Mail bag

Watched some major-league highlights on Tuesday night including a dramatic Braves comeback win over the Marlins keyed by a pinch-hit two-run homer by former Jays third baseman and 2002 AL rookie-of-the-year Eric Hinske. The Braves are battling hard for the wild-card and if they make it into the playoffs and reach the dance floor in Bobby Cox's final season as manager, don't count them out of going to the World Series. Why? Call it the Hinske Bump. This guy has been money since he left the Jays. For three straight years he has been a Fall Classic magnet. In 2007, his first full season in Boston, the Red Sox beat the Rockies for his first ring. In 2008 he signed with the Rays. They turned it around and went to the World Series, losing to the Phillies. It looked like Hinke's run would end in 2009 as he signed wth the putrid Pirates. But mid-season he was traded to the Yankees and they cruised to a Series win over the Phillies. Now he is a Brave. Book your rooms in Atlanta for Games 1-2. The man is October gold. How would he look on the Jays' bench in 2011. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard,

Love the mailbag, I read it religiously every week. My question to you is; what free agents this offseason might the Jays go after to fill some holes and be contenders next season? How about a Carl Crawford in left field and batting leadoff? Or a Carlos Pena playing first base? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks.

Joe Lamothe, St. Catharines

A: There will be some interesting free agents available in the off-season, but will the Jays have interest in them? At first base with the Jays losing Lyle Overbay, you have Adam Dunn, Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena and Overbay. At third base if you choose to go away from Edwin Encarnacion and trade or non-tender him a contract, you have Adrian Beltre, Maicer Izturis, Pedro Feliz, Brandon Inge and Ty Wigginton. In the outfield, if you wanted to move Jose Bautista to third base, you have Carl Crawford, Austin Kearns, Jose Guillen, Marcus Thames and Jayson Werth. There is also a long list of free-agent starting pitchers, but do the Jays really need to go there via free agency in 2011? It was interesting on Tuesday to hear GM Alex Anthopoulos talk about his “when to compete” philosophy of allowing the current players to “tell him when they're ready to compete” rather than the J.P. Ricciardi way of signing up expensive free agents and saying “this is the year we're ready to compete”. That's the very philosophy that derailed the loyalty of Roy Halladay after Doc took a voluntary paycut for 2008 in his negotiated extension years ago because that was the season J.P. told him they needed the money to bolster their run for the roses.

Anthopoulos in fact compared his belief in going with the flow to the 2011 Padres who were not expected to do anything and surprised the world. The difference is that if the Jays had a similar first half in 2011, ownership would have the money available to be buyers at the trade deadline while the Padres did not.

Q: Hi Richard,

Love the blog. We've heard a lot of talk about the Jays' prospects over the past year. Now that the season is over, who were the biggest surprises, biggest disapointments in terms of development? Thanks,

Tom M., Ottawa

A: In discussing surprises and disappointments let's stick to what were considered top prospects rather than going with deep tracks. Among the disappointments in terms of stalled development of once considered prime prospects are: Kevin Ahrens (3B), Justin Jackson (SS), Balbino Fuenmayor (1B), Rei Gonzalez (RHP) and Kenny Wilson (CF). Some of the most pleasant surprises included Chuck Huggins (LHP), Matt Daly (RHP), Alan Farina (RHP), Jarrett Hoffpauir (INF), Chris Lubanski (OF), Aaron Mathews (OF), Darin Mastroianni (OF), Eric Thames (OF), Carlos Perez (C) and Boomer Potts (LHP). I just wanted to write that last name cuz it's a cool baseball name.

Q: Hi Richard,

I know yourself (and other media types) have mentioned consistently that Adam Lind is "too young" to be a full time DH. I understand that traditionally DH in the AL has been a great role for aging players to be fitted under (players who can still hit, but can no longer field). My questions is why is Adam Lind "too young" to DH? If he's a liability defensively, then why should the Blue Jays (or any other team) force him into playing the field just because of his youth? Why does age even become a factor on whether or not a hitter should or should not be a DH? I would rather put out a fantastic defensive team on the field, and continue to have Lind's bat in the lineup via DH, rather than force him into the field where the defense might deteriorate.

Zaki Ameen, Mississauga

A: Most of the time when a player is evaluated as “too young to DH” it's an assessment strictly from the player's side of the equation. When you are a DH at 24 and are pigeon-holed as such, by the time you arrive at free agency after six years in the bigs you have basically knocked 16 NL teams out of the running in terms of negotiations for your services. When Frank Thomas or Paul Molitor was here as the DH, they had played positions at a younger age and by the time they evolved into DH had a comfort level and a routine between ABs. Lind has the energy of youth and no outlet except five times per game at the plate. To me that's not being a baseball player. It's like being a “long drive” champion and saying you're a PGA Tour golfer.

The solution is to make Lind a first baseman and see the Jays move on from the Lyle Overbay Era – although the pair of 3-6-3 double plays Lyle executed on Tuesday were spectacular. I think not playing a position had something to do with his lull at the plate in 2010. Teach Lind to play first base at a respectable level. Send him to Instructional League and have him take grounders until his hands bleed. That was the plan at one point then they put him in at first base and he flipped a ball high to David Purcey and he came down on the bag and was out for three weeks. End of experiment. It requires patience, but in baseball if you can hit, they always find a position for you. And I don't consider DH to be a position.

Q: Speaking of managers, can we speak of Buck Showalter? The question that perplexes me and which I hope you have an opinion on (no worries there), is how and what can one skipper bring to the table that dramatically changes the team's game virtually overnight? Since taking the wheel at a record of 32/73, the team has gone to 61/91 representing a 29/18 win/loss statistic under Mr Showalter's leadership. Truly a Brobdingnagian performance! The achievements are all the more astounding considering that, according to the O's website, he didn't bring his own team of coaches with him, as Cito did. Can you pontificate, insightfuly as always, on the magic Buck Showalter has brought to the Orioles?

Love da blog....

Richard Netherton, Halifax

A: Sometimes it's the mere fact of a team knowing that the guy in charge is going to be there as long as they themselves are going to be there that gets players to focus and do their best. When Juan Samuel, who is a wonderful man, was there wityh the O's on an interim basis, the players had already tuned out the world and paid no attention to the standings. When Showalter was named it caught their attention because here was a guy they had heard about, had watched on TV and maybe had even played for at some point. But they knew they had better show up and play because their future depended on it. When the O's showed up at the Rogers Centre at the end of July it was a joke. Adam Jones, a very talented young player was wandering out to take early BP in the afternoon and as he walked by he had his high school team's t-shirt, a sponsor's hat and no visible sign that he was an Oriole. It was a silent statement of disrespect for his organization. Then when the team came out for team stretch, it was a joke. Players were missing and the rest of them were out of step, doing anything on their own. It looked like a slo-pitch team stopping a game to look for a contact lens. That all changed the next time they were in with Showalter. Buck is the Mike Keenan of baseball. He will turn it around with his micro-managing style then when the team has been built into a contender, he will wear out his welcome, piss someone in ownership off and be fired. Then they will win. The 1995 Yankees were managed by Showalter. He was replaced by Joe Torre and they won the Series in '96. The 2000 D'backs were managed by Showalter. He was replaced by Bob Brenly and they won the Series in '01.

Q: Hi Richard:

Much is being made of the dismal batting average of the Jays. However some statistics point to much weaker batting averages for the AL East. In 2009 there were 23 who batted .300 or more and 31 with .290 or more. This year there are 10 at .300 plus and 17 with .290 or more. NYY team average dropped from .283 to .268 while TO went from .266 to .247. Any suggestions for the decline? Also will Bautista get what he deserves and be named MVP?

Bob Leatham, Ilderton, Ont.

A: I have an unusual theory on that decrease in the number of high batting averages. With the reduction to the number of cheating players due in large part to increased and mandatory testing for performance enhancers, it has had an interesting side effect. Back when a generation of MLB pitchers was cheating (along with hitters), the obvious strategy of pitchers was that, if you're going to get bigger and stronger, your natural reaction is to try and throw harder, try and overpower people. It was the testosterone and ego talking. But as Cito Gaston likes to point out, major league hitters can catch up to a 98 mph fastball as much as an 88 mph heater – and did. So what has happened? Pitchers were forced to return to normal size and strength and learned to throw more changeups and off-speed pitches. Now they take bat speed away from befuddled hitters and the ball gets put in play, defenders defend and overall averages go down. Not to mention the reduced bulkage and strength of many of today's hitters. But that's a home run story and we're talking batting average in the course of this discussion.

As for Bautista, he deserves Top 5 MVP voting and the fact that the Jays will finish above .500 in the deepest division in baseball means he could easily receive a few first place votes. But the fact is that MVP more often goes to players from winning teams. He will compete with Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers for the voters that don't believe in MVP as a playoff guy. Meanwhile it will come down to Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford. It says here that J-Bau finishes fourth.

Q: Hello Richard,

I was wondering if you could confirm something for me: I recently noticed, over the course of a number of weeks, that Vernon Wells appears to make a point of "tipping his cap" to the opposing team's pitcher prior to an at-bat. If he is indeed doing this, I wonder if this impacts how a pitcher - even subconciously - approaches Vernon? I mean, he's only been hit by a pitch 3 times this year, and only once last year.

Trevor Hardy, Mississauga

A: Yes he does do that, but no I don't think that affects whether any pitcher throws at him or not. In fact, if a guy tipped his helmet and made eye contact with me as a pitcher before stepping in I would tend to drill him in the ribs first pitch, just on principle.

