Griffin: Bautista playing at MVP level

 

NEW YORK-The Jays shipped out underachieving left fielder Travis Snider in Texas, then invaded the Big Apple offering a re-configured lineup vs. the Yankees, Friday night in the Bronx. The Jays' freshly shuffled deck included pure rookie David Cooper at designated hitter, Edwin Encarnacion back at third, Rajai Davis batting leadoff and Juan Rivera in left field. Despite all that, the only thing that truly matters with the Jays' offensive fortunes is the powerful bat in the hands of Jose Bautista.

“Thankfully he's in our uniform,” Jays' manager John Farrell said. “Whether it's an aggressive play on the basepaths, whether it's getting the right pitch in certain situations where he drives it out of the ballpark. He's a very complete player and it shows up every night.”

The Jays rode a gritty six-inning performance by starter Ricky Romero (2-3) and homers by Bautista, his ninth, and catcher J.P. Arencibia, his fourth, to a 5-3 victory against Freddy Garcia to even the club's record at 13-13. Jon Rauch picked up a four-out save, his fifth. Now, with five games left on this tough 10-game road trip to Texas, New York and Tampa they are 4-1.

“The way we take the field every day we look at this as another day here,” Farrell said. “Another day of preparation and a great competitive night. This team loves to play. They like the style of game that we're playing and they're into it. It's a great attitude and a competitive bunch.”

When the Jays' clubhouse opened to reporters mid-afternoon, a stream of New York media headed to Bautista's locker to hear what he had to say and report back to their constituencies. Yankee fans are used to the game's biggest stars in town, but usually in pinstripes. Bautista, the Jays' $65 million (U.S.) man is no longer a States secret. He lives up to his advance billing.

“Any time you come in here, they always have a packed house and a lot of fans,” Bautista said. “The visiting team, they heckle us pretty good, so anytime you're getting picked on by the fans and you manage to win a game, it's always satisfying.”

It was another Bautista night to shine. In the first inning, the Jays' right fielder ripped a vicious linedrive single to left field with Yunel Escobar on base. It was just the beginning. In the third, trailing by a run, Bautista crushed a Garcia fastball with Escobar on base again that was gone from the yard as soon as it left the bat. The laser crashed into a railing in the second deck and bounced high into the air.

In the fourth inning it became an easy decision for the Yankees in deciding how to deal with Bautista. With Davis stealing second and one out, Garcia threw down and in, down and away, down and away, then an intentional ball four. Easy. They weren't going to let Bautista beat them.

In the sixth, a similar situation repeated itself with Bautista, this time with David Robertson on the mound. Once again they walked him. This time, Bautista helped his team with his legs. With Davis on third, Robertson faked to third and turned to first with Bautista on the move. The righthander spun to check Davis at third, spun back to Bautista in the baseline, then panicky, sailed a throw into centre allowing the Jays' fourth run.

“I just thought it was a good situation to be on the move,” Bautista said. “I was going first move and he just happened to have a pickoff play. I was caught with my pants down, basically. It was a play that I decided to go before the pitcher came set.”

Rivera then singled to left and Bautista challenged Brett Gardner's arm, stylishly sliding past Russell Martin in foul territory and slapping the plate ahead of the tag by the catcher who had the ball in his bare hand and tagged Jose with his glove.

Okay, so the Bautista contributions seem predictable on a nightly basis, but how about the changes in the lineup? How'd that work out? Other than Cooper, the Jays still have to play defence. Which is unfortunate when it comes to Encarnacion, who as you may recall left the Jays as a third baseman and was re-signed as a DH. Circumstances change but his frustrating inconsistency remains.

In the fifth inning with runners on first and second, nobody out, Nick Swisher hit a line drive to that hit the third baseman in the palm of the glove and dropped to the ground, both runners retreating to their bases. With the play in front of him, Edwin had five options and only one was bad. He chose the bad one, firing a throw past John McDonald into right field to load the bases. But with the Jays clinging to a one-run lead, Escobar saved Romero and Encarnacion, first by making a running catch over his head in short left field and then starting a tough inning-ending double play from the hole.

“Escobar, I think is one of the most underrated shortstops in this league,” Romero said. “The balls he gets to and the plays he makes sometimes are amazing. He wnet out there and got that ball and once he got it I thought I'm getting out of this inning. Tremendous, tremendous defence tonight.”

How tremendous has Bautista's recent offensive run been? Consider that in his last 10 games, Jose has 14 hits, 16 walks and a hit-by-pitch. His batting average is .483, his slugging mark is 1.276, his on-base average is .674 and his OPS a stunning 1.950. He has already set a club record for bases-on-balls in the month of April with 28. Carlos Delgado drew 26 walks in April, 2001.

“I feel pretty good,” Bautista understated. “I'm seeing the ball well and I'm getting myself in really good hitting counts. With my load and getting ready early, I can see the ball real well. I'm getting some good pitches to hit and I'm taking advantage.”

Bautista has clearly been the league's best player and if not him, it's surely been Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano who homered twice and drew a pair of walks in Friday's loss.

“You look at Bautista and he's about as disciplined as anyone in this league and when he gets that pitch, he doesn't miss it,” Romero said admiringly. “And Cano, he's hot. It's tough to pitch around him and make pitches because he's battling and you know he did a great job tonight.”

The two teams play Saturday afternoon with rookie Kyle Drabek facing A.J. Burnett.

 

 

JAYS FRIDAY NOTES FROM NEW YORK 4-29-11

PROBABLE PITCHERS

SATURDAY at Yankees, 4:05 p.m. RH Kyle Drabek (2-0, 3.30) vs. RH A.J. Burnett (3-1, 3.52)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

SUNDAY at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. RH Jesse Litsch (2-1, 3.86) vs. RH Ivan Nova (1-2, 5.82)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

MONDAY Off Day at Tampa

 

 RAJAI DAVIS BACK AT TOP OF ORDER

On the first play of the regular season against the Twins, Jays leadoff man Rajai Davis was picked off first base and twisted his ankle in a rundown. Manager John Farrell had loved the evolution of his leadoff man during spring training and is happy to have him back healthy after a stint on the disabled list and a rehab option of four games at AA-New Hampshire

“When Rajai turned the ankle, it clearly affected his swing,” Farrell said. “He started to get a little long again. We saw the progression at spring training. He had a pretty long swing at the start. He shortened up and he started to drive the ball with authority. That's what some of our reports have been the last couple of days. More than anything he feels more confident about the base he is able to create from the hitting standpoint to give him that opportunity.”

 

COOPER THRILLED TO DEBUT AT YANKEE STADIUM

The Jays new designated hitter, David Cooper was pleasantly surprised when he was told to fly to New York for his major-league debut. He feels he turned his career around in the middle of last year.

“About the middle of June last year I started finding my stride and so far I've been able to keep the ball rolling and hopefully keep getting better,” Cooper said. “(Scout) Jon Lalonde came into town for a couple of weeks last year and I asked him for some video to go over it, where I was at (the time of) the draft. There was definitely some differences and it's something I definitely needed to get back to. It's been going good so far.

“My swing had gotten a little bit longer. Some things like that that were creating length in my swing, they've definitely been toned down a little bit. Another thing was it created less movement so I started seeing the ball better too, whiuch led to better results. So it's been good since then.”

 

DOWN ON THE FARM

AAA-Las Vegas (9-12) on Thursday lost to Sacramento 13-9. CF Scott Podsednik was 2-for-5 with a pair of walks and is batting .154. LF Eric Thames was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs and is batting .373. 3B Brett Lawrie was 2-for-7 hitting .398 and is still sitting on six errors which he had after 10 games. RHP Chad Cordero gave up four runs on four hits in the 13^th inning..

AA-New Hampshire (11-6) on Thursday lost to New Britain 9-7. CF Anthony Gose was 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch and two steals. Gose is struggling with a .205 average and five steals.

