Wakamatsu the matter with you?

Even though it has been months since the Toronto Blue Jays have reasonably had a chance to get into the post season (or is that decades?), losses like the one last night never cease to annoy me.  We all know the season is over, but as fans, we hate to see our team lose due to boneheaded decision making on behalf of the manager, or poor performance of the players.

With the Jays down 4-3 headed into the top of the 9^th inning, and much maligned reliever Kevin Gregg coming in to try to shut things down, Jays fans had to know there was at least a 50% chance of coming back against the woeful Gregg.  And that’s exactly what happened: a base hit by Arencibia, a walk, and a double steal later, and the Jays had two runners in scoring position with nobody out.  An incredible diving catch by Nick Markakis in right field accounted for the first out of the inning, with pinch runner Dewayne Wise scoring on the sac fly.  Unfortunately the Jays couldn’t cash in the go ahead run from third base with less than two outs after Thames popped out and Edwin Encarnacion (what happened to him??) tapped out softly to end the treat.

Nevertheless, the Jays ended up taking the lead in the top of the 10^th after a Kelly Johnson triple with nobody out scored on a wild pitch.  Thank goodness that was not left in the hands of Mike McCoy who has absolutely no upside and has no business being on the roster right now.  On this night I saw one good play from McCoy; tagging up and going to third base in the ninth inning.  I also saw him lose a pop up in the lights, strike out twice (once swinging after the ball was already past him, with two guys on base and none out), tap out softly into a fielders choice in extra innings, then get thrown out by a mile trying to steal to end the threat, when the throw wasn’t even nearly on target.  This guy sucks and we have no young top prospects in the minors who could fill center field for a week to give them a taste of the majors?  Hint, hint?  Honestly McCoy has no upside and no future here – give someone else a chance.

Anyhow, the worst part of the evening was still to come.  With the Jays suddenly up 5-4 entering the do-or-die bottom of the 10^th inning, for some reason the decision was made to bring in Brian Tallet, who on his best day is a poor to marginal left handed specialist only.  For some reason they trot him out to face a bunch of right handed hitters, and (surprise, surprise) the soft throwing lefty with no stuff gets lit up and the Jays lose the game before you can say “Come back Farrell!”  I don’t know the Jays bullpen situation but come on surely they could have trotted out a better option than Brian Tallet to try and get three outs to win the game.  Could former starter Casey Janssen not come out for a second inning after a quick and painless bottom of the 9^th?  Don Wakamatsu made a bad decision bringing Tallet in here.  It boggles my mind. 

If the Jays are looking for a player to fill in with no upside, and no future with the team, I will play for free.  Put me in center field and I’m perfectly capable of losing fly balls in the lights, swinging and missing balls that are already in the catcher’s glove, and getting thrown out by a country mile trying to steal.  Also if you want to bring me on in extra innings in a save situation I am perfectly capable of walking a couple guys and serving up a warning track blast to straight away center to a 150 pound rookie in his first week in the majors.  Give me a call Wakamatsu.  I’ll be ready, just give me two or three warm up pitches.

Beede Rhymes With -- You Guessed It -- Greedy!

With sheer angst, Jays fans impatiently awaited to see if their 1st round pick (and highest selection) Tyler Beede in the 2011 draft would sign with the team. Reports from a month ago led many to believe a deal was in the works, while news leading up to yesterday's midnight deadline suggested a complete 180. Just after midnight, while the Jays were in action against the Mariners in Seattle, it was confirmed that Beede in fact did not sign with the Jays, thus opting to follow through on his letter of intent to play with Vanderbilt University.

Little did I realize until this morning that Beede was the only one of 33 1st round selections who did not sign with the team they were drafted by. The Jays were offering nearly $2.5 million (all figures U.S.), while Beede and his camp were aiming for $3.5 million. Now, I fully understand wanting to obtain an education (I'm sure excessive partying and chasing skirt were a big component as well). But let's be realistic -- it's not often 18-year olds have an opportunity to hit the financial jackpot, and Beede forewent that.