Q: Hey Richard,

Never miss your mailbag. Always learn something about baseball I never knew before. my question is about simulated games. How exactly do they work? Lots of times you hear, oh so and so threw a simulated game as part of some type of rehabilitation, but what exactly is a simulated game. I know some friends who are curious as well. thanks Richard and keep up the great work!

Nick Shepard, Saint John, N.B.

A: Simulated games are useful in terms of a rehabbing pitcher facing live hitters without having to travel to the minors on a rehab option. Say a guy's been hurt and on the DL. He throws in the bullpen over and over ad nauseum and finally they feel that whatever ailed him has been healed. What next? Oh, they could send him to Dunedin or New Hampshire – or they could have him pitch a simulated game.

In a simulated game, usually played early afternoon before regular BP, a pitcher goes to the mound and warms up for the first inning like he would in a game. He then faces a batting order of bench players, coaches, anyone with a bat who wants to step in and get some hacks. Director, team travel Mike Shaw even played in one of those games once. In any case, the pitcher gets three outs as judged by the umpire behind the mound (usually the pitching coach) and then sits down for a short period of time to simulate a real game. He then goes back out and gets three more outs, etc. There are no scores kept and he usually ends it at a certain pitch count. Lot of fun and nobody gets hurt.

Q: Hi Richard,

You've mentioned in the past that you like the “wins” pitching statistic as a basis of judging a pitcher's ability. But are wins for a pitcher really that telling? Seattle's Felix Hernandez is a mediocre 13-12 yet is leading the league in ERA, CG, Ks, IP, WHIP, K/9, BB/9 and many other statistical categories. Seattle is on pace to score the lowest amount of runs for an MLB team since 1971. A total of 16 of Hernandez's losses or no-decisions came when he allowed 3 runs or less. Felix Hernandez obviously can't do anything to help his team score runs. All he can do is prevent the other team from scoring runs, and it seems that he's the most effective in the league at doing that. How are wins such an important stat for pitchers when the most dominant pitcher in the American League is one game over .500?

Kent Randall, Peterborough

A: Last time I looked, baseball is still a team sport. The standings in the paper every day show wins, they show losses and they rank teams from most wins at the top to fewest wins at the bottom. That's why wins are important. The argument for Roy Halladay's candidacy last year when he was a Jay is that he pitched in the tough AL East facing the Rays, Sox and Bombers, all grinding professional hitters, while the Royals' Zack Greinke pitched in the mediocre AL Central feasting on the least. So why do wise-guy Jays fans not use the same argument against King Felix's candidacy compared to, say, CC Sabathia, David Price or Jon Lester?

I love WHIP and I love K/IP as indcators of who the really dominant pitchers are. But consider that since Hernandez has no run support that he has to pitch his ass off in every inning of every game to give his team a chance to win, while there are games for the other candidates where they have a big lead early aqnd can afford to just challenge hitters with fastball strikes on the way to 27 outs. That can lead to base hits and hme runs because the pitcher's team has given him a nice cushion. That can inflate his WHIP and all those other new-world stats. At the end of the day, CC, Lester and Price should be in the mix with Hernandez, but don't arbitrarily dismiss win total as a factor.

Q: Hi Richard,

The Blue Jays starting pitchers have had an impressive season this year and it certainly will be enjoyable to watch them develop over the next few years. However, there is one thing I found bothersome to watch and it's the number of trips Jays catchers make to the mound - they make far too many, especially in the innings when they make multiple trips to speak with the same pitcher. Not only does this break their rhythm it makes them look weak and incompetent. Young staff or not, I expect these guys must be thinking (and perhaps they say it) - "shut up, just give me the ball and get back behind plate!" Earlier this season with Frasor in to close out a game Molina made 3 trips not that Thurman Munson would have ever done so but how do you think Goose Gossage would have reacted if Thurman came out to talk to him 3 times with the game on the line? Also, I would appreciate any insight you may have on how the Blue Jays missed out on drafting & signing Toronto born and raised and National League MVP candidate Joey Votto. He grew up and played ball right in their backyard!

Frederick Vance, Calgary

A: The reason the Jays signed John Buck and Jose Molina as catchers for 2010 is because of their veteran status and their need to guide a young rotaton through 100-plus pitches. Both guys are hands-on and even though they had the same pre-game meeting to go over opposing hitters, in the heat of the battle they often don't agree on pitch selection. The catcher knows what is the best pitch, but unless the pitcher believes that it is the right call and has 100-percent conviction, then it is the wrong pitch. Thus the visit, the conversation, the pitch. Sometimes it's merely a ploy to slow the game down for a pitcher that has been speeded up and the game is getting away from him. Never does he go to the mound if he feels his pitcher has a rhythm. Pitshcers are flighty and emotional. Catchers are detached and logical. It's like Captain Kirk throwing to Mr. Spock.

As for Joey Votto, it was J.P. Ricciardi's first draft as GM and he didn't give a rat's behind about Canadian or not. Votto was drafted 44th overall by the Reds and the Jays first rounder was No. 14 overall which they felt was too high for the Etobicoke native on the verge of NL MVP. The Jays got their man in the first round – shortstop Russ Adams. Later in the round, here are some of the guys that were available and drafted: Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Cole Hamels, James Loney, Denard Span, Matt Cain and Mark Teahen. Votto was selected 11 spots before the Jays Rd. 2 selection which was righthander Dave Bush. Right after J.P. chose Bush, the Sox picked a guy named Jon Lester. But Lester was a high school kid – too risky, as was catcher Brian McCann and pitcher Jonathan Broxton. Bush was the safe (??) pick. Lester has 19 wins and Cy numbers.

Q: Hi Richard...look forward to your column each week. I don't want to get into the whole Sportsnet 1 thing again but I just checked the schedule and the last game of the season will be carried on that very channel. That means that Jays fans across this country, who support this team through thick and thin will not even be able to watch Cito and company's last game of 2010. Do you think Rogers really gets it? Do they think that the only people who follow and love this team show up at the stadium? So they think SNET 1 only upsets a few thousand people? I see your blog each week and the addresses are from Newfoundland to BC and expats across the world. Bottom line....do you think Rogers really understands how much this team is followed throughout Canada? Thanks...

Terry Fallat, Espanola, Ont.

A: I do not believe that Rogers “really gets it”. If they did they would have handled this whole Sportsnet ONE thing far differently. I know business is business and I probably don't understand the financial nuts and bolts of their obligation to customers that signed up for the premium channel. But what I do understand is fans' emotions and how it can affect loyalty to a sporting brand. It should be a two-way street. Fans are loyal to a team. The team should be loyal to its fans. They don't get it.

Q: Hi Richard,

If Tampa is not able to get their new stadium and looks to relocate, what do you think about a move to Montreal? They have the temporary stadium, and would be natural rivals with the Jays and Red Sox. Of course Montreal would have to cave in and promise a stadium. Montreal and Toronto are sleeping giants when it comes to baseball and I would so love it to have them in the same division and pissing off the Yanks and Bosox fans!

JJ Redington, Winooski, Vermont

A: I'm sure the old blueprint for the downtown Expos' 37,000 seat stadium could be pulled out of a drawer and the dust blown off. Given the speed of construction in Montreal when it comes to sporting facilities, it could be ready for, ohh, the 2015 season. Les Eclaircies Diable de Montreal. Too wordy? Maybe they could call them Expos TWO and show them on Sportnet TWO, another new channel that nobody gets.

 

Mail bag

Just a couple of observations from the game of baseball that caught my attention this week before proceeding on to the mailbag. On Tuesday the Jays were distributing their 2011 pocket schedules and a friend in the press box wisely pointed out that the player on the front fold of the pamphlet was Jose Bautista. In the modern history of the game, this usually means that said player is being counted on the following year. In fact no major-league marketing department has ever, on its own, chosen the cover-boy for any official club produced publication that promotes the following year's team, whether it's a media guide, a highlight film or a pocket schedule. They could have used images of Ricky Romero or Adam Lind or Vernon Wells who are all signed to long-term deals and that would have been safe. Sounds like a multi-year Bautista deal may be in the works.

The second observation came s a result of the apparent lack of fallout from that phantom plunk of Derek Jeter last week against the Rays where at best the ball brushed his jersey as he leapt out of the way and then squarely bounced off the knob of his bat. All wood, only Jeter acted like he had been shot by a sniper. Rays manager Joe Maddon was irate and was ejected. My problem? Can you imagine if A-Rod had done the same thing how much of a national hue and cry there would have been for the cheating, whiny, crybaby...did I say cheating, extraordinary superstar? But when it's Jeter, he's just playing to win. I love the guy, but what a crock. What a double standard. Makes you almost feel sorry for A-Rod and his $30 million and his Hollywood girlfriends and his ... Oh well, you catch my drift. When it comes to controversy, Jeter is Teflon while A-Rod is Velcro. On to the mailbag.

Q: Mr. Griffin:

Love the mailbag and hope it continues well into the offseason. After reading your article on a Spanish speaking manager, I was glad to see you listed the man that I feel would be perfect for the job: Tony Pena. He's had previous experience managing, and with a team full of young players (which we will definitely have next season) to boot. Also, his time with the Yankees professionals can do nothing but help improve his coaching skills and prepare him for his next managerial opportunity. My question to you is, if you were given the chance to name the next Jays manager, who would you pick? Thank you,

Tony Bubier, Wales, Maine
(stuck in Red Sox nation proudly wearing my Blue Jays hat)

A: The thing I would not do is choose a high-profile manager from a high profile team. Not that any of them would be interested, but guys like Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa would not even be considered. I believe that the best candidate profile would be a young, up-and-coming major-league coach with a winning organization, working right now. One such person of interest to me would be Rays' bench coach Dave Martinez. The 46-year-old Brooklyn native has worked closely with Joe Maddon on the Rays bench since the 2008 season, the year they went to the World Series. Watch a Rays' game on TV and Martinez and Maddon always seem to share the same screen, view the same charts and at times seem joined at the hip. The Rays are the type of dangerous, balanced team, with great speed, decent power and excellent defensive abilities that the Jays would seem to wish to emulate. The Rays have a similar young, talented starting rotation and a veteran bullpen as the Jays. Given the increased Latin clubhouse presence in Toronto and the fact that Martinez as an active outfielder played for both teams in Canada and would be comfortable with any of those issues, he would be one of my top candidates.

