Jays add Arencibia and Lawrie back into lineup: Griffin

The Jays on Friday activated a pair of important injured position players, third baseman Brett Lawrie and catcher J.P. Arencibia and added them to the lineup against the Red Sox in time for the first of a three-game series. John Farrell said he was pleased and relieved, no, make that thrilled to have them back.

In addition, the club recalled catcher/infielder Yan Gomes and pitchers David Carpenter and Joel Carreno. 

Arencibia had been out with a broken hand suffered on a foul tip vs. Oakland on July 25. The 27-year-old recently completed a rehab stint with A-Dunedin, as they completed their playoffs. Arencibia is batting .242 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in 81 games. He had been helping carry the offence in the absence of Jose Bautista, injured nine days earlier.

Lawrie has had stops and starts in his rehab from a strained right oblique suffered in Oakland on August 2. He ended up his minor-league rehab on Thursday with A-Lansing in the Midwest League playoffs, going 3-for-4, with a triple and a walk, but made two errors as Lansing was eliminated in their first-round series. The righthanded hitter, a Langley B.C. native is batting .282 with none homers and 40 RBIs.

The Jays had not been planning on any other September recalls, during the period of the 40-man roster, but the fact that Gomes, Carpenter and Carreno are all on the 40-man roster and healthy changed that line of thinking.

Gomes, 25, has appeared in 33 games for the Jays this season, but finished the year at AAA-Las Vegas batting .328 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs. 

Carreno, 25, had two separate stints with the Jays, appearing in seven games with a 0-2 record and a 6.35 ERA. One of the starts was the bizarre Milwaukee appearance where he took the red-eye from Tucson, started a day game and was shipped out the next day. He split his minor-league season between AA-New Hampshire and Vegas, appearing in 27 games with a 4-9 record and a 4.90 ERA. 

Carpenter, 27, was the other Carpenter, acquired with J.A. Happ and Brandon Lyon from the Astros on July 20. He appeared in 30 games with the Astos and one with Jays, splitting his minor league time between Oklahoma City and Las Vegas, with a 1-1 record and a 3.08 ERA in 23 games.

All five players will be activated in time for Friday's game at Fenway Park. 

 

Blue Jays mailbag: Competition with Red Sox will continue into offseason

Suffice it to say the Jays have never had a season quite like the one they are currently having. Season-ending injuries to key players, including the two-time defending home run champ, plus two starters and a closer. Add to that a healthy starting ace who has now lost 12 decisions in a row. 

The struggling Jays head to Boston to face a completely different Red Sox team that looked disinterested and listless on their recent West Coast trip. The Sox must be viewed in a different light than ever before. It's like looking in a mirror.

After shedding $260 million in future payroll via a huge  trade with the Dodgers, the Sox are setting themselves up to likely be going after the same free agents and the same players in trade as are the Jays in an effort to reload into an instant contender — with different faces to redo the clubhouse culture. They're looking for high character guys with talent that can step in and create an immediate winner.

What?? So, it seems, are the Jays.

Oh, by the way, the Red Sox may also be interested in seeking permission from the Jays to speak to manager John Farrell as a replacement for Bobby Valentine, who is greasing his own skids daily with some decidedly erratic behaviour, including an offer to punch a local radio host in the mouth for asking a question in a phone interview that he didn't appreciate.

Should the Jays even consider letting the Sox talk to their manager with a year left on his contract or should they start negotiating an extension to lock up Farrell for another three years beyond 2013? That's an internal discussion that will continue for the remainder of the season, because that process won't start in Boston while Valentine still sits in the manager's chair.

Recall those same Farrell-to-Boston questions arose last October before Valentine was hired, but at the time the Jays skipper who was pitching coach in Boston from 2007-10, had just made his debut and had two years left on his contract. Plus, the Jays believed they could contend in '12 so they changed their own rules about accommodating their baseball personnel that wanted to leave and now say that they will now not allow their employees to leave for a parallel move. The Jays would love to finish with fewer than 90 losses, meaning they need 12 more wins.

On to the Mailbag:     

Q-Richard,

My problem all year long has been the use of the 25-man roster. Why 13 pitchers which seriously depletes your bench strength? Then on Sept. 1, they recall two more pitchers when the rosters expanded! With no bench strength, the playoffs will be a dream only. You can't just play the same eight (players) game-in and game-out — you're just looking at someone breaking down.

Dave Mulholland, Toronto

A-I agree with you. I have never understood 13 pitchers and 12 players and the Jays insisting that that balance is a necessity. There have been so many games this lost season where it has come down to late innings and the bullpen has six pitchers staring through the fence and the dugout has just one healthy body to play a position. This decade, maybe even this organization, has been ridiculous in terms of babying bullpen arms. Relievers used to pitch 3-4 games in a row several times per year with at least one or two of those being multiple innings. But the Jays have run into situations where Omar Vizquel has had to remain in a game when another player would have been better, but none was available. It's not even just having 12 position players, it's having some of those guys with nagging one or two game injuries that has even hampered the best match-ups against certain pitchers. It's been wrongheaded. 

Q-Is there some reason why the Jays aren't giving Carlos Villanueva the respect he deserves? He's only done everything they could have asked and more, and has really stepped up this year. He's a free agent at the end of this season, but if I were he, I certainly wouldn't give the Jays any home discount. Is there something more to the story that fans don't know about? Does he have horrible BO or something? Thanks,

Richard Worzel, Toronto

A-I agree with you that if Carlos Villanueva has not noticed the disrespect he's been getting from the Jays as a future member of the rotation, then he's not paying attention. But he is. If the Jays continue to regard him as the ultimate swingman, rather than as a No. 5 starter, then they will not offer him nearly enough to be competitive with other teams that have been scouting the Jays in the second half. Villanueva is a consistent 6-7 innings, 0-4 earned runs guy that can throw 100 pitches and keep his team in the game every time out. That is the definition of a fifth starter on a good team. I think you may be digging a little deep looking for reasons. I would not be surprised the more starts Villanueva makes the more the Jays begin seriously thinking about making him an offer as a rotation guy for three years.  

Q-Hey, Read your column every chance I get. Love to hear your baseball knowledge.

