Mail bag

Etobicoke native and Reds first baseman Joey Votto appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week but if he goes on to win NL MVP honours, he should bring his teammate Scott Rolen to the awards banquet with him. To me, it's the addition of Rolen to the Reds lineup for a full season that has spurred the Cincinnatians to where they are today, holding a 2.5-game lead over the powerful Cardinals, tied for the fifth-best record in baseball with the Red Sox and Twins. Granted the Reds have picked on the four also-rans in their own division and other weak links, but you gotta do what you gotta do. While Votto has been among the Triple Crown category leaders all year, it's Rolen that brings passion and defence at third base and the ability to play the game the right way that is making the difference between this year and last. Rolen's numbers are solid but don't jump off the page at you until you remember that with the Jays two years ago the tightness in his shoulder made people think his career might be over. He had to revamp his entire offensive approach. Aaron Hill calls him the best teammate he ever had. The Reds are a good story and Votto is a feel-good story, but don't forget about Rolen. On to the mailbag.

Q: Just asking, but what was up with that in-house blog fight between you and Damien Cox and why were you picking on Dave Andreychuk, a solid citizen of hockey?
Alex B., Brantford

A: Just to clear that up, I love Damien Cox and have admired his work on hockey, tennis and soccer through the years. He is what I want to be when I grow up. I did take exception to Damien's blog regarding the purported question that he felt needed to be asked with appropriately raised eyebrow about Jose Bautista and his sudden emergence as a home run hitter. I was watching Sports Reporters on Sunday with Dave Hodge, Damien, Steve Simmons and Michael Farber (my personal favourite sports writer ever). The final discussion was “Is baseball back in Toronto?” Damien's belief was that baseball is not back and may never be back and if you went out on the street and asked an average citizen who Jose Bautista is that they would not know. Then he mentioned the home run surge of Bautista and said that should lead to questions. It was a spontaneous on-air discussion so I believe that when he wrote his blog, I felt it wasn't pre-meditated to stir things up and accuse J-Bau as much as it was something he said on TV that he felt he should be followed up as a blog. I get that.

My response, also in blog form, was about hockey players who have done something incredible late in life, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It was clearly meant as satire, to show the fallacy of just taking a player that steps up his game in any sport and attributing it to cheating – or subtly suggesting as much. I chose Andreychuk and purposely used flawed arguments with skewed numbers because that was the point of it all. I chose him instead of other more suspicious names because of the absurdity that anybody would believe it of Andreychuk (as solid a hockey citizen as has been), and the belief was that once people realized that, they were supposed to notice the exact phrasing and logic borrowed directly from the Bautista blog and actually “get it” and go “oh, yeah.” Unfortunately there are those out there (mostly hockey fans) that have no sense of irony or humour and thus the kerfuffle and the perceived appointment for an in-house throwdown in the office octagon.

Q: Allow me to ask a very hypothetical question. If the Jays had kept Roy Halladay and everything had worked out the way it has (team hitting a ton of home runs, the young pitchers blossoming into bona-fide major league pitchers) do you think this team would be making the playoffs in October and possibly going to the World Series?
Jason Sinnarajah, Tokyo, Japan

A: That is a very hypothetical question, because keeping Halladay would have meant that one pitcher, likely Brett Cecil, would not have got his chance to pitch in the majors. Thus, Doc's numbers would be merely replacing the lefty's. How good would Doc have had to be to make a playoff difference? Besides, I think the time had come where Halladay needed a change of scenery and if he had stayed, his mindset would not have been as positive as it has been in Philadelphia. I don't believe his numbers as a Jay would have been as good, since pitching is such a mental task and he had suffered a mental beatdown by the end of last season. And there is no way the new general manager and the Jays could have believed at the end of last season that they were on the verge of going to the World Series given the clubhouse dysfunction. If they had kept Doc and made a run at it, even manager Cito Gaston would likely have been moved to senior adviser a year earlier. So many things would be different. Keeping Halladay and last year's Jays team basically intact – then with the assumed off-season additions of Brandon Morrow, John Buck and Kevin Gregg – and even with the emergence of Jose Bautista as an offensive force, it would not have been enough. Be happy with the team you have.

Q: Hi Richard. Wondering if you can explain how September call-ups work in terms of number of players allowed, affect if any if it has on a player's status (future free agency eligibility, etc.) and philosophies behind it for a non-contending team. I know the Jays will be playing many contenders in September thus would want to field their best team. At the same time I would love to see players like J.P. Arencibia, Adeiny Hechavarria, Canadian middle reliever Trystan Magnuson and starter Kyle Drabek up for a look to give them a taste of the majors and to give them a feel for the environment before they break for the off-season. Any players you would like to see in the majors for a trial run?
Phil W., Sarnia

A: This call-up period used to be a much more useful tool for major-league teams back in the day. But now, as you sagely point out, you're either involved in a division or a wild-card race yourself or else you are playing a team that is and integrity dictates that you play your best lineup. Basically, this is the call-up concept. At any moment every MLB organization has a 40-man roster of players that are reserved at the major-league level. Prior to September 1, there are 25 players on your major-league team, plus the other 15 guys that are divided between the disabled list and various top levels of your farm system. On September 1 a team may promote all of them to the major-league team and use them in any game at all. Even when there were four MLB divisions and 24 teams right into the early '90s, with two teams (maybe three) remaining alive in each division into the final month, you would still have 12-16 teams playing meaningless games re the post-season. I remember the Expos would often have 33-35 players up and play them to get a first-hand look at the future. I can't remember the Jays since I started covering them ever having more than 30-31 active roster players in September.

There are some key factors of playing time that teams are always careful of. 1) if a player has not reached the point in his career where he must be protected and added to the 40-man (either 3-4 years post draft or post-signing) then you do not want to being him up in September no matter how big a minor-league hotshot he is. If you bring a player up before he has to be protected under the rules of baseball then his major-league clock starts then and there and it clicks once for every year after that you send him to the minors. Three options is the max, then you have to place player on waivers at the end of his fourth spring that he is on the roster if he does not make the team. It's all about roster control and flexibility. 2) If a player is not going to get significant playing time, then either send him to Instructional League or the Arizona Fall League, both of which begin in September; 3) If a player has accumulated enough days of service wherein the 30 September days of service time on the roster will help him reach his free agency or arbitration a year sooner, then don't do it.

As for which prospects the Jays may promote in September, if they go according to form, it will be fewer than you think. We do not know how rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos operates yet in this regard, but if it was me I would say Arencibia, Drabek, reactivate David Purcey, give Adam Loewen a look as a reward, bring up a roster middle infielder and also reliever Josh Roenicke. That would be 31 players.

Q: What's with the Yankees attitude where they can hit as many of your guys accidentally but any toss towards a Yankee is intentional? And will we see Jesse Carlson vs. Posada round 2?
John Harris, Toronto

A: I like the cocky Yankee attitude of we can throw at your guys (I don't like when it's at the head) but if you throw at one of ours, there will be retaliation. It's not the Yankees fault if many other teams don't share that attitude of team aggression, or if many other teams are intimidated by the tradition and the pinstripes and the arrogance and the ghosts. Former Jays starter Pat Hentgen was my favourite pitcher in this regard because he would forever defend his own players without being asked, if someone was thrown at or if someone played the “embarrass-my-teammate” card. Hentgen would choose his own time and place within the game and it would be obvious what was happening. He would scowl, plunk, smile and deny after the game. Carlson is another who has no qualms about dusting a millionaire. Josh Towers would do it (although his fastball wouldn't hurt you) and many others that I admire. Intimidation used to be an integral part of the game when they didn't even wear batting helmets, but political correctness and wussy boys on both sides of the ball have made it less so. Just not the head please.

Q: Hi Richard, I just happened to notice the stats of Alex Rios as a Chicago White Sox and wondered what the impact of his "pretty good season" thus far would have been had he remained with the Jays. Money aside, he has hit some home runs and showed some speed on the base paths. Was the saving of his contract worth the departure or could the current staff been able to work with him to realise his potential? thanks and I love your column.
Carrie Conlon, Clarkson

A: I have always liked Rios as a player and a potential star. I am one who believes that a player's comfort level and peer support in the clubhouse contributes to his playing ability. To me, if Rios was still with the Jays and surrounded by this current solid Latin community of coach Omar Malave, Jose Molina, Bautista and Alex Gonzalez, now Yunel Escobar, that he would have thrived on and off the field. The thing that still strikes me about his near all-star season with the White Sox as a centrefielder is that the Jays gave him away for nothing and insisted it was a good deal. This after not dealing him at the July 31, 2009 deadline when there were actual player offers on the table. The GM should be fired...oh wait, he was. The bottom line is the Rios move was best for Rios, even though he struggled in Chicago early on. The trauma of a player's leaving his first organization is always tough, but it's over and he has shown his 30-30 possibilities as many had predicted. Should the Jays have received something for him? Yes. Is he better off there? Yes. Have the Jays moved forward and is their outfield future bright? Yes.

