Mail bag

This has become my favourite task of the week. Answering questions from the mail bag. The Grapefruit League games have begun and, even though they don’t really mean anything, there are now boxscores to scour for names and numbers. It’s getting closer and it’s all good. My least favourite moment, of course, was boarding an Air Canada flight last Thursday evening to come home to this weather. In any case, I’ll be hanging out in town to cover the Rogers Centre portion of the World Baseball Classic then heading back to Florida after that. This is my second end-of-February in Canada since 1978. The first was in 1995, because of the strike. On to the mail bag.

Q: Hey Richard,

Why all the panic on Vernon Wells and his injured hamstring? It’s only February and everyone was initially talking about him missing opening day, then all of a sudden it’s down to two weeks. Besides, most years he could stand to miss April and we wouldn’t miss him. What’s the story?

Nathan L., Mississauga

A: I have this emerging theory on the Jays and their injury reports. Basically it comes down to “more is less and less is more”. Whenever the Jays step up and volunteer info right away a la Vernon Wells and say stuff like “at least a month” with a left hamstring strain, then more often than not it will turn out to be less time than they said. Call it the “Elmer Gantry Rule”.

On the other hand, when the media has to stumble across an injury a la Mike Maroth or B.J. Ryan (a few years ago) and the initial report is “locked knee, day-to-day” or “lower back, day-to-day,” those are the injuries that turn out to be the stunners. Call it the “We Are Cursed Rule”.

And it’s never a case of the Jays’ medical staff, the team doctors misdiagnosing any of their players’ physical issues. They have the right info. They are very competent at their jobs. It’s a case of the Jays’ front office having a covert mindset that the public doesn’t need to know. It’s why Jays’ trainers aren’t allowed to talk to the media about injuries.

“If we say a month and it’s only two weeks, it makes it sound like good news. If we say day-to-day and it’s a couple of months, then the fates have done us in once again.” It’s like the oil companies setting their gas prices. Once the price per litre went over a buck, we’re all now high-fiveing each other when the price drops under 80 cents per litre. Woo-hoo! If this answer sounds a little cynical, it’s because it is.

Q: Hi Richard,

I just read an article on the Star and as a side note it added what the future roster of the team might look like. It said we'd have David Cooper on first, Justin Jackson at short and Kevin Ahrens at third. Any word on these guys? What are they like, strengths, weaknesses, etc.?

James MacPhee, Toronto

A: All three of these players look like pretty good prospects, but the fact is that being a high draft pick does not always translate into major-league stardom. Russ Adams is a prime example. Year-after-year, following his No. 1 draft status in June ’02, Adams was projected as the shortstop of the future. Earlier this year he was designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A.

From among Cooper, Jackson and Ahrens, I like Jackson the best, but at the same time he has the longest way to go in his development. Jackson, a shortstop, was drafted 48th overall in ’07. Ahrens, a third-baseman, was drafted 16th overall in ’07. Cooper, a first-baseman, was drafted 17th overall in ’08. I would rank Cooper second and Ahrens third among the three, but don’t look for any of them until Opening Day of 2011 at the earliest. All three could likely be in the starting lineup for A-Dunedin in April.

Q: Richard,

I hope you are enjoying the sun. There have been a lot of questions asked about what players could and should be traded from the Jays. I have one question for you, what does J.P. do in regards to this team before the season begins?

Scott Cochrane, Niagara-on-the-Lake

A: Punt. No, seriously, I think he should evaluate his very deep bullpen, pinpoint the three other guys that he wants to keep in support of B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson and Brandon League and then package the next two most valuable major-league middle guys and send them to an NL team for an experienced No. 5 starter with no long-range value. That way he would only have to force-feed one young guy into the major-league inferno.

Q: Griff,

What are Dirk Hayhurst's chances of sticking with the big club? I know he only had a cup of coffee at the end of last year, but does he fit into the plans at all, or is he destined to be in AAA this year?

Thanks,

Jess Bechard, London

A: Dirk Hayhurst is a very funny guy. One hopes that he can make it to The Show, but considering he spent a season writing an online diary called “Non-prospect diary: Dirk Hayhurst” for Baseball America, at age 28, even he realizes the longshot nature of his quest. Already in the spring clubhouse he has been overheard saying some very hilarious things that cannot be repeated in a family blog. Hopefully he can stick at Triple-A for the Jays, but if he ever makes it to the majors it will mean that youngsters have failed and veterans have had cataclysmic injuries.

