Blue Jays mail bag

Hola, amigos. The Jays organization has dipped into the Dominican child-labour market again, signing a Top 15 prospect, a 16-year-old infielder named Gustavo Pierre with room to grow. That’s a good thing. But it’s July and most contenders are building up their major-league club at the deadline for a two-month run at a pennant. Meanwhile, with less than 36 hours to this season's trade deadline without obtaining waivers, in his seven years as Jays' GM, here is a list of the July players that J.P. Ricciardi has acquired to bolster his club: Scott Wiggins (’02), Bobby Kielty (’03), John Hattig (’04), a player to be named later (’05) and Jeremy Accardo (’06). And the number of legitimate runs at a pennant that these moves have led to: None. On with the mailbag.

Q: Hello Richard,

There seems to be a general feeling that J.P. Ricciardi's days as GM are coming to an end, at least from reading these mailbags. While I'm sure not many folks will be sorry to see him go (myself included), is he really to blame for the mediocrity of the 2008 Blue Jays hitters? After all, who knows? If even four or five guys were having average years, perhaps the standings would be a little different. I still can't believe it's late July and no one on the team has 10 homers.

Nik Jones, Port St Lucie, FL

A: A couple of things need to be clarified surrounding any expert predictions of J.P. Ricciardi’s demise at the end of the ’08 season as general manager of the Blue Jays.

First of all, it should be noted there will be no physical harm coming his way, nor will there be any financial harm to the man. That’s always the way we want it. We are not vengeful souls out to hurt anyone. The reality is that J.P. is under contract through 2010 and the money is guaranteed, so his family will be taken care of whether he is actually continuing to make Jays’ personnel decisions or not. But the reality is that his seven years as GM have forever been involved in promises unfulfilled. Some years it was because Jays personnel was not good enough. Other years it has been because of unexpected, certainly important injuries that cost them a chance to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox. Other years, like this one, it has been because of underachieving veterans.

But no matter how bad one feels for the bad luck that Ricciardi has endured in the seven years of his current job, he clearly did not feel the need to cut the same slack with the three field managers he has fired as in-season scapegoats for the team’s annual failures – Buck Martinez in ’02, Carlos Tosca in ’04 and John Gibbons in ’08. The injuries to Aaron Hill, Vernon Wells and Dustin McGowan this year have certainly hurt. But every team has injuries every year and yet no other team sells its fans on the sad-sack story of injury woe as much as do the Jays.

It’s certainly not a certainty that Ricciardi is gone -- and we have been known to be wrong before -- but if October does in fact bring the end of an era in Toronto, there is no doubt he will land on his feet. He has scouting ability and many friends in the game. But he was overmatched by the fates.

Q: What can explain the rash of pitching injuries over the past few seasons? Do we need to take a look a closer look at the circumstances surrounding manager utilization, player conditioning, organizational philosophy...etc. From the starting rotation to the bullpen, arm and shoulder injuries continue to bite the Jays.

John Gil, Chicago

A: The rash of pitching injuries is epidemic around baseball. It’s not just the Jays. In fact, I honestly believe that the amount of money being tossed around in guaranteed long-term deals is what makes every team so aware of every nick, pull, strain and scratch. Teams want to err on the side of caution. If a 15-day stint on the disabled list can prevent a long-term disability with multi-millions on the line, then teams will use the DL every time.

The other factor is that so many improvements have been made in the field of surgery to repair shoulders and elbows with recovery time being scaled back year after year, I believe pitching careers are actually lengthened by time on the disabled list to recover from any current surgery. Back in the day, shoulder injuries just meant that a pitcher had to change his approach and become a wily veteran instead of a flame-throwing youngster. But one fact that cannot be argued is that the leading winner all-time among pitchers who have undergone Tommy John surgery is…Tommy John.

Q: I remember back in the day when I watched Tom Henke and Duane Ward provide a wonderful 1-2 closing duo for the Jays that it seemed like the TV announcers liked to talk about their 'imposing 90-mph fastballs'. Am I mis-remembering, or has pitching really gotten so much better in the past 15 years that what was once a great pitch would now be considered someone who has lost a little off their fastball. How would Tom or Duane look to today's hitters?

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A: Mis-remebering? Hey, is this really the Rocket writing to the mailbag for the first time? Very clever, in any case, I love the reference. But back to your question. You have to remember in the mid-90s when training techniques (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) became so advanced that it not only benefited the hitters, but a bunch of pitchers also jumped on the workout wagon. Henke and Ward and all those great pitchers going back from the ‘70s to early ‘90s were all handicapped in terms of estimating velocity of fastball, but there was no underestimating in terms of pitch movement and effectiveness. These guys could pitch and were smarter than most of today’s hard-throwing lunk-heads.

I remember the first time the Jumbotron at the SkyDome carried the readings on the speed of every pitch via radar gun in the stands. It was 1997, the first year that Roger Clemens was with the Jays. I remember because after one or two home starts he asked the Jays to stop displaying the speeds on his pitches whenever he pitched. Later in the season, unable to slow progress, they were back up, but Rocket didn’t want to give away any secrets – still doesn’t. But the point is that before that time broadcasters were always guessing on radio and television and saying Ward and Henke threw 90 m.p.h seemed like a nice round guess and a good compliment at the time. It would be a good guess is that all those hard throwers we remember back in the day actually threw harder than was reported at the time and that today’s hardest throwers throw slower than reported, because they are cited using the faster radar guns employed by FOX Sports, Rogers SportsNet and those two State troopers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania that clocked me last month.

Q: Richard,

I enjoy reading your column every week. But, on to business. On Wednesday, with the Jays up 2-1 in the sixth, the skies opened and the thunder rolled at Camden Yards, prompting a halt to play. The remainder of the game was finished on Thursday. I thought a game could be called after five innings due to inclement weather 4 1/2 innings if the home team is leading) and the team in the lead was awarded the win. What happened in this case? I'm sure other fans are wondering the same thing. The Jays won anyway 5-1.

Jack Poirier, Sarnia

A: A closer look at the O’s-Jays linescore at the time of the rain delay shows the Jays had scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning, with the O’s not having had a chance to bat and tie the game in the bottom of the inning. There is a somewhat new rule that has clouded the issue for many astute fans who remember the old. In the old days, a game like that which had gone five full innings and was basically tied, would have been called a complete-game tie with all individual stats counting and been replayed in its entirety. That means that many teams over the years have actually played 163 games or more. But now, any major-league game tied after five innings or more and then stopped is picked up at the spot of postponement prior to the next time the two teams meet at that venue. If the Jays had scored in the fifth and were leading 2-1 at the time of the rainout, they would have been awarded the win, but because the Jays scored in the sixth and the O’s did not bat, the official result reverted to five full frames which was a 1-1 tie.

Q: Gustavo!!

What's the deal with Gustavo Chacin down on the farm? Could he be a call-up if A.J. Burnett gets traded next week? Also what's the story on this 16-year-old shortstop Gustavo Pierre, that the Jays signed this week. What other teams were interested in him and was there a bidding war around his services?

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco, CA

A: First of all, don’t look for A.J. to be traded. Second of all, don’t look for Gus Chacin to ever be a major-league Jay again. His 72 hits allowed to 46 innings pitched total at Class-A Dunedin stinks far worse than any vial of his Chacin cologne and the fastest he has been clocked at in the last couple of years was behind the wheel of his car.

