Mail Bag

There is serious talk that Stephen Strasburg should be added to the NL team for the All-Star Game. The answer from MLB, the Nats and Strasburg himself should be an emphatic “No.” There is no reason for rushing one of baseball's future stars into participating in the Midsummer Classic before he has earned it. He will have plenty of opportunity. There are pitchers that have worked hard at their craft for years and one of those would be bypassed for a pitcher with less than a half-dozen major-league starts. Sure many fans would like to see him at the game, but then why not invite Bryce Harper who has not even signed a contract yet? As for the Jays, they will likely have only Vernon Wells as a reserve outfielder, although with the expanded 34-man roster, there would be room for the versatility of Jose Bautista and his 20 homers. None of the Jays' good young starting pitchers has jumped out with a performance that says: “Pick me, Joe Girardi!” On to the mailbag.

Q: Richard as usual an honour to talk to the guru of Baseball in Toronto and maybe even the world. With that out of the way my question involves interleague play. I personally don't enjoy it and find it to be very boring. Does MLB still think it is worthwhile and do the gate receipts back that up? Back in the "olden days" (when you worked for the Expos) you would wait all year to see the World Series just to have a chance to see the players from the other league. Do you think interleague play takes something away from playoff baseball? What is the Jays record against the N.L. and have the Jays over the years played every N.L. team? As usual thanks for allowing me the chance to ask my question.

Brian Runciman, Oakville

A: My powers of anticipation allowed me to write a column earlier in the week addressing the issue of interleague play, never having before seen your question. The current concept elicits more whining than anything else because some teams are playing the NL Central and racking up wins while others are facing the tres tough NL East and struggling. Because MLB is so New York-centric, well yes they think it's worthwhile because they get healthy doses of Sunday Night baseball featuring the Mets and Yankees and think all's right with the interleague world. I agree with you about the mystique of the World Series being damaged, especially if the Fall Classic is a rematch of an early season interleague series. Also, one of the arguments for interleague play was to allow for fans in one league to see the stars from the other league. Hey, Dodgers fans, head south in your car and take the Slawson Cutoff and head east and boom, there's your Angels. The time has passed. Those games would be better served as intra-division late season additions.

Q: Both Aaron Hill and Adam Lind are struggling at the plate, and look very uncomfortable. Both are expected to be the future of the franchise - should management be getting concerned?

Clary MacDonald, Nova Scotia

A: Yes, management should be getting concerned, not for the future but for this season. Hill had the excuse of a) rebounding from a breakout season and perhaps having had pitchers make their early season adjustments, b) a tight hamstring that put him on the DL and since he returned being a little off in his timing. But the time for those excuses is over. Compared to Robinson Cano and other elite second basemen, Hill looks more like Mike Weir hitting those old gutta percha balls at the driving range standing next to Tiger Woods hitting those Titleist VI rockets. Hill is making contact but the ball leaves the bat and as it heads to the power alley, a chute comes out the back and it drifts down into a waiting outfielder's glove. As for Lind, perhaps his final destination as a player is somewhere below last season's DH-of-the-Year numbers and this year. But that is a reason for concern, because at his age he should still be making adjustments to the pitchers as quickly as they make adjustments to him. As Cito loves to say: “Where's the plan?” The Jays have a lot of money tied up in Hill and Lind, but nothing as ridiculous as the contract remaining for Vernon Wells. Yes, they are concerned.

Q: Alex Rios (Yes that's not a misprint, Alex Rios) Troy Glaus and Scott Rolen are being mentioned in at least one reputable media outlet as possible MVP candidates in their respective leagues. With hindsight being 20-20 any reflections on the decision by the Jays to send that trio away? Which one surprises you most/least in terms of the seasons they are having? (Here's the link to reference I made above.)

Phil Winch, Sarnia

A: When Rios was dispatched to the White Sox last August, I went on radio in Chicago with Chuck Swirsky (another Toronto sports figure that got away) and I ventured to say that Alex Rios was going to be a pleasant surprise for Sox fans that may have believed he was a stiff. As the '09 season wound down and Rios continued to stiff out, I felt a little bit like an idiot, but his turnaround this year has not surprised me. This guy's a player, albeit a flighty one with issues. I am not surprised he's doing what he's doing.

When Glaus disappeared from the Toronto scene, skulking off into the night from Tampa for the season's final week amidst allegations that he was involved in that online pharmaceutical operation in the early '00s, I thought his career as an effective power hitter was over. He came back and, when healthy, contributed to the Cardinals offence for two seasons. But still I thought he was on the slippery slope to retirement. Now, with the Braves, he has been re-invented as a first-baseman on a first place team and likely headed to the All-Star Game. I am surprised by what he's doing, but I'm happy for him.

When Rolen left for the Reds, I believed that he still had a lot of baseball left in him. Cito Gaston still talks about his defence even to this day and Aaron Hill talks about him as the best teammate he ever had even to this day. When he hurt his shoulder in '08 and adjusted his hitting to compensate for what is a permanent tightness (as opposed to some guys that have a permanent stiffness) he bounced back in '09 and when he was traded back to the NL was on top of his game. His being mentioned as an MVP does not surprise me. However, none of these guys fit into the direction the Jays are headed and I don't blame the Jays for not having any of them still on the team, except I still am convinced they could have got something back for Rios had the GM at the time handled it better.

Q: Hi Richard,

I read that the Yankees will be skipping Phil Hughes' next start because they want to limit him to about 170 innings this year. Interesting move for a team in the middle of the pennant hunt. I also noticed that Ricky Romero, who has a similar amount of experience to Hughes, is on pace to throw about 230 innings (and Shaun Marcum, not long removed from Tommy John surgery, is on pace to throw about 220). Do you know if the Jays have any plans to skip starts or shut these guys down early to avoid wear and tear? If not, do you think they should?

Thanks,

Duke Leduc, Toronto

A: Hughes missed one turn in the Yankee rotation heading into Tuesday's matchup against Cliff Lee. Pitching on his 10th day for the first time this season, he yielded seven runs in 5-2/3 innings. It didn't work that night but will serve him well in the long-run. The Yankees have the right idea in trying to limit Hughes' inning totals. His career high as a pro is 146 innings in 2006. The Yankees always plan as if they are going to the post-season (good call Yankees) and as such, not only will Hughes be asked to pitch 170 innings in the regular season but there is the month of October with maybe 30 more innings. It's a different situation for the Yankees than for the non-contending Jays. The Bombers have veteran guys CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnet and Javier Vazquez that like to go on their fifth day, allowing Joe Girardi to do what he did this time around, using off-days as an excuse. The Jays, on the other hand, have five guys on an equal footing as far as experience and their policy with starting pitchers is just to keep wheeling through the rotation, giving extra rest whenever off-days are involved. Romero won't reach 230 and Marcum won't reach 220. If they are that high in September and the Jays are not in the wild-card hunt, Gaston will start guys like Marc Rzepczynski and others. Smart.

Q: Hey Richard, appreciate your work on the Jays. My question is regarding Shawn Hill. Call me a bit of a homer, but I try to follow Canadian players in the league and when he first started with Montreal Hill seemed like he had a pretty bright future. Played for team Canada, etc. Then injuries happened and from what I can see he bounced around a bit. I know the Jays signed him this summer and I was happy when they did, thinking if he got healthy, he could be a nice addition. Was hoping to find out how he's doing and where/if he might fit into the Jays plans this year or down the road? There seems to be a lot of young guys ahead of him now, if he gets healthy, where does he fit into that depth chart? Thanks.

Blake M, Toronto

A: Shawn Hill is another reclamation project with low expectations and no pressure from GM Alex Anthopoulos. I like what they do in terms of spending a little money on players trying to work hard and come back. Hill fits into that category. A former Bishop Reding High School star in Milton, Hill was expected in the spring to be ready to throw at some level in a game in the month of August. There is little likelihood that he would be a September addition to the Jays' 40-man roster because he is not protected right now and they would need to clear a spot for him. If he just makes it back onto the mound some time in 2010 it will be an accomplishment – for Hill and for the Jays. As for the Jays' depth chart, even when he gets healthy, he will have a lot of work to do to move up the ladder in an organization very deep in starters. Maybe another team will like what they see and he will get an opportunity elsewhere, but the Jays are providing the vehicle.

Q: J.P. Arencibia is on fire at Triple A. He hit his 17th HR for Las Vegas on Sunday night, and now sports a .303 average, with 44 RBIs and an OPS of around .950. I've read that he's taken big strides defensively. What are the odds the Jays will move free-agent-to-be John Buck at the trade deadline to make room for Arencibia? Buck is only making $2 million this year, and it seems to me he would be very attractive to a team such as the Rangers with a need for an upgrade at catcher

Richard Barton, Vernon, BC

A: Arencibia is coming back strong after corrective eye surgery in September for astigmatism and a corrective operation on his kidney, a problem he had from birth. The former all-America at the University of Tennessee and Jays' first round draft pick has re-asserted himself as the Jays' catcher of the future, separating himself from Brian Jeroloman and others. Travis D'Arnaud is still a couple of years away. The Jays could go either way with John Buck, but heading into next season, a combination of Arencibia and Jose Molina would be pretty good. Buck would definitely be available at the deadline in July, but moving him is not a priority as the young starting staff is benefitting from throwing to a couple of experienced receivers and what Anthopoulos would get back for Buck would not be a major-league prospect.

Q: Hi Rich: The Jays' team batting average and on base percentage is dreadful -- worst in the AL, I believe. It's nice that they hit some home runs but when the long ball dries up they kind of look at each other as if to say, "OK, now what do we do to score runs?" We know they don't bunt, run, hit and run or anything besides wait to get moved up a base or 2 or 3. We're almost half way through the season and I don't envision improvement on the horizon on the batting/OBP average front. Is it all on the players or is Dwayne Murphy not the man for the job or do they miss Gene Tenace or is it just a reaction to Cito's last year and the players know that they may as well wait til next years' coaching staff is in place to change what isn't working in 2010?

Thanks for providing my regular baseball fix!

Richard Bridgman, Mississauga

A: Or...maybe they're just not that good. Jose Bautista is at the stage where he is what he is. He has benefitted from Cito and Gene Tenace and Dwayne Murphy's instruction in that he gets his foot down early and is prepared to meet the ball in front of the plate with full power. But he has never hit for average. Vernon Wells is back to where he was a couple of years ago, which is a bright spot. Alex Gonzalez had a career .294 on-base-average coming into the year. Lyle Overbay took hittable strikes through the first two months and is slowly coming around. Hill and Lind are scuffling. Third base has been a black hole. Fred Lewis has never seen a first pitch he didn't like. John Buck is having a career year but had a .298 lifetime OBP coming in, while Cito has asked Jose Molina why he can't hit like brother Bengie. Not exactly the description of the '27 Yankees.

Q: Hi Richard. Before he passed away, my Dad (a huge baseball fan - Stan Musial his favourite player) would take my brother and me on annual baseball trips. I would like to continue that tradition with my two sons, who are 8 and almost 5. What ballparks and baseball-related things do you suggest we see on a short road trip of four or five days? I'm particularly interested in some of the new "retro" ballparks. Thanks, Richard.

Phil Rossel, Barrie

A: I love it. Of course it depends on the schedule, but a great summer car trip would involve a drive down to Detroit for a game at Comerica Park. Stay overnight in Greek Town at the Atheneum Hotel which is walking distance from the park. Then a drive around the lake to Cleveland for a game at Progressive Field. There's a Residence Inn right across the street. After a morning visit to the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame (yeah that's for you, not the boys), a drive to Pittsburgh to see the Pirates play at one of my favourite new ballparks at the confluence of the three rivers. There's a Springhill Suites right at the ballpark. Then a drive the next day to Cincinnati to Great America Park another of my favourites and walking distance from many downtown hotels. From there, a trip west and north to Chicago and either the White Sox, the Cubs, or both if you have a couple of days and one team leaving for a road trip and the other coming back. Then the short drive north to Miller Park in Milwaukee and the Brewers. There is a ferry across the lake to the upper peninsula in Michigan, a beautiful drive down through Sarnia and London and back home. Sounds like about an eight-day trip from heaven.