Q: Richard,

Any other pitchers out there with reconstructive surgery that the Jays haven't signed yet? I think my 43-year-old arm is available. Seriously, I, like many ball fans, welcome you back. With a thin starting staff, would you support letting the young kids go out there every fifth day win or lose and let them groom in the majors? Or do you support using retreads for the season until the young guys are major league ready.

Dale Tonelli, Timmins, Ont.

A: You may not know it (and I couldn’t make this up), but former Expos and Red Sox GM Dan Duquette ended up performing summer stock in the New England area, starring in such classics as Damn Yankees and The Music Man. The rumour is that Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi would like to join him next year on the New England stage-acting circuit beginning with an adapted version of Shakespeare’s classic Richard III. But he insists on delivering the famous line as: “An arm! An arm! My kingdom for an arm!”

As for the young guys, I would teach Brett Cecil a simple, more deceptive delivery where he hides the ball better in his delivery, then I would start him in the fifth starter role and limit him to 100 pitches through the first two months, maybe throwing him into a spot after Doc so you know the bullpen is rested. I would try and nurse Matt Clement into the season as the No. 4 guy and see how far he can go before exploding like a Monty Python animation.

Q: As an Englishman who got into baseball during a family holiday to St Catharines 30 years ago, I don't understand the idea of comparing players from different (eras) purely by numbers. Every era has had its scandals and cheaters. Drugs and gambling have been ever present. Which era do you think is the most shameful in baseball history and what footnote would you put next to every record?

Gareth Harland, Newcastle, UK

A: Likely the most shameful era in baseball was the period from 1903-19 when players routinely jumped contracts from one league to another, when African Americans were systematically excluded from the game, when gambling was seemingly rampant and when seemingly the attitude was anything goes. Ironically, this was also the period of time that baseball gained a strong foothold on the American psyche as the National Pastime led by stars like Ty Cobb (a-hole), Cap Anson (major-league a-hole) and many others of that unlikeable, swashbuckling, egotistical ilk. That era was capped by the Black Sox Scandal leading to the arrival of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as a powerful commissioner to clean up the game and Babe Ruth to save it. The game’s a survivor.

Q: Thanks for the blog Richard. One of the best baseball reads anywhere. If Adam Lind proves he's for real as a consistent big league hitter is there any possibility that they would move Lyle Overbay and try Lind at first? I admire excellent defence but it is so frustrating to watch Overbay bounce ball after ball to second for a double play when it seems the team might get something going. How about an honest assessment of him? I know I’ve had enough.

Phoenix Rhys, Ottawa

A: That’s what happens when you take a guy out of his comfort zone ands ask him to do something beyond what his role should be. Lyle Overbay is a good defender with an alley-to-alley doubles-machine bat who should be batting sixth or seventh in a good major-league batting order. Last season he was asked to bat in an RBI role and, as you so teeth-grindingly pointed out, it seemed to produce groundball after groundball to second base. It’s like watching Danny DeVito in the all-star slamdunk contest.

This year, with Lyle’s hand stretched and strengthened and with others to (hopefully) fill the RBI roles, a healthy Overbay can have a role in this lineup, with 15 homers, 45 doubles and 80 RBIs. However, I would still look to trade him and install Lind at first base.

Q: Hi Richard,

Love the columns as usual. Two quickies: One, about how much time and leeway does Travis Snyder get before Kevin Millar is in or out? That locker room, in my opinion, is screaming for a guy with his attitude. Secondly, got any good Expos spring stories to tell?

Lee Denike, Mississauga

A: How much time or leeway for Snider? What time is it. The Jays are worried that the second time around the league, that the rest of the AL will study enough video of Snider to discover the holes that allowed him to strike out 177 times in ’08. There is no rush for Snider as long as Lind, Rios and Overbay are playing every day. If Snider is shipped out, then Jose Bautista and maybe Joe Inglett can be the extra outfielders with Millar, Johnny Mac, Inglett and Bautista as extra infielders and DH. The clubhouse is fine without Millar. It’s once they leave the clubhouse and start playing baseball that’s the problem.

