Bloggin’ Blue: Jays Links 3/29/13

March 23, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Matt Pagnozzi (20) forces out Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) at home plate and throws the ball to first base for a double play during the first inning at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsJust three more days until the Toronto Blue Jays host the Cleveland Indians on Opening Day, April 2nd. It may seem like an eternity, but we’ll get there, together. We just need to find something to take out minds off of the wait.

And no, I’m not talking about the boring car games your parents made you play on road trips either. I’m talking about ur blogging brothers and sisters around the web, who are doing their part to keep us all informed and talking Blue Jays as the final countdown continues.

Speaking of brothers and sisters, I need to start by pointing you toward one of FanSided sister sites, Climbing Tal’s Hill. A Houston Astros site by design, they nonetheless did a solid job previewing the Blue Jays for the 2013 season. Anyone looking for another preview to read, this would be worth your time!

Token Quote:

"“Cabrera could in fact be the perfect fit for this team. He should see plenty of fastballs and all he needs to do is hit line drives and get on base.”"

Over at Yahoo (Contributor Network), the Ricky Romero shake down continues, as Andy McNamara asks if Romero stills has what it takes to be a starting pitcher. He covers a lot of the similar ground that we’ve seen in the last few days; his weak 2011 spring/big regular season, Romero’s comparisons to Roy Halladay‘s demotion, and Romero’s goals in Dundein. In the end, McNamara sums it up nicely to being stricyl about Romero’s mechanics and his mental state, both of which are likely feuding with each other.

Token Quote:

":The tweaking of mechanics is not the greatest problem for him, it all comes down to his mental state.”"

Along a similar vein, Joanna at Hum and Chuck discusses Romero’s emotional state after the trade, including many of the statements Romero made to the media. It’s somewhat disconcerting to see the kind of roller-coaster it is to go from the pains of being told you’re not good enough to picking up your pride and pushing forward.

Token Quote:

"“On Twitter, some are talking about how he’s insulted his teammates and is denying his issues with his comments. I’ve read the comments four times, and I just don’t see it. All I see is a guy who’s disappointed, frustrated and a little at a loss.”"

Getting away from Romero, we swing over to the fellas at Cooperstowners In Canada, who provide a solid piece on the 25th Anniversary of George Bell’s Three Homer Opening Day. People tend to forget how much of a beast Bell was during his time in Toronto, especially during his MVP campaign in 1987. This piece does a nice job of helping us remember.

Token Quote:

"“Often forgotten is the fact that Bell went 5-for-5 (with two doubles and three singles) in the Jays’ 11-4 romp over the Royals in the second game of the 1988 season. It was the first time that a Blue Jay had gone 5-for-5 in a game.”"

To close things out, we swing over to everyone’s favorite Jays site, Drunk Jays Fans. Andrew Stoeten provides Blue Jays fans with a great service by discussing how we can cut the cable cord and still get our Toronto baseball fix. As a MLB.tv subscriber, and one who gets irritated by their insistence on maintaining local blackouts on the service, I’m looking for any way possible to get my fix, and Stoeten’s article highlights Rogers’ attempts to provide such a service, albeit an expensive one.

Token Quote:

"“But, as the music industry learned the hard way, moral murk and legal technicalities tend to not be great obstacles to people determined to get the content they want the way they want it– nor, it seems, do legal witch hunts to make examples out of randomly selected users…”"