Q: As a DH Adam Lind's batting average is very poor. He is a liability in the outfield and it looks as though management were not impressed with his performance at first base. We understand the Blue Jays are trying to build a team like Tampa with speed and athleticism. Do you believe Lind is in the future plans of the Jays?

Clary MacDonald, Merigomish, N.S.

A: Lind has been swinging the bat better lately. How do we know? I asked him on Tuesday evening about maple bats and he said he uses them but the key was that he was breaking a lot of them earlier in the season but he believes he has used the same bat for the past month. That is a clear sign that he swing the bat much better in the past 30 days (either that or he has struck out every time).

As far as his defence is concerned, he has not done himself any favours in his attempt to transition to first base. In his first game as a starter at first, he fielded a ground ball and fed an underhand throw to David Purcey that was high. The lefty reliever went up for it and came down awkwardly, turning his ankle and spending three weeks on the disabled list. Bad first impression for Lind and it has stuck with Cito. As far as left field is concerned, Snider is a better outfielder and Gaston opined in September of 2009 that he would have a hard time playing Snider and Lind in the same outfield. It seems to me that Lind will either be a first baseman or a DH and is too young to be fulltime DH.

At this time there is no reason to believe that Lind, who signed a multi-year extension on the eve of opening day, is not a part of the team's future. He can hit.

Q: Richard,

In looking around the League, there are several hitters who have Hall-worthy numbers (morals being another story) as important thresholds are reached. I'm thinking of names like Alex Rodriguez closing in on 3000 hits and 2000 RBIs or Albert Pujols with an OPS average of 1.000 over the last 10 years or even a Derek Jeter closing in on 3000 hits. However, pitching has had it rough this last decade and I'm having a hard time finding names that have reached those important thresholds, such as 300 wins. What pitchers in the game today do you think are on the path to the Hall of Fame?

Andrew Puckrin, Toronto

A: Pitching Hall-of-Famers? The Steroid Era certainly did help hitters more than it did pitchers, but a bigger factor has been pitch counts and shutdown bullpens with solid setup men and lights-out closers. As such, let's start out search for pitching hall-of-famers with the bullpen. How about Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman to start. As for starters, you have CC Sabathia if he wins more World Series, Roy Halladay if he pitches until he's 40, Felix Hernandez if his team can score some runs and other youngsters that may be starting out their careers but need a breakthrough, statement season or two. Andy Pettitte? Not so much. Yes, compared to this era's hitters, the pitching pickings are relatively slim or maybe the accepted bars of excellence need to be lowered.

Q: Richard,

I found it very troubling the other night as the Jays lost their second of three in a row to the resurgent Orioles that the boys seemed more interested in screwing around -- crime scene outlines in front of the dugout, pulling off a hot foot -- than competing. The fact that outgoing manager Cito Gaston allows this nonsense to go on tells me the inmates might be running the asylum. Is this team still not mature enough to be a contender as early as next year?

DeShaun Kozak, Uxbridge

A: Even the storied Yankees do the tired old “pie-in-the-face” routine during post-game interviews. The ghosts of Monument Park must blanch whenever that happens – but how would we know. Basically these major-leaguers are kids playing a kids game, no matter how old many they are in human years. I recall an interleague series in Philadelphia a couple of years ago. The writers were gathered in John Gibbons office pre-game when around the corner on the ground, crawling on their bellies and elbows stealthily came A.J. Burnett and Vernon Wells, armed to the teeth with unregistered Nerf long guns. Suddenly as they crawled through the door, the two millionaire athletes and team leaders rose as one and fired off a couple of Nerf-tipped darts bouncing off the surprised manager's noggin, turned and ran back into the main clubhouse giggling like school kids. It will always be a part of a major-league clubhouse and is not a reflection of any desire to compete – or not. It is a long season and as long as they don't lose their pride or focus when it's their turn for the spotlight, I don't see anything wrong with it. I could do without the pie in the face stuff. It's getting old.

Q: Hi Richard,

My question is what do you think is the best way to fix the Jays bullpen by the time we are scheduled to compete in 2012. This is by no means a bad bullpen, but not an acceptable one for a contender.

David K., Toronto

A: Bullpens are the easiest aspect of a roster to change in a short amount of time. Just look at the Rays between '07 and '08 when they went to the World Series. They realized that in late innings they were being crushed because they had spent all their money on hitters, so late in the '07 season GM Andrew Friedman began to gather some reliable veteran relievers. By the end of '08, the Rays pen had become an asset to a championship team. They added guys like Troy Percival, Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, Trever Miller and Chad Bradford and the rest is history. As such, there really was not much wrong with the Jays' pen this year, other than at crunch time you would ideally like Kevin Gregg in more of a setup role than the Great Wallenda of closers. The key for 2012 is to identify the proper closer whether it's someone developed from within or signed as a free agent. Guys like Scott Downs, Shawn Camp, Gregg and Jason Frasor can be a part of a championship bullpen. But for the Jays this was never going to be the year. There will be bullpen changes, but looking two years ahead is a crapshoot.

Q: Hi Richard,

A few mailbags back, you talked about how certain players divided the locker room last year (or were separate from the other guys), one of them being Kevin Millar. I just watched a This Week in Baseball episode chronicling Millar in the minors and they're painting him as an all-around good guy who's helping out youngsters. Can you explain this?

B.C., Calgary

A: I hate to break it to you, but This Week in Baseball is not exactly 60 Minutes or 20/20 when it comes to hard-hitting journalism. I did not say that Millar did not believe what he was saying in his attempt to be a Jays' leader in the 2009 clubhouse, but it was condescending towards the Jays' situation of playing in Canada, playing for low-key Jays' fans and playing for Cito. Millar, whose first attempt at major-league baseball was as a replacement player during the strike of '94-'95 was never a member of the MLB Players Association and had to work harder than most to overcome that stigma. Sometimes it seemed he was working too hard to be the life of the party. He is a good guy when you deal with him one-on-one, but he will always be a Red Sox loyalist first. By the way, good for Kevin in giving back to young players, but the '09 Jays was not the right place for him.

Q: Hi Richard.

I have a question concerning the strike zone. Starting pitchers will take an inning or two to firmly establish the umpire's strike zone, then try to live within it, but relief pitchers are expected to be familiar/comfortable with the umpire's strike zone right out of the bullpen. The relievers are sitting too far away to see the borderline calls, clearly. Who's job is it to inform or instruct them on what to expect from the home plate umpire in a given game?

Thanks for a great blog!

Wayde Murray, Port Hope, Ont.

A: You make it sound like each umpire has his own, dramatically different version of the strike zone. What you are talking about when a game starts is more nuance than geometry. A reliever comes into the game and tries to throw strikes that would be strikes for any umpire. Now, if he misses with a tailing fastball on the outside corner and the umpire calls it a strike, the pitcher and catcher will file it away and come back to that same spot in a clutch situation. But that does not mean the starting pitcher ever got that same call and could have let you know as he handed you the ball. Most times, he's already in the dugout. If you start worrying about the umpire's zone before you even throw a pitch then you are pretty much screwed. Throw strikes, pay attention and don't try and fool the men in blue.

Q: Hi Richard.

Can you give us a short tutorial on the best short new(er) baseball stats (e.g. WHIP) their meaning and which ones you value as meaningful? It is impossible to keep up with all the new stats we hear about.

Charles Novogrodsky, Toronto

A: It is impossible to keep up with all the new stats we hear about. The fielding stats are the ones I have the most trouble respecting because so much of determining range and percentage rely on outside forces like official scorers, pitcher's repertoire and pimply-faced geeks in the press box making judgments on whether you should have caught a ball or not.

As for stats that I prefer, fans of the mailbag know how much I am a fan of something called “wins” for starting pitchers. For those that aren't aware, that's when you start a game and pitch five or more innings, leave with the lead and your team hangs on to win. If pitchers put enough of these together for the same team, maybe 95-100, then that gives you a chance to play in October and maybe win a fluttery thing called a pennant that they present at the end of the year and flies high over your ballpark the next year...I think just slightly above the flag that is awarded annually for the VORP championship or the WHIP title or the DIPS or PERA crown. Seriously, though, the pitching stat that I have always liked is the WHIP which basically with walks and hits per innings pitched gives a good idea of the most dominant pitchers. Even Mick Jagger was a fan. On the album Some Girls, he wrote: “When the WHIP comes down, when the WHIP comes down, yeah check it out there.”

Q: Mr. Griffin,

My question is regarding starting pitching and the rest. The old-schooler in me would love players to pitch longer. The realist in me wonders if they wouldn't benefit from longer rest. You mentioned Cecil's record with the extra day and considering the concern teams have with burning out arms, why wouldn't a team investigate a six-man rotation? After all, there's enough roster space with the extra relievers and with one more day of rest, each pitcher could potentially go longer in the game. Heck, we might see double-digit complete games! Thanks again for your time and all the effort you put into your work.

All the best,

Jay Menard, London, Ont.

