Forecast for the National Hockey League 2025/26 Campaign - by Moses

 

2025/26 Scoring Leaders - by Moses

Player                              Team             GP   G   A    PTS    +/-    PIM

1.  Connor McDavid       EDM             80    63  78   141   +45     55

2.  Nathan McKinnon     COL              80    56  83   139   +35     40

3.  Auston Matthews      TOR               82   67   56   123   +37     34

4.  Evgeni Malkin           PIT                80   40   77   117   +20     77

5.  Karill Kaprizov          MIN              79   53   60   113   +17     67 

6.  Dylan Larkin             DET               77   33   75   108   +33     70

7.  William Nylander     TOR               80    55   52   107   +40     60

8.  Nick Suzuki              MON              82    43   60    103   +20    77

9.  Sidney Crosby          PIT                 78    45   55   100   +22    110    

10.Kyle Connor            WPG               82    43   57   100   +30     65                   

11.Jack Eichel              VGK                81    38   60    98    +23     55       

12.Cale Makar              COL                80    35   60    95    +45    77 

13.Mark Scheifele        WPG                80    40   53    93    +30    127

14.Mitch Marner          VGK                78    33   60    93    +27     45

15Leon Draisaitl          EDM                 67   40    52   92    +20     49

16.Jack Hughes              NJ                   75   34   58    92    +16     60

17.John Tavares            TOR                 75  37   54    91     +34    23

18.Connor Bedard        CHI                  82  35   56    91     +5      34 

19.Cole Caufeld            MON                77  50   40    90     +23    70     

20.Mikko Rantanen      DAL                 70  34   56    90     +33    50

21.Quinn Hughes          VAN                 75   15   73   88      +20   30      

22.David Pastrnak        BOS                 76   43   44   87       +5    35

23.Matthew Knies        TOR                 80   40   45   85       +37  50

24.Brad Marchand        FL                   78   33   51   84       +33  77

25.Nick Schmaltz          UT                   78   40   43   83       +5    14        

The 2025 World Series - by Moses

 

      So the World witnessed the greatest World Series of all-time.  The Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers played their hearts out to the tune of a seven game masterpiece.  The Blue Jays lost in the third game in L.A, an 18 inning marathon, that was recorded as the longest game in Major League history.  It seemed that Los Angeles had all the momentum going into game four in which Toronto dominated and then the Blue Jays took a three games to two lead in winning game five in Los Angeles.  It seemed that Toronto was going to win the World Series at home, coming back to T.O for game six.  The Dodgers took game six in convincing fashion, and then in game seven we saw a game for the ages.  A game where Bo Bichette launched a three run shot to put the Jays up early.  The Dodgers refused to go away climbing back into the game eventually tying the game at 4 with three solo blasts.  In the eleventh inning the Dodgers scored the go-ahead run to go into the bottom of the eleventh.  The Jays with men on 1st and third in the bottom half of the eleventh looked poised to take at least take a tie when Alejandro Kirk hit into a game ending double play.  So it's next year for our Toronto Blue Jays.

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays Expanded Roster of 26 for the World Series - by Moses

 

Manager - John Schneider

Pitching Coach - Pete Walker

Pitching Staff

Starters

1.  Kevin Gausman 

2.  Trey Yesavage

3.  Shane Bieber

4.  Max Scherzer

Relievers

1.  Eric Lauer (LHP)

2.  Chris Bassitt 

3.  Braydon Fisher

4.  Louis Varland

5.  Mason Fluharty (LHP)

6.  Seranthony Dominguez

7.  Jeff Hoffman   

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  George Springer (RF)

2.  Nathan Lukes (LF) bats left

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B)

4.  Bo Bichette (DH/SS)

5.  Addison Barger (3B/RF)

6.  Alejandro Kirk (C)

7.  Daulton Varsho (CF)

8.  Ernie Clement (2B/3B)

9.  Andres Gimenez (SS/2B)

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (RF)

2.  Bo Bichette (DH/SS)

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B)

4.  Alejandro Kirk (C)

5.  Addison Barger (3B/RF) bats left

6.  Ernie Clement (2B/3B)

7.  Daulton Varsho (CF) bats left 

8.  Myles Straw (LF)

9.  Andres Gimenez (SS/2B) bats left

Bench

1.  Tyler Heineman (C)

2.  Isiah Kiner Falefa (2B/3B)

3.  Davis Schneider (LF/2B)

4.  Joey Loperfido (OF)      

The Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Match-up - by Moses

 

      In this years' World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers it looks to be a great World Series.  Los Angeles was completely dominant against the Milwaukee Brewers in a four game sweep and Toronto is likewise coming off an elated feeling winning perhaps the biggest game in Toronto Blue Jays history when George Springer gave payback to the city of Seattle when he launched his shot (after being cheered upon for getting drilled in the knee in game 5, which was actually worse than getting booed as it signified the loss of him for Toronto in the ALCS Series). 