Had an idea on next year. Maybe outside the box a bit, and far from complete but an idea. So. Watching Rajai Davis and Anthony Gose running, wow, love to see both. Like Buck Martinez always says on broadcasts, “look what speed does.” So, Gose in right, Davis in left. Jose Bautista always says he will play where the team needs him. Back at third. Need a second baseman next year? Brett Lawrie works. He played there before. Edwin Encarnacion at first. Yunel Escobar, short. Colby Rasmus, centre. Leaves options for injuries or trade options for pitching? Just an idea. I know Davis isn't perfect defensively but maybe speed on basepaths makes up for it.

Curious to see what you think.

Dan Frook, Fergus

A-I love baseball speed, also, dating back to my NL days. But for baseball speed to pay off, it has to have the ability to reach base on its own and to play defence in order to bolster a pitching staff. At this moment, Gose can play defence, but can't reach base enough to merit a starting role. Davis, for his part, can't play defence well enough to reflect his blazing speed and when he does play on an everyday basis his offence starts to fall off. Gose, I believe, needs another half-season of seasoning. Davis needs to be in the role the Jays imagined, to be a fourth outfielder on a good major-league team, complementing a left-handed hitting starter and coming off the bench as a pinch-runner, a disruptor in late innings. 

That being said, if Bautista was going to change positions, I would ask him to shift to first base. First base can be a leadership position if shortstop is not. By leadership, I mean the ability and willingness to walk to the mound and calm a young pitcher down or to make sure everyone is on the same page in defending bunts, etc. It was something Carlos Delgado did. The Jays haven't had that first baseman ever since. If Bautista was at first base, Encarnacion could be the primary DH with the ability to play first base as well. There is no reason to think that Lawrie has not already found his best defensive position at third-base. He is fearless on ground balls and makes beautiful feeds to second base on double plays. However, if Gose is not ready to take a regular position and Sierra is not an everyday right fielder yet, then that change of Jose to first base could wait. As for second base, I would head to spring training and give Adeiny Hechavarria a chance to win the second base position.     

Q-Hello Mr. Griffin,

This might be a dumb question, but you have talked about the idea of having two hitting coaches with the Jays as being a good idea. With the Las Vegas season being over do/could the Jays (or any team), call up coaches, like they call up players to be with the major league team until the end of the year? Thanks,

Chuck Giles, Washago

A-Yes, I am in favour of the Jays' utilizing Dwayne Murphy and an associate hitting coach, in this case Chad Mottola, who has been the Triple-A hitting coach the past three years and has worked with virtually all of the home grown players. The Rangers and the Cardinals both had such a setup with two hitting coaches last season and they each went to the World Series.

Mottola has been called up already from Vegas, but will not be in uniform for games. In September, major-league teams are able to add one coach in uniform and this year that will be Luis Rivera, who has been with the team all season. Last September, Mottola was also called up and was in uniform. I think the time has come to add him as an associate hitting coach for the year. Another pair of eyes on the hitters during games could not hurt. They have worked well together for the last three springs.    

Q-Richard,

I love the mailbag and it's the highlight of my (baseball reading) week when it happens. With a few Jays farmhands starting to find time with the big club, I've started to wonder how good these guys will actually become when they're ready for the show. I've heard (Justin) Nicolino called a Tom Glavine in waiting, (Travis) D'Arnaud the next Brian McCann and Gose the next Kenny Lofton. Are any of these projections reasonable or are they far beyond what we should expect? How good are the Blue Jays' top prospects? Which players (current or former) would you say provide the best comparison?

Thanks,

Joseph C, Toronto

A-I think Justin Nicolino would prefer to be compared to Cliff Lee, which is not a bad choice. Nicolino has a full repertoire that needs to be pared down to his four best pitches before he gets to the Show. He's got two- and four-seam fastballs, change, slider and curveball. It will probably come down to the two FBs, the curve and change. As for D'Arnaud, as a right-handed hitter and at his size, a better comparison might be to Buster Posey of the Giants. The Jays hope that D'Arnaud has that same leadership quality as the Giants' star and the ability to provide some solid offence to the mix. The Gose/Lofton comparison has been an obvious one since the first spring training that the Jays' youngster was invited to play in spring games. It's never the right question to ask is a player the next so-and-so. The comparisons are always just guidelines to think about when you first see a player. They will always develop their own personality if they're good enough. 

Q-Richard,

Always enjoy your column! The Blue Jays coaching staff preaches 'pitch to contact' with its starters. How common is this among MLB teams? Is this a philosophy based on the talent you have available? Does the philosophy extend down through an organization into the minors? How effective of a strategy do you think it is? It seems the most effective starters for the Jays — Carlos Villenueva, J.A. Happ and Brandon Morrow — seem to get a lot of Ks.

Thanks,

Mitch K, Toronto

A-I don't believe the Jays' coaching staff ever has preached “pitching to contact” as the be-all and end-all of pitching philosophy. They actually prefer “big arms with swing-and-miss ability,” guys like Steve Delabar. What is perceived as encouraging “pitching to contact” is when a pitcher constantly has a pitch count at, or over, 80 pitches through four innings, in that area of inefficiency. So what the Jays are looking for is establishing strike one and getting into pitcher's counts, meaning ahead in the count 0-1, 0-2, 1-2. When Brandon Morrow earlier in his Jays career was struggling with pitch count, they encouraged him to pitch to more contact earlier in counts and in the game in order to go deeper, but when the key moment comes, with runner on third and less than two out, they still prefer pitchers with swing-and-miss ability that are able to get the key strikeout when needed. For guys like Alvarez and Villanueva, guys that don't have that big arm, pitching to contact with quality strikes is the key.    

Q-Richard,

Unfortunately it's that time of the year again to start thinking about next year's roster and I was wondering what your thoughts would be about having Adam Lind move to LF. That would free up the DH spot for the Jays to test the free agent waters. Also, seeing as the FA crop for 2B is pretty thin and the homegrown talent cupboard seems frightfully bare, would the Jays entertain the thought of re-signing Kelly Johnson? Always appreciate your insight.

George O'Hagan, Guelph

A-It is indeed the time of year to start thinking about next year's roster, but one of the keys for the Jays, one of the mantras of GM Alex Anthopoulos' recent roster building has always been to become more athletic at every position. Moving Lind to left field would not be a step in that direction. He is a hitter. The most athletic first baseman on the current roster is Edwin Encarnacion. In order to remain on the team, Lind's best role would be as a DH with the ability to fill in at first base occasionally.