Q: Hi Mr. Griffin,

I'm sitting on my bed reading the spring training blog and wishing that I was in Florida. I was through Dunedin following the Leafs on a road trip in 2006 and I was struck by the tranquility of the area. So with the raging cold and, if it's warm enough, snow, your notes from the balmy tropics warms my heart even while my nose and toes freeze. A pleasant respite. Anyway, on to the reason for the message, here goes.

Last summer, largely because of one of your blogs, my brother, best friend and I went to NYC to see the Jays play the Yankees over the Aug 29-31 weekend. When the fan slid into second on Friday night and then was gang tackled, he took off from beside me. We got dirt from the pitcher's mound at Yankee Stadium and I drank so many flat Bud Lights that I think I actually enjoyed one of them. But now it's gone and the times we've spent there are only memories to be enlarged with each retelling, so now that you can look back on the "House that Ruth Built" what are your premier memories? It was your description of the "Yankee Stadium Must Do's" that made me convince the guys that it was worth it even if the Jays were going to be out of it by then (odds). And where must we go next?

Thanks a lot and even more for the inspiration,

Go Spos/Jays

Gabriel Byatt, Fort Simpson

A: Thanks for your comments. Of course you realize that gallon of flat Bud Light was not on the bucket list of Yankee Stadium things to do. The first part of the question is regarding my Yankee Stadium memories. Of course, the top memory would be the first time going out to Monument Park and seeing the Mickey Mantle bust. He was my childhood baseball hero, because growing up in Montreal the Yankee games on radio and TV were what we mostly got.

Second most memorable would be the day I took the train up from Baltimore to New York to watch David Cone in his first start at Yankee Stadium after being traded from the Jays in mid-season. It wasn’t the Cone game itself. Instead I found myself suffering from Baltimore crab-cake food poisoning on the way and upon arrival, rushed into the little press room bathroom near the Yankee clubhouse and puked my guts out. After steering the press bus for what seemed an eternity, as I gathered my thoughts and straightened my tie it occurred to me that the great Babe Ruth, the Bambino had likely done the same thing as I had just done, maybe in the same place (but for a different reason). That’s memory No. 2.

Then there’s the ’01 World Series vs. the D’backs. The night of the homers by Scott Brosius and Derek Jeter and, later, the fans tribute to Paul O’Neill on his last night as a player at the stadium.

As for your next trip, I would suggest Baltimore on a summer weekend. Stay at the Admiral Fell Inn over at Fell’s Point. You can take the ferry across the inner harbour at lunchtime, have a great seafood meal, do some people watching then wander up the street to Camden Yards, still my favourite park when it’s full and the crowd is into it. Have dinner at Boog’s B-B-Q behind the right field stands. Maybe Boog Powell will even be there. On one of the days you’re there, rent a car and drive down to the Maryland shore and visit Cal Ripken’s hometown of Havre de Grace which amazingly is where the Susquehanna River empties into the ocean. That river, of course has its headwaters at Cooperstown, NY. Look for the Ripken Baseball Complex. The only caveat is that after midnight, while wandering over to the Wharf Rat for last call, you will be stepping over a bunch of peacefully slumbering, or awake and conversating quietly, homeless people. They are the least aggressive panhandlers in America. Treat them with respect.

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.**

A-Rod Reminiscent of Raines

As the saga of A-Rod continues to unfold, a lot of what has gone on in Yankee Nation in terms of the surprising revelation of steroid use, followed by the exclusive one-on-one interview, by Peter Gammons followed up by the first day of training camp "mea culpa" which was all she wrote in terms of talking about the issue, reminds me of the situation with Tim Raines and his cocaine rehab in 1982-83.

In September of 1982, near the end of his second major-league season, in fact on Raines' 22nd birthday, the news came out in a blockbuster feature in the Toronto Star, a well-written piece by Wayne Parrish, that Raines had been playing with an addiction to cocaine. The key moment was when he failed to show up for a game because of an announced "illness". In his failure, it turns out, he was not the Lone Ranger.