  The Dodgers as an organization have traditionally been a great pitching team in Major League history.  The 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers are stockpiled with a great starting pitching staff - showcasing Shohei Ohtani, Yashamoto Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow as their four man rotation.  These four formidable starters are going up against the greatest offensive team in the Majors this year.  The Toronto Blue Jays have one Bo Bichette who is healthy enough to at least bat in the World Series (coming off the disabled list - and considered by many in Baseball to be the best offensive weapon that the Jays have) and one Vlad Guerrero Jr. who was truly dominant in the playoffs to date with 6 home-runs to this point of the 2025 post-season.  George Springer is also a dominant bat and has pedigree to winning a World Series as he did twice earlier in his career with the Houston Astros and he's been dominant in pretty much every post-season he has played in topping out with 6 home-runs in 2017 winning the World Series with the Astros as World Series MVP in their first organizations' World Series win, and accumulating 23 home-runs in post-season play to date - ranking him third of all-time - to date, next to Manny Ramirez (29 dingers) and Jose Altuve (27 dingers).  In the here and now Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes, and Addison Barger are producing both offensively and defensively alongside our superstars.  I'm also impressed with the play of Isiah Kiner Falefa (who has been a dynamo with the bat through the ALCS - just after Bo got injured and playing standout defense).   Of course the Dodgers haven't been beat much in the post-season to date losing only one game to the Phillies (the best team by record in the National League) in the NLDS and not one game to the Brewers in their NLCS match-up (nor a loss against the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Series).  Baseball is a team sport and I find it disheartening to put my name to an individual past a point, giving the Jays a good shot in reaching their goal of winning their third World Series Championship.

  The Blue Jays may not have as deep a four man rotation as Los Angeles, but that is to be decided by one Trey Yesavage, as should Yesavage have the composure as Dickie 'Kid' Kerr with the 1919 Chicago White Sox, then the Jays starting staff will be on par - as standouts Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer, and Shane Bieber have been established to date as being standouts throughout their careers and in previous post-seasons.  In fact, aside from Kevin Gausman, I would say that Max Scherzer is actually our number two in ability to pitch in a game 7 match-up if it came down to it.  Yesavage has been dominant all year long in his ascent to the Majors, and Bieber is a former Cy Young winner who has never had a problem in doling out bases on balls over the course of his career in regular, or post season starts.  In fact it is Bieber who has the best strikeouts to walks ratio of all the Jays starters, followed by Gausman, then Scherzer, and then Yesavage.  In fact, when looking at Max Scherzer's career he was actually a little more effective than Shane Bieber earlier in his career, and on-par with Bieber over the last three years.  Scherzer was truly dominant in his 2019 post season with the Washington Nationals starting in three games that World Series and was a part of a Texas Rangers team that won their first World Series ever (again starting in three games in that Series), and although statistically he under-performed in that 2023 World Series he sure as hell didn't cost his team its' team chemistry as they won.

  The bullpens for this years' World Series are an intriguing argument likewise.  The Dodgers boast FIVE left-handers in the pen with Toronto being the best team at hitting lefties, however the Dodgers right-handed relievers haven't produced nearly as effectively as the Blue Jays righties.  The Blue Jays mind you have Eric Lauer, Mason Fluharty, and either Ryan Borucki or Brendan Little as our third lefty option and are a little less proficient from the left side than the Dodgers.  The Jays are stronger in the pen from the right side with Hoffman showcasing his true talents over the past 2 and a half months, Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland both hitting 100+ miles an hour on their fastballs, and Braydon Fisher (who will probably finish third or fourth in the A.L Rookie of the year voting for going 7-0 with an E.R.A of 2.70 in the regular season) boasting 4 strong righties out of the pen going into this years' World Series.

  The Los Angeles Dodgers offence going into this World Series is a mish-mash of future Hall of Famers with perhaps the greatest ballplayer of all-time in one Shohei Ohtani, a former World Series MVP in Freddie Freeman, a former American League MVP in Mookie Betts, and one Teoscar Hernandez who has traditionally produced in post-seasons in the past and present - hammering out many home-runs over the past five years in post season play.  The reality is that this is a Series that could go seven games based on the criteria's that both teams meet.  Strong performances to date from both organizations that I believe will favour Toronto for the simple reason that not everything can be accounted for - as the Los Angeles Market cannot maintain the Toronto Market and the Toronto Market cannot maintain the Los Angeles Market.  the reality is that Toronto is Canada's team and many Canadians will tune in on the level of being loyal to their team's cause based on the heretic epithet of one states' views versus another states views in America.  In Canada, Federal levels are addressed with accountability in ways the U.S.A doesn't put to rest.  As we're being led to that road it is clear that Canada must be heard in these World Series events which were put to rest in 1992 and 1993 with the Blue Jays winning the World Series both years.  My prediction for this years' World Series is that the Toronto Blue Jays will win in 6 games over the Dodgers - with Vlad Guerrero Jr. hitting at least two Home-Runs in the 6th Game for the Championship as this writer believes that he is the real deal and in my mind that is the determining factor in him taking home the 2025 World Series MVP.  When looking at each team's defense I would say that the Jays are a little better than the Dodgers and that will be seen in this World Series by the play of Vlad Guerrero Jr. (the 2025 1st Baseman Gold Glove winner), Daulton Varsho in Centerfield (the 2024 Gold Glove winner), Andres Gimenez at Shortstop or second base (a former Gold Glove winner at second base) - alongside other second base and third base defensive standouts Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and Isiah Kiner Falefa.

  When looking at intangibles like the depth of the bench I give the nod to my hometown Toronto Blue Jays.  Defense and bench to me are as important as each teams' sluggers, as many times its' players like Dusty Rhodes and Nippy Jones that win you World Series in the end.  In 1954 Dusty Rhodes, a journeyman ballplayer with the New York Giants was 4-6 with 2 Home-Runs and seven RBI's to help win the World Series for the New York Giants.  By the way, he wasn't the World Series MVP that year as the Majors didn't have a World Series MVP Award to that date.  Had Major League Baseball instituted a World Series MVP for 1954 Dusty Rhodes would surely have won.  In 1957 there was an incident in a World Series game between the New York Yankees and the victorious Milwaukee Braves that will forever be etched in my head.  Nippy Jones, a journeyman outfielder with the Braves was up to bat when the ball was pitched and grazed off his shoe.  The Umpire rules that it was just a ball and that it didn't hit Jones.  Funny thing is that when the ball was in the Catchers mitt, Jones pointed out to the Umpire to check the ball as he wore Black shoes that day.  The Umpire looked at the ball in the Catcher's hand and saw Black shoe polish on the ball and awarded him 1st base.  The Braves came back from a deficit in the game, won the game and the World Series to boot.  The intangibles of defense is paramount to any team in MLB history that ever won the World Series, and a strong account of the iconic Willie Mays basket catch in the 1954 World Series (an image I put on the front cover of my Baseball book 'Eyes Within the Diamond') is an indicator of who wins the game.  Had it not been for 'the catch' Vic Wertz could have essentially had the game winning hit in that game which would have influenced the series to the Cleveland Indians favour.  Had it not been for Brooks Robinson in the 1970 World Series the Baltimore Orioles would have lost to the Cincinnati Reds as he was by far the best player in that World Series both offensively AND defensively and couldn't have been replaced by the O's had he not been healthy and been able to play in that World Series.