A-Dunedin (7-17) on Thursday lost 5-2 to Brevard County. RHP Nestor Molina (2-2) allowed four runs in five innings on eight hits, with three strikeouts. 2B Chris Hopkins was 1-for-2 with two walks an RBI and a steal.

A-Lansing (13-7) on Thursday swept a pair from Western Michigan 4-0 and 4-2. CF Jake Marisnick in the twinbill was 2-for-4 with 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and 2 steals and is hitting .338. He has stolen an organization leading 9 bases. Seconds game winner RHP Scott Gracey is 3-0 in six games in relief with a 0.66 ERA with 18 Ks in 13.2 innings.

 

Blue Jays mailbag

Parity seems the key to the American League for 2010 and in that regard, if the first month of play is any sort of indicator, the free-spending AL East no longer seems to be the monster it once was. It's, in fact, a division that may send just one team to the post-season dance. No wild-card? The defending AL East champs, the Rays replaced most of their bullpen including closer Rafael Soriano and lost one third of the batting order, led by Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. The Yankees rotation ended up with A.J. Burnett back in the two-hole behind CC Sabathia, almost by default. Phil Hughes is gone for a while. The Red Sox, who were projected as the monster team to beat in all of baseball, have thus far been simply another team to beat. The Jays with an emerging young starting rotation have said they are looking to 2012 and beyond while the O's under Buck Showalter are building something competitive but had a long climb. The fact is that headed into Thursday's MLB action only four games separated the five AL East teams. The division, as a whole was a combined one game under .500. That's very un-AL East like. Consider in 2010, the AL East combined to go 52 games over the break-even mark. In fact, the two best major-league divisions in the month of April 2011 have been the NL East (+10) and the AL West (+3). Parity demonstrates itself through Wednesday's MLB action, in terms of winning percentage, there were just two teams under the .400 mark. By comparison, the NBA had eight of 30 teams finish the 2010-11 schedule under .400, while the NFL featured 13 of 32 franchises in '10 suffering a similar hopeless sub-.400 fate. The two sub-.400 teams are the Padres and Astros. A second wild-card entry in each league will create tremendous fan interest in many cities. On to the mailbag.

Q-How long will AA watch Travis Snider struggle? It's obvious he has lost his confidence. Eric Thames is hitting .417 in Las Vegas. He's fantastic against righties. Like Snider he's a left handed batter. Can you send Snider down without putting him on waivers? Is the delay a question of controlling Thames' arbitration rights?
Sean Murphy, Bowmanville

A-Enough with the "controlling the arbitration rights" whine. I am so tired of that argument. It is such a trendy catch-phrase but truly a non issue with can't-miss major-league star prospects. The performing players are going to be locked up well before their 5-6 year plateau is attained. The Super-2 status of service time is the actual issue you refer to when someone brings up the controllable arbitration question. Originally, it was a full three years of major-league service that meant a player could take his salary to arbitration, freeing him from team subordination, allowing him to be compared to others with similar numbers and production. Usually that is the stage at which players can become millionaires. But because teams were trying to cheat time, a couple of Basic Agreements ago it was decided by the union that many teams were trying to make sure that players fell just short of three years by keeping them in the minors unnecessarily. Thus, in the MLBPA wisdom, the arb-qualifier became a negotiated two years of service, plus the top 10-percent of players that came up just short of three years. A full year is 172 days of accumulated service. Under those normal circumstances the Super-2's usually came out to anyone with 2+150 days or more (approx.). But if now it's every team doing the same hold-em-back thing with their controllable players, still trying to screw them, the actual qualifying number is obviously going to go down and be impossible to calculate because it's fluid and relative. So stop it.

As for the Jays' Travis Snider, the kid needs to find himself at the major-league level. Nowhere else. He has been farmed out every year since that devastating demotion at Fenway Park in 2009, a punishment that he took so very poorly. What else can he prove in Vegas? He's been a great Triple-A player. They call it Triple-A-Plus. He now needs to prove it in the majors. Sending him down would merely be clearing him off the Jays deck and washing your hands of a problem and would have nothing but a negative impact on his career. The Jays need to stay with Snider until that time when he stops staying with himself. As long as the effort is there. This is not a championship year for the Jays but they do need to find out if Snider will be a part of a championship run in 2012 and beyond or if they need to look to Thames or others for next year. Snider is the kind of player on the brink where if he finds what he's looking for from a mental standpoint can become an impact player. He's not going to discover anything back in Vegas. The Jays aren't going to discover anything with him at Triple-A.

Q-Hi Richard
My question is about the first and third base coaches. How much interaction is there between them and a player on their base? For instance at first base if a player has taken a few steps and the pitcher starts to throw to first, does the first base coach yell at the player to get back? Or do they let the players make their own decisions. Thanks Anne Guenther, Toronto

A-The third-base coach, Brian Butterfield gets the base-running and hitting signs from the manager in the dugout. He then flashes them to the batter, any runners on base and the first-base coach Torey Lovullo. The newest Jays coach, the important Lovullo has a stopwatch at all times and in his back pocket has key numbers on file cards that he has compiled on the catcher's pop times (throws to second base) and the pitcher's times to the plates. Butterfield and Farrell have those same numbers, but certain players have a green light to steal and Lovullo talks to them at first base all the time looking for the right pitch. Butterfield and Lovullo are constantly talking to their players, reminding them of stuff like outs, game situation, reminding them to tag up, freeze on line drives, off on contact with two outs or if the pitcher has a great pickoff move. And, yes, if the pitcher spins to throw, the coach warns the runner, but if he's reacting to the coach's bark, then it's going to be too late. Right, Jose Bautista.

Q-Hey Griff,
I'm surprised it was Jesse Litsch who was sent down. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember hearing the no options situation would only be used to determine who stays in the rotation if that was the only factor separating two pitchers. In your opinion, did Reyes outperform Litsch?
Ben Collins, Toronto

A-So was Jesse Litsch. I am unable to correct you because it was certainly expressed by Alex Anthopoulos at spring training that if there was a tie at any position, then the tie-breaker would be the player with no options being kept on. It's all about inventory. And no, Reyes did not outpitch Litsch by that point of mid-April when he was sent down. So therefore it was not a tie. But once again, it comes down to the fact that Jays fans are more hellbent on each and every 2010 win more than is the Jays front office. Moreso than current victories, the Jays brass is concerned about future depth. The true depth at the major-league level is on the way but has not yet arrived. Until then, guys like Reyes are important. The fact is that if Reyes had been or is ever designated for assignment or placed on waivers, he would have been claimed. Reyes is also a personal project of the general manager. He first noticed Reyes when the lefty faced Roy Halladay and the Jays in an interleague matchup. When he made the Braves trade of Alex Gonzalez for Yunel Escobar, AA insisted Reyes be included and in hs first call to Reyes encouraged him to "get back to where he was as a starter." It's not a case of Reyes outperforming Litsch. It's a case of the GM still having faith and not wanting to lose Reyes – specifically.

Q-Hi Richard
A loyal blog/mailbag reader with a general question. I keep hearing references made to position players and production expectation. For instance statements like "you expect power from the first baseman"

I don't understand the connection. Seems like power etc. can come from any field position and the place in the lineup is made depending on that fact.Is it just tradition or am I missing something?
Richard Armstrong, Little Rock, AR

A-You are right about those criteria being more tradition. Back in the day it used to be that the traditional power positions were first base, third base and the corner outfield spots and that the strength of the up the middle guys – catcher, second base, shortstop and centre field – came mainly in the form of solid defence. If you did receive power and RBIs from one or two of those up-the-middle guys, it was a happy bonus. But that time has passed. Now, as you point out, power can come from anywhere. You can carry a Lyle Overbay if you have an Aaron Hill (when he was hitting homers). The fact is that with modern workout regimens and nutrition your average shortstop or second baseman (even without cheating) is more physically imposing than Henry Aaron or Willie Mays in their primes. Yes, the thought of traditional power positions is an antiquated concept.

