Jeter's broken ankle bigger Yankee concern than ALCS loss to Tigers: Griffin

NEW YORK-It was a gruesome looking end to Derek Jeter's 2012 season, but not, according to first reports from Yankee team physicians, to his career. The captain's left leg wobbled and buckled underneath him as he broke to his left to field a groundball in the top of the 12th inning. The report is he has suffered a broken left ankle and the prognosis is for at least a thre-month recovery period. It was an ugly injury and a devastating loss.

“He will not be playing for us any more this year,” a subdued Yankee manager Joe Girardi said. “Jeet has always been as tough a player as I've ever been around. Even when I went to the field and I was going to carry him, he said, 'No, do not carry me.' That's the kind of guy he is. You could see the disappointment in his face. Everyone knows how he is.”

The Tigers win wasn't as simple as it should have been, but in the end, after 12 innings of baseball and five hours of elapsed time, after blowing the lead in the ninth, Detroit came away with a 6-4 victory and leads the ALCS one game to none. The key hit was a Delmon Young double to right centre field past a diving Nick Swisher in the 12th. The Tigers added a second run and the Yankees were unable to mount another miracle rally.

Some will say the Jeter injury should never have had a chance to happen because the 12th inning should never have been necessary. They would be right. The Yankees trailed by four runs into the bottom of the ninth, but found a glorious extra-inning life taking advantage of the continued failings of Tigers' closer Jose Valverde.

There was the dramatic pair of two-run homers, the first by a notorious singles hitter acquired at mid-season, Ichiro Suzuki, the second a game-tying blast by a resurgent Raul Ibanez, who six months earlier feared his power was gone and now is becoming a Yankee legend. With the game on the line and hope slipping away, each man clubbed a ninth-inning two-run homer off Valverde as the Yankees stormed back to send it to extras.

If the game had just gone nine innings, Jeter would no doubt still be playing. Now, not only is his October in doubt, but his future at the age of 38 must be considered suspect.

“I'm sad for him, because I know how much he loves to play in these type of situations,” Girardi said. “He would tell us, 'Let's go.' It's pretty emotional. There's disappointment we didn't win the game. There's disappointment our captain, our leader went down for the rest of the year.

“But we've been through some disappointing times this year, but here we are. We've only played one game and we have the opportunity to do something great. We have to find a way to get it done, just like we have all year long.”

Girardi dismissed any thought that the struggling Alex Rodriguez might take over at shortstop. He was a Gold Glove shortstop in Seattle and for the Rangers before coming over to the Yankees and shifting to third base.

This victory had clearly belonged to the Tigers for the taking. But, instead of stepping on the Yankee throats when they were down, the Tigers exposed their own Achilles heel. The closer Valverde.

Instead of shutting down the Bombers with others in a non-save situation, manager Jim Leyland chose to go to their fraud of a closer, Valverde, who executed his finely choreographed entrance routine, then came on and surrendered a pair of ninth-inning two-run homers. Cirque de Blow-ez.

“Now is not the time to discuss it,” Leyland said of the possibility of a new closer. “He has been the closer and had a rough outing in Oakland and obviously a rough outing tonight. That's why we are going to have a discussion. We need to put our heads together as a staff and sit down and talk.”.

Valverde, who a year ago was lights out in the ninth, now performs a nightly highwire act and each night it seems to get windier and lonelier up there on the wire. By the time the Yankees had energized the crowd, 47,122 in the ballpark was down to about 30-grand.

The Yankee strategy against the Tigers seems simple and obvious. Don't let Miguel Cabrera beat you. So in the sixth inning when Omar Infante lifted a shallow flyball to Nick Swisher, with Austin Jackson holding his ground at third base in a scoreless game, catcher Russell Martin took a peek to the dugout and raised four fingers to starter Andy Pettitte.

With the intentional walk complete and the Triple Crown champ now on first, the Tigers second best slugger, off-season acquisition Prince Fielder did what he is paid to do and ripped an RBI single to centre off Pettitte. Jackson scored. Detroit led. When Delmon Young sliced a flyball just out of the reach of Swisher, Cabrera got a great read and lumbered around third, scoring easily. Yankee strategy foiled.

Whether it's the old Yankee Stadium or the new, there's something special about a post-season game in the Bronx. With the 40-year-old Pettitte on the mound, playoff games takes on even more of a sense of tradition. The classy lefthander made his first post-season start on October 4, 1995 vs. the Mariners as a 23-year-old rookie. He is one of the Yankee connections to greatness over 18 years. Jeter and Mariano Rivera are others and now both of them are injured.

Pettitte is likely on a farewell tour. He is no longer close to being a staff ace, but due to the deciding Division Series game being just the day before, with CC Sabathia having to face the Orioles, Friday, Pettitte was thrust into the Game 1 duty. It was his seventh opening game start in a post-season series, his fifth for the Yankees, with two other coming in Houston in 2005.

“I came back to hopefully help this club get into this position,” Pettitte said. “I couldn't say that I feel any more pressure. We have to have a team effort. We have to have our starters throwing the ball well, or we're not going to win this series, probably.”

Tigers' starter, Doug Fister battled. He allowed seven of the first 13 Bombers to reach base – with no runs surrendered. It was then that he settled down, duelling Pettitte into the sixth in a scoreless game. Pettitte was the first to bend, giving up the Fielder RBI and then Young. But two runs should never be enough against the Yankees.

In the eighth, Young homered into the first row of seats down the line in left against Derek Lowe. Rookie Avisail Garcia singled to centre scoring Peralta with the fourth run.

Fister pitched into the seventh before giving way to lefthander Phil Coke, a former Yankee, who did the job. The other members of Tigers bullpen got them through the eighth, then came the Valverde show. The Tigers need to look in another direction if they are going to win.

 

 

The Bullpen: World Series matchups that would intrigue this season

The Detroit Tigers, with Miguel Cabrera (above), and the St. Louis Cardinals would make an intriguing World Series matchup, Richard Griffin writes.

VOLUME XVIII, Oct. 9, 2012

THE ESSAY

While all eight of this year’s playoff teams remain alive — some of them barely — here’s a quick look at a half dozen of the most intriguing World Series match-ups that are possible in 2012. It should be noted on behalf of parity that since 2001, pretty much the first 11 seasons of this century, there have been nine different Fall Classic winners — the Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, Red Sox (twice), the White Sox, Cardinals (twice), Phillies, Yankees and Giants.

Among baseball’s current elite eight, to steal a term from college hoops, are five teams that have yet to win a championship during this century and the Nationals (nee Expos) that have never won.

PAST BULLPENS:

Oct. 1: Is Maddon to blame for Romero’s struggles?

Sept. 24: Hectic off-season for Yam Gomes

Here’s the suggested half dozen prime matchups.

1. Tigers vs. Cardinals: The 1968 World Series was one of the most interesting and important Fall Classics ever. The summers of 1967-68 had been devastating for the city of Detroit, with race riots and discontent, stemming from economic issues and, ultimately, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in ’68. The lasting image is of Tigers star Willie Horton, 25 at the time, standing on a car in his uniform during the ’67 riots trying passionately to restore calm.

Finally, in 1968, when the city’s citizens needed something to bring them together, it was baseball and the Tigers that succeeded. It was a great series, dominated by the pitching of Bob Gibson, Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain. Horton hit .304 in the Series and threw out Lou Brock at the plate at a key moment in Game 5. The Tigers won in seven games, even though Gibson was a superstar. It was the final World Series played before expansion and the advent of four divisions.