As for Gustavo Pierre, the Jays apparently had locked this 16-year-old Dominican shortstop prospect up with an offer slightly under $700,000 well before the July 2 signing period opened for worldwide 16-year-old free agents. There used to be no minimum age for signing Latins, but after countless abuses, they made a rule that a player’s high school class should be graduating before he can be signed. That is a player who turns 17 after September 6 of the current year can be signed as a 16-year-old starting on July 2. A total of 17 International 16-year-olds were officially signed in the first two days after the July 2 period opened and Pierre was one of them. The 6-3, 180 lb. infielder was rated 12th among Latin American 16-year-olds by one scouting service and seventh by another, so certainly it’s a feather in the Jays’ scouting cap. He is projected as more of a third baseman or an outfielder and like most very young Latin American prospects, don’t look for him in Toronto for about five or six years. It takes a while.

Q: Hi Richard,

How is it that a behemoth of a man like Scott Rolen can't hit HRs anymore? I know he's had shoulder issues but here is a man who, coming into the season, said he's completely healthy and strong. And why is his approach to go the other way, take as many pitches as possible, move a runner along (as opposed to trying to drive him in), etc. like that of Eckstein (or McDonald), who is 8-9 inches shorter and about 75-80 lbs lighter? I mean, Rolen was a #3-4 hitter most of his career and now all of a sudden his approach is similar to that of a leadoff man with no power?

J. T., Richmond Hill

A: Observing the gentler side (with the bat) in the first year of Scott Rolen with the Jays has been like finding out that UFC champ Georges St-Pierre is really into feng shui. Who’d-a thunk it. Rolen has not disappointed with the glove at third base, far exceeding anything that Troy Glaus provided in his two seasons here, but his bat…oy!

One can only hope that the issue has been that Rolen is trying too hard with runners in scoring position in his first season with a new club in a new league. The other explanation is what my esteemed colleague, Larry Millson of the Globe and Mail might describe as “just another National League stiff.” The Jays are hoping it’s just a glitch in his offensive career. In the meantime it has been tough to watch, as you describe, a career 3-4 hitter in the lineup playing small-ball -- out of necessity.

Q: Hi Richard,

if Carlos Delgado gets to 500 home runs, do you think he will get into the Hall of Fame? If he did, I would assume he would go in wearing a Jays hat? Thanks!

Rory Wilson, Halifax

A: If Delgado does reach 500 home runs, which is one of his stated career goals, then he is surely a Hall-of-Famer, but not a first-ballot one. His time in New York with the Mets could have cemented his candidacy, but instead, his first second year at Shea when they folded down the stretch to miss the post-season, those around the Mets’ clubhouse reported extreme disappointment in what they had heard about as tremendous leadership qualities in Toronto. That, even though the Mets’ roster was brimming with Latin players. This season has been different. After a slow start and with the change to manager Jerry Manuel, Delgado has once again become an offensive catalyst. If they make it to the World Series, he becomes a shoo-in for Cooperstown and yes he will wear the Jays’ hat.

Q: Hey Richard,

Couple of questions regarding A.J. If the Jays don’t trade A.J. this season and then he opts out, is there a time limit for the two picks compensation? For example, if A.J. is not signed by anyone before the ‘09 season, will Jays lose the compensation? The second question is if the Jays do not trade A.J. and A.J. does not opt out, is it possible to make A.J. the closer next season and trade B.J. instead? I heard A.J. has a very simple baseball mind, so let him face 3-4 guys a game probably will prevent his brain from freezing and I will say this decision is a "no-brainer".

Davy P., San Jose

A: First of all, according to Ricciardi, Burnett is off the trade market for this year, preferring to let the free-agent chips fall where they may and take the two premium draft choices next June if the righthander utilizes his opt out clause in November. The question about losing the compensation seems somewhat hypothetical since that scenario has never happened before in this era (excluding collusion) where a free-agent in the prime of his career has actually been snubbed past June of the following season. But as long as he is under contract to a major league team by the time of the draft, the Jays receive their two-pick compensation. Remember that one of the reasons the Jays are holding onto him is that in baseball there is no such thing as trading draft picks. So in order to get the equivalent of those two picks right now, the Jays would have to identify two warm bodies from another organization’s farm system that are the equivalent of two Top 50 picks this year. That’s a tough call for the Jays and even tougher for another team to surrender two premium prospects for a guy that can walk away in November.

Q: Hi Richard,

Love reading your columns and the mailbag. A baseball 101 question. It looks like a curve ball and a breaking ball are the same thing. If that is indeed true, why the two different names? If not what is the difference between them.

Anne Guenther, Toronto

A: I love that question. In fact, a “breaking ball” seems to be the play-by-play announcer’s way of escaping the fact that he really has no clue and can’t identify the pitch as it happens. He may know it was slower than a fastball and from where he sits in the pressbox it looked like it changed direction. Thus the generic description “breaking ball” covers a host of broadcasting sins. On TV, when they finally replay the pitch from the centre field camera, it will be the analyst seated alongside the pitch-challenged play-by-play guy that will tell you slider, curveball, slurve, splitter, change, knuckleball, cutter, or whatever else dude may be throwing up there. Of course on radio, Jerry Howarth can get away with identifying the pitch because nobody can see it on radio. Of course there is a legend that Mike Wilner, the third man in the Jays’ booth can actually close his eyes and identify the pitch by sound. We kid you not.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. *Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Blue Jays mail bag

This week’s mailbag begins with an unburdening of the soul, a true confession of a Jays fan that is considering cheating on his first true love. What the heck, Jays, Rays, it’s only one letter. In any case, the Jays have started the second half, post-All-Star break as they ended the first, struggling to score runs and struggling to win on the road. But the return of Shaun Marcum is a plus and the influence of Cito Gaston continues to make the immediate future look a little brighter. The trade deadline is coming up, but don’t look for much from the Jays. They don’t have to dump salary and A.J. and David Eckstein won’t get them too much in the way of immediate help. Read on.

Q: I have a problem Richard. On the night of an Evan Longoria slam, I found myself cheating on the Blue Jays... I was reading an ESPN article on those Tampa Rays. But it gets worse, I thought to myself the following as I continued to read.

1. This is a team I can really get behind, because they did a good job of developing young talented players. As a fan, that's always more satisfying than signing Lyle Overbay and dumping O-Dawg for a broken leg.

2. They play hard every game, and have for years now. I've seen it every time we lose to them, which we've done too often for years now.

3. They are doing it with a very small payroll against the grandeur of Red Sox Nation and the Yanks.

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY. Wasn't this supposed to be the type of team that J.P. promised us when he got here 7 years ago?

Richard, what am I supposed to do about this? Should I stay true to the Blue or sneak out behind their back and buy a Tampa cap? I know you're the only one that can help me, and please be honest.

Graham Harvey, Toronto

A: I feel a little like Dr. Phil listening to confessions of a cheating heart. But fear not. Even if, for the moment, you allow yourself to slide down the slippery slope towards being a Rays supporter because of all the good reasons that you point out, it won’t be hard to come back once the Jays earn the right to be loved once again.

First and foremost you have shown that you love baseball and that’s the key. I remember living in Montreal and drifting away from the Habs for a number of years, but yet I always came back to my first love and am still a big fan now. And yes the “Rays way” is supposed to have been the “Jays way”. Carl Crawford is their Vernon Wells, only faster and healthier. B.J. Upton is their Alex Rios, only more well rounded. Granted, the Rays have benefited from a long series of last place finishes and higher draft picks, but as the Jays always say, the draft’s a crapshoot. The Rays have clearly rolled 7 or 11 more often than not while the Jays have come up with snake eyes. Maybe Toronto should start out by taking over Tampa Bay’s abandoned half-moniker and call themselves the Devil Jays. It seems for a while that only their fans have been Blue.