A: An interesting twist on an old debate. Six man rotations, instead of the usual suggestion of reverting to a four-man rotation. The problem with any philosophical changes to rotations is that all of this needs to be done organization wide. You have to start with pitchers as soon as they turn pro at the lowest levels of your system then have them weaned on sixth-day starting. That creates a problem if you make a trade for a pitcher almost ready for the big leagues at Triple-A in another organization or one that is already in the bigs or one that is a free agent and has always pitched on his fifth day. Nobody would sign with you. Simply because Cecil, who was a reliever all through college, has had better success on his sixth day doesn't mean it's the right thing for everyone. To me, 32 starts, averaging seven innings per start, making 224 innings is not a case of burning out your pitchers. Those are soliod numbers in a five-man rotation. It's not like starters do nothing between starts. They have a daily between-start routine that they have been doing since they were kids. The extra day often gives established pitchers more trouble than it is an advantage because of the extra rest. Guys throw every day and want to pitch every fifth day. The Cecil Rule will never be the norm.

Q: Hi Richard:

As the season winds down there is still a concern about the catching situation. I like much of what Molina and Buck bring to the team but find it increasingly annoying to watch both of them stab at balls bouncing in and failing to go down to block them. Apparently the Jays don't have a catcher coach but this seems to me to be catching 101. Who is responsible for correcting this? Also, it's hard to understand why Arencibia is not getting practice at this time of year.

Bob Leatham, Ilderton, Ont.

A: I'm glad someone else noticed. It's clear after 150 games that this catching duo's biggest, in fact only apparent defensive weakness is blocking balls in the dirt. After a slow start, Buck is throwing to bases much better and Molina has always been a base-stealing deterrent. However those balls thrown in the dirt or slightly off to the side and down are still a problem. But dumping guys for that deficiency? That's like cancelling a date with Charlize Theron because you don't like the way she giggles. There is more and more talk about the Jays bringing back both Buck and Molina and allowing Arencibia to either play first base, be traded or else go back for a third year at Vegas. He should play right now and he should be projected as the guy next year. If not then the Jays are not rebuilding and are repeating the mistakes of the Ricciardi regime. Be happy at a certain plateau of comfort and competency and quit shooting for the moon. Hey, the moon is so far away. The summit of Everest is pretty damn high enough. If Arencibia was ever in their plans for the future, he has done nothing to remove himself from that blueprint.

 

Mail bag

Not in 16 years at this job have I received as much email on any issue as that of Sportsnet-1 and the perception of fans being bullied, ripped off, taken for granted or taken for fools. This is more than a case of the Rogers brand shooting itself in the foot.

Take for example Tuesday night. The Jays vs. O's was on Sportsnet-1. The Yankees vs. Rays was on regular Sportsnet. Viewers who are baseball fans first and Jays fans second, once they finished their nightly cursing of Rogers and fist-shaking at their TVs, settled in for a compelling Yankee-Rays battle for first place. Great game, extra innings for the second night in a row. Carl Crawford thrown out at third to end an 8-7 loss. However those that are Jays fans only cursed Rogers and then took their evening viewing over to Jeopardy, America's Got Talent, John Cena headlining a WWE card or some random 2006 Poker Tournament at Fallsview Casino.

The true Jays fans are the ones being alienated and they are angry indeed. The true “Jays first” fans are the fans that need to be convinced to come back to the ballpark. They are the ones that need to see the Jays are a fun team to watch. Only they can't watch them. Some cable systems don't offer Sportsnet-1. Many fans don't want to pay extra for Sportsnet-1. All fans feel like the Jays have not earned the right to start charging for games on TV. It can only have a ripple effect on all things Rogers. They should as a show of good faith put all game the rest of the way back on regular Sportsnet and go from there heading to next year. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard,

I'm a little confused as to the call up for Kyle Drabek. I'm fully understanding of the 'play it safe' approach by limiting innings of young pitchers to avoid injury and fatigue. A couple weeks ago if you asked me who I'd want in a one-game playoff, it would have been hands down Brett Cecil, but obviously even after being shut down last September he seems to still need to build arm strength to endure a full season. Now, after the company line was that Drabek will be limited in the amount of innings pitched (after pitching 158 last year, and up at 162 and counting this season), I'm confused as to the reasoning behind penciling him in for THREE starts. Yes he was spectacular in Double A, so why take the risk of him experiencing fatigue or arm troubles in 2011 or 2012 when the team might actually need him in September?

Maresh F., Toronto

A: The important thing with Drabek is that the Jays' brass smartly controlled his total innings pitched as the Double-A Eastern League season wound down by skipping him over one start after it was obvious the Fisher Cats had qualified for the playoffs and by shortening a couple of his starts. The fact is a 20-percent increase over his 158 innings in 2009 would be about 189, which means that heading into his Jays' debut in Baltimore he had 27 innings leeway remaining – the equivalent of three complete games.

As for Brett Cecil, I'm convinced that his pitching issues late in this season stem from overall conditioning and not necessarily any arm woes. That's a good thing. Cecil has really come on as a viable rotation stud in 2011 by adding a solid changeup to his repertoire. In September he has had to cut out his between-start bullpen sessions in order to save his bullets for the games. It started with the start at Yankee Stadium where he felt an overall body malaise coming out of the game and extended to his next start against the Rays where he was pretty much hammered. He is 6-0 pitching on his sixth day this year and 8-0 lifetime with that extra day. He is 5-5 on regular rest pitching on his fifth day. That is of concern.

Q: Hi Richard...love the Jays and really want to see a winner, but I'm not sure how anyone figures this team is going to be competitive by 2011 or 2012. from what I can see you have almost an entire lineup that can't hit lefthanded pitching. and we're not talking a percentage point or two. the numbers are appalling to say the least. Secondly if these guys don't hit home runs they don't win, simply as that. How can they challenge the best if they can't manufacture runs by any means other than the long ball. as much as I want to believe I have serious doubts about this team. What are your thoughts on this?

Rob Hardman, Madison

A: You are correct about the Jays' severe problems against lefthanded pitching. Facing southpaws, Jays' lefthanded batters after 144 games are batting .201 with a .254 on-base average and a .559 OPS. Just as disturbing is the performance of righthanded hitters against lefty pitching. They should be crushing them, instead have a cumulative .224 average and a not-so-convenient .711 OPS. Yes, that needs to change before the Jays can contend. Opposing teams notice these things. As such, there will have to be some changes in the Jays' lineup to better control lefthanders.

The lofty home run totals, especially by righthanded hitters give a clue as to the Jays' problems against lefthanded pitching. The hitting philosophy of Dwayne Murphy and Cito Gaston involve getting the front foot down early, before the pitcher gets his front foot down, finding a pitch you can drive and swinging from your ass. Rare is the Jose Bautista extra-base hit to the opposite field. As such, when the Jays face soft-tossing lefties that turn the ball over and keep it away from their righthanded hitters, the Jays have trouble. They can make contact with those pitches, but not hit them hard. The Jays as a team have 93 walks and 266 Ks in 1,037 at-bats against southpaws. Can that issue be addressed in the off-season? Yes, but not by returning the same starting nine.

Q: Richard:

How many games do you think it will take to win the AL East in 2011?

Richard Joll, Brockville

A: The Yankees are the Yankees. The Rays will lose Carl Crawford and they may have to clear out a couple of other veterans, but their rotation will be a year more mature and they have a solid farm system with more studly players waiting in the wings. The Red Sox will undergo a major facelift. The O's will be better and will compete harder against AL East opponents with fewer rollovers. That being said, the AL East winner should be 100-105 games, while the wild-card checks in at 95-100. The Jays have not won more than 88 games since 1993, that coming in the out-of-control '98 season of Tim Johnson, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, et al.

Q: Hi Richard,

In the last mailbag, you alluded to both the potential logjam at catcher in the system (J.P. Arencibia, Brian Jeroloman and Travis D'Arnaud) and Arencibia's recent work with infield coaching gem Brian Butterfield at first base. Do you see there being a chance of Arencibia seeing significant playing time at first to keep him fresh and his bat in the lineup next season while Jose Molina draws more of the plate duty to continue his mentorship of the young starters (potentially including rookies Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart at some points)? And, that being the case, do you see the potential trio as Jays going forward, or will one of them likely become trade bait at some point? Or (most likely) is it far too early to make this kind of prediction with contention still a few seasons off?

Paul Boudreau, Waterloo

A: It seems that Arencibia is already being pigeon-holed as a strictly offensive catcher that has trouble calling a game and handling pitchers. That's a little harsh off the sample of a handful of major-league games. Jeroloman is the one among that threesome of Jays' prospects that is a given as a potential backup catcher throughout his career. At 25, the lefthanded linedrive hitter has mad defensive skills but a limited bat. There is no room for him as a second guy on a major-league team until the pitching staff has established itself more and until the No. 1 catcher has some solid experience in the majors. Backup catcher is the easiest need to fill in all of baseball. Supply and demand.

Arencibia has been working out at first base with Butterfield, but if it was done, it would not be to give him a rest every now and then. It would be a career move. The organization really likes D'Arnaud, but he is 2-3 years away from being a major-league hitter. If the decision was made to move Arencibia and his bat out from behind the plate, it would give the Jays the option of re-signing John Buck for three years until D'Arnaud was ready, but that would be totally unfair to Arencibia who has done all he can do at Triple-A and should not be sent back to learn another position. The Jays made the same effort with Adam Lind, trying to convert him to first base. In one of his first starts at first, Lind fed a high underhand toss to David Purcey who leaped high, came down awkwardly on the corner of the bag and was forced onto the disabled list. Lind became a first-base accident waiting for a place to happen. Bad perception and Lind should be given a second chance with Overbay as DH. Since then, Lind has been used sparingly and manager Cito Gaston has said he may be better off in left field (yikes) or as a DH. Gaston, of course, will not be there next year so Lind still is an option at first. Or is Arencibia the chosen one? Or is someone from outside the best 2011 option? Putting Jose Bautista at first would just be plain dumb, a waste of his arm. As for one of Arencibia, D'Arnaud or Jeroloman being trade bait, I don't think so for a while. If one of them is to become trade bait it would be J.P. but not yet.

