Dirk Hayhurst's Blog

If Clay Buchholz was caught applying a foreign substance to his hands tonight, he could (and should) be ejected on the spot — according to the rules of baseball under 8.02. But it’s highly unlikely he’ll be caught. “Because he’s not doing anything wrong!” screams his legion of faithful supporters. Yeah, sure he isn’t. More likely it’s because all the rules on ball doctoring are subject to the umpire’s interpretation and discretion, which, in turn, is subject to the present atmosphere...

Why is it so hard to just accept the fact that the Jays are playing bad baseball? Why does it have to be Gibby’s fault?  Is it impossible that ultra hyped players can’t play up to par? Does the manager, a guy all the players like, really have some super power to hamstring all of them at the same time, without their notice? I was there for every game in spring training. At the start of it, everyone one knew the stakes felt the intenisty of the expectation. They all wanted to win....

It’s time to hit the panic button. I know what you’re going to say. I’m a downer. It’s early. It’s a small sample size. It’s only April. This team has the ability to get hot at any time. Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Consider that the Jays are, as of writing this, 8.5 games behind the red hot Red Sox. And those Red Sox are playing the Huston Astros, a bona fide Triple A club that exists purely so other teams can say, “well, at least we aren’t...

Gregg Zaun and I like to argue, and that’s a good thing. It makes for bold television, better informed viewers, and, best of all, I’m always right. We were talking about JP Arenciba’s approach to the plate. Zaun was of the mind that JPA, who is presently worst among all qualified major league catchers in strike out percentage at 35.9%, can strikeout as much as he wants because he’s going to hit 30 homers this year. Also, so sayeth the Zaun, JPA’s free swinging mentality keeps him fro...

Wow, a true Cathedral of Baseball, as they say…. Although, those top level cheap seats do require a sherpa to get to. Fortunately sherpa carries your Barbecue for you… Mmm… sherpa.    

Carlos Quentin said the reason he charged Zack Greinke after getting plunked in Thursday’s Dodgers/Padres game is because the pair had history. Bad history. Quentin said it goes back to an alleged bean ball he received from Greinke in 2009, one that, apparently, left a wound onQuentin much deeper than a mere bruise. However, said Quentin, he would have let it all go—past and present—if Greinke didn’t say something provocative immediately after hitting him Thursday night. Yeah,...

Dear unborn child. Today I sat at a bar and watched a lady slowly get obliterated on four dollar Bud Light draughts. Pretty sad. Not that she got obliterated. You’ll probably experience that for yourself at some point, but that she got obliterated on Bud Light. She probably thought she was getting a deal, but she wasn’t. There are no deals to be had with Bud Light, It’s swill, and she had so many that the “Light” portion hardly mattered anymore. She could have...

Hastily assembled, error filled, pre-show notes. Padres/Dodgers Fight! *Carlos Quinten is the most plunked hitter in baseball. You know he has some regressed hitter rage just waiting to get out. *CQ says that this was because of some history he had with Zack Greinke from 2009. What? That was 4 years ago- if you’ve been waiting around that long get even, try counseling. *This was not a mound charge situation; full count, one run game… it’s not intentional, it’s...

Fan Catches a ball in a beer cup. Probably made the beer taste better…. domestic American beer is such swill. Goats head delivered to Tom Ricketts at Wrigley Field. Goat had this to say about it, “I was just happy to help my team any way I could. I have to tip my hat to the other guys for beating the crap of out of the Cubs so bad that I could get this opportunity”. 16 straight victories for Zito counting last season. 1.69 ERA. Giants may pick up his option for 2014. Great...

I write up a daily list of topics in the morning and send them to the Producers and Jeff Blair before Baseball Central starts. Here is todays. T-t-t-t-t-t-topics! Things you probably shouldn’t say during an interview: Gio Gonzales about trying to keep his hands warm during his start: “I felt like I was making love to my hand.” More here: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/04/gio-gonzalez-i-felt-like-i-was-making-love-to-my-hand/ What is up with MLB pitchers and...