Jays From Home

#86 – Bautista's Level of Excellence

March 13, 2023 09:45 - 1 hour - 54.6 MB

Matt and Steve continue the Spring Training discourse as the Blue Jays have very little news coming out of camp...which is good because that means no injuries. They talk about Jose Bautista's entry to the Level of Excellence in August, and the new $20 general admission ticket introduced this week. Plus Kikuchi's continuing scoreless campaign and possible place in the rotation, and more World Baseball Classic talk. Chris Black's Yusei Kikuchi Spring Training Breakdown: https://twitter.com/D...

#85 – Various Birthdays

March 06, 2023 10:45 - 1 hour - 45.8 MB

Matt and Steve celebrate the various birthdays from the week starting with the birth of Alejandro Kirk's daughter on the 28th, and Bo's on the 5th (with whom Steve graciously shares the day). Plus more talk about the effectiveness of the pitch clock, slightly alarming news about Vladdy pulling out of the WBC, and a little more discussion about Addison Barger's future with the club. They talk a bit about 2023's "B" teams but more on that in the next week or two. Plus, Matt does not keep very ...

#84 – Clocking Into Spring Training

February 27, 2023 10:45 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MB

2023 Spring Training kicks off 6 months of baseball! The Blue Jays got a game in against the Pirates and Matt & Steve talk about those results and some news around the league including the Tampa Bay Rays' arbitration strategies and outrageous hat prices. Ryan Thompson's thread about his arbitration case with the Rays Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JaysFromHome Mastodon: https://masthead.social/@JaysFromHome Matt's Brain On Baseball: https://mattgowersbrainonbaseball.substack.com/

#83 – Evan Drellich: Winning Fixes Everything

February 13, 2023 10:45 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Matt & Steve talk about Bo Bichette’s new extension with the Blue Jays, the new look broadcast team, Chad Green’s Choose Your Own Adventure contract, a former Expos draftee retires and some new Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. Later, they interview Evan Drellich about his new book Winning Fixes Everything. Also: Matt can see the future with Spaghetti. Follow Matt’s Substack Newsletter: https://mattgowersbrainonbaseball.substack.com/

#82 – Rolen Over the Competition

January 30, 2023 10:45 - 1 hour - 51.8 MB

Matt and Steve discuss new Hall of Famer Scott Rolen and his Blue Jays legacy. Later, they take measure of Rogers Centre’s new, potentially neutral outfield dimensions, talk about Montreal’s hopes for an MLB expansion team, break down a couple Twins trades involving “Taylors” and talk about the cat & mouse game that the Pitch Clock could create. Plus: Matt was right about YouTube and Steve gives Casablanca 5 stars. Fun fact: there IS a baseball tie-in to Casablanca: https://theathletic....

#81 – Bo Knows His Value

January 16, 2023 10:45 - 1 hour - 69.3 MB

Matt & Steve are back (a little sooner than they planned) to recap a busy week in the baseball world. They examine how the Blue Jays lineup might look with the addition of Brandon Belt, discuss the drama playing out on Twitter over Bo Bichette’s impending arbitration case, dig into the deep roots of Drew Hutchison’s trade tree (and all the fruit that it has reaped) and they tie up all the loose ends in the epic trilogy of Carlos Correa signings this off-season. Later, Matt interviews Dr. P...

#80 – New Year, New Jays

January 09, 2023 10:45 - 1 hour - 58.4 MB

Matt interviews comedian Tom Dreesen about rooting for the Chicago Cubs from the wrong neighbourhood, shoe-shining and Frank Sinatra. Later Steve & Matt discuss the Daulton Varsho trade, Drew Hutchison’s return to the Jays, the ongoing Carlos Correa saga and recap some of the remaining off-season moves. Plus: Do The Borg have the most powerful labour union in the galaxy? Check Out Tom Dreesen’s book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53913855-still-standing

