

100.Nash the Slash - FM

100.Sting - The Police and extensive solo work

100.Mike Johnson

100.Tom Petty - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

100.Steve Miller - The Steve Miller Band

100.John Fogerty - Credence Clearwater Revival and solo works

The Reality of 2021 and the breakdown of the Toronto Maple Leafs - by Moses

       The reality is that we're in the year 2021 and yet currently we see one African-American Ownership Position in Professional sports - Michael Jordan.  The social disturbance, the actual audacity of calling on the Affirmative Action to take place is what is killing our continent today.  Knowing without a shadow of a doubt that it should be in place yet isn't, kills the imagination of people of color and anyone with a sense of what is right including dignity and integrity.  This issue really does need to be addressed in the reparations of African-Americans and people of color to get the sense they're being compensated for the hatred of their people.  Hatred, plain and simple hatred and don't get me wrong it does exist and is constantly being perpetuated.

  We like to preach equality within sport yet Hockey comes into question when speaking for Canadian values.  When someone in the Muslim or Sikh community try out for the Hockey Team they are cut, even though they are probably the best on the team.  All because their Dad wears a head-dress.  This is a systematic practice within Toronto, and there have been lawsuits as a result of some racist coaching practices as a result.  Then, when our kids are trying to score goals for their mighty Maple Leafs, people are so blinded by hatred that they automatically deny the kid the enjoyment of their procreation of goals and good things like that and daggers get thrown in their faces all because they are 'Black', 'Muslim' or 'Sikh', or 'Jewish', or 'Portuguese'.  Where does it end?

The Future of North American Sport - by Moses

       It is now 2021 and I question the direction North American sport is moving towards.  I mean we live in lands of prosperity yet there is exactly one professional woman's league in North America to date, the WNBA.  Soccer has resurfaced in North America in a men's' league, yet a Woman's professional league in soccer and baseball has been negated for years.  Likewise that of a Disabled Sports league in wheelchair basketball.  This makes me wonder when a movie like 'Field of Dreams' comes out and we start to believe 'If you build it, they will come.' yet higher powers negate the efforts of stories of inspiration and determination like that of 'A League of Their Own' and we end up seeing a stagnant mindset, one of being closed to stories that must be told.  In 'A League of Their Own' the story of a Woman's Baseball League in America was told.  If the MLBPA and the NLBPA were listening to the intonations of the current situation of the Woman Ballplayer of today, there would at least be the acknowledgement that Woman can play sports at a high level, a professional level.

  When it comes to wheelchair basketball I speak from experience when I say it is an extremely hard sport to master.  Making a 20 foot shoot from a wheelchair is almost impossible, yet there are a few men around the globe that can make that shot.  My Uncle's old friend Flo played for the Toronto Spitfires Organization and they played in Worldwide Wheelchair Basketball Tournaments for years.  Flo was known to be one of the greatest Wheelchair Basketball players of all-time and it is a resentment of mine that modern day society didn't think enough of their disabled population to at least give credence to those people who are good at what they do within the disabled community.  Modern day society could in fact create Leagues in sport that would accommodate those that excel at sports, hence a Woman's MLB, a Woman's Professional Hockey League, a Woman's Professional Soccer League, and a Professional Wheelchair Sports League.

  In fifty years how will leadership look at an apathetic society that had no problem negating efforts to build professional sports leagues for Woman and the Disabled.  If it were up to me our leadership in Canada should rethink their position on the matter for at least the sense of acknowledging those that excel at sports.  

The 2022 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

       The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays were perhaps the best baseball team in the Majors.  Although they fell one game short of making the playoffs, they had a ridiculous runs scored - runs allowed compared to other teams around the League.  We had seven men hammer 20+Home-runs this year and four men drive in 100+ RBI's.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. led the way as the igniter of the most potent offence in baseball alongside Marcus Semien, George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Cavan Biggio, and Randal Grichuk.  An offence of the ages setting a team record for most home-runs in a season with 258 dingers.  The 2021 Blue Jays were a shining example of how to run an offence.  They also have speed on the base-paths encouraged by the likes of Bichette, Semien, Hernandez (and Biggio in the future).  The team defense is above par and will likely take home Gold Glove at second base in one Marcus Semien and possibly one for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who had 16 outfield assists in leftfield.  