That period of baseball in the early '80s was a crisis situation for the game. The danger of cocaine was so new that most middle-age, white, stuffy old baseball execs, who did not spend a lot of time with their players, did not even know what was going on in their own clubhouses. I have my own mea culpa. I was a 28-year-old Expos' media relations director who travelled with the team and was not aware of the problem until the Parrish article was confirmed. So I'm damned sure that John McHale (team president) and Jim Fanning (manager) wouldn't have had a clue. It's a reflection of what happened in the '90s with the steroids issue. Only with coke, the clue was cluelessness, while with steroids, the clue was clearly visible in muscle definition and skyrocketing statistics.

In any case, the reason the A-Rod case reminds me of Raines is that after the '82 season, Raines went to a 30-day drug rehab centre in Orange County, California and we at the Expos had to decide how to handle the '83 season. My suggestion was to allow one even-handed, all-telling feature story to be written in the winter followed by one opening day of camp mea culpa, then the silence of the Raines.

I chose Montreal Gazette columnist Michael Farber because of his proven humanity, sensitivity and journalistic integrity. I was not proven wrong. Farber was the A-Rod equivalent of Peter Gammons and the exclusive ESPN interview - only better. Farber was given exclusive access to fly to visit Raines at his home in Florida and do the full story, with background, retell the genesis of the problem with the final solution being revealed, warts and all.

Knowing Michael very well as a true professional with integrity, a former Yankee beat writer, now a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame for his work with Sports Illustrated, if he had smelled a rat with Raines he would have written it. He treated Raines like a young kid that got too rich too fast, who had a chance to come back if he wanted to make the effort. Rock didn't let him or us down. 

Then, on the opening day of '83 training camp, just as with A-Rod, Raines met the international media for his one and only session regarding his cocaine issues. Everyone by that time had had the definitive Farber piece to read and use as reference. The facts were out there.

It seems to me that utilizing a highly respected member of the print media was more effective for Raines than the electronic media was for A-Rod (even with the respected Gammons doing the interview). Rock also had Andre Dawson and other teammates there to support him. As far as the Expos were concerned, it worked out very well. Raines went on to a near Hall of Fame career. That's why I have had great difficulty criticizing the Yankees and MLB for the way the A-Rod issue has been handled. None criticizing A-Rod. He's an ass.

Regards           

Mail Bag

The mailbag is back for Week 2. The Jays are looking good and Cito Gaston is relaxed and in charge. This is the best time of the year, before the games start. In the first 10 days at the Englebert Complex, the players are all relaxed, together and comparing winter war stories. There’s more smiling and laughter and you get a good look at the true personalities. Once the Grapefruit League games start, it’s more serious and it all depends on who’s playing that day as to who’s around, but you don’t see everyone together, so you don’t get the same interactions.

But it’s all good because baseball’s back.

Q: Glad to see you are back to writing the Mailbag. Let's play early prognosticator: best and worst case scenarios for the Jays this year? Even in the best-case scenario I forecast the staff to provide 80 wins (Halladay- 22, Litsch-16, Clement-15, Purcey-15, Maroth or Cecil-10 wins). That would be a miracle, but then the bullpen would probably need to come up with about 15 wins to make the playoffs. With the depth in the bullpen this could happen. But will the hitters actually drive guys in with runners in scoring position. What if Vernon Wells returns to his 2003 levels, Rios actually hits 30 home runs and Rolen stays healthy all year? I'm dreaming of a surprise playoff run in 2009, am I going to be disappointed?

Jason Sinnarajah, Singapore

A: There is a very wide range in the victory total between best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Jays in ’09. In the best-case scenario, beyond the glitzy win totals you project for the starters, Alex Rios and Vernon Wells would provide the same type of 1-2 punch as Carlos Delgado and Wells did in 2003 (75 HR-262 RBIs combined). Scott Rolen, whose fine defence is a given, would complete the batting adjustment required by his wonky left shoulder, hitting 45 doubles and 20 homers. Aaron Hill would stay healthy, while Adam Lind and Travis Snider form the best young 1-2 punch in the AL. All that, in a very tough division, could produce 95 wins.

Worst-case is dismal and more likely. Halladay is distracted by his crumbling surroundings and wins 16 games. Litsch can’t handle the pressure of being a No. 2 starter and ends up being farmed out in June to regain his confidence. None of the veteran starters brought in to camp can bounce back in time. Dustin McGowan is not ready until August. The young guys are all rushed and their confidence implodes. Cito Gaston reacts like he did in 1997, the year he was fired from a very bad team. The starters for the season combine to win 45 games, supported by 15 from the bullpen for a total of 60-102.