Q: Richard,

We always enjoy your assessment on the state of the Jays. I read an interesting article from your colleague asking what it will take for fans to start attending Jays games. I'm interested in your take on the situation. On the one-hand, the Jays attendance at the dome is not declining as quick as the Jays' payroll (i.e. why pay for tickets when Rogers won't pay for an on-field product). On the other hand, we do have more exciting prospects. Personally I find the Jays organization to be less fan friendly - - they did not hold their Welcome Back BBQ where fans can meet the players, their giveaways and promotions have been cut back, watching games on TV is more difficult. Bottom line is that the Jays need to do more to want fans to attend. Your thoughts?

Frank S., Toronto

A: The first thing it will take for the Jays lost fans to start attending ballgames is a wild-card season or one in which they fight to the final weekend. Then it will be the NEXT season when the fans come back. Baseball is the sporting equivalent of Missouri. Just show me, baby. I don't think the Jays' attendance figures are as depressing as they seem. Two years ago, the policy of the v-p ticket sales was to look in the phone book, find a corporate partner, throw an armload of tickets in the air and if they hit the ground count them as attendance. It's all about asses in seats and if anyone was actually in the building two years ago to now, the size of the crowds looks about the same, it's just the reported numbers that have gone down. I also believe that the benign neglect in ticket sales and promotions is intentional to a certain degree. I think Paul Beeston believes that you can't know what “rock bottom” is until you hit it. In a season labelled as rebuilding, the Beest didn't mind finding the bottom of the well, because at the same time he knew his product on the field was improving for the long term and the rebound could begin from a known nadir.

As for team payroll, the Jays in fact spent $78.7 million this year, just under two million less than last year. That's middle of the pack in baseball, with a willingness to add in the future when they're sure of what they don't have. Of course, not all of that money was spent on their own players which is what you are bent about. For instance, there was the $10 million paid to B.J. Ryan NOT to pitch in 2010. Colleague Dave Perkins saw B.J. At the Masters in April spending some of his ill-gotten Jays' cash. The lefty reliever graciously talked to Perky for about a minute, then looked at his watch and said he had to go. Guess he had to shag – hopefully not with Tiger. Then, of course, there was the $6 million paid the Phillies to help them out with the Roy Halladay contract. The Phils turned that around at the trade deadline into Roy Oswalt and are now streaking. So that's $16 million spent on players not here that can be converted into players that ARE here in 2011. The bottom line is the Jays do seem to have a plan for winning in the future.

Q: Hi Richard:

Continue to enjoy your take on the Jays. I have a question that about a topic that has bothered me for some time. It has to do with batting practice. I can't understand how hitting majestic home runs on pitches thrown at sub-sixty speeds helps prepare a batter for pitches at ninety miles an hour or knuckle balls.There are pitching machines available and with today's technology, it seems to me that a machine could be developed that could better imitate the pitches that a batter is likely to see on any given night. A Blue Jay weakness appears to be hitting left-handers. Have the machine pitch like a left-hander. It would be more beneficial than the lob-balls they now get.

Bob Leatham, Ilderton

A: Come on Bob. Quit kidding around. This is Cito writing to me, right. The fact is the Jays' manager is completely on board with you about the limited benefits of batting practice. However, think about your own golf game. Would you walk out to the first tee without going to the driving range and at least whacking a few balls. You start with the wedge then work up to popping the velcro on your glove letting out the shaft with the driver. People might say, “what are you doing? There's no fairway to aim at, no traps to avoid, no water all the way up the left side of the fairway? What good is hitting balls on the range? Just play golf.” But everybody does it and wouldn't tee off without it.

As for the thought of a machine doing the pitching, that would make it even worse. Hitting is all about timing and even when a coach is throwing you can work on “my foot down...his foot down” even if it's in relative slow motion. The only solution would be one of those pitching machines you've all seen that has the video of every major-league pitcher projected on a screen with a ball coming out of a hole with the pitcher of the day's exact repertoire. That would get players ready for the game. Until then, coaches.

Q: Richard:

Does anyone else not think that the six losses to the Indians in mid-season, was a big part of the Jays' problems this year? Discuss. I enjoy your column.

Sid Greenberg, Thornhill (A Jays' fan since '77)

A: The four-game sweep in Cleveland came on the heels of that goofy series in Philly where the Jays were the home team but not really. That Halladay in Philly totally discombobulated the players' minds as they tried to ignore the all-consuming Doc factor but couldn't. Then they go to Cleveland where they are expected to win three of four against a bad Tribe team and get swept, scoring seven runs in four games. From June 20 to July 6 the Jays went 3-12 and their hopes were buried. We will blame it on the negative influence of the G20 conference as Jays' hopes were tasered never to recover.

Q: I attended the embarrassing 13-1 game today, sitting in the Outfield 200 Level seats. This is the first Jays game I have attended in a few years. Why are the replays not shown at least once on the Jumbotron? I realize that some plays (ie. close plays at first base) might be taboo, but good plays should be promoted as part of the live game package. Otherwise, I might as well just stay home and watch on Sportsnet (or Sportsnet-1 if I actually had access to that Rogers money-grab). A second topic: Player bad habits. We noticed in the Rays bullpen that tins of a prominent energy drink with a Salzburg, Austria HQ were all over the ground late in the game. I have also noticed that many of the Jays seem to be using chewing tobacco this season (can cameramen not avoid these images on TV games?). Why do teams go to huge lengths to protect the health of young players by limiting pitch counts, innings pitched, etc. and yet allow seemingly unlimited use of all sorts of unhealthy substances by many of the same players, even during games? Look forward to your blog every week.

Craig Breen, Owen Sound

A: I have long believed that there should not be an entertainment or information advantage to sitting at home in your living room over being at the ballpark. I have long believed that an experienced TV director should be hired to run the scoreboard show treating it like a telecast except for the required “pitch time” during which there must be no movement on the board. There should also be a full-time information director like Sportsnet's Scott Carson to supply interesting statistical info so that fans want to look up at the board between pitches and between batters. As a side benefit to that, they might actually be looking at the board when advertising appears. I've actually seen stuff up there as supposed highlights for established visiting hitters like “Led the Eastern League in doubles in 2004.” Give me a break. How about as the season goes along doing a bang-bang-bang highlight video package for each player. For instance, John McDonald steps to the plate and the board flashes three great Johnny Mac defensive plays in a row. Yunel Escobar is announced and the board shows his nifty behind the back feed to Aaron Hill, another play in the hole and a big homer. They could have four different video packs ready for each player. Ryerson or Sheridan or U of T has kids in broadcasting courses that would love to do that stuff for the summer. At the end of the year, during the winter send out a DVD of all those highlights to season-ticket holders.

As for the bad health habits of the players, let's just be thankful if it's only sports drinks, smokeless tobacco and seeds. We can't block out the real world from our children. We can only teach them right from wrong.

Q: Hi Richard

Love your blog. Just curious, what does Scott Downs scrawl in the dirt behind the pitching rubber after taking his warm-up pitches when he enters a game?

Dave Brown, Kitchener

A: Downs, before the first pitch, writes the names of his children into the dirt on the back of the mound.

Q: Hi Richard,

That was a great win on Sunday, with a dramatic come-from-behind two-run homer from Adam Lind. I didn't see it, of course, because like most Canadians outside of Ontario, this bone-head Rogers management has reduced our viewing options to nil. I don't like feeling like a pawn in a war of greed. But I know you have talked about this some, and I don't want to rehash the broadcasting mess. So I'll go where this all leads me... Do you think we'll ever (ok, in the next decade) see a MLB team in Vancouver? There are lots of fans out here.

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A: By the time Vancouver gets a team there will likely be a Sportsnet-2 and then for sure we'll never see major-league baseball in Vancouver. But seriously, the Mariners immediate proximity is a powerful factor and with the M's drawing a lot of Canadians to the park and being in their area of exclusivity, it would be difficult nigh on impossible to see relocation or expansion to Vancouver. The Jays would also possess a necessarily under-the-radar objection because of their loyal fan base in British Columbia and in fact all of western Canada. Besides, there are other U.S. Cities to please before Vancouver gets to the top of the MLB depth chart. And with the shocking revelations about the Marlins and others making bucketsful of money on a shoestring budget and without the necessity of making the post-season, the cost of playing poker has just gone up.

Mail bag

Once again, a national holiday, Labour Day on Monday ended up delaying the mailbag a full day and for that I apologize. Where to start? Let's see Roger Clemens, Lindsay Lohan, Snooki, Josh Hamilton. Which one does not belong in that group? Correct. The Rangers' outfielder is the only one in that group that “gets it.” I was very impressed with the interview I had with Hamilton on Wednesday. He engages in the conversation, locks in going eye-to-eye with the interrogator and he listens to questions, never resorting to cliches and the easy way out with rehearsed emotion. By the way, since Hamilton does not like to mess with temptation by going out to clubs, etc. His rating of road cities is directly related to the proximity of team hotels to ballparks. Toronto rates well. As a result, he sees a lot of movies. Here is a rating of recent movies Josh has seen: 1- Avatar. “I didn't think I was going to like Avatar but I ended up watching it and it got better and better.” 2-Assault. 3-The Expendables. Hamilton thumbs down? The American with George Clooney. “It's terrible.” Speaking of which, on to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard...