Now, Beede is not eligible for the MLB draft until 2014. For the everyday person, that's not a long time. But a potential professional athlete, that could turn out to be an eternity. I get Beede's thought process -- go back to school, get bigger and stronger, work on my stuff, get drafted higher in the draft, and thus realize a higher financial windfall. Motivating. Then again, he could run into injury problems, lose the passion and motivation, not be as dominant, and end up slipping to who knows where.

Need proof? How about another high draft pick by the Jays in former 2nd round selection (2009), pitcher and nearby hometown talent Jake Eliopoulos? His demands weren't met, so back in the draft he went. Well, a struggled season in 2010 led him to be drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round. One year of pro ball and a pro contract already "thrown" away, he decided to once again refuse signing on the dotted line. Move forward another year, he failed to re-up his stock yet again, with the Jays of all teams ending up taking another flier on him all the way in the 43rd round. Surely enough, AGAIN he did not sign! So in a matter of two short years, Eliopoulos went from being a top selection with a guaranteed comfortable salary playing pro ball, to one who would be better served flipping burgers at McDonald's.

I don't know Beede, so I have nothing personal against him and hope he made the right decision. On the flip side, as a Jays fan, I wish nothing but success at failing for him. Talk to us in three years and let us know if you made a wise decision to pass up what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity over $1 million that may never be made up again. He better hope he was advised by the right people.

Pretty remarkable sporting landscape these days. Since when did raw 18 year olds earn the right to hold out for millions more when all that they are being based on is their talent and potential? Can't help but think "greedy" -- Beede, in my eyes, was just that.

Miller and Rauch blow it as Jays bullpen craps the bed once again

In a game with three times more home runs than Jose Bautista hit in the home run derby, Toronto fans who stayed up late had to endure an all too familiar site - Jon Rauch and the Jays bullpen handing away another game.  This time things started out promisingly with Eric Thames putting the Jays up 2-0  in the first inning.  Later it was Canadian phenom Brett "Don't say I have a girl's name" Lawrie putting the Jays up 5-4 with a solo bomb to left.  In the 8th inning, the Jays called upon Trever "Near 2.00 WHIP" Miller to face a couple lefties.  On an inexcusably flat breaking ball right down the middle of the plate, Mike Carp fished one out of the park to tie the game up.  Shame on John Farrell for letting Trever Miller be the one to blow the game in the 8th inning; at least put out there somebody who has a chance of getting the job done.  Speaking of who not to bring in, up strolls John Rauch who promptly allows Casper Wells to scare up a home run and suddenly the Jays who had led all game are trailing due to another case of inept bullpen work.  In the top of the 9th, the Jays went down like kittens to end a frustrating game.  The game ends and the camera shows Rauch sitting there staring blankly ahead in the Jays dugout.  Perhaps he is considering a new career as a salesman in a "Big and Tall" men's suit store rather than subjecting himself and us to this frustration night after night.

More Lawrie!

We all know the build-up that has developed for Brett Lawrie. He was a highly touted prospect coming into the season, and has played himself into one of the best prospects in baseball. Plus, he's Canadian so all Blue Jay fans had reasons to cheer him on. But what really should draw fans to him is the passion and love for the game. For anyone who saw his reaction to his Grand Slam the other night, you know what I'm talking about. To those who didn't, this is what you missed:
Lawrie, with the bases loaded approached the plate in his typical aggressive stance. After taking a couple of pitches, he skied a pitch over the left field wall. Everyone including Lawrie was hoping it would leave the park. But when it did, that's when Lawrie exploded. He pumped his chest, yelled as he rounded the bases and almost even passed Aaron Hill on the base paths in the process! The teammates he drove in would later meet him at the plate and he would respond by greeting them with vicious high fives! His other teammates in the dugout would greet him with the same fanfare, and Lawrie still maintained his adrenalined pumped attitude. It energized his teammates, but also energized the stadium. He was called out for a curtain call in only his first week on the team. Even I was getting pumped and loving what I saw.
This is what the Jays need to not only attract the fans but improve their play. Teammates will draw off of his enthusiasm and energy and fans watching at home will continue to watch to see what Lawrie will do next. The Jays' future is looking better and better each day.