  

On the bench for the Toronto Blue Jays;

1.  Tyler Heineman (bats both) - had a career year as our back-up Catcher

2.  Isiah Kiner Falefa - is a strong two way player at 2nd and 3rd base

3.  Davis Schneider - a good right-handed bat to come off the bench or start in left-field if need be.

4.  Joey Loperfido (bats left) - a lefty bat that could bring home dividends if used in this World Series

On the bench for the Los Angeles Dodgers;

1.  Ben Rortvedt (bats left) - a rookie Catcher with minimal expectations going into the playoffs who's had success as a batter in pinch hit roles this post-season

2.  Hyeseong Kim (bats left)- an excellent backup or replacement at 2nd or third base

3.  Michael Conforto (bats left) - backup outfielder who had a tough year, but could be a tough left-handed bat off the bench

         

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays Win over the Seattle Mariners on the eve of October 20th, 2025

 

      Perhaps the greatest win for the Toronto Blue Jays in the history of the organization.  We looked like a team destined to win the World Series and fought back in the 7th inning when George Springer launched the biggest (neigh Joe Carter's shot in the 1993 World Series) three run shot to essentially win the game by putting them in the lead for good.  Jeff Hoffman was sensational in closing the game (showing he is a true closer) and putting demons to rest for Manager John Schneider.  

  The significance of this article is to discuss the unspoken rules of the game of baseball.  When George Springer was drilled by Bryan Woo in the knee in game 5 it was an unfortunate accident.  As we all saw, the fans decided in their infinite wisdom to boo George Springer as he was wriggling in pain.  This was the most offensive act since Michael Irvin (of the Dallas Cowboys) was booed in Philadelphia years back when some thought that he might have suffered a broken back.  These acts in my mind call for payback, retribution.  I'm not saying that people should be shot for booing but rather poetically seeing a city stand tall and payback the other team in the next games.  I hope Major League baseball institutes a severe fine (I'm talking $50 Million U.S.D) if and when this occurrence happens in the future in Professional sports in North America.  This was a disgusting display in Seattle during game 5 that puts scar tissue in the way of men and women playing hard, within the boundaries of the game.  When a stadium erupts like this as it did in game 5 it demoralizes a team and we saw a deflated Blue Jays team lose that game in the 8th inning as a result by my calculations.

  The Blue Jays look to be in a position to bring home their third World Series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  It's apparent that the Dodgers are a great team with perhaps the greatest ballplayer of our day in Shohei Ohtani, and a team rich in pitching.  The Blue Jays are a team that has been hitting the shit out of the ball over the last three months and are at least as deep as Los Angeles offensively (more recently, more proficient).  The Dodgers boast a four man staff that has been truly successful to this point of the post-season but are now facing the best offence in baseball.  The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff has three arms in the starting staff that have been very good, with Kevin Gausman leading the way as the ace.  Trey Yesavage has been showing this entire year that he is a successful pitcher climbing the ranks in the minors from A-Ball right to the Majors in one season.  Shane Bieber looked a little shaky in game 7 as our starter but the way Max Scherzer looked in his last start leads me to believe that the Jays starting staff will be ready to go against the Dodgers.  What will be interesting to see is how the Jays relievers look in the World Series.  I'm confident with Jeff Hoffman as my closer, Seranthony Dominguez as our set-up man and Mason Fluharty as our top lefthander in the pen.  I don't believe that Brendan Little should be used late in the game as his performance in game 5 was pretty bad.  I think that Louis Varland may be the deciding factor in the Jays quest for the World Series as he has shown that he can dominate when he comes into a game.  If I were John Schneider I'd bring in Ryan Borucki as my third lefty in the pen and drop Brendan Little from my roster for the World Series. 

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays (Expanded Roster of 26 for the 2025 Post-Season) - by Moses

 

  Manager - John Schneider

  

  Final Season Record - 94-68 (1st Overall in the American League) 

  Pitching Staff

  Starters

  1.  Kevin Gausman

  2.  Trey Yesavage 

  3.  Shane Bieber

  4.  Max Scherzer

  

  Relievers

  1.  Eric Lauer (LHP)

  2.  Chris Bassitt   

  3.  Braydon Fisher

  4.  Mason Fluharty (LHP)

  5.  Brendon Little (LHP) 

  6.  Louis Varland

  7.  Yariel Rodrguez

  8.  Seranthony Dominguez

  9.  Jeff Hoffman 

  Batting Order vs Righties

  1.  Nathan Lukes (RF) bats left

  2.  Daulton Varsho (CF) bats left

  3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B)

  4.  George Springer (DH)

  5.  Addison Barger (3B) bats left    

  6.  Alejandro Kirk (C)

  7.  Joey Loperfido (LF) bats left

  8.  Ernie Clement (2B/3B)

  9.  Andres Gimenez (SS/2B) bats left 

  