Interview with Brandy Halladay

A meeting had been arranged via email for Wednesday afternoon. An always welcoming Brandy Halladay stuck her head around the corner in the press box at Citizens Bank Park, spotted a familiar face from Toronto and smiled. This first year with the Phillies has not been an easy transition for Roy's better half as she tries to find her own way and establish herself in her second community of baseball wives. She admitted to still having no idea where she was going most of the time in the unfamiliar surroundings after 12 years of comfort in Toronto. We found a quiet conference room and began a 45-minute conversation about all aspects of life in Toronto and Roy's departure from the Jays.

Richard Griffin: Things changed so quickly in December and the next thing that Toronto fans knew is that you guys were in Philly talking to a Philly audience and the reaction that I got from readers and from fans was that 'It didn't take them long to forget about us.' I just wanted to...

Brandy Halladay: Really? It didn't take us long to forget. Are you kidding me? That shocks me. That absolutely shocks me.

RG: -Everything was suddenly moving ahead rather than reflective. One day you're in Toronto. Next day you're in Philly. Nobody there was asking you your favourite memories of Toronto and what things about the city are going to stay with you and this and that. It was because it happens so fast.

BH:-I guess it would seem like that to other people. For us it wasn't fast at all. This wasn't something that was overnight. And it wasn't 'So long, see you later.' When J.P. was still with them, he had come to us and said what about this extension, blah, blah, blah. He was under a lot of pressure to get us to sign this extension. And they offered us money. They offered us a lot of money. Like we said, it's not about the money, it's about putting ourselves in the position to attain the goals we set for ourselves. And we said at this time we can't sign that extension because we don't know where the team's going. This is a year before J.P. was even fired...well, however that went down. So at that point we had been asked for a list of teams. And that was six months before the trade deadline last year. That was before the season started, the middle of December the year before. So for us it had been drawn out. When spring training came we said, 'Look of you're going to do this do it now. Don't do it during the year because it's a media frenzy for the team, it's a media frenzy for us. Either get it done or let us do our job. They didn't get it done so we said, okay, well we're here for the year. We never went to them and said we want a trade. They came to us every time. Then the all-star break came.We were furious. It was really difficult because we said we don't want this to be a media circus. Our goal is to still win for this team. Our goal is to still play. If you guys can get this done quietly, get it done. That's fine. But, again, they came to us, we didn't go to them and say we wanted to get traded, we wanted out of here. They came to us and said we need to give therm a list of teams to get this done. They told us we're not going to win, we're going to rebuild. We're going to drop it down. They said if you go everyone's going to follow and this is our plan and we said okay, you let us know. It was so drawn out, so long. It was a year and a half for us.

RG: Roy didn't seem to have a very good time at the All-Star Game.

BH: It was horrible. It was horrible. That was the worst month of my life. No, that's not true. There have been far worse. But that was a really stressful month and it affected him personally, it affected him professionally, everything. But I'm still stunned that people would think...it blows my mind that you said that and it makes me really sad. It really makes me sad that people would think that, but I understand why.

RG: Can you not see that one day in December Doc was theirs and the next day he's at a press conference in Philadelphia and not dissing in any way what had happened before, but everything was looking ahead and (Jays fans) wanted to hear what he missed about Toronto. From '95 to 2009 he was a member of the organization.

BH: For us, that first trade deadline, there were so many times that we did reminisce, that whole month because we thought for sure this was getting done. We thought we were gone and that was hard for us. We were thinking this might be my last food drive. This might be the last this or the last that. It was really hard. When I left before that All-Star Game, knowing I wasn't coming back. It was really hard. At that time people knew that the Blue Jays were shopping us around. J.P. had told us that they were going to do it quietly.

RG: It was far from quiet.

BH: Yeah and that's one of the things I'm really proud of is we kept the promises that we made. We were told not to say anything. We didn't say anything. I don't know where the information came from, but my family didn't even know that we were in Philly. They asked us not to say anything. But they were the ones at the All-Star break. Somebody out there had that information and J.P. did come out very publicly and say, 'If I get what I want, we'll trade him.' So I guess at that point people should probably have seen, 'You know what, this is kind of coming to an end.' So for me, it didn't seem like it was quick. To me it seemed like it was so drawn out. And painful. It didn't need to be handled so slowly. It was slow for me.

RG: In July it seemed to me to be a repetition of the way that Carlos Delgado was handled and Kelvim Escobar and a few guys where the Jays said 'We have an offer out there. If said player gives us a home team discount we'd love to have him back.' But to me it was unfair with Carlos, it was unfair with Roy.

BH: I undersand that.

RG: That wasn't part of what you guys had bargained for in terms of the whole thing being kept under the radar. It was out there to fans that Roy can come back if he loves you, if he loves Toronto.

BH: Which is crap. That's not how it was. And from a business standpoint I can understand why they would want it to spin that way. Of course they would want it to spin that way because somebody's head was going to roll because they just lost Roy. They didn't want to lose him either. We didn't want to go. It's not that we were so fed up in Toronto we just had to get out of there. But we just wanted a chance to win and they told us they weren't going to be able to provide us that chance. It's a rock and a hard place. Do you love where you are? Absolutely. But sometimes the time comes that you have to move forward.

RG: But this organization, being in Canada and being up against it when it comes to free agents has always prided itself, going back even before '95 when Roy was drafted, Gord Ash and before that, they always prided themselves on being inclusive with families and having people feel a part of what they are. And so they have to balance that against the business aspect that you just spoke about. Usually they've handled it on the side of the families, on the side of being sensitive to the needs of their players because that's the sort of attitude that carries over by word of mouth from player to players. But it seemed like it was strictly a business thing this time.

BH: It can't ever just be a business when you're with a team for 15 years. It's not just business. It's personal too. And that's why I think it was difficult for everybody. It wasn't as easy and cold as I think you might think, the impression that you're giving me. It wasn't that way at all.

RG: I'm talking about from their side.

BH: From the player's side?

RG: No, from the Blue Jays side, their attitude changed from one of being inclusive to their players to 'this is a business. You either take this and show us you want to stay or we'll trade you.'

BH: Yeah. I don't know. I guess I didn't really feel like that. But I also felt like...let me try and say this right. I felt like we had made sacrifices to stay. Like I said before, we've always kept our promises to the team. Yes we'll take less this year so you can go out and get somebody else. Or we'll hold back this much or we'll do this or that. We'll sign for the rebuild – again.

RG: Which was the last extension.

BH: And the extension before. We've signed on twice for rebuilding and they've called him and they've asked for his input and I've heard it so many times. We're going to build the team around you. What do you think of this guy? What do you think of that guy? We couldn't rebuild again. You only have so many years and we couldn't go through that again. When we signed this contract we were told that the last couple of years were the years they were going to make the push. Well a year into our contract they were, 'Oh, now we're going to rebuild again' and we were you know, 'What about the promise you made to us?' But still Roy is very adamant and I love this about my husband. He made a commitment to the team. There were no ifs in our contracts. There were no stars and asterisks. He committed to play for that team for four years and that's what he would have done. But, again, they came to us and I think they realized they weren't going to be able to do what they thought they were going to do and I have to give the Blue Jays some credit. There's more to what goes on in those offices than people see. They came to us and I'm grateful for that because they did take into...they thought about what we needed too. So to me I really do feel that it was personal. They took into consideration what we needed. They could have kept us there. We could be there right now if they wanted us to be. The didn't have to provide us the opportunity to be with another team. So I see it both ways. I do feel that it was kind, but at the same time it's still a business. They had to get the most that they could. They would have been foolish not to.

RG: Was there a noticeable change when Alex took over in terms of getting it behind closed doors again and just having it private?

BH: I don't think that there was a change. I think J.P. took a lot of heat for things he shouldn't have taken heat for. That's just my opinion from behind the doors. I think his hands were tied a lot. I think he did the best for us that he could. There wasn't a noticeable change in the way things were handled. It was just another change. You look back. How many GMs have we gone through. We've gone through owners. We've gone through so many managers. I've seen that office change over and over and over. So it was just kind of here we go again. We're starting over again. Alex is smart. He's a smart guy. My fear was that this was the only shot we had to do this right and I was scared that with him being new that maybe it wasn't going to get done or maybe the right deals weren't going to come forward because he was new. Just that fear of starting over again.

RG: Was there a fear that because there was only a certain number of places that Roy would go that they Jays would say well that's not enough and it wouldn't get done. I mean there were just a few places that it ended up he would go to.

BH: I think, and again this is the business of baseball. People forget that it's a business. For us, we had to make the smartest decision for us. We didn't just want to go to a team, uproot our family and have to start over again. We wanted to make a decision that was going to benefit us in the long run. It was a smart decision for everybody. We weren't going to screw the Jays over, make them get nothing just to let us go. We weren't going to fight, pitch a fit, cross our arms and refuse to cooperate. I'd like to think that they thought the same way. I'd like to think that both sides really tried to find a compromise to make it work. Coming here was part of that good faith effort. That was facilitated through the Phillies and the Jays working together to get it done. That's all behind the scenes stuff that people don't get to know. There was a lot of friendship and there was a lot of heartfelt tugs there. It wasn't a cold, here-today-gone-tomorrow thing for us.

RG: It was a continuance of the relationship that you had had all along.

BH: Absolutely. I think on all sides, the Jays, the Phillies and on our behalf. Even people who weren't with the organization anymore called. Old GMs, people from the offices and scouts here and there that all kind if tried to facilitate that. I feel really privileged, honoured that there were so many people who cared so much to put us in a place to succeed and it absolutely was a joint effort on every side. It's such a big thing. It was a big move. I think for Toronto, for the organization...I talked to so many people in that organization when we left from the babysitters to Joe in the elevator to the guys down in the parking garages, the people up in the offices. It was like a mourning. That killed me that feeling, but at the same time it was 'We wish you the best.' And I feel like that's how the front office handled it too. They were sad to see him go. It's hard to let something like that go when you don't know what you have behind it. They were giving up a lot if publicity, you know. His big face was all over the bises and everything else. It's like when Carlos left...

RG: The face of the franchise. Carlos was the face of the franchise and by last year Roy was definitely the face of the franchise and that's a hard thing to give up.

BH: I remember Carlos leaving and I remember going, 'Oh crap. Now what? Carlos is gone. He's the whole team.' That's how I feel and that's hard on their end to say we've got to do the right thing and let him go. I commend them for doing the right thing.

RG: Roy said that, I think in the first press conference here, that when he was watching the World Series at home, the Yankees and Phillies, that he was really thinking about it.

BH: It was hard.

RG: Was it hard sitting with him?

BH: I didn't watch. I didn't watch because, I know it sounds awful, as much as I love Toronto and I still – I'm looking at the website every day to see how the Food Drive went, the numbers you know. I'm so emotionally vested in that city so it's hard to leave the city but at the same time you want to compete so bad. You want to be part of that. I want that for him so bad. Not that this is guaranteeing us a ring, but to know that you have the opportunity to win is so big. Just knowing you have the opportunity is a big deal, where for the last couple of years we've been told we're not even going to try. We're going to rebuild.

RG: Except if it's a Roy contract year.

BH: Seriously, then we're trying, right. No, (laughs). It was hard. But we really thought in July that we were getting traded. I had brought all of our clothes home. We really thought we were gone. And from both sides it was a dones deal. But I don't blame the Phillies. They couldn't be left empty-handed. They had to have somebody and Cliff came in and did his job. He was great for them. It was a great option for them. But it left us going, 'Uhh, what?' So now what? Now that we've gone through this whole month of hell and nothing came of it. It was depressing. It's hard to get that close and be dropped right back on your butt.

RG: The thing about doing it in mid-season, the problem that I see is the Jays wanted the equivalent of value on a Roy Halladay signed for three years or whatever and they weren't going to get it in July.

BH: We said specifically we did not want to do it during the season. We said that before it started.

RG: Then all of a sudden in July it came up again.

BH: It came up again and that was frustrating. That was hard.

RG: It was at Yankee Stadium when J.P. approached Roy and said we're going to try?

