Blue Jays mail bag

With many of the big boys coming off the free agent market, led by Cliff Lee's jumping back to the Phillies and Carl Crawford to the Red Sox, some of the familiar Jays' names are suddenly making appearances in rumours and transactions. You've got first baseman Lyle Overbay signing a one-year deal with the Pirates for $5 million. He made $7 million in his final year with the Jays and if the Jays had indeed offered him arbitration at the deadline, he might have been advised to actually accept the offer and may have been back for another season for a raise. The Jays decided they were moving forward and Lind will get a full opportunity. Also in the news, Kevin Gregg and Jeremy Accardo are reported to be close to signing wth the O's. Gregg is also of interest to the Red Sox. A total of 84 free agents out of 255 have found new homes as of Wednesday morning. Only 13 of those are for longer than two years. There are bargains to be had for teams willing to take a chance. On to the mail bag.

 

Q-Hey Richard,

With the Bronx Bombers falling short in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, what other course of actions will they follow in order to make a splash this off season? Do you think they will now try trading for either Zack Greinke or Matt Garza to bolster their rotation?

-Matthew Lee, Leaside, Toronto

 

A-So far the Yankee reaction has been slow as they struggle up from the canvas to take what amounts to a standing eight-count, but expect them to heat up into a near-froth as they realize how far behind the Red Sox they have fallen in the battle for Evil Empire supremacy and one-upmanship. On Monday, they thought they had Cliff Lee with the extra guaranteed year and the highest guaranteed offer. On Tuesday he was gone and they instead had agreed to terms with Mark Prior. The former Cubs star is trying to re-establish his career. The hot spotlight of Broadway is not always the best place to get that done, although Prior's running mate with the Cubs, Kerry Wood did it out of the Yankee bullpen.

The Yankees definitely need to do something big in terms of starting rotation. They cannot compete against the Sox, Jays and Rays with CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. (I'm taking my talents to the South Bronx) Burnett, Ivan Nova and Prior or Sergio Mitre. Their best chance to compete is to trade for Greinke, but do they have enough in terms of prospects to satisfy the Royals' needs? The other thing they may try to do right away is to call Andy Pettitte and ask him to come back for one more year. The Rangers have also expressed an interest in Pettitte and that would be delicious if Nolan Ryan signed the Texan away from the Bombers. As for Garza, would the Rays trade him within the division? Their fans might not show up. Oh, wait, they already don't show up. The best free agent starter available, other than the undecided Pettitte is Carl Pavano and the Yankees have been down that road before.

 

Q-I'm curious as to why the Blue Jays are leaning towards having Drabek start the season in the big leagues. While we all agree he has great potential, putting him on the roster on Opening Day qualifies him for Super Two status two years from now. Instead bringing him up in June (like that Nationals did with their phenom starting pitcher), the Jays would save a significant chunk of cash down the line.  If we all agree that the Jays will contend in 2012 and beyond, I'm really curious as to why AA and the new manager have been quick to throw his name into discussions for the starting roster. 

-Joe Sacti, Toronto

 

A-Having Drabek play the entire season with the Jays will not qualify him for Super Two status two years from now. It qualifies him for free-agent status six years from now and that's only if he remains on the major-league roster from now through the end of 2016. That would be an organization thinking far too deeply if that's going to be a reason not to have a guy in the opening day rotation. Super Two is a category of arbitration eligible players that includes a low percentage of players each years that have two years plus the highest number of days in the majors among all players. For those players that are called up and sent down over the course of several years, a total of 172 days service equals a full year.

In Drabek's case, it's getting to the point where it does not mater as much about super two, because in a player's second year of arbitration, if he figures prominently in an organization's future, they buy him out of the final couple of years of arbitration and lock him up with a long-term deal. If Drabek rates that sort of consideration, the fact that he spent the entire 2011 season in the majors will become academic. As for why they throw his name in the 2011 discussion, he's good.

 

 

Q-The acquisition of Brett Lawrie had me thinking about Aaron Hill's situation. What do you think the odds are that the Jays don't pick up his $8M and $10 club options in 2012 through 2014.  Hill definitely has some pop in his bat but one could question whether you're better off getting another 2B or 3B free agent for the same (or less money)... similar to the decision AA made with Kevin Gregg.  For Hill specifically when do the Jays need to make the call on picking up his club options?