#79 – Groundhog Jays

December 19, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 44.4 MB

Matt and Steve are back to find that there have been a LOT of player moves over the last two weeks. Unfortunately (or fortunately, in some cases?) the Blue Jays are not one of those teams, but they did make some moves. Plus, Matt has some strong opinions about fake elf legs dangling out of car trunks during the holidays. New Intro/Outro music: They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul

#78 – Mays From Home

December 05, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 120 MB

Matt interviews journalist John Shea about the biography he co-authored with Willie Mays (24: Life Story and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid). They discuss teaching kids about Willie Mays in the classroom, Willie’s commitment to playing well defensively, his similarities to Mickey Mantle & Rickey Henderson, being a mentor to multiple generations of baseball players and his strong connection with the Bonds family. Later on, Matt looks ahead to MLB’s Winter Meetings, wonders if the top 3 target...

#77 – Tradewinds Blowing

November 21, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 45.7 MB

Matt and Steve return from a two-week hiatus to discover a lot of news happened! Between awards, signings, and trades, there's a lot to cover. The biggest news - the Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle.

#76 – Quiet Period

November 07, 2022 10:30 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MB

Matt & Steve discuss the World Series and new champions Houston Astros to begin the podcast, as well as some Jays news (Gold Glove winner Vlad Guerrero Jr!), and hirings around the league. Also discussed: the recent Ottawa Senators sale announcement, and what is the best Halloween candy? Opening audio: Dan Shulman's final world series call on ESPN https://twitter.com/espnpr/status/1589109011693068289?s=46&t=Dyy8Gpcafi-bimiLZpbm3g Break song: Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push

#75 – Mattress Mack’s Big Bet

October 31, 2022 09:30 - 44 minutes - 82.3 MB

This week, Brett Chancey from @LockedonAstros podcast joins Matt to talk about the World Series. They talk about the Astros dominance, Jose Altuve’s resurgence, James Click’s future, redemption in the wake of the cheating scandal and Mattress Mack’s $75 million bet. Also: Meditation is key…

#74 – Harmonia axyridis

October 24, 2022 09:30 - 1 hour - 41.5 MB

A lot of Jays news to talk about this week in spite of the ongoing League Championship Series, which included the hiring of a new manager (John Schneider), and 5 Gold Glove nominations. Matt & Steve also talk about the playoffs, do a Sens At Home check-in, and lament the invasive species Harmonia axyridis.

#73 – Best of 75

October 17, 2022 09:30 - 50 minutes - 34.4 MB

Matt & Steve talk about the teams remaining in the 2022 MLB Playoffs (including finding out how many games it would take for the favoured teams to win in the playoffs), as well as talk some more about the unfortunate early exit for the Blue Jays this year. There's a little bit of Jays news to talk about too, focusing on John Schneider's future with the club. Plus a brief check-in with the Titans and Senators.

#72 – A Beautiful Disaster

October 11, 2022 09:24 - 1 hour - 111 MB

Matt is joined by special guest-host Phil Selig (aka @CubaDugout). They reluctantly relive the #BlueJays-#Mariners series, malign MLB.tv’s decision to black out playoff games for people outside the US and look ahead to a winter of discontent. Plus: Cuban Elite League teams are still waiting for their uniforms…

#71 – Poor Frankie Lasagna

October 03, 2022 09:34 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MB

Jays From Home is recorded in the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. Matt & Steve recap a week with many milestone moments, including Aaron (Not Mike) Judge's 61st home run, which came off of a Tim Mayza pitch. Plus the Blue Jays clinch a playoff spot thanks to the Boston Red Sox - who continue to help the Blue Jays by being utterly incapable of playing good baseball, finishing the season 3-16 vs Toronto, outscored 125-55. Sportsnet feature on Kaleb Thomas...

#70 – Schrödinger’s Blue Jays

September 26, 2022 09:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MB

Matt and Steve are back after a week off (for Steve's wedding). In today's episode, potential playoff matchups, the awful, terrible, no-good Tropicana Field, talking about strong finishes, and wondering about a possible playoff "B" team.