As for second base in 2013, Farrell and AA talk in a good AL lineup of being able to carry one bat that is less than level, as long as you have eight major-league hitters. If the Jays can bolster the offence with one more major-league bat, they could afford to start the season with Adeiny Hechavarria at second base and Yunel Escobar at shortstop. Re-signing KJ to play second would not seem to be in the Cards. See the above criteria of athleticism, which second base falls under that same requirement.

Q-Hello Richard,

I know that the Blue Jays young pitcher Henderson Alvarez is just that, young. He is a pretty good pitcher but although some commentators said that he has "ice in his veins" i.e. that nothing bothers him, I think that he has not too much going on upstairs as well because in spite of the fact that every one praises him and his pitching, they say that he should keep the ball down, but he repeatedly leaves a few up and those are hit for home runs and those are the runs that causes him to lose games.

In time he will be a great pitcher but it does not take age to learn from one's repeated mistakes. Any thoughts on this?

Tony D'Souza, Toronto

A-I don't think it's fair to say “he has not too much going on upstairs.” He's a young, 22-year-old Venezuelan who has not yet grasped his necessary second language, the bane of many young Latinos when it comes to public perception of their baseball smarts.

The reality with Henderson Alvarez is that he's going to have to earn a spot in the starting rotation in 2013. He needs to separate the velocity on his fastball and slider by more than he currently does. He needs to locate his sinker where the catcher sets up and not elevate it and leave it in the middle of the plate. He is one of the Jays most relaxed pre-game pitchers on days that he starts. He often has friends outside the clubhouse that he hangs out with. Everyone is different. I think the 95 mph fastball and a good changeup make him a solid pitcher, but he needs a quality third pitch, the slider to step up. If Alvarez does not make the starting five coming out of spring training the Jays will be pretty good.    

Q-Hi Richard,

I've been enjoying details of your pub crawls on the road via your Bullpen, but couldn't you combine them with pumping out some more mailbags? Seems to me that might be a good combination. Here's my question: in this crazy, disappointing, seemingly train wreck of a season, please give us fans five positives to take with us into 2013 based on on-field performance this year.

Many thanks,

Rob Brander, Sydney, Australia

A-We'll see what we can do about more mailbags.

Five Jays positives. Hmmm!

1-Edwin Encarnacion discovering that he can be a second Batman in the Jays order; 2-Steve Delabar challenging to be the closer at spring training with a 96 mph fastball and a nasty, nasty splitter; 3-J.A. Happ establishing that he can be a very useful 4-5 starter in a winning rotation; 4-The emergence of Aaron Loup added to a late season tryout by Brett Cecil, giving the Jays a chance to make an intelligent decision on picking up the option of Darren Oliver for 2013; 5-Marcus Stroman.

Q-Hey Richard,

If you were told back in Feb. of '95 when you joined The Star as a baseball columnist that the Blue Jays — coming off a World Series championship two seasons prior — wouldn't make the playoffs at all until 2013 at the earliest, what would your reaction have been?

Terry Bridge, Waterloo

A-First of all, I would not have believed that the Jays would not get back in all those years. Second, I would have thought that maybe it was me. The low point for me personally in terms of World Series and post-seasons came early in my time with The Star. I had, of course, spent 22 seasons with the Expos and the closest we came was the '81 NLCS loss to the Dodgers. “Monday, Monday, don't love that day.” Then in my third year with The Star there are the Marlins and Indians playing in the World Series. I travel down to Florida to cover the Series and the PR guy is a nice kid named Ron Colangelo who four years earlier had been interning for me at spring training in West Palm Beach, carrying my beer to the press box and printing and delivering my press notes on game days. He dreamed of getting a job in baseball and now here he is with the Marlins in his first year as a PR guy and he wins a World Series ring. Life's not fair. It took me a while to get over that. Ron's now a v-p with the Tigers.      

Q-Hi Richard,

I don't envy you having to watch this unfortunate season. My question concerns Monday's game in NYC. Russell Martin laid down that terrific sac bunt and clearly ran on the inside of the baseline. He was thrown out and no damage was done, but do you think the umpire would have noticed and called him out if the throw had been bad?

Ralph Levenstein, Thornhill

A-I honestly think that umpires in that situation, where it is so clearly obvious that a guy is running down the line in fair territory, that if a throw drills the runner in the back or is air-mailed into the right field corner that an umpire is more likely to call a player for the infraction and send the runner back to first base because of interference. If the catcher makes the play routinely, the ump doesn't bother calling it. Of course who's going to take that chance and intentionally hit a guy in the back or airmail the throw to keep the runner at first. In any case, the answer to your question is yes. I do think they sometimes are waiting before making the call.

Q-Dear Mr. G,

How disappointing to see Brett Lawrie is further desecrating his body with more tattoos; what a symbol of the dull-witted conformist underclass. I am among the few that hasn't anointed Lawrie for the Hall of Fame. He has room to grow, yes, but so far he looks more like a future utility infielder than a star. Pretty immature for 23.

Thank you,

Thea Varley, Toronto

A-I think he's pretty much already far more than a future utility infielder. I don't know about the tattoos. I have four children and the most mature of the quartet, third on the totem pole of life, 22-years-old and wanting to save the world once she gets out of Guelph University, is the only one of the four with ink. I'm not sure, even in my most upset moment that she would be described as “dull-witted, conformist.” So I'll cut Lawrie some slack on that one. If he stays at third base and if he cuts down on some of his ill-advised adventures, both offensively and defensively, he has a chance to be an all-star player for years to come. And yeah, he's got room to grow in terms of maturity, but nothing to do with tatts.   

Q-Can the Jays offer (Zack) Greinke $100 million for 4-5 years? I don't think he would sign but if possible it would solve the starter problem. Also, is Hechavarria our new starter at second base next year with Johnson obviously leaving? I also don't believe an offer could go out to David Ortiz because AA will want the DH spot open for Lind/D'Arnaud and the possible Gose/Sierra platoon. Do you agree?

Martin Aguirre, Owen Sound

A-The Angels will probably be interested in re-signing Greinke, to go with Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. If they do, that could mean Dan Haren and/or Ervin Santana will be available because of expensive club options, but any which way, any one of those three Angels pitchers I would pursue, if he becomes available. Greinke would be nice at the right price because he's only 28-years-old at the moment and has pitched most of his career in the American League. It will be interesting to see what he demands and what he commands if the Yankees don't pursue, or other large markets that could shy away because of his well-documented mental health issues, dealing with large crowds and stress. I'm not sure why he would avoid at least listening to what the Jays have to offer.