Q: My question has to do with the Jays' current and past managing of their pitchers, specifically their arms. While pitch counts seem a modern day phenomenon, when did they really begin to factor into coaching decisions on use of the bullpen or altering their starting rotation? And, the real question, do the Jays have an average problem with pitching arms compared to other teams or are their troubles -- McGowan, Richmond, Litsch, Morrow, Marcum, some twice, etc. -- evidence of past bad managing of pitching arms? The current team seems to be paying the price -- Morrow sits out two complete rotations and comes back ill-prepared to pitch.
Rick Prashaw, Kanata

A: The Jays may have a slightly above average problem with pitchers and their arms, but there are extenuating circumstances for the organization and others like them. Because of the financial strain of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox the Jays have to take chances on pitchers with a history of surgery, or on pitchers with deliveries that might lead to arm trouble. For instance, check players like A.J. Burnett, Jason Frasor, Shawn Hill, John Thomson and others that the Jays have signed or acquired through the years because the price for damaged goods is less and the potential if they remain healthy is great. Some have worked out. Others haven't. The advent of 12-man pitching staffs has led to frail relief pitchers that can only be expected to work two days in a row and to starters that when they reach 100 pitches start looking longingly to the pen to see who's warming up. In the last three years, there have been studies that show that young pitchers that accumulate say 200-plus innings early on take a step back a high percentage of the time. That has led to the Jays among others, instituting an organization-wide innings count for their pitchers. It led to both Marc Rzepczynski and Brett Cecil being shut down in early September last year even though they were healthy and has led to talk of a six-man Jays' rotation in September. As for the seemingly growing list of arm, especially elbow surgeries, check out other teams and you'll see much the same thing. It seems with improved techniques of elbow surgery that more teams are willing with young players to give up a year in exchange for a career.

The greatest relief pitcher in history was Mike Marshall, who won the Cy Young Award for the Dodgers in 1974. Even though he was somewhat of a prick, he pitched 100-plus innings in relief five years in a row (1971-75) and in back-to-back seasons 1973-74 was 29-23 with 52 saves in 317-1/3 innings over 156 games – all in relief. At least twice Marshall, who has a doctorate in kinesiology from Michigan State, pitched six games in a row. His greatest relief performance was a bases-loaded appearance against the Padres on June 13, 1973. Marshall threw one pitch and got a triple play off the bat of Jerry Morales. He finished the game, two more innings, and picked up the save in a 3-2 win.

Q: Richard, As someone who has never been to Fenway, I am curious about the green monster. Would most HRs in Fenway be homers in other stadiums? Would MLB allow the stadium to be built today with the wall the way it is? Final question and it scares me to write this, is Cito actually a candidate for Manager of the year? (yikes)....
Brian M., Barrie

A: The other day in Boston, Bautista smoked a line drive, hitting the ball as hard as it can be hit. It resembled his game-winning homer against the Yankees at RC with the infamous 28-second trot. Only this time the ball hit two-thirds of the way up the Green Monster and bounced back to Bill Hall. High flyballs that might be warning track outs in other parks are the ones that are considered cheap homers at Fenway, but there are a lot of balls like the one Bautista hit that would be homers in other parks that are singles and doubles at Fenway. It's a hitter's park, but not necessarily a home-run hitter's park.

The point is moot about anyone building a park like Fenway today. Back in the day when Fenway opened – seven days after the Titanic sunk – ballparks were built on city blocks and therefore were forced into their dimensions by the shape of the block on which it was built. Check the right field wall at Ebbets Field or the deep centre field in the Polo Grounds or the deep alleys and centre field at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. With the huge plots of land stadiums today are built on, there is no need for such dimensions.

Realistically, Cito has done maybe his best managing job this year, but manager of the year should go to Ron Washington, Ron Gardenhire, Ozzie Guillen or Terry Francona.

Q: There will be talk in the off season on ESPN or MLB about moving the Cleveland Indians into the AL East. The Jays would go to the AL Central. Would this be a good move for the Jays? Also, as a Twins fan, I hope that the Twins have clinched the AL Central pennant before we close out our season against the Jays at Target Field. Toronto always gives the Twins trouble.
Bob Keegan, Coon Rapids, Minn.

A: The Jays front office has hoped for that move for years, but in talking to Jays' president Paul Beeston, who is on MLB committees to study both realignment and a balanced schedule, changes are years away. The likely time to re-study all this stuff is after 2012 at the same time as the new Basic Agreement is negotiated. There is no doubt the Jays would be competing hard for the Central division, but I believe that a balanced schedule is the answer with reduced inter-league play and more of an intra-division emphasis down the stretch in September. The Jays get the attendance bump when the Yankees and Red Sox visit and that's hard to replace with the Royals and Twins. Besides, just win baby. The first thing you have to do in any division is reach 90 wins and from there, as September winds down, it's game on. The Jays are still working on that part and haven't been there since Joe touched them all in 1993.

Q: Hi Richard, Hope you have endured the heat well - my condolences to you Easterners! 
My question is about the catching situation. I've been impressed by how John Buck and Jose Molina have complemented one another, worked well with a young and green staff, and have even tried to mentor J.P. Arencibia. It almost seems too good to be true! I read recently about how Buck was impressed with Kyle Drabek in his minor leage re-hab, and he sounded very enthusiastic about the club's prospects. I know it has been tossed around - by you, among others - that Molina would be a good mentor next year for Arencibia. Is it realistic to think of Buck in that mix? Would he be interested in staying and playing half the games while mentoring J.P.? And then, what to do with Jose - perhaps hire him as a catching coach?
Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A: That “heat” crack would be the same sentiment I sent to you around, oh, let's say the Olympics when snow in Vancouver was a mere rumour. But I must say you guys bounced back and did a great job even minus the white stuff. That question about John Buck has often been asked, but when I say that Jose Molina is the likely one of the two to remain, there are solid reasons. First of all, Buck has worked hard to establish himself as a viable No. 1 catcher on the cusp of his free agency. His next contract will be his personal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He needs to be a starter at this stage of his career and at the same time if Arencibia is on the Jays he needs to be the starter at this stage of his career. Never the twain shall meet. You can argue that maybe J.P. needs another year of seasoning, but Buck will be getting a multi-year contract this winter and that does not mesh with the Jays and their hopes for their homegrown guy. Molina, on the other hand, is a career backup catcher, a true student of catching who has helped even the veteran Buck reach potential he only guessed he had. Molina has a club option for $1 million for 2011 and that is a perfect match for the Jays moving forward with one more developmental year on the horizon before they compete hard in 2012. Molina's not ready to be a coach when MLB minimum is over $400,000. Arencibia needs to start in 2011 and he needs a mentor and that's Molina.

Q: We all remember how Giants fans came to the defense of Barry Bonds when his PED problems were front-page news. Now that Roger Clemens is back in the spotlight for similar problems, I was wondering if there's anybody out there who's defending The Rocket. I know Red Sox fans can't stand him. I don't know anyone in this city who has fond memories of his tenure with the Jays, despite winning two Cy Youngs in his two seasons here. I'm not sure about Yankee fans, but I doubt they're too warm & fuzzy about him. That leaves Houston, where the Texan ended his career. Does he have any fan support out there?
Patrick Lannon, Toronto

A: Roger is a very hard man to feel warm and fuzzy about. That stuff that came out of Boston about his insistence that his favourite bar as a Red Sox play Elton John's “Rocket Man” whenever he entered the building is kind of creepy. Maybe he can continue with a variation on the theme and when he enters the courtroom for his various charges of interfering with Congress, etc. they could play Elton John's “Have Mercy on the Criminal” and when his wife takes the stand, he could ask for Elton John's “Don't Trust That Woman” and when Andy Pettitte testifies, Elton's “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows” and finally, as he addresses the bench and seeks forgiveness Mr. John's classic “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.” And yes, Clemens has support in Houston, where he is still a hero. But Hall-of-Fame? “I guess that's why they call it the blues.”

Q: Hi Richard, 
 
What position do you believe Dicky Thon Jr. will end up playing, if he makes the majors? 3rd? Will we see Drabek this year as a call up?
Sean Heffernan, Sunderland

A: Thon's dad was a shortstop and the family seems intent on him remaining at shortstop. He, like many others at what is becoming the Jays' deepest position, is still four years away from the Majors, so a lot can happen between now and then. It's amazing how a year ago, the underachieving Justin Jackson was the main hope for the future at shortstop and now he is far down the list behind Yunel Escobar, Hechavarria, Thon, Ryan Goins and Gustavo Pierre. Drabek needs to be added to the 40-man roster after the season, so he may be rewarded with a September stint in the majors to see what it's like, although as the son of a major-leaguer he's been around enough clubhouses.

