I'm not giving you my full "OK, now it's over" speech (I'll let Tao deliver that one) because, hey, miracles can happen, right? I mean, there's still a mathematical possibility, right? Right??Game 2 of the day/night doubleheader certainly sucked for Blue Jay fans, didn't it? I'll save you the trouble and answer - yes, yes it did. I think everyone acknowledged that a sweep of the Sox, or at the very least, taking three of four, was a requirement to keep the dream alive come Monday morning. Well, that's not going to fucking happen now, is it.
It would be easy to quibble with Cito's use of the bullpen in the loss, but I can see where he was coming from, really. He brought in his best (even if Scott Downs hasn't been "the best" for a week or so now) in high leverage situations, actual inning be damned. Maybe I would have used Jesse Carlson in Downs' spot tonight, maybe I would have let League toss another inning, maybe I would have had BJ cold-cock Shawn Camp (with his non-pitching hand) to ensure he was unavailable. At the end of the day, none of those were season-ending decisions.
No, the reason the Jays will (likely) finish yet another season out of the playoffs is because, quite simply, the team just couldn't get it's shit together in the first half. Discussing whether JP Ricciardi, John Gibbons, the offence underperforming, or just plain bad luck is to blame is for another time.
While I'll probably be running through the gamut of "what could have been" thoughts for the remaining thirteen games on the schedule, the truth of the matter is there's a lot to be optimistic about with this baseball team. I'm sure I'll get there in few days. Just let me be depressed for a while.
