Blue Jays mail bag

There are real things in real life that put the surreal sports world we cover in perspective. Just as fans were getting excited about the Jays' heroic drive in search of the wild-card, I took a day off to attend a special luncheon in Guelph, organized to recognize a more important type of real-life heroism. A few months ago, a 60-year-old Guelph resident was having a heart attack on the side of the highway, leaning on his car, losing focus and struggling to stay on his feet. My son Matthew and his girlfriend, Laura Briden thought the man might need help. They pulled over. He told them he would be fine and they could leave, but they insisted he get in their car and they drove him to a local hospital. He was unable to communicate and even tell them his name, but they took his cell phone and called whom they assumed was his son and made sure he was rushed into emergency. Doctors said he would have died on the side of the road. Last Saturday, the man, who had tracked the couple down, staged an appreciation luncheon for them, inviting both sets of parents. The Mayor of Guelph issued a citation and the local Mercury newspaper covered the event with a front-page story. The young couple thought what they did was nothing special which, of course, is what makes it so special. Baseball is only a game. Being GM is only a job. Life is what’s important. On to the mailbag.

Q: Richard,

Love the blog. Does this big turnaround from the Jays make J.P. (Ricciardi) even more likely to be fired? Here is my rationale: J.P. brought in a new hitting coach at the beginning of the season. Disaster. John Gibbons is retained and coached too long into the season and was pretty much J.P.’s puppet. Disaster. (Adam) Lind was sent down to the minors too early. After J.P. seemingly loses power, Cito is brought in by someone other than J.P. Cito brought in Gene Tenace and hitting improved. I can guarantee that Cito does not take any direction from J.P. and Lind was called up and given a full time spot and has improved and earned a starting job. J.P. had full control at the beginning - which was a disaster, now that he has little to no power, the Jays are winning more than any other time in the past seven years. Opinion? Is J.P. gone or is he going to get credit for this and be retained?

Brian M., Barrie, Ont.

A: One would think that with all the obvious past disasters in front-office decision-making as you so aptly point out that it would have led to a new captain at the wheel of the good ship Blue Jay for ’09. But it sure doesn’t look like it’s going to be that way. Whereas last year’s many costly injuries saved J.P.’s job a year ago, this season it could be all the late-in-the-schedule wins that briefly got them back in the wild-card race, plus Cito Gaston’s ability to make a tasty chicken salad out of basically the same ingredients as John Gibbons had been handed, that will save J.P. this year.

With Gaston’s clearly stronger dugout presence helping Ricciardi out as opposed to the just-grateful-to-be-a-manager Carlos Tosca or Gibbons, at least it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a one-man show anymore, which may prove to be the needed change for the Jays in 2009, moving forward. We can only hope so, because it certainly wasn’t working out for the organization the way it was with the one-man band that was Ricciardi. It will be interesting to observe the new front office dynamic in the off-season.

Q: I'm really impressed with Joe Inglett's play both in the field and leading off at the plate. Assuming Aaron Hill comes back healthy next year, could a move back to the shortstop position be in Hill's future? To me this would seem to be a cheap way to get a little more pop in the lineup, leaving money available to go after a power hitting DH/outfielder and possibly a veteran starter to replace Burnett when he leaves. Scutaro could platoon at second with Johnny Mac spelling Hill. Thoughts?

Jay M., Markham

A: Inglett has been an eye-opener for sure, but if, as you suggest, Hill moves back to shortstop to make room for an Inglett-Scutaro platoon, then that proposed ’09 infield with Scott Rolen and Lyle Overbay still manning the corners might have the least power potential of any in the American League. Combine that weakness with the 15-homer per year bat of Rod Barajas behind the plate and it would be another year of the Jays relying too heavily on the pitching staff. If Burnett does leave, then the Jays will have about $70 million committed to 11 players, leaving them some flexibility. The Jays can only bring in a slugging DH/OF if one of either Travis Snider or Adam Lind is in the lineup. If both players are on board, then the Jays would have to trade Overbay to make room for a power bat. I think that Rolen’s contract is untradeable because of his physical history.