Q: Hey Richard,

First of all, thank you very much for answering our questions, at the end of the day, there is nothing more fun than talk baseball. I basically have two questions, with just a little rant:

I have been a fan of both the Expos and Jays for the past 25 years (in the case of the Expos I have the psychological scars to prove it!) and I have never seen a lineup from one through nine completely underachieve. There is not one hitter on this team that is even having an average year ... not a one. What has happened to this team’s offence?

My second question is exactly how many mistakes does the good J.P. have to make before he is fired? There are some excellent GM's out there (Terry Ryan); how many more years of the five-year plan do we have to go through?

Dave Jenkins, Ottawa

A: I can’t remember a season in which so many players on one team, in one lineup have performed below their career numbers. Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas may be the only veterans not to underachieve. The old baseball axiom is that players will find their level over the course of 162 games. If that’s the case then the Jays in the last two months are going to average 10 runs per game and get back in the race. But it says here that it ain’t gonna happen.

This season must surely be the last straw for Ted Rogers and company in terms of ending the J.P. era of Blue Jays baseball. Ricciardi convinces himself and his bosses year after year that injuries are the only thing keeping him from fielding a championship team. Yet here he sits, with a fourth manager in seven years and a losing record, while the upstart Rays are the ones competing for the division and a wild-card in baseball’s deepest division. Ricciardi put all his eggs in this ’08 basket after an injury-plagued ’07 and now the basket has been dropped and the eggs broken, with too many bits of shell to even make decent scrambled. In fact after seven years, the yolk’s on us. And, yes, Terry Ryan now a senior advisor with the Twins, would be a great replacement.

Q: Hypothetically: Lets say you're a struggling team in the toughest division in baseball... You haven't made the playoffs in well over a decade... This year you're an underachieving team with great pitching. Your most glaring problem is your ability to score runs (and you don't even have a player with 10 HRs at the all-star break). You walk away from your last two games in Tampa Bay where you lost one 2-1 and your pitcher pitched a gem and the other where a homer could have tied it in the ninth.

And as an aside, your leading home run hitter has been on the DL twice this year. Out there, available, is the leading home run hitter of all-time...What is going on? You have a place for him ANYWHERE in your line up because Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson can't hit over .220 and your clean up hitter is Rod Barajas. He'll probably even play for a million bucks. Who cares if he's a disturbance, what's the worst that could happen? We finish in last?

Jason Camelford, Miami (through Toronto)

A: All of those points are legitimate up to the part about signing Barry Bonds as a partial solution to any of the Jays’ problems. Fans in Toronto have shown that they have never been about individual players but that they only respond to winning. Recall that there was never a huge attendance spike when Roger Clemens pitched at the SkyDome even when he was the best pitcher in the majors winning back-to-back Cys.

Sign Bonds? It would be more of an attendance boost for media than fans. Although when Joe Inglett becomes a key to your lineup, maybe you have reached the point where there’s nowhere to go but up. But let’s go back to the issue of Bonds. Here’s a guy that is in his 40s, had physical problems his last couple of seasons, had legal and ethical issues to contend with and has not played a game in 10 months. If he really wanted to play and contribute to a major-league team and wasn’t just looking to pile up more personal numbers, he would be in an Independent League keeping his swing ready to go and showing major league teams that he can still play. But he’s not. He’s a hall-of-famer, but he’s not Superman.

Q: Hi Richard, when last season ended I thought the BJ's were set at short with Johnny Mac, him being the best fielding SS in either league. Why haven't they made him a special project of the hitting coaches? If they got him up to .240 or .250 he would be invaluable.

Secondly, they have been missing their starting second baseman for weeks now and insist on using Eckstein as DH. Moving him to second which would suit his arm and range would seem to be the answer to two problems yet there's no movement there. Your thoughts?

Ken Diamond, Colborne

A: John McDonald is the unluckiest Jay alive. When they signed him to the two-year $3.8 million (all figures U.S.) deal last fall, he looked to be at the pinnacle of his career, with all his hard work finally paying off. But then the GM saw free-agent David Eckstein and his two championship rings and made the best offer out there, which Eckstein accepted. Even though McDonald saves as many runs with his defence as Eckstein creates with his offence and even though these Jays are all about pitching and defence, Johnny Mac lost his starting job without a bat being swung. Then when Eckstein was hurt early in the season, he got his job back – for one day. He tore up his ankle and by the time he came back, Eckstein was also back.

As for moving Eckstein to second base, that’s a great idea. In fact, when Cito Gaston took over, for the first week of the first homestand, Eckstein was working out taking groundballs at second base just in case the move became the best option. But Inglett and Scutaro started to perform well and the idea was placed on the back burner. Personally, I would like to see an infield of Overbay, Eckstein at second, Johnny Mac at short and Rolen at third and see where that leads, especially if Aaron Hill is out for the rest of the year.

Q: With 2007 1st rounder J.P. Arencibia tearing it up in Double-A right now and both Robinson Diaz and Curtis Thigpen having down years, do you see the Jays calling on Arencibia over the other two in either September or next year?

Elie Fortin, Ottawa

A: I’m pretty sure that by the end of 2009, Arencibia will be called up and the starting job will be his. Thigpen’s window of opportunity has slammed shut on his fingers. Diaz has not taken the bull by the horns and asserted himself as the catcher of the future.

How do they proceed? I can see the Jays picking up the option of Rod Barajas for ’09 and elevating Diaz to be his backup until Arencibia is ready to take over…which won’t be that long. But the reason for not calling Arencibia up in September this year is that then he must be added to the 40-man roster and protected for the rest of his career, when, as a draft pick in ’07, they aren’t required to protect him until after ’09.

Q: Hey Richard,

Love the mailbag. You mentioned this week that Wells and Rios need to become 30 HR, 130 RBI guys to improve the outlook for the current nucleus. Question is: how likely do you think that really is?

Greg Jones, Burlington, Ont.

A: The 30 home run thing is more likely for Rios, rather than for Wells at this stage, but the 130 RBI thing is likely for neither, until the Jays get a couple of legitimate table-setters at the top of the batting order that can reach base consistently and steal some bags. In fact, Rios is probably the Jays’ best bet as a big-time leadoff hitter in the Bobby Bonds style of play, but in that case he would not be a candidate for 100 RBIs.

Q: Richard, having so many contracts back-loaded, how do the Jays plan to field a 25-man roster never mind a playoff-calibre team in 2010 and beyond. In 2010, the Jays will have $90M committed to eight players (i.e. Roy Halladay, B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs, Scott Rolen, Wells, Overbay, Rios, and Hill) which could potentially be $97M if you count Vernon's signing bonus.

Greg Wells, Toronto

A: Don’t forget A.J. Burnett, if he decides to stay. That’s another $12 million in ’09 and ’10. That is the definite downside of back-end loading contracts. In the short term, when the deal is made, you may have the athlete under contract for a reasonable amount and it’s a feel-good story for fans of a player that actually wants to play in Toronto. But in the long term, you look down the road and the financial responsibility can be staggering.

