If you missed Monday night’s Indians-Blue Jays contest, boy, you really missed out on a great game.
And unfortunately, there were only 15,295 at Rogers Centre to witness it. Where was House? Rick? Cliff? Trout? Rainbow Trout? Why weren’t any of you at the game?
First, Brian Tallet’s six no-hit innings. Then, a heart-breaking rally by Cleveland to break up the no-no and put the Blue Jays behind, 3-2.
Vernon Wells’ clutch, two-out, two-run single to give Tallet a shot for the win.
A couple of incredible ninth-inning rallies. The Indians were one strike away from defeat–and Tallet one strike away from the victory–but they came back with three big runs.
Down by two, the Jays also refused to go quietly. Toronto was one strike away from losing, but Jose Bautista saved the Jays with a two-run single off Kerry Wood to send the game into extra innings.
As manager Cito Gaston told the Canadian Press: “Baseball is always an interesting game because you never know how the ending is going to come out… You go from a guy pitching a no-hitter, to a one-hitter, to a tie ball game, to one out to win a game, they had one out to win the game, then you go extra innings and they end up coming out ahead.”
Well said.
Just an entertaining game, to be sure.
The Tribe got three runs in the 12th to take a 9-6 lead, only to see the Blue Jays rally again. Toronto got a run to make it 9-7, and Aaron Hill–Saturday’s extra-inning hero (he hit a home run and then delivered a game-winning single the next inning)–came up with two men on and two out.
Great stuff.
Of course, Hill struck out swinging to end it, but still, what an awesome game.
And how about Tallet’s honest response following the game?
“Absolutely,” Tallet said when asked by reporters if he knew he had the no-hitter going. “Everybody knows that. There’s what, 15-16,000 people in the stands? I’m sure every single person knew I was throwing a no-hitter. You hate to lose it, you’d love to throw one, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to win the ball game and we just didn’t do it tonight” (Canadian Press, May 4, 2009).
Most of the time, you hear guys saying they didn’t know they had a no-hitter going and didn’t know what the crowd was buzzing about, and so on. (Didn’t Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays say that on Sunday about not knowing he had six steals against Boston?)
So many things happened in the game–the two blown leads in the ninth innings. The two-out hits to deliver big runs. Brian Tallet.
I guess the only thing missing was someone swiping six bags.
Shame on all those who missed it. Shame on Rick, House, Cliff, et al.

Few dinosaurs are as famous as the brontosaur. Millions of people have gazed at huge brontosaur models in museums or looked at brontosaur pictures in books. Generations of cartoon-watching children have seen the brontosaur featured in The Flintstones. In 1989 the U.S. Post Office chose four major dinosaurs to feature on stamps, and one was the brontosaur. The brontosaur has enjoyed an impressive career as a big-time celebrity. There’s just one small problem: it never existed!
How could a non-existent creature become so famous? Well, back in 1874, a large dinosaur skeleton was found, but the skull was missing. A fossil expert decided to complete the skeleton by adding a skull which had been found some distance away, and it was trumpeted as a newfound species called brontosaurus. With each passing year, the brontosaur’s fame grew. But at long last somebody pointed out that the head matched one dinosaur species, while the skeleton matched a different species. The making of the brontosaur was like taking the bones of a poodle, topping them off with the skull of a cat, and calling the mismatched skeleton a newly discovered species.
Most of us have enormous confidence in science, and we can hardly believe that a fossil expert could make a wrong-headed dinosaur. But what about portraying a pig as a primate? Believe it or not, that really happened. Evolutionist scientists announced that they had found a missing link between apes and humans, and they offered drawings of the skull and skeleton, along with an artist’s portrait of what this ape-man had looked like. Science labeled it Hesperopithecus; the popular media called it Nebraska Man. With all the details being offered about the way this missing link looked and how he lived, people were impressed, and few were aware that the only real fossil the scientists had to go on was a tooth. It was quite a stretch to figure out so much from just a tooth, but here’s the worst part: the tooth was later identified as coming not from an extinct primate but from a type of pig that today lives only in Paraguay.