2. Yankees vs. Reds: This potential Series would bring back memories of Sparky Anderson’s Big Red Machine against Billy Martin’s Bronx Zoo. The Red beat the Yankees in ’76 for their second straight championship. As good as this edition of the Reds is, it’s hard to match the ’76 version with future Hall of Famers, catcher Johnny Bench, first-baseman Tony Perez and second-baseman Joe Morgan. They also had all-time hits champ Pete Rose and classy shortstop Dave Concepcion.

3. A’s vs. Giants: As we were playing before we were so rudely interrupted. This would be a rematch of the ’89 World Series, which, of course, was affected in a big way by a little trembler in the Bay Area that brought down parts of the Bay Bridge and caused a 10-day interruption. The quake hit at 5:03 p.m. on Oct. 17, just as ABC’s Al Michaels and Tim McCarver were sitting on the ledge of the window in the broadcast booth previewing Game 3. The signal was lost and the lights went out. I was so discombobulated I forgot to call home until 3 a.m. in the East.

The powerful A’s, led by Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, the Bash Brothers and by Rickey Henderson, were expected to dominate and did. Using just two starters, Dave Stewart and Mike Moore, the A’s swept the series, but people only remember ‘89 as The Earthquake Series.

4. A’s vs. Reds: The last time these teams met was 1990. The A’s were supposed to dominate the surprise NL champion Reds. Oakland was playing its third straight World Series under Tony LaRussa. But the Reds, with Jose Rijo pitching and Eric Davis on offence, swept the overconfident A’s, giving controversial owner, the late Marge Schott, her only world title.

That season, current Reds’ GM Walt Jocketty was the A’s director of baseball administration, while current A’s GM Billy Beane was in his first season as an advance scout. GM Sandy Alderson promoted Beane to become an assistant in ’94 and the Moneyball Era began, competing on a budget by finding undervalued tools through certain statistics. That advantage has all but disappeared.

5. O’s vs. Nationals: A potential Battle of the Beltway. This is particularly intriguing because of the proximity of the two teams, the fact that Nats manager Davey Johnson led the O’s in ’97 the last time they made the playoffs, the fact that you fly into Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the fact that the O’s own a big chunk of the Nats broadcast contracts as part of allowing baseball to move the Expos into their home territory and the fact that both teams have been bad for a decade.

6. Yankees vs. Giants: It was 50 years ago that Willie McCovey’s ninth-inning line drive that could have tied the game was speared by second baseman Bobby Richardson giving the Yanks a seven-game series win over the Giants. But this rivalry goes all the way back to 1921, the first year that the Yankees franchise ever went to a Fall Classic.

In ’21, the Yankees and Giants played a best-of-nine series with all games played at the Polo Grounds. It wasn’t even a Subway Series as both teams played at the same park and alternated as home team. It was Babe Ruth’s power vs. manager John McGraw’s smallball. The Yankees held a 3-2 lead in games, but Babe Ruth wrenched his knee and missed the final three games, all won by the Giants. The two teams met at the Polo Grounds again in 1922, won by the Giants. The Yankees moved into Yankee Stadium across the river from the Polo Grounds in 1923 and finally beat the Giants.

THE RANT

Why is baseball is the only major professional sport that allows its officials to be embarrassed on television for nine innings every night in the post-season. It’s because of that annoying, useless on-screen strike box that records electronically whether a pitch is in the strike zone or not.

Baseball sets its umpires up for failure with that strike box. If I headed up the umpires union I would be royally miffed. If a pitch hits the box and the ump calls it a strike, that’s OK, it was supposed to be a strike. But if a pitch is shown as missing the box and the ump calls it a strike, millions of viewers are immediately thinking,” What an incompetent bum.” It’s no win for the men in blue.

And what’s the point of the exercise. It’s distracting from the action. Fact is it’s not a strike unless the umpire calls it a strike. The focus should be on the game itself. The box is just a self-congratulatory pat on the back for the networks to say, “Hey, look what we can do with technology.”

Yes, tennis has the computer graphic for balls in and out, but that is only ever shown if the player on the court challenges a call. Football’s instant replays sometimes show referees making a mistake, but coaches have the red flag that they can heave onto the field for a challenge and they all have coaches in the booth who see the same replays that you see at home, so there is a point to the replays in terms of getting the calls right. Hockey has controversial goals reviewed in Toronto and sometimes calls are reversed, so there is a point to that. But there is no point to the strike box.

Example: In Detroit, in Game 1 of the ALDS, A’s hitters complained all night about the strike calls that helped Justin Verlander to 11 strikeouts, but after the game the Cy Young worthy right-hander pointed out that the strike zone was very consistent all night for both teams and he praised the home plate umpire. Clearly, once he had zeroed in on where the strike zone was being called, Verlander took advantage, but the on-screen graphic made it seem the ump was missing calls all night.

If you want to remove the human element from the game, why not let the K-box make all the strike calls. It will never happen so why bother having it on the screen. It takes away from the joy of the game. It’s like if basketball had an automatic yellow box super-imposed around every player’s pivot foot when he received a pass and announcers constantly harped on how many times a pivot foot moves before the ball is put on the floor. They would be right, but what’s the point if it’s not called?

Hey, television, cease and desist with the strike box in baseball. It’s annoying and distracting and does nothing for the promotion of an otherwise great sport.

BLUE JAYS WEEK . . . Oct. 1-9, 2012

SEASON: The Jays ended their season with a flourish, sweeping the Twins to go home at least with the knowledge that they avoided losing 90 games, with a record of 73-89. How disappointing were they? At the start of the year, many expected them to maybe finish at .500 again. They fell eight victories shy even with a bunch of major pitching injuries. A healthy ace, Ricky Romero posted a disappointing 9-14 record with a 5.77 ERA. Considering it was expected that Ricky Romero, the staff ace, would win around 17 games, there’s your eight-win difference, so maybe the season was merely as expected, rather than to be considered a huge disappointment. Nah, it was a huge disappointment.

CLUBHOUSE CONTROVERSY : Manager John Farrell was forced to defend his leadership abilities after there were rumblings from unnamed Jays that the clubhouse lacked discipline and players were allowed to do whatever they want, which critics said, is what led to the Yunel Escobar eye-blackout.

While some uninformed critics were unwilling to go on the record, there was no such reluctance from the retiring 45-year-old Omar Vizquel. He criticized the manager and coaching staff for not correcting fundamental mistakes on the field and for not having consequences for bad play and bad behaviour.

Of course, it must be pointed out that Vizquel has a film biography unfolding and is angling to move from the field into someone’s manager’s office, so there may be extenuating reasons for his forthright criticisms. The fact is that despite concluding a Hall of Fame career with the Jays, Vizquel brought little of the mentoring expectations for Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria and other young Latins and when Jose Bautista went home for his wrist surgery and recovery, the clubhouse was set adrift on an ocean of no consequence, leaving plenty of room, much opportunity for a veteran like Vizquel to step up, if he saw such behaviour was occurring as he described. To wait until the last week to point it out was selfish.

A CLASSY SENDOFF FOR OMAR : Jays fans showed a lot of class in the way they sent Vizquel off to retirement in his final game. Farrell started Vizquel at shortstop on Wednesday vs. the Twins and he did not disappoint his fans and a huge entourage that showed up for the sendoff, including his documentary crew, many media members from the Caribbean rim, plus Luis Aparicio, Andres Galarraga, Carlos Baerga and Roberto Alomar.