  Batting Order vs Lefties

  1.  George Springer (DH)

  2.  Davis Schneider (LF/2B) 

  3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B)

  4.  Alejandro Kirk (C)  

  5.  Ernie Clement (3B/2B)

  6.  Daulton Varsho (CF) bats left

  7.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B)

  8.  Myles Straw (RF)

  9. Andres Gimenez (SS/2B) bats left

  

  Bench

  1.  Tyler Heineman (C) bats both

  2.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3B/2B)  

  3.  Joey Loperfido (OF) bats left

 

  Injured Reserve

  1.  Bo Bichette (SS)

  2.  Jose Berrios (RHP) 

  3.  Anthony Santander (OF - bats both)

MLB Awards - Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

  Predictions for Awards and Post-Season in MLB for the '25 Campaign

  

  American League MVP Award - 1.  Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners)

                                                         2.  Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)

                                                         3.  Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)    

                                                         4.  Bo Bichette (Toronto Blue Jays)

                                                         5.  Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians)

                                                         6.  Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox LHP) 

                                                         7.  Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers LHP)

                                                         8.  George Springer (Toronto Blue Jays)

                                                         9.  Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox LHP)

                                                       10.  Nick Kurtz (Oakland Athletics)

                                                         

  American League Cy Young Award - 1.  Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)

                                                                 2.  Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox LHP)

                                                                 3.  Max Fried (New York Yankees LHP)     

                                                                 4.  Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox)                                                                                                                                LHP)                                                                                   5.  Hunter Brown (Houston Astros)

                                                                 6.  Bryan Woo (Seattle Mariners)

                                                                 7.  Andres Munoz (Seattle Mariners)

                                                                 8.  Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers)

                                                                 9.  Carlos Rodon (New York Yankees LHP)

                                                                10. Carlos Estevez (Kansas City Royals)                                

  American League Rookie of the Year - 1.  Nick Kurtz (Oakland Athletics)

                                                                    2.  Jacob Wilson (Oakland Athletics)

                                                                    3.  Braydon Fisher (Toronto Blue Jays                                                                                                                                       RHP)  

                                                                    4.  Chandler Simpson (Tampa Bay Rays)     

                                                                    5.  Noah Cameron (Kansas City Royals                                                                                                                                    LHP)

                                                                    6.  Colson Montgomery (Chicago White                                                                                                         Sox)

                                                                    7.  Carlos Narvaez (Boston Red Sox)  

                                                                    8.  Roman Anthony (Boston Red Sox)

                                                                    9.  Jasson Dominguez (New York Yankees)  

                                                                  10.  Will Warren (New York Yankees RHP)                                                                                                                                                                 

     

  National League MVP Awards - 1.  Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)

                                                         2.  Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies)

                                                         3.  Pete Alonso (New York Mets)

                                                         4.  Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)

                                                         5.  Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers)

                                                         6.  Adrian Morejon (San Diego Padres                                                                                                                                   LHP)                                                                               7.  Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers)

                                                         8.  Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks)

                                                         9.  Francisco Lindor (New York Mets)

                                                       10.  Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs)                

                                                      

  National League Cy Young Award - 1.  Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates) 

                                                               2.  Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers) 

                                                               3.  Yoshinobu Yamamoto (L.A Dodgers)

                                                               4.  Cristopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies                                                                                                            LHP)

                                                               5.  Adrian Morejon (San Diego Padres                                                                                                                       LHP)                                                                                            6.  Nick Pivetta (San Diego Padres)  

                                                               7.  Robert Suarez (San Diego Padres)                                                                                                                                                                                                                              8.  Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants)

                                                               9.  Matthew Boyd (Chicago Cubs LHP)

                                                              10. Jhoan Duran (Min/Phillies)                                        

  National League Rookie of the Year Award - 1.  Drake Baldwin (Atlanta Braves)

                                                                              2.  Cade Horton (Chicago Cubs                                                                                                                       RHP) 

                                                                              3.  Jack Dreyer (Los Angeles Dodgers                                                                                                                                    LHP)                                                                                  4.  Agustin Ramirez (Miami Marlins)

                                                                              5.  Daylen Lile (Washington                                                                                                                             Nationals)

                                                                              6.  Isaac Collins (Milwaukee                                                                                                                           Brewers)

                                                                              7.  Caleb Durbin (Milwaukee                                                                                                                           Brewers) 

                                                                              8.  Heriberto Hernandez (Miami                                                                                                                     Marlins)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               9.  Jacob Misiorowski                                                                                                          (Milwaukee Brewers RHP)

                                                                            10.  Chad Patrick (Milwaukee                                                                                                                            Brewers RHP)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                World Series Prediction - Toronto Blue Jays over the Philadelphia Phillies

                                               Four Games to Two Games                                                                                             

Slavery in America (Chattle) - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

      In the Civil War of America in the 1850's-1865, slavery was the main issue as to why the North had to win the War against the South.  As President of the U.S.A, Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery as a result of winning the Civil War.  Has enslavement really been defeated?

  Look at the cause and effect of the end of the Civil War in 1865.  It was 1883 in America when a Professional Team playing for Toledo, Ohio had a 'Black' Catcher on their team by the name of Moses Fleetwood Walker.  As the first 'Black' man in Professional Sports in America, Walker was a four letter man out of Ohio University and a stud on the diamond.  It was Cap Anson (playing for a Kentucky Major League Team) who was competing against Moses Fleetwood Walker who refused to play against Toledo that day (in Kentucky) citing the State Segregatory Law as sufficient reasoning to dis-allow 'Blacks' and 'Whites' from competing with or against each-other.  How is this representative of the ending of America's Civil War?