Q-Hi Richard,
I have some concerns about this new found aggression on the base paths. I like the style but I think it should be tempered a little bit. What is with the head first slides into first base? And do you think it is wise for Aaron Hill to be stealing bases (even if successful) based on his leg issues over the past two seasons?
Ryan B, Toronto

A-What's wrong with you, dude? You don't like your best hitter being picked off first base in the ninth inning when your team is two runs behind? You don't like your catcher aggressively going first to third on a looping single to right and coming up with a perfect slide and a hand-clap only to find his buddy the DH standing right next to him -- when they were four runs down in the eighth? They're the go-go Jays. Think about it this way. Every out on the basepaths helps raise team batting average. In any case, regular readers know I have always loved that style of baseball since that defunct Canadian NL team of the early '80s some people accuse me of being still hung up on. My feeling is that Station to Station should remain a David Bowie album title. But it's easy to see that the Jays players themselves are still adjusting to pressure offence. Should we stay or should we go? It's tough to quantify, but I would say, even with no numbers to back it up, that the outs that this style of Jays play costs, balances out pretty much with the runs that it creates. When they can cut out the unnecessary and embarrassing baserunning gaffes, then this will be a much better offence for the pressure that they can put on defences and the distractions they cause pitchers and catchers and constantly moving infield defences.

As for any head-first slides into first base, hey, Robby Alomar is in the Hall-of-Fame with it. But honestly, the head-first slide is a personal decision, not taught by any team and you can argue whether it gets you to first base any faster or whether sliding actually slows you down. However, I honestly believe that it changes the umpires' perception of the traditional bang-bang out call at first base. It seems like so many umpires are ready to call that play an out, no matter what the naked eye and video evidence may quickly show. But when a guy suddenly dives at the bag and slides through the base or rolls off into foul territory, it makes an umpire re-consider what he thought he saw. Plus there is no chance of the head to the knee situation that plagues guys sliding into second (Justin Morneau) or third (Yunel Escobar). In addition, if someone always approaches the dash to first with the option of leaving his feet, he can use it to avoid the sweep tag off a high throw from an infielder. I'm a fan.

With regard to the injured Aaron Hill and if excess running contributed, he was so excited by the newest speed aspect of his game, Lovullo said that every time he reached first base, he was constantly talking about stealing second. For a player that has struggled recently to find joy in his game, that's a great thing to hear. Should he have been exerting himself like that? The thought here is if he's playing, he should be healthy enough to run. The hamstring that has him sidelined is different than the quadriceps that kept him out this spring and from the leg injury that plagued him a year ago.

Q-Hi Richard,
Is it just me or does Bautista hit way too many solo home runs? Where is the ideal spot in the line up for his power? I know the Jays have had a few early season injuries that have not helped with the line up order. To make matters worse we have no real DH. Yesterday's boxscore showed Rivera as DH batting .210. Any chance of Alex pulling the trigger on a deal by July to shore up this problem?
John Sutherland, Petrolia, ON

A-No, Bautista does not hit too many solo home runs and if he does that's more a result of the guys ahead of him in the order than it is his own problem. Also, consider the fact that pitchers approach a hitter differently with men on base. Our own Canadian Hall-of-Famer, Chatham's Ferguson Jenkins did not care that he led the NL in home runs allowed all during his streak of 20-win seasons for the Cubs because he bragged that the majority of those blasts were solo. Nobody on base, challenge the hitter. Runners on base, keep the ball in the park. Nothing has changed with modern hurlers in that regard.

The ideal spot for Bautista in the lineup is batting third. That should be your best hitter, especially if he is a solid baserunner like Bautista (pickoffs aside). You want to make sure your best hitter comes to the plate in the first inning and if there's runners on base even better. Bautista is the Jays best hitter.

As for the Jays' DH issue, I believe that Edwin Encarnacion will wind up there for the most part and do a good job. Right now, with the injuries and with EE's own wonky wrist, the DH has been in flux. Hopefully Rivera has been hitting well enough lately to draw the interest of another team in need of a righthanded bat. By the end of the year, the Jays lineup should have Lind at first, EE at DH and Brett Lawrie at third base – and please don't bring up that Super-2 argument about why the Canadian super-prospect is still in the minors. It's not that I dislike Rivera, but it is just obvious that his combination of salary, age and baseball skills does not fit in with this current group and where they are headed.

Q-At what stage do the Jays simply call Juan Rivera a write-off and waive him? Eat the sunk cost of, I believe, $5.25 million, and give his at bats to any of their other options (Call up Lawrie, DH EE more often, or any other OF option). He is killing the Jays with his lack of production, and he also must have killed whatever trade value he had. Why is he still out there 4-5 times a week?
Jonathan Maile, Vancouver

A-At this stage, there is really no reason to eat the Rivera contract. It's not like he's a clubhouse cancer or anything. The fact is that if the Jays were to waive Rivera, as soon as he became a free agent, there would be a team that would go out and sign him as a righthanded bat off the bench. That being said, the job of AA is to find that particular team and squeeze them for a minor-league prospect and offer to pay the majority of the contract. That will likely happen when the Jays are ready to bring up Lawrie. The amount of money the Jays will be forced to absorb is incidental. They are already saving $23 million on Vernon Wells, balanced against $5.25 million for Rivera, $4 million for Frankie Francisco, an alleged $5 million paid out to the Angels and a reported $1 million received from the Rangers.

Q-Hey Richard,
I haven't been particularly impressed with the way Adam Lind is swinging the bat this year. It appears the troubles from a year ago (lazy fly balls and weak ground outs) are plaguing him again. Is it possible that the Jays have another Eric Hinske on their hands? By that I mean a player who had one above average season but who is actually a below average player? At what point should AA and the Jays start worrying that Lind is never going to return to his 2009 ways?
Terry Lonvell, Toronto

A-You're not alone. I believe that even Adam Lind has not been particularly impressed with the way Adam Lind is swinging the bat. However, he has started to come around and the difference to me, talking to him earlier in April is that he, this year, has never exhibited that palms up shoulder shrugging resignation of a guy that doesn't know what's wrong. Last year that was the case and a large part of it may have had to do with the amount of down time as designated hitter he had during games to think about his woes and never be able to come up with an answer. Now playing first base and being able to contribute with the glove has helped his hitting or at least his attempt to return to his form of '09.

As for the Eric Hinske comparison, after being named 2002 rookie-of-the-year, he had a jinxed sophomore season spoiled by a couple of hand injuries at which point the Jays gave him one more year at third base as the starter before they began to give up on him. They signed Corey Koskie and moved Hinske to first base via phone call in 2006. They traded for Lyle Overbay and moved Hinske to the bench in 2006. He became a free agent after that and played in three consecutive World Series with the Red Sox ('07), the Rays ('08) and the Yankees ('09). Coincidence? Then he went to the playoffs with the Braves in 2010. The Jays, of course haven't been to the post-season since 1993.

Blue Jays mailbag

I apologize for missing out on the mailbag last week, but there were distractions — a weekend side trip to see Trevor Gretzky's high school ball game north of Los Angeles, followed by a 14-inning Jays-Angels game that same night. Then there was four more West Coast games, then finishing the Gretzky piece mid-week and travelling back from Seattle all day Thursday. By that time the moment for last week's mailbag had passed. This week I'll have two mailbags — another one on Thursday.

Funniest story that Wayne Gretzky told? He was asked to make a surprise appearance at a Justin Bieber charity event in the L.A. area because the young Stratford native was a huge fan of the Great One. Gretzky agreed to do it and when he walked out to meet the young singer, the first thing Bieber said to him was, “Hey Wayne, I played in your dad Walter's hockey tournament in Brantford. He's great.” In fact I think every kid in southern Ontario has played in Walter's tournament.   

In baseball news last week, it was difficult to decide whether to smile or frown. The smile would be for the retirement of Carlos Delgado, the greatest Blue Jays player ever, who did the right thing after his aging body failed to respond to an intense rehab program. He hung up the spikes. For him to hang around just in an attempt to hit the 17 homers he needed to crack the 500 mark would have been a mistake. He retired as gracefully as he swung the bat.