Q: Hi Richard,

When asked about your favourite Blue Jays last week, you listed Al Leiter as number 5. I hope this means due to some off-field reason and not his pitching contributions. Al Leiter is on my list of the biggest flops in BJ history. We traded the ever-popular Jesse Barfield to the Yankees to get him and he was more on the DL than off for the first few seasons with that pathetic finger blister business and when that finally healed, he pitched three mediocre seasons and bailed the first chance he got as a free agent to Florida.

I have always felt quite cheated by Mr. Leiter. I remember seeing him leave a game after three innings with that blister on the same night that some hockey player got hit in the mouth in the first period of a play-off game, had two root-canals in the dressing room and was back out for the third period. Meanwhile Al Leiter couldn't pitch for his wimpy blister. I know this isn't fair, but to me, that typified his pitching career in Toronto.

David Phillips, Milton, Ont.

A: The question about my personal favourite Blue Jays was asked not on the ability of the players but on how much of a good guy they seemed to be off the field. Sure, the way Leiter left the Jays left many with a sour taste in their mouths, including Jays’ club president Paul Beeston, but that didn’t take away from his likeability factor.

The mediocre left-hander would always greet you by name in the clubhouse or on the street and was always willing to stop and chat. It always seemed your opinion was as important as his and he has parlayed that curiosity into a nice gig with the YES Network in New York as a Yankees TV analyst. Besides, being from New Jersey, Leiter was a huge Bruce Springsteen fan and at that stage of my life, so was I. Besides, his move to Florida ended up gaining him a World Series ring and isn’t that what they play for?

Q: Richard, just wondering with the recent run and at least keeping things interesting in September, is it possible A.J. Burnett will not opt out or will at least listen to an offer to stay? I mean if the Jays continue this play next year, they have just a good a chance to win as anyone else. Halladay played a part in convincing him to come here. Maybe he can sit down with A.J. and convince him to stick it out. What are your thoughts?

John Clark, Whitby, Ont.

A: I’m sure that in the time period before he can negotiate with other teams - specifically for the 15 days after the end of the World Series - that during that time Burnett will allow the Jays to offer him a competitive free-agent type contract to extend his deal – likely for a total of five years and an average of $15-17 million per season. But the Jays should not do it. The money could be spent better elsewhere.

Besides, I think A.J.’s mind is already made up for whatever personal reasons and that he is looking forward to the free agent process. Burnett’s is the first opt-out given to any major-league pitcher, according to his agent, and so he would be a fool not to take advantage of it. I think the fact that the Yankees’ owner Hank Steinbrenner was clearly tampering by talking about A.J. while he was still under contract last month and that the Jays didn’t even think about filing a tampering charge tells you everything you need to know about their desire to hang on to their electric right-hander. They’re ready to pull the plug.

Q: Hi, Richard, as do so many others, I look forward each week to your mailbag responses. The question this week about outfield assists leads to my question. Who had the best outfield arm as a Blue Jay? My vote would probably be for Jesse Barfield. Also, the same question as far as catchers, who was the best at gunning down runners?

Don Jones, Vineland, Ont.

A: The best Jays’ outfield arm clearly belonged to Barfield. Another gun out there was Raul Mondesi. Shawn Green and Alex Rios are strong, but not in the same league as the other two. Reed Johnson was strong and accurate. But Barfield is the clear winner. As for the strongest catching arm, Sandy Martinez might have been the best thrower, unfortunately he was among the worst hitters.