Q-While watching a London, Ont., team play a team in Michigan during the first half of July, a batter with a full count swung at a vicious curve ball and missed, but the ball hit him in the lower stomach. He was called out. Why was he not awarded first base for a hit by pitch? Incidentally, he was in such agony that he had to be carried off the field by his managers without the benefit of a stretcher! This game was being televised by a London TV station, which I watched on Rogers Cable in my son's house in London.

James R. McGillawee, Oshawa

A-I believe my Oakville team that I managed in 2011 played in that same tournament, the All-American Baseball Classic tournament in Novi, Mich. as Major Midgets. We lost in the championship game because the umpires did not want us as Canadians to win. (N.B. That's the whiney manager in me coming out). In any case, if a player is judged to have swung at a pitch then even if he is hit, it's a strike. Usually that comes into play with pitches that hit the arms or hands, not full force in the stomach. The ball is dead and no runners can advance.

Q-Blue Jays have a history of keeping a "clean shop" regarding illegal matters and their players. In the past it usually is a ticket to be shipped out of Dodge. Do you think this will now happen because their pitching draft pick got caught and suspended 50 games? (These days I can't believe he did what he did and did not know what he was doing.)

Dave Butler, Toronto

A-The Jays for years have prided themselves on character and integrity on their players at the major and minor league levels. They had a second minor-leaguer suspended for 50 games on Thursday, this one a Dominican youngster in the Dominican Summer League. My guess is that when his suspension is over he will be released. As for Marcus Stroman, his suspension was for a stimulant that if he had been on the 40-man roster would have warranted merely a warning from baseball that no one would have heard about, but because he falls under the tougher minor-league testing program, not protected by the players' union, it became very public. The Jays are confident that Stroman is a youngster of character and made a mistake. Plus, they gave him $1.8 million to sign. If he ever makes another mistake, however, they need to make a decision. I can say that when AGM Tony LaCava was talking about the Stroman suspension in the Jays' dugout at Tropicana Field, he seemed very genuinely betrayed by the Jays' second selection in the '12 draft, 22nd overall, who was projected to be almost major-league ready.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Enjoyed your Bullpen and especially the Rant this week. It raised a question for me: Presumably, steroids and HGH have been developed for specific medical uses. Certainly some medical procedures have been developed that employ them (see Bartolo Colon). So if there is a legitimate reason to use such recuperative aids, then wouldn't it make sense to say that using them is appropriate for rehabbing players? They could easily put in a stipulation that they must document with MLB all such uses, and then they would be ineligible to return to the field for a reasonable period of time afterwards.

Your thoughts?

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A-Yes there are medical reasons for the use of some illegal substances on MLB's banned list, but the Colon surgery in which his own healthy fat and bone marrow was surgically implanted back into his shoulder and elbow in a stem cell procedure was an experimental operation that has not been approved in the U.S. and had to be performed in the Dominican. So nothing about the Colon surgery in the areas of steroids or HGH would have been cleared or acceptable for MLB.

Q-Hi Richard,

The Jays should write off this year and send all of their sickly birds to the Vet. It's probably the bird flu that they are all suffering from.

Regards,

Tony D'Souza, Toronto

A-And it looks, at least in September thus far, that it's Jays' fans that have flown the coop. Good way to end the mailbag.

The Bullpen: Blue Jays fans should never forget the Expos and baseball in Montreal

VOLUME XIII, Sept. 4, 2012

THE ESSAY

On Sunday, Section 240 of the Rogers Centre hosted a rollicking reunion of fans and friends of the Montreal Expos, organized by a Montreal radio personality named Matt Ross. A movement called ExposNation includes a Facebook page, Twitter accounts, YouTube video tributes, a high-profile spokesman in Warren Cromartie and a dream to bring major-league baseball back to Montreal.

Highlights of the afternoon were many, as the Jays were being trounced by the Rays. Not having to cover the game itself, I joined the group for seven innings. There were 160-plus Expos supporters, waving Youppi! dolls, chanting “Let’s Go Expos” singing the “Happy Wanderer” with the Val-de-ree, val-de-raa chorus and wearing authentic Expos paraphernalia, some of which was 30-40 years old.

They chanted ex-Expos infielder Tom Foley’s name, the current Rays’ third-base coach until he turned and waved like Yankees bleacher creatures. But the days’ highlight was sitting for two hours with Jim Fanning, the first GM of the Expos and the only manager to take them to a post-season.

The Expos won the second half of the 1981 strike season, beating the Phillies in the Division Series in five games, then reaching Game 5 of the NLCS, losing to the Dodgers on a Rick Monday home run in the ninth inning at home. That moment is still an open wound for Expos fans.

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Aug. 27: Dodgers’ address both short-term, long-term needs with blockbuster trade

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Bringing major-league baseball back to Montreal is a noble, if likely fruitless cause, but remains emotional for those old enough to recall the glory days of the franchise from 1969-94. Cro and I had spoken passionately about the fate of the Expos, following the Gary Carter memorial in February in Florida. Cro had returned several times to Montreal for various fundraisers after the Expos left and was appalled that there was so little recognition that major-league baseball ever existed in Montreal.

The fear of many, now, is that after a few years, after older Expos fans are no longer around that the history of the franchise will fade into the mists of time like the St. Louis Browns, who moved to Baltimore in 1954. The goal of the new movement is to eventually earn another MLB franchise like Kansas City replaced the A’s wth the Royals, like Seattle replaced the Pilots with the M’s, like New York replaced the Giants with the Mets, like Milwaukee replaced the Braves with the Brewers.

They need a new stadium, they need solid ownership, they likely need to start with a Double-A or Triple-A franchise and they need a new, younger, open-minded MLB commissioner.

The Expos are underrated. There are definite eras of Expos history. From 1969-71 it was the birth of a franchise, the era of Le Grand Orange. From 1972-76 was Phase II, an expression coined by current Jays’ senior advisor Mel Didier, then the Expos’ scouting and farm director. After that it was 1977-82, the building of a great young team, the Glory Years of contending at Olympic Stadium. In 1977 the Expos had three Hall-of-Famers in the lineup, Tony Perez, Carter and Andre Dawson.