Q: Without suggesting a smear against Jose Bautista, how do you explain career years deep into a career? Long before the steroid era, I remember one year Norm Cash hit .361, Bob Porterfield won 22 games, Bobby Avila won a batting title and never came remotely close before or after. Even Hall of Famers such as Al Kaline or Robin Yount had many good years, but only one or two great ones statistically far out of the norm for their careers.
Nick Martin, Winnipeg

A: I hate to sound like I'm watching guys coming out of the shower, but Jose Bautista is 200 lbs. of solidly bunched, sinewy muscle just like the home run hitters of the past that took good care of themselves and, like those guys, that given a solid athleticism, has found a swing and a groove that allowed him to become a sultan of swat – at least for a while. Bautista is on a pace for 51 homers, while second-place perennial slugger Albert Pujols is on pace for 42. To me those numbers are a tribute to baseball's strengthened drug policy that involves mandatory random testing a couple of times per season and a rank-and-file players backlash to lining up on the field of play with the cheaters through the years. Most players don't want to play with drug cheaters. Further, it's a stretch to say that at the age of 28, which he was last September when Bautista began this streak, and after just 1,700 major-league at-bats that it can be construed as “deep into a career.” Face it, there is always the chance that anyone is cheating, but of the 13 major-league position players suspended by baseball for PED as the result of mandatory testing since 2005, only Raffy Palmeiro and Manny Ramirez are home run hitters of note.

Griffin: The Spin reminds us we need to ask questions

Damien Cox: When it comes to Jose Bautista, how is it exactly that at the age of 29 he's suddenly become the most dangerous power hitter in baseball?

Today's The Spin entry by Damien Cox on this Star website regarding Jose Bautista got me thinking. Why is it just baseball, a sport that has mandatory PED testing at least twice a year, that falls under suspicion?

For the following unpopular question blame Don Cherry and all the nonsense he has been spewing over the last decade about no, absolutely zero, problem in the NHL with performance-enhancing drugs.

Don't blame me.

When it comes to hockey hall-of-famer, forward Dave Andreychuk how is it exactly that at the age of 30, back in 1993-94, he suddenly joined the illustrious ranks of 50-goal scorers? 

Chance? Healthy living? Diet? New contact lenses? Composite stick? 

Hey, prior to 1993-94, Andreychuk, one of the nicest guys in the game, had never potted more than 41 goals in a season, then BAM. What's up with that? The Hamilton, Ontario native (hmm!) had 25 goals the year before, then out of the blue, Bobby Hull and Boom-Boom Geoffrion-esque numbers. 

Things happen in hockey, I guess.

The next year, Andreychuk scored 22 goals, then eight the year after that. But was he done? No sirree. All of a sudden, Andreychuk seemed to find a mysterious Fountain of Youth that carried him for another 10 productive seasons until retiring at age 43. How so? Are these questions that should have been asked at the time by Hockey Hall-of-Fame voters or are they just too trusting and star-struck?

And by the way, when Andreychuk was drafted, he was listed at 6-4, 200 lbs., yet when he retired he was listed at a strapping 225, gaining 25 pounds of mysterious muscle. Hmm, again.  

Now, granted, I have never spoken to Andreychuk and may have met him only once while covering a Tampa Bay game late in his career. But that shouldn't matter. 

Hockey fans won't like it, but you've got to at least ask the question when it comes to Dave Andreychuk. As to what the question is, I'm not sure, but you can only guess.

For the fact that we do wonder, blame hockey....and Damien.

    

Griffin: The Rocket can't save Roger Clemens

When Roger Clemens first joined the New York Yankees after back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Jays, trying to follow a proven winner to his first World Series ring, he struggled to contribute, struggled to fit in with a clubhouse that was already full of star players. He was 14-10 with a 4.60 ERA in 1999. Finally after that first season, manager Joe Torre took Clemens aside and told him to just be himself. That was the problem. Clemens long before had lost the ability to be himself. He had become "The Rocket."    

When Clemens was called before a House committee of congress in 2008, he was swarmed by autograph-seeking, glad-handing politicians prior to being seated and sworn in. What was he to think? Another glorified card show, right. In addition to The Rocket, Clemens was also now becoming Captain America. He let everyone know that his goal was to represent his country at the Olympics and he had already made trips overseas to visit the troops. He was a baseball icon and a patriot. He had long before given up the role of being Roger Clemens. Even his palatial family home near Houston was named Rocketland or something silly like that.

He must have believed that there was no way that this would happen, no way he would not be believed. After all, he was being contradicted by some weaselly, back-to-the-wall, former New York City cop, turned athletic trainer, turned steroid pusher, and of course, he was The Rocket.

Well, on Thursday, Clemens was indicted for obstruction of Congress, making false statements and perjury. He has been accused of lying to Congress about using steroids. If found guilty, he will likely do some jail time. 

Why would he do it? Because his past is more important to him than his future. Because protecting his legacy as a future Hall-of-Famer was more important than playing a role in cleaning up the game and making it drug-free for the next generation of players -- which included his own sons. 

Clemens was never comfortable being Roger Clemens. Legend has it that in Boston when he entered his favourite night spot, he insisted they play Elton John's hit Rocket Man to signal his arrival. At the Jays annual golf tournament with heavy-paying sponsors in each foursome, Clemens would ask for his own golf cart and park away from the others talking on his cellphone as they waited to tee off. In the clubhouse, after a start, The Rocket would emerge from the trainer's room with carefully rehearsed answers and when questions started to strain his playbook, he would just walk away and end it.

It will be the best thing for baseball and the best thing for Clemens if he is convicted for his alleged transgressions under oath.He should do some jail time as well. It would show a younger generation of players and some of his veteran contemporaries that the Steroid Era had better be over or they too risk hard time and it may snap Clemens out of his two-decade long fantasy that he was a character, The Rocket and was above the laws of other mere mortals.

Don't cry for The Rocket, but feel sorry for Roger Clemens.   

   

Mail bag

Sad news this week with the passing of Bobby Thomson. The Giants' third baseman hit the most famous home run in baseball history, The Shot Heard Round the World, on October 3, 1951 at the Polo Grounds to win the pennant over the Dodgers in an era when television was just coming of age. Many fans of the current generation can recall in their mind's eye the TV images of Joe Carter's home run to win the '93 World Series for the Jays or the '88 pinch-hit blast by a gimpy Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers to win Game 1 vs. the A's, or even the Carlton Fisk extra-inning blast into the netting of the left field foul pole above the Green Monster at Fenway in 1975 to force a Game 7 against the Reds. Somehow the Bill Mazeroski Game 7 game-winner for the Pirates vs. the Yankees loses some of its deserved lustre because it came in a tie game for the home team and a team everybody hated in the Yankees.

But in terms of pure lingering, life-altering emotion, nothing will ever, ever resonate to an entire generation of fans like the Russ Hodges radio call of "Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe\the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" that rattles around in their brains and causes nightmares to this day with Dodgers fans of that generation, many of whom still work for the Elias Sports Bureau, baseball's statistical historians in New York. A few years later their team left for L.A.

As I grow older, I realize and appreciate how lucky I was to be able to sit down as a young man and talk with many of the players and executives of this golden age of baseball from 1947-64 – that began post-war with the integration of the game and the advent of Jackie Robinson to '65 which began a decade of Yankees sucking, with guys like Jake Gibbs, Horace Clark, Roy White, Mel Stottlemyre, Stan Bahnsen and Dooley Womack as marquee names. Where had you gone Joe DiMaggio?

As a young employee of the Expos in the '70s and '80s I fondly recall conversations with the wonderful Whitey Lockman, who passed away on St. Patrick's Day 2009. Lockman had doubled ahead of Thomson's homer that fateful October day and in quiet moments over a berer, he spoke with reverence and wonder, his eyes aglow with the memory of the effect it had on all their lives. By the way, a young rookie named Willie Mays was left in the on-deck circle for the Giants when Thomson delivered.

I recall conversations on spring training bus rides and at winter meetings with the bombastic Charlie Fox, a front office member and scout for that '51 Giants team, who always claimed it was upon his advice that the Giants had brought Mays to the major leagues in May of 1951 after a pro scouting trip he took to see the AAA Minneapolis Millers. Hey, I believe I discovered the Beatles for America when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. “These guys might make it big,” I told friends. Of course Charlie also claimed that he won World War II by himself, storming the beaches of western Italy at Naples as a Navy Seal. Fox, as GM of the Expos in 1978, was down in the Olympic Stadium clubhouse before a game berating shortstop Chris Speier for something or other like lackadaisical play or poor hitting or a combination of such. Pitcher Steve Rogers stepped in and asked Fox to leave and Charlie cold-cocked his ace with a righthand cross. “Down goes Rogers!” The call came upstairs for damage control but Charlie wanted no part of it. Cy deserved it, was his view on why he hit Rogers. That day, July 20, 1978, Speier hit for the cycle. In hindsight, former Jays' skipper Jim Fregosi, currently a Braves senior advisor, has a lot of Charlie Fox in him. But, hey, the game has changed and you don't see a lot of GM's like that anymore. All of those personal memories prompted by the death of Bobby Thomson. History and tradition. That's what makes baseball great.

On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard, longtime reader first time writer. I have two questions.