The reality lies somewhere in between. But, Jason, I think you are going to be disappointed. These Jays can compete for a game, a series, a month, but over the course of 162 games, the relentless depth provided by the bigger payroll of the Yankees and Red Sox and the better young talent of the Rays will prevail.

No Closure for A-Crock as Camp Opens

Alex Rodriguez's voice faltered as he tried to compose himself to continue reading his prepared script. He was starting to choke up like an October ninth-inning at bat with the winning run on second. Only three minutes in, he had reached the point in his apology where he was trying to thank his assembled teammates for showing up at his public flogging. Thirty uncomfortable seconds later as still cameras clicked away recording his emotional meltdown, all A-Rod could muster was a weak "Thank you." Flanked by manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman (no Scott Boras anywhere to be seen),  A-Rod struggled through his speech then limped through some tough questions from an audience of about 130 skeptical media members. The overall effect was perhaps therapeutic for baseball's highest-paid player, but his explanations left observers less than satisfied that the entire story has been told.

Last week he told Peter Gammons in an exclusive ESPN interview, a session his own people had set up for him that he had used steroids from 2001-03. Today he added to the tale, bringing in details about an unnamed cousin who was the transporter from the Dominican and the man that did the mutual injection thing with him. He offered that he had averaged about two injections per month for those three years of a substance that he wasn't quite sure of the name, that he didn't know they were steroids, that he didn't know how to administer them properly so he's not sure if they even worked, that he didn't know what of any effect it had on him, that no teammates in Texas knew about his activity, that he was young and ignorant at the time and that he actually forgot about the experimentation with steroids until he talked to his unnamed cousin in the last nine days, even though he remembered the neck injury in the spring of '03 that persuaded him to stop. 

Even though the end result of today's confession was not as satisfying or convincing as Andy Pettitte's similar exercise the year before, really people, it's time to move on. Nothing more can be gained from pounding on the table and demanding that A-Rod give up all the gory details. The moment has passed -- as long as he is now off of the stuff as it seems. The rest of the baseball playing world is becoming very cautious and concerned. We know A-Rod is not going to be punished by the commissioner because of the terms of the original agreement that none of the104 names on the 2004 list of positive tests would be revealed. A-Rod has taken all the drug tests required by the Basic Agreement and annual blood tests for the team and the World Baseball Classic. It says here that this and other coming steroid revelations will lead to a much tougher drug testing and punishment policy in the next basic agreement. That's good.  

"Today's not about him being a Hall-of-Famer, it's about him moving forward," Cashman said after the players had all departed. A telling sight was that as soon as the press conference ended, his high-profile teammates streamed out of the tent in a samba-line of relief headed for the parking lot. Andy Pettitte, who had shared the front row over on the side (where a jury box would normally be) with Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada -- Pettitte pulled out his cell phone flipped it open and pretended to take a call to avoid having to speak to reporters. Gold Glove no love.   

The A-Rod Watch

MARY ALTAFFER/AP

Yankees work out the kinks at George Steinbrenner Field on Monday.

I'm hanging around Steinbrenner Field waiting for the Alex Rodriguez Mea Culpa to unfold.

There's a big tent out back with a hundred chairs set up in a courtroom style. Outside in a parking compound are half a dozen satellite trucks with the talent (including TSN and SportsNet) setting themselves up on a grassy area to the left of the tent.

I'm sure that A-Rod will be there accompanied by his agent, Scott Boras, still the most hated agent in baseball. Maybe there's a method to that madness of A-Rod bringing Boras up with him. It's like standing next to the fat, goofy guy at the high school dance. Makes you look good by comparison.

I'm hoping that A-Rod does not just read a long prepared statement to open the proceedings. That would seem to lack some sincerity. But the whole circus-like atmosphere has exactly the same feel as last year's mea culpa by Andy Pettitte that I also attended. Feels a little like Groundhog Day (only in a 12-month cycle). I think the Pettitte thing worked out so well because Andy was so emotionally into his apology and, besides that, is a more likable guy than A-Rod.

The Yankees may have miscalculated on this one. This will not be as well received by assembled media even though it is a similar apology for a similar baseball misdeed.