During those year at the new ballpark, built for the ’76 Olympics, despite all its baseball shortcomings, despite the U.S. ridicule to which it was subjected — roof that wouldn’t retract, giant rips in the Kevlar, fires on the roof, collapses due to snow, too windy to close the roof, big chunks of cement falling off side of park — there was a huge and loyal fanbase. Consider that in an era when the NL only counted actual people in the ballpark, the Expos were headed for 2.8 to 3 million in attendance in ’81 when the strike hit. That spike in attendance covered the years from ’79 until the end of ’82 and resumed again in the early ’90s as the Expos rebuilt through scouting and player development.

The Expos made a huge mistake with fans following the disappointment of 1982, as the Cardinals beat them out then won the division and the World Series. They hired Bill Virdon as manager and sucked the air out of the stadium, reverting to a station-to-station style of play and putting a dour face on a franchise long known for its joie de vivre and aggressive play. When Buck Rodgers was hired in 1986, the franchise began to reassert itself into the heart and soul of the city.

Then came the early ’90s. When Felipe Alou took over from Tom Runnells, accompanied by a feisty French Canadian wife, two young Canadian children, family roots in Laval and a folksy philosophy that always related baseball problems to life its own self. The city fell in love again.

In 1994, the Expos had pulled away from the Braves with a tremendous post all-star surge that carried them to the best record in baseball at the time the strike hit on Aug. 9. GM Kevin Malone and Alou held a spirited post-game meeting in the visitors’ clubhouse at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. They told the players to stay in shape and stay close to their phones. Alou told his players, “This will be a short strike and we are going to win the World Series.” The rest, of course, is history.

By March of 1995, I had already left the Expos to join The Star on Jan. 31. Sitting in the stands at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach with Expos’ owner Claude Brochu, we watched Expos’ replacement players try to impress fans with hustle and heart. It was not working. The strike was still a month from being settled by arbitrator Sonia Sotomayor, now a Supreme Court Justice.

Brochu said: “It’s simple. Either we get a salary cap and full revenue sharing, or the Expos will cease to exist in a few years.” It was at that moment that I knew the die was cast. Everything with the Expos from the moment the strike was settled — without a cap or full revenue sharing — was geared towards moving the franchise. Washington and northern Virginia were always the prime candidates. The names constantly changed on the potential ownership groups, but the Expos were always the prize.

It took 10 more seasons. It took Brochu being ousted because other minority owners felt he was intent on moving the franchise. It took Jeffrey Loria taking over with the approval of baseball, using ownership of the Expos as a foot in the door to owning the Marlins, not giving a rat’s ass about making the Expos viable in Montreal. It took a vote for contraction of the Expos and the Twins that the Jays disgracefully voted “Yes” on instead of at least asking to abstain. It took Twins fans and Minnesota government making contraction impossible, saving the Expos but giving MLB a huge headache.

It seems they had already promised Loria his dreamed of ownership of the Marlins while the Expos were still alive and kicking. It seems they had already promised Marlins owner John Henry ownership of the Red Sox. That domino theory left the Expos up a creek without an owner.

The solution? On the fly, MLB paid Loria for the Expos so he could buy the Marlins. Henry went to Boston. Then as owners of the Expos, MLB successfully went about running the franchise into the ground, playing a bunch of games in Puerto Rico while denigrating the Olympic Stadium as unsuitable for baseball. The MLB ownership patted Expos fans on the head, said all the right things then took the franchise to Washington D.C. blaming the fans for apathy. Very fist-clenchingly sad.

Good luck to Cromartie, Ross and the other organizers of ExposNation. If the San Francisco Bay Area can support two major league franchises, then so can Canada.

BLUE JAYS WEEK (Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2012)

GAMES: The Jays started to turn things around, perhaps with the clubhouse realization that Jose Bautista was lost for the season and that Brandon Morrow was back for the final six weeks to offer a needed boost to the starting rotation. The Jays travelled to the Bronx after losing a pair in Baltimore and took two of three from the Yankees for the first series win since July 26-28 vs. the Tigers, exactly one month between series wins. They then came home, winning the first two vs. the Rays, before Tampa Bay rebounded to win the final two and earn a series split.

Two of the club’s July acquisitions before the trade deadline have started to come up big. LHP J.A. Happ bested CC Sabathia on Wednesday, after out-pitching Justin Verlander for 7 1/3 innings in Detroit with no decision in his previous start. That game marked the first time a Jays starter had pitched into the eighth inning since Morrow did it on June 6 at Chicago. It was Happ’s second win vs. the Yankees since he was acquired. Only two other left-handers have been able to record two wins in a season vs. the Yankees in 2011-12. Those are Jon Lester of the Red Sox and David Price of the Rays, pretty good company for Happ. The other Jays’ addition who has started to pay off beyond expectations is Steve Delabar, who has fanned 29 batters in 16 1/3 innings through Sunday as a reliable setup man, able to pitch multiple innings in game-winning situations. Delabar was acquired from the M’s for Eric Thames at the July 31 deadline. Delabar has a steel plate and nine metal screws in his right elbow that will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Delabar came with a propensity to giving up the long ball, especially to right-handers. Working with coaches Bruce Walton and Pete Walker, Delabar has been going primarily with his 96 mph fastball and a devastating splitter that has increased his effectiveness against both right and left-handed hitters. He has closer-type stuff.

As for the starters, joining Happ with quality starts for the week were Morrow vs. the Rays and the sturdy and reliable RHP Carlos Villanueva, whose future with the Jays is in doubt because he is a free agent at the end of the year. Villanueva is making his case to be a full-time starter, while the Jays seem to consider him the ultimate swingman. Villanueva will be seeking a contract as a starter. The two views may not come together to be able to keep him with the Jays. He would be a solid No. 5 starter, if the Jays were thinking about adding a couple of upper rotation pitchers through trade or free agency. The Jays were 4-3 vs. the Yankees and Rays, the first winning week since July.

The best offensive show of the week was by SS Yunel Escobar who returned from a two-day paternity leave for the birth of a child in Miami, with a fresh outlook. Facing the Yankees on Wednesday, Escobar went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run, driving in five runs. The 5 RBIs tied his personal high for the third time, the first since 2010. He has 11 games of 4-hits in his career. The three doubles tied his high set on May 31, 2009 at Arizona as a member of the Braves. The four extra-base hits for Escobar were a first for him, and also the first time for an opposing player against New York since Garret Anderson of the Angels on Aug. 21, 2007. The last Blue Jay to record four extra-base hits vs. the Yanks was Damaso Garcia on June 27, 1986 — four doubles at Yankee Stadium.

TRANSACTIONS: The Jays have come to grips with the fact that Bautista is gone for the year. He saw Dr. Thomas (Moonlight) Graham in Cleveland and was set to undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair and stabilize a sheath that holds the tendon in his left wrist. From here on out, we will call the procedure Sammy Fuld surgery. The Rays’ outfielder is believed to be the first to have that surgery and successfully return to play 100 per cent healthy. Bautista spoke to Fuld on the phone when the surgical option was offered. Fuld spoke to the Toronto media on the first day the Rays visited the Rogers Centre on Thursday. The recovery time to resume baseball activities is 3-4 months and to return to playing is around six months, meaning Bautista is expected to be ready for spring training 2013. Don’t expect any more all-star game home run derbys in his future.

Injured C J.P. Arencibia, recovering from a broken right hand, is back playing games on a rehab option in Florida and could rejoin the Jays around Sept. 10. When that happens, the Jays will have Arencibia, plus Jeff Mathis, signed to a two-year extension plus an option, and Yorvit Torrealba, on an expiring contract set to become a free agent. The Jays will not rush Arencibia back, nor give him too heavy a workload, but they would like to make sure that he is healthy before the season ends.

RHP Jason Frasor has overcome the right forearm strain that put him on the DL. Frasor recognized the early signs of the same thing that sent him to two Tommy John surgeries earlier in his career and shut himself down. He was able to rest and rehab and rejoins the Jays for the final month.

DISABLED LIST: 3B Brett Lawrie (oblique) has resumed baseball activities, with no timeline set for a return to the Jays. 1B David Cooper (back strain) will serve out his DL time and then be activated on Sept. 7. The Jays have had 17 disablements this year, 12 of which are still ongoing. RHP Dustin McGowan and RHP Drew Hutchison are out for the year, as are RHP Sergio Santos, RHP Robert Coello, LHP Luis Perez, RHP Jesse Litsch and RHP Kyle Drabek.

THE RANT

I was driving in my car listening to an all-sports radio report this week, when a statement from someone in NHL ownership set me off on a rant, sending me careening across three lanes of highway, striking me as a condescending, smug, self-righteous piece of pap that took me back to the worst memories of the devastating 1981 and 1994 baseball strikes when I was part of MLB management and baseball was staring down a confident union chief named Donald Fehr in a high stakes game of chicken. The NHL statement that offended me that day, because I had also heard it during the early parts of the two aforementioned baseball strikes, went something like this: “This will not be a long work stoppage. As soon as the players’ wives realize that the money’s not coming in and their lifestyles will change and no more shopping, they will put pressure on their husbands and they’ll be back to work.” What a total load of chauvinist crap. I say that with passion because I recall people in Expos’ ownership quietly pointing to guys like the club’s young third baseman Sean Berry in ’94 and in the previous strike in ’81 to a young pitcher named Steve Rogers and smugly using the same questionable line of logic. Here’s a lesson learned from history. Fehr, during his time with the MLBPA never lost in any head-to-head showdown with baseball ownership. He never gave back what his players had already won. The major-league players were united behind their union in those strikes as in no other sport, because he included them in all aspects of the negotiation. Seeing Fehr marching in and out of sessions with Gary Bettman and ownership accompanied by Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Steve Stamkos and other superstars underlines the resolve of the players not to give back. There will be a season because Fehr has a date and a bottom line in mind. The final solution will be on the players’ terms, even if there publicly seems to be some compromise. Fehr has the final outcome already in mind and in the end it will be a tap in for the players with a bone for the owners. Fehr was proud of what he accomplished in baseball, but he is also proud of the fact that there has not been a work stoppage in baseball since ’94 and, despite that, the value of franchises and the salaries of players have both continued to rise with remarkable consistency. Hockey seems to be using the struggling franchises as a human shield to protect the profits of the haves. Fehr will be part of the solution.

MLB POWER RANKINGS (Last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Cincinnati Reds (3)

Maybe Aroldis Chapman should be getting support for Cy Young and MVP

2. Texas Rangers (4)

This is going to be a three-team dogfight in final month

3. Washington Nationals (2)

The Strasburg debate takes young players minds off reality of where they are

4. New York Yankees (1)

There are guys in Monument Park with more range than left side of Yankee infield

5. Baltimore Orioles (10)

Crazy that Labour Day weekend series at Yankee Stadium was for first place

6. San Francisco Giants (7)

If Giants hang on over Dodgers, Buster Posey for MVP

7. Oakland A’s (13)

Other than fact Billy Beane thinks managers don’t matter, Bob Melvin should win award

8. Detroit Tigers (9)

The Tigers seem intimidating and relentless in division and wild-card

9. Chicago White Sox (6)

If not Melvin, rookie skipper Robin Ventura building a case for manager-of-the-year

10. Atlanta Braves (11)

Last time Reed Johnson and Eric Hinske were teammates — they lost

11. Los Angeles Angels (14)

Is the Halos rotation coming out of its post all-star funk?

12. Tampa Bay Rays (5)

Someone has to step up and give these guys enough offence to earn a wild-card

13. Los Angeles Dodgers (8)

This is the likeliest team in the NL to put a long win streak together

14. Pittsburgh Pirates (12)

The Bucs are an improving team year-by-year under Clint Hurdle. Wait until next year

15. St. Louis Cardinals (15)

Loss of Rafael Furcal is not going to help their wild-card chances

16. Arizona Diamondbacks (16)

Snakes gave indication of what they thought of chances with trade of Stephen Drew

17. Seattle Mariners (17)

There is no doubt that Felix Hernandez should be AL Cy winner

18. Philadelphia Phillies (21)

Story of Jays’ ’02 draft pick and 32-year-old rookie C Erik Kratz is good one

19. Milwaukee Brewers (20)

Brewers prepping for strong finish with no pressure of post-season

20. New York Mets (18)

This has been tumultuous season for Mets with ownership woes

21. San Diego Padres (22)

The Pads may take a jump to the next level in ’13 and still not make post-season

22. Toronto Blue Jays (24)

Jays are just prepping to go from worst to first next year – right?

