THURSDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY – GO RAYS!

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

IF YOU BLINKED, YOU MISSED IT.

THE BLUE JAYS’ RETURN TO MLB’S POST-SEASON WAS OVER IN A BLINK OF AN EYE. THEY WERE SWEPT BY THE TAMPA BAY RAYS IN A BEST OF 3 BY SCORES OF 3-1 AND 8-2.

THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH HIGHLIGHTS TO FILL A HIGHLIGHT REEL. IF YOU WANTED TO PRODUCE A COFFEE TABLE BOOK ON THE JAYS 2020 PLAYOFF RUN, IT WOULD BE A PAMPHLET!

BUT THAT’S OKAY.

HEY – BASEBALL CHANGED A LOT IN THE 20 YEARS SINCE I TOOK MY EYE OFF IT, FOCUSING MY SUMMERS INSTEAD ON ROUGHRIDER FOOTBALL.

SALARIES ESCALATED. BULLPENS EXPANDED. THE STRATEGY’S BEEN TWEAKED.

BUT IN THE END, IT STILL ALL COMES DOWN TO PITCHING AND HITTING AND IN THIS SERIES, TORONTO HAD NEITHER.

BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THE BLUE JAYS HAD THE YOUNGEST ROSTER OF ANY MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYOFF TEAM. THE “KIDS” FOUGHT LIKE HELL TO EVEN GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS AND THE STING OF LOSING WILL SERVE THEM WELL FOR THE YEARS AHEAD.

THEY WERE ONLY EIGHT WINS BEHIND THE RAYS SO I FOOLISHLY THOUGHT THEY HAD A SHOT TO WIN THE SERIES. IN THE END, IT WASN’T EVEN CLOSE.

BO BICHETTE WAS OH-FOR-6. DID VLADDY EVEN PLAY? THE “KIDS” LEARNED THE VALUABLE LESSON THAT THE PLAYOFFS ARE AN ENTIRELY NEW ANIMAL, NOT JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE REGULAR YEAR.

IF YOU HAVE TO LOSE, YOU ALWAYS WANT TO LOSE OUT TO THE EVENTUAL CHAMPS. SO FOR THAT REASON, I’LL BE CHEERING FOR THE RAYS THE REST OF THE WAY.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.