Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry

Baaaaaaaaaaarry. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry.

Yeah, yeah he hit the freaking home run finally. Honestly back when he was passing Babe Ruth I was pretty he sure he would be dead before he ever got this far, or at least I don't know, hobbling around on artificial hips or something. I didn't think he would do it. So I can find something to appreciate about the feat, even if Barry Bonds is a rather large taint when it comes to being a human being.

I'm also glad he had the decency to hit 756 in San Fransisco because wouldn't you hate to have people booing what should be a happy moment, so that whenever sport shows drag out archive footage of that moment for whatever top ten the interns in the back room pulled out of their asses we won't have boos drowning the whole thing out? Asterix or not, he should be able to enjoy his moment. I just hope he retires after this year, that's really all I ask.

I'm approaching the whole Bonds steroids thing from a kind of zen position, I've made peace with it and moved on. It helps to know that Barry won't be number one in ten years thanks to MLB's other designated asswipe, Alex Rodriguez. Now there's a hate on I can get behind.

Can't you imagine it? If A-Rod is a douche now, when he's in the prime of his career playing for the most prestigious baseball team in the world and putting up numbers like he was Baseballbot 3000, imagine what he'll be like when he's a forty year old DH in Kansas and the only thing he has to play for is a record nobody wants him to break. He'll make Barry look like he was on Zoloft, not testosterone.

I think the era of sport heroes being decent human beings is officially over.

Jason

The Big Hurt: It's Not Just A Nickname Anymore

It's official now, Frank Thomas is Blue Jay. For the princely sum of $18 million, the Big Hurt will patrol the Jays' DH position for the next two years (and if we're really, really lucky, he might even make it three!).

Ok.

Come again? Why is Frank Thomas becoming a Blue Jay? Is Toronto's lack of a true DH really the reason they didn't make the playoffs last year? This money could be used so much more effectively than pampering an aging once-was. For example, signing a pitcher or two, or maybe, just maybe, resigning this teams whole freaking raison d'etre, Vernon flipping Wells.

Perhaps, just perhaps, sometime next August, we will read over this entry and blush, embarrassed that we ever thought of doubting Mr. Thomas as he goes on to record forty home runs and 120 ribbies to boot. You can't imagine how badly we would like to see that turn out.

But this deal just seems so far off the mark from where the Jays should be aiming, that the odds of it working out are slim to none.

Oh wait, we just thought of a bright side to this minny train wreck: Barry Bonds does not, under any circumstance whatsoever, sign with Toronto. Sorry Bonds, we have our quota of aging has been sluggers all filled up, thanks.


In other news, the Raptor have very quickly, and very quietly, built up a 2-5 record to start the season. That's really all we have to say on the matter.

Until next time,

Jason

Bosox? Try Nosox

The Jays took a tight one against the Red Sox today, winning off an eighth inning pinch hit RBI from Shea "Anywhere but Anaheim" Hillenbrand. Final score: 7-6. That the Jays led at one point 6-0, is purely inconsequential.

Roy "I'll Have My Cy Young to Go, Please" Halladay was cheated out of the win by a less than stellar Jays bullpen, but the important thing is that the Jays won against the division leading Bosox.

We came across this nice little stat: the Jays are 6-3 against Boston so far this season. That's the kind of stuff the Jays need if they're going to challenge for anything this season.

In other news, after what probably only seemed like the longest homerless streak ever, Barry "Don't Even Say It" Bonds reeled off number 715 in front of the only people who still seem to cheer for him these days, the San Fran crowd.

Well congrats, we suppose. We have to ask though, was second place on the all time home run list really worth selling your soul? We hope so, because seriously, second's as far as he's ever going to get on that list.

In other, other news, Ricky Williams is now officially a Toronto Argonaut, which has sparked a serious case of sour grapes. If you're to lazy to follow the link (I know I would be) I'll give you a brief synopsis:

Montreal Alouettes GM: Blah blah blah not fair blah blah

You just know the other teams are just kicking themselves for not thinking of signing Williams first, and this is their way of taking out there anger.

Tough cookies.

And finally, in the so sad it's almost funny department, Ronaldo "To Good For a Last Name" has stated that he would someday like to play in the US.

Cringe.

