Joining me to discuss the shame and humiliation of the broken national sports pastime that is Major League Baseball is acclaimed sportscaster and legendary TSN reporter Tony Ambrogio (@Tony_Ambrogio), country music star and Blue Jays blogger Chris Henderson (@baseball4brains), and former minor league basketball player and lawyer Mick Sloniowski.

Together we discussed: how to adequately deal with the hubris and hypocrisy of a sport gone to rot, what a suitable punishment should be for players directly involved with these shenanigans since 2017, why Rob Manfred is a pitiful excuse for a league commissioner, what MLB should do with advanced technology governing the extent of rampant greed in the sport, how Jose Altuve went from an inspirational human being to a bucket of second-grade used pine tar, and why the Houston Astros as an organization deserve a special place in baseball hell.

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Five takes on the nature and quality of the Toronto Blue Jays rebuild during the 2019 MLB campaign.

Special guests: Jason Woodell (@JasonAtTheGame), Richard Birfer (@richardbirfs), Hayden Godfrey (@haydengodfreyy), Marshall Auerback (@Mauerback) and Chris Henderson (@Baseball4Brains).

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Enjoy the latest Toronto Blue Jays round table recorded on May 20th, 2019 and brought to you by Jays Journal and arishapiro.ca.

Settle in and join host Ari Shapiro and his guests: country musician star and site expert Chris Henderson (@baseball4brains), scouting director and minor league expert Richard Birfer (@richardbirfs), and celebrated writer and public speaker Hayden Godfrey (@haydengodfreyy).

Together, they tackle the issue of resting Vlad Guerrero Jr. hot on the heels of winning AL Player of the Week and in front of a national holiday crowd, how to analyze the reported 25% decrease in attendance over last year and what baseball is doing to combat diminishing interest in the sport, evaluating the fourth year of the Shapiro/Atkins era, why the fourth largest market in baseball has an actualized payroll of $65 million dollars, what to do with Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez as the only legitimate trading chips on the roster, looking back at Roberto Osuna and the price that was paid for making a "moral" baseball trade, and their general speculation on the quality and nature of this enigmatic rebuild.

Be sure to visit jaysjournal.com and arishapiro.ca for your latest in Blue Jays insights, editorials, and analysis.

This latest baseball round table includes guests Jesse Golderberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass; author and voice of the Lansing Lugnuts), Marshall Auerback (@Mauerback; writer and research analyst at the Levy Institute), and Jason Woodell (@JasonAtTheGame; co-founder of Prospects Live and host of The Scouts Have Eyes podcast).

We discussed: Anthony Alford's great and final crusade, the sumptuous reclamation projects that is Teoscar Hernandez, a strange recurrence of the Shapiro vs. Anthopoulos paradigm, what Alex and his legacy was truly all about, Woodell's favourite under-the-radar Jays prospects, dreaming of 200+ innings from Stroman and Sanchez, why the most important rookie on the team isn't a player, how to properly grade the efforts of Charlie Montoyo, and the power of self-prescribed intellectual exercises in management versus old-school vanilla rebuilds.

Be sure to check out jaysjournal.com and arishapiro.ca for all the latest news, insights, and editorials on all things Toronto Blue Jays.

The latest Jays Journal round table featuring Chris Henderson (@baseball4brains; musician and site expert at Jays Journal), Geoff Falbo (@gfalbo13; writer/blogger formerly with Deep Leagues), and Eric Rosenhek (@TheHek; writer and host of Definitely Not Jays Talk).

We discussed: Vlad Guerrero's oblique strain and the issue of personal conditioning, the glorious renaissance of Bo Bichette, Anthony Alford's quest for true baseball redemption, Bud Norris and the issue of veteran influence in the dugout, what happens if Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez put their pitching woes behind them, the future of the starting rotation, when this team officially becomes Mark Shapiro's baby, and what happens if the bottom falls out early and all we're left with is a minor league product at major league prices during August.