1) What is your opinion of Alex Anthopolous' aggressive draft and IFA (international free agent strategy). As a die-hard Jays fan frankly I'm quite excited about the amount of money we're spending acquiring talent through these channels even if it will take a while to show results at the big-league level. It's great to see that while we have a relatively low payroll, we are re-investing that money in acquiring lots of young talent, instead of just sitting on it.

2) In regards to international free agency, while the Jays have already signed Adonis Cardona and Gabriel Cenas from Venezuela, and Adeiny Hechavarria from Cuba, I have also heard them linked to, among others, Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia, Venezuelan shortstop Rougned Odor, and Dominican outfielder Eskarlin Vasquez. How accurate are these reports and how long before we find out whether we got any of these players or not? Also are there any other names you've heard us linked to.

Thanks Richard.

Mike Green, Toronto

A: Anthopoulos is a forward thinker when it comes to linking international free-agent scouting and the June draft. For instance, the 21-year-old shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria's signing bonus at $10 million was almost the same as the Nats paid catcher Bryce Harper on Monday night. That tells you that Anthopoulos and his advisers considered the young Cuban's talent as high first-round. The difference is that there were 30 clubs available to sign the Cuban free agent refugee, while Harper's future was locked in with the Nationals, or go back to school. At some point, most GMs believe that there will be an international aspect to the June draft (as early as the next Basic Agreement after the 2012 season) and that will help control the spending sprees for unproven Latin-American teenagers. But in the meantime, the Jays, among others, are trying to link the two talent pools with the same value-ratings.

As for the amounts of money being spent, consider that at the same time the Jays spent $4.9 million in signing bonuses in the final hour before Monday's deadline -- on lefty Griffin Murphy ($800,000), righthander Sam Dyson ($600,000), shortstop Dickie Thon ($1.5 million) and righthander Deck McGuire ($2 million) – they are also paying $10 million for B.J. Ryan not to pitch for them in 2010.

There has been a snowball effect arising from the impact of being in the final four on Aroldis Chapman, signing Hechavarria and snapping up the two highly-regarded Venezuelan teenagers as soon as the hunting season opened for 16-year-olds in early July.

Jays' director of Latin-American scouting, Marco Paddy is becoming a rock star in the Caribbean among baseball-playing teenagers and their families. It is a return to Epy Guerrero type days with the difference being that Paddy places his organization ahead of his personal interests. It has reached the point where the Jays in the Latin-American free-agent market are considered true “players” mentioned in every free-agent discussion instead of being window shoppers as in the past. It's a psychological advantage and a welcome step for a clubhouse that has already become noticeably more diverse.

Q: Hi Richard,

How much influence over the pitch-by-pitch course of a game does a team's manager exert in terms of delegation to his players? For example, when a better steps into the box, does he always have his assignment, or does the manager let the player get a read for the situation or the count and then use his own judgment about what he should do? As for the pitcher, does the manager let the catcher call the game, subject to the pre-game meeting about how to pitch to a certain hitter, or does the manager usually call in specific pitches? Lastly, given the range of control managers exert, where does Cito fall, and is that better or worse for a developing team?

Ryan Kirshenblatt, Toronto

A: Every batter steps into the box with a plan. The first strike has to be in a location that he can drive, otherwise he takes it. If he gets into a hitter's count like 2-0 or 3-1, he locks in on a certain pitch, certain location and if he gets it he drives it hard somewhere, if not, he takes it. When he gets to two strikes, he expands his zone slightly so as not to get punched out on a borderline pitch and maybe shortens up his swing a little bit. The third base coach lets him know bunt, hit-and-run or if the runner is stealing. The hitters on his own knows situations, moving runners, runner on third less than two out and what he has to accomplish. That's why they take up to 150 swings every day before games.

The pitcher is another story. All of the preparation for facing an opposing major-league lineup is done before the game. At the start of a three-game series all the pitchers disappear into a room with the pitching coach and catchers and they go over all the hitters on the other team in general terms. Then, each starting pitcher in the hour before batting practice sits down with the catcher and the pitching coach and they go over recent scouting reports in detail. The pitchers watches video of the opponent in a back room. When they hit the field they are prepared. Cito Gaston does not like to deal with pitching. He does not like the breed as a whole because they spent a lifetime trying to take bread off his table. But Bruce Walton and before him Brad Arnsberg are very thorough. When a catcher looks over to the dugout it's not for what pitch to call, it's for the running game – pitchout, throw over, etc. Cito has no influence wither positive or negative on a young staff, except in those moments like early in the season with Ricky Romero where he walks to the mound late in a game, then turns and leaves him in or with Brandon Morrow when he gave up his first pitch after 134 pitches, then Cito visits and lets him finish. The rest of the influence on young pitchers is pitching coach and veteran catchers.

Q: Hi Richard,

Two players I have been tracking, statistically speaking, this season at Double A New Hampshire who have seemingly put up good numbers are outfielders Eric Thames and Darin Mastroianni.

Could you please tell me general opinions you have heard about these two prospects and if the Jays realistically have high hopes for both or either?

Thanks

Mike Davies, Cambridge

A: Thames and Mastroianni are nice minor-league players with a chance for a cup of coffee at the major-league level. My personal, unscientific opinion is that gone are the baseball days when a minor-league guy will suddenly leap out of nowhere into the picture as a major-leaguer as outfielder Jay Gibbons did with the O's after the Jays had given him up as a Rule 5 selection. Natural ability now rules above chemistry in the minors (hopefully). Thames and Mastroianni are what they are and as such must be ranked behind the guys at the major-league level, Travis Snider, Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista, Fred Lewis and Adam Lind as well as minor-leaguers Anthony Gose, Jake Marisnick and maybe even Adam Loewen. Bench players for a while? Maybe.

Q: Hi Richard,

I look forward to reading your mailbag every week. Just a quick question about the AL MVP. Do you think Jose Bautista has a legitimate chance to win the award considering his BA is right around the .260 mark? Also, does the fact that he plays in Toronto figure into his chances?

Thanks.

David Wallis, Newmarket

A: Hopefully Bautista will get significant support, but rather than attributing it to the fact that he plays in Toronto, it's more the fact that the Jays will not be in the post-season. Each AL city has two voting writers ranking their Top 10 MVP candidates. Geography would seem to have little to do with it. I think a guy like Evan Longoria with the Rays or Robinson Cano with the Yankees or Vlad Guerrero or Josh Hamilton with the Rangers have better chances.

Q: Brad Mills seems to fade after four innings. Is this because his overarm style just makes him this way and he is better off as a middle reliever, or does he just need more time to adjust to the big leagues? Do you see him as a middle reliever next year to replace Tallet? And while we are on this, why does a starting pitcher not get a win if he doesn't make five innings and his team keeps the lead and wins? It seemed silly to give Tallet the win that game where they took Mills out before he finished all five, and yet Tallet could get the win by only pitching one or two innings.

Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A: The perception Mills is fading is more about rising pitch count and the stress of throwing at the major-league level. Mills tops out at 85-86 on his fastball and has to be more of a nibbler, more precise, more cerebral. Against patient, grinding teams like the Red Sox his count will be 80-100 pitches for the fifth inning. Against aggressive teams like the Rays he may get through seven on the same count. It's a whole new world in the majors rather than Triple-A where you can take a few batters off mentally in every lineup. I think the middle relief role may be a good one for him once the avalanche of young starting talent comes storming down the minor-league hill in a year or two.

As for the starting pitcher going five to earn a win, you should be asked to go more than half the game to get a win as a starter. I could see a manager allowing a starter who needs three more wins for 20 down the stretch allowing his man to pitch until he has the lead, take him out with the win and then do it again two days later, etc. It's a rule, just like if a reliever goes three innings and finishes the game in a win he gets a save. But if two relievers go three and end it the team does not earn a team save.

Q: I was reading that Cito was saying the other day that Batting Practice is useless because the coaches throw it and the pitches are about 50-60 mph. Why don't the Blue Jays or other teams just hire semi-pro or washed up minor leaguers to come in and throw real batting practice with pitches around 80-90 mph?

Jason Sinnarajah, Tokyo, Japan

A: Saying b.p. is 50-60 miles-per-hour is being generous. But the fact is most veteran players use batting practice to just loosed up their hitting muscles and get the swing mechanics in order. Cito's nuts. He wants to hire some righties and lefties that throw in the '80s to work b.p. for next season when he's an advisor, but I guarantee that if those guys were out there, then many veterans would stay in the cages and the clubhouse. Batting practice is a social even as much as anything. It's like PGA touring pros skipping the driving range because the fairway is too wide.

Q: I was totally surprised and shocked when I found out that the baseball game on Saturday will only be on RSO One. I use Bell expressview, with full sport coverage (except that I find out that is not the case). How can the CRTC tolerate this attitude - don't care about the consumer? Also will the problem be resolved soon?

Bob Schenk, Lindsay

A: Recall when TSN-2 arrived the brouhaha with hockey games that could not be seen by anyone on Rogers because of the Rogers-TSN competition and Rogers Cable not carrying it. Things will work themselves out as they always do when all the corporate money issues are worked out. Screw the consumer! Sportsnet-1 should have offered free service for two months for viewers to get used to it then sell it after that. But of course that would be neglecting the Cable war rallying cry: Screw the consumer! The CRTC hotshots are obviously not sports fans.