  In 1947, it was Jackie Robinson who broke the colour barrier and became the first 'Black' to win the N.L MVP Award, which he accomplished in 1949.  As 'Blacks' started to be implemented in American Professional Sports it was thought of to have been dealt with respect to societal, by the end of the 1950's (conservative, so perhaps by the end of the sixties to see a parity of the 'Black' Ballplayer in MLB).  

  In Canada and the U.S.A in the 1950's, players from the NHL started the Pension Fund forming a Players Union to combat low salaries with no benefits.  Professional Baseball followed suit in 1970, when Curt Flood (a 'Black') challenged the reserve clause in Major League Baseball to become the first MLB Free-Agent.  His claim was denied by an arbitrator in 1972 and Free Agency had to be challenged again by the Major League Baseball Players Union Chief, Marvin Miller.  He was successful in the claim for Andy Messersmith (a 'White') to become the first Major League Free-Agent in 1975.

  When we look at the contracts that are currently being handed out, is it really fair to tie someone down to a locale for more than seven years (as Jewish Law states after seven years a contract can be considered slavery)?  The idea of Chattle (a Yiddish word for enslavement) has never really been taken out of the equation.  How is this representative of what America and Canada stand for from Political and Professional attitudes of our neutral positions like our blog 'Midgard Journal'. This counteracts everything we stand for (by our set of beliefs) in a secularized society.  To further interest into Jim Crow Politics across America, just to re-iterate a dominance to the 'Black' man and trying to push segregatory laws at a time when this could just erupt the United States of America into their next Civil War.  I sure as hell won't stand by for this to be the case in my Homeland of Canada, as some of my closest friends are African Canadian and I sure wouldn't discriminate against gathering at a function of mine (a party for example).      

  

Ken Dryden - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

      One of the greatest goaltenders of all-time.  Ken Dryden, from Islington/Lakeshore in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, was perhaps the greatest goaltender of all-time.  Out of Cornell as a standout goalie he was dominating at those ranks with 76 Wins 4 Losses and 1 Tie.  Dryden was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1964 and traded to the Montreal Canadiens two weeks later.  In 1970/71 Dryden excelled for AHL affiliate Montreal Voyageurs and was again dominating, and was brought to the Canadiens for the playoffs of 1970/71.  He was the Canadiens goalie for the playoffs taking home the Conn Smythe trophy in victory for Montreal that year (after going 6-0 in his first six games in net at the end of the regular season).  He was sent the next year to compete, (alongside Tony Esposito), as a starting Goaltender for Team Canada in the '72 Summit Series.  In fact it was Ken Dryden in net for Team Canada in game eight (as he was chosen over Esposito for that start in Russia).  Victorious in the series for Canada over Vladislav Tretiak and the U.S.S.R, Dryden showed why he was sent to represent Canada.

  When Dryden resumed in the NHL he led his Canadiens to another Stanley Cup in 1972/73 and four Stanley Cups in a row between 1976-1979.  In just eight full years in the NHL Dryden won an incredible 6 Stanley Cups.  In fact, in Dryden's pedigree, he won the Calder Trophy in his first full season of 1971/72 and won the Vezina Trophy an astonishing five times in eight full years in the NHL (including each year from 1976-79 - coinciding with winning the Stanley Cup each year).

  What made Ken Dryden so revered in our Nation of Canada was that he was a visionary of how a big man should play net, and how teams should approach the game.  At 6 foot 4 Dryden was the biggest goalie in the game when he played and was a true visionary of what hockey teams are made of - his leadership was followed by Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Doug Jarvis, Bob Gainey, Mario Tremblay, Rejean Houle, Pierre Mondou, and Guy Lapointe (among many others likewise).  Towards the end of Ken Dryden's career he went back to Cornell to finish a law degree that he deemed necessary to explore (while still in his prime), to satisfy his ideas of how to pay the community back.  Ken worked as an Attorney of Law for years and eventually became President of Hockey Operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs, guiding the Leafs to two Semi-Final appearances (Conference Finals) from 1997-2003 and two Conference Semi-Finals during this span. 

   Ken got into politics in 2004 as a Cabinet Minister of Social Development for the Federal Government.  He later achieved a riding placement in North York, Ontario which he served for years after 2006, a year in which he was an active Cabinet Member as Health Critic.  His last few years he battled cancer and didn't put that to people, but lived through what he had to live through.  He died last week at the age of 78. 

   His passing was felt all across this Country of Canada and while a Toronto Maple Leafs fan like myself would root for my Toronto Maple Leafs in a game against Dryden's Canadiens, I would not detract from any accomplishment in bad blood towards Dryden's Canadiens (for the folklore of the game with respect to the greats of the game).  When I was 16 I read Dryden's autobiography 'The Game' and learned from what Ken Dryden put in print.  The book was descriptive and talked about all the relationships the man had with his fellow teammates and talked in depth of his rationale and reasoning behind why he would leave the game he loved to explore the greater good for his Nation of Canada.  Ken Dryden once said that Jacques Lemaire was the most tenacious Hockey Player he ever saw play.  He also said Doug Jarvis was the most genuine of all his teammates, and considered Guy Lafleur to be the greatest right winger of all-time.  All told Ken Dryden wrote six books in his writing career.