Yeah, Pele did it too, but that doesn't make it cool.

The MLS is for average American players and washed up Europeans. Where would Ronaldo fit into that equation?

If you didn't follow the link (this is becoming a bad habit!) here's the bare bones:

"Right now I have a contract with Real Madrid and I'm only thinking about the World Cup, but without a doubt, the American market is one of my goals for the future," his exact words were.

We're going to go out on a limb here and say that when he says future, he means when no one in Europe will pay him any more.

Speaking of washed up Brazilians, the once and future Brazilian star Romario has been sighted playing for some minor-minor league soccer team in Miami. He played recently in Toronto, scoring the only goal in a one-nothing victory over the hometown Toronto Lynx.

We only note this because the former superstar is on a quest that makes Barry Bonds' ill-fated home run chase look like a cakewalk.

You see, Romario is on a quest to become only the second footballer to score 1000 goals (a shiny penny to whoever can name the first to do so - hint: it rhymes with "melee").

He says that he is currently around 960, though, give or take 20 or 30. Give mostly.

Nobody is quite sure how Romario arrived at that number, his career has spanned three continents and a slew of different teams, not least of which is the Brazilian national team. It's also not clear what Mr. Mario considers a goal. Are goals scored in practice fair game? Or only when nobody's looking?

Romario is at the ripe old age of 40 (73 in soccer years) and he definitely isn't getting any younger. He has desperate written all over him. His hair is speckled with gray, and on the field the word, "run" is as foreign to him as the lady who cleans my house (No, I kid, Maria has her citizenship. Or, that's what she told me...).

So a double plea to both Romario and Bonds: Please, please, please retire. Please, you're embarrassing yourself and all the fans who once cheered for you. Please call it quits.

Please?

Jason.

63 Hours Worth of News

The Jays are going along at a nice clip, even without the services of Gustavo Chacin and A.J. Burnett. They won again this afternoon, taking a 3-2 decision through 11 against the White Sox, giving them the series win to boot.

They go for the sweep tomorrow, but don't hold your breath. If our memory serves correct, thw Jays have yet to sweep a series so far this season.

In other news, the Toronto Argos are mere days away from officially signing NFL running back Rickey Williams for the season. I'd be a little worried if I were the Miami Dolphins though; after a year of Canada's laid back marijuana laws, will Rickey even want to come back?

In other, other news, Barry Bonds is still trying to take second place on the all-time homer list for himself. We are starting to wonder if Mr. Bonds will even last the season the way he's playing these days.

In other, other, other nonsporting news, the city of Toronto is set to make a bid for the 2015 World Expo. You'll excuse us if we don't seem overjoyed. It's like, talk about setting your sights low.

So you you were turned down the IOC, that doesn't mean you have to go scrounging around the bottom of the barrel to find a replacement. The World's Fair is like the Olympic's shorter, uglier, older sister.

The good folks behind this money pit insist this move will raise Toronto's international profile. Snicker. Seriously, can you name the city that hosted the last World's Fair? Yeah, me neither. For all I know, the World's Fair could be going on right now.

The only other city in the running is some Turkish 'burb, which, and we don't mean to sound cocky here, practically guarantees Toronto that Expo.

This is such a bad idea on so many levels.

In even further news, some horse broke its leg. And yet life goes on, the sun still rises in the morning and it still sets in the evening. Please, it's just a horse. Get over it.

And finally, Edmonton is sooooo close to making it to the Stanley Cup finals. If any Canadian team is going to win the cup (not named Toronto, that is) we're glad it's going to be Edmonton.

We here couldn't cheer for Ottawa of course, and Vancouver and Calgary are simply out of the question. We could stomach Montreal winning actually, they have enough that one more won't make a difference. But Edmonton, this is the team that could, the team the wouldn't give up.

We started the playoffs with a serious case of Oiler doubt, predicting a swift defeat at the hands of first Detroit, and then San Jose. That never happened of course, and now we find ourselves fully converted to the Oiler experience. Go Oils!

That's all for now,

Jason

Brotherly Love, My Ass

I love Philadelphia baseball fans.

Nuff said,

Jason

Barry Bonds vs Major League Baseball

Well, MLB has given Barry Bonds a not-so-sutble "Fuck you" in the form of not recognizing his inevitable passing of Babe Ruth as note worthy.