Your 2010 salary numbers are definitely in the right neighbourhood, so it’s clear that if the Jays wanted to contend in 2010, they would need a supporting cast among the remaining 17 players of more than just major-league minimum type players. By then, you would have players like Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan reaching arbitration-eligible status. If they hung on to the eight guaranteed contracts, (plus Burnett), they would likely be paying around $150 million in total payroll. I don’t care how much the times have changed since 2002, that’s not the type of budget that Ricciardi sold as a bill of goods to Paul Godfrey as the reason to hire him in November ‘01. J.P. was hired as a man that could compete with the big boys on a budget. Now he’s becoming a big boy himself and still finishing down the track. If the payroll is going to be that high in two years, then hire a GM whose track record is as a proven winner when given that kind of money to spend. Why is it that Bill Gates gets richer and so many lottery winners can’t handle their good fortune, blow their money and end up back where they started?

Q: Hi Richard,

I completely agree with you about JP Ricciardi's ouster at the end of this year. I hate how he is so insecure, and dishonest with the public. Speaking of honesty, I think Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun is the epitome of this. While he works for a rival newspaper, I'd like you to comment on your colleague and his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.

When will you be up for the Hall of Fame as well?

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco, CA

A: Nice segue from J.P. to Bob Elliott. I believe that my esteemed colleague from the Sun is not always right, but he is always honest and true to himself and his beliefs. Bob has been so important to the development of baseball in this country as a chronicler of all things good about the Canadian game that it makes him unique in either country. It is this national aspect of promoting the sport in an entire country that puts him over the top among candidates when it comes to voters for the Spink Award and it is what will earn him the nod for Cooperstown in 2009. As for myself, I think I will have to remain satisfied at being in the Hall-of-Fame as the ’93 winner of the Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence. The big trophy is in my son’s room on a top shelf, I think filled with used golf balls.

Q: Hi Richard -enjoy your insights a great deal. Do you think the re-appearance of Mel Queen is another nail in J.P.'s coffin? (I hope!) and if so would he be a viable candidate to be G.M.?

Jim Roberts, Hamilton, ON

A: Mel Queen is not a viable candidate for GM. He is, however, a solid evaluator of pitching talent and as such will be useful as an outside observer with no attachment to any of the farm system’s prospects through having recommended that player for the draft, etc.

The big question is, who brought Queen in to do that job of going through the system and looking at the talent. In fact, the only current members of the front office to be in place when Queen was still pitching coach back in ’98 are Paul Godfrey and Cito Gaston, which makes any thought that it was a Ricciardi decision to bring him in seem highly improbable.

My top four list as replacement GM for the Jays going forward include Brian Cashman, Cito Gaston, Terry Ryan and Alex Anthopoulos. I’ll have a column about that subject later in the week.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. *Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Blue Jays mail bag

Oh what a night in the Bronx! For those of you who weren’t able to quite stay up late enough to see the end of the all-star game it was like watching a Jays’ intra-squad game, with one side going hitless with runners in scoring position, while the other was going 3-for-22. In any case, with the ebbs and flows I got back to the hotel room at 3:30 a.m. (that's without stopping for a beer) and had a wakeup call at 6:00 a.m. to finish up the mailbag and get ready for a flight on Porter Airlines out of Newark. In any case, it was a tremendously entertaining three days in New York, with Josh Hamilton providing one of my new, favourite Yankee Stadium memories and the longest game in all-star history capping it off. Tuesday, it was almost like the Yankee ghosts of Monument Park didn’t want to let go. But, in the end, even the ghosts have enough respect for the game that they wouldn’t have allowed it to end with David Wright pitching against J.D. Drew. Although, come to think of it, the Drew thing, with the idea of a Red Sox right fielder pitching at the stadium in the final all-star game ever at this place might have amused the ghost of Babe Ruth (who I think is in charge). In any case, on to this week's mailbag and a second half with many more Jays questions than answers.

Q: Would the Jays consider going to a four-man rotation to solve their pitching puzzle?

Frederick Duquette, Edmonton

A: I fear the only guy that could handle that four-man puzzle is Roy Halladay. Even though A.J. Burnett has done it successfully twice this year on three days rest, his history of injury would catch up to him before very long. As for the younger guys on the Jays’ staff, there has not been any level since any of them was 15-years-old at which they have been used regularly on three days rest. As such, it would be disastrous for guys like Jesse Litsch and Shaun Marcum to try it.

Canadian Hall-of-Famer Ferguson Jenkins had a brief stint as a pitching coach in Chicago with the Cubs. He felt today’s pitchers were babies and that he could insinuate a basic four-man rotation. He was wrong. The pitchers balked at the idea and the Cubs fired him. The only possibility for the Jays would be to use off-days as a way to get Hallladay and Burnett as many starts as possible. Every once in a while that might involve a start on the fourth day, but not as a regular rotation feature.

Q: Hi Richard. Always look forward to the mailbag segment each week. Obviously you will be busy with the rumour mill over the next few weeks. Our roster could certainly look different if the Jays move A.J. Burnett, possibly others, as predicted by many. I have a couple of quick questions for you. First of all, now that J.P. Ricciardi and Cito Gaston have unofficially conceded the season is lost, can you run through some of the prospects we can expect to see arrive in Toronto over the coming weeks? I've heard about David Purcey, Travis Snider and Brett Cecil - but who else is likely to show up for an audition?

Secondly, in a related question, I'm reading a lot about of rumours about Florida chasing after a catcher. Knowing we have a couple of hot catching prospects in the minors who could be ready soon, should the Jays be considering moving Gregg Zaun or Rod Barajas, and moving one of the kids up now in preparation for next year?

Thanks Richard - keep up the great work!

Jon Empringham, Woodstock, Ont.

A: After speaking with Roy Halladay at the all-star press conference, I’m beginning to think that A.J. is going to stay put with the Jays unless another club offers someone that can help the Jays this year – which is not likely. Ricciardi has an unwritten commitment to his ace, Halladay, not to give up and to continue to try and win this year and beyond, at least through 2010, the length of Doc’s contract and J.P.’s.

Trading a guy like David Eckstein is different. It would not be a sign of giving up because of the presence of the surprising Marco Scutaro and the reliable John McDonald at shortstop. Besides, Eckstein should never have been signed in the first place, so his trade would just be a case of returning to where they should be.

As for the prospects that may be on the way to play the final two months, Purcey is a lock, while Cecil would be here only if Marcum was to go back on the DL for some reason or if Burnett was traded and the Jays had two open slots in the rotation. Among position players, the Jays are in no hurry to move Snider to the majors. They have a huge financial commitment to Vernon Wells and Alex Rios in the outfield and Adam Lind is young enough and has enough of an upside that Snider need not be rushed.

Who else? There are no position players at Triple-A that are close to being ready. The two catchers are just good enough with the Jays to go out and lead the pitching staff through games down the stretch, but not good enough to be any other team’s answer to contending down the stretch. If the Jays moved Barajas or Zaun, they would not bring a young guy up to sit on the bench and their best catching prospects are at least a half year away from starting in the majors.

Q: So now what? Do we allow J.P. to make the trades to dismantle the team that he poorly assembled? It is clear this team is more than just a fine-tuning away. Shouldn't we bring in a new GM now to start the process?

Alan G., Toronto

A: Why do they need to dismantle this Jays team when the fact is this is not a team that has exceeded salary capability and needs to dump money commitments? Other than Burnett or Eckstein, the best Jays deals can be made in the off-season, whether it is for Lyle Overbay, Rios, B.J. Ryan, or whomever.

In any case, they will not allow J.P. to dismantle this current team on his own. I don’t believe he can call any major shot without a close look from the powers that be at the Rogers campus. I believe his situation will be thoroughly reviewed at season’s end with the standings being the deciding factor. The Jays, if they let J.P. go right now, would need to make an interim appointment as GM with all of J.P.’s apparatus still in place, so why bother? If it’s not assistant Alex Anthopoulos appointed to the post, then Alex will be an important holdover for whomever takes the job.