#69 – Roller Coaster Ride

September 12, 2022 09:00 - 28 minutes - 51.3 MB

This week, Matt talks about the roller coaster ride that is September baseball, the confusion of playoff seeding, Bo Bichette’s hot bat, the enigmatic Yankees and looks at the upcoming rule changes for next season. Later Matt recaps the Ottawa Titans playoff results. Plus: The Twilight Zone that is “Free Time”.

#68 – The Great Pumpkin Spice Conspiracy

September 05, 2022 09:30 - 1 hour - 45.1 MB

Is the return of sticky stuff related to the seasonal return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Matt thinks so...Steve returns to the podcast following a week where the Blue Jays return to winning games and Marcus Stroman returns to pitch in Toronto (for the Cubs). The Twins have their work cut out for them in our B-Team check-in, and a playoff clinching win for the Ottawa Titans! Related read to Steve's fun AAA Trivia: Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game by Dan Barry

#67 – Winnable Games

August 29, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 112 MB

Today Matt finds similarities in the pace of the Red Sox Series with the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, devises a treatment strategy for Teoscar Hernandez’s bruised toe and praises extra-inning hero George Springer. Later Matt’s joined by author & musician Dave Bidini to relive the highs and lows of the 80s & 90s Blue Jays. They also discuss finding comfort connecting with a team from afar. Also: The perils of unattended sunscreen… Follow Dave Bidini on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hockeyesqu...

#66 – Oops All Positives!

August 22, 2022 09:00 - 23 minutes - 43.6 MB

In today’s episode, Matt goes all positive, celebrating a series win against the Yankees, praising Matt Chapman: The Good Teammate, appreciating the beauty of Vladdy’s trademark line drive homers and seeing the intangibles of George Springer, Jose Berrios & Ross Stripling play out in the win column. Plus: How to steal shoes by using your kids as a diversion.

#65 – Running Up That Hill

August 15, 2022 09:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MB

Matt & Steve hope that the Blue Jays bounce back from a not-so-fun week against the Orioles and Guardians when they face...The Orioles again next week. They talk about some news - the signing of Jackie Bradley Jr., Tatis Jr. testing positive for PEDs, and the new brew from Left Field Brewing Company (who is a certified Living Wage employer!). The Jays will be Running Up That Hill for the month of August, so hopefully they can work through the drudge, the dog days of summer, and keep up with ...

#64 – Musical Chairs

August 08, 2022 09:30 - 1 hour - 45.6 MB

Matt returns from vacation and he and Steve break down the trade deadline acquisitions for the Blue Jays, talk about the past week's results, and look WAY ahead on the Blue Jays schedule because Matt made an Error, and forgot that the Jays play Cleveland next week and not New York. Matt also talks a bit about the passing of Vin Scully, and his troubles with getting sick while on vacation. Meanwhile, Steve enjoys tackling items on his to do lists. Vin Scully's call of Joe Carter's 1993 W...

#63 – Sherry Cerny from Twins Daily

August 01, 2022 16:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MB

It's Steve recording alone this week, with Matt on vacation. Steve recorded on Trade Deadline Eve, talking about some very good results (lol @ Boston), with the Jays finishing the week with an 8-2 record in their last 10. Also joining Steve to talk about the Minnesota Twins is Sherry Cerny of Twins Daily. They have a great discussion about how the Twins season is going, the ups and downs, and trade deadline targets. You can find Sherry online at: Twins Daily: https://www.twinsdaily.com T...

#62 – All Star Blue Jays

July 18, 2022 09:30 - 1 hour - 47.1 MB

The Blue Jays head into the All Star break on a much brighter note than their western road trip. The week started off in turmoil with the firing of Charlie Montoyo but other than a brief blip on Thursday against Kansas City the Jays put up a strong week. On top of the Blue Jays already named to the All Star game, both Santiago Espinal and Jordan Romano were named as late additions to the rosters. Matt & Steve did a home run derby draft to see who has the best home run "team" - who will come ...