Every week I keep reading your blog on the Jays waiting till 2012 to make a serious push to win it all. I can't understand why...you have four legitimate quality starters, you're covered at second, short, all outfielders (Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista, Travis Snider), catcher, right field and first (if Adam Lind can handle it) with top notch talent. That leaves one position player to sign or trade for. Why not go get Adrian Beltre pay top dollar and get a gold glove third baseman who can hit fifth. Then take some more of that money we saved from Roy Halladay, Alex Rios, A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan...etc..and spend it on a horse #1 starter. Are you going to seriously tell me with this team we could not compete with the big boys. The bullpen may need a little touching up but nothing major. If we wait another year to make a push that means a significant core of your team is one year older. Why wait when you can have it now.

Scott Seidel, Sudbury

A: If the Jays management believed they could “have it now” they would surely this off-season make similar moves to what you suggest. But true rebuilding doesn't happen in one year. This Jays' front office group has showed that it will stay the course being pro-active rather than re-active. In fact if Alex Anthopoulos, Paul Beeston et al had believed 2011 was indeed a possibility, they would have made a run last winter at keeping Roy Halladay, the ultimate No. 1 horse starter. He was already signed through 2010. But they didn't. Now they would have to go out and overpay for a lesser talent than Doc in order to make a run in 2011. In fact, the 2012 date for the Jays competing hard in the division and the wildcard is being generous. You are underestimating the losses in the bullpen for next season. Next season will be a transition year in the pen going to younger guys that will be there for several more competitive years, but will take their lumps at times. The '11 season for those bullpen guys will feature the same growing process as '09 and '10 was for the young starters.

You go around the diamond pointing to players that are already here and ask why this team cannot be competitive by adding Beltre. They didn't compete for the division this year. Why would the same group, minus Overbay, plus Beltre, compete next year? The lineup is not like the rotation that is clearly young and improving. The Jays are impressing fans with a “plan”. Taking an ill-advised run in 2011 would pinprick the bubble of hope for the fans and prove that this management group is as short-sighted and reactive as the last. Allow the young starters one more year to sort themselves out and earn their spot in the order. Allow Travis Snider another 600 at-bats to find out who he is. Allow Aaron Hill and Adam Lind a chance to find their proper level. Find players that can strengthen the bench so that when there are injuries, they can still compete like the Yankees do when they throw in their B team. Relax and enjoy another year of development. They can still entertain and may even surprise in 2011. Let it flow.

Q: Hey Richard,

Where do you see the Blue Jays getting their closer of the future from? Will they sign a veteran free agent, or convert one of the pitchers in their system? Which pitcher could you see being a closer? I have heard that McGowan, when and if he gets healthy, could be their closer.

Robbie Gelman, Thornhill

A: The Jays could easily re-up Kevin Gregg for one year and transition to the closer of the future, whoever that might be. The Jays' first choice would be to find the future closer from within. Usually the best closers were minor-league starters, so don't look to guys like Danny Farquhar (17 saves at New Hampshire) or Matt Daly (33 saves at Dunedin). Brett Cecil was a closer at the University of Maryland and as a Jays' starter complained in New York after his last start that his body was feeling it. His arm wasn't sore but his fastball was down and he felt a malaise. Maybe he's not built for 180-200 innings. But my choice a couple of years down the road is 2010 draft choice Asher Wojiechowski from The Citadel. At Class-A Auburn, Wojo made three starts allowing one run in 12 innings, on six hits with four walks and 11 Ks. If they can't find the answer from within, there are always established closers out there looking for a team to take them to the post-season if the price is right. McGowan will never be an option.

Q: Hi Richard,

As always, thanks for taking the time to read all of these questions and answer a few for us. Here's an interesting thought - there's an article in a recent Star (online at least) hinting that Joe Torre may be on his way out with the Dodgers. With the Jays needing a new manager, and Torre having a reputation for winning, do you see a fit there? Or are they too far from contending to interest him?

Kevin D., Toronto

A: It's not a matter of being too far from contending, I think with Joe Torre, who is definitely on his way out with the disappointing Dodgers, it's a case of the burning fire within. Torre has reached the summit with the Yankees and camped out in nosebleed territory for years up there. Does he have the stomach to start up that same slope from base camp with a younger Jays team and stay with the task until they plant the AL flag on top of the mountain? Recall that before he joined the Yankees, Torre was a disappointing sub-.500 manager with four other teams. I see a future back in broadcasting for Torre once he leaves the Dodgers. In fact, I don't see Torre interested in the Jays at all or vice-versa. Toronto is not the Big Apple or Hollywood. As Chris Bosh points out, “It's a different country you know.” Besides, the Jays need a younger man with a passion for teaching.

Q: Richard,

I was wondering why the Blue Jays (or maybe just Cito) seem to dislike Jeremy Accardo so much? When BJ Ryan went down a couple of years ago he was quite good in the closer role and while he had his issues last year it appears that he had a very good year in Vegas.

Jon Altwasser, Regina

A: Oh my, the Jays do not like Accardo all right, but the feeling is now clearly mutual. In fact this time around, Accardo more than likely insisted he not be called up in September as much as the Jays were not interested in having him around to spoil the current upbeat clubhouse chemistry. The weird thing is that Accardo's father-in-law is the brother of Rogers big-shot Phil Lind and even with that relationship Accardo can't catch a break with the organization. Accardo, 28, led the Las Vegas '51s with 24 saves and has major-league experience and success but the Jays reached out for Rommie Lewis and Josh Roenicke instead. Accardo has always felt that his service time has been manipulated to always keep him a year further away from free agency allowing the Jays to control him. He's right. He ended the '09 season two days shy of four years in the majors. Go figure. At the time he was sent down last July 31 to make room for the just acquired Roenicke in the Scott Rolen deal, Accardo stormed out of Cito Gaston's office and threw his Jays' hat in a clubhouse garbage can bolting before the clubhouse opened to media. It was sitting there when we came in. Call me Sherlock. But before Accardo could catch his flight from 'Frisco to Vegas, Scott Downs went down with one of his injuries and Accardo was called back. That was kind of uncomfortable and I don't think Cito has forgotten. In any case, Anthopoulos when he took over assured Accardo things would be different with a new sheriff in town. Things haven't been different and Accardo wants nothing to do with this organization. The feeling is mutual.

Q: I keep hearing about how the Jays are leading the Majors in home runs, which got me to having a look at the 'Sortable Team Stats' on MLB.com. One thing kind of confuses me: how can a team have different totals for 'runs scored' and 'runs batted in'? Does this have anything to do with earned versus unearned runs? Still seems like a pretty significant gap, for all teams. I don't get it.

David B., Victoria

A: It's simple if you think about it. When runs score on wild pitches or passed balls, or if a run scores when a player grounds into a double play, or a double steal, or on some errors, especially when made with two outs, there is no run-batted-in credited to a hitter. Thus the difference.

Q: Richard,

Great column and comments. Can't help notice that Hill appears to be having some fielding difficulties. I believe he has 10 errors on balls that he seemed to be able to handle earlier in the year and last year. He was even replaced in the ninth Sunday by Mike McCoy for "defensive reasons" . I believe that last year he would have saved the no-hitter. Could the concussion be part of the problem?

Bob Leatham, Ilderton

A: First just to correct the perception on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Hill jammed his right knee hustling down the line to beat out a hit in the top of the ninth. He stayed in as a runner but was unable to take the field going to the clubhouse for ice and treatment.

As for the perception of his season, defensively. You are right. This has not been a typical Hill defensive season. His hands have not seemed as soft, his range has not seemed as good. Is that a sub-conscious result of his obvious woes at the plate? He always denies that one affects the other, but there is no physical reason for Hill's loss of defensive skills other than the subliminal battle he is having with success at the plate. If it is more than that, then maybe the Jays need to consider a move to third base where quickness, reaction, fearlessness and savvy are more important than range. We addressed it a little in the last mailbag, but considering that third base has fewer options down on the farm than does the middle infield, it might be a good move.

Q: Hi Richard,

I feel it's my unhappy duty to ask the uncomfortable question: When it comes to John McDonald, how is it exactly that at the age of 34 he's suddenly become one of the most dangerous power hitters on the Jays? Even with limited playing time, his home runs are almost double his best year ever, his slugging percentage is also almost double his career average, and virtually all of this has happened since the all-star break. Did something happen at the break to make him resort to PEDs? It's sad to see, but perhaps Damien Cox can help us understand the twisted logic underlying McDonald's shift to the dark side.

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A: Nice referencing! I'll go along with it. You all know Johnny Mac is one of my favourite all-time Jays, yet when I approached him with a glass beaker and asked him in my best investigative reporter sotto voce voice to fill it up for me, he inexplicably refused. What's up with that? With athletes performing above expectations, lack of cooperation clearly means guilt. I didn't even tell him what I needed the sample for, but the strange look he gave me was one of pure fear (or else pity for the clearly insane). Hey, one does not just eclipse one's home run best and go off on a crazy hot longball streak in August/September at the age of 34 without some sort of artificial help. I did a little more detective work and sneaked a surreptitious peak at the contents of his locker. In addition to an autographed picture of Omar Vizquel (somebody should check HIM out) there was an empty wine bottle that was suspiciously MISSING THE CORK. Put it together. No cork, lively bat, refusal to pee in my beaker. Your honour, I rest my case. Just kidding John, but the Vancouver letter made me do it. Thanks Willis.