Watching Vizquel play his finale brought a smile to everyone as he showed flashes of his old brilliance. On a short fly ball to left-centre he raced out with his back to home plate, looking directly back over his head and never breaking stride, he glided under the ball, made a basket catch and flipped the ball up to his bare hand, flipping it casually to centre-fielder Anthony Gose, who had a huge smile on his face. Later in the clubhouse, as Vizquel came in from a battery of interviews, a group of three Jays pitchers shook their heads in admiration as he walked by, with Romero pointing out how he enjoyed the unnoticed move of Omar pushing his brim off to one side as he raced out so he could better see the ball.

Oh yeah, Vizquel also singled to run his career total to 2,877, 40th in MLB history. He is eligible for the Hall-of-Fame in the summer of 2018. That will be the Chipper Jones year, also.

MLB PLAYOFF TEAM POWER RANKINGS Oct. 9 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Cincinnati Reds (6)

Dusty Baker has a Zen-master look to him after coming back from mini-stroke.

2. New York Yankees (5)

A-Rod hasn’t been the same since Kate Hudson ditched him

3. Washington Nationals (1)

The U.S. capital has not had a Series champ since 1924 led by Walter Johnson

4. Detroit Tigers (9)

These guys could lose because of their defence and closer

5. Baltimore Orioles (4)

O’s just need to lead after seven innings and it’s game over

6. St. Louis Cardinals (11)

The Cards replaced Pujols with Carlos Beltran without missing a beat

7. Oakland A’s (3)

The young pitching is feeling the October heat

8. San Francisco Giants (10)

The lack of consistent offence puts too much pressure on starting pitching

PARTIAL MAILBAG

I’ll be posting a full mailbag when I get home later this week, but for now here’s a sampling of questions pulled from a recent sack.

Q. Richard,

I am reviewing a psychology article called The Perils of Perfection in Sports. I keep thinking of Ricky Romero. He was like Atlas with the world on his shoulders this season. I remember when one of the starters (?) was injured, Romero volunteered to start the next game when he had pitched the day before. Richard, do you think that since he was considered the Jay’s “ace-starter” that he put too much on his own shoulders? Or could he have felt pressure from the coaches or fans? I think the shoes that he had to fill were too big for him to mentally handle this year. Your thoughts?

Susan Roberts, Sarnia

A. That’s a solid observation and at times it certainly looked like Ricky was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He never seemed to be enjoying himself when he pitched, even in the first inning before his personal roof had started to cave in. His look was that of a man who was anticipating the worst. It’s like the faces in the theatre lineup for the latest Adam Sandler movie. Romero missed Brandon Morrow a lot and if they are both healthy, I expect a better season from Romero starting at spring training. Pitching failure can be psychological, but even that can translate into physical, like gripping the ball a little too tightly and losing some of your normal velocity, or being frustrated by hitters that have learned to lay off your changeup and having nobody to really commiserate with after games. There have been many pitchers that have a horrible year and bounce back. As long as there was nothing physical that was being hidden, if Atlas shrugged, then so can Romero.

Q. Richard,

Always enjoy reading your mailbag. I am confused by the reports of the Blue Jays allowing John Farrell to walk over to the Boston Red Sox. If the Jays were to get Clay Buchholz I would say for sure. Reports today say that it would be a fringe major-leaguer. Surely the Blue Jays would depend more than that in return than to allow the Red Sox to get the manager they want for nothing. What concerns me more is if the Sox turn it around with Farrell they will be the main competition blocking the Jays from the post-season. Your thoughts?

Andrew S., Alberta

A. If Farrell was allowed to go to the Red Sox it would be because he tells Alex Anthopoulos does not want to stay with the Jays. The Jays would then ask for reasonable compensation in terms of a player. The Jays are in the driver’s seat. If the Sox contact Farrell without going through the Jays, that’s big trouble. People are suggesting the player compensation would be minimal in terms of talent because when GM Theo Epstein went to the Cubs, the Sox did not get much in return. So that’s the precedent, but the Sox did not play that game correctly. They let Epstein go to the Cubs THEN tried to get players back. What motivation would the Cubs have to give them a decent player. They already had Epstein. The Jays should, up front, demand Rubby de la Rosa or Clay Buchholz then wait for a response. It’s all about making the Jays better. If a player can be more valuable moving forward than their current manager, then Anthopoulos would be sorely tempted. That trade agreement would have to be reached before the Jays allow the Red Sox a chance to talk to Farrell. It says here that the Red Sox will not want to do that and will head in another direction for their next skipper.

Q. Last year, Alex Anthopoulos said payroll dollars are available when he can guarantee success. With his credibility and job perhaps on the line, he needs to present a strong case to his bosses. If you’re AA, how do you convince Rogers that the time to spend is now?

Erich von Stroheim, Toronto

A. If I’m Alex and I have a player transaction, whether it be free agent or a trade for an expensive piece, my move would be to go to Paul Beeston and to Rogers ownership and guarantee that by the end of the winter “We will have a playoff team.” Anthopoulos can no longer be careful and worry about his own position. In his fourth season, given the support he has received from fans and the media, he needs to produce and if risking that his personal guarantee to ownership will fail, he still has to take the chance.

Q. Hey Richard,

I want to ask what your thoughts were on the situation that Omar Vizquel got himself into last week. Disregarding the fact that the man has had a Hall of Fame worthy career, I question his decision to go public with his discontent with the Jays clubhouse with a week to go in the season. It seems as if it’s a whole lot easier to dump on the Jays this season with everything that has gone wrong. As someone who was brought in as a veteran presence to help mentor the younger players on this team, it seems hypocritical for him to then criticize a ‘lack of veteran leadership’ without having to look in the mirror himself. This is also a guy who also said that the phrase that Yunel Escobar had under his eye blacks wasn’t a big deal. While it’s entirely possible or perhaps likely that there are communication issues with the Jays coaching staff, it seems as if his comments should’ve been made behind close doors without throwing the manager under the bus. It seems like Omar is more concerned with positioning himself for a coaching gig next year than setting an example for the young players on the team.

Dan McKinnon, Toronto

A. That’s a very solid observation and I agree. Vizquel, at 45, is more of a contemporary of the coaching staff rather than the players in the clubhouse. It seemed he put himself on a singular level that was neither rank-and-file with the other players, or as a mentor and shadow coach. He had his own agenda that was all about securing his place in history and positioning himself to manager in 2013. There certainly had to be opportunities for him to go to the coaches in August or September if had observations about discipline or execution of fundamentals.

Q. Rich,

There are three things the Blue Jays need next year. Starting pitching, starting pitching and starting pitching. According to Buck Martinez, the starters for the Jays have 47 wins. Teams that are in the playoffs, average about 70 wins. They won’t get Greinke who has already declined a trade here. They already had Edwin Jackson but moved him. The starters in the minors are just prospects so you had better know that to get what you want you will have to give up positional players. I personally believe that no one is untouchable including Bautista and Encarnacion. I believe the only way to go is the trade route. Any ideas as to who looks good to you???

Dave Mulholland, Scarborough

A. Faith Hill in the opening of Sunday Night Football.

Q. Dear Richard,

I just read your Sept 18 column on homophobia in baseball and I have to say one thing: you really get it! Connecting the homophobic/transphobic nature of rookie hazing to locker room culture is really important. Thank you so much for your voice! I await the day that a representative from GLAAD throws out the first pitch at a Blue Jay game. I also await the day when a woman plays major league baseball!