  In the 1980 Winter Olympics  in Lake Placid, it was Dryden in the booth with Al Michaels on the network ABC that were the commentators of the finals between the U.S.A and U.S.S.R.  It is my contention that as a visionary of the game of Hockey he was instrumental to the U.S.A's success in winning the Gold Medal Game against the powerful Soviet Red Army that year.  It was Dryden's contention that the U.S.A needed to score soon to win that Gold Medal game in the Third Period (after some mad Soviet rushes), an observation that was met with a quick goal by the U.S  (essentially winning them the game).  Ken Dryden put his stamp in the Hockey World, as an Attorney of Law, and as a Politician - sadly we have lost one of our greatest Canadian Legends.  Ken Dryden and his brother Dave Dryden were both NHL goalies (Dave with the Oilers in the WHA and some years in the NHL prior to joining the WHA).  They faced off against each-other eight times over their careers (the only time two brothers have ever faced off in games as rival goalies - twice in the playoffs) and were one of the most proud Hockey families in the history of the game.  While this may seem to be trivial I would summarize that the Dryden's were perhaps the most respected Hockey Families of all-time.  Over his career, Ken Dryden had 258 Wins - 57 Losses - 74 Ties with 46 Shutouts, a lifetime 2.24 Goals Against Average and a lifetime .922 Save % in a time when .895 was accepted to be fantastic (as League Standards).  His playoff career was likewise stellar, in which he won 80 games and lost only 32 with 10 Shutouts.  Ken Dryden's goals against average in the playoffs was 2.41 and his save % was .915.  

R.I.P Ken Dryden (August 8th 1947 - September 5th 2025)

Wilt's Working Wonders - by Moses

Wilt's Working Wonders - by Moses

Predictions for the 2025/26 NBA Campaign 

Scottie Barnes - Shure 57

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Canadian '67

Trae Young - 63 

Jamal Murray - 53 

R.J Barrett - 50

James Harden - 55

Damon Lillard - 52

Pascal Siakam - 58

OG Anunoby - 54

Joel Embiid - 59

 

Lineage - by Moses

 

      When we look back to our family lineage we see that a person has parents, grandparents, great grandparent, great great grandparents and so on and so on.  In many faiths we track our lineage to secure our people.  For example if you are Jewish you would have lineage to Abraham. 

Food Eateries in Toronto - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

      As Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a diverse City with respect to multiculturalism, it stands to reason that each community within the community has fine eateries for the population.  In Toronto If you are Jewish you would probably be familiar with Pancers Deli, one of the finest Jewish Deli's in North America.  If you're Arabic in Toronto you would probably be familiar with eateries such as Aida's Fallafel, Babos Donerpoint, and the recent Arabic Deli's Maawaa and Lazeez.  If you are Asian than you're probably familiar with Mandarin Palace and Pearls (which recently had to close down) and many more in China Towns in T-Dot.  In the Hungarian community there is Paprika, and so forth such as Italian restaurants Pizza Nova, The Olive Garden and Dante's, and Greek restaurants The Friendly Greek, Mr. Greek, and George the Greek.  The Palestinian/Canadian owned Jerusalem Palace is likewise a fine eatery to dine, and that of Portuguese/Canadian owned Amadeus and Piri Piri, as well as Trini-Gardens and Ducky's Roti (Trinidad/Tobago eateries).  

  The problem that this writer has with respect to multicultural aspects is that sometimes there are Worldwide events that change the course of having these fine eateries.  People in Canada have to pay for the decisions that their Homelands have dug their teeth into to secure their Nations.  With that I'll give you the example of how this affects the city of Toronto;  In Israel there is constant dissidence that has brought a stigma of what it means to be Jewish in Canada and America in today's age.  Because of all the negative press that the State of Israel has received over the years we have seen the closing down of many Jewish Deli's in Toronto.  Yitz's, Marky's, Switzer's, Coleman's, Katz's, and Kaplansky's among others have all been closed down over the last twenty five years.  Pathetic really, as, should Italy, Portugal, or Greece receive this bad press of their Nations, they would probably have to close down some of their fine eateries in Toronto.  This hypicratic oath associated with Worldwide sentiment leads me to believe that anti-semitism has been in place for too long to count in Canada and the U.S (since the war that Israel had with Lebanon, Iran, and Syria over the past thirty-forty years).  As it is, Jewish community have suffered as a result (much more than other ethnic communities within Toronto) when it comes to this matter.  

  The media has supported these mandates that have affected the common man of ethnicity within Canada and the U.S.A since the eighties.  Isn't it ironic that while there has been a huge influx of Arabic eateries within Toronto over the past thirty years there have been countless Jewish Deli's that had to close their doors to business because of such bad blood towards the Hebrew people that live in Toronto (and across Canada and America).

  The reality in North America today is that Aboriginal communities have likewise been sideswiped in business dealings (such as fine eateries) over the history of our Nations.  How many Aboriginal eateries have been established over the past 40 years in Canada?  It's offensive if you're 'Native' in Canada and the U.S.A to see zero 'Native' cuisines.  Why are Aboriginals in Toronto not being allowed to open cuisines and fine eateries according to their dietary laws.  Why can't a man in Canada enjoy Venison, Caribou, and Moose meat (as currently they are not being offered in big cities across North America).  Why aren't their dietary laws being accepted equal to that of Trinidadian and Ethiopian cuisine.  Who's to say that Goat and Ox Tail are more or less offensive than Venison, Caribou, and Moose meats (as Aboriginal dietary laws dictate).  This is grossly offensive to Aboriginal leaders in Canada and it would stand to reason that over the next number of years we will see these eateries across Canada in every big city.  I would fully support 3-4 Aboriginal eateries in every major city in Canada and America.  These are concerns that have affected an equilibrium of fair trade that Aboriginals have had to endure (gross inequities).

