It keeps getting worse and worse...

The same day that it was announced that their closer B.J. Ryan underwent surgery to repair his injured pitching elbow, the Jays keep on sinking by losing 8-0 to the their division rival Boston Red Sox. This season is looking more and more like a lost cause as they’ve fallen to a dismal13-21; eight whole games below a .500 mark that would make the amount of money spent on this team borderline acceptable. Of course this is still May but one has to be wondering when the fire-sale starts and who will be the ones to leave.

Alex Rios may actually be playing himself of the team with his recent tear. He’s hitting .379 over the Jays losing streak and is the only player seemingly worth something.

Even the team’s ace and go to guy on their staff, Roy Halladay is severely faltering. Doc has been rocked in his past two starts after getting off to the first 4-0 start of his career. Last night against Boston he took the loss while giving up an abnormal 11 hits and 8 runs over the 5 innings he was able to make it through. Vermilyea and Frasor, the relievers that followed him did a far superior job only allowing two base runners.

It is sad days in Jays-town and fans should only hope there’s some sort of silver lining to this storm cloud. Maybe they’ll be smarter than their NHL counterparts and actually know when a good time to pull the cord is.

Finally...

I’ve been waiting to watch some actual great playoff hockey and I’ve finally found it. After viewing as much of game one between Buffalo and Ottawa while cranking out baseball pages for the paper, I realized that this is what hockey should be like. Plenty of scoring chances, a good, quick game combined with just the right amount of hitting to get your adrenaline going; but stopping short of the underhanded rough stuff.

This matchup is particularly exciting since we get to watch division rivals take on each other in a playoff format as well as they’re two of the most skilled in teams in the NHL right now. Their goalies, while among the elite, may not be able to hold up to the offensive pressure from these two red lamp lighting squads. This is the hockey I’ve been waiting for. This is the hockey that might get me to tune in to when I’m bored. This hockey may be the catalyst to moving the NHL to a place where goonery doesn’t exist. But who am I kidding, I forgot that the NHL’s circling the toilet faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon can circle an oval. Hockey’s almost dead.

Jazz able to run with the Warriors

Is it just me or is the Utah Jazz probably the most adaptable team in the West. They get into the playoffs without a real identity and are loaded with good rotation of all-around skilled players. Last night in Utah, they were able to run with the fast-paced Golden State Warriors and delivered some clutch shooting to get the game into overtime where the twisted the dagger.

The Jazz also had an emotional moment and a performance with a big heart from Derek Fisher, who only arrived during the third quarter and played a big role in the win. The reason Fisher arrived so late was because he was spending time with his infant daughter after his family learned she had a tumour in between her eye and her brain. It would be a tough situation for anyone, especially when you’ve got a playoff series on your mind as well. Best wishes to the Fisher family are certainly in order.

I still don’t know what he’s thinking

For some reason, Drew Gooden is still rocking that ridiculous soul patch on the back of his head that really just makes him look like an idiot. But it doesn’t really matter how you look when your team keeps on winning in the playoffs. Last night the Cavaliers handled the Nets to take a 2- series lead and look destined to match up with the Pistons for the right to lose against the West’s best in the East finals.

Last night Steve Nash didn’t get bloodied up and Shawn Marion’s Suns were able to score against the severely defensive Spurs. The real news about this game was hearing Nash’s rant going into it about not having heart and the team not trying their hardest. While many pundits suggest that this was directed at Shawn Marion mostly, maybe he should’ve led by example and actually started playing defense, like many of teammates do.