Q: Hi Richard,

I know that everyone in T-O (including yourself) is calling for JP's head now; but as a baseball writer, does it make writing about the Jays easier having JP as a GM? I mean JP is such a loose cannon that even a caller in a radio call-in show can tick him off to say the wrong thing. As a baseball writer, would you prefer a bigmouth GM like JP or someone more conventional? My all-time favourite JP quote is "Rios being 6-5 hitting like he is 5-6". What is yours?

James Ho, Vancouver

A: It does not make writing about the Jays any easier to have J.P. as GM. Having a loose cannon is one thing, but having someone who will be forthright and honest is more important. If the only times that Ricciardi says anything remotely useful is when he goes off on his own radio show, then that sucks for us. Ricciardi criticized John Lott of the National Post for directly recording “Wednesdays with J.P.” or whatever the hell that self-serving paid show is called. J.P. claimed that Lott should have called him for comment before writing about his Adam Dunn comments? Why? So J.P. could claim he misquoted himself or that Lott took himself out of context? That’s so much insecurity shining through.

J.P. is not a bigmouth. He is a very calculating careful, private person who feels that the Canadian media and the Toronto fans are not always worthy of knowing the truth about their team. Which brings me to my favourite J.P. quote: “It’s not a lie if we know the truth.” That sounds like something you would read in a fortune cookie at the Mandarin buffet table instead of a falsified injury report on a major-league closer. Hey, at some point, “the backbone’s connected to the elbow bone” I suppose..

Q: Richard,

I was surprised when Kevin Mench was recalled from Syracuse to take the place of Vernon Wells. What do he and Brad Wilkerson have to do to prove to JP that they're not major league calibre players anymore? Since this season is a write-off, what would be the downside in your opinion of letting these two turkeys go and bringing up Buck Coats and Travis Snider?

Matt Lewis, Ottawa

A: So was Keviin Mench. Actually the switch-hitting Coats was supposed to be called up when Wells went down again, but he was not physically ready due to a minor injury so the Jays went from boys to Mench.

When J.P. has his mind set on acquiring a player and is foiled the first time, he will lay in the weeds and wait and wait and then pounce, as with Wilkerson, even if said player has reached the point where nobody else wants him. Well if said coveted player has turned into a dud, it certainly makes the GM’s job easier eventually landing him, but makes the fans’ job of staying loyal more frustrating, as Wilkerson’s strikeout totals mount and his OPS remains in the Air Canada fleet range – somewhere between 707, 747 and 767.

Q: Hindsight being 20/20, why do the Jays management feel so compelled to sign every player to long-term contracts? What was the rationale behind extending Lyle Overybay's contract? I mean, a .280, 20 HR, 80 RBI first-baseman is not exactly a hot commodity on the free-agent market. What was the rush to sign him? Same thing with Vernon Wells. He's been one year on, one year off for his entire career, and with Rios being able to replace Vernon in CF, why not explore trading Vernon or letting his contract run out and spending the money elsewhere? If this is the core of our offence until 2010, aren't the Jays in trouble?

Jordan S., Toronto

A: It’s called cost certainty in some places and throwing good money after bad in others.

Whenever the Jays find a player with any amount of baseball ability who actually likes Toronto, the Jays organization has always had enough of an inferiority complex to believe “Hey we’d better lock this dude up before he changes his mind.” There’s invariably a feel-good press conference where the player talks about “financial security” and his new responsibility to produce big numbers. The club talks about both sides being winners, giving something now and getting something back in the future. The count of players locked up by Ted Rogers mounts and the Jays can begin to plan their next snazzy marketing campaign around the new guys who have committed to stay north of the border – although nobody, including the GM has enough of a commitment to actually move here year-round and live with us.

There was a familiar modus operandi with both Vernon and with Alex. Before signing them to long-term deals, Ricciardi put on a full-court press for an entire winter trying to trade each of these guys. When those trades did not amount to what J.P. wanted, the next step was to ink them to long-term deals. As for Overbay, he fit in better as a complement to a then-slugging lineup. But all of a sudden after signing his long-term deal, the sluggers have all been stripped away or their power has disappeared and the emperor at first base has no clothes.

If this is the core of your offence and continues to perform like Punch and Judy instead of Papi and Manny, then, yes, the Jays are in big trouble going forward. Rios and Wells need to lead the way and become 30 HR, 130 RBI players year after year. That would fix a lot of the problems.

Q: Hi Richard,

I was just wondering whether or not MLB teams are allowed to trade their first round draft picks in the amateur draft? We never hear of any trades where a team has traded prospects and a future draft pick the way we see in the other major sports. Is this because it is prohibited by MLB or do teams just classify the future draft pick under "player to be named later"?

Zeshan G., Toronto

A: There is a strong belief out there that major-league teams can trade draft picks as part of a package for veterans. The fact is MLB teams are not allowed to trade any draft picks at any time. In fact, teams are not allowed to trade anyone that has been drafted for at least 12 months after the draft, which prevents one GM asking another “Who do you want me to draft?” and then making an agreed upon deal right after the June process. On Tuesday, Bud Selig addressed the question of trading draft choices and said there is no sentiment among GMs for any change in that regard.

I personally believe it would help to allow trading Top 50 picks. The reason I feel that way is that the reason many teams finish near the bottom is that they don’t have the money to spend on payroll. So instead you turn around and give them a Top 5 pick in June and they can’t afford to deal with uber-agent Scott Boras or some other demanding mega-agent for the top rated players. Instead, they draft someone of lesser ability that they know they can sign fore the money they can afford, which casts into doubt the integrity of the whole draft. If a team could trade a Top 50 pick, then it could help itself now by pinpointing prospects someone else has already developed and in turn give up a tenuous investment for the future (for them) to a team that could more afford to take that chance, drafting the proper player in the proper slot.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. *Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Blue Jays mail bag

This is a big week for the Jays heading into the all-star break. The goal is playing solid ball on a homestand vs. the O's and Yankees in the battle for third place - a modest target - but important for the fans. New manager Cito Gaston's goal was to get back to .500 by the break and that’s not going to happen, but they can still make progress in their execution, game-by-game. That’s what Cito is trying to accomplish. And another thing. Just because GM J.P. Ricciardi seems to be saying it’s over, doesn‘t make it so. Think about it. He’s never been right about his team winning, so why do we assume he’s going to be right about his team losing? Realistically, the Jays are out of it, but somehow the baseball seems less frustrating, more entertaining. This is usually when the Jays shine. Cherchez le mail!

Q: Dear Richard,

I regret to inform you that I am on the verge of breaking up with the Toronto Blue Jays. As a devoted fan it is heart-wrenching to watch this team year in and year out fail and fall into what can only be defined as mediocrity at its best. I do believe this team has talent, as I have believed the last two seasons prior (thanks in large part to high expectations that J.P. Ricciardi and the gang have laid upon the club) but have yet again lost faith in this squad. I feel that this team is on the verge of needing to be blown up. The team is completely absent of clutch players and timely hits.

Will this current group of players ever benefit enough from Cito Gaston and his hitting tutelage to put together some wins and at least make this season interesting or are the parts simply not even there? I might suggest that a big bat is needed and that Lyle Overbay cannot be counted on as a key bat at a typical power position. His batting performance this year has been anything but shy of abysmal! His glove is a nice addition but defence is not the issue. Any thoughts on Lyle staying, Lyle going, or the acquisition of a big bopper in the lineup in the near future? And can we see this team ACTUALLY in contention for the playoffs this year or the next? Thanks for your time,

Evan Peaslee, London, Ont.