BH: Yeah, in the lobby. We were in the hotel.

RG: Then all of a sudden it came out in the media.

BH: You know we went upstairs and we said 'We won;'t say a word.' That's when we were asked. And the next morning...They came down to Tampa the winter before to have a meeting. We were told this is quiet, nobody says anything. Well, the next day he's got a quote in the paper.

RG: That was quick.

BH: What are you doing? What happened to the we're going to keep this quiet deal. That was hard. But that was the frustrating part for us that it was handled during the season. I don't think that was fair to us or the rest of the team.

RG: In that clubhouse, it didn't seem fair to the whole team because all of us were looking for Roy to say something. He wasn't going to say something.

BH: What can he say?

RG: And everybody else is looking across the clubhouse going 'What the hell, this is it.'

BH: Yeah, this is it. It's not fair to anybody and we didn't want it to happen that way. But at the same time what are your options, you know. We don't run the show. We just try to comply with it.

RG: Out of your 10 years in Toronto...

BH: Twelve. We lost a year of service time over two years.

RG: Right, right. What are three solid memories of Toronto that you'll never forget.

BH: Only three.

RG: Five. I was going to ask five, but I didn't want...

BH: Only five.

RG: Five that shaped you as a woman, shaped you as a human being, something that you'll never forget about your time there.

BH: I'm going to cry. I don't even have a Kleenex. Do, I have some in my purse. I'm still so shocked that people might think we just moved on and forgot about them. That kills me. It kills me. Okay, so five. First of all my son was born there. How do you forget something like that. My son was born there. Toronto has been as much or more of a home to me than any place I've ever lived. I've never lived in any place as long as I've lived in Toronto, ever, my entire life. So, that's huge for me. Just knowing how to get off the plane and come home. It was a home. We have a home there. I love the Food Drive. I don't know why. I love that Food Drive so much. I love it because I think it's so simple to take something from someone that wants to give and give it to someone that needs it. It's the easiest thing in the world to do and I loved that we've always had this platform to do it. Somebody wants to bring me stuff so that I can give it to someone else. It's amazing.

RG: Do you remember your first Food Drive and whether you thought as a young woman that it was a difficult thing to do and then you changed your mind?

BH: There was not one second that I thought this was a difficult thing to do. What's hard about that? There was nothing, not one hard thing about it. I remember my first Food Drive, Roy was in Triple-A and I was still in Toronto. I don't know. I love it. The Food Drive is still special to me because I believed we could make a difference.

RG: Is that where the wives form their strongest bond with each other in terms of a common cause as in it doesn't matter if you're a rookie or a veteran?

BH: I don't know if I would say that. That team in the later years didn't really have that much of a sense of seniority. Everybody just kind of 'was'. I guess I've always had that feeling anyway. We're all in the same boat. When I was new, I'd look at these women and say, 'Wow, 12 years. I can't imagine.' But pretty soon you're there at 10 years and you're looking at the new wives and you're saying, 'Gosh, you're so new.' At some point we've all been in that same place, been in that same position. There's always somebody that's been there longer, that did it first, that makes more money, that has a bigger ring, that drives a fancier car. There's always somebody a step ahead of you and there's always going to be somebody behind you. So why worry about status. It just didn't matter. It's just me. I don't care who you are as long as you're treating people the right way. I don't care if you've got two days or 20 years. Be a decent person. And the longer I was there, the more I saw that kind of relaxation. Everybody just kind of 'was'. It was nice. It was easy.

Gosh. The things I love in Toronto. Tom (Cheek) and Jerry (Howarth). I love Tom and Jerry. I used to go up there all the time and knock on the door: 'Can I please come in and talk in the fourth inning?' They'd always let me come in and talk. 'What are you working on today?' Gosh I love those men. Tom and Jerry. They're amazing. I'd never cared about hockey until I lived in Toronto. I don't think anyone can live there and not care about hockey. The one thing I do regret is I never went to the Hockey Hall-of-Fame. I never went. I wish I would have done that. I will at some point, but I wish I had one it when I was there.

RG: Maybe when Braden is a little bigger and he can appreciate it.

BH: There's so many things. I loved Doc's Box. I love it. I actually have a family coming down on Saturday, Isaac McFadden, who I met through Doc's Box. He and his family had come one time from the hospital and there was just something about this little kid that kind of grabs you by the heart. This kid. I don't know what it was. His family was fantastic and he has a little brother. I just loved the drive and the fight of this family. They were in there and they werte gung-ho about fixing his disease (MPS VI). They're coming down on Saturday, so I've been in touch with them. Isaac and I are going to have a day. I'm really excited. They're an amazing family and I'm so excited to see them.

RG: Its a good thing the series this weekend was moved here. It's going to be a zoo downtown.

BG: It's too bad for the fans. One of my biggest fears was going back. You want to go back so bad, but you wonder what are they thinking? You really never know. I hoped that we'd be welcomed. I hoped that. I know we had no hard feelings in leaving.

RG: He would have got a standing ovation.

BH: I hope. Not that I have to have that, but I just hoped that the people there know.

RG: They'll save it for next year when they decide that they have to put the three games there.

BH: Yeah, exactly. I always hope that people do know how much we loved that city. Our goal, our hope was that we would never have to move. There really wasn't an opportunity to express that. Nobody talked to us after that. When you do come to Philly -- and this is where we're kind of stuck too – you can't come to a new city, especially a city like this and say, 'Oh, we love Toronto and Toronto was better because of this,' or 'We miss that' or 'We wanted this' because they would kill us. You have to be positive moving forward. You can't dwell on the past but you can be appreciative of it. You can't mumble and look back. You can only look back with gratitude and affection and move on the best you can. And so much of what I had in Toronto I'm bringing here.

Already just with Doc's Box, that was my big thing. Can I bring it here? The Food Drive. The girls here are ridiculous. They have cause after cause after cause. I have never seen fundraisers like I've seen in this stadium. These girls are insane, so I'm kind of left with my hands up in the air saying, 'What can I do? How can I contribute?' These girls have it covered, so I'm trying to find a niche. I don't necessarily have a niche yet. I have to figure out how to get to the stadium first, before I find a niche. That was not easy just to learn your way around. Just to get in the stadium. Where the heck do I go? To get to my seats from here? No clue. Which is very foreign for me.

We're trying to settle and we're trying to move forward. But for us moving forward doesn't mean forgetting. It doesn't mean that we are glad that it's over. We're just grateful that we have that. It's just me that's ready. It's made us a better family. Being in Toronto definitely gave us the opportunity to be a real family, not to get caught up in the craziness that some of these cities have.

We realized that when we came here how easy we had it. We really did in terms of living a normal life. The people in Toronto are so respectful and they're so non-invasive and they're so reserved. They treated us like normal people, but normal people with an exceptional job. That's how they treated us. They didn't treat us as these sub-human objects that they can maul in the streets.

We did experience that going into other cities and traveling with the Blue Jays before. Before, you go into other cities and it's lie, 'Holy crap.' Every time you get back to town you go 'Ahhh, Toronto.' It's easy. Downtown I can walk down the streets and go 'Yeah we can eat at this place or we can eat at that place' and you're safe. I love that city. I love that city.

RG: How about a special message for the fans in the stadium and the staff that worked there and yu met and dealt with all the time. The fans there had a genuine affection for your husband.

BH: There are fans I know by name. You're going to make me cry again. Gosh, I didn't expect to cry. Thank you isn't enough. I hope we play there next year because I think we all really need that opportunity. We didn't really get to say goodbye to them and that was hard. That was hard. It's still hard, obviously, and I'm not a big crybaby. I know people think I am because I've been crying for the last year and a half but that's because I was sad. It's an end of really everything we had together. When we got married, when we started dating we were Blue Jays. My heart is so full because of that city. I don't know how to say it. We always have been Blue Jays and we always will be. You don't stop, you know. Braden keeps bragging about being born there. Oh my gosh, the first member of our family born in a foreign country. He's so proud of that. think one of the things I really miss that you wouldn't think about. I miss the Canadian anthem. I love that anthem so much and my kids didn't understand why they only had one anthem. What's going on. We don't hear that any more and it's strange to not hear it. I miss that. Silly little things.

RG: Friday. O Canada.

BH: I know. I can't wait. And I'm going to sing it so loud people are going to say what;s wrong with that girl. It's those types of things. That city really gave us the opportunity. It did more than that. It provided a life for my family that I never knew. We have financial stability. A strong marriage. My children will go to college. My children are respectful. They're a part of the community. They've met children with cancer. They have lived in a safe neighbourhood. They've lived in a metropolitan city. There's so much that we owe to Toronto that I cannot express.

RG: You've done a good job.

Mail Bag

The big news of the week is the G-20 in Toronto and the Jays' three home games that were then forced to be played in the City of Brotherly Love. Sports is not real life – though it should be.

Should they have moved the Jays games? It seems to me that Philadephia back in 1776 may have had a somewhat more important summit conference involving about 20 guys, a constitution and a new country and stuff like that and nobody told Ben Franklin to go fly his kite somewhere else.

Well, at least Jays' fans on a tight budget can take a “bus-man's Halladay” and come on down to see another ballpark that has hosted back-to-back World Series (although they only won once).

All kidding aside, if last weekend's mess around the Dome was any indication of the turmoil that will be going on downtown in terms of security and out-of-town protesters then the Jays made the right decision.

With all the cages and fences and locked gates and blocked off streets, it was like the Toronto Indy minus the roaring engines and the hot chicks. But, in truth, the Jays might have made the right call but if they made it earlier they'd have given fans a better chance to make plans. I'll be there on Friday when Doc makes his Jays' house call.     

Q-Richard,
Do you see a new ballpark in Toronto's future? The Rogers Centre is a pretty dull place to watch a game (especially when the roof is closed). Nobody uses artificial turf anymore, and almost every other team in baseball is sporting a nice "retro" park.
Also, if they were to build a new park in Toronto, where do you see it going?
Thanks, Richard!
Stuart Stark, Toronto

A-The Jays will never get a new ballpark because it would have to be privately financed and they have the greatest bargain in sports going after purchasing the Dome for a song five years ago and therefore they need to make the best of a currently bad situation.

Here are some suggestions. 1) replace the field with grass and make the appropriate arrangements necessary to handle rock shows and the like without tearing up the sod. Other stadiums do. In Arizona when we were there they had some bizarre infra-red blue lights that they bathed the grass in covered areas where the sun don't shine. 2) Full dirt infield like 29 other ballparks in baseball. Those cutouts serve to take away any of the romantic Field of Dreams thoughts that most die-hard ball fans drift into during moments of serenity. 3) Leave the roof open all winter and summer (for the grass) and for the atmosphere. Close it for baseball games only if it's raining within two hours of the start of a game. That means they would need tarps, etc. and the “world's fastest grounds crew” would be forced to slow down. Fans would quickly get used to the new “dress for the weather” mandate just like they're doing in Minneapolis.

It's not just the aesthetics of the Jays' baseball mausoleum. A lot of superstar players take a game or two off anytime they have to play on the unfamiliar Astroturf and so the Jays' ticket-purchasing fans are being robbed. The Jays built the last pinball parlour park before the O's changed the art of the stadium with Camden Yards. Timing is everything.   


Q-Hi Richard,
I was wondering if you had any insight into what the Blue Jays will be doing for a closer heading into the hopefully contending seasons, post 2011. I think that you can clearly say that there isn't a potential closer in the pen right now with Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg all showing that they aren't fit to be elite in that position. Is there someone else that they have in mind within the system? With so few truly elite closers in the league and the prospect of another BJ Ryan debacle, I don't see where else they could find a closer. Is it possible to win it all without a Papelbon or a Rivera? Thanks!
John Roszell, Toronto

A-I don't believe the Jays need to necessarily worry about who will be their closer in 2012 quite yet. They drafted a good one in that Wojiechowski kid, but they also drafted a great NCAA closer in 2007 a guy named Brett Cecil out of Maryland and now he's in the rotation.

