This is the Jeff Merrick Show on the Sportsnet Radio Network.

Now, primarily on this program, well, almost exclusively really on this program, we talk about hockey.

But it's always a day like this where I get those feelings of baseball optimism.

I'm old enough to remember when the Blue Jays started.

And I'm old enough to have worked for Versa Foods when the Blue Jays first qualified for the playoffs.

He had the food contract.

I used to hustle up jumbo coax and hot dogs at exhibition stadium. I only did it.

This is back in 1985 so I could watch Blue Jays games. And then on a day like this, I get

optimistic Matt Marquesie. Before we get into the remainder of this show and let everyone know who's

a board and what we'll be talking about today, namely the 14 games around the go on the NHL this evening.

Should I be optimistic about the Blue Jays this season?

I look around and I say there is a freight train,

like there's a freight train with the Baltimore Orioles.

That team is an absolute juggernaut and will be for quite some time.

And then after that, I always wonder about the Yankees because Yankees.

But how should I feel about the Blue Jays this year with a relatively inactive offseason to be generous?

So the way I look at this team is the offense can't be any worse than it was last year because it was

putrid um actually scratch that it wasn't that's what we're hanging our hats on no no that's what

we're hanging our hats on no no it can't be as bad as last year I mean it can't they they did hit

when nobody was on base which was cool um but when people were on base they struggled you, when it really matters. I think the pitching staff is really good. I think it's talented. There's a lot more depth on this team than I believe that there was last season, especially off the bench. So that for me is room for optimism. The Yankees are old and they're already banged up and they're only going to get older and more

banged up as the season goes along.

The Orioles are the class of the division.

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