The frown, on the other hand, would be for the conviction of Barry Bonds on the one count of obstruction of justice and for Manny Ramirez's seemingly forced retirement in order to avoid a second suspension. The Bonds conviction changes nothing about his already damaged legacy and it's doubtful and unecessary that Bonds do jail time. It's just a sad situation for baseball.

It's pretty well been accepted that the alleged turning point for Bonds in terms of a decision to join the ranks of steroid users was when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa stole the spotlight with their home run chase in 1998. In '98 Bonds had a great five-tool season and nobody even noticed. By '99, Bonds had allegedly joined the ranks of the converted. How good a ballplayer was the pre-steroid Bonds already? From 1986 through 1998, the first 13 years of his career, Bonds already had accumulated 411 homers and 445 stolen bases. The guy was already a Hall-of-Famer. That's what separates him from McGwire and others when it comes to the chances that Bonds will be voted in to Cooperstown. It may not happen first ballot, but it says here that Bonds will be voted in. Manny, on the other hand, has reportedly failed two tests for PED since 2004 when mandatory testing with penalties made steroids strictly verboten. It's difficult to rationalize any Hall consideration for those that have failed in testing since 2004. On to the mailbag.

Q-Richard,

I have two questions relating to John Farrell's decision-making to date (mid-April): Do you think Farrell is extrending the Jays' (young) starting pitchers too far this early in the season — over 100 pitches and seven innings? Playing Rajai Davis (ankle) and Yunel Escobar (a couple of days after being concussed) injured seems very risky and short-term thinking this early in the season. Why risk losing these key starters for longer periods just for a couple of early season wins?

Paul Ufford, London

A-I think for his first half month as manager, Farrell showed that he still has a lot to learn, but what has been obvious is that he is not Cito Gaston. He's not afraid to move guys up and down in the batting order. He's not afraid to have runners on the move even if it's not a full count with two outs. He's not afraid to pinch-hit or pinch-run. He's not afraid to have “personal catchers” for his starting pitchers especially when a young guy like J.P. Arencibia is trying to get his feet wet at the major-league level.

As far as Rajai Davis and his injured ankle – first inning, first game – the big problem was that Corey Patterson, the only other legitimate major-league ready centre fielder, was on the disabled list himself with a head shot from Daniel Bard. As soon as his time was up, the Jays made the move and put Rajai on the DL. It's unfortunate. As for Escobar, the only thing that I was surprised with is that after sliding headfirst into Andy Laroche's knee and laying motionless for 15-20 seconds that they let him go back out to shortstop for the next inning before TV shots revealed a disoriented and dazed young man, blinking heavily and shaking the cobwebs out of his head. Escobar was replaced the next inning by John McDonald and then sat out the next two days, finally getting into the 14-inning game late in Anaheim. But being there in California with the team, I could see that they were doing everything that was mandated by MLB including having two consecutive workouts where the player exhibited no post-concussion symptoms. He passed that in the pre-game on Friday. I asked McDonald about Escobar because he was so much involved in Justin Morneau's concussion last year. Johnny Mac said that in his opinion there was no comparison, because of the difference in the Morneau reaction in the immediate aftermath on the field compared to Escobar's. Aaron Hill said in that half inning Escobar played he was still calling the cover plays at second and Hill was not aware of his problems just by looking over.

As far as the Jays extending their starting pitchers too far early in the season, I don't think there's anything to that. They leave spring training ready for 100-110 pitches. The only thing that is of concern to Farrell is that these guys aren't pitch-efficient enough and expend the 100-pitch total often after five or six innings. That is especially a problem within the AL East. But pitch totals too high, no. 

Q-Hi Richard,

My question is about the runner interference call in the 13th inning of the Angels game last Saturday night. Everyone connected with the Jays, from Buck and Pat to the players and managers, thought it was a horrible call. Mike Scioscia thought it was the right call. What are your thoughts? Is Bob Davidson steadfast in his conviction that it was indeed interference? Do umpires ever review a blown call after the game and say “oops?”

Seth Campbell, Sherwood Park

A-Just an anecdote about Bob Davidson, the man that made the call on Jays interference nullifying a run crossing the plate in the 13th inning in Anaheim. With all the bizarre stuff that went on in that game, I sat in the press box and tried to think of the strangest extra-inning game I had ever seen in terms of funky incidents. The one that came to mind was the 23-inning Expos-Dodgers game in August of '89 at Olympic Stadium. I remember in the 13th inning a young Larry Walker, just called up from the minors, leaping against the right field fence to rob Eddie Murray, but the umps ruled he trapped it and it was a base hit. I recall Youppi being ejected from the game because Tommy Lasorda complained when he jumped up and down on the tin roof of the Dodger dugout. Youppi came back in the 20th inning in night shirt and night cap. Now that was funny. But most of all I remember in the bottom  of the 16th having Larry Walker score the winning run on an apparent sacrifice fly to right. As the Expos celebrated and the Dodgers slowly trudged off the field, one solitary man remained at his position. It was the third base umpire who stood firmly next to the bag and stared down at it. One of the Dodgers coaches noticed the dead giveaway of body language. The Dodgers hustled back to their positions and went through the appeal process stepping on third and asking for the out. The umpire gave an emphatic out sign and the game continued. I checked the boxscore on Retrosheet.com. The third base ump? Yup, Bob Davidson.

Loves the spotlight. Was it the right call with Escobar and interference? No. The fact is the third baseman Alberto Callaspo hesitated not because of Escobar running towards third but because he thought the shortstop Maicer Izturis was going to take the ball. He took a quick glance and when he realized it was his play, he lurched towards the ball but too late to make the play at first. Yes umpires review their own calls after games and so does MLB. I'm sure there are many times where they know they are wrong, but not very often do they go public with their mea culpas. The latest and most famous exception was Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga after the lost perfect game in Detroit last year.

Q-Hi Richard,

All through my 20s I was waiting to be wealthy enough to go to a fantasy camp with the Blue Jays in Florida. Now in my late 30s there hasn't been a camp since 2001... Any chance the Blue Jays will bring them back seeing as Boston and New York both run them? I'm hoping for a chance before I'm too old to throw.

Rob Landau, Toronto

A-There was a time when Fantasy Camps were all the rage but I believe that was at a time back in the day when the economy was booming and young urban professionals making lots of money ruled the day. That was also a time when even star players after they retired were looking for ways to supplement their post-career incomes before they started earning their pensions. But now if a player has played six or more years in the bigs, most of them are financially set if they've planned ahead and the thought of participating as instructors at Fantasy Camps for a little extra cash is not necessary. I think the strike of '94 and the Steroid Era also dulled the enthusiasm of fans with disposable income for Fantasy Camps. I don't believe that being jammed into a cluhouse bathroom stall with Jose Canseco as he shows you the proper way to take a shot in your butt has any appeal to most people.

As for the Jays, I think there is a chance. In the last couple of years, former Jays reliever Duane Ward has put together a network of his former Jays teammates and they are trying to get involved in different things. They are starting this summer with a series of clinics across Canada to teach kids the fundamentals. I believe Ward and his friends would likely be interested in re-creating the Fantasy Camp concept in Dunedin or Clearwater if the interest was there.   

Q-Hey Griff,

Love the bag. What do you make of Snider's start to the season? I am not sure whether to be impressed or concerned. At this point (Monday night), he's in last place among left fielders in fielding percentage (.818), but he's made some strong throws. His batting average is weak (.167), but he's 15th in the league in pitches per plate appearances (4.11). I'd love to hear your assessment.

Ben Collins, Toronto

A-I like the way Snider has looked in left field, at the plate and in the clubhouse. He lost 16 lbs. heading to spring training from a year ago and worked hard with coach Torey Lovullo on his outfield defence. What I have noticed is that all the drills have not yet become second nature for Snider and that sometimes as he approaches a groundball base hit or sets up for a throw you can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to remember what he's been taught. Off the field he's more outgoing and more of an equal with his teammates. At the plate he is not as afraid of the good fastball. He'll be okay.

