The Jays Journal Podcast is hosted by our own Ari Shapiro, and can be found on blogtalkradio.com. Tune in regularly to hear Ari and a wide range of guests talk about current issues, have roundtable discussions, and regularly take your calls to discuss all things Blue Jays.
Jays Journal Podcast- Episode 73 (July 8th, 2018)
Normally, I would name an episode of the show after a certain sentiment or inspired thoughts based on how the team is playing – especially after dropping a transparently winnable series against the New York Yankees. But given the circumstances of what has been a season to forget, I decided to settle on a title that’s reflective of the cold, hard reality of numerical facts – that this is in fact the seventy-third episode of this podcast’s venerable history, and that the 2018 Toronto Blue Jays are steering into the 89th Midsummer Classic with a team which doesn’t have a single starter with an ERA under 4.00, and nary a hitter to be found who isn’t hitting below a .260 batting average. Dark times indeed, my friends.
To celebrate such ignominious realizations comes a fresh and exciting audio deliverance that promises to keep you temporarily distracted from the unbearable lightness of baseball being. I’ve cobbled together precisely the kind of organized diversion that will leave the listener with plenty of room for romanticized optimism and abundant idealism wrapped gently between layers of stone-cold sobering realities.
More from Jays Journal
- Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
- Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
- Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
- Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
- Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King
First, it’s my pleasure to bring forth an exclusive interview with the incredibly talented and always indefatigable Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) of Sportsnet magazine, who was patient enough to withstand a volley of some substantial “on the spot” style questioning related to the return of Roberto Osuna, the employment status of John Gibbons, and how this season will be looked upon by future generations of fans. (0:00-29:12)
Next, Charlie Marshall (@cwmarshall98) and Hayden Godfrey (@HaydenGodfreyy), two of our most prodigious writers at the Jays Journal, take a few moments to answer my obvious question that’s on the lips of most of the fanbase: how does one stay inspired to write about these woefully underachieving Blue Jays? Not surprisingly, they left me charged with youthful enthusiasm amidst all my cantankerous inquisitiveness with a hearty dose of good ole’ fashioned prospect projections. (29:13-34:10)
And finally – and this one’s a doozy, I was able to rally three razor-sharp minds and equally loquacious voices to my grand round table; celebrated blogger and writer Tao of Stieb (@TaoOfStieb), the voice of the Lansing Lugnuts and author of The Baseball Thesaurus, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass), and uber producer at the Fan590 and co-host of The Southpaw Slice (@Southpaw_Slice), Jon Reid (@JonReid590), all hunker down with me to slay the cynicism, outrage, and remains of the day with endless dosages of soothsaying wisdom that’s likely the best ointment you’ll ever find. (34:11-73:29)
Check out our previous episodes below:
- Jays Journal Podcast- June 30th– “Between Laughter and Sorrow”
- Jays Journal Podcast- June 6th– “Gambling Debts and Evil Empires”
- Jays Journal Podcast- May 23rd– “It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn”
- Jays Journal Podcast- May 15th– “Baseball Gods and Mortal Men”
- Jays Journal Podcast- April 15th- “Preventing Runs and Battling Injuries”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Feb 14th– “Hope Springs Eternal”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Feb 1st– “Collusion of Common Sense”
- Jays Journal Podcast Exclusive with Tony Fernandez
- Jays Journal Podcast- Year in review 2017
- Jays Journal Podcast- Dec 19th- “Soft Resets and Intellectual Exercises”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Dec 13th– “New School & Nostalgia”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Dec 7th– “Perception is Reality”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Nov 16th– “Dare to Dream”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Nov 1st– “Struggling for Legitimacy”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Oct 25th– “Contending and Rebuilding”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Oct 21st- “Wise Men Sing”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Oct 10th– “Standards of Excellence”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Oct 5th– “Don’t You Forget About Me”
- Jays Journal Podcast- Oct 2nd– “Only the Young Can Say”
- Jays Journal Podcast Exclusive with Jesse Barfield
- Jays Journal Podcast- Aug 3rd– “Three Wise Men” (Zwelling, Goldberg-Strassler, Henderson)
- Jays Journal Podcast exclusive with the Tao of Stieb
- Jays Journal Exclusive with Jackie Redmond
- Jays Journal Podcast- June 30th– With Sportnet’s Arden Zwelling
- Jays Journal Podcast- June 28th- Todd Stottlemyre, relentlessly candid
- Jays Journal Podcast- featuring guest, Ben Nicholson-Smith
- Jays Journal Podcast Exclusive- The Todd Stottlemyre Interview
- And many, many more…