Welcome home, Vernon

Tonight, at the Skydome, Toronto and the Blue Jays welcome back Vernon Wells for the first time since his trade to the Angels.  Wells was arguably the face of the franchise, along with Roy Halladay, for many years, and had a couple massive seasons along the way.  However, Wells will always be viewed by the majority of Blue Jays fans as a disappointment; and whether that is fair or not is a subject for another day.

Wells was criticized for having some of his worst years immediately after signing his humongous 7-year, $126M contract extension.  His perceived 'nonchalant' attitude on the field because of his always calm and smiling demeanor gave many the impression that he was financially set for life from his new contract and didn't care as much as a others - ie. Roy Halladay.  His tendency to always swing on the first pitch of a plate appearance often frustrated fans, particularly when he made an out on a bad pitch in a key situation.

In the past, I have ripped Vernon for a lack of desire and being content to miss the playoffs in exchange for some down time where he could sit back with a "Mint Julep" from his home in Texas.  Looking back, it was unfair for me to say that, as I am not in a position to know how much Vernon cared, or how effective he was as a clubhouse leader behind the scenes.  Wells also fought a nagging left wrist injury which lingered for a few seasons and undoubtedly sapped some of his power.

Off the field, Vernon was very charitable to the community, and on the field he holds the record or is near the top of most Blue Jays offensive statistical categories.  Let's not forget all his gold gloves in center field.  He never attacked the fans, and never disgraced himself with a Tiger Woods-esque scandal, spitting on an umpire (like another now god-like sports figure in Toronto), or anything like that.  The sad thing is people will be booing tonight.  I just hope there are enough cheers and standing ovations to overshadow those too bitter to appreciate Vernon's contributions.

Up yours, ESPN

It's just crazy the kind of crap that's being passed off as a sports article these days.  Take ESPN for instance, or as I now refer to them: Extremely Stupid and Pitiful Nitwits.  A story published today makes the unsubstantiated accusation that the Toronto Blue Jays have a "man in a white shirt" in the outfield somehow stealing and relaying signs to batters 420 feet away based on nothing other than the claims of 4 anonymous members of the White Sox bullpen, and the fact that the Red Sox and Yankees both have opted to use multiple signs when there are no base runners in what has now been dubbed the "Spydome".  What an assinine suggestion.  "If the Red Sox and Yankees are using multiple signs, there must be an organization wide conspiracy going on, regardless of how unrealistic, illogical, or nonsensical it would seem to be."

Imagine the time between a signal being flashed by a catcher and the time a pitch is delivered.  A couple seconds.  Here's what must be happening: White shirted man in the outfield (with binoculars of course) looks in and sees the signal being put down by the opposing catcher.  A split second passes while said man processes the information and decides whether to "wave his arms around" to signal the hitter a breaking ball is coming as is alleged by the article.  The batter must take his focus off the pitcher as he looks to spot the white shirted man in the outfield and determine whether he is waving or not.  In the case the batter is Rajai Davis, he will opt to swing and miss on the bouncing breaking ball in the dirt regardless.  The idea, says the stupid article, is that no signal from the fan on the grassy knoll means a fastball is coming.  Because the conspiracy is in effect, the man in the white shirt must be reacting accurately and responding with waves in kind to every appropriate pitch, since a single "lack of wave" means the Jays hitters are sitting on a fastball that's not coming.  This system has all the logic and common sense as Homer Simpson's "everything's okay alarm".

 

Imagine the spectacle this must have created on Canada Day.  Everyone in the stadium is wearing the red hand out shirts, and there is one fan in dead center field (where there are no seats) wearing a white shirt and obsessively rotating between staring in with binoculars at home plate and waving his arms like a madman on half of all pitches.  People must have thought the guy was crazy, but nobody took any note of it.

The article goes on to support its case by pointing out that "a lot" of Jays hitters have better stats at home as opposed to on the road.  Give me a break.  Everyone knows the Skydome is a great home run hitting park.  Everyone knows most hitters fare better at home.  Shut up would you please?

ESPN made a bad decision here.  They knew they were going to get attention from the story and they did.  They knew they were going to piss off Toronto and they did, they just didn't care.  It's not an american city after all.  But their story is baseless and everyone knows it.  It was irresponsible journalism, without a shred of evidence and an embarrassment to a network that I used to respect.  The caption under the article title boldly states "The Blue Jays deny they're stealing signs -- evidence may lead to another conclusion".  Up yours, ESPN.

Impressive Series Debut by Lawrie

The Blue Jays and its fans finally got to see first hand what the anointed next one -- both in terms of Blue Jays and Canadian ball players -- could bring to the team. He was destined to join the big club earlier in the season only to have his hand broken by a pitch, delaying his inevitable and much anticipated debut.

Well, it was sure worth the wait to get a glimpse of what the future holds for the Jays and their prized possession. A hit in his first big league at bat, a 5-fo-11 series (.455 average), his first home run and a couple RBI to go with it. The adjustment was short and sweet at the plate. In the field he was a bit more raw, picking up his first error in his first game on a ball that ate him up, but he looked a bit more comfortable as the series went along. You can tell he will need quite a bit more work to refine his play at his pretty much new position, but as a 21-year old on a team which is now gearing towards next year, he can continue to work out the kinks the rest of the way.

I do not recall a Jays prospect in recent history who has garnered as much anticipation and hype as Lawrie has. He is genuinely a very talented player, but I am sure a lot also has to do with the fact he is Canadian and his career started (and hopefully lasts a long time) with Canada's team. Jays fans would love to have and root for their own Joey Votto. If this past weekend was any indication, this will certainly be the case. And he just might, over time, help put more butts in the seats at the SkyDome (I refuse to call it Rogers Centre).

Jays fans can show as such as he makes his home debut this Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics, who are in Toronto for a three-game set.

Who Put the Ouch in Rauch? Jon Did!

Well, Jays fans are still reeling nearly 24 hours later after Jon Rauch blew yet another save for the Blue Jays. That's his fifth of the year and the team's whopping 19th. Just last month I suggested that it was imperative GM Alex Anthopoulos address this issue by going out and finding a legitimate closer (they did test the waters on San Diego's Heath Bell, the main target I suggested in that column). Seeing Rauch serve up fastballs as if they are soft served ice cream for the opposition to knock them out of the park accentuates that fact.

Now, many will point that this is still a transition year for the Jays and these trials and tribulations are all part of the growing pains of a developing team. Which is true. There were many who suggested as well that the Jays would finish dead last in the AL East and be lucky to reach the 70-win plateau, let alone finish .500, which they are treading the line at now with a record of 56-55. So by all accounts, it could be argued that the Jays are ahead of schedule.

But is it really unfathomable to expect more from this team, especially after last season? Furthermore, the Rays have been a thorn in the Jays side for years and a series win down in Tampa Bay would have gone a long way in providing future confidence for the team. They are also a team within striking distance for the Jays, and although it's a petty consolation, finishing ahead of the Rays and 3rd in the division behind the Yankees and Red Sox would be another positive stepping stone for the team.

And with that, one can't help but think this -- had the Jays had a "lights-out" closer who nailed down even half of the number of games they have blown thus far, they would be mere games out of the division and wild card lead. Instead, they continue to trot out the behemoth Rauch and his silver platter-like 91 MPH fastballs only to see this team throw away games they should just as easily win. I fully expect this to be addressed before next season as Anthopoulos knows that the closer position is now the team's achilles heel (that includes either reducing Rauch's role or not picking up his option, which I hope is the latter at this point). You can't help fans though who feel a bit cheated knowing that yet another year has been pissed away and a non-playoff appearance is in the making.

Ouch.

Big Money for a Small Market Club

Any minute now the Nashville Predators and its fans will find out the fate of captain Shea Weber's arbitration ruling. The Predators were going in with an offer of $4.75 million (all figures U.S) while Weber's camp was seeking upwards of $8 million. (Writer's Note: Chances are he lands somewhere in between -- think Dion Phaneuf's $6.5 million, give or take).

This decision will likely have severe ramifications for not only the short-term future of the Predators, but also the long-term viability of the franchise in Nashville. By all accounts, Nasville is a small market team working on an extremely tight budget (all the more reason to praise GM David Poile's work since the team's inception). They are hardly ever in the mix for high-profile free agents -- Paul Kariya being the exception.

Weber is the face of the Predators. They drafted him, they groomed him, and now he is one of the game's elite defenders. He has expressed a desire to stay long-term in Nashville, but chances are he won't give up reaping a huge pay day that may never come around again for him during his career if the team doesn't pony up. Nashville has the cap space to easily fit him in, but are they willing to pay him the coin he is looking for?

If not, how will that effect the team short-term as will pending UFAs next summer in goalie Pekka Rinne and defenceman Ryan Suter even bother considering staying with the team? I'd hedge they likely would not. Long term, the inability to sustain their high-end talent, namely their franchise player and captain, will only signify the team will be in a perpetual rebuild. And with that, would the fans even care anymore knowing they would never get over the hump and would that be the beginning of the end of hockey in the "Music City"?

We've seen this song and dance before and chances are the NHL is grimacing while waiting for Weber's arbitration ruling as it will be just another team who may be destined to back up the moving trucks and pack up to a new home.

EDIT: As this was being published the arbitrator awarded Weber $7.5 million (one-year deal). The benchmark has been set -- we'll see where it goes from here.

Robbie, Robbie, Robbie

Talk about one heckuva whirlwind for Roberto "Robbie" Alomar. In a matter of a week, he had two significant accomplishments bestowed upon him -- induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the retirement of his No. 12 jersey in Toronto.

Now, I am a huge baseball fan, and remember the '92 and '93 World Series as if it happened yesterday while feeling as if they occurred an eternity ago, but having Robbie Alomar take the stage in the last week has heightened the baseball senses to a whole different level. With his face and highlights gracing the sports packages, one cannot help but conjure great memories of him -- as arguably the greatest 2nd baseman of all time; arguably, and widely recognized, as the greatest Blue Jay of all time; and one whose graciousness and adoption of the city of Toronto made Torontonians feel as if he were one of their own. It reminded me how fun and great things were during those times and for a few short days made me forget about salary caps and divisional disparities and all that is wrong and what has plagued baseball the last little while (I suppose we can stretch back to the '94 strike).

For it is Robbie who put the Jays and Toronto baseball on the map. Sure we had Bell and Stieb and since have had Halladay, but none of them had the impact that Robbie has. He was the turning point. His stellar plays, his clutch hits (who will ever forget the homerun off of Eckersley?), his sheer love of the game -- he is who helped pack the SkyDome with 50,000+ each and every night. And it was only fitting that on both the hot day in Cooperstown he was recognized with his bronze plaque and the day his number was raised to the SkyDome rafters, he was greeted with the same amount of joy and enthusiasm by the many fans for whom he brought just as much of those traits to them.

Congrats Robbie...it's well deserved. You will always be THE Blue Jay legend and you now have multiple forms of proof to show for it. Finally, and simply, thank you.