Q: Richard,

My question has to do with the Jays bullpen. Why is Brian Tallet still part of it? Why did the Jays not take the opportunity to bring up another arm to work out of the pen in September or a starter or two to insert...one to cover for Mark K. going to the pen and one to cover Brandon Morrow's starts. Tallet for the most part this year has been in to eat up inning in the long role. Unfortunately it turns up short most nights with walks, hits, extra base hits and homers and of course runs. I know AA has had a great 1st year but this is one guy it wouldn't have hurt to put him on Designated Assignment. I don't think he will be coming back as the 2nd coming of Randy Johnson unless he learns to throw a 95 mph heater over the plate consistently......Righthanded.

Roger Steels, Waterdown, Ont.

A: Tallet as a reliever has not been great. No question. As a starter, he kept the Jays in games for his five or six innings on most nights and allowed other starters to stay at Triple-A and Double-A to continue their development. Nobody can possibly blame Tallet for the Jays not pushing for a wild-card or division at this stage of the season. Earlier in the season, Lyle Overbay was the fans target for abuse. Edwin Encarnacion has been a favourite for abuse (even from this quarter) and now it's Tallet. The likeable lefthander remains a positive veteran influence in a clubhouse full of youngsters. The Jays were going to have to pay him the rest of his contract in any case so why not just hang onto him and see what happens in the off-season. The addition of Rommie Lewis, Josh Roenicke, Bobby Ray and Shawn Hill, with the reinstatement of David Purcey sort of makes Tallet's presence academic. There's an 80-20 chance, maybe 95-5, that he won't be back but he's here now and fans should have no problem with that.

Q: Hey, Richard:

I'd like your thoughts on the Jays' catchers of the future, in particular Brian Jeroloman. You've predicted J.P. Arencibia & Jose Molina for next year, & that seems like a good fit, and possibly Travis D'Arnaud down the road (though he's going to have to get better at staying off the D.L.), but after J.P. has had his year with Molina, what about Jeroloman as back-up? As I understand it, he's good defensively, is a left-handed bat, and while not a Joe Mauer at the dish, has made good progress. Is he even on A.A.'s radar anymore?

Thanks, & keep up the Q.& A. I love it!

Bruce Spurrier, Courtenay, B.C.

A: I liked to compare the Jays eventual two-catcher system to the Angels with their two guys Mathis and Napoli with whom for a while they had much success. These days most teams are in the 120-42 or 110-52 balance with their two catchers so you really do need guys you can believe in and maybe that would complement each other – like Arencibia's right-handed offence with Jeroloman's defence and left-handed bat. I don't believe the Jays should or will re-sign John Buck and with Molina's age and mentor status, the club will need two of their own by the year 2012. D'Arnaud is the wild-card in this mix. It depends on how fast he comes on to claim a starting job and it depends on whether they really believe in Arencibia as a catcher. In this final month he's being toasted (not playing) and Butter'd (working with the Jays' respected infield coach). They have been working J.P. out around first base the way they did back in July with Lind. Also note that Cito says he won't be seeing much action behind the dish in September. Bad sign.

Q: Hey Rich;

Thanks as always for the mailbag! With Jayson Werth's impending free agent cash grab, I recall that back in the day, he was traded for Jason Frasor. While Frasor certainly has been a serviceable arm in the bullpen, he's not gonna be making money like Werth. I was just wondering if you know what the organization thought of Werth and any motivations to trade him were?

Thomas Turniawan, Antigonish, N.S.

A: I recall Werth as a good-looking young hitter but in a transition between catcher and the outfield at the time of the trade on March 30, 2004. The Jays had Kevin Cash and Guillermo Quiroz as the hotshot catchers of the future. Werth had come over from the Orioles so he didn't really have anyone in the organization speaking out for him when his name came up in trade talks. In the bullpen, the incumbent closer heading into the season was Aquilino Lopez (yikes!!). They had Kerry Ligtenberg, Terry Adams and Valerio de los Santos (triple yikes!!!). Frasor ended up with what is still a career high 17 saves. After '04, the Jays felt they had made a good trade. In hindsight, not so much. -30-

Mail bag

Another iffy trade deadline (Aug. 31) has come and gone with much talk and little action. The Red Sox sent pitcher Manny Delcarmen to the Rockies for a minor-league righthander. The Mets traded first baseman Jeff Francoeur to the Rangers for infielder Joaquin Arias. The Jays hung on to their bullpen, for now. The biggest move was on Monday when the Dodgers finally let Manny Ramirez go to the White Sox on a waiver claim for nothing in return. The move is similar to the year before when the Jays let Alex Rios go to the Chisox for no compensation. Of course, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen blamed any Ramirez woes on the media. Manny will likely get hot and tease the Sox looking ahead to 2011. Ramirez has Hall-of-Fame numbers, but with his 50-game suspension for PED failure is he a Hall-of-Famer? I don't know. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard, About a year ago the rumours of a dysfunctional Blue Jays clubhouse came to light. Now a year later it appears that by all accounts the chemistry is great. To what, or to whom, do you attribute this year's harmony? Is it safe to assume last year's culprits are no longer with the club?
Thanks, Tim Wood, Toronto

A: It was not a rumour. The poisonous fumes floating through the Jays' clubhouse on that final weekend in Baltimore were absolutely toxic. Vernon Wells on the Friday said, “I'm not sure that it can be fixed.” This in reference to a potential public airing of player concerns with Cito Gaston and Paul Beeston in attendance. Gaston to this day does not want to believe it was ever true, claiming it was simply an exaggeration by the media. That's total bullspit. It was real. But when push came to shove and the key returning players – Wells, and Aaron Hill and the non-returning players Rod Barajas and Roy Halladay -- met with Beeston and Gaston, the players wimped out and backed down.

Why the dysfunction in the first place?

Reason 1- There was no meaningful communication from the clubhouse proper to the manager. As Cito once famously said, “The players know my office door is always open...unless it's closed.” We know what he meant. Cito did not know if he was coming back or if the GM was coming back. They weren't on the same page, maybe not even in the same library.

Reason 2- With the changes in the coaching staff, the appointments of Dwayne Murphy as hitting coach, Bruce Walton as pitching coach and the addition of Omar Malave, the player-coach communication improved. Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg had his one favourite pupil, Roy Halladay, with whom most of his clubhouse time and energy was spent. Arnsberg and Gaston did not communicate. Pitchers had felt left out of any decision-making since Cito is not warm and fuzzy with any pitchers at the best of times, and there was no other outlet for their frustration except Walton, the bullpen coach, not in a position to do much until his promotion. That all changed with Arnsberg moving to the Astros and Doc to the Phils.

Reason 3- Cito and general manager J.P. Ricciardi worked together like nitro and glycerine. Players could see that the men they worked for – GM and manager -- did not agree and did not communicate like they should and did not like or respect one another. But the players felt they did not have to take sides because both men seemed to be on the way out. The solution from Beeston, a man all the players respected? The prickly GM was fired and the manager was made a one-year lame duck with a four-year parachute strapped to his back.

Reason 4- Kevin Millar was a poison in the clubhouse constantly belittling the current situation he was in and comparing the Jays' major-league situation unfavourably to the Red Sox in a very loud voice. The preachy Millar made sure young players were not allowed to find their own identity. No coincidence the home clubhouse featured a corner with Wells, Hill, Barajas and Millar.

Reason 5- It was a compartmentalized mess of unhappy millionaires and the losing record did not help.

This year's clubhouse chemistry is great because Gaston is more aware of his own status and is enjoying his own low-key farewell tour, teaching more than managing. His coaches let him know of any problems before he is ambushed. It is great because Walton, unlike his predecessor, pays attention to all his pitchers and makes them feel like a band of brothers. It is great because the new general manager is hands on and lets players know the lay of the land before any moves. It is great because players know Gaston's situation and are more tolerant of his foibles. It is great because Halladay, Millar and Arnsberg have moved on. Make no mistake, the Jays are not a better team without Doc but the removal of his huge aura has allowed guys like Brett Cecil to feel like contributing major-leaguers with room to smile. It is great because they have been winning and the young rotation and booming home run bats give them an identity.

Q: Richard, Does Aaron Hill make the move over to third base sooner rather than later? It seems he may have enough power to play there (20Hr's in a down year). This would pave the way for an all-Cuban tandem up the middle of Adeiny Hechavarria and Yunel Escobar.
Chris Fenwick, London

A: Hill has played major-league games at second, third and shortstop and has said he is willing to do whatever is best for the team. Other than the versatile minor-leaguer Brad Emaus, the next third baseman on the horizon is former 2007 first-round pick Kevin Ahrens. He has stalled in his development and is still years away from the majors. So Hill at third base? Why not? He would be akin to Ron Cey of the Dodgers and Cubs. The Penguin was short and squatty and averaged .261 with 25 homers and 89 RBIs with a .799 OPS over the course of his career. Hill could be given a nifty nickname like “The Platypus” and become a fixture at the hot corner. I would do it if I was the Jays.

Q: I like the progress of the team this year but it seems that one aspect of the team has gone backwards and that is team defense. No doubt we took a step backwards with losing Scott Rolen and replacing him with Edwin Encarnacion (both glove and bat), but even Aaron Hill is having his problems. Did we get value back in that trade for Rolen? Are the Jays to target a 3rd baseman in free agency given they don't seem to have anyone on the farm yet for this? Also, is it likely that Lyle Overbay will be back? I like his glove but you need more production from your first baseman in the American League East.
Dean Germano, Redding, Calif.