Ann Travers, Vancouver

A. Thanks. It remains an important issue for pro sports, not just baseball.

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

10/9/10 How much was Ty Cobb despised by his contemporaries? In a doubleheader on the final day of the season, the Indians’ Nap Lajoie was in a heated batting race with Cobb. Lajoie racked up eight hits, including six bunt singles to Browns’ 3B Red Corriden who was playing back and couldn’t make the plays. Cobb won the title anyway by a point . . . 10/9/28 Babe Ruth slams three homers in a WS game for the second time in his career, this against the Cards . . . 10/9/57 With Warren Spahn injured, RH Lew Burdette started for the Braves on two days rest and clinched the WS with a 5-0 win over the Yankees . . . 10/9/96 Young Jeffrey Maier reaches over fence to grab a Derek Jeter blast that tied the game. Bernie Williams’ homer won G1 of the ALCS vs. the O’s in 11 innings . . . 10/10/24 The Senators clinched their only WS title with a 12-inning win over the Giants on a chopper over 3B Fred Lindstrom’s head . . . 10/10/68 LH Mickey Lolich beats RH Bob Gibson in G7 to give the Tigers the championship after being down 3-1 in the series. It was Lolich’s third win . . . 10/10/90 Red Sox ace Roger Clemens is ejected in the second inning by Terry Cooney for arguing balls and strikes as Dave Stewart pitches the A’s to a series sweep and their third straight trip to the World Series . . . 10/11/78 In a classic WS staredown, young Dodgers RH Bob Welch strikes out the Yankees Reggie Jackson as the tying run in the ninth inning to save a game for Burt Hooton . . . 10/11/81 Expos’ RH Steve Rogers tosses a 6-hitter in a G5 matchup with LH Steve Carlton as the Expos advance to the NLCS vs. the Dodgers. Rogers is reluctant to go to the post-game press conference because he knows he will be questioned about not being a big-game pitcher. He finally goes when his PR man advises him that when the question is asked stare him down and say “Next question!” It’s exactly what happened . . . 10/12/69 Jays’ physician Dr. Ron Taylor saves a 2-1 win for the Mets’ Jerry Koosman to even the series at a game apiece. Of course, he wasn’t a doctor yet . . . 10/12/82 Brewers’ star Paul Molitor raps out a record-tying five hits in a 10-0 win over the Cardsin G1 . . . 10/12/85 Jays’ PH Al Oliver slams a two-run double in the ninth for a 3-1 lead in the ALCS. Unfortunately that was the year the Championship Series went to seven games and the Royals swept the next three to go to the WS. D-ohh! . . . 10/12/93 Dave Stewart and the Jays beat the White Sox to advance to the WS for the second straight year . . . 10/13/03 That’s 1903. The Boston Pilgrims beat the Pirates for the first World Series title . . . 10/13/60 Bill Mazeroski hits his iconic series-ending home run off Yankees RH Ralph Terry to walkoff in G7.

ONE FOR THE ROAD: It’s the baseball post-season, one of the most hectic times of the year during which to cover sports, in terms of overall travel and drama. The disclaimer here is that in my 40 seasons in the game, both working for a team from 1973-95, and covering a team as a columnist, from 1995-2012, in those 40 seasons, teams I have been associated with have gone to the post-season one time — the ’81 Expos. Yes, that is correct, one time. That being said, it is still my second favourite time of the baseball season, the favourite being spring training with all the romantic blather about the end of winter, a fresh beginning, everyone tied for first place, hope springing eternal and all that other crap.

In any case, after the Jays’ season came to a merciful end on Wednesday, I rented a car from Budget and hit the road, first to Detroit for Games 1-2 vs. the A’s and now down to Cincinnati to watch Joey Votto and friends against the Giants. It’s not been a great post-season for Bay Area teams.

Note to the Star’s travel editor, Jim Byers. Here’s simple directions for fans who may want to go to Lakeland, Fla., for Tigers spring training, starting the trip at the U.S. end of the Windsor tunnel.

Pay attention, now: “Proceed on Jefferson St. to Hwy 10 N. Take the Ramp onto I-75 South. Proceed about 1,000 miles. Turn left off of I-75 onto I-4. Drive 20 miles to Lakeland exit.” That’s right, I-75 runs from Sault St. Marie, Michigan to Naples, Florida. Tough to get lost.

I like Motown. It’s walkable from the Courtyard hotel near the Renaissance to Comerica Park, straight up Brush past Ford Field, turn left to the press gate. On the walk back, there’s always the siren’s call of $2 draft beer at the Greektown Casino for anyone that can prove they’ve been at the baseball game. On Sunday, I was lured onto the rocks with a chance to watch the end of some pretty good NFL games, while playing a little video blackjack. Then it was off to Fishbones for dinner, a little Jambalaya and a bowl of gumbo, then for a nightcap to The Detroiter a couple of blocks north of Greektown back towards the hotel. Talked to three young Canadian baseball fans who came down for a post-season fix. No Blue Jays paraphernalia. Maybe next year. Ya gotta believe.

On Monday it was a four-hour drive down the aforementioned I-75 right to the Reds bandbox of a ballpark for workout day, highlighted by the musings of the great Dusty Baker. The classy Reds manager had been felled by an irregular heartbeat and a mini-stroke in Chicago and missed some time away from the team. Dusty said on Monday that he has a renewed view on appreciation of life:

“I’ve been feeling that it’s been a special year from the time we got to spring training. As far as appreciating where we are and what’s going on here, I’ve always had that appreciation, more of an appreciation outside of the game and outside of baseball. My family, just a lot of stuff.

“Like when you watch the geese fly over. I see them coming off that river now; I notice every time they come off the river. That kind of stuff. Or the half moon the other night. A lot of times you just take for granted it’s a full moon or half moon. Now all of the sudden you start seeing the moon.

“I also think about my father a lot that would have been out in San Francisco at every game. These things I think about as far as playing for, as far as winning for some of the people that are responsible for me being here.”

Dusty’s great. Also, great is the view I have from my window at the Courtyard, Covington. Let’s see, there’s a White Castle that’s open 24 hours (except when it’s closed), a McDonald’s, a Burger King, a Waffle House and a SkyLine Chili, the breakfast of champions. On Monday night after the four-hour drive from Detroit and first trying to check into the wrong Marriott hotel, I went to a place called Sidebar for dinner. Ordered a pound of boneless chicken wings, which from the taste of them hadn’t been part of a chicken for months, if ever. Then got caught up in a discussion with a young patron about the sketchy quality of U.S. presidential candidates and the constitutional right to carry semi-automatic weapons that can fire off 100 rounds in a few seconds. When it was suggested the writers of the constitution were suggesting a blunderbuss rather than a machine pistol, the response was: “You can kill a dozen people with one shot from a blunderbuss.” Can’t argue with that logic. Will be driving home after this series ends (maybe) then figuring out what next from there.

The Bullpen: Is Joe Maddon to blame for Blue Jays’ Ricky Romero’s struggles?

VOLUME XVII, October 1, 2012

THE ESSAY

One summer back in 2008, when Ricky Romero was still struggling with his career at Double-A, away from the spotlight, in the backwoods at New Hampshire, the talented young left-hander from East L.A. read what his GM J.P. Ricciardi said in a Sports Illustrated interview that he second-guessed himself for choosing Romero ahead of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the first round of the ’05 June draft. In response, Romero tore out the SI page and tacked it up in his locker for inspiration.

Following the 2012 season, a year in which the Jays ace was physically strong, but mentally weak, maybe he should repeat that self-motivating trick. Perhaps he could find a photo of Rays’ manager Joe Maddon and a board with Vendetta Darts and hang those in his locker next spring to help him move forward with a new attitude. There is circumstantial evidence to argue that early-season comments by Maddon following a May 23 start, got into Romero’s head, contributing to his struggles.

