Grab up a stool, folks, we’re going to have one of those great sitting-around-having-a-chinwag that are so much fun while being impossible to resolve fully.

And we’ll start from here:

I am totally impressed with the lineup that Alex Anthopoulos has assembled with the TOD, he’s had a series of masterstrokes putting together an awesome offensive group.

Donaldson for Lawrie was a heist, Tulowitzki for Reyes was a definite upgrade, Martin when he seemingly had catching was outstanding; I think we’re in for the best fall in 30 years around these parts (is my math right?) and I can’t quickly remember a back-to-back like Saturday-Sunday for drama and intensity and general fun and good stress in years.

But when it was suggested on the tweeter on Saturday that this collection of hitters was not WAMCO I have to admit I was a tad taken aback by the reaction and the immediate reaction was:

“Oh, the kids these days, so irrepressible, so young, so lacking in perspective.”

You remember WAMCO, right?

Devon White, Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter and John Olerud? Staples of the first World Series team back eons ago – and I would suggest some of the people talking about this group might not have been alive when they were doing their thing – and as dominant a group of hitters that has been strung together for a very, very long time, one through five in a batting order. It wasn’t the ’27 Yankees of Murderer’s Row fame but it was damn good.

You had two Hall of Famers in Alomar (who is at least in the conversation as the best second baseman ever) and Molitor, you had a slugger in Carter and speed in the sublime White. All Olerud was, was the owner of one of the sweetest swings of all time, a doubles machine that I could watch hit hour after hour.

How good were they?

How about Olerud taking a .400 average late into a season and winning the batting crown over – yep – Molitor and Alomar in a one-two-three finish.

That, folks, was an offence that could bludgeon you or subtly bring you to your knees; they could hit homers and doubles and steal bases and go first-to-third and it was a daily joy to watch.

Now, Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion and whoever settles into that fifth spot – Chris Colabello or Russell Martin – is nothing to sneeze at and the way Alex has built the group over time has re-energized not only the team’s fans and the city but the players themselves.

But I don’t think they have the depth of talent or the different ways to pile up the runs as WAMCO did; I know it’s basically a matter of personal opinion and with the early-1990s being so long ago there might those among you whose memories are faded or non-existent.

But I bet many of Us Of A Certain Vintage will agree with me when they look in the dark recesses of their minds and smile. Every night you waited to see which of those five was going to go 4-for-5 with a couple of extra base hits and two or three RBIs.

And I don’t want to hear about WAR or any of the fancy new stats that exist like Balls In Play or whatever you have unless some stats geeks want to go back 30-some years and dive deeply into what White, Alomar, Molitor, Carter and Olerud did. Even then, even if those numbers validate my opinion, I wouldn’t use them to base my argument on.

Yes, it’s one of those silly barstool conversations that some of us enjoy so much – and it seems to always be baseball that lends itself to it, no?

And those two weekend games – the loss Saturday and the win Sunday – were beauties with great drama and great plays and we could be in for a glorious August, September and October around these parts and that will be wonderful.

But to suggest this group is even as good as that other group is, to me, dead wrong.

Agree?

(And someone smarter than I has to come up with a nickname for Tulowitzki, Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion. Get on it, will you folks)

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Oh yeah, David Price today, right?

Well, an Alert Irregular says it has to be this and who am I to disagree?

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Must be a holiday weekend and all the good guys are off doing summer things so they’ve reached deep down the roster to add yours truly to the FAN590 round table from 5-7.

If you’re home doing stinky chores or silly work or if you’re driving the clogged highways, tune in.

I’m sure there’s some pucks we can chat about.

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So the election goes forever, spans three holiday weekends and the end of the summer? We call it "nasty, long and expensive" and it's that something.



Whoop-dee-damn-doo!

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For some reason – and it would seem to say a lot about me – a chunk of the Sunday holiday weekend TV fare was devoted to the women’s British Open.

I know, I know. Should have been doing something constructive but was lost in my thoughts for a bit there.

Anyway, I know we talk a lot about dominant athletes of this ere – Serena Williams at the moment, Federer, Tiger when he was Tiger – and those having wondrous years – Jordan Speith comes immediately to mind – but lost amid all that would be Inbee Park.

How’s seven majors including six of the last 14 contested, a career Grand Slam (even if it is in a wee bit of dispute) and a 65 in the final round at Turnberry to track down and easily pass a fading countrywoman?

Park’s got to be on that list of greats, no?

I’d say yes.

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