  The starting staff was spectacular this year and had we not had breakdowns in the bullpen throughout the year we would have won 100 games easily.  With Robbie Ray the Jays have a legitimate Cy Young Pitcher, with other southpaws Hyun Jin Ryu and Steven Matz the Jays are three southpaw deep in the starting staff, something no other team in baseball can claim.  With Alek Manoah we have perhaps the best young arm in baseball.  With Manoah's pedigree he's right where Roger Clemens was in 1985 in his development as a young gun and producer at this stage of his career.  With the acquisition of Jose Berrios the Jays are truly five deep in their rotation.  The problem the Jays were having this year came down to the seventh and eight inning men.  Until we acquired Trevor Richards and Adam Cimber at the trade deadline we had no solution to the problem.  We probably lost 12 games this year to that deficiency.  Injuries hurt our bullpen as aside from an impressive year by first year closer Jordan Romano, we lost Julian Merryweather, David Phelps, and A.J. Cole all early in the year to injury.  These were guys that we were expecting big things from early on in the year. Our bullpen southpaw situation was pretty good with Tim Mayza carrying most of the load.  Ryan Borucki will be back strong next year after an injury plagued season, and between Kirby Snead and Tayler Saucedo as the third lefty in the mix could be dominant.  

  The Jays had a strong bench with Santiago Espinal filling in admirably for Biggio when he went down to injury.  Breyvic Valera was a pleasant surprise when Espinal got injured and the Jays had enormous depth at the Cather Position with Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Reese McGuire.  Ironically the best Catcher in the Jays chain is Double A New Hampshire standout Gabriel Moreno.  Bo Bichette claims Moreno to be the most promising hitter in the Jays Farm System as evidenced by his .373 batting average alongside 45 RBI's in only 126 At-Bats this year before getting injured.  Just returning from injury a couple of weeks ago, Moreno was promoted to Triple A affiliate Buffalo and the Jays are considering fast racking him through the 2022 Spring Training as a viable number one to start next year.  Moreno is the best defensive catcher we have by far having thrown out 38% basestealers in his minor league career to date and there is no reason to doubt his batting prowess (even at the Major League Level).  The problem the Jays will have in Spring Training is how to treat the endowment of our catching situation.  We've got four capable catchers for two spots.  My picks would be Moreno and Kirk.

  In terms of intangibles and Coaching the Jays are going to be a powerhouse for years to come.  I was most impressed by the work of Pete Walker in instilling a starting staff that refused to walk batters.  Charlie Montoyo worked magically with our youth in the clubhouse to get them to believe in themselves and has a legitimate shot at winning Manager of the Year for his role.  What is truly impressive about this team is how many things they do well.  Hit for power, hit for average, high OPS %, high RBI rates, high stolen base %, high Batting Average with men in scoring position, the Jays were at the top of the leader-board in every category.  

  With the future looming it will be interesting to see if the Jays will pay Marcus Semien's asking price on a long term contract.  Personally I would offer Semien $22-$25 Mil U.S.D/year for four years with a performance clause in his contract that redeems a fifth year @ $30-$35 Mil U.S if he achieves the teams goals.  I would draft up; Scenerio One - Should Semien win the Gold Glove at second and/or win A.L MVP and/or hit 40+ Home-runs in a year and/or steal 20+ bases - in other words create provisions to increase the dollar amount of the contract should Semien meet or exceed expectations.  The problem is that current performance clauses are somewhat limiting in their rewards (compared to what I'm proposing).  The upside of a player like Semien is that should he exceed expectations in each year of the contract, pay him $35 Mil U.S.D in the fifth year - he'd be worth it at that point.  The reality is that Toronto is a wealthy city and can afford to spend money on their superstars.     

The 2022 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

Manager - Charlie Montoyo

Pitching Staff

1.  Robbie Ray (LHP)

2.  Jose Berrios (RHP)

3.  Alek Manoah (RHP)

4.  Steven Matz (LHP)

5.  Hyun Jin Ryu (LHP)

6.  Nate Pearson (RHP)

7.  Tim Mayza (LHP)

8.  Ryan Borucki (LHP)

9.  Kirby Snead (LHP)

10.Tayler Saucedo (LHP)

11.Trevor Richards (RHP)

12.Adam Cimber (RHP)

13.Julian Merryweather (RHP)

14.Jacob Waguespack (RHP)

