Is Selig Throwing Salt on the Dodgers' Wound?

I just checked the schedule on mlb.tv and apparently the Dodgers vs. Tigers game is a free preview. The timing is curious after rejecting the Dodgers TV Network deal with Fox. I suppose they need all the goodwill they can get...

Speaking of MLB.tv, I didn't sign up for it this year for one simple reason: regional blackouts. If they didn't block the Jays games, I'd be more than willing to spend the money. Just a suggestion...

Random Interleague Thought: Faulty Logic

Apparently MLB is attributing this weekend's surge of ticket sales to interleague play. Using that logic, the rest of the games should be played against either the Yankees or the Red Sox. This strategy will help to maximize attendance and profits for all teams.

You're welcome Emperor Selig...

Weekly Standings Check in

So the good news? Toronto's not in last place of the AL East! The bad news? The Jays are behind Boston, Tampa and New York. And it looks like Derek Jeter may have found his swing after a 2 HR game against Texas yesterday. Based on that one game sample-size, the Yankees will only be stronger. The Rays have all of a sudden become pretty strong too. Too bad none of there fans will see it... I'm somewhat optimistic for May considering the fact that Toronto's been hit by the injury bug for most of April. Hopefully this week Lind, Hill and Bautista will be able to play simultaneously, in the same game.

Surprisingly, Cleveland is still on top of the AL Central. Looks like Chicago and Minnesota are comfortable dwelling at the bottom of the division. After watching the Tigers-Jays series this past weekend, the Royals and Indians better watch their backs. Detroit has very good starting pitching and once they put a bit of a winning streak together and climb over .500 (which should be this week), it's going be an interesting race to watch.

In the NL Central, the surprise for me this week is that the Pirates are at .500. I'm too lazy to actually check on this, but they probably haven't been this good, this late into the season since a skinny, arrogant kid named Barry Bonds played for them... Also I thought Milwaukee was supposed to be a World Series contender this year. At 14-20, they'd better start winning some games, otherwise they've got a deep hole to climb out of.

The NL East is shaping out to be just as tight, if not more, as the AL East. I caught the Atlanta-Philadelphia game last night (which was pretty entertaining) and on top of taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies, Atlanta is pretty much matching them in the pitching department, but at a much cheaper price. Florida is keeping pace with both teams as well and I know that Washington isn't close to contending, but they've started to turn the corner and are playing close to .500 baseball.

With all the close races so far (I know it's still very early...), if Emperor Selig decides to expand the playoffs and add more teams next year, it's going to be a tight race right down to the last day of the regular season. Sure, it'll definitely be entertaining as a fan to watch. But from a Blue Jays perspective, I hope they don't try to force any trades for the sake of "now" and stick with the plan to aim to win the division instead of just squeezing into the playoffs.

Baseball Celebrity Lookalikes: May the 4th Be With You Edition

So in honour of May the 4th, we have the obligatory John Olerud - C3P0 comparison and it is absolutely fitting, because out of all baseball players, I would consider Olerud to exemplify the most etiquette and protocol both at the plate and on the field at 1st base.

Jose Molina seems to compute all the different permutations when it comes to pitch selection to get the most out of Brandon Morrow, so R2D2 would be an apt comparison.

And last but not least, Bud Selig and The Emperor. Need I say more...?