Q-Hi Richard.

I've been pleased with the work Adam Lind has been doing defensively, I think it will help his hitting. I don't believe young players do well as a DH, it gives them too much time to brood over bad ABs. What do you think is the ETA for Anthony Gose, and what do you project him to be? A leadoff type hitter with Gold Glove capability, or someone who can hit further down the lineup when he fills out more? Also, does his high number of caught stealing stats bother you?

Kevin Layman, St. John's, Nfld.

A-Like Sunday's game, for instance, sometimes Lind has brain spasms that are inexplicable. He seemingly gave up on the groundball over the bag that he may have thought was foul but either went right over the bag or was ticked by his glove in fair territory for a two-base error. However, other than one low throw earlier in the season that he mishandled, his soft hands on balls in the dirt have been superior. That, in fact, is the aspect of his game that A.A. and J.F. analyzed in the winter to determine if the experiment with Lind at first base was wortth it. I have always agreed with you about young guys that are DHs, especially if they are in a slump. In '09 Lind was a DH and excelled offensively. That's an easy situation. But last year he was horrible and had 30 minutes between each plate appearance to think about his failures. That's no good for a young player shy on confidence and bravado to begin with.

Anthony Gose to me is a lot like Kenny Lofton in terms of plate approach and potential. The only thing is he has a superior arm and more potential power than Lofton. They can both run like deers. He will be an impact player in the majors, but he needs this year at Double-A and next year at Triple-A, maybe 1,000 plate appearances. His high number of caught stealing was a result of the Phillies organization challenging him to steal as many bases as he could and not worry about it. His 12-foot lead was too much against major-league teams and it didn't take him long to become more conservative. Through 10 games at New Hampshire he was hitting .225 with two steals and one caught. When he fills out, I might bat him second because he's more of a put-the-ball-in-play and run like hell sort of guy.

Q-Hey Richard.

I know it's a small sample size but J.P. Arencibia has 12 hits, six of which are for extra bases. He's got the most total bases on the team and has played five fewer games than the other regulars. It's a shame to lose his bat when Jose Molina plays personal catcher to Reyes, Drabek, and Morrow (when he gets back). Any chance the Jays would move JP to DH when Molina catches or would that mess him up somehow? Or JP doesn't want to DH. What's the deal?

Jason Godfrey, Hong Kong

A-The Jays are trying to ease Arencibia into becoming a major-league star. He is starting at the shallow end of the at-bat pool and easing down to the deep end rather than doing a cannonball off the high board in his first full year. He has enough on his plate with learning the subtleties of being an on-field defensive leader. More importantly, the only way they could possibly use Arencibia as a DH when he wasn't catching is if they brought up Brian Jeroloman to be a third catcher off the bench. Because if Molina was ever injured or they wanted to pinch-run for him, then Arencibia would have to catch and the pitcher would have to enter the game as a hitter in Molina's spot. And the only way they could carry three catchers is if they had 11 pitchers and that's not about to happen. Arencibia just wants to play but in speaking with him he fully understands why he can't DH.

Q-Hey Richard,

The season is young and already EE's performance at 3B is painful to watch. Even my girlfriend, who doesn't follow baseball, recognizes him as "that guy who makes a mistake every time". I appreciate that the Jays like to keep promises to players re: playing time but at what point will they promise to stop giving me a heart attack every time there is a ground ball to 3B?

Austin N, Toronto

A-You should pray that the Jays keep EE at third base because that keeps the heat off you in the eyes of your girlfriend as “the guy that makes a mistake every time.” They only promised Encarnacion 600 plate appearances if healthy. They did not promise where he would get those at-bats. I have a feeling that as soon as they settle into the roster they really want, without Juan Rivera and with Brett Lawrie that Encarnacion will be able to return to DH with Lawrie and Jayson Nix handling the hot corner. The only reason there was approval from this quarter of the move of re-signing Encarnacion this winter is when it was revealed that he was promised he would NOT play third base. It will happen again. 

Q-Hi Richard.

Love the mailbag. It is something I look forward to each week. Last week you touched on a huge pet peeve of mine, the availability of scorecards at the Rogers Centre. My wife and I have been to a number of big league parks and they all have scorecards available for $1. Rogers Centre seems to be the only one where you have to buy the $5 program just to score the game. It seems like a waste of $10 just so we both can get a scorecard.

Matt Daly, Waterloo

A-I agree with you completely. I don't think that the people making that decision understand what real baseball fans want and what enhances their enjoyment of the game. A simple four-page cardboard insert that can be sold separately with an ad on the back to pay for the production costs and the visiting team roster on the left hand page with a scoresheet and the home team roster on the righthand page with a scoresheet. Simple and perfect. Print 5,000 each game and sell them for a buck. It's not that tough and veteran fans have been neglected long enough.

Q-Hey Richard.

Hoping you can help me with something: I thought I understood how type A free agency works, but now I see I really don't. My impression was you get the first round pic, and a compensation round pic, unless that team also signs a better type A free agent, then you get a compensation pic and a second round pic, and the other team gets the first round pic??? The jays lost type A Downs, but they only seem to get the second round and compensation, and the Angels keep their first round??? I don't get it. What am I missing here??

Mr. Chris

A-You pretty much have it down pat except that the first 15 picks from Round 1 overall are protected meaning the lowest 15 finishing teams from the year before can't lose their first round pick. The reason it doesn't come up that often is that usually the Type A's are signed by teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Braves and others that finished higher in the standings and are looking for that one veteran star to put them over the top. 

Griffin: Wednesday notes from Seattle

 

THURSDAY off day in Boston

 FRIDAY at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. LH Brett Cecil (0-1, 7.20) vs. RH Clay Buchholz (0-2, 7.20)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 SATURDAY at Red Sox, 1:10 p.m. LH Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 5.23) vs. RH Josh Beckett (1-1, 2.08)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

SUNDAY at Red Sox, 1:35 p.m. RH Jesse Litsch (1-0, 2.38) vs. RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2, 12.86)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 MONDAY at Red Sox, 11:05 a.m. LH Ricky Romero (1-1, 1.66) vs. LH Jon Lester (0-1, 3.72)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

 SLUMPING JAYS THREESOME GETS A DAY OFF

On the current road trip, the Jays' trio of Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and Travis Snider have produced a combined 7-for-66-.106. Manager John Farrell found a way to get all three players the day off on Wednesday, playing Edwin Encarnacion at first base, Juan Rivera in left and John McDonald at second. J.P. Arencibia was the DH, allowing Rivera and Encarnacion to play a position.

“I wanted to take advantage of our righthanded hitters against (Jason) Vargas today,” Farrell said. “Give Hill, Snider and Lind a down day in combination with the off day before we go to Boston. It's a chance to get Rivera back in the lineup after a couple of days of working in the cage with (Dwayne Murphy) and also to keep Edwin in the lineup, who's had a pretty good little run here.”

 

FARRELL LOOKING FORWARD TO FENWAY RETURN

The Jays played the Red Sox a couple of times at spring training, but it's not the same as a trip back to Fenway Park. For Jays manager John Farrell, after four years as the Red Sox' pitching coach under Terry Francona, the upcoming series has special meaning.

“I think for everybody that plays in the American League, going into Boston is a special environment,” Farrell said. “Yeah, there'll be more significance having worked there for four years. It'll be a different view of the ballpark sitting on the third base side, I know that. For four years I've stared at that Green Monster right in my face for those times, It's just a good place, it's a great place and we're looking forward to the four-game series.”

 

ARENCIBIA DRAWS FIRST START AS DH WITH MOLINA CATCHING DRABEK

While Jose Molina continues as the personal catcher to Kyle Drabek and Jo-Jo Reyes, manager John Farrell found a way to get J.P. Arencibia's bat in the lineup as DH on Wednesday.