15.Jordan Romano (RHP)

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  George Springer (CF) bats right

2.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right

3.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) bats right

4.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right

5.  Teoscar Hernandez (DH) bats right

6.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) bats right

7.  Cavan Biggio (3B) bats left

8.  Corey Dickerson (RF) bats left

9.  Reese McGuire (C) bats left

  

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (CF) bats right

2.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B) bats right

4.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right

5.  Teoscar Hernandez (DH) bats right

6.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) bats right

7.  Randal Grichuk (RF) bats right

8.  Gabriel Moreno (C) bats right

9.  Santiago Espinal (3B) bats right

Bench

1.  Alejandro Kirk (C/DH) bats right

2.  Breyvic Valera (2B/SS/3B) bats both

3.  Jarrod Dyson (OF) bats left 

The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers vs the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

1982 Milwaukee Brewers

Pitching Staff

1.  Mike Caldwell (RHP) - age 33

2.  Pete Vuckovich (RHP) - age 29

3.  Don Sutton (RHP) - age 37

4.  Moose Haas (RHP) - age 26

5.  Bob McClure (LHP) - age 30

6.  Randy Lerch (RHP) - age 27

7.  Doc Medich (RHP) - age 33

8.  Jim Slaton (RHP) - age 32

9.  Dwight Bernard (RHP) - age 30

10.Jerry Augustine (LHP) - age 29

11.Jamie Easterly (LHP) - age 29

12.Rollie Fingers (RHP) - age 35 

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  Paul Molitor (3B) bats right - age 25

2.  Robin Yount (SS) bats right - age 26

3.  Cecil Cooper (1B) bats left - age 32 

4.  Gorman Thomas (CF) bats right - age 31

5.  Ted Simmons (C) bats both - age 32

6.  Don Money (DH) bats right - age 35

7.  Ben Oglivie (RF) bats left - age 33

8.  Charlie Moore (RF) bats right - age 29

9.  Jim Gantner (2B) bats left - age 29

Batting Order vs Righties  

1.  Paul  Molitor (3B) bats right - age 25

2.  Robin Yount (SS) bats right - age 26

3.  Cecil Cooper (1B) bats left - age 32

4.  Ben Oglivie (LF) bats left - age 33

5.  Gorman Thomas (CF) bats right - age 31

6.  Ted Simmons (C) bats both - age 32

7.  Roy Howell (DH) bats left - age 28

8.  Charlie Moore (RF) bats right - age 29

9.  Jim Gantner (2B) bats left - age 29

Bench

1.  Ned Yost (C) bats right - age 27

2.  Ed Romero (2B/SS) bats right - age 24

3.  Marshall Edwards (OF) bats left - age 28

4.  Mark Brouhard (OF) bats right - age 26

5.  Larry Hisle (DH/PH) bats right - age 35

2021 Toronto Blue Jays

Pitching Staff

1.  Robbie Ray (LHP) - age 29

2.  Hyun Jin Ryu (LHP) - age 34

3.  Alek Manoah (RHP) - age 23

4.  Jose Berrios (RHP) - age 27

5.  Steven Matz (LHP) - age 30

6.  Ross Stripling (RHP) - age 31

7.  Tim Mayza (LHP) - age 29

8.  Tayler Saucedo (LHP) - age 28 *

9.  Ryan Borucki (LHP) - age 27

10.Kirby Snead (LHP) - age 26

11.Adam Cimber (RHP) - age 30

12.Trevor Richards (RHP) - age 28

13.Julian Merryweather (RHP) - age 29

14.Nate Pearson (RHP) - age 24

15.Anthony Castro (RHP - age 26

16.Bryan Baker (RHP) - age 26 *

17.Jordan Romano (RHP) - age 28  

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (CF) bats right - age 31

2.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right - age 30

3.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) bats right - age 22

4.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right - age 23

5.  Teoscar Hernandez (DH) bats right - age 28

6.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) bats right - age 27

7.  Randal Grichuk (RF) bats right - age 29

8.  Alejandro Kirk (C) bats right - age 22

9.  Santiago Espinal (3B/2B) bats right - age 26

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  George Springer (DH) bats right - age 31