2018 Toronto Blue Jays Player in Review: Kevin Pillar

Join podcast host Ari Shapiro as he takes a moment to reflect on the season that was for center fielder Kevin Pillar and what fans should expect in the days ahead. Featuring article and social media quotes from: Hayden Godfrey, Clayton Richer, and Chris Henderson of Jays Journal.

Be sure to tune in regularly for new player reviews from the year that was, and check out the latest work from the writing crew over at Jays Journal. Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today and receive the latest daily reviews straight to your e-mail inbox and on-demand with your phone.

2018 Toronto Blue Jays Player in Review: Marcus Stroman

Join podcast host Ari Shapiro as he takes a moment to reflect on the season that was for starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and what fans should expect in the days ahead. Featuring article and social media quotes from: Chris Henderson, Jon Morosi, and Marcus Stroman's twitter feed.

Be sure to tune in regularly for new player reviews from the year that was, and check out the latest work from the writing crew over at Jays Journal (@JaysJournal).

Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today and receive the latest daily reviews straight to your e-mail inbox and on-demand with your phone.

2018 Toronto Blue Jays Player in Review: Justin Smoak

Join podcast host Ari Shapiro as he takes a moment to reflect on the season that was for first baseman Justin Smoak and what fans should expect in the days ahead. Featuring article quotes from: Hayden Godfrey, Chris Henderson, and Clayton Richer.

Be sure to tune in regularly for new player reviews from the year that was, and check out the latest work from the writing crew over at Jays Journal (@JaysJournal).

Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today and receive the latest daily reviews straight to your e-mail inbox and on-demand with your phone.

2018 Toronto Blue Jays Player in Review: Russell Martin

Join podcast host Ari Shapiro as he takes a moment to reflect on the season that was for catcher Russell Martin and what fans should expect in the days ahead. Featuring article quotes from: Clayton Richer, Chris Henderson, Hayden Godfrey, and Steve Buffery.

Be sure to tune in regularly for new player reviews from the year that was, and check out the latest work from the writing crew over at Jays Journal (@JaysJournal).

Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today and receive the latest daily reviews straight to your e-mail inbox and on-demand with your phone.

Jays Journal Podcast - Episode 77. "There and Back Again."

(0:00-4:02) Opening Monologue
(4:05-23:31) Ben Nicholson-Smith, National Baseball Editor at Sportsnet
(23:31-47:14) Chris Henderson, Site Expert at the Jays Journal
(47:15-65:01) Richard Birfer, Regional Supervisor at the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network

First, I spoke with Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) of Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) about his thoughts regarding the lingering rumours surrounding Mark Shapiro and the New York Mets, how fans should reconcile an absolutely brutal year of baseball, his candid takes on the most promising rookies for 2019, selecting an MVP from the underachieving hot mess before him, if the organization is comfortable enough with their starters next year to find any semblance of real competition, which old guard veterans he feels won't be around for the rebuild, the lasting influence of potential player-coach Russell Martin, and how fans should truly feel about the way the Josh Donaldson saga reached its conclusion.

Next, Chris Henderson (@Baseball4Brains) of Jays Journal (@JaysJournal) dropped in to offer his perspectives on the surprising play of the recent crop of Blue Jays rookies in September, thoughts on the young and unpredictable starting rotation for next year, his impression of Randal Grichuk replacing Kevin Pillar moving ahead, why he thinks Kendrys Morales is worth keeping, on the brilliant future of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., an opinion on Devon Travis as likely the best reclamation project of all, dealing with the veiled threat of a lowered payroll in the future, if Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins can rebuild their credibility with fans, and his opinion of the value and influence of Ken Giles as the team's closer.

Finally, Richard Birfer (@richardbirfs) from the Collegiate Scouting Baseball Network (@CBScountingNet) joined me to help digest and interpret the media hype surrounding a future based almost entirely on youth and prospect promise, how to contextualize the third best farm system in organized baseball, his earnest evaluation of Ryan Borucki-Bo Bichette-Danny Jansen-Lourdes Gurriel Jr., thoughts on a future without Kevin Pillar, which outfield prospects could end surprising the faithful, and why he feels that Vlad Guerrero Jr. needs more time to develop.