  In our present day within Canada and the U.S we see extreme cases of violence (mass shootings) when a person falls into a state of persecution and while it may seem to be far-fetched that this is directly related to closing down a Jewish deli or the lack of Aboriginal cuisine, this does affect the psyche of a Major City.  It also affects how Aboriginal and ethnic minorities are treated.  With enough stigma towards an Aboriginal or ethnic minority there is a sense of concern for our young within their community.  If a man wants traditional Canadian and American foods there are hundreds of burger joints, submarine shops, and chicken restaurants (such as Swiss Chalet) to go to.  When Aboriginal and ethnic minorities are denied their cuisines, this is a root cause of persecution within their community as they feel like they are not wanted.  This in turn has, in the past and present, led to persecution that Aboriginals feel today.  Let's not continue this pattern and try to fix the problem.  It seems that Restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Subway, and Swiss Chalet gentrify the market and steal business from Aboriginals and ethnic minorities.   

  People should not be closed down or denied access to the market because they are Jewish, Palestinian, Pakistani (Urdu), Aboriginal, Filipino, Hungarian, and the list goes on and on.

   

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays Expanded Roster for September - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

Manager - John Schneider

Current Record; 89 - 62

Projected Record; 96 - 66

Pitching Staff 

Starters

1.  Kevin Gausman

2.  Shane Bieber

3.  Max Scherzer

4.  Jose Berrios

5.  Trey Yesavage

6.  Eric Lauer (LHP)

7.  Chris Bassitt *

Relievers

1.  Eric Lauer (LHP)

2.  Tommy Nance

3.  Braydon Fisher

4.  Brendon Little (LHP)

5.  Mason Fluharty (LHP)

6.  Louis Varland 

7.  Yariel Rodriguez 

8.  Seranthony Dominguez  

9.  Jeff Hoffman

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  Nathan Lukes (LF - bats left)

2.  George Springer (RF/DH - bats right)

3.  Daulton Varsho (CF - bats left)

4.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B/DH - bats right)

5.  Bo Bichette (SS - bats right) *

6.  Addison Barger (3B/RF - bats left)

7.  Alejandro Kirk (C - bats right)

8.  Tyler Heineman (DH/C - bats both)

9.  Andres Jimenez (2B/SS - bats left)  

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (RF/DH - bats right)

2.  Davis Schneider (LF - bats right) 

3.  Bo Bichette (SS - bats right) *

4.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B/DH - bats right)

5.  Alejandro Kirk (C - bats right)

6.  Daulton Varsho (CF - bats left)

7.  Ernie Clement (2B/3B - bats right)

8.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3B - bats right)

9.  Tyler Heineman (DH/C - bats both)

Bench

1.  Tyler Heineman (C - bats both)

2.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3B/2B - bats right)

3.  Ty France (1B/2B/3B - bats right)

4.  Myles Straw (OF - bats right)

5.  Joey Loperfido (OF - bats left)

* - on injured reserve

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

Manager - John Schneider

Current Record;  79-58 1st place in the A.L East 

Pitching Staff

Starters

1.  Max Scherzer (RHP)

2.  Shane Bieber (RHP)

3.  Kevin Gausman (RHP)

4.  Eric Lauer (LHP)

5.  Jose Berrios (RHP)

Bullpen (Relievers)

1.  Chris Bassitt (RHP) - Swingman

2.  Tom Nance (RHP) - 5th/6th inning guy

3.  Jeff Hoffman (RHP) - 6th/7th inning man

4.  Braydon Fisher (RHP) - 7th inning specialist

5.  Ryan Borucki (LHP) - Left-handed Guru

6.  Brendon Little (LHP) - late inning Lefty

7.  Louis Varland (RHP) - 7th/8th inning man   

8.  Yariel Rodriguez (RHP) - 8th inning/Closer

9.  Seranthony Dominguez (RHP) - 8th inning/Closer

2026 Toronto Blue Jays after Proposed Trades in Off-Season for Next Year - by Moses

Proposed Trades for the 2025/26 Off -Season

1.a)  From the Toronto Blue Jays;  2025 1st Round Draft Pick, Joey Loperfido (OF - bats left - age 26), Nick Sandlin (RHP - age 29), Paxton Schultz (RHP - age 28), Easton Lucas (LHP - age 29) and Nate Garkow (RHP - age 28) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Paul Skenes (RHP - age 23)

Forecast for the 2026 Jays Campaign

Manager - John Schneider

Pitching Coach - Pete Walker

Projected Record; 103 - 59

Pitching Staff

Starters                                              G GS QS CG  IP       H     BB  SO   W  L  ERA WHIP  SO/BB 

1.  Paul Skenes (RHP - age 23) !      32 32 25   3   207.0  140    37   267  17  3   2.10   0.83       7.01

2.  Trey Yesavage (RHP - age 23)     31 31 23   4   205.1  165    47   240  15  5   2.77   0.96       5.03

3.  Kevin Gausman (RHP - age 35)  32 32 21  1   203.1   157    44   178  13  6   2.88   0.99       3.97

4.  Shane Bieber (RHP - age 31)      31 31 20   2   200.1   155    45   222  13  8   2.97   1.00       4.98   

5.  Jose Berrios (RHP - age 31)        25 25 15  1   155.1   134    43   140  12  9  3.56    1.11        3.22

6.  Eric Lauer (LHP - age 31)          45  15  8  0    135.0  105    41   127  10  6   3.27    1.05       2.73

7.  Ricky Tiedemann (LHP - age 23) #

8.  Bowden Francis (RHP - age 29) #

Relievers                                             G   IP     H     BB   SO  W L ERA WHIP  Sa  SO/BB