Q: Hello Mr. Griffin. I'm a big fan of your blog, it helps keep overseas fans like me up to date with all Blue Jays matters. My question is about Aaron Hill's contract. What's the likelihood of the Jays picking up all 3 of his options, covering 2012-14, this coming winter? It seems prudent to me to let the 2014 option slide. Further, if Hill doesn't bounce back and is batting around .220 this time next year, will his 2012 option even be picked up? It seems odd to say that, but he's fallen so far this season from his great 2009.

Edward Peebles, Cardiff, Wales

A: Since the Hill contract was a brainchild of Anthopoulos as assistant GM, I think they will think long and hard about all their options. The logical thing for them to do would be to wait until after the 2011 season and then pick up the 2012-13 options leaving the $10 million for that final year of 2014 off the list. Then if Hill continues to progress they can always negotiate with him again for one more long-term deal beginning with 2014 and through whenever. Loyalty should be a two-way street but in sports is usual a cul-de-sac. The fact is if he is playing well for the next three years, $10 million will be a reasonable kickoff point for a future long-term deal, but if they pick up all three options 2012-13-14 and he has another year like 2010, they would be second-guessing themselves for the obligation of $10 million in 2014.

Q: Richard,

Maybe its the lack of Blue Jays playoff baseball that makes me want to see some old video of the 80's and 90's, but I can never find any source for this footage. I have read about MLB's draconian policy of protecting its property on YouTube and the like. But what puzzles me is why don't they provide some footage on their own website? It seems a league with such history would want to encourage its fans to watch old footage the way the NHL and NBA allows.

Brad MacMullin, Boston

A: Hey, this attitude of MLB charging outrageous sums to anyone that wants to use great baseball video for clearly promotional purposes for the game and its fans comes from the same brilliant marketers that many years ago when I was in P.R. wanted to charge people to run baseball statistics in the paper. Huh!? Baseball is a game by and for the people. Hoarding old Jays' video from the glory years unless you are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money is silly. But I guess that's why they're all driving Mercedes, Lexus and BMWs and I'm driving an Intrepid.

Q: Hi Richard,

I really need to voice my thoughts about the new Rogers channel. I was an avid Jays' fan in the '90s until the '94 strike. Then I lost interest until about 2003. I started watching them again on TV and now I'm back in their lineup of fans. Unlike in the '90s when we would only watch the games via TV, we now hit the 401 once each season and catch the Jays at the Rogers Centre. I was at that 17-11 game a few weeks ago - what a pick of games to go to eh? So now I'm back to being an avid Jays fan - but what the hell are they doing to me? I can now only catch half of their games because of this "great new station" that we don't get here in Sarnia. Wow, what a great thank you to their fans. What is Rogers' Einstein plan now now? Are they thinking that we will all subscribe to their new station to watch the games? I would love them to know that when I couldn't catch their games in '94, I came up with other things to do. Who knows though, if Rogers is as inconsistent and indecisive with their televising as they are with their sales approaches for renting movies at their stores, their broadcasting will change again in a few weeks. If they stay the way they are though, they will, at least partly, lose me again. So Richard, what do you think of this crappy broadcasting move? Is anyone else feel like Rogers is playing an unappreciative, self-centred prick job on us? (Wow, do you want any help writing? Lol)

Sue Roberts, Sarnia.

A: Well said.

Mail bag

The hot, sweltering, annoying, nerve-fraying Dog Days of August have officially arrived to the major leagues as exemplified on Tuesday in Cincinnati with a bench-clearing brawl precipitated when Reds' leadoff man Brandon Phillips innocently tapped Cards' catcher Yadier Molina softly on the shin-pads as he stepped into the box. Yadier, clearly the most feisty of the catching Molina brothers, basically told Phillips to do something impossible to himself and it was game on. The Reds and Cardinals are the two dominant teams in a weak NL Central that despite being 44 games under .500 as a group, may end up with a division champ and the wild-card. But that was incidental to the brawl. There's something about Cards' manager Tony LaRussa that irritates his opponents. Former Cardinal and current Red, Scott Rolen can't stand the man and feels pretty much the same about his former mate Albert Pujols. Dusty Baker is not the biggest fan of LaRussa either. That race and those games bear watching the rest of the way. And how about August's effect on sure-fire (??) Hall-of-Famer Stephen Strasburg? The Nats' team-proclaimed saviour came off the DL on Tuesday and made his worst start of the year, allowing six runs in 4-1/3 innings. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? But while all this is going on, the Jays in the course of one weekend in August had fans standing and cheering with back-to-back, franchise-energizing performances. First it was rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia making his debut on Saturday with two homers and four hits. Then on Sunday it was Brandon Morrow within one out of a no-hitter, ending with a one-hit, 17 strikeout gem. The Jays don't care if it's August and they're supposed to be tired. They just seem to be having fun. Looking around baseball, they are currently the greatest show on turf. Doesn't mean they're going anywhere in the standings, but certainly worth the price of admission while ploughing through the toughest 28 days of their schedule.

Q: Hi, Richard. Thanks for reading my question. I'm contemplating Morrow's one-hit shutout on Sunday, and I have a couple of questions. Right now (Monday morning) the Jays are eight games back of the AL Wildcard. Considering the Rays seem to be stumbling at the moment, and the Red Sox still have injury problems, at what point would you declare the Jays to be in a pennant race? Secondly, you have stated in the past that you believe early success for J.P. Ricciardi derailed his long-term building plans for the team. What affect do you think the Jays success this year (assuming they can keep it up) might affect Alex Anthopoulos as he goes forward this off-season?

Thanks

Chris Penney, Ottawa

A: Let's just look at the numbers. In their last 50 games, the Jays would need to play 35-15 (.700) ball to finish with 94 victories, the minimum of what it might take to capture the wild-card. To arrive at that same win total, the Rays need to go 25-24, the Red Sox 29-19 and the White Sox 31-18. The Jays have done astoundingly well in this, the toughest 28 games of their schedule, the month of August. The major-league season is 162 games of ebb and flow and right now they are making inroads against the Rays and Red Sox, but their time will come where the Jays stumble a little and they can't afford even one stumble to win the wild-card. Great season, highly entertaining but a win total in the 80's would be amazing enough.

The second part of the question is a solid one. Judging from the way Anthopoulos has reacted to the Jays' unexpected win total this season, I think it unlikely that the Sirens of early success will lure him onto the rocks of 2011 destruction. Unlike Ricciardi, A.A.'s game plan for building a contender is not linked to the length of his own contract. And unlike Ricciardi's hero-worshipping boss, Paul Godfrey, the current president has two World Series rings and a solid belief in scouting and player development being the keys. I would even see it as likely that the Jays are willing to take a step back record-wise in 2011 in order to give the stage over to some of the young position players of the future.

Q: Hi Richard,

I love your Q&A blog. After J.P. Arencibia's first game, I heard a couple of national sportcasts say that he almost hit for the cycle in his debut. Considering that his last hit was a homerun instead of a triple, shouldn't baseball recognize these feats as a cycle? After all, 2 hrs, a single and a double is a better day at the plate compared to a cycle. Thx,

Marc Elliott, Halifax

A: It is indeed a great debut for the young Jays' catcher and a stats line that is better than the cycle. I think the cycle is recognized more as an oddity than as an accomplishment. As such, it will always be single, double, triple, homer and let's play ball tomorrow. There have been plenty of four hit games over the years that add up to more than the 10 total bases that a cycle offers. Besides, the triple is probably the toughest part of the cycle to record and that's the one that Arencibia was missing. The over-emphasis on the cycle can be embarrassing too, as with Jeff Frye in August 2001 stopping at first base instead of going to second on what was clearly a double in order that he become the second Jay in history with the cycle. That's not respecting the game.

Q: Hey Richard,

I have a question for you in regards to Adeiny Hechavarria's contract. He signed for 4 years at $10 mil. Do those 4 years start counting instantly, or is that 4 years once he hits the majors? Do you have a feeling as to when he will hit the big club? Also, who do you project the Jays bringing up in September for call-ups? Thanks as always, love the mailbag!

Nigel Baker, Toronto

A: The Hechavarria contract began right away and not when he hits the majors. If he gets to the majors and arrives at an arbitration-eligible position during the four years, he has the option of going to arbitration or else keeping the terms of the original deal. Hechavarria responded well to a promotion to Manchester, New Hampshire where he is teamed up with a Latin manager in Luis Rivera. He is betting .296 with a .743 OPS. The 21-year-old is developing quickly, but still needs another minor-league season before reaching the majors. I would say some time late in 2011 Jays' fans might expect to see him in the majors. At which position is another question.

As far as September call-ups, they will likely go to a rotation of at least six pitchers including Marc Rzepczynski and may give a chance to Kyle Drabek since he has to be added to the 40-man roster anyway. But since he will likely have reached his preferred inning total, he may just be brought in to absorb the major-league atmosphere for a month. Maybe Adam Loewen as a reward for hard work, Mike McCoy and Josh Roenicke. John Buck will be active by then giving them three catchers.