A: Tough week for baseball relationships and broken promises. First A-Rod and Cynthia, now my man E-Peas and the Jays … hey, I might be able to find Madonna’s cell number if you need a shoulder to cry on.

The danger of always being mediocre is that you’re always on the edge of the precipice, never quite bad enough to where the guy in charge throws his hands in the air and just wants to blow the whole thing up and start in a different direction. It’s a tease. The powers think, "Maybe if we’re all healthy and add just this one missing ingredient we can go all the way." Instead, if the Jays lost 100 games one year they might realize the god-awful truth that something drastic needs to be done, but on and on the Jays go finishing third, while at the same time finding enough bright spots to think that the light at the end of the tunnel is a new day dawning instead of a raging bonfire of replica jerseys ignited by disgruntled fans. Ricciardi has wasted a full season of our lives by convincing Ted Rogers and Paul Godfrey (and I must admit myself) that the ’07 team was good enough to come back as a unit and if healthy compete for a wild-card. For that broken promise alone, Ricciardi will be gone at the end of the year.

When Lyle Overbay was acquired from Milwaukee in time for the ’06 season, he was surrounded by home run bombers -- Vernon Wells (32), Troy Glaus (38), a Bengie Molina-Gregg Zaun catching platoon that crashed 31 homers and the rising, unlimited potential of Alex Rios. They didn’t need Overbay to drive the ball out of the park. Now they do and he’s not capable of it.

As with David Eckstein, Ricciardi continues to acquire parts without thinking of where they might fit in the puzzle of a winning team. He has too many square pegs trying to jam into too many round holes. As for Overbay’s future with the Jays, he is not the type of player that contenders are looking to acquire at the deadline, so if there is a market it will be at the winter meetings in December.

The Jays can contend next season, but only with a change at GM.

Q: Richard, it seems to me that Roy Halladay is criminally under-appreciated in Toronto. Frankly, he should be as beloved an athlete as Doug Gilmour or Pinball Clemons.

He has taken less money to stay with the Jays. He donates a ton of time and money to charity and his work ethic is unparalleled. It is a blessing that we Torontonians get to see him pitch every five days. Quite frankly his 9-inning shutout of the Mariners was a work of art. Why do you think the city has not embraced him like other athletes?

Also, what are the chances of Roy signing an extension after the 2010 season when his contract is up? I would love to see him stay but I would also like to see him pitch in the playoffs at least once in his career and it doesn't look like it is going to happen in Toronto.

Christopher Jones, Toronto

A: I agree with you about Doc being grossly underappreciated. What you say about taking less money to be here is absolutely true. In fact, this season his salary voluntarily dropped by $2.8 million from ’07 specifically so that Halladay could give Ricciardi the flexibility of payroll to compete. This was the year that Ricciardi had pinpointed for Doc. This was the year the GM promised his starting ace that they would be ready to win it all. This was the year that J.P.’s legacy would be established and Halladay would get his ring. All we get is dust in the wind.

As for Halladay’s image with the fans, unlike Gilmour, Clemons and even Roger Clemens, only Halladay’s numbers are larger than life. He prefers to keep his personal life, well, personal. He doesn’t hang out in karaoke bars like the Rocket. He doesn’t have a catchy nickname like Pinball. He never captained his team to the brink of the Stanley Cup Finals like Gilmour. Part of Halladay’s image problem is that he is so efficient and shows so little emotion on the hill. He seems in a different world when the cameras zero in on him and in fact he is. His wife Brandi explains his habit of zoning out from the fifth inning the night before until he’s done for the day in his own start the next night. Fans like fire and emotion in their icons. I prefer results and that's what Halladay provides.

Q: Hi Richard,

I like the Jays, but they have floated in the .500-stream long enough. I like Wells, Rios, Scott Rolen, Aaron Hill and even Overbay. The catching platoon seems to be more productive and the bench is much stronger than recent years. Maybe Adam Lind will work out too. Is this group just not good enough? If you were the almighty decision maker who would you change in the starting field to propel the Jays upstream?

Charles Adam, Manitoulin Island, Ont.

A: The Jays could use a stud catcher, an offensive shortstop and an everyday left fielder with a big OPS (on-base-plus-slugging). Given that mixture, the DH situation would take care of itself. I have always liked using the DH as a resting place for an extra hitter getting the night off from playing the field, rather than dedicating the spot to one thick-legged old guy schussing hard on the downslope of his career. That’s how the Jays did it in ’05 with Shea Hillenbrand, Frank Catalanotto, Eric Hinske, Corey Koskie and others. But consider if Rios and Wells were merely duplicating their ’06 numbers here in ’08. Vernon in ’06 was .303, with 32 homers and 106 RBIs, while Alex was .302 with 17 homers and 82 RBIs in just 128 games. Simply that increased production from your supposed stars would have covered up a host of down ’08 years from others.

Q: Hi Richard, I was curious if there is a "special" chapter in J.P.'s "How to Build a Baseball Team" manual that tells him all successful teams include a roster of four shortstops given the fact no depth (or power) to your bench? I mean c'mon man "Now batting the designated-hitter...David Eckstein?" Surely there is someone in the system who bats right and has some power. I realize Kevin Mench is in the minors but I would rather have him come off the bench to hit in a promising inning than Mr. Midget with his hair on fire!

Dwayne Andrews, Sydney River, NS

A: J.P.’s self-help book can be found on the “bargain” shelf right next to Ted (The Unabomber) Kacsynski’s tome “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, Madonna’s best-selling “The Material Girl’s Guide to Saving a Marriage” and Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega’s “Top 100 Power Rock Ballads of All Time”.

I must admit that the “David Eckstein as DH” moment had my head spinning that night as he approached the plate with a chance to lay down a bunt and advance key runners into scoring position…of course he didn’t because that would have been embarrassing. In fact, Ricciardi may be the Imelda Marcos of baseball GM’s. Instead of shoes, he keeps buying up shortstops. In a previous life, it was third basemen. I thought he was getting over that Imelda closet full of pumps mode in the time after he had acquired Corey Koskie when he already had Eric Hinske and Shea Hillenbrand and then went out and got Troy Glaus the next winter handing over Orlando Hudson, the club’s best second baseman since Roberto Alomar -- and top fashion critic ever.

Q: Good Day Richard,

In your last mailbag you stated that the Jays were not in win "right here, right now" mode, so I was curious as to what "mode" you believe the Jays are in. This core of players has proven they can't win more than 86 games together. The core of the team (Wells, Roy Halladay, etc) isn't getting any younger, so what do we fans expect from this team now and in the foreseeable future? Also, how badly do you think Mr. Ricciardi regrets taking Ricardo Romero over Troy Tulowitzki in the 2005 draft? I know I'll never forgive him. Thanks very much for your veteran insight on baseball.

A Loyal reader,

Jonathan Sanchez, York

A: The Jays were in a “win right here right now” mode all spring all the way through the firing of John Gibbons. With the hiring of Gaston, it indicated that they are playing for next year. They are now in a “compete hard right here right now” mode, which is like “win right here right now” only with more of a sense of reality. It’s still worth going out to watch if you love baseball, because they are competing hard. I wouldn’t put too much stock in looking at the ages of Wells, Halladay, et al. These guys still have many prime years ahead of them so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves in the “woe is us” mode.