It’s clear Romero has had well-documented struggles against left-handed hitters, a group he should dominate. Maddon suggested on May 23 that he would put more left-handers into his batting order if he had them. Romero, when asked about Maddon’s comments, did not react well. The fact is lefties for the year batted .310 with an OPS of .899 vs. Romero. Right-handers hit .268 with a .782 OPS.

Was he bothered? Consider that prior to May 23, Romero was 5-1, with a 3.84 ERA. After that game, dismissed as he was by Maddon, he went 4-13, with a 6.81 ERA. Sure there were signs that he was lucky to be 5-1, reaching a heady 8-1 before his world fell apart. They weren’t overpowering victories by any means, but he was contributing. Romero departed his final start on Saturday after just three innings and two runs, suffering his first real physical injury of the season. The minor physical issue on Saturday was probably for the best. He now has a win under his belt from his previous start against Baltimore, snapping his record-tying 13 game losing streak, with five months to move forward.

“For me, it’s relax, go home and enjoy my family, then get back to training,” Romero said following his final no-decision effort. “I talked to Omar (Vizquel) and he said take the wins as they come. Brandon (Morrow) said the same thing, just take the wins, no matter how they come. And they were right. I was 8-1 and I was being hard on myself, I was thinking I wasn’t pitching good enough. The wins were coming, and then (the season went bad). I’m sitting here hoping for a win. I was kind of hard on myself and I think all players go through that and they learn from those things.”

There is statistical evidence that even within his starts, Romero’s primary issues were mental, not physical. At moments when he should have stepped up to the challenge in his role as the staff ace, he seemed to shrink away, his performance anticipating the worst — which is of course what you get.

There are two sets of circumstances when you should step up if you’re a No. 1 starter. First is when your team scores runs for you. The shutdown inning is imperative to winning and to leading. Romero failed in those situations, miserably. The second is when you get to two strikes on a hitter. That’s when you need to be in charge and put hitters away. Romero failed miserably in those situations.

Consider these 2012 numbers. The Jays scored runs for Romero in 51 different innings. In the following frame, innings when Romero went to the hill immediately after runs were scored, a total of 51 times, Romero posted an 8.08 ERA, pitching 45 2/3 innings, allowing 41 runs (35 earned) on 55 hits, with 35 walks and 41 strikeouts. Six times he could not even complete the next inning after the offence provided him runs. Even worse stats, after the May 23 start vs. Maddon’s Rays, Romero’s ERA in shutdown innings was 9.77, with 46 hits and 22 walks in 29 1/3 innings. That’s a mental block.

Consider these other numbers. In 32 starts, there were seven games in which, after reaching two strikes against hitters, he proceeded to throw as many or more balls than he threw strikes. The lingering image is of Romero reaching two strikes, then maybe throwing a breaking ball in the dirt that the hitter didn’t offer at, then missing the zone, high or outside with a fastball, then a patient hitter laying off a changeup, with Romero either walking him or putting himself in a full count. Not every time, but there was bad body language and the look of a defeated athlete.

In seven games out of 32, Romero reached two strikes on a batter, followed by as many, or more, balls than strikes. In those seven games, Romero was 1-4, with a 9.48 ERA, pitching 31 1/3 innings, allowing 33 runs on 48 hits, with 29 walks and 24 strikeouts.

In the 25 starts where he threw more strikes than balls after reaching two strikes, he was 8-10, 4.99 ERA.

Was Romero affected by Maddon and his snide observations? Facing the Rays in 2012, in three starts, Romero was 1-1, with a 9.69 ERA. He allowed 11 walks in 13 innings against what is normally an aggressive-swinging team. The Rays vs. Romero batted .360 with a 1.064 OPS.

Romero needs to refer back to his year of mental struggles at Double-A, remember how he worked his way out of that to make it to the majors and become the Jays’ opening day starter two years in a row. Learn from it and get back to that plateau. In the meantime, until he regains his spot through improved results at the top of the rotation, Romero can no longer be considered the Jays’ ace.

Sept. 24: Hectic offseason ahead for Yan Gomes

Sept. 17: Orioles top A’s as most surprising team

BLUE JAYS WEEK (Sept. 24-30, 2012)

SEASON: The Jays did not play favourites last week between two AL East contenders, the Yankees and Orioles, splitting four game series with each team. The Jays started the week in Baltimore with a split and finished it at home against the Yankees, with another split. By the end of the weekend, the O’s and Yanks remained tied and the Jays were done for the season with both.

The Jays split a traditional doubleheader at Camden Yards on Monday, losing the first game 4-1 and winning the second 9-5. The highlight of the second game was Romero winning for the first time since June 22, meaning he can now go home for five months not burdened by still being on a long losing streak. The win did not come easy and he owes a huge debt of gratitude to left-fielder Anthony Gose who gunned down Taylor Teagarden as the tying run at the plate to complete a double play on a fly ball by Chris Davis. It was Romero’s run, with Brad Lincoln pitching in relief. But that made no difference, because any run would have given Romero a no-decision and kept the losing streak alive.

The Jays won Game 3 of the O’s series on a six-pitcher 6-hit shutout, with Aaron Laffey getting the win, beating the Birds 4-0 with a chance for a series win on Wednesday. But the O’s bounced back and cruised 12-2 on the basis of seven home runs, two each by Manny Machado and Chris Davis, who finished the year with nine homers off the Jays. Right-hander Carlos Villanueva damaged his potential chances for a big free-agent payday, failing to go five and looking fatigued as he did a year ago, when he had to be shut down as a starter in August. The O’s nicked the future free agent for four homers.

The Jays returned home with a chance to help the O’s out against the Yankees, but again they split. Morrow tossed a gem on Thursday in a 6-0 win over Ivan Nova. The Jays got homers from Brett Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia and three RBIs from team MVP Edwin Encarnacion. But on Friday, rookie Chad Jenkins struggled in an 11-4 defeat against a powerful Yankee lineup. However, the Atlanta native did manage to make every year-end highlight package. Curtis Granderson in the second inning ripped a rising line drive back through the middle. Jenkins shot his glove hand up in partial self defence, with the ball knocking the glove off his hand up into the air above his head. He looked up quickly and caught the glove with the ball still trapped in the pocket for the final out. Jenkins casually walked off the mound carrying his glove, found the ball and rolled it behind him onto the hill.

The Jays once again as they had in Baltimore, took a two games to one lead in the series with a 3-2 Saturday win. Canadian Shawn Hill picked up the victory with three shutout innings in relief of Romero, who left after three innings with stiffness in his knee. It was Hill’s first win since Sept. 23, 2010 vs. the M’s. On Sunday, the Yankees showed why they are going to the post-season, coming back from a 5-0 deficit after five innings to win 9-6 and remain tied with the O’s.

UNLUCKY NO. 3: The Jays lost their 89th game of the season. The last time they lost 90 was in 2004, which was J.P. Ricciardi’s third season as GM. This is Alex Anthopoulos’s third season as GM. In Pat Gillick’s third season as GM, the Jays were 53-109 in 1979. In Gord Ash’s third season as GM in 1997, the Jays were 76-86. That’s all four GMs in Jays history. The combined third season record heading into the final series of 2012 on Monday is 266-378. The theory could be that the new GM inherits a team his first year, makes some changes that improve things the second year, then thinks he has it figured out the third year. Sorry. The exception to that would, of course, be Gillick who led an expansion team.