#61 – Big Picture

July 11, 2022 09:30 - 33 minutes - 61.9 MB

Today, Matt recaps a losing week for the #Bluejays, shoots down the growing “Fire Montoyo” narrative, lauds Kevin Gausman’s high tops, looks at a few jersey concepts, praises White Sox reliever Liam Hendricks for speaking out in favour of gun control and relives 24 hours without internet. TKARÓN:TO TACKLE TWILL STITCHED BASEBALL JERSEY – Casey Bannerman Designs https://caseybannerman.com/products/tkaron-to-baseball-jersey Don’t forget to follow Jays From Home on Twitter: www.twitter.com/...

#60 – Bobby Bonilla Day

July 04, 2022 09:30 - 52 minutes - 95.8 MB

Today Matt celebrates Bobby Bonilla Day (and Canada Day too!), lobbies for more help and stability in the Jays starting rotation, basks in the neon glow of the Padres new City Connect jerseys and praises Marcus Stroman for speaking out in support of women’s rights. Later, Matt and Gary Hill Jr. (www.twitter.com/garyhilljr) preview the upcoming Jays - Mariners series and talk about Seattle’s exciting young core and their march to the Wild Card. Plus: Leave the fireworks to the profession...

#59 – Standing Up For Pride

June 27, 2022 09:30 - 57 minutes - 106 MB

Today, Matt recaps some close Blue Jays losses, talks about Alejandro Kirk’s mastery at the plate, Doug Eddings generous strike zone and Guillermo Martinez’s consequent ejection & suspension. Elsewhere around the MLB, Matt digs into the muddy baseball controversy, uncovers a Canadian company that aims to take hitting on a new Trajektory and praises a trio of players standing up for Pride Night and the LGBTQIA+ community. Later, Matt chats with Phil Selig about all things Cuban Baseball. ...

#58 – The Good Land

June 20, 2022 10:00 - 58 minutes - 39.9 MB

Matt is back for Father's Day, and he & Steve talk about the recent not-so-good week for the Blue Jays. To start, a neat Father's Day fact about Vlad Jr.; and we ask who was the most significant free agent signing: Hyun-jin Ryu or George Springer? There was also a quick discussion about how close the Jays were to signing Verlander, and the Jays' "secret" baserunning scorecard. Plus, hot off the heels of Matt's debunked "10 run" theory, he has a new theory about why the Blue Jays are wearing ...

#57 – Look Out 'Cause Here's the Toronto Blue Jays

June 13, 2022 10:30 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MB

Matt's away camping, so eldest Gower brother Glen joins Steve for a third appearance on the podcast to talk about the week that was in Blue Jays land. There was a much bigger focus on music and public transportation infrastructure this week, but they did manage to work in a conversation about Vlad's batting troubles. The big music conversations surrounded the Angels' attempt to bust their slump with Nickelback, and the wonderful 1977 Toronto Blue Jays Theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

#56 – A Monster Lurks in the Daytime Shadows

June 06, 2022 10:30 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MB

To answer last week's question, YES, the offence has been revived. Matt & Steve talk about the great week the Jays had, which started off with a sweep over the White Sox; the Twins/Jays Friday night game was part of a night tied for 4th in MLB history with home runs in one night; Buffalo Bisons' Nathan Lukes hits an inside-the-park grand slam; and the Baltimore Orioles have named Eve Rosenbloom as their new assistant GM. Plus our usual Twins & Titans check-ins! And - is the Door Dash car ico...

#55 – Is the Offence Revived?

May 30, 2022 10:30 - 37.9 MB

The Blue Jays won 4 games in a row leading into our Sunday morning recording (and finished off with a very slow 11-10 win Sunday afternoon), leading Matt & Steve to talk about whether or not the Jays offence has been revived. They also talk about Espinal's great play - possibly even greater than Semien so far - the downside of west coast games, and a brief note on Russell Martin's official retirement. Plus our usual Twins & Titans check-ins, and Steve has a great idea about perforated popcor...