-Harry Jackson, Toronto

 

A-The Jays need to make the call on Hill's three option years (2012-14) not until the eve of Opening Day 2011, although they will likely decide during spring training. The Hill contract was one of Anthopoulos's early innovations as assistant GM to J.P. Ricciardi. The Rays used it as a model when they locked up Evan Longoria less than a year later. If the Jays decide to pick up the Hill options before next season it will include all three years at $8, $8 and $10 million. If they do not pick all three up they can declare after 2011 for just 2012-13. Or, in the end, they can decline all three options and Hill is a free agent after 2011. The safer of two courses of action would be for the Jays to wait until Hill rebounds offensively in 2011 before deciding on two option years through 2013. The flip side of that argument is that Anthopoulos said early in his GM career that there is an upside to having a player locked up to a long-term deal even if your plan is to eventually trade him. If Hill is the Hill of 2009, then the three option years are a bargain. A.A. likely has a soft spot in his heart for this contract.   

 

 

Q-Given the large contracts given to Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, how do you think this changes AA's thinking on Jose Bautista?  The Jays are in a bit of a catch-22.  If Bautista replicates his 2010 season through 2011, the asking price only goes up. 

-R.S., Toronto

 

A-You're right about the financial danger of allowing Bautista to have another 50-home run season heading into free agency and what that would do to his market value...but don't you think the Jays would love to have that problem. Put it this way, if Bautista has slammed 15 homers by the end of May 2011, they would make every effort to lock him up to a long-term contract looking for some sort of hometown discount perhaps because of the break they gave him in establishing his career. If not, if that strategy doesn't work, if they realized that he was going to go through the free-agent process and see what he was Werth, then they could attempt to trade him before the deadline in July and get back prospects. There is also a huge danger in giving Bautista free-agent star money after just one great season at the age of 30. The organization is still smarting over the Vernon deal. The most intelligent course of action was descibed above – to pay very close attention to Bautista during the spring and in the first two months and then try to lock him up if he proves to be who he says he is.

 

 

Q-Richard, I have long admired Tony La Russa's approach to the catching position. This is a position where defense is critical. He once said that he would start Yadier Molina even if he batted .100. Bearing this in mind and with a young pitching staff on board, wouldn't the Jays best approach be with an established veteran who can best manage a game? If Arencibia is known to be a defensive liability and we have holes at both 1st and 3rd, wouldn't a switch seem logical? Jose Molina seemed to bring out the best in our pitchers last year. He with another veteran seems like a winning combination.

Mauro Cavazzon, Markham

 

A-LaRussa's approach to catchers is shaped largely by his relationship with long-time pitching coach Dave Duncan who himself was a strong defensive catcher with crappy offensive numbers. Duncan spent 11 years in the majors with a .214 career average, 109 homers and a .636 OPS. He threw out 32-percent of runners attempting to steal and was noted foir his cerebral ways behind the plate winning a World Series with the 1972 A's. As for the Jays and J.P. Arencibia, his off-season grip on the No. 1 catcher's job is tenuous at best, having dodged more off-season bullets than Keanu Reevs in The Matrix. But as long as the Jays have just J.P. and Jose Molina on the roster, then Arencibia's the one. But they already flirted with John Buck and Miguel Olivo and made a pass at Rusell Martin, who apparently has chosen the Yankees. The Jays young rotation needed a veteran presence behind the plate the past two seasons, but they are now themselves young veterans getting to the point where they actually know what they're doing on the mound and can help Arencibia get by. For the Jays' young slugger, it's not that he's bad defensively, it's that he needs to understand that the ability to steer a pitcher through a nine-inning minefield is his most important role. It's not a lost cause. They need to find out about him and they won't do that by signing another veteran and sending J.P. back to Vegas.  

 

Q-Hi Richard,

Despite the cold weather and terrible roads, this past weekend a buddy and me took the pilgrimage to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown New York. It is about a 5 hour drive from Toronto, but a must for any baseball fan. In my view Roberto Alomar is a lock for the hall of fame and a lock to don a Blue Jays cap on his head.  Are there any other Blue Jays with Hall of Fame credentials? What about Joe Carter? How about Roy Halladay?