I would be surprised if A-Rod makes any road trips away from the warm embrace of Steinbrenner Field and the Yankee fans for Grapefruit League games before St. Patrick's Day. This is a hate-on that will have legs. The onslught on A-Rod's character from leather-lunged fans across North America will begin on Opening Day in road parks around baseball. I'm not sure whether A-Rod is tough enough to not let it bother him. We'll find out. 

Cito Concerned about Alomar as Friend

Manager Cito Gaston has always had a special relationship with his all-star second baseman Robbie Alomar when they were together during the glory years through the early '90s. It was as if Gaston detected a vulnerability within Alomar that required special attention, almost father to son.

Recently Alomar's health has come into question with allegations in a lawsuit filed by a former girl friend who claims that he had unprotected sex with her for years while knowing that he had the HIV virus and later, full-blown AIDS. She is seeking $15 million for mental distress and negligence. Robbie has denied he is sick, but nevertheless, uncertainty and sadness hang over the entire, sad situation.

"I'm hoping it's not true and if it is the truth, I'm hoping Robbie can get the same care as Magic Johnson has and that he has a long life of health," his friend and former manager said. "I just pray that it's not the truth. I'm going to talk to him just to talk to him as a friend.

"We invited him (to be a guest coach for a week). If he chooses to come he's welcome. If he chooses not to come, then I can understand that too. I really believe with my guys (that I've managed) that they should value the fact that there's life after baseball. There's your family. There's a quality of life that you like to have after baseball. I can only wish that Robby is around to have that quality of life. 

Richard Griffin

A.J. Healthy, Wealthy and (seemingly) Wise

At the time I drove across the Courtney Campbell Causeway yesterday to Tampa to visit A.J. Burnett at Yankee camp, I didn't know what to expect. His availability to us near the end was sometimes tough last year and sometimes he was reluctant to say anything more than to speak in cliches. Thus, I was shocked yesterday at how cooperative and forthright he was when speaking about his years with the Jays, the fans, the media and his reasons for leaving. Sure it's easy to be gracious when you're guaranteed $82 million for the next five years, but on the other hand, maybe hanging around Doc has really rubbed off on him. He thinks so. Read about it in today's column.

While milling about in the crowded Yankee clubhouse waiting for A.J. to be stretched out by a trainer, I wandered over to say hello to an old familiar face, catcher Kevin Cash, and wish him well. Cash signed with the Yankees in the off-season and will likely play Triple-A with Jorge Posada and Jose Molina in the majors ahead of him. Cash has been with the Jays, the Rays, the Bosox and now the Yankees. He's clearly an AL East kind of guy, missing only the Orioles to complete the sweep. "I'm just looking for a place that I can stay for a while," Cash said of his gypsy-in-knee-savers career.  

Today is the first offical Jays workout for pitchers and catchers. Happy Family Day.

Cheers,

Richard Griffin   

Day 3 Blue Jays -- Beeston, Ricciardi & Takahashi

It was quiet at Jays camp today with most players staying away from Englebert Complex obviously cramming for their physical exams scheduled for all day tomorrow. Highlights of the day were the first sighting of J.P. Ricciardi, Paul Beeston and the mysterious Asian quadragenarian Ken Takahashi. 

The first meetings are slated tomorrow, all day, guaranteeing the first Cito sighting. Ricciardi took the opportunity to come out and watch a little b.p. and schmooze with some of the players for the first time. He spoke briefly with three of us media types as he left to go back to his office. Loose and relaxed, knowing that this was as good as it gets, he addressed a wide range of topics -- although claiming he had no reason to talk to Roy Halladay, even asking "What do you want me to talk to him about?" Hmm.

Here's a summary of the 10-minute tete-a-tete-a-tete-a-tete (there were four of us). 1-J.P. was happy with the abundance of relievers with major-league experience, clearly a strength. "I think we're going to need everybody at some point. It has a way of working itself out. What we breeak with in April won't be what we are at the end. We're going to need all those guys at some point." 2-J.P. discussed the rotation. "It's a wide-open situation for some guys. It's going to be fun to see who takes advanatage of it."

He has heard from the coaches that have been here about the enthusiasm of the kids in camp knowing there's an opportunity to win a spot. As far as I can see (this is Griff talking) that's actually a good situation as  long as they don't get blinded by spring statistics and as long as the Jays have options with more experience like Matt Clement and Mike Maroth. "Putting our staff together is going to be the biggest challenge we have," J.P. said. "We've got enough bodies, it's just going to be inexperience."