#54 – De-Wreck-O

May 24, 2022 10:30 - 49 minutes - 34 MB

Matt is joined by Steve again, and despite having a full week to talk about, a crazy storm on the weekend in Ottawa put a wrench in our plans. Overall it was a good week for the Jays winning both series but all in low-scoring games. They talk about what kind of defensive alignment should be banned, Kikuchi's coffee preferences, and general frustration with the lack of offence in the lineup outside of Espinal. Steve learns the term for the weather event this past weekend is a "derecho", leadin...

#53 – Squishy Balls

May 16, 2022 10:30 - 45 minutes - 83.9 MB

Today Tao of Stieb returns to the show to talk about the Jays new batting lineup, squishy baseballs and setting umpires free in the wild. Also, Matt talks about birthday parties and housecleaning. Follow Tao of Stieb: https://twitter.com/taoofstieb https://taoofstieb.substack.com

#52 – Rooting for the Red Sox?

May 09, 2022 09:30 - 22 minutes - 40.5 MB

Today, Matt discovers that he is now rooting for the Red Sox, is disappointed that last week’s prophecy came true and praises Bo Bichette, Kevin Gausman & the starting rotation. Plus, Matt almost forgets Mother’s Day and plays multiple rounds of Two Car Monty.

#51 – One-Run Games & Ottawa Titans Media Day

May 02, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 51.4 MB

Matt & Steve talk about the slightly concerning amount of one-run games the Blue Jays are playing in - though they are winning them! And is the current success the team is seeing a good thing or a bad thing? Plus, Matt attended the Ottawa Titans Media Day and spoke with David Mayberry, Luke Navigato, Elliott Curtis and manager Bobby Brown. Also, Matt thinks he's invented a new pizza.

#50 – Interview with Brett Chancey, Locked on Astros

April 25, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 64.1 MB

Steve's back to talk about how the Blue Jays have won 5 straight series to start the year, sitting in first place in the AL East at the time of recording. Injuries abound but the team is getting it done backed by a strong bullpen. Matt interviewed Brett Chancey of the Locked On Astros podcast to talk about the Houston Astros just in time for the Blue Jays series in Houston (and ahead of next week's series in Toronto). Plus, a positive check-in with the B-Team Minnesota Twins this time around!

#49 – Actual Baseball

April 18, 2022 10:31 - 48 minutes - 88.4 MB

Today, Matt recaps an up and down week for the Jays, declares that Vladdy’s MVP campaign has officially started, decries some bumps & bruises and applauds Jordan Romano’s dominance. Later, Matt’s joined by Lauren Campbell (NESN, Locked on Red Sox Podcast) to preview the upcoming series in Boston. Also: Matt’s super power is parking.

#48 – Never in Doubt

April 11, 2022 10:31 - 47 minutes - 87.9 MB

Today Matt talks about the Blue Jays’ opening weekend, the travels of Cavan Biggio’s pants (by way of Robbie Ray) and puts an end to Jose Ramirez trade rumours. Later Davide Disipio drops by to talk about the inaugural Ottawa Titans baseball season. Plus, we learn that crows know how to use tools…

#47 – B Team Reveal

April 04, 2022 10:31 - 1 hour - 42.4 MB

In this week's episode we reveal the B Team - chosen by the ever-reliable method of drawing a name out of a hat. Plus some Blue Jays signings, Charlie Montoyo's extension, general MLB news, and talking about several murders of crows. Drum roll sound effect: https://freesound.org/people/bigjoedrummer/sounds/77305/ CC0 1.0 Universal (No Copyright), by user bigjoedrummer.

#46 – 2022 Season Preview

March 28, 2022 10:01 - 1 hour - 50.1 MB

It's time for our 2022 Season Preview! First up are some notes about the Jays including the trade sending Randall Grichuk to the Rockies for Raimel Tapia, players signings to avoid arbitration, some Rogers Centre news, and other misc MLB news. Then we get into our predictions for the 2022 season (surprise, we both think the Jays will win the AL East). Plus some talk about putting bed sheets on a bed, and talking about watching movies.