Q: Hey Richard,

While I am not a Jays fan, I've been watching the team over the last month and a half on a regular basis - the improvement in the line-up from top to bottom is like day and night! But if there's one bone I have to pick, it's that the line-up on a day-to-day basis, lacks speed at the top of the order. Rios is not a natural leadoff hitter, but he's not the power-hitter everyone seems to think he's capable of. On a team that’s devoid of any credible power threat, it would make sense to put your best base-stealing threat at the top of the order and play your most reliable hitters at the 2-3 and 4 spots. That would make the top four of:

1-Rios
2-Inglett
3-Lind
4-Barajas/Wells

I'm sure that Cito has realized this, but continues to push Rios in the three-spot on a constant basis. Perhaps I'm just paying too much attention to Rios' lack of power, but he seems to only drive fastballs and nothing else - which would make him a good candidate to take the leadoff spot.

And another thing: Lind has looked awfully good since Cito took over, but seems to be extremely confused at the plate lately. I've noticed he's been chasing fastballs out - it looks like pitchers have picked up on the fact that he's constantly trying to load up on going opposite. Is his pitch identification lacking in comparison to the rest of his teammates?

Chris Aggas, Mississauga

A: I’ve often written in the past about Rios being the Jays’ best option as leadoff hitter. He would be a Bobby Bonds type, with less power and less base-stealing ability (hmm!), but would move into that top-of-the-lineup role with the ability to at least be a 20-20 man in homers and steals. However I would flip Wells and Lind from your suggestion, with Lind batting cleanup and I would drop Barajas completely out of the Top 4 equation. Wells is a better base runner than Lind and I also hate having lefties back-to-back in the order. It makes it too easy for an opposing manager to handle his bullpen in late innings – lefty-righty.

As for Lind’s look at the plate, it’s just the fact that pitchers are adjusting to Lind. Now it’s up to Lind to adjust back. When Lind was up with the Jays earlier in the season, he couldn’t even pull the ball in batting practice. He has come a long way from that 1-for-19 stint. He still has a long way to go.

Q: Present players Excluded, can you make a starting nine for both Montreal and Toronto (no DH) on the topic as most difficult to deal with? From a fans perspective I have some thoughts/opinions but you had to deal with them more closely.

William S., Milton, Ont.

A: I’ll try to make one team, combining the best/worst of both teams. You have to remember that it was a different situation in Montreal as a public relations man than it is here as an often despised columnist. But a pain in the butt is a pain in the butt.

C: Ron Hassey. When the Hall-of-Fame called me to ask for Hassey’s glove to be placed on display in Cooperstown, he tried to parlay catching Dennis Martinez’s perfect game into a new glove contract for himself.

1B: Mike Aldrete. Inexplicably refused to do a phone interview to his hometown of Carmel, California even though his mother and brother were also on the line.

2B: Roberto Alomar. For some reason blamed the media for reporting his famous sulk when David Cone was traded at the deadline in ’95. Has refused to talk to me ever since.

3B: Derrell Thomas. In his short career in Montreal became involved in a news story that accused the Expos of racism in the early ‘80s. Damage control big time.

SS: Jim Mason. Not a very good player and didn’t seem like a very happy man. Tried to spread his misery to teammates.

OF: Kenny Williams. Showed up in Montreal late in his career as a fifth outfielder and made me organize a press conference for him so he didn’t have to speak to all the writers individually…as if.

OF: Devon White. Bought into the Robby line of thinking that I was an idiot. Didn’t even blink when he found out that I too was born in Jamaica.

OF: Ron LeFlore. With his well-known checkered history, scouted by the Tigers in the federal penitentiary, always seemed to be trying to con someone. Still owes me money because on a 1980 road trip, while still in the terminal in Montreal, had run out of meal money and needed to borrow some more. I’m still waiting.

SP: David Wells. Called me Dick, not necessarily an endearing form of my first name. Was constantly annoyed by any reference to his girth. So I constantly made them.

RP: Duane Ward. Was pissed off because I suggested a ’95 rehab stint at Phillies minor-league complex did not go very well and that he may be done. He yelled at me in the Jays’ clubhouse on Opening Day ’95…and was ultimately done.