And while their point is valid, passing the Bambino doesn't actually break any records, you have to think that if this was anybody but Bonds, MLB would at least deign to have some sort of celebration, no matter how small.

Especially since Bonds hunt for Hank Aaron's record, in my opinion at least, is hopeless. That anybody still talks of Bonds' passing Aaron in terms of "when" and not "if" is incredibly strange. Bonds sits at 712 which means he needs 43 more to tie the record. Math was never my strong suit, but the only way Bonds can catch that number (outside of juicing up, again) is if he stays around for another three seasons.

The amount of abuse Bonds has to put up with is ridiculous, and if you think he can stick around for another three seasons of that kind of garbage, born out of the US's collective hate of the man, you are either highly delusional, a resident of San Fransisco or both.

He will finish this season (barring injury, and with Bonds, that can never be counted on) with a respectable 20-25 home runs. But the chances of him coming back for yet another go round, and once again opening himself up to attacks by the media et al are, in 63 Years' opinion, slim to none.

Bonds may be a jackass extrodinaire, but he's also human. Even he has to realise that breaking some silly record (yeah, you heard me) isn't worth the stuff he has to go through.

In other news, it would appear that 63 Years and Counting's 100% guaranteed NHL playoff predictions have more or less fizzled. We only hope you didn't put to much money on our advice. We will await the result of tonight's Calgary-Anahiem game before passing judgement on where we went wrong. Go Anahiem!

In other news, the Phoenix Suns, our picks to represent the Western Conference in the finals, are facing elimination at the hand of Kobe Bryant and four other guys. Here's hoping that Steve Nash, now back-to-back MVP, can pull off some serious playoff magic and put his team through.

Here's hoping.

Later,

Jason

63 Years and Counting's Vision Statement...thingy

So what's the deal, you may be wondering. What have I stumbled across this time, is no doubt running through your head. Well, you have discovered one of the blogosphere's newest hidden gems (did I mention that I was modest?).

We here at 63 Years and Counting are dedicated to Toronto and her sports teams, the Maple Leafs, Raptors and Blue Jays. The title reflects Toronto's sad lack of success at winning championships. The Maple Leafs, with a playoff miss this year (anyone who still thinks they can make the playoffs is invited to kindly go jump off a bridge. It ain't happening) will make it some forty years without drinking from Lord Stanley's mug. They last won it all in 1967, the year before the NHL's expansion. Since then, they haven't even made it to the final round.

The Raptors only came into existance in 1995, so the commitee of one is willing to cut them some slack. However, the way the franchise is going, the light at the end of the tunnel is still a long way off.

The Jays are Toronto's most recent winner's of anything, posting their incredible back-to-back World titles in 1992 and 1993. Unfortunately, the franchise has been resting on those laurels for the past twelve years, with not so much as a post season berth to show for it. This year's Jays seem to be serious though, with GM J.P. "Show Me The Money" Ricciardi finally opening up the wallet to land some heavy hitters. The way things are going, 63 Years and Counting is putting their money on the Jays to be the next T.O team to win something. We're not saying it's going to be this year, but compared to the Raptors and Leafs, both of whom are in the process of extricating themselves from the ground that they had been driven into, the Jays are looking pretty good.

But most importantly, this is a sports blog. There's not going to be any politics here, no celebrity gossip, no headline news, no siree. Just sports.

And another thing. Am I the only one who was happy that that Rollins guy didn't break DiMaggio's record hit streak? I mean, is a hit streak really a hit streak when it's separated by six months in the middle? The baseball gods made the right call on that one, stopping his streak before he got close enough to pose any threat. Imagine the big whomping asterix next to that record if he had actually gone through with it.

Speaking of asterixes, here's hoping that baseball's walking asterix, Barry "BAL- What?" Bonds finally figures it out and retires before he breaks the Bambino's home run mark. Does anybody really want baseball's biggest jackass to pass Babe Ruth? The only positive thing is that the way Bonds is going, there's no way he could pass Hank "755" Aaron. Thank God for small wonders. I would be able to forgive him for the whole pill-popping and lying thing, and even the jack assery, if only he would just retire his aging ass. Save everyone the headache. Please.

That's really all for now,

Jason