Most great major-league closers spend their minor league careers as starters and then convert later on. This is 1) to get them innings as a professional in order to move up more quickly; 2) to see what their max repertoire is and then narrow it down if necessary just like they are doing with David Purcey. All of the closers at Jays' minor-league affiliates project as middle relievers when they come up to the bigs and then may be able to work their way in as a closer. Looking for outside chances? How about Cecil? How about Brandon Morrow who once was that for the M's and who has straightened out som mechanical issues. How about Purcey? Yes a team can win without a Papelbon or a Rivera, but it's tougher. Look at the Phils' in '08 with a lights-out Lidge then the Phils in '09, losing to the Yanks for want of a closer.  

Q-Hi Richard,
I'm a huge Jays fan and definitely like the way the Jays are shaping up both this year and for the future. My question is about one of my favourite players, Adam Lind: what is wrong with him? Last year, and the year prior, Lind was patient at the plate, and aggressive with the pitches that were "his" - he killed fastballs and off-speed stuff all the same. This year, he seems completely lost. Why hasn't Cito stepped in and gotten him back on track? It seems that Cito was a part of Lind's success in the past, offering advice on having "a plan at the plate", etc. Is it Cito's m.o. to step off and let Lind figure it out? Or has Lind just regressed even with the advice?
Eric Ashby, Toronto

A-Lind is not as aggressive early in counts as he was last year and is taking hittable pitches and getting himself in more “pitcher's counts” where they can mix it up with off-speed and fastball and it becomes more of a guessing game.

When you're slumping as a hitter it always seems that you're guessing wrong. Lind when Cito arrived was a lost sponge looking for success and willing to listen like Plato at the feet of Socrates. At the same time, pitchers had never seen this kid have success before so Lind was able to make adjustments on a one-way street to 2009 success.

After all his success, the pitchers went to the video scouting and it's time for Lind to return service and start the process of rebounding to among the elite hitters. He has been hitting the ball harder lately but a lot of times right at someone. When he is back you will know it because he will start getting hits on balls that he does not hit hard, bleeders and bloops and balls squeezed through the infield. He's having a longer adjustment period because the original plan for success was not of his own learning.   

Q-Hey, Richard:
I'm curious about Jacob Marisnick, a Jays' high draft pick from a year ago. I could not find him until very recently, & now I see that he has fewer AB's in pro ball than Marcus Knecht, for example, who was just drafted a couple of weeks ago. Why was Marisnick's progress so delayed?
Thanks.
Bruce Spurrier, Courtenay, B.C.

A-I love Jake Marisnick as a future major-leaguer for the Jays. The 6-4, 200 lb. 19-year old is a righthanded hitter with good speed, a good arm and decent power that will only get better. He signed too late last summer to be assigned to a minor-league roster with only 20 days left in the schedule. He was kept at extended spring and is now playing official games with the Gul Coast League Jays. Remember he just turned 19. 

Q-Hi Richard.
We hear a lot from you and others about Brett Wallace and J.P Arencibia being up and coming stars for the Jays. But I note that there are six players at (Triple-A) Las Vegas hitting .300 or more, not including Wallace, hitting .278 and Arencibia, hitting .284. This sounds very promising. Who is the hitting coach there? Unless I don't keep track enough, I have never heard most of these six mentioned as future possible Jays. Are they career minor leaguers, past major leaguers, or are also they possible future Jays? They are Brad Emaus, a 24-year-old second baseman who is batting .354 in 15 games, after hitting .278 at New Hampshire, Luis Figueroa, a 34-year-old infielder who is hitting .335 after 56 games, Jarrett Hoffpauir, a 27-year-old second baseman who is hitting .333 after 54 games, Jorge Padilla, a 31-year-old outfielder who is hitting .330 after 50 games, Aaron Mathews, a 28-year-old left fielder who is batting .324 after 20 games, and Jesus Merchan, a 29-year-old infielder who is hitting .315 after 39 games.
Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A-If you've ever seen a jackrabbit running through an open farmer's field, that's what hard groundballs are like at Cashman Field in Vegas on a hot, dry day. Thus you have to take batting averages and ERAs with a grain of salt -- and sand. But good for these guys and the batting coach there for his second season is former minor-league slugger with a cup of coffee in the majors, Chad Mottola.

Emaus has had two great springs in  a row and in both of them has been cut and sent back to minor-league camp on his birthday. All the best, dude. He's a solid player looking for a position to call his own. Figueroa and Merchan are too old to be prospects and are filling in until the younger Jays' farmhands are ready. Padilla was just sent to the Mets, seemingly desperate for outfield help and Hoffpauir is getting his chance to impress at the big-league level, taking over for Edwin Encarnacion.  Because of the playing conditions and life's temptations in Vegas, the Jays keep most of their younger hotshots away from the bright lights until they can move their AAA affiliate by next year.

This was just an interim location for Triple-A because the previous regime prior to Alex Anthopoulos had so alienated the city of Syracuse and the Chiefs that they booted them out and left them homeless. Maybe the Jays will even consider moving Triple-A back to a Canadian city aching for pro ball. 

Q-Hi Richard,
Love the blog...keep up the great work! I was listening to you on the Fan590 the other day and heard you make a reference to Al Leiter's departure and Paul Beeston's straightening that out'. I am very interested to know what you were referring to as I was always a little bitter that Leiter left the Jays after they were so patient with him (and all his blisters!) for so many years...and I remember reading that he left without even so much as making a courtesy call to Gaston or Beeston...which, if true, would have to be considered pretty classless!
Thanks, and I look forward to reading your response on the blog!!!
Regards,
Reg Thacker, Brooklyn, N.Y.

A-Maybe it's more of a settled thing in Leiter's mind than in Beeston's because Paul has been known to hang onto grudges for a while despite the cheery front. But the Jays back in the day following the '95 season when an ungrateful Leiter bolted for Florida, as an organization that had always taken care of its players as if they were kin, the Jays believed that loyalty was a two-way street.

I think the fact that Leiter didn't believe he owed the Jays anything like a last call was more of a disappointment for the Jays and Beeston and Gillick and Gord Ash than it was what cost them a chance to compete in the late-'90s. Leiter was right as an athlete but wrong as a human being and I think that's what's been settled between Leiter and Beeston. They talk now when they meet. Leiter has grown up. 

Q-Hi Richard,
Brett Wallace is ticketed for first base, I know some scouts think he is too stiff to play third in the majors. Considering their problems long range at third, is it worth a try to see if he can develop into at least an average third baseman? First base options seem plenty with Adam Lind, Travis Snider, David Cooper or one of JP Arencibia/Travis D'arnaud (depending on who wins the catching job)
Kevin Layman, St. John's

A-No. The Jays in their first year under Anthopoulos have been firm in their one-on-one dealings with every player that came to major-league training camp. They cannot turn around less than a year later and say we are changing our minds.

For instance, Brandon Morrow was promised he would be a starter and to get himself ready as such. Thus he is out of any “closer” conversation for the moment. Wallace was told he would be a first baseman. Thus he is out of any third-base conversation. Lyle Overbay was told that he would play every day because he is in his free agent season as long as he is still a Jay. He is still a Jay and thus he plays every day.

Think of this what you will, but in the long-term if the Jays become known as an organization of their word, it is more important than the short term of plugging holes on the fly in what was always a rebuilding season. Some of those guys you mention as possible answers at first base have no chance of ever being considered. It ain't that easy.

Q-I have two questions. With the signing of (Nick) Green do you foresee a trade of one of Mike McCoy, John McDonald or Dewayne Wise? If not, what is the point of adding another player with similar skills when Cito doesn't play the ones he has? Does every team have different signals? Who is responsible for creating the signals?
Eleanor Pakozdi, Port Colborne, Ont.

A-Wise was sitting on the open market for over a month with no takers. Why would anyone be interested now. McDonald is not an important piece to any other team's pennant por wild-card hopes and it would be a disservice to the classiest man on the team to dump him in mid-season for a fringy prospect or cash.

McCoy was claimed on waivers when 29 other teams had an equal chance. He has done nothing as a Blue Jay to increase his value. Every organization has two or three Mike McCoys. Green is a veteran player on a each that is never used. The value of having a player like Green on Cito's bench is that you are not ruining a future, because his future is now.

McCoy may have a future. As for the signs, every team has different signs as per the third base coach of the day and when a player is traded, team's are forced to change signs or risk them being stolen on the info that the departed player knows. I know first hand that every coach needs his own signs.

On my Oakville A's midget team, I took third base for a day just to bust a slump and used my other coach's signs. I have my own nervous tics and twitches and ended up having players stepping out of the box scratching their heads in bafflement because I was calling for steals with the bases loaded and hit-and-run with nobody on base. I should have gone back to my own old signs. Next time I will.   

Q-Is there any reason why Cito won't give David Purcey a chance to prove himself as someone that we can count on in the bullpen next year and in the future? In a month in the big leagues he's had only mop up appearances. With Downs being a FA at the end of the year why would AA not want to see if Purcey can become a much cheaper lefty setup man? Doesn't make any sense to me but Cito always seems to have his favorites and until you get into that category you have to pay your dues. Thoughts?
Jason M, Toronto

A-It's a long season and Purcey has already survived one cut on the staff. I love what they've done making him a short-burst reliever. I'm like you. I hpe by the end of the season that he gets a chance for a more significant role. With Downs leaving and Brian Tallet iffy and with Rommel Lewis back in the desert looking for enemy tank movement, there is a need for that replacement setup man.  


Q-Richard,
What can you tell me about Tim Collins, the reliever at AA New Hampshire? Is there any precedent for longevity of success among pitchers his height?
Tony Baer, Madison

A-Collins, a 20-year-old lefty from Worcester, Mass. Is listed at 5-7 which means he's about 5-5. There has always been a traditional scouting bias against short in stature pitchers. Maybe it's because they are starting from a mound and they feel that downward trajectory ois diminished when you're short, but it's more about arm angle than height. Chad Bradford was very tall but scraped his knuckles on the mound on many pitches, pitching like a lights-out-Lilliputian. I recall Buzz Capra of the Braves as one of the few vertically-challenged righthanders to succeed. Lefties for some reason get a pass from scouts when it comes to height and I don't know why.  

Griffin: Encarnacion optioned to Triple-A

Following the Jays' 9-6 loss to the Giants on Saturday, the club optioned third baseman Edwin Encarnacion to Triple-A Las Vegas and re-called infielder Jarrett Hoffpauir who is expected to take over the position. Encarnacion is working on a $4.75 million (U.S.) guaranteed contract and is eligible for salary arbitration following the 2010 season. 

The decision to option the struggling Encarnacion was discussed on the recent west coast trip by GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager Cito Gaston. Following a hitless performance in four at-bats on Saturday accompanied by a two-base throwing error, the decision was made. 

"We told him this wasn't permanent," Anthopoulos said. "If he goes down there, plays well, starts to get his swing going a little bit, he should be able to find his way back here. We explained to him Jose Bautista went through the same thing with the Pirates when we acquired him."

Encarnacion was batting .200 in 37 games, with seven errors. He began the season on the major-league roster, but was disabled due to a wrist problem, bounced back strong with in late-May hitting home runs as his first five hits off the disabled list, but has slumped again.

Hoffpauir at Vegas was hitting .332, with nine homers and 43 RBIs in 56 games.      

Mail bag

The Jays sent out a release the other day announcing the signing of 14 of their picks from the June draft, including four of the nine selections they had among the first 113 in the nation. They are already doing far better than the did a year ago when they held firm and managed to sign just one from among their top picks, even losing out on top Canadian pitchers James Paxton and Jake Eliopoulos. Success in this draft is not complete though. Before the draft, Pollyanna president Paul Beeston and boy-wonder GM Alex Anthopoulos insisted that this year money issues would not be a problem and like Larry the Cable Guy they would “Git 'er done.” They would not be governed by “slot” recommendations. But in the immortal words of Marlon Brando (or someone like that), “It takes two to tango.”