MGR: Bill Virdon. Flew in the face of all major-league regulations for handling the media. He closed his Expos’ clubhouse in the pre-game to everyone, including his own broadcasters, including Hall-of-Fame outfielder Duke Snider. Virdon was also one of the last holdouts to not allow qualified women reporters into his post-game clubhouse.

Q: Hi Richard: may I get you to put your Expos cap back on for a moment? While admiring the work of utility Jays, Scutaro, Inglett, Wilkerson, etc., during the Red Sox series, I got to remembering a group of Expos extras back in the early 80's who referred to themselves as the "BUS" squad: 'Broke Underrated Superstars'. Who were those guys again, and what did they bring to the Big 'O' in those days?

Best regards,

Peter Williams, Sudbury, Ont.

A: The nickname was coined by the leader of the BUS squad, backup first-baseman Tommy Hutton, now a Marlins broadcaster. He came up with the name in 1979-80 because it seemed that for every spring training road trip, which from Daytona Beach was always at least two hours, it was the same group of guys on the bus. None of the regulars ever went. So all of those bench guys, the spring training road warriors, became the BUS Squad. Other charter members were Ken Macha, who went on to manage the A’s, the late Tony Solaita, the slammin’ Samoan, catchers Duffy Dyer and John Tamargo, the aforementioned sourpuss Jim Mason, Tony Bernazard, now assistant GM of the Mets and Jerry White, now first-base coach for the Twins. The ’79 season was the Expos’ best in franchise history with a 95-65 record. The team played 15 doubleheaders, so the BUS Squad was important.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. **Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

TRIBUTE TO AN INSPIRATION

They say that baseball needs more fans that are women. The real fact is that baseball needs more women like Norine Devine, who passed away suddenly on Monday morning at Toronto East General Hospital. Norine is my aunt and in the absence of my late mother, became my conscience and my inspiration as the Star's baseball columnist. Lorne and Norine Devine raised nine children in the same small home in Scarborough. The nine children, 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren have many things in common in addition to an incredible love and respect for one another. One of the Devine family's other attributes that was ingrained in them from infancy was a great love of sports, including baseball. Even though Norine was not an athlete herself, her kitchen radio was forever tuned to the FAN and she remained an avid Star reader, especially the sports, and a fan of Bob McCown. A staunch and practicing Catholic, any time that one of my columns may have strayed into questionable territory in terms of respect or double entendre, I would hear about it the next time I talked to Norine. She raised her own children the same way. When I was a struggling 23-year-old assistant in the Expos' public relations department, while my mother was encouraging me to find work as an accountant or some other "legitimate" business, my aunt Norine was encouraging me to stay the course if I really loved baseball and was happy. I am still happy, but also, now, devastated by the news of Norine's passing. I will continue to write with the constant thought of "What Would Norine Say?" Rest in Peace. 

by Richard Griffin       

The presidential seal

Only Roy Halladay gets to shrug off a name check from a man with a nuclear arsenal.

I asked him yesterday about getting name checked by George W. Bush.

"That's cool," Halladay said, sounding it wasn't really that cool. "Any time the leader of a country acknowledges you, it's cool."

So this happens to you a lot?

"It never has."

Okay.

The person who seemed really excited was clubhouse Bush booster John Gibbons. When I told him about it, Gibbons' eyes lit up and he burst out, "Good for George!"

Then he started hollering for Halladay, who was loitering in the hall outside his office with the other pitchers waiting to do their pre-series slide show about the Phillies.

"Doc! DOOOOC!" Gibbons hollered, making the pitchers skittish. They're not used to being hollered at by Gibbons. Halladay actually jogged into the room.

"Tell him," Gibbons said to me excitedly.

But Halladay already knew. His agent emailed him the text from the politico.com.

"Yeah, that's cool," Halladay said. Cool.

I asked Halladay who his favourite president was. No dice. "That's too political for me," he said.

Then I asked who his infield keystone was (Bush picked Phillie Chase Utley).

"(Derek) Jeter," Halladay said. And then as he walked away, and with a smile, "But don't tell him I said that."