2.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right - age 30

3.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) bats right - age 22

4.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right - age 23

5.  Teoscar Hernandez (RF) bats right - age 28

6.  Corey Dickerson (LF) bats left - age 32

7.  Reese McGuire (C) bats left - age 26

8.  Cavan Biggio (3B) bats left - age 26 *

9.  Jarrod Dyson (CF) bats left - age 36

Bench

1.  Danny Jansen (C) bats right - age 26

2.  Breyvic Valera (2B/3B) bats both - age 29

3.  Santiago Espinal (3B/2B) bats right - age 26

4.  Corey Dickerson (OF) bats left - age 32

5.  Jarrod Dyson (OF) bats left - age 36

* - currently in Minors

      

      In this comparison of teams from yesteryear to today we see many parables between both rosters as they both had the dominant offensive statistics.in MLB for the years studied (1982 and 2021)

  Both were teams that had an incredible scoring ability, evidenced by both teams hammering more than 200 Home-Runs in the season in the years studied.  The Brewers were known as the 'Harvey Wallbangers' in 1982 for their hitting proficiency, showcasing Molitor as the catalyst for the offence to get things started and steal bases at a healthy rate.  After Molitor the pitcher had to take on A.L MVP Robin Yount, perhaps the greatest hitting shortstop in the history of the game.  Cecil Cooper batted third and was a left-handed machine in hammering out hit after hit.  Then the pitcher had to take on deep threats Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie both 40 HR a year power.  Ted Simmons was arguably the greatest switch-hitting catcher of all-time and many looked at Jim Gantner as a plugger and a team player, Charlie Moore as a good defensive rightfielder, and Don Money and Roy Howell held the fort as the teams' DH tandom.  They were simply dynamite offensively and they almost won the World Series that year of 1982 losing a tight seven game affair against the St. Louis Cardinals and Ozzie Smith.  The Brewers Starting Pitching was strong (maybe not to this years' 2021 Toronto Blue Jays standard) and showcased Mike Caldwell, Pete Vuckovich, Don Sutton (picked up at the trade deadline), Moose Haas, Bob McClure, (and swingman Jim Slaton).  They had poor relief aside from Rollie Fingers (perhaps the best closer in the game that year) and Jim Slaton a swingman who was 10-6 with seven starts. 

  The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays  are a special team for many reasons.  The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays showcase power like perhaps no team before them.  They have a collective 7 men (once Springer belts his twentieth Home-Run of the year) with 20+ Home-Runs on the year.  Vladdy Jr., Semien, Teoscar, Bichette could each have 30+ Home-Runs should Bichette get hot over the last 6 games of the season.  Even leaving Vladdy Jr. and Marcus Semien out of the equation the offence is still powerful showcasing the exploits of Gurriel Jr., Grichuk, Alejandro Kirk, Reese McGuire, Bichette, Hernandez (and Cavan Biggio upon his return for the playoffs).  The Jays pitching this year has been strong from the starters.  Ray, Ryu, Manoah, Berrios, and Matz (and even Ross Stripling could be worked into the equation) are all capable starters.  Romano is arguably the best closer in the American League and has shown he's got the poise for the job.  With Adam Cimber and Trevor Richards in the mix alongside Julian Merryweather, Nate Pearson, Bryan Baker, and Tim Mayza (with another three lefties at the ready) the bullpen just needs to settle.

Starting Pitching

Advantage Toronto Blue Jays (9-8)

Relief Pitching

Even (7-7)

  

Catchers

Milwaukee Brewers - Ted Simmons 8/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Alejandro Kirk/Reese McGuire/Danny Jansen 6/10

Advantage Milwaukee Brewers

1st Basemen

Milwaukee Brewers - Cecil Cooper 8.5/10 

Toronto Blue Jays - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 9.5/10

Advantage Toronto Blue Jays

 

2nd Basemen

Milwaukee Brewers - Jim Gantner 6/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Marcus Semien 9.5/10

Advantage Toronto Blue Jays

3rd Basemen

Milwaukee Brewers - Paul Molitor 9/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Santiago Espinal/Cavan Biggio 6/10

Advantage Milwaukee Brewers

Shortstops

Milwaukee Brewers - Robin Yount 9.5/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Bo Bichette 8.5/10

Advantage Milwaukee Brewers

Leftfielders

Milwaukee Brewers - Ben Oglivie 8/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 8/10

Even

Centerfield

Milwaukee Brewers - Gorman Thomas 8/10

Toronto Blue Jays - George Springer 8/10

Even

Rightfield

Milwaukee Brewers - Charlie Moore 6/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Randal Grichuk 7/10

Advantage Toronto Blue Jays

DH

Milwaukee Brewers - Don Money/Roy Howell 6.5/10

Toronto Blue Jays - Teoscar Hernandez 9/10

Advantage Toronto Blue Jays

Bench

Milwaukee Brewers - 7

Toronto Blue Jays - 7

Even

  The reality is that it will be history who decides who the better team was.  Should the Jays make the playoffs this year they'll be remembered as perhaps the greatest offence of today's' age like was said of the 'Harvey Wallbangers' of 1982.