The Jays' first selection, 11th overall, Georgia Tech righthander Deck McGuire has already been a problem. Projected as being ahead in his MLB development of last year's No. 1, Chad Jenkins because of his solid work in a major baseball conference at the ACC and a solid three-pitch repertoire, he has cast off bad vibes about being happy drafted by the Jays. On draft day, he refused to participate in a conference call with Jays' media, a long-time tradition on draft day even for players not yet signed. In fact when the Jays' texted him about a call in follow-up, when he found out who it was he never texted back. When Morgan Campbell of The Star went through the Georgia Tech sports information department, they said okay, then came back and said he didn't want to do it. Hmm! And then there's 5th round pick, shortstop Dickie Thon, son of the former major-leaguer by the same name. His father's response to being selected by the Jays was that he was not happy with the round his son was chosen in and not happy with the calls the scout kept hitting him with looking for a bargain price during the draft. Dickie Sr. Insisted that his son was off to Rice University on a scholarship. Since then Anthopoulos has spoken to the family and everything is chill. It sounds like it may still be chilly.

The Jays' goal each year under the new regime is to draft and sign two high-impact players instead of a bunch of average talents. In year one, the jury will remain out for a while. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard,

What is your opinion on the MLB draft? Talented kids dropping because they're asking for huge signing bonuses, high schoolers not signing, compensation picks for FAs and unsigned picks (that moves teams without compensation picks down in the draft order), teams unable to trade picks. Should they move towards the NBA or NHL model with a salary scale, kids either in or out, no compensation picks and teams able to trade picks. How would you change the draft so both teams and players would benefit and likely agree to the terms?

M. Wong, Toronto

A: The MLB first-year draft of amateur players has always seemed really messed up to me. First of all there is involved a definite Catch-22 for small-market clubs. Recall the original concept of Catch-22 in the fabulous Joseph Heller WW-II novel wherein the U.S. Army soldier wants desperately to get a discharge and a ticket out of the war because he claims he's insane. But the argument of the authorities is is that if he indeed wants to get out of the army and go home then it proves he's not insane. In the particular June draft version of Catch-22, teams finish in last place partly because they don't want to spend top money on top players then are awarded the top draft pick and are forced to spend top money on top players – or else choose someone of lesser talent that they project as “signable”. Messed up.

Solutions?

1: To be eligible, you are a) a high-school senior, b) have finished two years of university or junior college, or c) are a fourth year university student (three chances spaced two years apart);

2: You may sign with the team that drafted you up until May 31 of the following year, giving that team a full year to see you develop (helpful for Canadian kids) and you can engage an agent and still be eligible for NCAA schools as long as you have not accepted money from the team that drafted you;

3: Draft picks (in the first three rounds only) can be traded allowing a reluctant small-market club to opt out of having to pay big money bonuses and instead take MLB ready players in trade that can help you right here, right now;

4: Draft picks in the first round plus the first-round supplementary (i.e. those selected on the televised first night of the pathetic MLB Network Draft Night) can begin the MLB clock running immediately as per recent international contracts like Aroldis Chapman and Adeiny Hechavarria. This could be negotiated with the Players Association so that there is no pension time involved and maybe a separate list not counting against the 40-man roster but starting the arbitration and free-agency clocks running.

That's a start on suggested changes to the draft. It would take the entire Mailbag space or a couple of columns to finish the changes. But it's a great topic of discussion.

Q: Richard,

What is happening with the up and coming players at first, short, third, and catcher. All the other players in the mix at the moment are probably going to be around for a while. How many will we see in August and September?

Thanks,

Jim Anderson, Cambridge

A: Given what we know about the new GM and his goals for the Jays and methods of development, I would say that from the current Jays starting lineup the ones that would still be around on Opening Day 2012 when they are likely to contend are: 2B Aaron Hill; DH Adam Lind; CF Vernon Wells and LF Travis Snider. By that time, the young starterts will be young veterans allowing a young catcher like J.P. Arencibia to take over. First base will surely be Bret Wallace. Shortstop, unless something goes horribly wrong, will be Adeiny Hechavarria. That means A.A. Would have to spend money to fill holes in right field and third base because the team needs a couple of grizzled RBI men and they are not on any radar down on the farm, although it would be exciting if Canadian pitcher-turned-outfielder Adam Loewen could complete his improbable metamorphosis and become the third OF.

Q: Greetings Richard,

By all accounts, Vernon Wells is one of the classier men in baseball and clearly blessed with talent. Why then, does he chronically and egregiously ground out to short on a first pitch with runners on, killing yet another potential rally Every twelve year old pitcher in Canada knows you get Wells out pitching him a high one outside or similarly off his shoe tops. Is he just not intelligent enough to learn pitch selection, even after all these years? And why, on a team of mediocre hitters, has Dewayne Wise been brought back? At age 32, this fellow can't hit water falling from a boat? Does he have something on someone? A guy like this is only to be used when management is promoting " Guaranteed Loss Night." Your valued insight, please!

Kind Regards

Selby Martin, Toronto

A: Whenever an Expos player would make an out on first pitch in a big situation, former manager and wizened philosopher Felipe Alou would disgustedly mutter: “The man does not want to battle.” I do not believe that Wells is a cowardly hitter but there are many players that believe the first pitch from a pitcher in a jam may be the best pitch he will see. The pitcher wants to establish the count with an early strike which usually means fastball. However, just because it is a fastball strike does not mean it is the pitch you were looking for and if it's not the exact pitch in the exact spot you were looking for then don't swing. That's why they give you three strikes before you're out. The more pitches you see in a clutch situation, the more chance the pitcher has to make a mistake and the more anxious he can get which will only benefit the next hitter as well.

As for Dewayne Wise, he is merely standing in for John McDonald while he is home with his family attending to his father. With the way Cito Gaston utilizes his bench players (rarely) there is no harm in having a guy with specific skills (speed & D) to come off the bench. Also if someone had a perfect game going, Wise is a good one to have in the outfield.

Q: Hi Richard,

I love your mailbag and insight into the game. One thing that I have always wondered about is why the pitcher in any given game doesn't stay on the bench to finish watching. If they are pulled in the middle of the inning I know they stay and watch till the end of the inning but then they hit the showers. I find it weird that in post game comments you hear things like how they saw the game winning hit while getting dressed or something. Is this because they need to start some sort post game cooling off ?

Thanks!

Joel Greyling, Almonte, ON

A: Starting pitchers watch the end of an inning usually because it is their runners on base and they are interested in seeing if their ERA is going to jump because some chump in the bullpen can't get the job done. As for leaving the bench, if you go to spring training you'll notice that after a pitcher's outing he usually stays out on the field and stretches and then goes for a long run to finish off his day. The spring is very relaxed about that, but the regular season they frown upon extra players running the warning track while the game is in progress. Instead, after they see the end of the inning, they go back to the training room and ride the exercise bike or the treadmill, get treatment on their throwing arm, maybe take a long soak in ice in the steel tub or whatever else is involved in their individual post-start ritual. Once naked it is frowned upon to return to the dugout especially after ice-tub shrinkage. Thus the TV.

Q: Hi Richard,

With Canadian pitching-turned-hitting prospect Adam Loewen having some success this year in the minors, I'm wondering if you can clarify his contract situation. After being released by Baltimore at the end of 2008, he signed a two-year contract with Toronto ending after this season. Does he then become a minor-league free agent again that anyone can sign or is there some way that the Jays can control him beyond this year?

Jeffrey Marcil, Hong Kong

A: The Jays took the unusual move of giving Loewen a guaranteed two-year minor-league contract when it was clear that his pitching career was over due to arm issues. This unusual move by the Jays was so that Loewen never felt pressured in that first year to go too fast in his new ambition and to know that the Jays had confidence and patience. Yes, in answer to your question, Loewen at the end of this contract is a minor-league free agent with the ability to sign anywhere he wanted, but it would be pretty un-Canadian of him to repay Jays' patience and goodwill with impatience and goodbye. My guess is that he is thrilled with his progress since March of 2009 and wants to finish it off with a major-league comeback for his home country Jays. That may come as early as this September in which case as a 40-man roster player he would be under team control for four more seasons.

Q: Hi Richard,

I don't understand the insertion of Jesse Litsch into the rotation so soon. His recent record in the minors is poor at best and the man on the mound Sunday looked overweight and out of shape. Why the rush?

Gord Little, Maple, ON

A: The Jays promised not to rush Litsch back to the major leagues as has been a forever mistake with so many MLB pitchers that felt good after Tommy John surgery, but broke down because they came back too soon. The traditional rehabilitation time for the T.J. surgery is a year. True to their word, Litsch made his Jays comeback against the Rockies a year and a day after his surgery. The Litsch addition to the rotation was never about winning in 2010. Nothing the Jays are doing is about winning in 2010 – except for manager Cito Gaston and his handling of guys like David Purcey. But the Jays need to see where Litsch fits in in their pecking order of young starters. He will be allowed to either pitch himself in or pitch himself out of the plans. He will become one of the eight-deep-starters they count on in 2011 or he will become inventory for possible trade.

Q: Are the Jays scouting closers, or do you think they will stick with the current group of guys (Gregg, Downs, Frasor, and maybe even Camp) for the rest of the season. Gregg's stuff doesn't seem good enough to win in the AL East and while the Jays were only planning on building for the future this year, I have to think it's a bit demoralizing for these young starters to pitch well and then come up with a Loss or No Decision because the bullpen blows the game.

Jasonm Sinnarajah, Tokyo, Japan

A: Winning the AL East was never in the 2010 equation, so in that case Gregg's (and in fact the rest of the pen's) documented struggles against the Rays and Yankees can be acceptable for the remainder of the season. Gregg's perception problems as a true closer with fans at home is that when he struggles in one of his funks it seems like he's playing Pub Darts, only from 60-feet, 6-inches, nibbling at the corners like he's at a Long John Silver's all-you-can-eat buffet table. As for the demoralizing of the Jays' young starters, I don't think it is possible by blowing leads and costing them wins – which actually doesn't happen as often as you might think. These guys are more concerned about six innings pitched or more, walks, WHIP and all those other individual stats that will keep them around into the future. These guys really do like each other inside the clubhouse and there is no blame game.

Q: Richard,

Love your insight. Two questions/comments from June 10 game.

#1. Leading 3-1 in top of ninth, Buck leads off with a single. Encarnacion hitting ninth and with a .206 average is not asked to sacrifice Buck to second as they try for a 4-1 cushion. Was there ever a more automatic occasion for a sacrifice bunt? Don't they teach bunting in triple A? Oh yeah, Encarnacion strikes out and Greg barely protects the two run lead.

#2. At 6'6" and 240 lbs. Greg certainly looks like a closer. But his stride off the mound looks stunted and seems to be no more than say 3'. I know he wants to plant his foot and generate some torque when he releases the ball.....but a larger stride with a man of his stature and batters would start to think his release was from half way to the plate. Your thoughts please.

Larry Dart, Haliburton

A: In response to Encarnacion, the guy's last sacrifice bunt was in 2004 at Chattanooga. He has zero major-league sacrifices and came up through another farm system so the Jays never had a chance to teach him how to bunt (not that they would have). He was born in the Dominican and went to high school in Puerto Rico (both of them islands). There is an old baseball adage about young players from the Caribbean that you can't “walk” off the island. Clearly, Edwin believes you can't “bunt” your way off the island, either. Cito has often stated that you can't ask a man to do something he can't do.

As for Gregg, we dealt with him in the previous question, but not everyone can have the delivery of Tom Seaver wherein your back knee drags in the dirt after you throw a fastball. Gregg is what he is.

Q: Richard,

Love everything that you do. I have a question about the draft. A lot of these kids will be away from home playing rookie league or wherever they get put. I know that a lot get paid very little while they work their way thru the minors. Do teams generally pay their room and board, and do they try and make sure that they eat well, or are they basically left on their own? Knowing what I know from my years as an 18 - 24 year old, I didn't always eat right, do any teams supply their kids with proper meals and or meal plans?

Bob Grier, Calgary

A: Please talk to my wife. As for your main question, the drafted kids that are collegians are well ahead of their high school brethren in terms of what it takes to be healthy and physically prepared for the underpaid grind of the minors. They have likely had university dietitians and team advisers all the way through school and understand the issue. The bonus babies in the first 4-5 rounds get enough money up front to take care of things and not worry as much, but the others need that June-July time at extended spring training in Dunedin to acclimate themselves to the day-to-day of pro baseball. In Florida or at the short-season, summer A-teams the Jays pay for a team hotel and offer transport to the ballpark and of course on road trips. They get meal money (not enough) but no meal plans. For many their personal meal plan as a first-year pro involves any food with a “Mc” in front of it.

Q: Hey Richard!

On the Last Jays homestand, when our mascot was poking fun of the ball boy, what made it worse is when you have Buck Martinez calling him 'BJ Birdie". While we miss the once famous icon, didn't Buck get the memo that it's Ace now?

Mike M., Scarborough, ON

A: Buck also has a season subscription to shows at the O'Keefe Centre, maintains his home delivery for the Telly and has a personal relationship with The Friendly Giant.

Q: Richard....

Is Johnnie Mac on the D.L.? He hasn't played a lick in several weeks. If he's not injured this just confirms my opinion that Cito does not play his full roster. He has at least 3 or 4 that may or may not see any action for several games or weeks at a time. It's not as though they're playing for the pennant - they will finish above Baltimore and that's it!

Bob Davis, Dorchester, ON

A: Sadly, John McDonald is home on bereavement leave in Connecticut tending to his seriously ill father and being with his family. As for his sparing use of the bench, you are right. His first instinct is to stick with his starters, but the fact is with 12 pitchers, it leaves four bench players. One is the backup catcher and you keep him there in case of injury. There is no defensive first baseman if you want to run for Overbay. McDonald and McCoy or Reed and Wise duplicate skills, noe of them being a bigger threat at the plate than the player they would be replacing. Voila! A bench that sits.

Q: In an earlier mail bag you shared your own ideal Blue Jays batting lineup which, if left up to you, you would use over the current one. I noticed you had Alex Gonzalez hitting in the two-hole instead of Aaron Hill. I agree with you that Hill should not be batting in the second spot. He's a notoriously aggressive (first-pitch) hitter, which doesn't always allow Fred Lewis the opportunity to swipe second when he reaches first base. Do you think Cito will ever juggle his lineup in this regard and what is his reason for keeping Hill hitting behind Lewis? If not Gonzalez how about Overbay? He's not only patient and sees a lot of pitches but can also be a doubles machine.

Darrell Holtze, Guelph, ON

A: Hill, in private conversations in the clubhouse, would rather bat third, which encourage me in that column you refer to about a changed lineup. Since that mailbag item, Cito did move Overbay down to the seven-hole, so we're getting there slowly but surely. With Hill emerging from his funk (still being hackingly aggressive) and Lind still in his and with Jose Bautista settling down maybe the manager is coming closer to a Hill-3, Wells-4, Lind-5, Bautista-6, Overbay-7 lineup, leaving the two-hole open for Gonzalez. If that happens, I promise to remain humble and not take any extra credit for it.

Q: Hey Richard,

Saw an interesting article in a recent Sports Illustrated regarding an increasing amounts of sports injuries suffered by children (those in high school and younger). In particular, mentioned that a greater amount of young pitchers are being seen by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. He advised that high school kids should be throwing 2 pitches, a fastball and a change up. He goes on to say that young pitchers should never throw a curve ball. I have also heard in the majors that pitchers who throw a large amount of curve balls are susceptible to injury as well. This leads me to my question. I'm not too familiar with the science behind pitching, but can you please explain why throwing curve balls can be so destructive to pitchers? Thanks,

Kristian Baboolal,Toronto

A: I'm not sure that just because Dr. Andrews is seeing more young players that it means the elbow and shoulder injuries are happening more often. I think previously players that suffered those arm injuries would just give up pitching and move on. But the good doctor's fame and major-league money have combined to make surgery for their young pitchers an attractive option for ambitious parents. Remember that the pitcher with the most ever major-league wins post-Tommy John surgery is Tommy John. As for the difficulty of throwing the curveball on the skeletal structure, just think of this. Hand a baseball to a toddler that has never seen the game of baseball. Take a few steps away and ask for it back. The result will be more of a front-of-the-body shot-put motion. The baseball throwing motion bringing the ball far back of the shoulder and coming through is unnatural. Now add the twisting torque of a well-executed curve ball and your body is saying “what-the-hey”. The reason many pitchers ice after a game is temporary internal bleeding. 'Nuff said.

Mail bag

The dramatic arrival of Washington Nationals pitching phee-nom Stephen Strasburg on the baseball scene merely continues what looks like a resurgence of the game on the national sporting tableau. On a night when the Lakers and Celtics played Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the headline news was the home debut of the new Chosen One against the Pirates. Strasburg did not disappoint, with 14 Ks and under 100 pitches for seven innings reminiscent of the early impact and anticipation of Dwight Gooden and Kerry Wood when they arrived. Attendance around baseball may be down in many ballparks, but interest in the game, I believe, is up. It's clear that the game is slowly returning to its purest form of play before steroids took over the psyche of GMs and the direction of building a team. Five-tools as assets for position players have never been more important and changing speeds for pitchers is now more important than bulking up to add that last four miles-per-hour to a fastball. On to the Mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard,

Just wondering if there's hope for our bullpen. It seems no lead is safe once the starters run out of gas. Is there anything that can be done? What ever happened to Jesse Carlson? Has he peaked in the majors and moved on? Too bad. He seemed to have future. We sat in front of his family during his debut a couple of years ago. It was fun to witness anxious parents. Nice people.

Dave Huband, Toronto

A: Cito Gaston was asked on Tuesday night before the Rays game about the bullpen's recent struggles. The manager merely shrugged and said that the relievers that he normally counts on to preserve leads just don't do well against the Rays and the Yankees. He said that it's not going to change and you just have to hope when theyhit the ball hard that some nights it's going to be hit hard at one of his fielders.

Gaston has sometimes been accused of pulling statistics out of his ah- ... um, out of the air to suit his purposes, so we examined the career records of Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp against the two front-runners of the AL East – and Cito's right. Not going too deeply into the numbers, just using the stats that most fans are familiar and comfortable with, the Jays most important bullpen quartet – Gregg, Downs, Frasor, Camp -- vs. the Rays and Yankees has a career combined 9-21 record, with a 4.37 ERA, allowing 395 baserunners in 259.1 innings. Not good.

However the Jays' bullpen in the grand scheme of things is pretty solid and pretty deep over the course of 162 games. It's just that the closer's role has had first Frasor, then Gregg spit the bit at key moments. But, think about it this way. The goal of the Jays season was set in the off-season as a rebuilding one, thus, the signing of a top-flight Jays closer was not a priority, nor should it have been.

Down in the minors, lefty Jesse Carlson has only walked four batters in 24 innings, but has allowed 37 hits and hit three batters. It may be that he's being used beyond his lefty-specialist role which is reflected in 22 games 24 innings. You're right he is a good guy. Some righty named Jeremy Accardo is 6-for-7 in save opportunities.

Q: How do you explain Vernon Wells' turnaround this season? Late in the game on Saturday he had an at-bat where he laid off of a few pitches out of the zone drawing a walk. I thought about how many times I watched last year's Vernon strike out chasing one of those bad pitches. Is he simply healthy now, or has he changed something in his mechanics/approach?

Jeremy Johnson, New Westminster, B.C.

A: The thing I hate most about Vernon is his unwillingness to whine about his injuries. Hey, how can we write excuse columns full of pathos that tug at the heartstrings of courage when the guy you want to write about won't cooperate. In any case, it's clear after his home run to deep right centre field on the weekend that the injured wrist had been a large part of his problems hitting the ball hard and with consistency over the past couple of seasons. It's all one package. If your wrist is wonky, you can't drive the ball the other way, you can't check your swing, you take more good pitches because you know you can't check your swing, you become a defensive hitter on pitcher's pitches, you become the Vernon Wells of 2009. He's still not worth $23 million per year, but few are. He's playing well, enjoying himself and making a lot of money – which is the winning trifecta of pro sports.

Q: Toronto and the so-called fans have become a city of 'front runners' with respect to the "Guarantee we will win and I'll come out" type of attitude (other than the few who do attend). There is nothing wrong with the Rogers Centre. Other cities compete with TV networks and other sports etc. (i.e the Cubs) and still fill their stadiums. Stanley Cup games have no bearing on it. My question is simply: do you agree that Toronto has become a terrible 'baseball fan' city?

Brian Thrower, Mississauga

A: It's so much B.S. on both sides of the argument. It's like after the great baseball strike of '94. Those that didn't want to come out to the park used the excuse -- “I'm never coming back because players and owners are greedy and I'm done with baseball.” Then when the steroid era reared its ugly (oversized) head, those that didn't want to come out to the park said -- “I'm never coming back because players are cheaters and owners knew about it and condoned it and I'm done with baseball.” Now, after eight years of ego-driven leadership in the Jays' front office that produced zero playoff appearances, those that don't want to come to the ballpark use the excuse -- “I'm never coming back because the Jays are cheapskates and tickets are too expensive and they're rebuilding and I'm done with baseball.”

Meanwhile there is clearly a hardcore group of knowledgeable, loyal fans that make me believe that Toronto is still as much of a baseball town as it ever was. They do just need a winner to bring the fringy, trendy, well-dressed element back to the yard. The Jays' dilemma is like a restaurant that hires a world class chef to staff the kitchen in what was formerly a bad restaurant. You don't just open the doors with the new guy and expect people to flock in. You need word of mouth, then it snowballs into more people, then more word of mouth. When the restaurant becomes full and lively with the great food and ambiance, then even random people walking by and looking through the glass will be interested in trying. As Paul Beeston likes to point out, look at the Black Hawks in Chicago.

Q: Hi Richard,

What do you think about grooming Dustin McGowan for the closer's role when he returns for duty? Todd Clement, Timmins, Ont.

A: Don't like the idea. A top closer needs to be able to go hard on back-to-back and even back-to-back-to-back days. McGowan's shoulder issues would make it irresponsible for the Jays to try and convert him to short relief where he may be asked to pitch or warm up four times per week.

Q: Has the fact that "Mike Wilner has been benched" made you more cautious of the type of questions you may ask at the next post-game news conference that you attend with Cito Gaston? If not why not? Gary Bartlett, Dundas, Ont.

A: No. There was confusion between the principle and the particular when the firestorm went down with Wilner on the weekend. It could have been anyone. The principle was that the BBWAA was defending the freedom of the press to ask serious, responsible, tough questions without the threat of being censured. There have been other more serious dustups between managers and writers than occurred last Wednesday. There has never been a moment that I can recall a writer thinking caution first when asking a question. There have been some stupid questions, but that's a different issue.

Q: Hi Richard,

Two questions about dugouts. Around the majors there are several ballparks with barriers along the top step of the dugout (Yankee Stadium, for example). I imagine this is probably to prevent line-drive fouls from screaming into the dugout at head height. A secondary effect I find is that players seem to be much more visible, hanging out along the railing. Is there a reason that Rogers Centre doesn't have a similar barrier for the dugouts? Obviously safety is concern but it would be great to see our impressive young Jays having fun, rather than invisible in the shadows of the Rogers Centre dugout. The second question: are there any dugouts around the majors that players really love or hate? Or is dugout design a point of indifference?

Matt Marshall, Toronto

A: The most hated dugout for a visiting team has to be in Phoenix where the Jays played an inter-league series in May. The benches are straight backed and so high off the ground that everyone looks like play-by-play man Jerry Howarth, feet dangling back and forth and not able to touch the ground when seated. In addition, the extra benches next to the railing are set up so that anyone of normal baseball height has his view blocked by the padding at eye-level. Next, the dugouts at Comerica Park are so wide back to front and long home-to-first that you could stage a ball hockey game with the game going on. The dugout at Fenway Park on the third base line is so low and the field so crowned that where the manager sits you don't know what happens on a ball in the dirt at first or down near Pesky pole.

As for the Rogers Centre, it's not dug very deep with just two small steps to hop up onto the field. That makes it different than most. I remember a couple of years ago they experimented with putting screens and fences up even bringing coaches and players into the dugout and trying to set up at various heights. They were never installed largely because of vision issues. These guys are supposed to be paying attention and they are nimble enough to scatter when a foul ball is ripped in among them. There are Jays players that sit slouched at the third base end that are always visible. Enjoy them.

Q: Hi, Richard.

Interested in your/the Jays' organization's thoughts on a couple of Canadians in the system. Trystan Magnuson who is 6'7" has gone 10 games without giving up a run in New Hampshire. 14 innings/3walks/13Ks in that time. Adam Loewen also with the Fisher Cats is hitting .344 in same time frame. Doesn't appear to have much power or speed (no HR's and 1 steal in last 10). Either of these guys moving up a level any time soon? What are their prospects for the Bigs.

Phil Winch, Sarnia, Ont.

A: Magnuson stands out not just for his pitching, but also at spring training whenever we visited minor league camp for a rehab start or something else, Magnuson would be wandering around with his big shock of long hair, a full head taller than anyone else looking like Big Bird in black. After making 24 starts for Lansing in his first year, he's being groomed for a closer or setup role. He is pretty much a two-seam fastball and slider guy that can reach 93 m.p.h. with good deception all arms and legs. As for Loewen, he was a pitcher and hitter before he was drafted by the O's as a pitcher. It's taken him a while to get his stroke back after giving up pitching, but the Jays say they will be patient.

Q: When a pitcher is ejected AFTER being removed from the game, i.e. Gregg on Tuesday, are there any real consequences for the ejection?

Rick Prashaw, Kanata, Ont.

A: The fine is the same, the ejection goes on his record if there is ever further discipline needed from the Commissioner's Office as a chronic troublemaker and umpires take note and the info is always in the back of the minds of the men in blue. Ejections are never a good thing, although I as a coach and manager of young men in Oakville over the past 13 seasons have been ejected and/or suspended five times – always a misunderstanding and never for swearing. I sometimes don't condone myself.

Q: Hi, Richard . . . Long time reader and follower. Curious question and excuse if you had responded to this already but didn't notice in the archives . . . Regarding Brad Arnsberg, former pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays during the Riccardi era, will we ever have an answer to why the rash of injuries to pitchers were so rampant during his tenure? Injuries are inevitable, but it appeared that for Toronto, within the pitching corps, the injuries were not only frequent but routinely more serious than the average or standard. The Blue Jays must have been close to the record of most pitchers sent for Tommy John surgery within a 3-year period and the number of pitchers who still remain questionable for this year (i.e. Litsch, McGowan, Richmond) is puzzling. While it is still early in the 2010 season, at least for now, it seems things have calm down with Bruce Walton at the helm and the few injuries we have seen are more of the "pulled muscle/tendon" type. Was there really(!) a connection to Arnsberg and his approach which led to these injuries or should we chalk it up to uncanny bad luck? It just seems so suspect.

Martin Keogh, Toronto

A: One thing to consider with Arnsberg is that during his five years as pitching coach, the Jays were always willing to take chances on fragile, previously damaged pitchers that came at a bargain price because they were already nicked up. Plus, while new pitching coach Bruce Walton's emphasis is on the changeup which offers less chance of damaging a shoulder or elbow, Arnsberg was a power-pitching fan stemming from his early '00s days with the Marlins when he had Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Matt Clement, Brad Penny and others. The cut fastball/slider combination is tougher on the body's joints. That being said, I'm not even sure that the Jays' record of injuries is any higher than many other organizations. I believe that in the past 20 years, teams are more cautious with arms and shoulder, willing to put guys on the DL for 15 days rather than risk long-term loss especially if they have a long-term contract attached to an arm. One final point, the pitching surgeries have become so effective due to improved techniques and methods that instead of being a last option, sometimes corrective surgery is an early option. It's like pointing out breast enhancement surgeries for women have doubled in the past 20 years. Does that mean that natural breasts aren't what they used to be? Hmm, I think not.

Q: Griff,

A friend of mine (Reg Lewicki) emailed me with a statistical anomaly today. In 1986, Tony Fernandez played in 163 games, which is a franchise record. What is odd is that the Jays finished the season with a record of 86-76 (162 games). The 163rd game seems to come from a postponed contest on August 26 vs. the Indians that was halted after 9 innings with the scored tied 6-6. Instead of picking up the game where it left off the next day (like the Twins and Yanks did last week), the teams appear to have played a DH, replaying the game in full. However, the stats from the postponed game seem to count, including games played? How is it possible for Fernandez to have played in a game that his team didn't actually play in? Any thoughts?

Jess Bechard, London, Ont.

A: There is a difference between a “game played” and a game that ends in a decision. The rule for most of the history of major-league baseball was that if a game had reached five-plus full innings and was tied and it rained or was unable to continue that the game was a tie, the statistics counted and the game was replayed in its entirety. If one team was ahead then it was over and resulted in a decision. The rule was changed I believe some time in the late '80s so that a tied game after 5-plus innings is picked up at that point and continued prior to the next meeting at the same venue. Thus 163 games was common.

Griffin: Blue Jays Draft Report Card on Day 1

All of a sudden, following Day 1 of the draft, the already pitching-rich Jays get richer. Jays first-year general manager Alex Anthopoulos has always stated that he believes in a philosophy where the goal each year is to sign two high impact players out of the June selection process rather than ink perhaps five, safe mid-level drat picks that will make it to the major-leagues but never have significant careers. 

On the first night of major-league baseball's annual draft on Monday, the Jays' first-year scouting director Andrew Tinnish, supervising the Jays' selections, tabbed four righthanded pitchers among the draft's first 41 picks. The Jays are hoping that two of these young men will become the future stars that they covet. 

These guys are all classic prospects in term of bodies, command and stuff. Why four righthanded pitchers? The Jays swore that as their turn arrived they would not be picking from need, but instead by the best player available in terms of projected major-league ability. The feeling must have been in the Jays' war room that the best player available at 11, 34, 38 and 41 were pitchers. This infers that the Jays myriad amateur scouts believed that hitting, especially up the middle, was weak in this year's draft. 

11-Deck McGuire RHP 20 Georgia Tech 6-6 220 lbs. (Jays 1st round)

34-Aaron Sanchez RHP 17 Barstow (CA) H.S. 6-4 190 lbs. (comp. for Marco Scutaro)

38-Noah Syndergaard 17 Legacy (TX) H.S. 6-5 200 lbs. (comp. for James Paxton)

41-Asher Wojciechowski 21 The Citadel (SC) 6-4 235 lbs.  (comp. for Rod Barajas)

McGuire: (Ranked 13th overall by ESPN's Keith Law; drafted 11th) Tinnish estimated that no less than a dozen Jays' scouts, including GM Anthopoulos, had actually seen McGuire pitch in person for the Yellow Jackets. He combines a 91-93 m.p.h. fastball that has sometimes inconsistent downward movement, with a major-league slider that touches 86 m.p.h., a solid feel for the change and a slowly developing curveball that would be the first to be discarded. 

McGuire and last year's first-round pick, Chad Jenkins (selected 20th overall) are comparable physically and in age, although Jenkins always had a little baby fat to worry about on his 6-4 frame. But the big difference is that McGuire pitched in a major baseball conference, the ACC, while Jenkins pitched at tiny Kennesaw (GA) State. The Jays swear that they will be able to sign all of their top draft picks as opposed to last year. When McGuire does come to terms and reports to minor-league camp in Dunedin, he may be ahead of Jenkins already in terms of development towards the majors, especially with regard to poise and the ability to handle the more relentless bats in a pro lineup in a full-season Class-A league.  

Sanchez: (ranked 15th overall by ESPN's Keith Law; drafted 34th) The California high school prospect will fill out from his wiry 170 lbs. and gain another 20-30 in the next three years which will allow his fastball to max out at 93-94. Add that to a solid curveball and a changeup in which he's not yet confident and the Jays may have a mid-rotation starter in about five years. The Jays are not scared to take pitchers this far away from the majors because of the tremendously deep stockpile that they are putting together. Sanchez is one of the two picks awarded for the Sox signing of Marco Scutaro.

Syndergaard: (not ranked in Top 100 by ESPN's Keith Law; drafted 38th) Back in the '70s, A's owner Charles O. Finley, thinking he was smarter than everyone else in baseball, fired most of his scouts and drafted using information from the MLB scouting bureau and player evaluations in major sports publications. Clearly the Jays did not hire their record number of amateur scouts simply to go with the flow of Baseball America, ESPN and some of the on-line scouting services. Thus they have their own view of Syndergaard that involves personality, background and what they can do with him once they get him down to minor-league camp. At Legacy High School near Dallas, the solidly built 17-year-old was 7-3, with a 1.42 ERA, walking 18 and striking out 83 in 59 innings. Texas high schools have a long history of producing successful, hard-throwing, cocky, quick to advance professional pitchers. The kid already throws 92-93 m.p.h. and shows a solid delivery that precludes arm problems. He relies on his fastball most of the time, but has a curveball and a change that will be developed when he turns pro. Syndergaard was compensation for being unable to sign Canadian righty James Paxton last June.

Asher Wojiechowski: (ranked 28th overall by ESPN's Keith Law; drafted 41st). Perhaps the highlight of the draft on TV was seeing Robby Alomar step up to the podium on behalf of the Jays and announce the tongue twisting Wojiechowski. By the way, next year's hall-of-famer, Alomar looks pretty healthy to me for a guy that was supposed to be horribly ill according to a disgruntled ex-friend. Wojo may at some point down the road become the answer to the closer question being left in the wake of B.J. Ryan and now Kevin Gregg. He will start out in the Jays system (we're assuming all these guys sign) as a starter, but that's just in order to get him some innings and see him pitch. Most major-league bullpen closers started out as minor-league starters. The guy throws 94-96 but has command issues and no faith in his changeup. He rushes through his delivery and the Jays believe they can help him and harness the natural ability that includes a hard slurve -- a bastardized combination of slider/curve. Wojo was the pick awarded the Jays for the Mets' signing of catcher Rod Barajas.

SUMMARY: The Jays, once they sign these four guys, are going to have a tremendously deep pool of pitching prospects that are all of them set to arrive in the next two to five seasons. What this means for the re-building organization is that Anthopoulos will have the ability to trade several of his starting pitching prospects from this talented inventory at the deep end of the pool and still not be accused of trading away the future -- as he promised he would not do. That will make a difference more in the next off-season (2010-11) than at the trade deadline. The Jays would like this full season to re-rank their own pitching prospects and try and package some of the others -- that would still leave good depth.

    

   

    

Mail bag

It had always seemed just a matter of time with the Jays before Roy Halladay pitched a no-hitter, so when he came up with the perfect game for the Phillies against the Marlins on May 29, it seemed to create less of a buzz than many others in the recent past. Halladay's granny didn't come out and tell A-Rod to stuff it like Dallas Braeden. Nobody had to go fence-climbing to save the gem like DeWayne Wise did for Mark Buehrle. Doc didn't have sweaty blond hair flopping around and throw a perfect game in the twilight of his career like the Big Unit. He wasn't pitching for the Yankees like the two Davids, Cone and Wells. All Halladay did was go out and do his job, then hug his catcher gently and show up at the ballpark for work the next morning at 6:30 a.m. To work out. It was the 18th perfect game since 1900, since Cy Young tossed one in 1904. An interesting sidelight pointed out to me by Jeff Blair of the Globe. A good friend, former Expos and current Marlins broadcaster Dave Van Horne has now done play-by-play for the last three major-league perfect games thrown by right-handed pitchers. He called El Perfecto by Dennis Martinez, July 28, 1991 in Los Angeles. He called David Cone vs. the Expos on July 18, 1999 and then Doc's surgery vs. the Marlins last week. On to the mailbag.

Hi Richard,

Long time reader of you and the Star and around your age too. I guess the only thing about your articles and position(s) over the years was your constant J.P. Riccardi bashing. I don't think J.P. was the best manager the Jay's have ever had but I do think he was much better than most folks including you give him credit for. Bear in mind the core of young pitchers (Shaun Marcum, Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero, Jesse Litsch et al) and position players (Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, Travis Snider) were drafted by J.P. It would be nice if sometimes you gave the guy a bit of credit.

Thanks, Steve Vincent

A: The Ricciardi era between November 2001 and October 2009 did, indeed, produce the majority of the position players and pitchers on the current Jays team, in fact 15 of the 25 players on the June 1 active roster, however if would be hard to see any circumstance where a pro sports GM had a team's reins for that long anywhere and that would not be the situation. The criticism of Ricciardi was not so much about his ability to acquire major-league players but more so about the peripheral stuff, the constant excuses for not being able to compete, the changes of direction in terms of a master plan, the disrespect of the team's fans, the disrespect for the role of manager, the pointing of the finger at ownership for not providing enough payroll and the belief that he was sent to Toronto in a missionary role to teach the game to those that did not know it. There is more to being a GM than just player personnel moves, there is representing your organization and your city in a classy professional manner, especially in a situation where you're starting from an inferior, handicapped position because of geography and economics. There is to consider class in dealing with players, player agents, fans, other employees in your own office and other teams' GMs and leaving the best possible impression of your own organization wherein people would want to come and play here or work with you. Ricciardi claimed that when Gord Ash left the Jays that he left the cupboard bare in terms of the farm system. He apologized later, but the nationally respected trade publication Baseball America in Ricciardi's last five years as GM ranked the farm system an average of 24th out of 30 between 2006-10. That ranking moved up after new GM Alex Anthopoulos obtained three prime prospects for Roy Halladay. There were 25 of 30 teams go to the post season while Ricciardi was in charge. The Jays were not one.

Q: Hi Richard,

A follow up to your article on staying the course. I agree this is the way to go even if the Jays are 'within spitting distance' of a wild-card slot, but what to do if (in some magical dreamland) the Jays ARE the wild-card team at the trade deadline? Does it really change anything?

Brian MacIvor, Delmar, U.S.A.

A: Hey, if the players on hand are the ones that got you to the wild-card spot by the end of July and they are young and improving, then why not stick with the group that got you there and see how far they can take you? Have them believe in themselves and find out about themselves without turning to some pseudo-saviour mercenary free-agent-to-be that you bring in to lead them to the Promised Land that likely will not happen and that spoils the taste that they had of competing hard and being underdogs in a real pennant race. The Jays do have money to spend however. If they are in that spot and a veteran player was available in an area of need and all it cost them was X millions of dollars for the final three months then after that a guy is going free-agent, I have no doubt that the Jays would make that short-term deal. But if they're asked to hand over premium prospects, I believe Anthopoulos would say no, unless the incoming player is controllable for at least three more seasons.

Q: Regarding Kevin Gregg, who is leading the league in saves, if I'm correct. Are you surprised this short-armer has been as effective as he has, minus the odd blown save here and there? Why were the Cubs no longer interested in him? Do you foresee a drop-off in Gregg's ability to close out games? Come the July trading deadline, will Gregg be trade-bait, perhaps allowing Jason Frasor to resume the role once again? And, incidentally, don't you think Gregg looks just a wee bit like Lou Piniella?

Darrell Holtze, Guelph

A: He's starting to throw a little bit like Lou Piniella as well. No, but seriously, I remember when the '06 Rays signed Troy Percival as a free-agent in the off-season before their World Series run. People thought the former Angels closer was washed up and a bad signing, but the Rays used him to give the bullpen a focal point that gave others out behind the fence room to mature and find a role. By the time the post-season came along Percival was nowhere to be seen. It seems like this is a similar situation with the Jays and Gregg. He has filled an early season need and role and who knows what the back-end of the pen will look like in September. He is not a long-term investment and for the cost it is a reasonable signing. Besides, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year.

Q: Hi Richard,

Just watched Kevin Gregg give up four earned runs to the Rays. I also remember Kevin Gregg blowing a save against Seattle in early May under similar circumstances, the inability to find the strike zone. Although it did appear as though the umpire might have hosed him on a couple of calls. These two blown saves, if I have remembered the Seattle game correctly, have occurred on the second night of a back to back appearance for Kevin Gregg. I was wondering if you had the numbers for Gregg's second appearance after working the night before and do you think it might be a good idea to give the closing duties to someone else to avoid the back to back appearances for Gregg in save situations?

Thanks, Matt

A: The last time that Gregg managed to record a save on back-to-back days was July 25-26, 2009 for the Cubs. Since then including the torching on June 1, Gregg has pitched two days in a row a total of 11 times. His record on the second night of those 11 back-to-backs: 1-3; 3 Saves; 4 BlSv; 10.00 ERA; 9IP: 11H; 10R; 10ER; 10BB; 11SO. Note that the three saves just means that on the first night of the back-to-backs it was not a save situation. This season for the Jays in the second game of his six-back-to-back appearances he has a 13.50 ERA with seven hits and 10 walks in 5.1 innings. I believe Cito Gaston should give Gregg the weekend off against the Yankees, going with Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Shawn Camp and maybe Casey Janssen with the game on the line.

Q: Do you have any ideas on who will replace Cito, and when the BJs will make the announcement? I would love to see (Butterfield) get the job but I think that recruiting someone outside the organization would make more sense. Ozzie Guillen or even better Alfredo Griffin. A true 'EXPOS' Fan,

Michael Tremblay, Victoria, B.C.

A: I believe that A.A. has a preliminary list of candidates but is nowhere near beginning any interview process. If it's going to be someone from within the organization, look for the month of September when the minor league seasons are done for an invited coach to spend the final month in uniform. I'm sure Butterfield will be interviewed. It depends on where they think they are in terms of seriously competing in 2011. If they think they need another year then they would take a short-term caretaker. If they are going to go for it, then they would do like the Tigers did hiring Jim Leyland when they were ready to win. Good candidates will become available at the end of the season.

Q: Richard,

I have a question for you in regards to heckling. Some friends and I were at the game against the Orioles on Saturday. We were right behind the visiting bullpen. Of course we were heckling them. We were however tasteful, the usual, you're a bum, you're no good, start throwing boys, phone is about to ring. We were told that we were not allowed the heckle the bullpen. Everyone in our section including those who were not with us were shocked. We took a rest for two innings then continued and got tossed. My question to you is; if we were Red Sox fans at Fenway heckling the visiting bullpen tastefully (there are families around so no profanity) would we have been tossed?

Andrew Marsh, Whitby

A: If you were Red Sox fans at Fenway, or Yankee fans at Yankee Stadium, when you were quiet for those two innings, security might have become worried and poked you with a stick to wake you up. Heckling is an art form in those ballparks and players laugh about it, especially if the barbs are creative which they often are. Bad language is never acceptable in these situations, but I often wonder about the Canadian nature of being too polite and not wanting to insult anyone. In short, you would not have been tossed at Fenway unless there was profanity, beer tossing, spitting or the like. The Jays should be more flexible.

Q: Hey Richard,

Who's the odd man out when Travis Snider returns? Also, any idea when he's due back? He was supposed to be re-evaluated May 31st. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

Francis Lord, Saskatoon

A: Snider was re-evaluated and the prognosis was not good. He has been doing a thing Cito called “dry-swinging” which I assume is an activity done with your clothes on. But he has not actually made contact with a ball (which sounds an awful lot like his month of May '09). When Snider comes back, which could be another month, it would behoove the Jays to send Mike McCoy out for some at-bats. His role is covered by Johnny Mac. McCoy was 0-for-May and if this is all about player development, then McCoy needs to play. His skills have atrophied on the bench.

Q: Hi, Richard,

Avid fan of the mailbag! In a recent article about James Paxton, he reportedly stated he has no ill will toward the Jays with what ultimately saw him going to play with an independent league team in Texas, following his run-in with NCAA rules. I read that ESPN's Keith Law has Paxton ranked at #12 for the draft. Since the Jays pick at #11, do you think they would consider drafting Paxton again if he was still on the board? What about the two other Canadian pitchers they drafted in '09 but failed to sign? Thanks!

Corey Perrin, Fredericton, N.B.

A: The Jays have four picks in the first 38 and I believe that they will not use their first pick to re-select Paxton, but in the next three if he is still on the board, they will take him. The problem is that they do not want to pay him more than they offered him last year. That would make them look bad, wherein a kid had a great year at the University of Kentucky one year and you wouldn't pay to sign him, then he gets suspended from his school team, pitches a few innings in an independent league and now you're willing to give him more money. The two other Canadians – Jake Eliopoulos went to Chipola J.C. and Brandon Kaye went to University of British Columbia and their draft stock has fallen.

Q: I was just thinking about the respective careers of Russ Adams and Aaron Hill. They are both infielders, drafted in the first round a year apart. Is there any way their radically different levels of success could have been predicted? Anything to be learned in talent evaluation for the future? Or is this just another reminder that the difference between being good enough and not quite good enough is the proverbial hair's breadth?

Art Digout, River Bourgeois, N.S.

A: The baseball draft is highly unpredictable. But the caveat was that when Adams was drafted, even the Jays organization projected him as a third baseman or second baseman in the majors. But as you say the difference between success and failure is so small. In the course of the 3-5 years it normally takes to develop a major-league player in the minors, things can happen both physically and mentally to make a No. 1 pick into a bust. Metal bate to wood. So many more games. Creeping self-doubt. It's often a crap-shoot, which is why Alex Anthopoulos has set a goal of two superior prospects out of each draft rather than five or six average talents that top off as major-league bench players.

Q: Hey Rich,

Love your blog. I want to ask u how Scott Richmond is doing right now. He seems to be fallen off the depth chart (which is not a surprise) given the stuff he has is not really at the MLB level. Hope good things happen to him. thanks,

Charles Lo, Santa Clara, Calif.

A: Richmond is the forgotten man of disabled Blue Jays. It seems under cover of darkness (and other prospects that cast a shadow like Kyle Drabek, Zach Stewart, Jesse Litsch, Chad Jenkins, Marc Rzepczynski, et al) that Richmond has rehabbed his aching whatever it was (right shoulder) and that he is ready to rehab. On Tuesday he worked 4.2 shutout innings (67 pitches) at extended spring training, with three hits and no walks. Don't write him off yet. His repertoire was once described as a poor man's Roy Halladay. At least he's receiving big-league money and service time while on the DL. He is not officially on any kind of rehab assignment yet.

Q: Dear Richard,

The Blue Jays have a decent core of starting pitching prospects for many years to come. One minor league player who seems to be doing very well and I have heard little about is Chuck Huggins. His stats suggest that he may be able to have a crack in to the big leagues in the next several years. I am curious to hear what is Huggins command is like and the likelihood we may see him in a Jays uniform by 2011 or 2012?

Will Dowkes, Peterborough

A: Chuck Huggins is a low-round draft pick in 2008 that has been a pleasant surprise out of the University of Santa Barbara. He was promoted from A-Lansing to AA-New Hampshire after going 5-0 in nine starts for the Lugnuts. He's a 24-year-old lefty that's way down on the organization's depth chart, but guys like that can surprise – see Jesse Litsch. But consider Litsch is only 14 months older than Huggins, was drafted four years earlier and already has significant MLB time.

Q: You recently mentioned that the Jays now have five of their former first-round draft picks on the 25-man big-league roster: Vernon Wells (1997), Aaron Hill (2003), David Purcey (2004), Ricky Romero (2005) and Brett Cecil (2007). I've set aside first-rounder Brandon Morrow as we didn't draft him, but could add a sixth potentially when Travis Snider (2006) gets off the disabled list. Any idea if this is the all-time high is for Jays' first-round picks on the active roster at one time? We had some clusters of first-rounders in 1999 and 2005 I believe. How about the MLB record? First-round picks are far from the only indication of a team's drafting success, but they're still showpieces that are fun to keep an eye on.

Jeffrey Marcil, Hong Kong

A: On the '99 team, the Jays had seven former Jays' No. 1 picks on the roster at various times during the season, sometimes not all together: Shawn Green ('91); Shannon Stewart ('92); Chris Carpenter ('93); Kevin Witt ('94); Roy Halladay ('95); Billy Koch ('96) and Vernon Wells ('97). That seems to be the gold standard for the team. We don't include supplemental No. 1's in this survey.