Friday, May 7, 2010

Fred Lewis Freedom Collective Disbands, Get Real Jobs

Just like the hippies who turned to the corporate world once they single-handedly pulled the troops out of The Nam, it is time for the Fred Lewis Freedom Collective to move on to bigger and better things. Unlike the hippies, we in the FLFC won't attempt to ban everything fun or take all pointy toys off the market, we'll just slink onto our next white whale. As it turns out, Fred Lewis has no need for us or our pan flute-playing, hemp-worn quiet wars. He fights his own battles, and fights them valiantly.

Fred Lewis is, currently, on fire. As a man with a horse in this race, I'm delighted. Lewis is driving the ball well and grabbing extra bags left, right, and centre. The walks creep up and the strikeouts, well, whatever. He's Fred Lewis! More encouraging news: his slightly swollen BABIP is normal for him. Lewis is the kind of player who sneaks his way on base thanks to his speed and all fields approach.

Because of my own self-interest in the success or failure of Fred Lewis, I take his every at bat to heart. I was a little concerned because isn't doing the Fred Lewis-ey things we in the Fred Lewis Freedom Collective come to expect (read: walk.) He's certainly provided a glimpse into the things that drove Giants fans to drink over the past few years (make the third out at third base, strike out looking times 5), but I'm reasonably satisfied that he gets a chance to play nearly every day.

The early season found money success of Fred Lewis and Dana Eveland are great signs for Blue Jays fans, for two reasons. It speaks volumes on the eyes for talent possessed by Alex Anthopoulos and his crack team of thousands. Secondly, it maybe-kinda-hopefully represents a change in fortune for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club.

The Jays took the short end of various sticks for years. Beyond the futility of the AL East, they constantly underperform their Pythag records, couldn't score a decent reclamation project, and generally lived under a bad sign for years. A little good fortune can only grease the wheels back to respectability and full buildings. A little luck goes a long way, but the wily manouvering of Alex Anthopoulos pushes the old "you make your own luck" adage a little closer to truism.

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  1. When I read the words "living under a bad sign," all I could think of was that creepy Super 8 commercial they played all the time last year.


  2. Nice to see the Jays finally have some luck with a reclamation project. JP's reclamations often seemed to be disasters, but I guess that "often" comes from letting guys like Mencherson to suck the life out of the lineup for way too long.

    Why couldn't JP cut bait when it was needed?

  3. Fred Lewis is not a reclamation project. He was a victim of numbers in SF. We don't know the futures yet either (for him or Eveland), so we really can't say after a month if it was a good move or not.

    I'm deffo happy with it so far tho'.

  4. Good day to be a Leeds fan. And just about the first one in nearly ten years. I, for one, and beside myself today.

    Leeds are on there way up, the Jets are on their way back. Could the Expos be far behind?

  5. It is mind-boggling - in the short time we've had, granted - that Fred Lewis is as extremely awesome as he is. Then again, if you think he's "the shit" then you felt exactly the opposite about Lyle Overbay for the same number of at bats.

    What to do?!

  6. My favorite thing about Fred Lewis is that he has the exact opposite running style of Reed Johnson.

  7. Lewis has been a find.

    But forgive me for being terrified of the following scenario:

    EE comes back from the DL
    Bautista returns to the OF
    Lewis platoons with Snider.

    Don't tell me that hasn't crossed your mind.

  8. Reclamation project? Scrap heap guy? Change of scenery guy?

    Who cares! That 3-run ding dong was gold!


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