Cathal Kelly

Wells out 6-8 weeks

The news keeps getting worse on the injury front for the Blue Jays. This afternoon, centre fielder Vernon Wells was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left wrist and is expected to be out from 6-8 weeks. In addition, reliever Jeremy Accardo was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm.

To replace Wells, the Jays are recalling infielder Joe Inglett from Triple-A Syracuse and have purchased the contract of righthanded reliever Armando Benitez from Syracuse. Bemnitez, signed as a free agent at spring training, was nearing the date when he needed to be in the major leagues or else could ask for his release. He was 1-0, with a 3.86 ERA at Class-A Dunedin and had a scoreless inning in one appearance.

Wells in Friday night's game made a diving catch landing awkwardly on his left side. He was examined this morning, undergoing an MRI that revelaled the break. Wells had begun to find his stroke again, raising his average to .2381 and leading the team with 25 RBIs.

Accardo's last appearance was Friday, pitching two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run. Already on the DL are David Eckstein, John McDonald, Brian Wolfe and Casey Janssen.

Richard Griffin

New bats face Tribe

Kevin Mench only found out about coming to his new home north of the border at 3 a.m. on Thursday morning following a doubleheader in Oklahoma City. He packed, hopped a plane to Cleveland made his way to the ballpark and was in the starting lineup facing C.C. Sabathia.

Jays

Alex Rios rf

Aaron Hill 2b

Scott Rolen 3b

Vernon  Wells cf

Kevin Mench dh

Lyle Overbay 1b

Rod Barajas c

Brad Wilkerson lf

Marco Scutaro ss

Roy Halladay p

Indians

Grady Sizemore cf

Franklin Gutierrez rf

David Dellucci lf

Victor Martinez c

Jhonny Peralta ss

Travis Hafner dh

Ryan Garko 1b

Asdrubal Cabrera 2b

Casey Blake 3b

C.C. Sabathia p

Mench said he didn't feel as nervous as when he was a rookie even though it's a chance to start his career up. He pointed around the room at guy that he knew -- Rod Barajas, Wilkerson and Texas residents Vernon Wells and B.J. Ryan. Coincidentally, Mench was given the locker next to Roy Halladay in the visitors clubhouse at the former Jake. It was a Mench line drive that broke Doc's tibia on July 9, 2005. He smiled when asked about it and recalled trying to reach Halladay that night to find out if he was alright and to apologize. He never did reach him but had a chance last night.

Wilkerson had gone home for a few days after being designated for assignment on April 30. He called the chance to play for the Jays "intriguing". He claimed that he had jammed his throwing shoulder at spring training and that it affected his start with the M's. He said he was as healthy as he had been at any time since the start of the 2005 season.

Let's see now. In November, J.P. offered a contract to Shannon Stewart, then signed Matt Stairs, then offered Reed Johnson arbitration, then signed Shannon Stewart then released Reed Johnson then called up Adam Lind then sent down Adam Lind then signed Brad Wilkerson then purchased Kevin Mench all the while ignoring Barry Bonds. Hey, Jim Edmonds and Jaque Jones are looking for work.

Richard Griffin 

   

Blue Jays mail bag

It was a tough night for the Jays on Tuesday. Just as the they were getting healthy around the diamond and defining roles with Shannon Stewart, Matt Stairs, Adam Lind and most especially at shortstop with David Eckstein dropping to ninth in the order and being relieved late in games when they have a lead by the sublime defender John McDonald, just when all that is happening, the injury bug strikes again. We’ll see what these guys are made of now as they wait for both shortstops to get healthy. Now on to the mail bag.

Q: Hey Richard,

Is it time to replace B.J. Ryan yet? Each game he saves seems like an absolute marathon.

Also, with the way the Jays are pitching, is this the best rotation we've ever had? How would you compare it to the ‘92 rotation (Jack Morris/David Cone/Jimmy Key/Juan Guzman)?