A: The question of value back for Rolen is academic. There was only one landing spot he wanted to go and that was the Reds. It was close to his Midwest roots and reunited him with his Cards' GM Walt Jocketty. His parents were a huge factor in Rolen's trade. But in any case, the Jays got fair value. They were forced to take Encarnacion and his salary for 2010, but in addition they got righthander Zach Stewart, still considered one of the organization's bright lights, and Josh Roenicke, given several shots at the major-league staff but still looking for the command that will keep him with the Jays. Hill has been a disappointment this season, but his career is still finding its level. He has been on a roller-coaster that included a season-ending concussion in '08, a resurgence as comeback-player-of-the-year in '09 and a current lull in '10. As we mentioned above, without Encarnacion and unless you move Jose Bautista to the hot-corner fulltime, then you have a need. Maybe Bautista is the one-year answer. In any case, it's highly unlikely that Overbay will be back as a free agent in 2011. That decision was made long ago with an eye on rebuilding and for a 3-5 year deal, Overbay is not part of that vision.

Q: Do you think Kyle Drabek will be in the majors next season? If so, what is the possibility of converting Brandon Morrow to be the closer? It's just getting scarier and scarier every time Kevin Gregg comes in to close.
Chito Salalac, Burlington

A: If Drabek begins the 2011 season in the minors and remains in AAA-Vegas until early May, then the Jays can hang onto him for an extra season before six-year free agency. That seems to be the new reality with major-league teams. So the answer is yes, but not on opening day. As for Morrow becoming the closer, he has moved beyond that. The M's tried to harness that electric stuff into one-inning bursts, but when the Jays made the trade sending Brandon League to the M's, they promised Morrow he was becoming a starter. There are other options for the Jays in the ninth than taking a guy with no-hit potential every fifth day and making him an 80-innings per year guy. Makes no sense. But, yes, it's becoming scarier with Gregg but he's getting it done.

Q: Hi Richard, Love the mailbag and very enthused by the strong play of the Jays recently and J.P. Ricciardi's concurrent terrible work for ESPN. Funny how things dovetail so nicely sometimes. Which brings me to my question: How much responsibility does Don Fehr, former executive director of the MLB player's union during the Steroid Era, deserve for covering up the PED use among his constituents? It seems like the MLB Players Union and Fehr were totally complicit in PED use and the sullying of the game of baseball during his reign. Oafs like Roger Clemens deservedly get dragged before Congress while Fehr gets a promotion. Can we expect the same from Fehr as he takes charge of the incredibly inept NHL player's union? Can we expect to soon see players routinely chalk up 75+ goal seasons (by exploiting) the NHL's non-existent PED policy? Thanks for your time.
Sean Cranbury, Vancouver

A: Fehr as director of the MLB players association deserves a huge amount of the blame for not seeing the damage that his blind protection of accused steroid users was doing to the game. Yes, his job as union head was to protect players and yes MLB did not have a testing program prior to 2004. But it was clear even back then that the majority of his own constituents, the rank and file of union members did not like the fact that they were forced to compete against cheaters while they themselves were clean. How many of those frustrated players felt so overwhelmed that they joined the parade of cheats? We'll never know, but that's one of the suggestions about Barry Bonds, that his skill-set of speed and power in the mid-'90s was ignored in favour of the giant shadow of the Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa home run derby and that he fought back with steroids and HGH.

As far as Fehr's reported new gig with the NHL: I respect Paul Beeston's opinion and he got to know Fehr well when he went to the Commissioner's Office a dozen years ago. Beeston believes that at some point Fehr changed and wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem. I have seen many of those changes in Fehr, some of course brought on by Congress playing hardball with his cheating membership but others from a genuine concern of making the game better. Fehr will be a pain in the butt for NHL ownership but will likely end up being a part of a tougher NHL drug policy.

Q: Richard, If Albert Pujols becomes a free agent at the end of 2011, do the Jays try to make a push to sign him? If he was going to play in the East (Yankees, Red Sox) would they be serious players in the sweepstakes? Would that not be a statement to the fans that Rogers is in the baseball business?
Brian M., Barrie

A: No, no, no. It's one thing to show fans that Rogers is in the baseball business, but if Pujols commands $25 million per year, that would force the Jays, together with Vernon Wells' contract, to pay a total of $45-50 million for two players. It makes no sense just to prove a point. If the Jays were serious players it would serve only to drive the price up for other teams like the Cards, Red Sox, Mets and others. If the Jays are going to compete for the division as early as 2012 (which is what I believe) then they can make better use of their financial resources. One former teammate of Pujols that I respect has serious reservations about Pujols in the clubhouse.

Q: Richard, Love the blog, long time reader, first time writer. I was wondering if you knew why seemingly all Blue Jays pitchers (or most MLB pitchers?) wear some kind of necklace? I have been watching baseball for 20+ years now and I'm not sure if this is a recent trend but I have certainly noticed it on almost every pitcher in recent years. Any thoughts on this? Thanks,
Nick Bloomfield, Toronto

A: The necklace is called “Phiten” and it's basically a thin amount of titanium covered in colourful cloth. It is supposed to have therapeutic effects in reducing fatigue, but nothing has been scientifically proven. It is supposed to affect the body's “bio-electric currents.” It's a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that sells necklaces. The company was founded in Japan in the '80s but it didn't really catch on until about the turn of the century. At home in Oakville, I manage an OBA midget baseball team and I'd say about half of my 14 players wear the Phiten and I have not detected any extra bio-electric energy from any of these guys. But I'm sure that chicks dig Phiten.

Q: Hi Rich, a few questions for you: 1) Do you see the Jays trying to sign Brett Cecil to a similar type contract as Romero next year? 2) What are baseball people saying as to why Lind and Hill are having such poor years compared to last year and are there concerns going forward? 3) Shouldn't the Dave Stieb bobblehead have a hand on its crotch? Thanks,
Marvin Hoppe, Toronto

A: I believe the Jays under GM Alex Anthopoulos are handling the long-term contract extensions one at a time. First it was Adam Lind at the end of spring training. Then it was Ricky Romero a couple of weeks ago in Anaheim. The next two should be Shaun Marcum and then Brett Cecil and then Brandon Morrow. There is no rush for any of those players, so negotiations can continue behind the scenes with no particular sense of urgency. But rest assured from the GM himself that they will not be negotiated simultaneously. Having all those guys under long-term deals does not mean they will never be traded, but being locked up for reasonable contracts, in fact, makes it easier to deal those guys.

Lind and Hill around baseball are enigmas. The belief is that with veteran players that they will find their level eventually over the course of 162 games, but both Lind and Hill are on the beginning edge, age and experience-wise, of that theory. What are their levels? We don't really know. But what is evident is that both players seem to have been swinging at too many bad pitches and putting themselves in pitchers' counts. Both players have still have managed to hit home runs, so it's really the batting average and on-base that has been an issue. That could be for Lind from being overanxious to prove he deserves the money on his new contract and jumping at bad and borderline pitches that he normally would not. With Hill, coming back so well from the missed season in 2008, he may be just finding a two-year level that may become his norm.

As for Stieb's bobblehead, apparently when he strikes out a hitter his head bobbles up and down and when the Manny Lee bobblehead boots a grounder, Stieb's head bobbles from side to side.

Q: Enjoy the column, Richard. My question is whether you know if part of the Jays' aggressive hitting philosophy involves a focus on pulling the ball and a de-emphasis on swinging at balls on the outer part of the plate and going to opposite field. If so, what if any role do you think this reluctance to go to opposite field has had in making certain Jays hitters more vulnerable to pitchers who command the outside part of the plate. Vernon, Lind, Hill and Snider, for example, appear to be trying to pull outside pitches which often results in weak pop flies or chopping grounders to the pull side of the infield.
Ben Bathgate, Toronto

A: I believe that the emphasis from Cito and Dwayne Murphy is not on their hitters pulling the ball but on getting the swing ready on time and that is what leads to more pulling of the ball. For instance, if Jose Bautista gets his front foot down earlier, before the pitcher, and begins all his personal swing triggers, he is looking to meet the pitcher's best fastball with his best swing and his bat out in front of the plate with all the power of his swing. The goal is to line the pitch up the middle or alley to alley. If anything comes in from the pitcher less than his max fastball, off-speed or inner-half, then the result would likely be a pull. Opposite field is not absent from this philosophy of hitting but is subordinate to hitting the ball hard by being ready early. Yes, the Jays are more vulnerable to a) pitchers they have never seen before and b) pitchers that turn the ball over and keep the ball down and away while changing speeds. The belief is that every pitcher will make one mistake every at bat and that's the pitch you want to hit. In the Jays' thought process, the mistake pitch will usually result in a ball pulled hard.

Q: Hey Richard, long time reader and I finally have a question that I believe many people might be curious to know the answer. Every June there are hundreds of high school ball players drafted into MLB and do not sign contracts with their respective team. Correct me if I am wrong, but most of these players go to college for two years and then have the chance to be drafted again. My question is why? Why would a ball player choose to attend college over minor league ball? Wouldn't a player learn more in the low minors (such as the Gulf Coast League). Isn't the player taking an obvious risk of not being drafted again? Or a risk of getting hurt? Is the potential of being drafted higher in the draft such a big factor? Thanks,
David MacLean, Winnipeg

A: Players re-enter the draft mostly because they are not happy with their draft position and believe they can do better the next time. Maybe they don't like the team that drafted them. Maybe they actually are looking forward to an education. The rules are that after high school, if you re-enter the draft and go to a junior college or community college you can be drafted in two years. If you go to a four-year college program, you must wait until your junior year to be drafted again. As strange as it seems, major-college baseball programs are almost like being in the majors, travelling first class and using the best equipment, while signing out of high school and being buried in the Gulf Coast League or similar is like a cattle call. An immature young 18-year-old player, especially with the handicap of being from a northern climate with a shortened baseball summer, can get buried in an organization's minor-league system, while going to college and trying again later can give him the reps needed to compete once he does turn pro. Nobody ever believes they are going to get hurt. It's part of the athlete's myth of invincibility.