Q: Hi Richard,

Love your mailbag. It's the hi-lite of my lunch hour on Wednesdays. My questions is about Jose Bautista. Everyone says he's a one season wonder and pitchers will adjust to him. However, as I write this, from September of last year (when he hit 10 homers for the month) through Aug. 3 he has hit 43 homers in less than a full major league season. If he hits 7 more in August he'll have hit 50 homers for a full major league season. Seriously, all Brady Anderson comparisons aside, how long does it really take for pitchers to notice a hitter and adjust. They must have noticed by now? Can Jose be one of those rare guys who blossoms late and becomes a consistent 30 homer guy for the next 4-5 years?

Howard Adler, Toronto

A: Bautista has survived at least two layers of adjustments and has made his own adjustments back. In late June they began to feed Jose a steady diet of breaking stuff in fastball counts. By July he was back again with his home run stroke. He insists the change is all about getting prepared earlier, the over-riding emphasis of Cito Gaston's and Dwayne Murphy's hitting lessons. By getting the foot down before the pitcher gets his foot down, it allows a hitter to get the bat out in front of the plate with the maximum power stroke at point of contact. I believe the Jays need to hang onto him at least through next season in order to determine if he can be a consistent 30-homer guy for the next 4-5 years. I don't think even Jose himself knows the answer to that one yet.

Q: Hi Richard,

Thanks as always for the mailbag. On the PTS with Bob recently you mentioned the Jays would maybe be looking for a 3 team trade if they were going to get rid of anyone between now and September. I'm just wondering how 3-team trades are constructed? Do teams generally know what other teams are looking for and go from there, or would Team A see that the Jays need a 1st baseman, find a player team B wants from the Jays, and then go like that?

Thanks,

Thomas Turniawan, Antigonish, N.S.

A: Anthopoulos is an information hoarder. He knows what every team in baseball is looking for and he knows what he is looking for. Not every GM has that passion for being on top of every other team's business. A.A. Likes to use his imagination and act as a broker for other teams as long as he can get something he needs out of it. I think it is more difficult at the trade deadline in July than it is in the off-season where there is more time for other GMs to consider what Anthopoulos is selling. Be assured that for every major trade made, Anthopoulos had a way in his own mind that he could have been involved. The art of the three-way is impossible in August because of the “trade waiver” rules of awarding contracts in reverse order of standings meaning that it is virtually always a one-on-one negotiation. I think I said on PTS that he like the three-way but would not be able to do it in August.

Q: Richard:

What ever happened to Jesse Carlson?

Thanks.

Barry Hope, Timmins

A: The wispy 29-year-old lefthander went from consecutive seasons of 69 and 73 games in the majors for the Jays to being cut from the roster at spring training in what many considered a shocking move. The 6-1, 160 lb. lefty specialist is 3-1, with four saves and a 4.32 ERA in 44 games at AAA-Las Vegas. He has a bloated 1.34 WHIP with 56 hits and 11 walks in 50 innings. In his great rookie season he allowed 65 baserunners in 60 innings. The next year he allowed 91 runners in 67.2 innings. It is unlikely that he will be recalled in September.

Q: Hi Richard,

I'm still trying to understand the trail of events that led to the trade of Brett Wallace for Anthony Gose. The theory on letting Wallace go is that Adam Lind is too young to be a full-time DH and should be able to become a decent first basemen. But it's the timing of that theory that I don't follow. It seems like it has just been over the past two months, for the first time, that the Jays have been seriously trying to get Lind ready for the position. But the Jays used Lind at DH for almost all of last year (and a large part of 2008), while knowing that Overbay's days with the Jays were coming to an end. So why not have started getting Lind ready at first base at least last year? If that had happened, then in the Roy Halladay deal, the Jays would have not been so anxious to get Wallace and instead could have kept Michael Taylor, who was flipped in order to get Wallace. As between Taylor and Gose, who do you see as having more upside? The prospect rankings seem to be very keen on Taylor, but in fairness he is almost 5 years older than Gose. It seems like Taylor could have been a solution in right field in the near term, whereas Gose is years away.

Thanks very much,

Patrick Bedard, Ottawa

A: One thing that I have admired about GM Alex Anthopoulos is that he is not embarrassed to change his mind and is willing to admit he has a better idea now than he had back then, no mater if it's a player that he himself acquired and now wants to replace with what he feels is an upgrade. I believe that the acquisition of the 19-year-old Gose is looking ahead to the moment when Vernon Wells is replaced in centre field. Gose as a potential major-league centre fielder and leadoff man is light years ahead of anyone in the system. Wallace was not light years ahead of anyone in the system and with the depth and the traffic jam the Jays had when Snider returned from the DL, it seemed easier to replace Overbay in the long term than it did to replace Wells in the long term. Gose runs like a deer and threw 97 m.p.h. as a pitcher in high school. Michael Taylor, while a good outfield prospect, was not the Jays' answer in centre field even if they had hung onto him. In fact, both deals involving Brett Wallace, coming and going, are examples of A.A.'s propensity for the three-way. While not exactly classic 3-ways, he took a player from the Roy Halladay trade and immediately turned him around to a third team and when the Phils trade Gose, a player he had long coveted, he then chased down Astros' GM Ed Wade with a piece in Wallace that he could use after trading Lance Berkman to the Yankees. Gose might need two full seasons before he's ready on Opening Day 2013. He'll be 22.

Q: Why should I spend $100+ to take my family to the ballpark to see a bunch of journeyman like Dewayne Wise and Jose Molina. It might be worthwhile to spend that to see the future of this team develop. But Travis Snider and Arencibia ride the bench. What is Cito thinking?

Larry Sommers, Toronto

A: Maybe you would go because you like baseball. I'm tired of hearing the money excuse for not attending games. Choosing Wise and Molina to not go to Jays games is like taking Francisco Cervelli and Marcus Thames and saying I'm not going to Yankee games because those guys are on the roster. Arencibia is up because of an injury to John Buck. Snider will play as much as anyone else in that awkward rotation. Snider and Arencibia will be starters in 2011.

Q: Hi Richard:

I think the Jays were lucky that no team picked up Edwin Encarnacion when he was sent down to the farm earlier this year. I think he has a good chance to be a very good player. He has only played in 65 out of 110 games and has 12 home runs. This would mean in a full season he would hit 25 to 30 homers. I know he makes errors on some routine plays, but he also has made a lot of very good plays on difficult chances. What are your thoughts on Encarnacion? Also what do you think about Johnny Damon as a future Hall of Fame member? I think he definitely should get in not only because of stats, but he always seems to be thorn in the opposition's side whether it is with his speed or a key hit (in other words he is a pesk). True he is not the greatest fielder in the world, but most Hall of Famers are judged mainly on their offense anyway.

Marv Rose, Toronto

A: I have been surprised by Encarnacion's performance, especially defensively, since his return. But he is erratic both offensively and defensively and if A.A. Had a chance to trade him then I think he should. He is a major-league player, but his best fit is not with the Jays in 2011.

As for Johnny Damon, I do not believe he will ever get serious Hall-of-Fame support unless he reaches 3,000 hits and even then, it will be iffy. His defence is not good. His 214 homers and 381 steals are both lacklustre in terms of Cooperstown.

Q: Hi Richard,

Two questions. I wondered if you know what happened to Brian Dopirak? Two years ago, he was tearing the Pacific league. I understand at one point, the Jays have let him go. Now when I look at his stats, he is not doing well at all. Is he in Jay's plan at all? My second question is Shawn Bowman, the third baseman Jays have in the minors. His stats look good. He hits for average and hits well with men in scoring position. Where is he in Jays depth chart

Francis Hardy, Whitby

A: Dopirak currently sits on the Las Vegas disabled list, having not played since July 15. The first-baseman is hitting .274 with 11 homers, 53 RBIs and a .763 OPS. The 26-year-old Dunedin native still must be considered a prospect, but not as much with the Jays as somewhere else next year.

As for Shawn Bowman, that was a nice pickup for the Jays this season. The 25-year-old New Westminster native, with 20 homers and 66 RBIs, has solidified third base at New Hampshire, a position at which the organization is not deep at the top levels. However, in terms of the Jays' depth chart, he would be behind Brad Emaus at Las Vegas. The Jays are still hoping that Kevin Ahrens, a first-round choice in 2007, develops into a major-leaguer. It's been a slow process.

Mail bag

Sorry about the one-day delay in the mailbag, but I over-celebrated Simcoe Day and seem to have misplaced 24 hours of my life. In any case, the A-Rod wait for 600 is over and Shaun Marcum has become a part of history. It was three years to the day between Nos. 500-600 so what are the odds that he breaks the Bonds record of 700-and-whatever bombs. He has seven years left on his contract and if $30 million per year isn't enough to keep you motivated and playing, then what is? Say it takes four years to the day to hit the next 100 homers to put him at 700. That would leave him 3-1/2 years to hit 63. The guy swears he's clean now, so age may catch up with him faster than it did the Dorian Gray-like Bonds, but still, this guy has been healthy his whole career and keeps himself in great shape – according to former wife Cynthia, Madonna, Kate Hudson, some clingy Miami socialite, a busty stripper in Toronto and Cameron Diaz. That's an interesting and diverse group to have on your resume. It says here he'll do it in September of 2016.