I asked J.P. if this spring compared to the spring with the grab-bag of Ohka, Thomson and Zambrano that was saved by the emergence of youngsters Marcum, McGowan and Litsch. "I never looked at it that way. I guess you could. Our kids (this time) could be a little wet behind the ears compared to that group. But definitely not Litsch. Litsch really came out of nowhere that year."

With the discussed move of Scott Downs to the rotation, Ricciardi dismissed it: "His heart's not in it. He doesn't want to do it, so we're probably better off keeping him at a comfort level." That's a good move.

As for Maroth and Clement having any out clause of either make the team or leave, Ricciardi wasn't sure about Maroth but he explained that Clement could leave on May 31 if he has the opportunity for another major-league job. "We never want to stop anyone from having a big league job." J.P. and the staff need to see both men before offering any opinion on whether they can help.

As far as the signing of Kevin Millar is concerned, it seems from today's J.P. chat that Millar and Jose Bautista are there together in the event that Travis Snider is not ready to take his place in the majors. In that light, with Bautista slated for a lot of left field action this spring, it looks like if both Adam Lind and Snider earn fulltime spots then there is no room for both Millar and Bautista and one will have to be moved or released. Recall the apparent redundancy of Reed Johnson and Shannon Stewart last spring and the boneheaded decision to go with Stewart. 

BEESTON IN FINE FORM

Interim president Paul Beeston was wandering around camp with a huge, unlit cigar looking for a light, complaining about the changes in smoking laws. He stopped to chat with Bob Elliott and me, talking about everything and nothing, which are usually his best two topics. He had brought down Rogers executive Tony Viner, who has been involved with a lot of Jays stuff in recent years but had never, ever been to training camp. His funniest line involved new Japanese pitcher Ken Takahashi. Beeston had been talking about meeting Takahashi earlier in the day inside the clubhouse and all the ritual head-bowing that was likely screwed up sincerely by mistake. All of a sudden two Japanese guys both looking in their 40s come out the side door behind him and he turns and smiles, engages them in small talk with the one guy translating Beeston's short, sometimes incomprehensible sentences to the other guy as best he could. Finally the two guys wander off. I asked Beeston if that guy, the translator guy he was talking to was going to be in camp the whole time. Beeston goes: "That guy? That guy's the pitcher." Funny.

Finally, driving down 19 to my favourite lunch spot to file this blog, came my first Florida driving moment. I was turning right off of Sunset onto the entrance ramp to the new elevated 19 when a red PT Cruiser screeched out of the mall parking lot, cut across three lanes, scraped the front bumper of an old Toyota Camry station wagon and sped up the ramp. The worst piece of driving I witnessed since trying to merge from the Bay Street entrance west onto the Gardiner -- every day. I shook my head and pulled up on 19 to see who the perpetrator was. It was a Rush Limbaugh-looking old guy wearing a XXXL yellow print Hawaiian shirt with Wisconsin plates and bumper stickers on both passenger windows that read:" Palin 2012". Dude, this is not Alaska and you're not driving a snow machine. Later.

Cheers,

Richard Griffin    

  

  

    

Day 2 in Jays Camp Even Better than Day 1

The first guy I met when I arrived at the Blue Jays' complex this morning was a dude named Jude, who was there to take photos on a press credential. It turns out Jude was Michael (Pinball) Clemons high school quarterback in Dunedin and couldn't stop talking about what a great guy Pinball was as a kid. Well d-uhh!

I told him I was curious to know if, after every TD that he scored, whether Michael would wrap his arms around Jude and say "Show me some love" like he does now with every reporter who wants to interview him for a column. Jude said no.

Four years ago I met another guy down here who asked me to say hello to Pinball. This guy was in the church choir with Mike but unfortunately when I spoke to him he was totally drunk and hitting on women in an after hours place. My guess is he was no longer in the choir.  

====

I trailed a group of pitchers out to the far diamond to watch them throw from the bullpen mounds, six of them side-by-side. It's amazing how ready to throw these guys are when they get here. Popping the gloves at the same time were Roy Halladay, B.J. Ryan (who looks about 10 lbs. lighter and 10 times happier than last year), Jesse Litsch and Brian Tallet (not popping quite as loud).

