So, the Pirates are actually kind of good. Not Red Sox good, but almost there/good pieces good. That Andrew McCutchen is a talented guy. A 5 tool type that makes old school baseball fans sigh names like "Aaron....Mays." His homer off an otherwise solid Luis Perez turned out to be the difference in the game. This game actually felt like a Jays 2010 game, probably due to all the homers. Fred McGriff was a guest in the booth when Jose Bautista jacked a 2 run homer, his league leading 24th. McGriff was mid-sentence and then made the most hysterical noise, a little "My word" kind of sound that made me laugh. It was really good to see that guy looking and sounding so good, and the sadness in his voice when Buck Martinez brought up when he was traded from the Jays was touching. McGriff was at the core of this team when it was being built up and they won the World Series without him.

Encarnacion is in one of his moods where he hits with a tremendous amount of power, seemingly at will. I hope the two homers tonight silence people on the wretched, mean spirited "E5" nickname that persists. It's just as easy to type "EE", people.

I will word this carefully, as I am not looking to get into an Internet war with one of my fellow bloggers, but freaking out over the relatively benign Lyle Overbay comments speculating as to why the Jays don't draw people to the park was more than a little ridiculous. Using the word "values" was probably a misstep, but it was a dumb question and a pretty poorly written article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The comments were not completely out of line considering the strike pretty much killed the team in Montreal. People don't come to the stadium like they did in the early 90s. I'm completely convinced people will show up when the team plays consistently well and becomes more than just a showcase for one really fantastic player. Also, this team has fans that don't live in Toronto and that is reflected in the TV ratings. And considering that Jays' fans are normally described as passive or indifferent by sports writers around the league, being labelled "passionate" and "unforgiving" is a pretty interesting change.

Athletes are strange, and more often than not, sheltered. This can sometimes make their opinions or statements a little strange. I was reminded of this in the profile of Kyle Drabek that appeared in the Toronto Star on Saturday. Drabek comes off as an incredibly privileged and sheltered individual whose life has revolved around baseball for as long he can remember. Considering this, it's not so surprising Drabek has struggled to keep things together on the mound and keep his emotions in check. If the one thing that has defined you since you were a kid suddenly isn't working for you, it can be more than a little unnerving.