Thanks.

-Josh Sanderson, Toronto

 

A-The Hall-of-Fame is a wonderful place for the true baseball fan. Nice decision by you guys to make that trip. Joe Carter's celebrity and reputation stem more from that one “touch-'em-all” moment than from his body of work, which as impressive as those numbers are, always seemed to be in a supporting role with whatever team he was with. Joe did not get the 5-percent reuqired to remain on the ballot for a second year. I was surprised. Joe was stunned. Robby should be a mortal lock when the announcement is made on January 5. When he goes in it will surely be with the Jays' cap. It's a Hall decision with input from the honouree. As for possible Jays' hall-of-famers, there's an eventual chance for Fred McGriff and Jack Morris. Carlos Delgado needs to come back and hit a few more homers and reach the post-season. Roy Halladay is headed in the right direction, with all the necessities for greatness. What a great summer to drive to Cooperstown July 23-25 with Jays' GM Pat Gillick and Expos' broadcaster Dave Van Horne already going in and with Alomar likely.     

 

Q-Richard,

I'm a big fan of your column and fan of the Jays.  I like the direction that AA is taking the team with young arms and identified young talent. Can you give me a breakdown of who YOU think are the Jays top 5 prospects?  Where does Brett Lawrie fit into that mix? Last question - with these young players "done" their college and minor league seasons, what do these young prospects do to improve their skills?  Do all young players play in some kind of winter league?  Is there such a thing as too much baseball? I know, lots of questions.

-Jason Kerr, Saskatoon

 

A-I am always shocked that many of today's hot young prospects turn down the chance to play Caribbean Winter Ball, preferring to take time off and then begin workouts in January. My guess it's all about the big signing bonuses that take away the hunger of playing winter ball as a second job. As for when it's too much, I know that there can be too much baseball for some of the Latin American pitchers that have key roles with their home town team, come to spring training trying to win a job with the major-league team and then log a ful season in the majors. It eventually catches up with them.

That's an interesting question regarding Top 5 Jays prospects. There are plenty of sources for farm information including the essential Baseball America Prospect Handbook with the Top 30 prospects from every organization listed and explained. My own personal listing is slanted by my personal preferences of certain skills. For this exercise I will only consider players born in 1986 or later, guys that were born the year after the Jays earned their first division title in 1985. That would make them 25 or younger playing in 2011. In no particular order, here are my five favourite Jays farmhands:

1-Deck McGuire RHP: The 21-year-old was selected 11th overall in 2010. He's like '09 first round pick Chad Jenkins, only better. Deck will try to bring Georgia Tech products back into favour in Toronto after the vitriolic departure of Chris Bosh. Likely he will start at A-Lansing or A-Dunedin.

2-Anthony Gose OF: The 20-year-old former Phillies prospect obtained from the Astros for Brett Wallace has some exciting skills. What jumps out as head-scratchers are his two year totals of 52 caught stealings and 13 errors in centre field, but that shows basically what kind of a prospect he is if he's allowed to reach those numbers. It's not easy being thrown out that many times. As a high school pitcher he threw 97 m.p.h. but gave that up. In the last two years he has 29 outfield assists. Needs another 1000 minor-league at-bats at least, but is getting stronger. Look out Vernon.

3-Brett Lawrie: Okay, so the 20-year-old B.C. native likes to duct-tape huge alcoholic beverages to his left hand while flexing for his Facebook friends. There are worse things. Plus, he's Canadian. If Facebook existed back in the day, Larry Walker would have had exactly the same problems. In fact, Walker also as a 20-year old was trying to find a position and eventually became a tremendous, instinctive outfielder. Lawrie at 20 played second base at Double-A and was an all-star.

4-J.P. Arencibia C: This is Arencibia's last chance with the Jays. He cannot possibly be sent back to Las Vegas for a third year after winning PCL MVP honours in 2010. Either they think he can start every day or they should trade him to a team that will give him that chance. There are plenty of catchers that started out as offence-first guys that developed humility and leadership skills.  