#45 – Fellowship of the World Series Ring

March 21, 2022 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MB

Spring training begins and there has been even more free agent signings plus a huge TRADE! Involving the Blue Jays! The Jays acquired Matt Chapman and Matt & Steve talk about it. They also talked around a season preview without actually doing a season preview...Lots of MLB and Jays news to cover in this episode, there will be more Blue Jays coverage next week!

#44 – Baseball Returns!

March 14, 2022 10:30 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB

Great news - the lockout is over! Matt & Steve talk about the new CBA, which includes an extended 12 team playoffs, NO DH in the NL, and other tidbits. Plus, some Jays signings, and a debate about Daylights Savings Time.

#43 – The Lockout Continues

March 07, 2022 10:59 - 56 minutes - 39 MB

Unfortunately the lockout continues, but luckily there are still a few (minor) Jays news items to talk about. But the lockout dominated our talk today. Fair warning, there is at least ONE expletive in the episode. Matt & Steve also talk about the highs of mechanical pencils and the lows of "pink fong". Reading items: Eugene Freedman on Twitter The "National Fans Union" Don't forget to catch us on twitter @JaysFromHome

#42 – "We Hired a Really Good Investment Banker"

February 14, 2022 11:30 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MB

Episode Notes The lockout continues! While the MLB hired a "really good investment banker" to show how bad an investment owning an MLB team is and made some non-serious proposals, there doesn't seem to be a lot of optimism for starting baseball on time. Matt & Steve talk about how good the Jays farm system is (5th overall), 4 of their prospects appearing in the top 100 prospects list, and the apparent Universal DH rule coming in 2022. Plus, more weather talk AND a tax tip (if you live in On...

#41 – Do Robot Umpires Dream of Electric Sheep?

January 31, 2022 11:31 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MB

Episode Notes Matt and Steve reconvene after 2 weeks to talk some more baseball news (sadly, nothing further on CBA talks), an equally long update on the Ottawa Senators, and some differing opinions of cold weather. Other podcasts Matt & Steve run: Matt: Burnt Out Dad - a podcast about mental health as a Dad in COVID times available on Spotify/iTunes/Google & RSS Steve: The Slow Reader - a podcast about books.

#40 – No CBA In Sight

January 17, 2022 15:09 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

Episode Notes Matt & Steve try to tackle name pronounciations while discussing the great news of more women in baseball, the continued lack of CBA agreement (and perma-strike-out Rob Manfred), and try to nail down the over-under of snowfall amounts in winter storm warnings. Plus, our off-season Ottawa Senators update.

#39 – Free Agency Frenzy

December 13, 2021 10:31 - 1 hour - 46 MB

Episode Notes Matt and Steve come back after 3 weeks to talk about the MLB Free Agency Frenzy 2021, where the Toronto Blue Jays saw themselves signing Kevin Gausman and Yimi Garcia, plus a lot of other players signed with new teams. Plus a little bit of CBA talk, some more awards (for Blue Jays players!), Frontier League talk, and they agree that Christmas Lists are not a good thing.

#38 – Blue Jays Clean Up in Award Season

November 22, 2021 10:26 - 1 hour - 47.2 MB

Episode Notes Matt & Steve talk about the off-season awards, and the Blue Jays cleaned up! A handful of silver slugger and a gold glove award but sadly no MVP in sight for Vlad. Also some talk about Charlie Montoyo getting robbed of any Manager of the Year awards, what catcher the Jays might think about trading with Moreno on the rise (hint: his name rhymes with Dirk), and a little CBA talk. Plus a Sens From Home update. Podcasts we mentioned: The Thing About Helen and Olga The Shri...

#37 – MLB Season Wrap

November 08, 2021 14:00 - 44.8 MB

MLB Season Wrap We have a World Series Winner! Congrats to the Atlanta Braves. Steve & Matt talk about the World Series in general, some potential Blue Jays free agent moves and the qualifying offers extended to Ray and Semien (and the likely departure of Steven Matz). Also in the Sens From Home segment, we discuss the not-so-great game results but offset that with some positive news off the ice. Plus a gripping (or maybe...not so gripping) discussion about the benefits of non-stick fryin...

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