Another missing link was an ape-man which the experts labeled Eoanthropus. This remarkable skull, popularly known as Piltdown Man, prompted The New York Times to trumpet the headline, “Darwin Theory Is Proved True.” Evolutionary experts testifying for the ACLU at the “Scopes monkey trial” triumphantly used Piltdown Man to prove their case. Years later, however, Piltdown was proved a counterfeit. It turned out that some evolutionists, eager to convince everyone that Darwin was right, had deliberately put together a fake fossil, using a human skull cap and an orangutan’s jaw. It wasn’t even a good forgery, but nobody checked it over closely or challenged its authenticity. Why not? Because it supported the prevailing theory and the perpetrators of the fraud had great prestige. As a result, Eoanthropus enjoyed over forty years as Item A in the evidence for evolution before it was exposed as a fraud.
Now, I don’t mention these things because I am anti-science. I value many of the inventions and technical advances that sound science has achieved. I enjoy scientific study and try to keep up with some of the major ideas and discoveries. But though I appreciate science, I know that science is not always right. Science has been right about many things, but it has also been wrong a lot. Scientists can make honest mistakes, and some dishonest scientists even concoct false evidence on purpose to support their pet theories and advance their careers.
This is important to keep in mind, especially when we think about the relationship between science and the Bible. The book of Genesis, in particular, has been attacked by some scientists. They insist that there’s no way God made the world as the Genesis account says he did. They say there could not possibly have been a worldwide flood as described in Genesis. Such challenges might make you wonder, is Genesis believable? That’s a question we’ll return to, but before you ask whether Genesis is believable, first ask how believable science is.

I just don’t get it. Some things you think will end up well, others you think will not work out. Yet most times, the exact opposite happens.
Today was the de facto last day of the TEYC program I’ve been teaching. The students had to teach in a real daycare to gain experience as part of their practicum. I anticipated disaster, mainly because I knew the students and was kind of expecting them to be late or to mess up in some way.
The reason was we had gone to that daycare two weeks ago so the students could do an observation report, which was key to understanding children behaviour, etc. I’d instructed them to be on time, went over the rules, and so on. Yet on observation day, they arrived late (they chose to get there collectively, as a group), some forgot to bring their evaluation handouts, or didn’t follow the rules I’d laid out.
Thus, today, I expected them to show up late or screw up in some way or fashion. However, they surprised me by arriving on time and ready to go. The practicums were great.
On the other hand, I was informed on Wednesday that I would be taken out of this TEYC program (I was there for just one semester, and was just getting used to it) and re-inserted back into the Business program, where I’d spent my time the last several years. The reason was the student numbers were up in Business, and they preferred me with my experience to take over again.
So, that meant the school wanted to hire a new TEYC teacher. I immediately contacted an ex co-worker from another company, because I knew she’d been laid off five months ago and was STILL looking for work. She’d expressed interest before in working at the school but was “sick” the last time she was supposed to come in for an interview.
Therefore, I thought I had clinched the deal. After all, I know her and could get her in easily (networking is important in jobs, as you know). I’d just finished teaching the TEYC course, had revamped the course, and was able to show her the ropes, get her accustomed to the program.
Now, on Wednesday, I told the ex co-worker about the position and let her know the school would be hiring for someone to start on Monday. She seemed interested but wanted to let me know her decision the following day (Thursday).
I figured it was a done deal. If she said yes, I’d let my superiors know, and she’d come in and go through some orientation, and be ready to go.
Of course, in the meantime, resumes were flooding in from many job-seekers too. I did NOT hear from this ex co-worker until CLOSE TO 4 p.m. on Thursday, and she was STILL undecided!!!!!
I mean, seriously, why did I bother to help her out? Knowing that she needed a job, knowing that this was urgent (I told her the person that was hired would be starting on Monday), knowing that I was waiting for an answer, she simply chose to not contact me back until after work on Thursday!
