Jun 29, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

Before you read this article, I strongly recommend that you take a peak at this article written by Dustin Parkes in February of this year: “How The Blue Jays Didn’t Drop The Ball“. He does a great job of explaining many aspects of the T.V. rights issues the Jays deal with, and spells out how MLB monitors what the Jays get paid from their ownership, an odd situation in baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays have enjoyed a slight uptrend in attendance in 2012 as compared to the last 3 seasons. While the Jays averaged 23,162 fans per game in 2009, 18,463 fans per game in 2010, and 22,446 fans per game in 2011, their current statistics for the 2012 season indicate a boost to 26,974 fans per game in 2012. That’s a significant increase, no doubt about it, but it’s still nowhere near where the Jays need to be in order to significantly increase payroll. The 2012 average attendance leaves them in 20th position overall, right behind the fire sale Marlins who have averaged 28,457 fans per game (an increase of more than 8 000 fans per game from their 2011 totals). (more…)

• In his trademark style, Drew Stoeten at Drunk Jays Fans addresses the parts of the Jays’ fan base that are annoyed that Rogers isn’t spending big money on players as a result of the colossal Red Sox moves this week.
• Speaking of the Red Sox, Dustin Parkes over at Getting Blanked offers a look into their 2011 team along with quotes from Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. (more…)