The Tulowitzki-Romero mistake in 2005 was drafting for “need” rather than the best player available. The Jays needed almost-ready-for-primetime left-handed starters, not shortstops (see Aaron Hill; Russ Adams). In baseball that is a huge draft philosophy mistake always avoided by the Pat Gillick regime and by great Expos’ scouting staffs led by Gary Hughes during the ‘80s. The caveat is that the baseball draft is such a crapshoot with results often not properly evaluated for four or five years that if you draft four straight shortstops No. 1, by the time they develop your circumstances are far different than when you made your selections. Ricciardi found that out (see: Hill; Adams; Ouch).

Q: I'm amazed at all the pessimism. Didn't anyone see the Rockies stink for five months last year and get to the World Series? With great pitching and defense, and a group of talented, if underachieving hitters, can't we be this year's Rockies?

Andy Siegel, Los Angeles

A-There’s an old saying about lightning not striking twice in the same place. For every Rockies there’s a Cubs, White Sox or Red Sox with a drought that lasts decades maybe centuries. Can the Jays be this year’s Rockies? Uhh, let’s see. In a word, NO!

Q: Hi Richard,

I've a very basic rules question for you. What is the difference between a "foul tip" and a "foul ball"? From where I'm sitting (always sitting; never playing) if the hitter hits the ball and the catcher (or anyone on the opposing team) catches the ball before it hits the ground that should be an out. How come "tipping" the ball doesn't count as a legitimate hit of the ball? Reading the rules, I still have no idea whether there's a quantifiable difference between the two - if the ball deviates by more than X degrees from the bat, it's a foul ball but if it's less than X degrees, it's a foul tip? Thanks for your continuing education of a cricket-loving Britnadian.

Ed Lee, Toronto

A-It’s all in the interpretation of the umpire, but basically to be a batted ball in play and not a foul tip, a fielder should have to make an athletic move to catch the ball. For instance, if the hitter fouls a bunt into the catcher’s mitt it’s a foul tip. If he bunts it and it changes direction off to the side of the plate or behind the umpire no matter how small the parabola and the catcher makes an adjustment out of his crouch to make the catch, that’s an out. In the mind of an umpire, it’s an athletic move off a change of direction by the ball.

A little known part of the foul tip rule is that on a third strike, to be a held for an out, the ball must hit the catcher’s glove first and then be held. If a foul tip is off the catcher’s chest, shoulder, knee or the facemask and then settles in the glove it is not an out.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. *Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

TRIBUTE TO AN INSPIRATION

They say that baseball needs more fans that are women. The real fact is that baseball needs more women like Norine Devine, who passed away suddenly on Monday morning at Toronto East General Hospital. Norine is my aunt and in the absence of my late mother, became my conscience and my inspiration as the Star's baseball columnist. Lorne and Norine Devine raised nine children in the same small home in Scarborough. The nine children, 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren have many things in common in addition to an incredible love and respect for one another. One of the Devine family's other attributes that was ingrained in them from infancy was a great love of sports, including baseball. Even though Norine was not an athlete herself, her kitchen radio was forever tuned to the FAN and she remained an avid Star reader, especially the sports, and a fan of Bob McCown. A staunch and practicing Catholic, any time that one of my columns may have strayed into questionable territory in terms of respect or double entendre, I would hear about it the next time I talked to Norine. She raised her own children the same way. When I was a struggling 23-year-old assistant in the Expos' public relations department, while my mother was encouraging me to find work as an accountant or some other "legitimate" business, my aunt Norine was encouraging me to stay the course if I really loved baseball and was happy. I am still happy, but also, now, devastated by the news of Norine's passing. I will continue to write with the constant thought of "What Would Norine Say?" Rest in Peace. 

by Richard Griffin       

Blue Jays mail bag

The Blue Jays continue to plod along in the middle of the pack but it seems a lot less depressing to watch the games. The Canada Day debacle was a microcosm of their season. They take a 6-2 lead, but you know it could have been more what with the brutal Vernon Wells baserunning play - being thrown out at third on an apparent line drive single over short and the brutal fielding play by Jesse Litsch that snapped the Jays shutout string at 21 innings. You could feel the baseball gods looking over your shoulder pointing and giggling and when Scott Downs entered with his 26-inning scoreless streak in hand, the vibes were all bad for the eternal pessimists that most Jays fans have become. In any case, the Jays are playing better baseball even if they're still not going anywhere. Enjoy. Here is this week's mail bag.

Q: I can't recall the Jays ever having a fixture at shortstop for the past six or seven years that I've followed them; only an endless parade of one year stopgaps or prospects that don't pan out (David Eckstein, Royce Clayton, Mike Bordick, Russ Adams, Alex Gonzalez). Do the Jays have anyone in their farm system at SS that you think could one day be the Jays’ full-time shortstop, for more than one year? If not, are there any above-average shortstops eligible for free agency after this season that you could see the Jay's signing? Or do you think the Jays futility at short will continue?

Marcus Hunke, Edmonton

A: That is a very keen observation. In both 2002 and ’03 the then-young Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi made a college shortstop his first pick in the June draft – first Adams out of North Carolina, then Aaron Hill out of L.S.U. But during the Ricciardi era it’s been a revolving door at that position. The primary shortstops each season have been: ’02 Chris Woodward and Felipe Lopez; ’03 Woodward and Bordick; ’04 Chris Gomez and Woodward; ’05 Adams; ’06 John McDonald and Hill; ’07 McDonald and Clayton; ’08 Eckstein and Marco Scutaro. Out of those 10 different names, only Lopez, Woodward, Adams and Hill grew up in the Jays' farm system.

There was stability at shortstop before that. Basically Alex Gonzalez was the man from 1995-2001. Prior to that, after two makeshift seasons in 1977-78, the Jays had gone with Alfredo Griffin (1979-84), Tony Fernandez (1985-90 & 1993) and Manny Lee (1991-92).

There are some good prospects down on the farm. My favourtie, a kid we saw a couple of times during the Grapefruit League season this spring is 19-year-old Justin Jackson of the Lansing Lugnuts. The 6-2, 175 lb. right-handed hitter was selected 48th overall in ’07. He’s still a few years away, but could be a good one.

Q: Hi Richard,

After 68 games played, former Blue Jay phenom turned disappointment, Eric Hinske of the Tampa Bay Rays is batting .267 with 13 HRs, 44 RBIs, slugging .533, and donated his 2007 World Series ring to charity (ok, I made the last one up but you see my point). All we need now is for Josh Phelps to resurface with the Cubs and hit a walk-off 2-run home run with Reed Johnson on base to clinch the NL Central. Excuse me while I go set fire to my J.P. Ricciardi bobblehead (I tried to ignite my Alex Rios bobblehead but it refuses to heat up and go on a hot streak).

Kevork Hacat, Toronto

A: There doesn’t seem to be a question in there, but I liked the letter so much I just had to include it in this week’s mailbag. Hinske is the ’07 equivalent - a rejected, supposedly underachieving hitter going from the Jays to a World Series winner - of Brad Fullmer in ’02 going from being Jays DH to the same role for the World Champion Angels. As for the Ricciardi bobblehead, I’ve heard if you tap it on the head, it apologizes to the Adam Dunn bobblehead only to have the Ashton Kutcher bobblehead leap out and yell “Punk’d”. By the way, I also have the Demi Moore bobblehead that came with the Kutcher doll and you don’t want to know what that one does.

Q: Hey Richard,

With Joe Inglett continuing to hit and produce at the top of the Jays lineup how is Gaston going to be able to take him out when Hill returns to health? Or does it still look like Hill won't be getting cleared to play anytime soon?