Wayne L, Richmond Hill

A: No it is not time to replace B.J. Ryan. To a man, the Jays’ other bullpen guys and his teammates insist that when B.J. swings through that bullpen gate and runs out to the mound for the ninth inning, the whole team is energized. Ryan is still a couple of days shy of his one-year anniversary for his Tommy John surgery (May 10), so what he has done since rejoining the Jays has been nothing short of amazing. He is Batman to Jeremy Accardo’s Robin except they both wear their underwear inside their pants.

No cheering in the press box ...

... At least, that's the rule.

But after watching Roy Halladay dazzle again and the Blue Jays offence fizzle in likewise fashion, it was hard to not to hang one's media credentialled head for a moment.

Dustin Pedroia - "Superman" as Vernon Wells later called him - robbed the Jays centrefielder of the game's first RBI in the ninth. Then the familiar duo of Ortiz and Ramirez got to Halladay with two out. Kevin Youkilis hit the dagger single. Wells, moving quickly from the penthouse to the rubbish bin out back, bobbled the ball. Ortiz, running hard, but hardly running from second, arrived home with the winning run and a bad case of mountaineer's lung.

For a while there, it looked like the only two Jays on the field were Halladay and David Eckstein. The Toronto shortstop fielded 10 groundballs for outs, three off the club record for assists in a game. Unfortunately, it looked like that on the offensive side of the ball as well. Toronto could only manage one hit - a single - off Boston starter Jon Lester.

Halladay has now pitched four consecutive complete games. That's three more than anyone else in the majors. And his record is 2-4. I'm sure the losses in Orlando and Kansas City all hurt. I wasn't there for them. But this one tonight looked like a gut buster in the Toronto dressing room.

Dustin McGowan will have his work cut out tomorrow trying to rally this crew.

Cathal Kelly

Sun Ra-Ra

6:20 p.m. - Right now, in drizzly Boston, it's 7 C - perfect Roy Halladay weather. That is, until Rob Pettapiece and his amazing math skills imploded my theory that Toronto's staff ace pitches better in the cold.

However, I recently received an email from Jonathan Hale, the man behind the estimable Jays blog, the Mockingbird. Hale is the Toronto baseball community's sabermetrician emeritus. After lightly teasing me about turning to the dark side - numbers - he offered his take on Rob's analysis. I've asked Jonathan's permission to quote verbatim from his missive. Here it is:

"While I'm sure (Rob's) numbers are right, I'm not sure about the conclusion. While it may be negligible, a "negative" correlation, and certainly that graph, seems to indicate that as the temperature goes up, Halladay's game score goes down. An average swing of 10 in game score from very cold to very hot weather as shown in the final table is surely significant.

As Rob points out, that could be because hitters are more dangerous in the heat (I'm going to generously assume as evidence he has my seminal work on pitcher effectiveness vs. temperature at Baseball Digest Daily in mind). So the real question is does Roy Halladay hate warm weather any more than your average pitcher? I have neither the foggiest idea or the will to crunch those particular numbers, but I can tell you a few things that really jump out about his performance using my own personal nerd tool, the pitch-tracking system installed at the parks known as pitch f/x:

1) His sinker sinks less and less as the temperature rises.
2) He throws more strikes.

I know this was just an idle pondering thought that you're not looking for a dissertation on...just thought it was an interesting question you left open and I'd add another angle. Next time just say something rash based on a half dozen of the Doc's games that you can remember, and both me and Rob will leave you alone. :)

Cheers,
Jonathan Hale"

Jonathan included funky graphics to support his conclusions, but I have neither the ability nor the access to experts (at 6:30 on Tuesday) that is required to show them to you. If you're going to start crying about the evidence, therefore, blame me. (BLOGGER'S NOTE: No need to cry. Jonathan has posted them here.)

Well, we may get a sense tonight, with Halladay throwing in temperatures that should hover just above freezing. Thank the baseball Gods for the closed pressbox at Fenway, the park's only architectural concession to the 20th century.

