Dare to Dream: Blue Jays Beat The Yankees Again
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by user Neatesager
Let's be clear. Anything less than three out of four for the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend is a disappointment, and that's even with rookie Shawn Marcum starting Sunday's series finale against the Evil Empire, whom the squares know by the name New York Yankees.
It's always good to be prepared. With the way Jays-Yankees series typically go, yours truly was fully prepared to pound out an essay with the working title To Be Miserable Like This Is To Be Happy Forever -- some tripe about remaining a fan through the inevitable disappointments, how it's really a sign of character to validate yourself by feeling lousy about your favourite team's failures, how our greatest hopes never come to pass but we keep on keepin' on. You know, how the truth is harsh and disturbing and that's what is beautiful. Yadda-yadda-yadda.
That's on hold for at least 24 hours, since the Jays made it two in a row over the Evil Empire with a surprisingly straightforward 7-3 win at Rogers Centre last night.
It was all in the details, which were plenty cringe-worthy for the Yankees, but Jays fans know better than to revel in this for too long, since everything starts at zero today.
The details: Toronto put four runs on the board against Jaret Wright before he got a single out, and the Evil Empire couldn't touch A.J. Burnett's fastball/curve combination, except for A-Rod, who not long after his three-run home run (his 450th career dinger) in the third, negated that contribution with a couple more Little League pratfalls in the field that all but gift-wrapped a couple more Toronto runs.
Naturally, this being the Blue Jays and this being the AL East, the other shoe has to drop. In this case, it did so when yours truly arrived home just in time to flick on Sportsnet Pacific and see Jason Varitek, batting right-handed, blast a no-doubt homer off Jamie Moyer, giving the Red Sox a 4-0 lead over Seattle. The Evil Empire 1-A went on to win 9-4, so even with all the giddiness of these last two nights, the Jays aren't going to gain any ground, remaining 5½ games back.
Still, to be playing the Damn Yankees and to be halfway to that thing that dares not speak its name but rhymes with weep. Jays fans, take nothing for granted, try not to gloat or do anything that might upset the fragile balance. But three out of four certainly seems possible now, especially with a revitalized Theodore Lilly throwing today for the Jays vs. Chien-Ming Wang and his 4.88 earned-run average on the road.
Tell me it won't happen.
(Remember, for more articles like this one, click on Out of Left Field, especially if you're Canadian.)
Date
Fri 07/21/06, 10:08 pm EST