1.  Tommy Nance (RHP - age 36)      40 45.0   40     12    37    1   3  3.45   1.14    0     3.02

2.  Braydon Fisher (RHP - age 25)    60 69.0   54     22    77    4   2  2.50   1.10    1     3.73

3.  Ryan Borucki (LHP - age 32)      55  57.1   50      7     50    3   1  2.44   1.00    1     7.01     

4.  Mason Fluharty (LHP - age 29)  60  57.2   40     14    63    2   4  2.34   0.95    1     2.96 

5.  Louis Garland (RHP - age 28)    65   70.1   56     17    77    4   3  2.58   1.04   3     4.51    

6.  Brendan Little (LHP - age 27     80   85.1   65     26    95    3   0  2.81   0.94   2     3.73

7.  Y. Rodriguez (RHP - age 30)       53   55.2   40     20    63    2   4  2.64  1.08   4     3.02 

8.  S. Dominguez (RHP - age 31)     53   61.2   45     23    77    3   3  2.34   1.10   7    3.31 

9.  Jeff Hoffman (RHP - age 33)      57   57.0   46    20    70    1   2  3.00   1.10  44   3.50      

Batting Order vs Righties

1.  Nathan Lukes (LF/CF - bats left - age 31)

2.  Bo Bichette (SS - bats right - age 28)

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B/DH - bats right - age 27)

4.  Daulton Varsho (CF - bats left - age 29)

5.  George Springer (DH/OF - bats right - age 36)

6.  Addison Barger (RF/3B - bats left - age 26)

7.  Tyler Heineman (C/DH - bats both - age 34)

8.  Ernie Clement (3B/2B - bats right - age 30)

9.  Andres Gimenez (2B - bats left - age 27)

Batting Order vs Lefties

1.  George Springer (DH/OF - bats right - age 36)

2.  Bo Bichette (SS - bats right - age 28)

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1B - bats right - age 27)

4.  Davis Schneider (2B/LF - bats right - age 27) 

5.  Alejandro Kirk (C - bats right - age 27)

6.  Daulton Varsho (CF - bats left - age 29)

7.  Ernie Clement (3B/2B - bats right - age 30)

8.  Addison Barger (RF/3B - bats left - age 26)

9.  Myles Straw (LF - bats right - age 31)

Bench 

1.  Tyler Heineman (C - bats both - age 34)

2.  Ty France (1B/2B/3B - bats right - age 31)

3.  Will Wagner (2B/3B - bats left - age 26)

4.  Davis Schneider (2B/LF - bats right - age 27)

5.  Nathan Lukes (OF - bats left - age 31)

6.  Anthony Santander (RF/1B/DH - bats both - age 31) @   

Depth Chart

Catchers

1.  Alejandro Kirk - bats right - age 27

2.  Tyler Heineman - bats both - age 34

3.  Ali Sanchez - bats right - age 29

1st Baseman

1.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. - bats right - age 27

2.  Ty France - bats right - age 31

3.  Anthony Santander - bats both - age 31 @

4.  Ernie Clement - bats right - age 30

2nd Baseman

1.  Andres Gimenez - bats left - age 27

2.  Ernie Clement - bats right - age 30

3.  Davis Schneider - bats right - age 27

4.  Ty France - bats right - age 31

3rd Baseman

1.  Ernie Clement - bats right - age 30

2.  Addison Barger - bats left - age 26

3.  Will Wagner - bats left - age 26 

4.  Ty France - bats right - age 31

Shortstops

1.  Bo Bichette - bats right - age 28

2.  Andres Gimenez - bats left - age 27

3.  Ernie Clement - bats right - age 30

Leftfielders

1.  Nathan Lukes - bats left - age 31

2.  Myles Straw - bats right - age 31

3.  Davis Schneider - bats right - age 27

4.  George Springer - bats right - age 36  

    

Centerfielders

1.  Daulton Varsho - bats left - age 29

2.  Myles Straw - bats right - age 31

3.  Nathan Lukes - bats left - age 31

4.  George Springer - bats right - age 36

Rightfielders

1.  Addison Barger - bats left - age 26

2.  Anthony Santander - bats both - age 31 

3.  Nathan Lukes - bats left - age 31

4.  George Springer - bats right - age 36

DH

1.  George Springer - bats right - age 36

2.  Anthony Santander - bats both - age 31 @

3.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. - bats right - age 27

4.  Alejandro Kirk -bats right - age 27 

! - acquired in trade

# - on assignment in Minors

@ - on injured reserve

Batting Statistics

Player                              AB    R     H   2B  3B   HR  RBI  AVG   OBP  SLG% OPS  WAR My Rank SB CS                    

1.  Bo Bichette                621  122  205  45    5     33    122   .330    .388   .577      .965    8.7      769        17  6 

2.  Vlad Guerrero Jr.     577  105  181  36    2     47    134   .300    .411   .623     1.034   8.5      765        10  3 

3.  Daulton Varsho         523   92   145  26    3     42    107   .253    .315   .568      .883    8.0      737        22   5

4.  Addison Barger        564   90  173   35    2     37    109   .277    .339   .567      .906    7.7      705        7   2

5.  George Springer       550  92   164  30    1     34     95    .267    .336   .502      .838    6.2      668          15  4 

6.  Alejandro Kirk         450   67  133   23   0     23     65    .290     .363   .457     .820    5.3      633          0  3

7.  Davis Schneider        487  77  135   35   2     27     77    .275     .345   .540     .885    5.0      628          7  4 

8.  Andres Gimenez       559   90  156   30   2     11     53    .270     .320   .401    .721    4.9      568          35  7

9.  Anthony Santander  450   60  110   22   1     24     67    .250     .310   .429     .739   3.0      573          1  3 

10.Ernie Clement          425   55  120   25   3     10     50    .295     .355   .407     .762   2.9      565        11  4 

11.Nathan Lukes           400   52  100   20   1     12     52    .250     .327   .405     .732   2.0      531          6  2

12.Myles Straw             357   44   90    16   4      4      33    .251     .306   .356     .662   1.1      455       22  5                               

13.Tyler Heineman       278  36   83    14    0      5     27    .267     .312   .378     .690   0.7      367         2  3