The View From the Seats I Stole

If Dave Stieb taught us nothing-- aside from the fact that moustaches are seriously badass-- it's that Toronto Blue Jays pitchers aren't supposed to throw no-hitters. The man had to scratch and claw his way through three painfully close near-misses before finally nailing one down.

As this video of it shows, the weight of the impending accomplishment clearly takes its toll on even a veteran workhorse at his peak, like Stieb. That Dustin McGowan, making only his 20th Major League start today, couldn't quite finish the job isn't entirely surprising-- though given the way he pitched today, maybe it actually is.

This was the McGowan that the Jays had hoped would finally emerge when this spring they secured a fourth option year for him-- to make up for his missing a year after Tommy John surgery-- allowing him one last season to be moved between AAA to the big leagues without having to clear waivers.

Of course, now it looks as though Syracuse will be a distant memory for a pitcher who, for a long time, was touted as the Jays' future "1a" pitcher, behind Halladay.

Save for his previous start, against the L.A. Dodgers, he's turned in a string of excellent performances, culminating with today's incredible display of exactly how dominating he can be. The sky is the limit.

Something Rich Griffin Probably Won't Mention
I hate to sour the love-in for McGowan by bringing up something a bit contentious, but the Jays' oft-criticized front office really needs to be praised for hanging onto this kid when times were tough and he seemed lacking in confidence, unable to locate his pitches. Trade speculation constantly surrounded McGowan for years, and only quieted with his most recent entry into the Jays' rotation.

Teams coveted his arm because of his great velocity and the dazzling movement on his pitches. There were rumblings at times that the Jays had designated him as "untouchable" in trades, and other times they were said to have been shopping him around-- but always asking for just a little bit more in return than other teams were willing to give.

It seems as though their patience and their high regard for his talent is finally paying dividends. It feels funny to say it, considering the failed experiments in the Jays' rotation this season, but coupled with the long run of strong starting performances being turned in by Shaun Marcum, McGowan's emergence is making the Jays' rotation look stronger than it has been for years.

They Don't Make 'em Like They Used To
Back to the Stieb video, another thing that it shows is Alex Cole's glasses. It was pretty easy for me to compare Stieb's accomplishment with McGowan's performance today, but sadly, there aren't any current players wearing glasses that can compare in the slightest to Cole's gems. Jason Phillips' googles are nice and all, but they don't even enter the conversation. I didn't realize it, but shit, Cole's little beauties are right up there with Chris Sabo and Kurt Rambis.

Also, I know that there are obviously a lot of Jays fans who had made the trip down there (and I mean a lot of Jays fans. Obviously the Jays were much more popular then, and Indians tickets at Municipal Stadium might have been just a hair easier to obtain), but how about the visiting crowd reaction to Stieb's no-hitter?

Pure. Class.