Cheers back at ya, Jonathan. Thanks for weighing in. And thanks to both you and Rob for adding a gravitas to my writing that's normally found through the use of a thesaurus. I've used 'gravitas' right, right?

Cathal: Any pre-game words for the blog, Griff?

Griff: No.

Cathal: Seriously?

Griff: Seriously.

Cathal: That's bloggable. The 'toad' thing? Not so much.

Cathal Kelly

Blue Jays mail bag

The Big Hurt is gone and life in Jay-Land goes on. But what’s up with Alex Rios? The Jays fly from Texas to Baltimore and he gets the day off. The Jays fly from T-O to Orlando and he gets the day off. Is this a clause in his new contract? The Jays lost both those games and the final one vs. Detroit with Vernon Wells getting the day off. It seems Cal Ripken has nothing to worry about from any Blue Jay. To the mailbag, Batman.

Q: Hi Richard.

Let the pessimistic side of me come out early, will you? If the Jays find themselves mired in mediocrity again this year and so far, I see no reason why they won’t, I am curious, with A.J. Burnett’s opt out, will the Jays try and shop the right hander before the July 31st trading deadline. I vision the New York Mets being a great destination for him. Thoughts?

Bob van Rees, Guelph

A: As is the usual modus operandi of J.P. Ricciardi, he will always answer his phone and listen to discussions for any player as the trade deadline approaches, but does that constitute “shopping a player”? The problem for the Jays would be that by trading Burnett for futures in July, J.P. would be admitting his ’08 season is a failure and would be basically signing his own pink slip, since he promised Ted Rogers a contender this year.

Any team that wishes to trade for A.J. during the season is going to have to sweeten the pot for the remaining two years of his contract (2009-10) that currently calls for $12 million per season. The new team – if they want to hold onto him – would also have to include an extension, so it would basically be a free-agent situation with his contract. Remember, his opt out clause after ’08 would be carried over to his new team.

Of course, the way the market for free-agent starting pitchers has gone recently, even the Jays, his current team, will likely have to sweeten his deal in October to keep him. Are they willing to do that? Not likely, which means they will, indeed, be willing to trade Burnett in July for the right package but won’t feel compelled to. If he declares free agency in November and goes elsewhere, the Jays get a draft choice, which is not the end of the world, plus they would have $12 million to spend elsewhere which gives them some flexibility. As for suitors, the Mets are always in the mix.

Q: Putting on your G.M. hat - contracts and major league experience aside (based on ability, not just “when their stuff is on”) - if you could choose between A.J. Burnett, Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch and could only have one of three in your rotation, whom would it be? This one really puts the overly used word “potential” into play.

Kris Duffin, Toronto

Rolen returns

6:38 p.m. - Good vibes are contagious in the Jays clubhouse right now.

Today, there was general merriment when Scott Rolen walked in at about 3:30. He'd just come back from a check-up with the surgeon who operated on his crumpled finger, Dr. Thomas Graham.

I ran into Rolen in the tunnel underneath Camden Yards (after going the long way round when I was locked out of the Jays clubhouse. MacLeod, is there no depth you won't sink to?). I knew things were going okay when he immediately stuck out his hand to shake - that is, the hand with the broken finger.

Then I asked him what he was reading. "Still (Upton Sinclair's) The Jungle," he said. Good to know he's not wiling away his days in Florida on the couch.

Later, Rolen told us that he's ahead of schedule on his baseball activities. He's already throwing. He put on a uniform and took batting practice with the team a few minutes ago. But he's not fielding. And he's still on his original rehab schedule. So don't expect to see him until early May. More on this in tomorrow's paper.

But hey, as Aaron Hill cheekily said when he greeted Rolen, "We don't need you, bro. We just swept."

I should add that it is frickin' freezin' here in Baltimore. These people have the worst of both worlds - ice box in spring, steam bath in summer. If you ever again feel like complaining about Toronto weather, visit Baltimore in April or August. That'll learn you.

Cathal Kelly