5-Adeiny Hechavarria SS: The 21-year-old Cuban defector was the first high-profile international free agent signed by the Jays proving they were play-ahs. Completely adjusting to a different culture, he did better in the backwoods of New Hampshire at Double-A than in the Latin-tinged Tampa Bay area at A-Dunedin. His manager, Luis Rivera, a big help in New Hampshire is now a coach with the Jays. Hechavarria has some extra base power, decent speed and quickness, but needs a little more time.   

 

Q-Richard:

As I see it, the 2010 Blue Jays were 10 games shy of competing with a more or less solid team whose closer blew 9 saves and whose manager's wait-and-see approach cost them another 10. We've got a new manager -- one who's committed to firing on more than one cylinder.  And we've added some speed.  Why not sign a first-rate closer, stop all this trading/building ballyhoo, and aim to win in 2011? I understand the need to build for the future. I do. But it's not like the 2010 crew were a bunch of senior citizens.  My fear, after moving Halladay, now Marcum, after losing Downs, losing Overbay's sure-hands at first, maybe getting greedy with Bautista, is that the Jays will get stuck in a one-step-forward, three-steps back approach to building that will never pay off. Your thoughts?  In always looking ahead, do the the Jays overlook what's worked in the past?

-Matthew McKean, Ottawa

 

A-That's a pretty harsh view of Cito Gaston. I think there is a balance to his perceived strategic shortcomings compared to his solid “have a plan” advice to his hitters, his patience with guys like Romero and Morrow and the “this is your clubhouse” approach with his roster. It adds up to far fewer than 10 losses. I agree that the Jays may be a better team in 2011 but win fewer games, but it won't be because they did not re-sign Gregg or replace him with a proven closer. They still will sign one more veteran arm for the pen to compete with existing guys, led by Jason Frasor, for saves. I believe the advancement in terms of record will depend more on the bouncebacks of Hill and Adam Lind and the emergence of Snider. Of course Bautista and Wells will have to be forces again and they need to acquire another hitter at DH or third base. Closer is not the answer for 2011 to be considered a success.    

 

Q-Richard:

When teams sign free agents to long-term contracts that will run well into their decline years, why don't they front-load the contract so the largest annual salary is paid when the player is younger and his performance is likely at its peak? Arranging the contract in this way would also make the player more tradable in his decline years. This may make it more difficult for the team to add additional pieces in the short-term to make a run, but it would allow teams to avoid Soriano/Wells-type situations in the long-term. What am I missing?

Thanks!

-James McMahon, Thunder Bay

 

A-Many times, teams will in effect front-end load contracts by paying out big signing bonuses that can be amortized over the length of the contract but go directly into the pocket of the player in the first few years. The problem with front-end loading is that teams already have a large chunk of payroll committed when they sign a player long-term and that may make the total payroll untenable for ownership. By back-end loading, they can plan ahead for the supporting cast when they know they are going to be paying the most to their star player. No matter how much the declining year's salary is, players are always tradeable if you are willing to pay a large portion of the remaining annual salary.  

 

Q-Hey Richard.

I'm curious as to why GM's trade players who are already drafted instead of trading picks, such as the NBA. Am I missing something or is there a rule in the MLB that you cannot trade picks but rather players who are drafted with that pick.

Thanks.

-Nilesh Panchal, Pickering

 

A-Baseball teams are not allowed to trade their draft picks and that's probably a good thing. There are 50 rounds in baseball and there are some shrewd GMs with deep farm systems that would be trading veterans for draft picks and developed minor-leaguers for more draft picks ending up with dozens of picks in the first five rounds and on the other hand there are some organizations that would cut down their scouting and just use draft picks as inventory. Former Jays' GM Gord Ash is one that has been in favour of trading draft picks, but they would have to restrict it to first three rounds or something reasonable that would prevent the draft becoming a travesty. 

 

Q-Are there any plans to revamp parts of SkyDome (I will not call it Rogers Centre) for the upcoming season? The on-field product is ultimately the most important enticement to coming out to the ballpark, but further enhancements to the Dome would certainly seem to improve the fan experience. Is there a long-term plan for the stadium, or does ownership operate on a year-to-year basis?

-James Riswick, Mississauga

 

A-They own the place, so they should be able to make needed adjustments on the fly. How about some specifics for next week's mailbag. I think they plan on adding an octagon at some point before next April. For the media, the wireless in the press box needs improvement which is ironic since Rogers is the biggest wireless provider in Canada. But nobody else cares about that. I'm with you. I prefer calling it SkyDome. How about the Rogers SkyDome.

