Tuesday, October 21, 2025

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. 

Sunday, September 28, 2025

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)

Monday, September 22, 2025

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                                                                                             

Sunday, September 21, 2025

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).