It was pretty noisy because up in a light tower overlooking the pen was a huge nest with a family of young birds squawking about having their peace and tranquility disturbed by a bunch of invasive Jays. I asked the waiter here at JJ Conch's Island Grill (yeah I'm back for the second day in a row) what kind of birds they might have been. He looked stunned at the question. I'll cut him some slack because this is a seafood place. I'm guessing egrets or some kind of hawk. Tomorrow I'll see if JJ Audobon's has wireless.

====

Aaron Hill was hanging around from the earliest to the latest, trying to make up for lost time that he missed from the end of May to the end of the season. As he came out of the batting cages I asked him if he's still swinging at the middle pitch of the three that he sees. He laughed. He really does seem ready to rumble.

He said that the only suggestion was that he wear one of those new mouth guards that fit over the lower teeth and absorb much of the impact that can cause concussions. I've heard them advertised or there was a feature about them being the future of hockey and baseball concussion prevention. If anyone can remember the name (one of them costs two grand) then just drop it into comments.

I asked him if he was going to ask Marco Scutaro and Johnny Mac to wear those inflatable elbow water wings that kids use in the pool. Recall it was David Eckstein's errant elbow that ended his season. Aaron laughed again and said he's already called the Padres to warn them about the danger of playing with Eck.

====

Jason Frasor was wandering around the clubhouse for the second day in a row looking like a horsehide Quasimodo. He suffered a neck strain during sleep between Monday and Tuesday and has been putting on a huge icepack under a tee-shirt after workouts. He doesn't play the organ and hates Notre Dame.

====

Cute note on the Jays' numerical roster posted in the clubhouse. Between Dawayne Murphy (41) and Cito Gaston (43) is listed 42-(retired) Jackie Robinson.

====

Time to order lunch and apply more sunscreen. The Conch Gumbo is delightful and so is the weather.

Cheers,

Richard Griffin    

       

Notes from First Day in Camp

It's always a tremendous, wonderful day to be alive, the first day of the spring in Dunedin at the Engelbert Complex-slash-Bobby Matrtick Training Centre. That was today.

I walked into the Jays clubhouse and the first guy I saw was a smiling Aaron Hill, looking bright, alert and ready to go. I told him that I knew I was a baseball guy when while watching the Super Bowl pre-game entertainment with Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson made me think of Hill and Hudson the Jays' two second basemen of this decade.

Casey Janssen was there, ready to rock and roll in whatever job the Jays want him to do. I asked him the anniversary and he immediately knew I was talking about the surgery last March. He was smiling too.

By 9 a.m. this morning everyone was out of the clubhouse, about 25-30 guys in all, with the first official workout not even taking place until Monday. The only major league coach I saw was Brian Butterfield, who was looking for a new hat, because he didn't like the old-school "button" on top of this year's models. Nothing can help that mug. It might even distract people, which is good. The batting cages were busy starting at 8:15 am. These guys are anxious to go.

I saw Curtis Thigpen and said hi sheepishly. I thought he had been let go, but now I remember all it was that he was designated for assignment and he must have cleared waivers and accepted assignment to Syracuse ... I mean Las Vegas. That's going to take getting used to.

Even Shaun Marcum was out on the field throwing with a trainer - probably so his arm would look good by comparison. Shaun is scheduled to miss the entire year, but he was upbeat about the summer scheduled to stay in the Dunedin area. His family will come and join him in March.

Travis Snider was there, looking in great shape. He left his home in Washington state to go train in Arizona for a few weeks because the weather at home sucked. Global warming my ass.

I talked briefly to Canadian starting ace Scott Richmond. I suggested that he would be facing the U.S. in the opening game of the WBC at the Rogers Centre. He said that they had not decided and they might hold him back for the elimination game against Venezuela on Tuesday. The logic there is that you only need to finish Top 2 in the first round and so a 2-1 record is important. If they place emphasis on Italy and Venezuela, that might be the right strategy, although we both agreed it was fun to kick U.S. butt in Phoenix three years ago.

I asked Dustin McGowan if he was still looking at a May return to the rotation. "Hopefully," he said.

I'm now sitting in JJ Conch's Island Grill having lunch. The wireless is good. The weather's great.

Cheers.

Richard Griffin