“Obviously in the minor leagues when I didn't catch I was DH'ing,” Arencibia said. “But I understand that it's different. We have guys here who are DHs and I understand that us two catchers being in the lineup is a little tougher because sometimes maybe a guy has to come out or something happens with him. But the biggest thing is going out there and trying to help the team win.”

 

DOWN ON THE FARM

AAA-Las Vegas on Monday beat Sacramento 5-3. 3B Brett Lawrie was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and is hitting .417. Josh Roenicke was the winner over former Jays' farmhand Trystan Magnuson. 1B David Cooper drove in a pair. SS Mike McCoy was 1-for-3..

AA-New Hampshire lost to Reading 3-2 in 11 innings. RHP Zach Stewart went 6-2/3 innings, allowing two runs with no decison. CF Anthonby Gose was 3-for-5.

A-Dunedin lost 5-3 to Lakeland. Brandon Morrow made his second rehab start at A-Dunedin on Tuesday night, pitching three innings against Lakeland. He allowed two runs (earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts. Frank Francisco made his third appearance, allowing a run in hs one inning and taking the loss. RF Brad Glenn homered.

A-Lansing beat South Bend 4-2. RH Drew Hutchinson pitched seven shutout innings, striking out 11. DH Jake Marisnick was 2-for-5 and is hitting .385.

 

 

Griffin: Jays Tuesday notes from Seattle

 

WEDNESDAY at Mariners, 3:40 p.m. RH Kyle Drabek (1-0, 1.29) vs. LH Jason Vargas (0-0, 1.35)

TV: SNET-1 RADIO: FAN 590

 

THURSDAY off day in Boston

 

FRIDAY at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. LH Brett Cecil (0-1, 7.20) vs. RH Clay Buchholz (0-2, 7.20)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

SATURDAY at Red Sox, 1:10 p.m. LH Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 5.23) vs. RH Josh Beckett (1-1, 2.08)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

SUNDAY at Red Sox, 1:35 p.m. RH Jesse Litsch (1-0, 2.38) vs. RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2, 12.86)

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

MONDAY at Red Sox, 11:05 a.m. LH Ricky Romero vs. LH Jon Lester

TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

 

 JAYS FORCED TO SWITCH GEARS ON MCCOY

The Jays' original plan prior to Monday's game was to disable Rajai Davis and to bring back Mike McCoy. However the rule is that an optioned player must remain down in the minors for 10 days unless he is replacing a disabled player. Then he can come back earlier. However when David Purcey was designated for assignment after his dismal outing, the Jays felt they needed to bring up Casey Janssen. But since Janssen was also sent down just last Friday, they needed to use the Davis DL to cover Casey's recall to the majors. That left McCoy with no way back to the Jays. Instead, with Purcey's newly open spot on the roster, they called up a 13^th pitcher, Brad Mills who will help them survive four games in Boston.

 

MORROW GETS HIS WORK IN AGAINST LAKELAND

The injured starter Brandon Morrow made his second rehab start at A-Dunedin on Tuesday night, pitching three innings against Lakeland. He allowed two runs (earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts. He is likely to need another start before re-joining the Jays.

 

WHEN IS A CLOSER NOT A CLOSER

Manager John Farrell was concerned that Jon Rauch was the last pitcher available in the bullpen, so he held him out of the ninth inning just in case the game went to extras. But isn't that the role of the closer, to make sure the game does not go to extra innings?

“It is (what the closer's for) and yet we felt as well as Shawn Camp has been pitching, we didn't have any issues as far as ranking or one, quote-unquote, has been labelled as a closer.,” manager John Farrell said. “We felt if Ichiro got a base hit there we had to protect going possibly 13 innings again. A number of things came into play with that ultimate decision, even sending Shawn back out to pitch the ninth. Sitting here today you can look at any number of things and say why didn't this happen, why didn't that happen? But given the factors at hand, six pitchers already in the game in the bullpen, ending up in a one-run situation, two outs, man at third base with one of the best hitters in the history of the game at the plate, opting to walk him and go up against a young switch hitter. We would go in that direction again. If we don't get behind 2-0, we're pitching to him. I went against the textbook. Putting the winning run on, you have a chance to get burned. We did.”

DOWN ON THE FARM

AAA-Las Vegas on Monday beat Sacramento 6-3. LF Eric Thames was 2-for-2 with a homer and three walks. 3B Brett Lawrie was 2-for-5 with his first Jays' organization and first AAA homer.

AA-New Hampshire lost to Reading 13-1. DH Adam Calderone had a triple and the only RBI. 2B Jon Diaz was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks..

A-Dunedin lost 3-2 to Lakeland. Nestor Molina allowed one run in five innings with 6 Ks but took the loss.

A-Lansing beat South Bend 9-8. Canadian LF Marcus Knecht was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Alex Pepe picked up the win in relief. C Carlos Perez was 2-for-5. CF Jake Marisnick was 2-for-4.

 

 

Griffin: Jays Monday notes from Safeco in Seattle

TUESDAY at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. LH Ricky Romero (1-0, 1.32) vs. RH Michael Pineda (0-1, 4.50) TV: SNET RADIO: FAN 590

WEDNESDAY at Mariners, 3:40 p.m. RH Kyle Drabek (1-0, 1.29) vs. LH Jason Vargas (0-0, 1.35) TV: SNET-1 RADIO: FAN 590

 THURSDAY off day in Boston

 

EDWIN ENCARNACION NOT SIGNED AS A THIRD BASEMAN...WHY IS HE PLAYING THERE?

When Edwin Encarnacion was signed as a free agent, it was supposed to be as a designated hitter and a backup first baseman. That's the way it was announced. The obvious fact from 2010 was that his erratic play at third base did not take away from the fact that when he was in the lineup he produced. Suddenly Encarnacion is back as the starting third baseman and has made four errors in four starts at the hot corner. Why?

“When we signed him again there was a lot of moving parts,” GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “Vernon (Wells) was still on the team. We acquired (Rajai) Davis. We didn't know where he was going to play. We knew (Jose) Bautista had the ability to play third base.

“There was no question trading Vernon so late in the off-season impacted a lot of things. Then obviously when we got to spring training I thought Jose played very well at third. We knew we were going to continue to play Edwin at third just from a roster standpoint. It's nice to have someone that you can put there from time to time and he looked a lot better.

“There's no queston the error totals from the first few games are certainly high, but I remember there were spurts last year where he might make a few errors and then go a few weeks where he would look really good, look really sharp. I'm just hoping he went through as little bit of a rut early and he's going to bounce back and end up being fine. It's so early and I know this is part of the game and I try to catch myself and not get too emotional too early, try and stay objective and stay even-keeled. We continue to evaluate it.”

On Monday, Juan Rivera sat, while Jayson Nix played third base and Encarnacion was the DH.

RIVERA SLUMPING AS DH AND PLAYER

In the series against the Angels, Juan Rivera swung the bat poorly, going a soft 3-for-13 and sometimes ran the bases disinterestedly, once going into second base standing up and slowing down as Maicer Izturis completed a double play. In most other at-bats when he put the ball in play, he never even reached first base, peeling off to the dugout after the out was made. He was spoken to by the coaching staff when the egregious DP occurred. On Monday, against Felix Hernandez in the opener against the M's, Rivera was on the bench.

“Rivera is off to a slow start like a lot of our players are,” GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “Again you have to remind yourself  it's a long season. I think last April Bautista hit .214. John Buck was in the one-somethings. Lyle Overbay for two months got off to a slow start.

“Juan's been a productive hitter. He's only 32. Swinging the bat at spring training he was squaring balls up and hitting them hard. It's just one of those things, he's in a bit of a funk. He knows it. You can tell he's frustrated, just trying to work on some things, but he's too good a hitter, too accomplished a hitter to not snap out of it.”