 

Q-Hi Richard. I'm a longtime reader and love your insights. Definitely feeds my excitement for this season, just wish it wasn't so far away! My question focuses on the rebuilding process. I know you're against dealing Travis Snider, and I like him too. But with a acquisition of Lawrie, and the example of Larry Walker, could Lawrie not be a replacement for Snider? If so, what if the Jays dealt Snider and other not including Drabek (perhaps Deck McGuire) for Greinke. Then turned around and spent big money on Adrian Beltre and Adam Laroche? I realize it's a bit out there, but I think the Jays would be able to contend right away and have prospect depth.

-Richard Colton, Waterloo

 

A-I would rather begin with Drabek and add catcher Travis D'Arnaud as a starting point for Greinke. There would have to be a couple of more minor leaguers, or else a major-league bullpen guy. If Snider went in that deal, I would not think it was a great step forward. I see Snider as a breakout player in 2011. The Jays were very interested in LaRoche last winter. But with Lind a lefthanded swinging first baseman they might be looking for a righthanded hitting DH/1B. Beltre is a trap waiting to happen. 

 

Q-Griff,

As someone who hasn't yet finished grieving over the loss of "Nos Expos" your writings are my last connection to something that once brought me great joy. I haven't seen this 20th Anniversary film, where can I get my hands on it?  Also are there any other Expos films worth watching?

Love your work,

-Nick Capozzi, Toronto

 

A-When we did the 20th anniversary highlight film, it was basically on VCR. Donald Sutherland did the voice over. We flew to a sound studio in Miami to meet him during a break from that horrible prison movie he did with Sly Stallone back in the day. Donald played the evil prison warden. My biggest guffaw of the day was when we asked the great Canadian baseball fan whether Stallone was a better director or actor. Donald looked up and said: “Neither!” I lent my copy of the film a few years back and never got it back, so I must contact Brian Schecter in Vancouver to try and get a fresh copy for myself on DVD. I will ask him at that time if there is any way for others to acquire a copy. As for other Expos films, we did a different highlight package every year from 1979 on and they were alll so well scripted as to be unbelievably entertaining. Uh, that was my job. I don't knw how many copies still exist.

 

Q-Hi Richard

I enjoyed your column about Dave Van Horne and Tom Cheek. You make an excellent point of Van Horne being the more senior guy in the Hall of Fame vote. It's interesting that with you writing in Toronto and Alex A. running the whole show, we're getting a very different perspective on baseball after all these years of an AL-centric view of  the game. We've always had excellent writers here (Perkins, Elliott, et al) but a view from people with a NL background is quite different. The NL seems to be a place where teams are put together differently, where the 20th to 24th men are very important to a team's success. That hasn't always been the case in this town. By the way, The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant, is a wonderful book. A great baseball story but, more than that, it's compelling history dealing with race, personal triumph and Aaron's complicated personality.

-Timothy Daniels, Toronto

 

A-I received a really nice e-mail from Shirley Cheek thanking me for the Frick piece and agreeing that Tom woud have been very happy for Dave. That was sweet. As for the Expos connection, don't forget that Bob Elliott's first work on the baseball beat was covering the Expos for the Ottawa Citizen for three years. He is a through and through National League guy. I will read the Aaron book.

Blue Jays mail bag

Make no mistake about it, I love Tom Cheek. Some of my favourite spring training moments in Dunedin were when Tom would make his first trip to the Englebert Complex about two or three days in to pitchers and catchers. It always meant to me that another Jays season had officially arrived. Then during the 45 days of camp, there was inevitably a couple of days when I would turn around at the ballpark and Tom would look at me and give the double-hand waggle, the universal sign of all golfers. I would nod and we would go play golf, spur of the moment and always an experience to be remembered.