That was just plain inconsiderate… Once again, I have to remind myself not to be so nice to people. This would be the second time that she’d pulled this off, counting the time she was “sick” and didn’t come to the first interview.
Urgh!
I guess I should stop worrying about other people’s welfare (she’d been laid off since the beginning of the year and still hasn’t found anything) and just focus on my own well-being instead.
That would give me less stress for sure.
And oh yeah, there’s more to this story, in regards to the school and what I’ll be teaching. But we’ll save that for later.

Blue Jays fans received bad news on Thursday when Toronto placed rookie starter Ricky Romero (right oblique) and closer B.J. Ryan (left trapezius) on the 15-day disabled list.
Romero has looked great so far this season, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three starts. The struggling Ryan has a pair of saves, but has also blown two other save opportunities, and owns an 11.12 ERA.
In case you haven’t been keeping track, the Jays have been thin in the pitching department, having already lost three starters: Jesse Litsch, Dustin McGowan, and Shaun Marcum. Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Litsch could return by June, McGowan by mid-June to late July, and Marcum by August.
Despite all that, the Jays just keep winning.
On Thursday, the Jays knocked off the Texas Rangers 5-2 to win their fifth straight series to start the season. Canadian Scott Richmond (2-0) scattered six hits–including two home runs–in six innings for the victory, while Scott Downs picked up his first save of the season.
Alex Rios finally hit his first homer of the season, a two-run blast, while Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay added solo shots.
On Friday night, the Blue Jays were at it again, as they began a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
Brian Tallet, who pitched well in place of Litsch last Saturday (but didn’t pick up the win), made his second start since 2006–and the eighth of his ML career–and this time, did he ever get the run support.
It turned out to be a laugher.
The Blue Jays battered White Sox starter Gavin Floyd for six runs and nine hits in only 4 1/3 innings, as Toronto won, 14-0.
The Jays outhit the White Sox 21-6.
Seemed more like a football game than a baseball contest.
The 14 runs and 21 hits were both season highs.
Meanwhile, Tallet allowed four hits and three walks, striking out five in his 5 2/3 innings of work. By the time he was relieved, the Jays were already up by four field goals.
Tallet had a 3-0 lead even before he even needed to take the mound. Wells doubled home two runs before Adam Lind doubled Wells home to give the lefty the three-run cushion.
Scott Rolen singled home Rios in the third inning to give Toronto a 4-0 lead.
In the fifth, Gavin threw two wild pitches and gave up two singles with a walk, before he was finally lifted by White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen. Aaron Hill later added an RBI single in the same inning as the Jays were up 6-zip.
Six hits by the Jays in the sixth–including four in a row–upped the lead to 12-0.
Seemingly every Blue Jays batter contributed in the blowout win. Everyone in the starting lineup–except Overbay, who went 0-for-4–had at least one hit.
Lind finished the game with three doubles, while Hill drove in three runs. Rod Barajas went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and Jose Bautista added a solo homer in the ninth to close out the scoring. Marco Scutaro (3-for-4), Wells (3-for-5, 2 RBIs), and Travis Snider (3-for-5) also each collected three hits.
A good sign for the Blue Jays–they were able to capitalize on the opportunities given to them on Friday night. After a leadoff walk to Scutaro, Hill reached base when White Sox shortstop Ramirez muffed his grounder. Rios struck out, but Wells delivered with the two-run double.
Good to see the Jays not wasting the extra out given to them.
Toronto is now 13-5, and sends lefty Brian Burres (0-2, 6.97 in Triple-A Las Vegas) to the hill on Saturday night. The White Sox counter with Mark Buehrle (2-0, 3.00).
Roy Halladay (3-1, 3.72) starts Sunday against Jose Contreras (0-3, 8.04).
Even if the Jays don’t win Saturday, they should be able to win their sixth straight series–after all, Doc will be starting on Sunday.
Fun times for the Blue Jays!