Matt M., Calgary

A: The Aaron Hill situation is alarming in that when the club indicates he is out “indefinitely” that is exactly what it means. Hill banged his head on David Eckstein’s elbow in a game in Oakland on May 29 as both men charged into short centre field tracking a short flyball. Hill came out of that game and was checked by doctors. He flew to Anaheim with the team, but the next day while out with his wife and some friends felt some scary concussion symptoms. He was examined by doctors and did not play the rest of the trip. Re-examined several times since, he has been removed from the team’s day-to-day activities and there is no timeframe for his return. That all makes Inglett a key player for the Jays, but if Hill does return, there is no decision to make. Inglett goes to the bench and makes that area of the Jays stronger.

Q: Good Day Richard,

I have a two-part question for you. In your honest opinion what do you think they Jays will do if they are out of the race by the trade deadline? Will they trade A.J. Burnett and other veterans, and if so, do they let J.P make the moves? I know it's still early but my friends and I have already given up on the season, it’s a trend that is picking up around here and we're not even at the all-star break yet.

Jonathan Sanchez, York, Ontario

A: The trade deadline (without having to put a player through waivers and possibly losing him for nothing) is July 31. The Jays under Cito Gaston seem capable between now and then of hanging around the .500 mark. Is that out of the race? Statistically no. Realistically yes. Clubs that normally conduct fire sales of veteran players at the trade deadline are those clubs that are spending on payroll beyond their means in the hopes of winning “right here, right now” with a bunch of contracts that expire at the end of the year with potential free agents and guys a year away from being free. The Jays are not in that category. They planned and can afford their current payroll and most of their veterans are locked in to 2009-10 and beyond. Therefore, A.J., with his opt out, is the only real trade possibility in the fire-sale category.

In baseball you cannot trade future draft picks, so in taking very young prospects you’re generally looking at players that you yourself passed over in the draft a couple of years ago. At this stage, anyone in a pennant push that wants Burnett is not going to give major-league parts if he can opt out at the end of the year.

As for J.P. conducting the negotiations, the man is still in charge and has pride in his legacy. He is not mailing it in, it’s just that there is insufficient postage on the envelope of his career.

Q: Who is this guru that Roy Halladay has that you speak of (in last week’s mail bag)?

Sean Court, Lethbridge, Alberta

A: The guy’s name is Harvey Dorfman. (No, this is not the Tim Conway character – Dorfman on Golf, etc.). This guy is an author of books on psychology, self-enhancement and leadership training with titles like “The Mental ABCs of Pitching: A Handbook for Performance Enhancement”. When Halladay went back to Class-A ball after failing at the major-league level in 2000, he needed help and went to the books and teachings of Mr. Dorfman. In fact, if you pay close attention on game days, you may see Doc going through one of Dorfman’s tattered, well-worn books in front of his locker. By the way, the Mitchell Report says nothing about performance-enhancing books. Dorfman has latched on to mega-agent Scott Boras and also works with some of his clients.

Q: Hi Richard,

I can't help wondering if J.P. is signing his own pink slip. He fires the Jay non-productive hitting coach Gary Denbo, then offers him a job in the minors. Denbo was a disaster with his philosophy with the Jays how is this going to work in the minors. One would think the instructors would all be on the same page through out the organization. Also am very sorry to see Ernie (Whitt) go. A class guy with a class act.

George Pengilley, Brampton, Ont.

A: I believe J.P. signing his own pink slip is much better than his wearing one. As for Denbo, it’s merely a case of being pragmatic. The Jays are on the hook for another season of Denbo’s services. He signed a two-year contract. In fact, much os the stuff he teaches and the style he does it, with reinforcement of hitting mechanics, watching video and spending countless hours in the cages is all good stuff for minor-leaguers that have not yet reached a hitting identity on their own. Denbo has a better minor-league track record than a major-league one and as long as he’s still being paid by the Jays why not make use of an asset. Just don’t let him around Rios, Wells, Overbay, Rolen and Stairs.

As for instructors being on the same page throughout the organization, that’s one of the things that gets the Jays under Ricciardi in trouble. No two hitters are alike, so work with them individually rather than trying to force them into a cookie-cutter hitting style.

Q: Hi Richard,

I was wondering if you had any insight into why baseball has such an extensive minor league system compared to all the other pro sports?

Jordan Furness, Red Deer, Alberta

A: Branch Rickey, the man who signed Jackie Robinson in baseball’s greatest social experiment and breakthrough, is also the man responsible for the game’s extensive farm systems. When he was with the Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers in the ‘30s and ‘40s there were only 16 major-league teams. In those days, players once they were under contract were signed for life. Rickey used rural America for the Cards and Dodgers in the ‘40s like Epy Guerrero used the Dominican for the Jays in the ‘80s. Sign as many players as you can and maybe a few will pan out in the majors. But, in order to do that, Rickey needed somewhere for them to play...thus the start of a farm system. Other teams caught on and minor leagues formed.

Baseball is the most intricate of all the major sports and the common belief is that a high school player takes three to five years to develop the skills and knowledge to play in the majors. No other sport has a stepping stone development system like baseball and therefore the different levels of farm teams – Summer-A, low A, high A, Double-A and Triple-A. Basketball has the D-League. Hockey has the AHL and a couple of smaller circuits. Football has the CFL and the Arena League.

Q: Hi Richard,

It seems like Nick Leyva waves in everybody and it seems to be working. Is he a brilliant third base coach or has he been lucky so far? I'm guessing a combo of the two. Also, would you consider him an improvement over Marty Pevey?

Thanks for your time,

Rob MacKay, Calgary

A: Marty Pevey wasn’t the problem. But when the Jays decided to bring in Cito Gaston to manage, part of his acceptance was bringing Leyva and Gene Tenace with him. With Leyva coming in to coach third, there was nowhere for Pevey to go except gently into that good night.

As for Leyva waving everybody, he still is finding out what the runners can and cannot do for him. The best way to find out is to send them all. It all depends on the situations, too. The Jays had been having trouble scoring runners from third base, so why make them stop at third, when it’s been a graveyard? I did notice in the Seattle game on Canada Day, he was a lot more conservative; for instance when there were no outs and the bases were loaded. Maybe Canada Day was his chance to show his knowledge of his adopted country and become progressive conservative at waving runners.

Q: Just a question about how a pitcher is credited with a win. I know that a starting pitcher has to pitch five innings in order to qualify for the victory, but if they don't then the official scorer will award the victory. Correct? I only point this out because I feel that Felix Hernandex was robbed of a victory last week. He pitched 4.2 innings, leaving only after he sprained his ankle. His team was up four runs on a grand slam that Felix himself had hit! Seattle ended up winning the game 5-2, with Rowland-Smith picking up the victory for pitching two innings of scoreless relief. Couldn't the official scorer have used his professional judgment to award the victory to Felix instead? He was the most deserving pitcher.

Darren Low, Toronto

A: There is no professional judgment if a starting pitcher fails to go five innings – no matter what the circumstances. Throw all the relievers into a pot and that’s the pool from which the official scorer makes his call to victory. It sounds to me like you might have Felix in a Fantasy League and you don’t feel as bad for Felix as you do for yourself. If you had Rowland-Smith you’d be high-fiving the scorer and singing Waltzing Matilda for the Aussie stud reliever. Hey, dude, rules are rules no matter how silly they sometimes seem. How about the same save being awarded for entering a game with a three run lead, a man on first and two outs in the ninth…or the bases loaded and a one-run lead with no outs in the ninth. Makes no sense.

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