Halladay, Jays ready to jump off top rope
Unfortunately, these weren't baseball fans. The homemade championship belts, mohawks and garish outfits marked them as bored wrestling fans killing time ahead of WrestleMania 23, staged last night across the street at Ford Field.
"Wrestling? Really?" shortstop Aaron Hill wondered after when someone let him in on the secret of the seething mass of humanity outside.
"Hey, you into wrestling?" Hill asked passing teammate Reed Johnson.
Johnson's reply was a withering stare, a long pause and a bemused, "No."
None of the Jays, looking tanned and relaxed after a morning flight from Tampa, would 'fess up to an interest in the goings on in the squared circle.
Jays set to whet their whistles
POSITION PLAYERS
2 AARON WALTER HILL 2B
Born March 21, 1982
in Visalia, Calif. (also lives there)
Neat number: Hit .362 from May 14 through the end of July to raise his average 117 points to .303.
Karaoke pick: "Can't Fight this Feeling," REO Speedwagon. "Great tune but you don't want me singing it."
Toronto Sun
No Doubts for Thomas
Thomas, who turns 39 next month, is as healthy as a three-year-old stakes contender at Woodbine -- though he has yet to hit the Rogers Centre turf -- as the 2007 schedule begins this afternoon.
"What have I learned about these guys, now that I'm here, after playing them for 17 seasons? Not much," Thomas smiles. "Everything is as advertised. We have an incredible lineup.
Tigers find a ring for Jays' Stairs
Stairs started last year with the Kansas City Royals, then was dealt to the Texas Rangers before the Tigers picked him up. He played 14 games for Detroit, hitting .244 with two homers and eight RBIs.
Turn out the Lights
Competition is what it's all about for Halladay, knowing he's done the best he can, has left nothing on the field. "Once I got back (in 2001) and felt like I established myself and knew I would go every five days, it made it a lot easier for me to make that my only goal, my only focus," he said.
Globe Sports
Toronto turns to its ace on opening day
Halladay has dominated the Tigers in his career, the owner of a 10-2 record against Detroit with a minuscule 1.85 earned-run average to boot.
Halladay has faced seven of the nine batters who will be in the Detroit lineup today, and they've struggled to hit for a combined .233 average (21-for-90) against the Toronto right-hander.
Blair: Asian market too rich for the Blue Jays
Suddenly, Israel has approached Major League Baseball about wanting a team in the next WBC. Seriously. The New York Mets toodled off to Ghana during the off-season and the Yankees