The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

Manager - Charlie Montoyo

Pitching Staff

1.  Robbie Ray (LHP)

2.  Hyun Jin Ryu (LHP)

3   Steven Matz (LHP)

4.  Jose Berrios (RHP)

5.  Alek Manoah (RHP)

6.  Ross Stripling (RHP)

7.  Ryan Borucki (LHP) 

8.  Tayler Saucedo (LHP) *

9.  Kirby Snead (LHP) * 

10.Trevor Richards (RHP)

11.Adam Cimber (RHP)

12.Anthony Castro (RHP)

13.Tim Mayza (LHP)

14.Julian Merryweather (RHP)

15.Nate Pearson (RHP)

16.Bryan Baker (RHP)

17.Jordan Romano (RHP)

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  George Springer (CF) bats right

2.  Corey Dickerson (RF) bats left

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B) bats right

4.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right

5.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right

6.  Teoscar Hernandez (DH) bats right

7.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) bats right

8.  Reese McGuire (C) bats left

9.  Breyvic Valera (3B) bats both

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (CF) bats right

2.  Bo Bichette (SS) bats right

3.  Vlad Guerrero (1B) bats right

4.  Teoscar Hernandez (DH) bats right

5.  Marcus Semien (2B) bats right

6.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) bats right

7.  Randal Grichuk (RF) bats right

8.  Alejandro Kirk (C) bats right

9.  Breyvic Valera (3B) bats both

Bench

1.  Danny Jansen (C) bats right

2.  Cavan Biggio (3B/2B) bats left *

3.  Santiago Espinal (3B/2B) bats right *

4.  Corey Dickerson (OF) bats left

5.  Jarrod Dyson (OF) bats left  

* - on 40 Man Roster

The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

      This years' Toronto Blue Jays is primed to become a playoff team for years' to come.  Just as recently as ten days ago we were five games out of a wildcard spot.  At this point we're the number one wild card team, however, we're competing against four other teams for one of the two spots.  As recently as three weeks ago we were 9.5 games behind the Yankees (and now they're behind us by 1 game in the race for a wild card spot).  The Jays carry their own destiny by winning outright as perhaps the best baseball story of the year.  A team dominated by offence and starting pitching.  The pitching staff has five solid starters in Ray, Ryu, Matz, Berrios, and Manoah.  The offence is led by Vlad Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez, Bo Bichette, George Springer, Randal Grichuk, Alejandro Kirk, Corey Dickerson, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.  A total barrage will probably occur over the next three weeks in Toronto for the Jays.  Should Guerrero Jr. break the 50 Home-Run plateau this year my prediction is for the Jays to win the first wild card spot and carry through hot into the playoffs.   

Top 60 Prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays Chain Since the Trades at the Trade Deadline - by Moses

