So the Manager Search is over

And it's Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo! At least according to Shi. You can read about him in this MLB Trade Rumours post here.

Discuss!

Pace of Play changes

So a bunch of pace of play changes were introduced on Monday. David Adler has a summary here. Anthony Castrovince wrote a fact sheet here. Joanna pointed to an interesting perspective on the changes here.

Tulo has a plan.

"If I want the pitcher out of there, I can still do it, right? I can make my own pitching changes so I kind of like that. I don't have to wait for the pitching coach to come out and give him the hook when I thought the guy should have been out of there two hitters ago."

What are your thoughts?

Superstitions

Halloween is tonight and it is the perfect time to discuss our superstitions. Many of the athletes we watch are very superstitious. For example, Hall of famer Wade Boggs had a few superstitions, including, eating chicken before every game (earning him the nickname "chicken man"). He also took batting practice at exactly 5:17 and ran sprints at 7:17. Jason Giambi had an odd superstition when he was in a slump. He would slip into a pair of tight bikini panties! Another common superstition for a lot of pitchers is to avoid touching the baseline when walking on or off the field. When a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or no hitter, every player steers clear of him in the dugout. These are just a few examples of the superstitions athletes have.

Personally, I played soccer growing up and I didn't really have any superstitions. However, as a Canucks fan, I only wear my jersey during playoff games or when I go to a game at Roger's arena. I also don't leave the room while play is in action.

Please comment below what your superstitions are as both an athlete and fan of the game.

Happy Halloween

follow me on twitter @tpoole00

Also check out my main blog at proudbcer.blogspot.com

Who the hell is Chris Rowley?

We've had a lot of "who the hell is that?" this year. Welcome to the newest one.

There was a recent big read about him that's worth the time to read. Basically, he was drafted out of West Point and had to serve two years in the military. So don't read too much in his age as he lost 2 years of development.

Others have gone in depth about him so here's the links:

Canadian Baseball Network's interview with him in early 2016
Clutchlings' scouting report from May
BP Toronto's analysis of him in June
Stoeten's article written mere hours before this one

Trade Deadline Chat

A place to talk about deadline trades.

Hump Day Gratitude

Talk about what you're grateful for.

I'm grateful for the time Jason Grilli spent with the team. He brought hope, energy, and stability when he came here and even when it was time to leave us, he still believed.
#stayinthefight

Hump Day Gratitude

Talk about what you're grateful for.

I'm grateful for the International Speakers Summit, which is giving me a ton of info and things to think about even as it takes up all my baseball time for the next 10 days.

Debate Club

Rough night. Late night. Tough row we're hoeing. So let's have some fun.

Suggested by Dosh's Flow:
Make your team of 30 guys, using only 1 from each team in the league and you have to pick a guy from each team.

Be prepared to show your work!

Simple Piece of Advice

Don't stand up in the 9th inning when your team is behind!

Advanced Stats for the Blue Jays Fan: Offensive Basics

As suggested by commenter Homer's Bush, this is the first in what I’m hoping will be a series of posts on advanced stats as they pertain to the Toronto Blue Jays. Because it’s intended as an introduction, I’ll try to use each post to give the basics about a handful of relevant stats, with some Jays-centric examples to provide some perspective. I’m probably not the best person around to write a post introducing you to advanced stats from a Jays’ perspective, but I was the first one to say yes, so you’re stuck with me for now.

Repost: So You Entered A Baseball Fantasy Draft

The second annual JITH fantasy draft is happening this Sunday night. This piece appeared before last year's draft.

Hump Day Gratitude

Talk about the WBC, the latest news out of Dunedin, or just talk about what you're grateful for.

Hump Day Gratitude

Talk about the WBC, the sad game the Jays played against Team Canada, or just talk about what you're grateful for.

Hump Day Gratitude

With so much going on in the world, I thought it would be a great time to remind ourselves and each other about what great in our lives.

Buck Martinez to HoF

Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame, that is.

Sportsnet pays tribute by publishing an except from his book that came out last year. Has anyone read it? (If you're interested in getting it, click here.)

Hump Day chat

Thank you RADAR for stepping up and writing a post yesterday. Sadly for ya'll, there isn't one for today so it's another chat post. Remember, politics is verboten.

Hump Day chat

Until people start stepping up, you're stuck with chat posts. Remember, politics is verboten.

Prospect Porn

I wanted this to be a series but no one was interested in writing it. So share below the stories of the prospects in the system you are most excited about.

Hump Day chat

It's 5 days until Christmas and the middle of the work week if you're a 9 to 5er. Feel free to chat about anything but politics.

Revisiting the pace of game rule changes

(I tried finding a photo with the timer in the shot but it was a no-go.)

The other big rule change in 2016 was pace of game. As this article explains: