It was 55 years ago that an entire nation was introduced to the passion of Montreal Expos baseball. Canada's first Major League Baseball team was on TV just once per week, so it was all about re-creating in your mind's eye via Dave Van Horne and his partners on radio. Dave was the voice of summer for many generations. In our latest Griff's Baseball Conversations, Dave and I recall the start of his career, the many Hall-of-Fame partners he worked with, and we go down the list of positive franchise memories that still make us all smile.

Griff and Scotty Mac celebrate Shohei Ohtani's historic 50/50 season (50 home runs, 50 stolen bases), but not before they break down Rogers' takeover of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and what it means for the Toronto Blue Jays and the professional sports landscape in the city. Included in the discussion, the increasingly blurred relationship between the teams and the media which cover them.

After starting off with more love for Toronto Blue Jays breakout Bowden Francis, Griff and Scotty Mac shift their attention to recent comments from shortstop Bo Bichette, whose 2024 season has been one he'd like to forget. What Bo told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi was markedly different than what he told the Toronto Star's Rosie DiManno a couple of months ago; the guys consider Bo's motivations and options in the months and year ahead.

The Toronto Blue Jays are into the final month of the season and the kids have been playing long enough now for Griff and Scotty Mac to play "Realistic Ronnies" (as opposed to "Negative Nellies") and give their opinions on where the young players fit, or don't, on the 2025 roster and beyond. Bowden Francis continues to ascend; and a comment about Chris Bassitt triggers memories of the guys covering R.A. Dickey.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: A longer, unedited version of this episode can be found, no later than Wednesday, on youtube.com/@exitphilosophy. In this episode, Griff and Scotty Mac discuss the recent 16-game run against lesser teams and whether the Toronto Blue Jays 10-6 record was a mirage. Joey Votto retires - did the Blue Jays handle it properly? And as Bo Bichette nears a return from the injured list the guys discuss whether he can salvage his season.

Following the Toronto Blue Jays' weekend visit to Wrigley Field, Griff and Scotty Mac, both of whom have been to the fabled stadium on many different occasions, share their favourite memories. The conversation then turns to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s and Bo Bichette's long-term situations, how and why the situations are so different and what, if anything, can be done to rectify the relationship with Bichette. How should Vladdy approach his negotiation?

It's the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Major League Baseball players' strike, a sadly pivotal moment in Montreal Expos history and a moment which literally changed the course of Griff's life, as he details in this episode. Then, the guys get into Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro's media availability from last week and it leads to a lively discussion.

It's been almost a week since the MLB Trade Deadline and Scotty Mac wants to know, has the dopamine rush ended yet? Getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed long term needs to be the top priority. The guys discuss who of the Toronto Blue Jays' young players should have a guaranteed spot on the 2025 opening day roster. Has the mood changed with regard to the Jays' front office and if so, why? The Chicago White Sox are historically awful.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Griff and Scotty Mac will be LIVE on YouTube at 8pmET on Tuesday, July 30, recapping the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Join in the conversation at www.youtube.com/@exitphilosophy

As of this recording the Toronto Blue Jays have traded Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, and Danny Jansen. There's more to come, surely, headlined by Yusei Kikuchi. The guys look at the trades, reflect fondly on Jansen's time in Toronto and Scotty Mac wonders where it went wrong for Pearson, who once was a can't-miss prospect.

Griff and this week's co-host, Dave Perkins, discuss their mutual history at the Toronto Star, with Dave as sports editor hiring Griff away from the Montreal Expos. They discuss how fans and the media have evolved through the years from the early 1990s to now. They talk the Hall-of-Fame and memories of Jim Leyland, plus a recent father-son road trip to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh by Dave. Then there's the Jays, the deservedly maligned front office and what they might do at the trade deadline.