 FRANCISCO AND MORROW GETTING CLOSER

The injured starter Brandon Morrow is scheduled to make his second rehab start at A-Dunedin on Tuesday night. Meanwhile Frank Francisco was cuffed around by the Clearwater Phillies on Sunday and needs more work before returning to the Jays.

“We're going to see how (Brandon's) next start goes, how deep he's going to go, how his arm feels,” Anthopoulos said. “It's possible one (more start), no more than two. We're hopeful one, but we're just going to continue to evaluate it. We're going to make sure that he's built up enough.

“With Frankie, we don't have a finite number right now. He's going to continue to throw, continue to get him some reps. He barely threw in the spring, two or three innings. Even you look at a guy like (Octavio) Dotel. His thing was to get 10 appearances or so. Wer're not married to that number for Frankie -- and again performance isn't everything. Brandon Morrow was up to 97 (m.p.h.) and he got hit around. But it's more about building him up stamina wise. Frankie is going to be evaluated outing by outing. When he's back, he's going to be fine.”

 DOWN ON THE FARM

AAA-Las Vegas on Sunday lost 8-5 to Fremont. CF Darin Mastroianni was 3-for-4. LF Eric Thames was 2-for-4 and drove in a pair. 3B Brett Lawrie made his second error of the season. RF Adam Loewen collected his first hit and is batting .100.

AA-New Hampshire beat Trenton 5-0, behind the 5-2/3 innings of Willie Collazo. LF Adam Calderone stroked a 3-run double.

A-Dunedin lost 5-4 to Clearwater. Impressive RHP Asher Wojciechowski pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball. It was his first start in his pro debut. RHP Frankie Francisco got two outs, but gave up four runs on three hits, with two walks. CF Chris Hopkins was 3-for-4.

A-Lansing lost 13-12 to West Michigan. Canadian RF Michael Crouse was 2-for-5 with his first homer of the year and four RBIs. C Carlos Perez was 3-for-5.

 

 

 

Jays mailbag: How about sending the Triple-A 51s to Montreal instead?

Note to Paul Beeston regarding the staging of a Jays' exhibition game in Montreal. Keep that bone in your pocket Mr. Beeston, right next to your Cubans.

Montrealers don't need your charity if all it involves is playing a one or two-game exhibition series at the Big O coming out of spring training. That's a no-win situation for that city's knowledgeable ball fans.

Montreal deserves professional baseball but it has to be more substantial than that. Those striving-to-impress exhibition games in any sport are horrible for a city, especially one trying to re-assert itself as a baseball town. Think of the Bills in Toronto. People were using that opportunity as an indicator of the city's NFL interest. But the whole Bills experiment has been counter-productive with the NFL.

As for Montreal and pro baseball again, Jays' no-name pitchers in games with minor-league players as the real major-leaguers rest up for opening day. No, keep it. Montreal is already a baseball town. The Montreal Royals played in that city from 1897-1917 and from 1928-1960. Then the Expos came on board as Canada's first major-league team and played with pride from 1969-2004.

As an ex-Montrealer, we don't need your table scraps.  

Hey, instead, how about the Jays working with established corporate money in Montreal and coordinating an ownership group to bring Jays' Triple-A baseball back to Montreal as a top farm club in a new 12,000 seat stadium built somewhere near the downtown core.

Now that would be a worthwhile project.

The Jays will be trying to get out of Las Vegas after 2012 and GM Alex Anthopoulos ( a native Montrealer) while still an assistant GM three years ago talked about the hypocrisy of major-league baseball taking all its affiliate minor-league teams out of Canada and how that should change.

A man of his word, A.A. as GM has already put a short-season A team in Vancouver.

Forget the exhibition concept for Montreal. Olympic Stadium was not a good playing surface at the best of times, bordering on the dangerous. Any potential baseball configuration of that stadium has already been put in the rear-view mirror by the Quebec government with the letters reading “Warning. Objections may be closer than they appear.”

What Montreal needs is a new 12,000 seat minor-league ballpark funded privately with the potential to be expanded to 40,000, built in the style of that ballpark in Buffalo you drive by on the way to a Sabres game. Yes, that would be the first step to re-establishing Montreal as a baseball town after the Expos were purposely sabotaged by major-leaguer baseball with the complicity of the Jays who wanted Canada for themselves. They took franchises out of Milwaukee, Seattle and Kansas City and they all have franchises again. Why not Montreal, but first they need success at Triple-A.        

Q. Griff - What a start! I have a humdinger of a question for you which concerns Juan Rivera. It is clear that he has become the odd man in the lineup and his demotion from the field is proof of this. Would they consider simply releasing him or sending him to the minors via waivers? The roster spot could be used by any number of guys knocking on the door (if not Lawrie, then perhaps Thames). At this point, who is going to take him - even if we eat his salary? My feeling is that it is time to cut our losses and accept an addition by subtraction situation. Help me out with this one.

Mauro Cavazzon, Markham

A. The moment of truth for Juan Rivera and his future with the Jays will come maybe as early as when Corey Patterson is ready to return from what looked very much like a concussion when hit in the head by Daniel Bard.

However in the meantime there always remains the likelihood that another injury will affect the roster makeup and postpone his departure, something like maybe Wednesday's knee to the head of Yunel Escobar.

At the end of the spring, there was room for both Rivera and Patterson when Jose Bautista was a third baseman but now that the MLB home run king is back in right, they don't need five outfielders. As for teams willing to take Rivera, if the Jays would be willing to pay the lion's share of his $5.25 million in a trade, which they would, there are teams out there that would easily take him as a fourth outfielder.

He's not an awful player, he just stands out as a bad fit on this Jays' team moving forward. They would have to designate him for assignment before they released him, if it came down to that, and there is very little likelihood, since the contract is guaranteed anyway, that Rivera would accept assignment to AAA-Las Vegas.

Besides, the outfield in Vegas of Eric Thames, Adam Loewen and Darin Mastroianni needs to play every day. At some point in the not too distant future, Rivera will no longer be a Jay and the salary the club is forced to eat won't be a factor. It balances nicely against the $23 million they saved when Vernon Wells took his services to the Angels.

Q. Hi Richard, I'm just wondering what the Jays' thinking is behind assigning Zack Stewart to New Hampshire instead of Vegas.
They can't be that apprehensive of sending young prospects to the desert can they? There's also the weather
 factor, cold start early in the year versus warm climate.
 Now, far be it for me to make these judgements but I just can't come up with a logical reason that Stewart (and
 Jon Diaz for that matter) are back at AA to start the year.
 Also, why hasn't Brett Lawrie been assigned to any team yet? 
Maybe you can shed some light.

A. The Vegas schedule starts on the road on Thursday and they open by playing four in Fresno and four more in Sacramento before the home opener on April 15. The brightest-light prospects of the Jays' organization's advanced minor league starting pitchers include Stewart (at AA),  Henderson Alvarez (DL), Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire, all at A-Dunedin. None of the fab four is pitching in the bright lights of Vegas. On purpose? Well, yeah. Guys like Brad Mills, Robert Ray, Luis Perez, Mike MacDonald and Scott Richmond are starters in Vegas. Clearly, the Jays do not want their prime young pitching prospects in Sin City. Kyle Drabek spent the entire season in 2010 at New Hampshire and went right to the majors. It's not an impediment. Double-A is the most important level. The Jays are looking forward to the day they can replace the poor playing conditions of Vegas with another Triple-A city closer to Toronto – like maybe Ottawa. As for Lawrie, the studly native of Langley, B.C. Is indeed opening the season with the 51s at third base. Maybe not for long. 

Q. Hi Richard. I read your blog every week and each one of your columns. I'm 31, and I've been a long-time Jays fan, and I'm really excited about this team, and about the work of AA. So I was a bit dismayed to read your characterization of the "mostly younger crowd in the upper deck, the MTV reality, life in the raw generation, to whom drinking in excess, bad language and physical confrontation mean only one thing — Jersey Shore."