Tom was always a good friend. Even when I was in the doghouse with the Jays for something I wrote, the legendary Cal Ripken of radio men would approach me and discuss the offending topic, never afraid that someone in the upper front office would see him as talking to the enemy. He didn't have to worry. He was god. He was on a game streak that would never be matched. Besides, he was his own man and always interested in the opinion of others if it could be explained. Each spring since, on a cool February morning, I now drive by and visit the memorial site his wonderful wife Shirley created for him. But the truth is that he is Dave Van Horne's protege and before Tom ever got in the Hall-of-Fame it would only be fitting that the legendary Expos radio and TV man, now with the Marlins, would get in first. In my mind it's like Andre Dawson getting to Cooperstown before Tim Raines. Without the Hawk, the Rock would not have had a chance. On Wednesday, Dave Van Horne was named winner of the Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting. That does not mean in any way that Mike Wilner, the Fan590 and Jays fans should be frustrated and give up on Cheek, it means that they should believe their goal is closer and that the online push should continue into 2011.

“Tom Cheek obviously deserves to be in the Hall-of-Fame,” Van Horne said at an emotional get-together on Wednesday. “Not only a terrific broadcaster, but a terrific person. Tom and I go way back. I knew Tom Cheek as the guy who used to do the University of Vermont basketball games on a little station in Burlington. During the winters we would go down with the baseball caravan and I would always see Tom. He would emcee a lot of the events the Expos took part in down there. I got to know Tom and once I was given the television job in addition to the radio job in Montreal, they asked both (radio partner) Russ Taylor and myself, who could go into the booth and work with Russ while I was on TV with Duke Snider. The name came to both of us immediately, Tom Cheek. He began his baseball broadcast career by coming from Burlington up to Jarry Park in 1974-75.”

I will preface these next remarks by saying that working for the Expos from 1973-95, Van Horne became one of my best friends in baseball...make that in life. When I finally viewed the finished product of our Expos' 20th Anniversary Highlight Film that former Expos TV procuder Brian Schecter and I put together, narrated by the great Donald Sutherland, the opening scene is a simple black-and-white shot of a young teen riding a bicycle down a busy street with a transistor radio on the handlebars. The voice of Dave Van Horne is heard calling a game from early in that first season. My initial and lasting reaction as the guy who wrote the script for Sutherland to read back in 1989? I cried. The voice of Van Horne from 1969-76 was the voice of baseball in Canada. He brought the sport back to a country that had not seen it at the Triple-A level since the Royals left in 1960 and the Toronto Maple Leafs disappeared in 1968. Even though Dave has worked for the Marlins for the past 10 seasons, when asked on Wednesday about his favourite players ever to cover and describe, this was his answer.

“I liked watching Rusty Staub play the game,” Van Horne began. “I liked watching John Boccabella walk to the plate so I could hear (P.A. man) Claude Mouton say John Boccc-a-belll-uh. But it was Rusty in the early years and then the farm system that produced all these great players, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Warren Cromartie, Steve Rogers, Bill Gullickson, Larry Parrish and on and on. They came togeher in the late '70s and were actually joined by Tony Perez (in the room) and really made their mark. In 1979 it was the first year they competed for anything, won 95 games and, oh, those players were a joy to watch on an everyday basis, none moreso than Hawk. Because I knew what it took to get Hawk out on the field and playing at the high level that he played. But all of those players were such a joy to watch all through the late '70s and into the early to mid-'80s. They were the halcyon days of the Montreal franchise. Vladimir (Guerrero) was fun when he first came up. Played totally out of control. They were concerned that he wouldn't survive physically long enough to stay in the game playing it the way he did. He'd bang into walls and he'd jump and he'd slide and he'd leap and he'd dive. They had to tone Vladdy down so he could stay healthy and stay in the games. He was a lot of fun to watch. One of the best pure baseball players I ever saw in uniform was Larry Walker. A young man who never played high school ball, didn't play organized baseball till his late teens and had as good instincts for the game of baseball as anyone I ever saw play. If you stay around long enough you've seen a lot of people like that. I'm leaving a lot of people out, but they jump to the forefront of my mind.”

Van Horne was stunned by the phone call from Hall-of-Fame president Jeff Idelson on Wednesday morning. About 30 seconds in, he even said to Jeff, “You're kidding, right?” After the realiztion sunk in, Dave and his wife Josee, a native Montrealer, drove to 10-year-old daughter Madison's Timber Trace elementary school in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, pulled her out of class and gave her the news. At first she thought she was in big trouble, then she broke into a big smile, gave her dad a hug and off he went to Orlando to meet the press as the first full-time play-by-play man of Canadian major-league baseball games to pass through the portals of Cooperstown. There is no doubt Cheek should be next. Favourite Van Horne call? “El Presidente, El Perfecto!” Favourite Cheek call. “Touch 'em all Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!” With joy for DVH in my heart, on to the mailbag.

