Karol Kudyba's Tampa Bay Rays Fan Profile

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The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs posted on 09/30/2008

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

The MLB playoffs reward the team that did the best over the long baseball season and consistently wins over a long period of time. Even a team that ‘backs in’ had to have been a dominant team in their division for 5+ months and being that good for half a calendar year unless their division was a mess. And although there may be no wildly anticipated matchup that involves throwing batteries, there is logic behind the current system. You have to earn your way to get a chance at the multiple-flags-on-a-block-of-wood trophy and it doesn’t come easy.

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What makes someone a hall of famer? posted on 09/23/2008

Entrance into the Hall of Fame is the highest individual honour that baseball has to offer. Getting into Cooperstown means that without a doubt you are one of the greatest players of your generation and have earned the right for children to stare at your plaque as parents tell tall-tales of your abilities for years to come.

My own personal opinion – which I must admit that I took from my brother – is that to be a hall of fame player, you must be among the greatest at your position for at least a few years. It means that league wide, if you were to name the top three or five players in the league at a given position; one person’s name is always present. In football, find a fan who will name the top 3 QBs without naming Tom Brady. In hockey, Martin Brodeur would be the first or second name mentioned for over a decade.

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Why I watch the Jays posted on 09/10/2008

Dear God I love the Blue Jays. After all, what’s not to love? Sure, they may blow crucial games in crucial series, 90% of the time they can’t get a hit in extra innings to save their lives, they don’t steal bases and have never been able to beat the Rays (Devil or not), but after that, what else? Oh yeah, they can never seem to beat rookie pitchers, take advantage of bases loaded situations and every pitcher not named Halladay seems to start every at-bat with a ball. But still, every day I try to catch the opening pitch and every night check the standings… What’s wrong with me?

When I was growing up in Vancouver, I had my choice of three teams to follow. TBS showed every Braves game, KIRO played the Mariners and TSN covered the Jays. And although I had my choice of Maddux and Jones or Griffey Jr. and Johnson (all in their primes), I picked the team that starts the season with almost no shot at the playoffs and was in the midst of a funk that they are still struggling to pick themselves out of today. Did I already ask what’s wrong with me?

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Why the Jays won't compete: the importance of the late inning long ball posted on 08/29/2008

To compete, a baseball team needs pitching and defense. An old adage maybe, but it exists for a reason. A team that continuously gives up runs ends up yanking their starters early in games and taxes their bullpen, lessening their effectiveness over time and thereby compounding the problem over the season. Ironically, trying to keep games close hurts the team in the long run. But with one of the best fielding percentages and team ERA’s in the league, the Toronto Blue Jays are competing.

In the end, however, the best pitching and defense can ever do is keep you in a game long enough for your offence to pull you out. After all, it’s impossible to win a game 0-0 (although the Dodgers proved this season that you can win without a hit).

More than simple offense, in the modern era of baseball, for a team to make the World Series it needs a home run threat.

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Part Time Jays: How to add a little Latin Flavour to the Big Club posted on 08/21/2008

Just picture it: it’s the top of the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays are holding a slim 2-1 lead over the New York Yankees. Up to bat is Derek Jeter with Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez on deck. Cito Gaston, in order to shut the door on the game and the series gets on the phone and brings in the big gun, Pedro Luis Lazo, winner of two Olympic Gold medals with Cuba and current closer of the Blue Jays. And even if he gives up a run its okay, because leading off the bottom of the ninth for the Jays is Alexei Bell, who hit 30 HR with 100 RBI with Santiago del Cuba last year.

Sound impossible? Maybe not.

MLB teams, through the United States trade embargo with Cuba, are not allowed to import Cuban citizens onto their teams unless the players manage to escape the country and claim refugee status. While this has prevented such players as Jose Contreras from playing in their prime and currently prevents players like hitting whiz Bell from ever stepping foot on Fenway Park dirt.

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