Provincial Bird Talk

I'd like to think of myself as something of a media critic as of late, or so I think. I have come to appreciate some of the better writing that the internet has to offer. This combined with my love for the Jays has lead to two recent articles from a couple of the best long form outlets on the web.

How Jose Bautista Went From Baseball Vagabond To The Game's Best Slugger | ThePostGame

I believe I brought this article to the forefront in the forums, but I really hope you should all read it again. Jeff Passan has been with Yahoo, and writing for their blogs for a while now. When he takes his time to piece together a long form piece, he does an excellent job. His profile of Jose Bautista is an excellent read, one that gives the reader a great understanding of all things Bautista. You get to read about his upbringing in the Dominican, the early days of the minors and majors, and his transformation into the hitting machine he is now. I have really enjoyed Yahoos The Post Game, and it has become part of my daily reading.

Chris Jones on Toronto and the Blue Jays - Grantland

The second article comes from Chris Jones on ESPN's Grantland. Jones, a well known writer in the journalism field, gives us a glimpse at some of the problems the Jays are facing. A franchise with a short, but rich history now worries about filling seats in the fourth largest market for baseball. A franchise that is starting down a path to rebuilding a World Series team after years of futility.

These two articles give you the idea of the hope the Jays have for the present, and an idea of the good things that could come in the future.