While 31 is not all that young, I would still consider myself a 'younger' fan. And I just wanted to make clear that many of us 'younger crowd' considered the behaviour exhibited at Friday's home opener to be disgraceful and ridiculous. I come to watch the games, not to watch drunken idiots punch each other in the stands. I'm not sure when the Jays home opener became the gong show that it now is, but I really wish the Rogers Centre would take a much stronger stance in responding.

From my seat (Section 532, Row 6), I witnessed no less than 4 incidents. Each one was allowed to continue for quite some time before a response, which was usually one lone usher trying to deal with 25-30 drunk and rowdy individuals chanting in his/her face. This is no way to manage a crowd. If the Jays truly cared about the fan experience, they would have a much larger (in numbers) and more effective (in response time) security staff for Opening Night.

While the energy of a full Rogers Centre is great and a fabulous home-field advantage, there is a big difference between being amped up for your team to win (which I really enjoy being a part of), and attending an event where you pay no attention to what is happening on the field because you are too busy hurling insults at the equally-intoxicated idiots around you in anticipation of sparking a fight.

So please don't lump us all into the same category. There are many young fans out there who AREN'T part of the "Jersey Shore generation".

Julie G.

A. I received quite a few e-mails with variations on that theme. President Paul Beeston apologized on Sunday for some of the opening night hooliganism, pointing out that the Jays had extra security on hand realizing it was a Friday night and that thousands might have had an afternoon head start towards their own personal brain-numbing oblivion.

It just seems to me that back in the day there existed more “happy” drunks as opposed to these days when alcohol seems to make more younger people angrier and more combative. From what you and others are saying that supposed extra security was really nowhere to be seen when push came to shove. The majority of fans were all good, full of energy and passion for the exciting opener that was unfolding on the field. All it takes is about 300 fighting fools to make it a bad experience for 47,000 that were there to celebrate the opening of another baseball season.

Q. I read and enjoy many of your articles that you publish in the Star. I have a topic that I would like to cover among Blue Jay fans and team management and maybe you could lead the way on this topic; Blue Jays Logo. I was at the game yesterday with some friends and we were comparing the current logo with the original logo.

The current logo does not look appealing at all and for a sports team to build its brand and foundation a team must keep certain aspects of its organization the same, for example its logo. Teams like the Leafs, Yankees, Red Sox have had the same logo for many decades.

Many teams in professional sports keep the same logo where it eventually becomes a brand and is recognized globally. The Jays had its best years with its original logo and I think, as many other do, that the Blue Jays should bring back their original logo.

Thanks, Jiries N.

A. It's a nice thought, not uncommon among old-school baseball fans, but the Jays won't ever go back to the old logo for exactly the same reason they jettisoned the powder blue unis that they had favoured on Flashback Fridays the past few years.

The feeling at Rogers is the future is now. While Paul Godfrey as ex-club president in the early '00s tried unsuccessfully to boost the team's flagging fortunes by putting all his eggs in the basket of nostalgia, constantly honouring and celebrating the championship Jays of Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick from the '80s and '90s while downplaying the current teams much to that team's annoyance, new/old president Paul Beeston now back for a second tour, wants none of that sappy “the way we were” stuff.

Beeston would rather have fans look to the future as envisioned by his new GM Alex Anthopoulos which means, necessarily, having a new logo, new colours and a ban on Kelly Gruber sightings waving to fans from atop the dugout.

The other thing to consider about the ever-changing Jays' logo is that since the great strike of '94, Jays' swag in all of its incarnations, has been one of the lowest selling properties in baseball. They keep trying to come up with an idea that will change that trend and make the Jays logo a best seller again. Note to Jays. The idea is called winning. It's why the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cardinals never feel the need to experiment.       

Q. A few years ago folks watching Jays home games on TV were shown via a roof cam whether or not a pitch was over the plate. Obviously this was not shown in the stadium. This feature has disappeared and I would like to have it back. Can you tell me why and ask if this service could be restored?

Lloyd Sayer, Amherstburg, Ont.

A. I could never understand, still can't understand why baseball is the only major sport that sets its officials up to fail. I don't agree with umpires often, but I'm with them on this one.

The high home overhead cameras to which you refer would always show if a pitch was slightly off the plate or caught the edges, but could not show high or low. If you want to know whether a pitch is a strike, pay attention to the man in street clothes standing directly behind the catcher.

Tip No. 1: If his right hand shoots up in the air and he bellows or grunts, then that is a strike. That's the final word, folks. But in the baseball playoffs, especially, you will see live on-screen, an omni-present strike box. As a pitch is delivered TV will show everyone at home where the pitch crosses the plate.

The MLB umpires are then in a can't win situation. If the pitch is shown as in the zone and the umpire calls it a strike, hey, it's supposed to be a strike, but if it is slightly off the square and a strike is called, woe to the umps.

Fans at home will throw their hands in the air and question the competency of the game officials. And, trust me, that happens a lot. To their dis-credit, baseball allows the judgment of its arbiters to be placed in doubt on every pitch.

Why would major-league baseball continue to allow this? Super slo-mo replays provide enough second-guessing. We don't need the high overhead shots to further second-guess and distract from the game because there is no depth perception and the angle of camera positions can be deceiving.    

Q. Hi Richard. Love the mailbag. I've noticed the new "pitchers bench" that was added to the Jays dugout and it had me wondering why they don't have more comfortable seats in baseball like they do in professional soccer? Those wood-looking community benches don't look very comfortable and the new pitchers bench has no back support. This probably isn't good when watching a four-hour baseball game. Soccer has individual comfy seats that are locked together with what looks like great lumbar support, not to mention they're pretty snazzy looking. Thanks for your thoughts.

Cameron Runte, Vancouver

A. The new backless wooden benches bolted to the floor, one at each end of the Rogers Centre dugouts about four human major-league butts wide, were installed along with the new protective nettings that have been placed as a safety measure at the top step on each side the length of the dugouts.

Prior to this, the Rogers Centre dugouts were prone to line drive foul balls being ripped in and scattering players, those that were even paying attention. It was a solid safety addition, but necessarily changed the sightlines for those sitting on the regular benches at the back of the dugout.

Now, with the new benches and the ability to drape your arms over the padded barrier and watch the game, there are fewer players left on the regular back benches as the game goes on. I do not believe that the comfort of the players, as per pro soccer, was of concern to anyone. Face it. The cameras never linger on the benches in soccer because it's not important. In baseball, within Jays' games, there's nothing that would piss off TV viewers more than having the home team down by four runs in the eighth inning and the cameras pan to the dugout to show players lounging back in padded seats with their lumbars all comfy, cozy.      

Q. Hi Richard. Your blog on baseball and first loves got me reminiscing. My first love actually taught me how to score a baseball game. She had a part-time job scoring for a men's recreational softball league. Since we were quite young it gave us a legitimate reason to spend time together. My question is that scoring is a lost art. Could you suggest to the Jays that they hand out scoring sheets to the crowd as a means to get more involvement and increase the knowledge level. As for the other scoring as I recall I was being waved home but missed the sign. Thanks.

Bo Buczko, Toronto

A. Scoring with ones girlfriend for four hours is indeed a lost art. I hate to always bring it back to what the Expos did -- I know fans get annoyed sometimes at all the back-in-the-day references -- but I agree with you about the Jays needing to find a way to make scorecards available to more fans.

What the Expos did at Olympic Stadium was, that with every game program sold, they included a four page scorecard insert with both teams’ rosters and a basic printed primer on the art of scoring.

The cardboard scorecard was loose but was included with the official $5 magazine. You could also buy just the scorecard itself for 50 cents, which was the key difference. It changed each series with updated rosters. That way if you were going to attend all three games of a series you didn't need to fork out the money for a new magazine every night just to score the games. If the Jays ever did have a scorecard available for even a dollar, more fans of all ages would learn to score and enjoy and understand baseball better. Being able to re-create a baseball game years later via the scorecard is a huge part of the sport's charm.