Q-Richard,
I'm hoping your insights can shed some light on the Brett Wallace / Anthony Gose trade. On the surface, trading a former 1st round draft pick that is tearing up AAA (.300 BA, 18 HR) for a former 2nd rounder at the A level is odd. Wallace is rated by Baseball America at a similar level to Kyle Drabek. Is Gose that good? Or have the Blue Jays become concerned with Wallace's ability (and if so, what does that say about the Jay's scouting department)? Does this make Lind our 1st baseman of the future, or is this deal part of other moves that are coming?
Frank S., Toronto

A-The major-league draft has always been a crapshoot, although less so in the past 15 years with the extended scouting from all sources and the ability to compare and quantify statistics one with the other from various high school areas and college conferences. It has become somewhat more of a science, but nevertheless I think the question of the Jays trading a first-round pick, Wallace, for a second-round pick, Gose, is far from being the issue. The Jays moving forward realized that they wanted a batting order by the time they contend that had speed at the top of the order and was more classic with a balance of speed, power and defence than the organization's depth had become under J.P. Ricciardi. Guys like Gose and Jake Marisnick are the types of outfielder the Jays would like to combine with a guy like Travis Snider. In that case, where is the fit for Adam Lind? The answer is that if he can't play the outfield for the Jays of 2012 and you really don't want to have him DH at such a young age, then first base may be where he projects. We will find out if he can handle it between now and season's end.

Q-Hi Richard,
Your inbox must be filled with outraged fans and you (in lieu of AA) must be feeling the public backlash over the departure of Brett Wallace. My question: why is everyone so upset? Yes, Wallace was expected to do big things. I never expected great things though. Honestly, I was a little upset when the Jays flipped Michael Taylor for Wallace in the first place. I felt as if it was a slight downgrade due to losing a premium position for a common one (OF for 1b). Also, I feel as if while power can not be taught, driving in runs (almost as good) can be taught...whereas speed can not be taught outright (which Taylor possesses). Almost anyone can be moved to first: Lind is playing around with it, Arencibia is a possibility if we find he can't catch forever...bottom line is, 1B is versatile while the OF cannot be played by just anyone. Do you think the media hype played an integral part into why all the Jays fans are collectively having ulcers on this day? Besides, AA is too forward-thinking to not have more maneuvering in the works. Does this deal mean Lind gets moved to 1B permanently?
Jon Kwok, Kitchener

A-The key looking to the future is to be able to compare the eventual ceilings of Michael Taylor and Anthony Gose. Another factor is that Gose is 19 and Taylor is 24. I too was skeptical when they flipped Taylor for Wallace on Halladay trade day. I think the Wallace fixation by the Jays was because on Brett's original draft day in June 2008 when he was selected by the Cards, the Jays sat four picks later and really wanted Wallace. Instead they settled for David Cooper, another first baseman with slightly less of everything than Wallace presented. It's like a childhood crush, then after years when you finally get that dream date, it turns out she laughs like a hyena and has table manners like a hungry bulldog. Not quite what you were expecting. As I mentioned in the previous question, Lind's bat is too good to leave out of any future mix and his outfield play frankly stinks. You hate to see guys in their mid-20s stuck at DH. Lind did play first base regularly at South Alabama. It's his and the Jays' best option.

Q-Richard, Enjoy the mailbag, never miss as I look forward to your insights. The more I am seeing from AA, I am really becoming comfortable that the right guy is at the helm. As much as I was looking forward to see who may return for the future in trade deadline deals, I like his explanations as to why the trades didn't happen. The fact that so many of the Jays free agents are in a position to return additional picks if signed elsewhere - and AA using that as an option to avoid trading for the sake of trading impressed me. My question - I see lots of depth for a pitching staff that could lose some free agents in the minors (Accardo, the 2 pitchers from Rolen deal, Drabek etc.) Do you see some of the free agents still being attractive to the Jays at the right price or had that depth been a factor in AA valuing the picks more?
Keith Kerfoot, Aberfoyle

A-Perhaps the best thing about Anthopoulos as Jays GM is that he's not a young American looking to use the Jays' as a stepping stone to his real dream job somewhere in the U.S. of A. This is where A.A. wants to be and the fact that he worked for both the Expos and the Jays means that he is aware of all the lows and the highs involved with playing major-league ball in Canada. As far as the trade deadline is concerned, I believe that A.A. truly wanted to trade Downs and get back something spectacular. I also believe that other GMs look at his 10-month track record and are a little wary of making a deal with him at this point. I believe that three-way deals are more easily accomplished in the off-season and that his bulldog approach to staying on top of everyone else's business and trying to jump in as a third team all the time is head-spinning for many GMs. I believe that next July he will be more effective and be able to complete a deal or two that aren't max return like he insisted on this year, but good enough to improve the organization, which is what he tries to do with every trade. As far as the question of getting draft picks back for his own free agents when they leave, not so fast. For instance, if Jason Frasor ends up being a Type A free agent – of which he is the final one at this point among relievers – is there a major-league team that would be willing to give up its first round June pick to sign Frasor as a free agent or will they let him sit jobless. The best option for Frasor if he is offered arbitration by the Jays might be to accept it and be satisfied with a one-year deal and then when he's not an A go free agent and have a better chance at a better deal with more teams interested.

Q-My question is regarding stats when a player is traded. When Yunel Esobar came to the Jays, during his first at-bat, his average was reset to zero. Why do his stats not follow him to his new team? If he is having a great year or a bad year, no one on watching the new team can see it anymore. Also, does this mean that if Jose Bautista had been traded, his home run total would no longer be counted towards the league lead?
Brendyn Zachary, Toronto

A-It's simple – but dumb. When a player is traded from the AL to NL or the other way around, his statistics start at zero for that league. If the trade is within a league, then his numbers carry over. This is almost an outdated tradition with the advent of inter-league baseball and the blurring of lines between leagues. If Bautista had been traded to the NL he would still have been the AL leader in homers until someone passed him but would have been 28 homers behind Votto and Pujols for the NL lead.

Q-Hi Richard,
I cannot help but be struck by the sudden change that's been affected by the Escobar pickup. Watching the O's and Jays it's clear that Freddy Lewis and Yunel Escobar immediately got into a veteran like Kevin Millwood's head with long leads, fake steals and fake bunt...My question: How much difference has it made having the double threat of speed and cleverness on the basepaths at the top of the order for the free swinging sluggers down the lineup, and when was the last time you can remember the Jays having weapons like this to start a game? Thanks for the answer and the constant insight into the Jays and MLB in general. If you're ever up my way swing into Chainsaw on King for a barley soda and the best Cheese-steak in town on the house.
Paul Boudreau, Waterloo

A-It may be a poor man's version of Devon White and Roberto Alomar (1991-94) but in 1999 at the top of the order, the Jays featured Shannon Stewart and Homer Bush. The second baseman hit .320 with 32 steals in 128 games while the once-dynamic Stewart batted .304 with 37 steals in 145 games. They were both disruptive forces at the top of the lineup before falling off a cliff of talent. That season Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado combined for 257 RBIs with the two disruptors on base. I was in Waterloo earlier in the summer for a MLB junior baseball camp. Sounds like Chainsaw on King might be worth the trip back.

Q-Hi Rich,
With Escobar excelling in his move to Toronto and Adeiny Hechavarria starting to show why he was such a coveted prospects, do you think the Jays' future for the infield would be to move Hill to 3b (given the lack of 3b prospects in the system) and have an All-Cuban middle infield? And if so, who would you put at SS? Escobar and his flashy glove or Hechavarria who is supposedly very talented defensively as well?
Drew M., Willowdale

A-It's a nice problem to suddenly have for an organization that for a decade could not develop a decent shortstop in the system. The failures were personified with the drafting of Russ Adams in 2002 then Hill who was eventually moved to second base but not after a fairly comfortable stint at third in his rookie campaign. Before them was Chris Woodward. The 21-year-old Justin Jackson, although still fairly young, has been a disappointment because of his nerf-like bat and has not been able to move up in the system. Now they have a decision at shortstop and they must be smiling. As for Hill's move to third base, he said he would do it because he has been down on himself for his lack of production and long-term contract and wants to help the team. I think it would be a beautiful and imaginative DP combination with Escobar at short and Hechavarria at second base. However, there is also the option of moving Escobar to third base and leaving Hill at second. Nice problem for the Jays to have.