YUNEL ESCOBAR: Escobar returned to the Rogers Centre field greeted by a mixture of fan disapproval and apathy. It was simply following up on a promise made at the press conference in New York, that Escobar on Thursday afternoon sat down in a conference room in the Jays’ offices upstairs with Patrick Burke and a young middle distance runner from Boston College named Jose Estevez. The meeting seemed to go well and Escobar after listening to Estevez speak of the problems that gay athletes face in the pseudo-macho world of sports, agreed to participate in future You Can Play projects with Burke, whose brother Brendan came out and admitted his sexuality the year before he died in a car crash. Their father, Leafs’ GM Brian Burke has been a strong supporter of the gay rights issues, since.

OMAR AND THE BABE: Omar Vizquel tied and passed Babe Ruth in career hits in New York last week for 41st place. What else do they have in common. While Babe Ruth, at least as portrayed in one movie version of his life, famously held his manager Joe McCarthy off the back of a moving train by his ankles, Vizquel chose a different mode of transportation, throwing his manager John Farrell under the bus.

How upset has Farrell been about this week’s Vizquel criticism of the clubhouse and of discipline, considering that Vizquel is usually among the last guys to arrive for a game? Farrell, beginning in Boston, was making it a habit to ensure that Vizquel started the final game in every AL city because, he argued, his career body of work deserved it. It was a nice touch considering the Jays have been out of contention for a while. On Friday, a Spanish-language reporter in Farrell’s office for the pre-game session, asked the manager if he had anything special planned for Vizquel on Wednesday, his last day as a player. “I’ve had other things on my mind. I haven’t even thought about it.” ’Nuff said.

THE RANT

Where’s Jose Bautista? What happens to baseball players when they go home for the summer, with season-ending injuries. Do they cease being paid by the team, or are they still considered full-time employees. That question, of course, is rhetorical. They are still a part of the team.

I am asking that question because I am wondering why it would be so difficult for Bautista to think about, on his own, that maybe in the wake of the Yunel Escobar incident and of the Omar Vizquel criticism of his manager and coaching staff and of the general clubhouse environment reflecting on the GM, a man that he respects and who believed in him and made him wealthy, that maybe the acknowledged clubhouse leader would step up and fly back to join the team for the final homestand, for the final three days of the schedule. That would certainly serve to calm the raging waters and reinforce the fact that Bautista was sorely missed as a presence after he went home for wrist surgery.

I can’t come down too hard on Bautista, because I don’t know his personal circumstances at the moment. I hope there’s nothing wrong. There might be something going on in his personal life that prevents him from returning for a few days. But as part of his $14 million contract, one would think that Joey Bats could come to bat for him GM Alex Anthopoulos, his manager John Farrell and his teammates, especially Escobar who follows him around at spring training like a little brother.

If there’s something of which I’m not aware, I apologize. But I don’t think it’s necessary for the club to have to ask Bautista or to pay for his flight to suit up for the last series. Just saying.

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

1. Washington Nationals (1)

Been 26 years since Davey Johnson’s last WS and 11 yrs since last winning season

2. Texas Rangers (2)

Could play in Oakland final three games, then two more two days later in ALDS

3. Oakland A’s (4)

Could play Rangers in Oakland final three games, WC game on road then Rangers at home

4. Baltimore Orioles (7)

O’s just need to play for the tie in late innings cuz their bullpen rules in extras

5. New York Yankees (5)

This team has bludgeoned opponents with 10 players at 14+ HR

6. Cincinnati Reds (3)

Still would love to have No. 1 seed overall to play home field through WS

7. Atlanta Braves (8)

Chipper farewell tour has turned out better than most for retiring stars

8. Tampa Bay Rays (16)

Maddon loves dressup road trips with a theme. Maybe should have tried the ’27 Yankees

9. Detroit Tigers (9)

If they win division and Angels miss playoffs, will be very close Cabrera/Trout MVP race

10. San Francisco Giants (6)

Healthy 5-man rotation has started all but two games this season

11. St. Louis Cardinals (13)

There is not the same aura with this team as at same time last year

12. Los Angeles Angels (11)

Interesting lack of unity in front office including manager. Somebody goes

13. Chicago White Sox (10)

The Tigers are more talented so this should be no surprise

14. Los Angeles Dodgers (15)

Which is most disappointing L.A. area team? Discuss

15. Milwaukee Brewers (12)

The big comeback just ran out of gas despite Braun’s starry rebound

16. Arizona Diamondbacks (18)

The Aaron Hill numbers are nice for a good guy, but make trade look bad

17. Seattle Mariners (17)

Look out for the M’s in 2013. You gotta like some of their young hitters

18. Philadelphia Phillies (14)

Wonder what Halladay is thinking about his dreams of a WS ring now

19. Kansas City Royals (19)

Look out for the Royals in 2013. You gotta like some of their young arms

20. San Diego Padres (20)

Just as Coors Field scares away FA pitchers, PETCO has same affect on hitters

21. New York Mets (23)

Great story this year on R.A. Dickey, deserves strong Cy consideration

22. Toronto Blue Jays (24)

Are Red Sox reconsidering Farrell. Only thing missing with Escobar? Chicken and beer

23. Boston Red Sox (22)

Red Sox have loaded up the rotation for Yankees. Bobby V’s post-season

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (21)

Bucs stumble once again. Clint Hurdle the Perdita Felicien of MLB managers

25. Minnesota Twins (25)

Mauer not happy with DH role. Could 1B be in his future with Morneau traded?

26. Miami Marlins (26)

Nice gesture by Marlins ownership signing Adam Greenberg for one day

27. Chicago Cubs (28)

Bad sign when club president Theo Epstein promises fans more of same

28. Cleveland Indians (27)

Horrible pitching cost Manny Acta his job. Could Tito be making comeback

29. Colorado Rockies (29)

Not much to say about this bunch

30. Houston Astros (30)

Kudos to Roger Clemens for resisting the plea of the Astros to pitch Sept. 22

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

10/1/1903 The Pirates downed the Red Sox in the first World Series game ever played, with Deacon Phillippe beating Cy Young . . . 10/1/32 the iconic moment when the Yankees Babe Ruth allegedly pointed to a spot in deep centre field at Wrigley and hammered the next pitch by Cubs RH Charlie Root to that exact spot. We say allegedly because the moment passed without fanfare that day, but was revisited and immortalized later, becoming bigger with the passing of time. Ruth became emphatic that he actually did it, while Root continued to downplay it. Grainy video shows him pointing his bat somewhere and then hitting the pitch. It makes a great story, so we’ll say that he did call his shot . . . 10/1/61 Yankees slugger RF Roger Maris hit his 61st home run against Tracy Stallard of the Red Sox in a 1-0 victory, a feat that the commissioner disgracefully diminished by placing an asterisk next to the number because Maris did not do it in a 154-game season like the Babe. That asterisk was later removed . . . 10/1/70 The final game is played at Connie Mack Stadium with the Phillies beating the Expos 2-1. Fans storm the field and tear the place apart as they head to Veterans Stadium for the start of 1971 . . . 10/2/16Grover Cleveland Alexander blanks the Braves 2-0 for his 16th complete-game shutout of the season . . . 10/2/20 The only tripleheader in MLB history is played on the final day of the season. The Reds take the first two games, while the Pirates take the third decision, shortened to six innings because it got dark and they had not invented night games yet . . . 10/2/68 Cards’ RH Bob Gibson fans 18 Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series . . . 10/2/72 Bill Stoneman of the Expos tosses his second no-hitter, this one against the Mets in the first-game of a doubleheader. His other no-hitter was in ‘69. Coincidentally the diminutive curveballing right-hander walked seven in each gem . . . 10/2/78BuckyDent slammed the home run heard around New England against Mike Torrez leading the Yankees to a one-game playoff 5-4 win over the Red Sox at Fenway. The Curse became more famous on that day . . . 10/2/85 the Tigers Darrell Evans slammed his 40th HR joining an exclusive club with 40 homers in each league. The third baseman had 41 homers in 1973 with the Braves, joining teammates Hank Aaron and Davey Johnson as 40-plus guys on the same team, a MLB record . . . 10/2/91 The Jays reach 4-million fans in home attendance, the first pro sports team to reach that level . . . 10/3/51 the Shot Heard Round the World is fired by otherwise nondescript Bobby Thomson, a game-winning three-run blast against the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds. Did the Giants have their own man in a white shirt stealing signs? Who cares. It’s an iconic baseball moment . . . 10/3/74 Frank Robinson is named as the first black manager in MLB history to take over the reins of the Indians for the ’75 season . . . 10/3/81 The Expos clinch a post-season berth with a 5-4 win at Shea Stadium.The win is keyed by a triple by rookie Wallace Johnson. Among those spraying champagne in the Expos clubhouse was actor Donald Sutherland. Who the Nats got to match that, huh? . . . 10/4/55Johnny Podres beats the Yankees giving Brooklyn its first and only World Series championship. Toronto leads Brooklyn two to one in rings . . . 10/4/80 Mike Schmidt of the Phillies homers vs. Stan Bahnsen in the 11th at Olympic Stadium to give the Phillies the division title. Woodie Fryman had blown the save in the ninth on a Bob Boone single. The Expos were one game behind going in. Aarghhh! . . . 10/4/87 The Jays complete a monumental collapse losing their seventh straight game to blow the division to the Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Frank Tanana tosses a 6-hitter. Double-aarghhh! . . . 10/5/41 C Mickey Owen of the Dodgers drops strike three with two out in the ninth that would have tied the World Series 2-2 with the Yankees. Tommy Henrich reaches on the passed ball as the Yanks win 7-4 . . . 10/6/45 The Cubs eject a tavern owner named Billy Goat Sianis from WS G4 because he has a goat with him for which he had bought a ticket. Sianis places a curse on the Cubs, the Tigers tie the series 2-2 and the Cubs have not won a World Series since . . . 10/6/85 Yankees Phil Niekro beats the Jays 8-0 on a 4-hitter for his 300th career win on the final day of the season. At 46 he is the oldest to turn the trick.

AL ROUNDUP

After blowing the save in a loss to the Angels in Game 1 on Sunday, manager Ron Washington showed faith in CL Joe Nathan in Game 2, bringing him in for the save again. The G1 loss broke a Rangers streak of 74 straight wins in games they led after seven innings. It was Nathan’s third blown save of the year. Rangers’ rookie RH Yu Darvish ended the year with 221 strikeouts in 191-2/3 innings. He deserves Top 3 consideration in rookie voting, although Angels OF Mike Trout is a lock . . . Rays’ LH David Price says he would vote for himself as Cy Young winner. You never know whether he’s serious, but his numbers are. His win over the White Sox on Sunday raised him to 20-5, 2.56 ERA, the first 20-game winner in franchise history. Another Rays pitcher CL Fernando Rodney has an argument for Cy. With three games left, his earned runs and ijnnings match Dennis Eckersley’s ’90 numbers with the A’s, five earned runs in 73 1/3 innings, with a 0.61 ERA. That would be the lowest of any pitcher with 50 or more innings in MLB history . . . CF B.J. Upton needs two homers to become the first 30-30 player in Rays history . . . As an example of why it’s not out of the question that the Jays do not extend the contract of MGR John Farrell before next season is that the Tigers are battling for the division crown under MGR Jim Leyland whose contract expires at the end of ’12. An excited 1B Prince Fielder reached 30 HR for the sixth consecutive season, with a game winning blast vs. the Twins in the eighth inning Sunday . . . A’s rookie OF Yoenis Cespedes has compiled the third highest HR total by a rookie in club history, with 23, trailing just Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. There are reasons the A’s and O’s are surprising the baseball world this year. The A’s lead the majors with 14 walk-off victories, while the O’s have that astounding streak of extra-inning wins . . . O’s RH Jim Johnson recorded his 50th save on Sunday in sweeping the Red Sox. It's only the 10th 50-save season in MLB history.

NL ROUNDUP

Heading into the final series, the Cardinals magic number was two for securing the second wild-card, but SS Rafael Furcal, with torn ligaments in his right elbow is getting to the point where he considers himself out for the post-season. Maybe RH Lance Lynn would be better off in the AL. The Cards’ all-star has 18 wins, but is hitless in his last 43 at-bats . . . Giants RH Tim Lincecum was 7-5, with a 3.83 ERA in the second half after there was sage thinking he may be done after his horrific first half. But the improved record does not guarantee him a spot at the front end of the post-season rotation. Very quietly, OF Hunter Pence has been contributing to the Giants offence in the absence of Melky Cabrera. Pence has 45 RBIs in his 56 games in a Giants uniform . . . It seems like Nats’ RH Drew Storen has regained his closing role. Injured earlier and replaced quite ably by RH Tyler Clippard, Storen allowed his first run since Sept. 1 on Saturday, but the Nats gave him the win in extra innings. Heading to the playoffs, Clippard will be the eighth inning man . . . CF Matt Kemp is bouncing back after his injury crashing into the wall and 1B Adrian Gonzalez has a 12-game hitting streak, but it may be to late to save the Dodgers’ season. But heading in to next year, the Dodgers, if LF Carl Crawford returns to health, they will have to be among the NL preseason favourites. LH Clayton Kershaw has been told that his hip impingement will not get any worse by starting, so he is insistent that he go on Wednesday in the season finale. If the Dodgers are still alive, he may be allowed to pitch, but if they are eliminated (magic No. 2), then he will be shut down . . . Reds MGR Dusty Baker was set to return to the dugout Monday after being sidelined with an irrgeular heartbeat for a couple of weeks. In the interim, Chris Speier has handled the reins of the NL Central champs. 1B Joey Votto has reached base safely in all 22 games since coming off the DL . . . How do you bet against the Braves in the wild-card game on Friday? The Braves have won the last 23 starts by RH Kris Medlen who is slated for Friday. Sorry Cards. Sorry Dodgers. It seems it will be a long flight for nothing. In fact Medlen’s weekend start pushed him to a major-league record passing the 22 straight of Whitey Ford and Carl Hubbell . . . Brewers LF Ryan Braun is finishing strong with a 10-game hitting streak but has exactly no chance of being NL MVP after last winter’s brush with performance-enhancing drugs. Not saying that voters are holding that against him, but even though his numbers are similar, the Brewers have not made the playoffs, which points to maybe Prince Fielder being the key to last year’s division-winning effort. Plus — I changed my mind — voters will hold it against him.

JAYS MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

The Blue Jays’ eight farm teams combined for a 427-395 record.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: The Blue Jays have sent eight prospects and one coach to the Salt River Rafters of the AFL, a team that Toronto shares in the Fall League with the Diamondbacks, Nationals, White Sox and Rockies. The manager is former all-star third baseman Matt Williams of the Debarks. The Jays have sent hitting coach Jon Nunn ally to the staff. The players are OF Jake Marisnick, SS Ryan Goings, OF Kevin Pillar (taxi squad), C Sean Ochinko, RH Ryan Tempera, RH Sam Dyson, RH Deck McGuire and RH John Stilton. Opening Day for the AFL is Oct. 9, with the Championship Game taking place on Nov. 17 at Scottsdale Stadium. This is the AFL’s 20th season.

R. HOWARD WEBSTER AWARDS : This week the Jays announced the Webster Award winners, the team MVPs at each level of the organization. The winners are: SS Aden Hechavarria, 23 (AAA-Las Vegas...312, 20 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 63 RBI, .788 OPS); SS Ryan Goins, 24 (AA-New Hampshire....289, 33 2B, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 15 SB, .745 OPS); RH Daniel Barnes, 22 (A-Dunedin...1-2, 1.40 ERA, 34 SV); LH Justin Nicolino, 20 (A-Lansing...10-4, 2.46 ERA, 124.1 IP, 112 H, 21 BB, 119 K); RH Javier Avendano, 22 (A-Vancouver...10-4, 1.33 ERA, 108.1 IP, 73 H, 43 BB, 130 K ); SS Christian Lopes, 19 (Rk-Bluefield....278, 17 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR & 33 RBI, .801 OPS ); RH Alberto Tirado, 17 (Rk-Gulf Coast Blue Jays...3-2, 2.63 ERA, 48.0 IP, 32 H, 17 BB, 39 K ) and SS Rolando Segovia, 17 (Rk-Dominican Summer League....299, 12 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 18 SB, .813 OPS).

Former Webster winners on Toronto’s current 40-man roster include 1BAdam Lind (3, Auburn - 2004, Dunedin - 2005, New Hampshire - 2006), LH Brett Cecil (Auburn - 2007), RF Moises Sierra (Dunedin – 2009) and C J.P. Arencibia (Las Vegas – 2010).

OTHER ORGANIZATION AWARDS: The Jays recognized Blake Crosby, Jim Skaalen, Chad Mottola and Daniel Barnes with awards for excellence in Amateur Scouting, Professional Scouting, Player Development and Community Service, respectively.

*Crosby is the 2012 recipient of the AL LAMACCHIA AWARD given annually to the amateur scout that exemplifies the work ethic and perseverance best demonstrated by the longtime Blue Jays executive for whom the award was named. A native of Los Alamitos, Calif., Blake played in the Oakland Athletics farm system before joining the Blue Jays scouting department in 2010. In his three years with the Blue Jays, Crosby drafted and signed Aaron Sanchez, Mitch Nay, Andy Burns, Jorge Flores, Art Charles, Taylor Cole and Kramer Champlin.

*Skaalen is the Jays 2012 PRO SCOUT OF THE YEAR. Born in Michigan and raised in Coronado, Calif., Skaalen joined the Jays scouting department in 2011. After four seasons as a player in the minors with the Orioles, he began his professional coaching career with the Astros in 1981. Jim has had a successful record as a minor league manager and hitting instructor, including three seasons as Farm Director for San Diego. The former 1B/3B joined the Brewers as Minor League Hitting Coordinator 2000-2006, and as the Brewers’ Hitting Coach 2007-2008. He was also the Major League Hitting Coach with the A’s in 2009-2010.

*Mottola is recipient of the BOBBY MATTICK AWARD for excellence in Player Development. Mottola has spent the last three seasons as the Hitting Coach at Las Vegas (AAA). The former first round pick (5th overall) of the 1992 draft played in parts of five seasons with Cincinnati, Florida, Baltimore and Toronto, where he appeared in 13 games for the Jays. The University of Central Florida product began his coaching career in 2007 assisting with the Blue Jays Extended Spring Training program before serving as the Hitting Coach for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in 2007-2008. Mottola served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the 2009 season before his move to Las Vegas.

*Barnes wins the Jays’ minor-league COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD. The 22 year-old Dunedin closer was an integral part of the Jays “Bookin’ it to the Ballpark” initiative, making appearances at local schools to read to students and encourage them to read themselves, allowing the team to positively promote literacy throughout the community. He helped fans set up tents on the field after a game for a family sleepover and participated in Relay for Life night at the stadium to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.

ONE FOR THE ROAD:

This writing job is not as easy as it looks. You know what they say about the best laid plans. I flew home last Monday afternoon from Tampa after a series in which SS Yunel Escobar was welcomed back to the Jays’ field following his three-game club suspension for his homophobic slur. The team flew to Baltimore for four games in three days, with Brendan Kennedy covering for The Star.

It seemed it was going to be interesting to chronicle the reaction of fans in Toronto when Escobar was introduced and took the field for the first time at home. My idea on Thursday was to go to the ballpark for the usual pre-game as the Jays hosted the Yankees in the first of four, then take it to the heart of the Church-Wellesley village up near the old Gardens to talk to the demographic that was offended.

I went on the Internet to seek out a sports bar in the heart of the gay community where I could take a cab from the ballpark in time for the start of the game and gauge reaction, outrage or acceptance of Escobar’s punishment/return. This is the down side of the Internet. Sometimes facts are outdated.

I settled on a place called PM Toronto, on Carlton right next to the old Maple Leaf Gardens, now, of course, transformed into a huge Loblaws. One of the Star’s ace photographers, Rene Johnston was going to meet me at PM Toronto to document the interviews and lend faces to the voices.

I stayed at the ballpark in the Jays’ manager’s office and on the field for the usual pre-game stuff, with the addition of an on-field press conference with Patrick Burke, son of Brian, and head of the group You Can Play and a young Cuban-descent middle-distance runner from Boston College, Jose Estevez, who had come out and declared his sexual orientation to this coach and teammates. Estevez had sat down with Escobar to discuss and explain the implications and hurtfulness of the shortstop’s indiscretion. Both men came away satisfied that Escobar understood and would move forward.

In any case, as I was in a cab headed for Church and Carlton, Rene messaged me.

It seemed PM Toronto no longer existed. In its place did a bar called Zippers, didn’t seem at all to be a sports bar of any kind. As I continued through rush hour traffic, Rene went in and asked the bartender if there was a chance they would be watching the baseball game when it came on. The bartender laughed and pointed us north in the direction of a place called Pegasus on Church a few blocks away. He said his place hadn’t been PM Toronto for 17 years. Nice work Internet.

In any case, I met RJ on the corner and we headed up the street looking for Pegasus. Thinking we may have gone in the wrong direction, we strolled into the iconic Woody’s, where the Jays game was on one TV, with nobody really paying attention, but the bartender helpfully pointed us a few more doors north where we found the entrance to Pegasus. After ordering a beer and chatting with the bartender, Richard, he went over and cleared the cooperation for an interview with a table of three that ended up being my sounding board for the true reaction to the Escobar situation. After an in retesting back-and-forth conversation with opinions I would never have found at the Rogers Centre, RJ went back to file his photos at the Star while I set up my laptop at the bar, next to the register where Richard helpfully plugged me in. I cracked my knuckles and took off, focused totally on writing. All of a sudden, I looked up at around 9:45 p.m. and what had been 20 people when we arrived was suddenly 250 people, with a buzz and a vibrancy that caught me off guard. One guy asked me how it was possible to concentrate. I explained that I was used to writing with 40,000 screaming people really into a baseball game — or at the Rogers Centre. Another less friendly guy walked by on his way back from the washroom and snarled, “Why don’t you go home, you bleepety-bleep American.” The young guy standing next to me at the bar looked up, smiled and shrugged. Nobody said this job was easy. And if Star accounting is reading this, then yes, I did buy some beers for people . . . and it was all business.