23. Boston Red Sox (19)

By the end of the year, Bobby Valentine will be showing up at gametime

24. Kansas City Royals (23)

Have too many leadoff hitters and not enough mid-order guys

25. Miami Marlins (25)

Okay this team was built for new stadium then they dumped payroll??

26. Minnesota Twins (27)

So why would they trade Joe Mauer. He’s the reason they got new park

27. Colorado Rockies (26)

To paraphrase Dumb and Dumber. “John Denver was full of spit.”

28. Cleveland Indians (28)

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians — that can play

29. Chicago Cubs (29)

Theo Epstein protege GMs hold down rankings 21, 23 and 29. Good work

30. Houston Astros (30)

It’s looking more and more like one last dance for Roger the Kodger

AL ROUNDUP

Usually when an owner and a GM make an unexpected trip to join their team on the road, it’s the sign of something imminent with a sitting manager. So when Red Sox owner John Henry and GM Ben Cherington flew to Seattle and joined the team, it fuelled much speculation on the immediate future of MGR Bobby Valentine. They insist it is merely a “fact-finding” trip and that Bobby V will at least finish the season at the helm. The manager and the owner had breakfast together. “What do you think, we talked about art? Liverpool?” Valentine told reporters pre-game on Sunday. “We talked about baseball and our team, obviously. Things that he’s concerned about, and things that I deal with. To any of you that are sorry I didn’t get fired, I’m sorry that you’re sorry.” If they wanted someone that was opposite to Terry Francona, they got him. The most inspiring part of 2B Dustin Pedroia meeting and mingling with the Petaluma (CA) Little Leaguers that reached the World Series championship game is that the Red Sox infielder was the same size as many of them. Pedroia banged out his 1,000th career hit in Seattle vs. LH Jason Vargas. It was his 833rd game. Only five other Bosox players reached 1,000 quicker: Nomar Garciaparra, Wade Boggs, Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams and Jim Rice . . . The concern with the A’s as they head into the final month is the experience of their pitching staff and will they hit a wall, especially after the loss of veteran starter RHP Bartolo Colon. On Monday, young LHP Tommy Milone had his shortest outing of the year, allowing 10 hits in 3+ innings . . . The Angels beat the A’s on Monday and have six games vs. their division rivals in the next nine games. RH Jered Weaver is still sore after being hit in the right shoulder by a liner drive on Sunday. He is set to start on Friday but will be re-evaluated daily . . . The White Sox lucked out when DH Adam Dunn missed just two games with a strained right oblique. He returned on Monday and is batting .206 with 38 home runs . . . Little remembered fact about the late actor Michael Clarke Duncan is that he narrated the 2005 White Sox World Series championship video. As such, GM Ken Williams offered condolences at the passing of his friend and a huge Chisox fan . . . A nice story took place in Chicago on Monday when Twins INF Jamey Carroll celebrated his 10-year anniversary of service time, maxing out any pension benefits. Carroll broke in with the Expos at Wrigley Field on Sept. 11, 2002 at 28 years old and dreamed of making a long career of it. “I just remember when I first got called up and thinking, ‘Wow, I’ll be 38 if I ever make it 10 years,’ ” Carroll said. “Honest to God, I’ll tell you, I would have bet everything I had — not that I owned anything at that time — that that wouldn’t be the case, and here we are.” Especially for fringe guys, 10 years’ service time is always a big moment. Recall INF John McDonald celebrated in May 2010 and got teary-eyed . . . For the Yankees, 3B Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup in Tampa. He was the DH and was 1-for-4. The Yankees have lost nine of 13 games. 2B Robinson Cano strained his hip trying to field a groundball through the hole at the Trop but is hoping not to miss any time. 1B Mark Teixeira (left calf) took batting practice on the field but will not plasy in a game until MGR Joe Girardi is sure that he can run full speed without pain.

NL ROUNDUP

The Nats are making big news by sticking to their guns on the RHP Stephen Strasburgshutdown plan. He is slated to make two more starts on Friday and Sept. 12 and then that’s it, according to GM Mike Rizzo and MGR Davey Johnson. Think about the impact in the clubhouse if the Nats are in the playoffs, reach the NLCS after one round and the Nats decide to allow Strasburg to re-join the team. What a boost inside the clubhouse? Is that a possibility? We’ll see . . . For the Reds, 1B Joey Votto has not played since July 15, but is activated as of Tuesday. He was 0-for-3 in one rehab start at AAA-Louisville but is not a slam dunk to return to the Reds’ lineup right away. Votto had left knee arthroscopy on July 17 and again on Aug. 10 . . . When RF Jose Bautista signed his five-year contract with the Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos admitted the contract was modelled after 2B Dan Uggla with the Braves. On Sunday, Uggla was told by MGR Fredi Gonzalez he may not play much anymore as Martin Prado has become the regular. “He didn’t really explain anything to me,” Uggla said. “He just kind of said, ‘We’ve got to make a change. I don’t know how much playing time you’re going to get the next 29 days.” Uggla has three years remaining on his deal. RHP Kris Medlen began the year in the Braves’ bullpen rehabbing from Tommy John performed in August 2010. He is now down the stretch an integral part of the Braves revamped rotation. Interesting because Jays’ manager John Farrell used Medlen as an example of how his team could possibly handle the return of RHP Kyle Drabek or RHP Drew Hutchison when they are ready to return next year . . . The Marlins have already decided to go with the six-man rotation the rest of the way so MGR Ozzie Guillen can get a look at a couple of their younger arms heading to the off-season. It’s a move Farrell and the Jays have talked about and will make after the off-days that surround the Red Sox series next weekend . . . Hurricane Isaac forced the Marlins’ AAA team the New Orleans Zephyrs to move a series to Round Rock (Tex) and to cancel the final four games of the series as the National Guard used their ballpark as a headquarters . . . Phils’ MGR Charlie Manuel was forced to bench SS Jimmy Rollins for lackadaisical play last week. He returned to the lineup and clubbed his 17th homer Monday. Rollins need one hit to reach 2,000 career, joining Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Ed Delahanty as the only Phillies at that level.

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

9/3/28 The great Ty Cobb records the final of his 4,189 career hits for the A’s vs. the Senators’ starter Bump Hadley . . . 9/4/16 Future Hall-of-Famers Christy Mathewson and Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown end their careers by facing each other in a 10-8 win for Mathewson . . . 9/4/85 Gary Carter homered twice vs. the Padres in a 9-2 win, giving the Mets’ catcher five homers in two consecutive games, the 11th major-leaguer to accomplish the feat . . . 9/4/93 In one of the most popular no-hitters ever, LHP Jim Abbott blanks the Indians 4-0 for the first Yankees no-hitter in 10 years. Abbott was born without a right hand and overcame all odds to reach the majors . . . 9/5/71 Sensational Astros’ rookie J.R. Richard strikes out 15 Giants in his MLB debut, tying a record set by Karl Spooner . . . 9/6/1888 The Indianapolis Hoosiers play a night game using gas-lights. Nobody can see. The idea is dropped . . . 9/6/95 In a seminal moment for baseball coming out of the great strike of ’94, the Bird of Steel, Cal Ripken, Jr. plays his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking the mark of Lou Gehrig. The game is stopped after 4 1/2 innings when it becomes official. The crowd’s response with a 22-minute ovation and Ripken’s dramatics in hitting a homer make it the most memorable game ever called by ESPN’s broadcast team of Chris Berman and Buck Martinez . . . 9/7/93 Cards’ slugger Mark Whiten in the second game of a DH vs. the Reds, slammed four homers and drove in 12 runs. He is the first player to accomplish both feats in the same game . . . 9/8/72 Cubs’ RHPFerguson Jenkins beats the Phillies recording 20 wins for the sixth straight season . . . 9/8/85 Reds’ manager Pete Rose singles in his first two at-bats vs. the Cubs to tie Cobb with 4,191 career hits . . . 9/8/88Bart Giamatti, who will later ban Pete Rose from baseball for life, is elected commissioner . . . 9/8/98 Mark McGwire of the Cards slams his 62nd home run off the Cubs’ Steve Trachsel, with the commissioner and members of Roger Maris’s family in attendance. At the time, this is regarded, along with Ripken’s streak, as the moment that saves baseball post-strike . . . 9/9 Four no-hitters have been recorded on this date, George Davis (1914 Braves), Dick Fowler (1945 A’s), Rex Barney (1948 Dodgers) and Sandy Koufax (1965 Dodgers).

BIRTHDAYS: 9/3 Dave Berg 42, Eddie Stanky 96; 9/4 Mike Piazza 44, Doyle Alexander 62, Frank White 62, Ken “Hawk” Harrelson 71; 9/5 Rod Barajas 37, Candy Maldonado 52, Gil Patterson 57, Bill Mazeroski 76; 9/6 Vince DiMaggio 100; 9/9 Joey Hamilton 42, Tom Foley 53.

JAYS MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

TBA

AAA-Las Vegas (78-64) ended the season missing the playoffs but with ther fifth best record in the 16 team PCL. SS Adeiny Hechavarria was named to the PCL all-star team with a .312 average, 78 runs, six homers and 63 RBIs. The Jays had nine players and 11 pitchers that played in Vegas and in the majors . . . AA-New Hampshire (61-80) ended the Eastern League season in last place. RHP Deck McGuire was 5-15 with a 5.88 ERA. RH Yohan Pino was 10-7, with a 3.25 ERA in 21 starts with a 1.07 WHIP. CF Jake Marisnick, struggled early at AA but raised his average to .228 with 14 steals in 54 games . . . A-Dunedin (36-30; 78-55) are getting prepared for the playoffs as the FSL first half division champs. MGR Mike Redmond was named to the FSL all-stars. LF Marcus Knecht hit .210, but with 31 doubles, five triples and 13 homers, with 59 RBIs. The young Canadian slugger had 50 walks and 146 Ks. C J.P. Arencibia was 1-for-5 with a double. RHP Casey Lawrence (9-6, 3.63), RHP Marcus Walden (9-2, 2.85), LHP Sean Nolin (9-0, 2.19) and LHP Egan Smith (8-7, 3.49) were the top starters . . . A-Lansing (35-32; 82-54) are headed to the post-season. LF Kevin Pillar hit .322 with five homers, 57 RBIs and 35 steals. 1B Kevin Patterson hit .245 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs. The top four starters, aged 19-22, RHP Aaron Sanchez, LHP Justin Nicolino, RHP Noah Syndergaard and RHP Anthony DeSclafani combined for a 37-17 record and 430 strikeouts in 441 1/3 innings . . . A-Vancouver (24-15; 46-30) travelled to Yakima and clinched the division. The C’s began a best of three series vs. the Everett Aquasox with a 1-0 win on Monday. It was a five-pitcher shutout started by RHP Alberto Osuna who tossed three no-hit innings with three walks and three Ks. The C’s scored the winning run in the eighth as 3B Kellen Sweeney singled to drive home SS Jorge Flores who had doubled. The winner was RHP Will Browning with a save for RHP Andrew Sikula . . . A-Bluefield (29-37) CF D.J. Davis, selected 17th overall in June ’12, hit .340 in 12 games with six steals . . . Rk-Blue Jays (22-38) ended the season.

ONE FOR THE ROAD:

I must admit that of all the regular season road trips that I’ve made in covering baseball for the Star for 17 years, this past week starting in Detroit and then ending up in the Bronx, may have been the most unusual. I have no one to blame but myself . . . and my desire, of course, to be the best father I can be — goals that sometimes are at logistical odds. I had picked up a rental car that I drove to Detroit and back last week and then kept for the New York portion of the road trip. Why? It seemed like a good idea at the time. On Friday morning, as those readers of last week’s Bullpen will remember, I helped move my son into residence in Albany, N.Y. at the College of St. Rose. Looking at a map, it seemed easier to drive from Albany to NYC for the Jays series against the Yankees than to drive back to Toronto and fly back to The Big Apple. In any case, my 22-year-old daughter Shannon came with me to New York to visit her grandfather, who spends his summers, at 89 years old, in Garden City on Long Island. On Monday morning, Shannon and I took the Long Island Railroad into the city, leaving the car in Garden City parked in his driveway. Following three solid games by the Jays, including a win by J.A. Happ on Wednesday afternoon, giving them two of three, it was time to get home. Starting at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday here is a chronology of the homeward-bound odyssey: Subway from Yankee Stadium to the hotel, to meet Shannon. Walk to Penn Station and LIRR train to Garden City. Taxi to my dad’s home. Drive starting at 8:36 p.m. up I-87, west on I-90, through Lewiston, N.Y. and home at 4:44 a.m. Nice.