Full Tilt Lawrie

It was just about the time that we managed to get our heart rate down to normal after a day of angrily watching the fall out from the most dubious of dubious non-stories.

And then, with the bases loaded, Brett Lawrie - FULL TILT! GORDIE DOUGIE! - steps to the plate and we're thinking: "If this dude hits a home run right here and right now, with everything that's going on...he's going to be a legend. This would be huge." And then...well, you all know what happened:

A towering shot that hung in the air just long enough to build anticipation to monumental levels, then landed just the other side of the wall.

Lawrie fist pump.

Crowd roars.

Lawrie nearly laps Aaron Hill on the basepaths.

Twitter feed blows up.

Lawrie nearly takes Brian Butterfield's hand off as he rounds third. (Shadows of things to come.)

Home plate high-fives-to-chest-bumps, and exaltations to fudge (FUDGE YEAH!).

Then, the most energetic dugout high-five line in Jays history.

Hard high fives are doled out from Lawrie towards anyone who dares congratulate him.

Grown men - athletes! - flinch and stagger back at the force of the celebratory exchange.

Helmet boogie.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

Spike the helmet.

Helmet hits Edwin Encarnacion in the chest.

Chest bump for Edwin Encarnacion, to make sure his chest is still okay.

Mad pacing through the dugout.

Teammates falling over laughing at the lunacy of the moment.

More pacing.

Swig of Powerade.

Powerade goes down the wrong hole.

Cough out Powerade.

Curtain call.

Scene.

If we'd known that he'd be this fun to watch, we might have shoulder to shoulder with those of you asking when he was going to get the call months ago. And seriously: When was the last time that being a Jays fan was THIS MUCH FUN?

Weekend update/scattered thoughts

I'm here there and everywhere this weekend, with minimal levels of attention span or time to commit to anything proper & decent....

Wait, the kid is Canadian? Whaaaat?
I could have sworn I heard the broadcast crew inform us that Brett Lawrie was Canadian.... but that can't be right. Can it? Why haven't I heard that before?

OK, OK. But seriously now. I'm going to be completely honest with you when I tell you that my excitement for the beginning of the Brett Lawrie era has absolutely nothing to do with his passport. I suppose for the casual fan, it's a nice background story and perhaps a reason to watch his debut and maybe follow the boxscores for a few weeks.

But if you're reading this, it's probably safe to assume you don't fit the "casual fan" label anymore than I do. Can I tell you what I love about Brett Lawrie in a Blue Jays uniform?

(preparing to be crucified in 3, 2, .......)

I love the fact that he plays hard. That's right. I said it. I just threw down the dreaded Reed Johnson defence. I, The Ack, enjoy watching guys play who steamroll down the baselines and don't much care what anyone else thinks of them if they happen to get a touch abrasive.

I mean, think about it. Why do we hate Pedroia so? Is it because he's mild mannered and respectful on the diamond? Of course not. It's because he plays the game with an edge.

Of course, there's an addendum to all of the nonsense above. All the hustle & heart (tm) in the world means nothing if the kid can't play. And it does indeed appear that Brett Lawrie can play a little baseball.

The Brett Lawrie era has begun. Long live Brett Lawrie.

.... but what of Lunchbox?
Jeff Blair makes me sad.

I don't need to read that, Jeff. I really don't.

A few quick "explanatory" comments in relation to my twitter feed....

i. I tweeted that in my opinion, I felt like the (mis)handling of Travis Snider has been the one big misstep so far by Alex Anthopoulos. Perhaps that was a little harsh (but c'mon man.... it was an emotional time), and I will be among the first to tell you that Snider looked lost in the batters box, fooled repeatedly by breaking balls and not squaring up fastballs. And maybe you've heard.... like no walks. Ever.

But the sudden about face - "we're at a point where roster decisions are based on performance" - seems both hypocritical and disingenuous. It wasn't but a few weeks ago that the front office boldly proclaimed that "they had to find out what they had in Snider" and he'd be given the rest of the season to show it. I can imagine Snider's confidence is borderline shattered knowing that he was given so little time to prove his Blue Jay mettle.

Where he goes from here.... I really don't know.

ii. I made reference to my disdain for the "cheering for laundry" analogy. Am I the only one who feels badly for Snider? Or do we all just live in a "HE MAKES MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PLAY A GAME AND IF HE CAN'T CUT IT, TOO BAD" world. Because that world sucks and you're rending your organ donor card useless, because clearly you have no heart. You are heartless. Without heart.

(yeah, I seem to have an emotional investment in Young Travis - so what?!)

Is it time to go internal with the closer?
Developmentally, I mean.

Look, I know that the best relievers are made from failed starters, and every effort must be exhausted in developing starting pitchers before shuttling them off to the 'pen.

But given the depth of the minor league system - specifically with pitching - doesn't it make a little sense to convert an Asher Wojciechowski or a Chad Jenkins (just examples for arguments sake) to the late innings now?

Because God help me, I can't take another season of the Jon Rauch Experience at the back end of the bullpen, nor can I stomach another BJ Ryan adventure (contract-wise) if that's the alternative. This "Plan B" strategy has been tough to watch here in 2011.

Then again, it did net us Colby Rasmus. So there's that.

10 Reasons Gordie Dougie is More Canadian Than Canada Itself

On the occasion of his glorious summoning to the Blue Jays, we offer a brief rundown of all the many ways that Gordie Dougie is the most Canadian of all Canadians, and thereby the greatest baseball player of all time.

1. Doesn't use pine tar. Applies maple syrup to his bat.

2. He maintains a Tim Horton's double-double level of 0.13 in his blood stream at all times.

3. When he was young, his mother sent a letter to Monsieur Eaton, asking him to send a Blue Jays sweater for young Brett. But Monsieur Eaton sent a jersey with the abominable "NY" of the Yankees instead. Brett was ostracized by his friends, who all wore Blue Jays sweaters with number 9 on the back. They were 9 John Oleruds playing against 9 other John Oleruds. When Brett broke his bat because he was not allowed to play in his Yankees sweater, the "curée" told him to go home and pray to God because of what he had done. And when he went home, young Brett prayed for a thousand moths to come eat his Yankees sweater.

4. When he hits a home run, he calls it "going top shelf".

5. Has tattoos of Tommy Douglas on one arm, Peter Gzowski on the other.

6. Thinks Margaret Atwood gets unfairly overlooked by the Giller Prize, and wonders why there was so little fuss about The Year of the Flood.

7. After every take out slide, pops up and apologizes to the middle infielder.

8. Still refers to the tractor that drags the infield before games as "the Zamboni".

9. Knows all the lyrics to the theme song from "The Littlest Hobo".

10. Rather than consulting with team doctors, he makes appointments to see a specialist in Canada and waits for several months to get in to see them.

(And feel free to add your own in the comments!)