1.  Gabriel Moreno - bats right (C) age 22

2.  Nate Pearson (RHP) age 24

3.  Zach Logue (LHP) age 25 

4.  Kevin Smith - bats right (2B/SS/3B) age 24

5.  Taylor Saucedo (LHP) age 28

6.  Kirby Snead (LHP) age 26

7.  Samad Taylor - bats right (2B/3B/OF) age 22

8.  Adrian Hernandez (RHP) age 21

9.  Jacob Waguespack (RHP) age 28

10.Bryan Baker (RHP) age 26

11.Tanner Kirwer - bats right (OF/SS) age 25

12.Cameron Eden - bats right (CF) age 23 

13.Maximo Castillo (RHP) age 22

14.Anthony Kay (LHP) age 25

15.Connor Overton (RHP) age 27

16.Brandon Eisert (LHP) age 23

17.Cullen Large - bats both (2B/3B) age 25

18.Orelvis Martinez - bats right (SS/3B) age 19

19.Vinny Capra - bats right (SS/2B/3B) age 24 

20.Addison Barger - bats left (2B/SS/3B) age 21

21.Otto Lopez - bats right (2B/SS/OF) age 22 

22.Patrick Murphy (RHP) age 26

23.Thomas Hatch (RHP) age 26 

24.Forrest Wall - bats left (CF) age 24

25.T.J.Zeuch (RHP) age 25

26.Joey Murray (RHP) age 24

27.Dany Jimenez (RHP) age 27

28.Elvis Luciano (RHP) age 21

29.Nick Fraze (RHP) age 23

30.Jordan Groshans - bats right (SS/3B) age 21

31.Spencer Horwitz - bats left (1B/LF) age 23

32.Luis De Los Santos - bats right (2B/3B/SS) age 23

33.Parker Caracci (RHP) age 24

34.Zach Britton - bats left (C/1B) age 22

35.Luis Quinonos (RHP) age 23

36.Nick Allgeyer (LHP) age 25

37.Kyle Johnston (RHP) age 25

38.Andrew McInvale (RHP) age 24

39.Chavez Young - bats both (OF) age 23

40.Tyler White - bats right (1B/3B) age 30

41.Sebastian Espino - bats right (SS/2B/LF) age 21  

42.Ryan Gold - bats left (C/1B) age 23

43.Hobie Harris (RHP) age 27

44.Trent Palmer (RHP) age 22

45.Richard Urena bats both (2B/3B/SS) age 25

46.Marcus Reyes (LHP) age 26

47.Paxton Schultz (RHP) age 23

48.Graham Spraker (RHP) age 26

49.Hagen Danner (RHP) age 22

50.Tanner Morris - bats right (SS/2B/3B) age 23 

51.Lazaro Estrada (RHP) age 22

52.LJ Talley - bats left (2B/3B/1B) age 24

53.Jackson Rees (RHP) age 26

54.Jon Harris (RHP) age 27

55.Adam Kloffenstein (RHP) age 20

56.CJ Van Eyk (RHP) age 22

57.Logan Warmoth - bats right (OF) age 25

58.Mike Ellenbest (RHP) age 26

59.Zac Cook - bats left (2B/OF) age 23 

60.Justin Maese (RHP) age 24

The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses

Manager - Charlie Montoyo

Pitching Staff

1.  Hyun Jin Ryu (LHP)

2.  Robbie Ray (LHP)

3.  Jose Berrios (RHP)

4.  Steven Matz (LHP)

5.  Alek Manoah (RHP)

6.  Tim Mayza (LHP) 

7.  Kirby Snead (LHP)

8.  Tayler Saucedo (LHP)

9.  Adam Cimber (RHP)

10.Trevor Richards (RHP)

11.Nate Pearson (RHP)

12.Bryan Baker (RHP)   

13.Jordan Romano (RHP)

Catchers

1.  Reese McGuire - bats left

2.  Alejandro Kirk - bats right

3.  Danny Jansen - bats right 

1st Base

1.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. - bats right

2.  Cavan Biggio - bats left @

3.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - bats right

2nd Base

1.  Marcus Semien - bats right

2.  Cavan Biggio - bats left @

3.  Breyvic Valera - bats both

3rd Base

1.  Cavan Biggio - bats left @

2.  Santiago Espinal - bats right @

3.  Breyvic Valera - bats both

SS

1.  Bo Bichette - bats right

2.  Marcus Semien - bats right

3.  Santiago Espinal - bats right @

Leftfield

1.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - bats right

2.  Teoscar Hernandez - bats right

3.  Corey Dickerson - bats left

Cenerfield

1.  George Springer - bats right

2.  Jarrod Dyson - bats left  

3.  Randal Grichuk - bats right

Rightfield

1.  Randal Grichuk - bats right

2.  Teoscar Hernandez - bats right

3.  Corey Dickerson - bats left

DH

1.  Teoscar Hernandez - bats right

2.  George Springer - bats right 

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. - bats right

Bench

1.  Danny Jansen (C) bats right 

2.  Breyvic Valera (inf) bats both

3.  Jarrod Dyson (OF) bats left

4.  Corey Dickerson (OF) bats left  

* - on 10 day disabled list

@ - on 40 man roster

# - in Buffalo