Q-Hi Richard, I'm enjoying this season a lot more than I expected, given that the BJs head office basically wrote off the season before it began. And I appreciate your insights, and would like to call on them now. We've had a pretty good chance to see all of the young players so far. So, putting aside those that are stop-gap players (like Buck and Kevin Gregg) and new acquisitions (like Escobar), which players currently on the team are making a good impression and are likely long-term fixtures? And which ones do you think have the most upside?
Richard Worzel, Toronto

A-I think the Jays' management decision to downplay the goals for this season are a reaction to the constant off-season promises of the Paul Godfrey-J.P. Ricciardi era wherein bringing hot water to the Rogers Centre washrooms ranks among the biggest accomplishments. Injuries are never a good thing, but the finger injury to John Buck has made the Jays decision easy for the moment in bringing up J.P. Arencibia and seeing what he can accomplish at the major-league level. Don't be horribly disappointed if he gets off to a slow start because the Vegas numbers are difficult to gauge in translating to the majors. He's a keeper though. I would predict that on Opening Day 2012, only Aaron Hill, Yunel Escobar and Vernon Wells will be in their same positions, with Snider starting every day at one of the corner outfield spots and Lind at first base. When Gose is ready for the majors he will become the centre fielder and an aging Wells will be shifted to right field just like Andre Dawson was and just like Torii Hunter has been. The Jays' keepers are all in the rotation where the Jays go seven deep right now with others challenging close behind from the farm system. Oh, and David Purcey in the pen.

Q-Hi Richard,
After losing pretty much all interest in the Blue Jays as the J.P. Ricciardi regime ground on (the final straw being the ham-fisted handling of Roy Halladay last year) I now find myself coming back around and have quite enjoyed the run they've made this year. For the first time in a long time there seems to be hope for the future and I'm very interested to see how the team performs in 2011 and 2012. My question regards Jose Bautista - from what I understand, he's arbitration eligible after the season ends. What kind of money could Bautista expect in arbitration? What figure would be prohibitive for Anthopolous to keep him? After seeing what his arm can do live on Monday (vs. Baltimore) I think I'd be very happy having him in RF for the next few years.

p.s. For your money, which Blue Jay has had the best OF arm? Raul Mondesi sticks out for me, Shannon Stewart too (just kidding!). Alex Rios at the beginning of his career looked incredible (I remember film of him throwing out a tagging up Ichiro at home making the email rounds a few years back) but by the end of his term here it seemed to have left him. Thanks,
Neil Therriault, Toronto

A-Jose Bautista is the most interesting Jays' dilemma of 2010. They didn't trade him at the deadline and never were going to. He is arbitration eligible 2011 and if this was his second consecutive tremendous power season they would have considered negotiating a long-term deal. But he may be like those guys that sang “Brandy” and just be a one-hit wonder or he may be like Aerosmith and just keep coming back and adapting his game to the times – although he'll likely never headline at Casino Rama. In arbitration there are never any surprises anymore. Payroll geeks (as opposed to stat geeks) can enter past arbitration data into a computer and come up within a couple of grand what a guy is likely to earn in arbitration. As such the Jays know they can afford Bautista for one season. He will likely earn somewhere between $7-8 million which is three times his current deal. That is no reason to have to trade him. The dilemma comes in July next year. If he slumps and has say 10 homers in July, the Jays would not want to sign him multi-year. If he is an all-star with 30 homers in July, they may feel they can't afford him for five years and he may want to test the market. If he's doing great again in July, that may be the time to trade him to a contender who now believes that he's the real deal. If he would sign at a reasonable price for three years I would do it during the season next year, but who knows.

P.S. Bautista has one of the best arms that I have seen as a Jay. His major attribute is that he comes over the top and the ball stay on line and cuttable. Rios, on the other hand, would sling from three-quarters and a throw to the plate would be uncuttable by Overbay as it faded back in from foul territory to the plate. Mondesi's arm reminded me of Bautista. Barfield may have been the most accurate. Shawn Green was okay. Candy Maldonado was good. When Dewayne Wise and Bautista are playing the corners, Wells looks like a popgun.

Q-Jose Bautista continues to amaze this year but haven't we seen this show before? It seems that in Toronto we have a history of overvaluing a certain player after a good year. (See: V. Wells, A. Rios, A. Hill). What if Bautista hits the 50HR mark this year? Next year, will he be considered a premier slugger like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and A-Rod? I think we could expect Bautista to go through next year what Hill and Lind went through this year. Your thoughts?
Chad Nunn, Toronto

A-That's likely why they will not negotiate a long-term deal after this season. Bautista seems comfortable with as he puts it “going through the process”. It, in fact, would be better for him to wait because if he proves that 2010 was not a fluke, the price of doing business goes way up. The danger is that AL pitchers make the adjustments to Bautista in the off-season and Bautista is unable to make the adjustments back.

Q-Hi Richard, I think one of the best things about Cito's return a few years ago was the supporting cast that he surrounded himself with. All of our coaches seem to have brought the best out in a lot of guys. When Cito leaves does that mean they will all be leaving too? I would really hate to see them go.
Mike S., Toronto

A-Cito in October plans to take Gene Tenace and Nick Leyva and their wives on a Hawaiian golf vacation. Sounds like he and Leyva are out of the coaching mix for next year. I would suggest that the brilliant infield and third-base coach, Brian Butterfield, will interview for the Jays' manager's position. If he does not get it, he has options – like joining his old friend and mentor with the Yankees and Diamondbacks, Buck Showalter in Baltimore. Butterfield's run in Toronto has been impressive and unprecedented, working for Carlos Tosca, John Gibbons and Cito Gaston. It would seem that they will definitely hang onto pitching coach Bruce Walton who has been the anti-Brad Arnsberg in terms of preaching taking velocity away from his students instead of trying to crank it up and add wrinkles to the hard stuff. As for Rick Langford in the bullpen and Dwayne Murphy as the hitting coach, depending on the identity of the new manager, he may be allowed to pick his own guys, but Murphy has certainly done the job creating a lineup of mini-Dwayne Murphys.

Q-Richard: Always enjoy your blog! Can you please tell me why some of the K's that are posted on the the balconies of the Rogers Center after a strikeout, are backwards? Is this an oversite? Or does it signify a particular type of strikeout?
Ken Burns, Matheson

A-It's one of the ways of recording a called third strike in the scorebook. It's the most popular but I don't think it makes a difference on the type of pizza fans get for seven Ks – a horrible promotion. Why not award pizza for the team scoring seven runs or more in any game. There's nothing worse than seeing the Jays down by five runs and the payoff K is recorded and the fans roar. Dumb.

Q-Being a big Blue Jays fan living in New England, I was wondering what our triple A affiliation will be next year? I believe our 2 year contract with Las Vegas is up after this season and was wondering if there is any chance that the Blue Jays' triple A affiliate would be located in New England. I enjoy following the Fisher Cats and would love another minor league affilate in the region to go see. Thanks and I love your blog.
Sherman Wu, Boston

A-I plan on doing a column about the possible relocation of the Triple-A franchise in the near future. The Vegas thing has been an albatross around the neck of player development. They don't trust the numbers out of the Pacific Coast League and so they leave primo guys like Kyle Drabek at Double-A to get a truer read and not to discourage their prospects. Apparently the infield in Vegas is like the Caesar's Palace parking lot and the wind and heat and altitude and dimensions in the PCL make it a hitter's wet dream. They had to leave Syracuse because during the Ricciardi regime there was benign neglect of the feelings and wishes of the owners of their top affiliate. So they told the Jays to take a hike and recruited another organization. Then Buffalo changed from Cleveland and told the Jays to take a hike and went with the Mets. That left Vegas and the awkward top three Jays' levels triangle of Toronto-Vegas-Manchester, New Hampshire.

Q-Enjoy your columns on the Blue Jays, thanks. My question is what is the status of signing the balance of the unsigned draftees from the recent draft? I remember a report after the draft that McGuire, their first pick, wouldn't participate in the normal phone conference press interviews. Also that Thon's father was upset that his son had been drafted by a Canadian based team. What is the outlook of getting McGuire and the other unsigned players to commit to the Jays? Thanks for your time.
Peter, Ottawa

A-According to Peter Gammons on Twitter, teams that were planning on paying their top prospects above slot value were advised by MLB not to negotiate until August 10. The deadline for signing is August 15. That way the system will not be ratcheted up by an early above-slot signing ending in a horsehide Tower of Babel in terms of first-rounder salaries. Clever these owners. If something was done like that with MLB players, the players association would likely scream collusion, but draft choices are not members of the union. Maguire will end up signing for above slot money and Thon has already signed. His father was upset, but more because the kid slipped down through the draft and had the opportunity to attend Rice University. It was a controlled rant.

Q-Do you think that with Brett Wallace being traded opens the door just a little for David Cooper? Do you think that Kevin Ahrens will pan out or is he a minor leaguer for life at best? He is only 21.
Mike Windsor, Ontario

A-David Cooper is a long way from being major league ready. He is projected as more a Mark Grace type of first baseman than an Albert Pujols. He still has time to develop but is far down the Jays' depth chart of prospects. As for Ahrens, the switch-hitter is a good looking player, but the 2009 season where he was advanced prematurely set him back and he needs to get back on track. He has a puncher's chance by 2013.