6,000 words for you on Friday

Right? If a picture is worth 1,000 words ... That ring you see is the 2011 Eastern League championship bling. Tweeps @Spookylish and @CanAsianMe borrowed the ring from team photographer Kevin Littlefield. Not sure if they gave it back. KL's photos:

Barrelling up with Jose Bautista

Spring training 2012 was off the heazy. For two weeks, we traveled up and down Florida's West Coast and watched a whole lot of Blue Jays, Phillies, Pirates, Rays and Red Sox. One of my favorite moments was a sit- down interview with Jose Bautista at his locker in Dunedin. "Yeah, you better talk to him," Blue Jays coach Luis Rivera said as I pulled up a chair. I told Joey Bats a little about myself and how we've both played at Fenway Park. (Media Game for me.) I joked about helping him out with his swing, and it was a comfortable session. Rivera later said, "You need to break that interview into about three pieces so you get three good stories out of it." LOL. Here is some audio from when we talked about hitting and the day Bautista was traded for a player to be named later, Robinzon Diaz.


"I was the same guy (in 2008), confident in my ability, looking for an opportunity to play,"he said. "If anything, that's what has changed. At the same time, I had a hitting approach that didn't fit in at the organization with the Pirates. For me, it was a big break and a big relief when I got traded, not because I wanted to leave because I didn't, but when I got here, I found out their hitting philosophy adjusted to my style of play a lot more. They let me go out there and let my ability take over, which was great for my career. They gave me the confidence and opportunity" ... This part of the interview, audio only, begins with his aggressive approach and setup as a hitter: