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.