Q-Richard,
Doug Drabek and Travis Snider plus others for Zack Greinke? Come on. AA's plan was (in theory) to go after young, controllable players with very high ceilings. The idea was to patiently wait so that you would end up with a roster consisting of several bonafide stars who would form the nucleus of a team for many years to come. As a regular starter, Greinke had one outstanding year, one very good year, and two poor years. He's under contract for 2 more years at $13.5M per year, and then is a free agent. Toronto was, at least, until now, on his no-trade list. Drabek is projected to be a staff ace. Snider is still only 22 and, now that Cito is gone, Travis will presumably be sent out to left field every day. His upside is likewise huge. Based on Greinke's history, it wouldn't be surprising if over the next 2 years, he had a great year and a mediocre year. And then he would move on. And then we would be watching Drabek and Snider making headlines from KC. Come on. Richard, make some calls and do something about this.
Patrick Bedard, Ottawa

A-The only upside to trading for Greinke is if they believe thay can sign him to a long term deal before he goes free agent aftert the 2012 season. He's certainly young enough to fit in with the Jays' talented rotation going forward to the goal of contending in 2012 and beyond, but at what cost would he be obtained. Yes, I would give up Drabek for Greinke in a heartbeat, but I believe Snider is about to have a breakout year. He now gets it. He's always been grounded in the right way to act by his father and high school coaches, but he has tried to be someone he's not to please them. He's now himself and that's good enough and confident enough to be an everyday left fielder with a huge upside. If they trade him that's a mistake. If the Greinke deal was fror Drabek and two other top prospects from a deep inventory I would do it. By the way, I wrote a column on this and put the kibosh on it. They listen.

Q-Hello, Richard,
I'm enjoying the mailbag as always; it's excellent to have it available in the off-season as well as during the year. Glad to see Pat Gillick elected to the Hall of Fame. Can you please explain the Shawn Marcum-Brett Lawrie trade? The Jays traded this past season's starting day pitcher for a second baseman. Last time I looked, the Blue Jays had a second baseman named Aaron Hill, and PROVEN starting pitching is a very valuable commodity, especially on a young starting staff, and with the bullpen undergoing significant changes. Is there some intangible that I'm missing?

Thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!
Richard Fine, Toronto

A-Okay here's the deal. The Jays are not contending in 2011 with the Sox obtaining Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and the Yankees about to obtain Cliff Lee. Unless of course there is another wildcard-team added in each league the Jays are done. Marcum could help them finish above .500 for the next two years but so what. They are looking beyond that. Versatility is a key moving forward for the Jays. For instance, Adam Lind is a designated hitter-first baseman, Aaron Hill is a second baseman-third baseman, Jose Bautista is a right fielder-third baseman and Lawrie before he arrives in the bigs can play anywhere. Honestly, I remember another lost young Canadian hitter who could not find a position. I looked at daily minor league reports in Montreal for Larry Walker in Utica in the late '80s that said first, third outfield and can't find a position. All of a sudden, the Expos and Walker found out he could play an instictive right field, eventually becoming the best at his position of his era. Lawrie?

Q-Hi Richard
Love the insight into the world of Major League Baseball. I am curious why teams don't explore the concept of a "sign and trade" with arbitration eligible free agents like other sports. Specifically with Type A free agents like Jason Frasor. While there appears to be interest in players like this, teams stay away due to his Type A status and the player is basically stuck on a one year deal with a team that could take him or leave him. Granted they could be traded at any time, but that also never seems to occur with these players. Do teams ever discuss this option of the player signing with his original team, only to be flipped to another team for a more reasonable return of prospects?
Jon K, Hamilton

A-I don't think it's the “sign and trade” concept that will change the process for guys like Frasor, who really did get screwed. I believe relievers, especially middle relievers need to be removed from the Type A mix because few teams will give up a No. 1 pick for a reliever. The sign and trade at least provides an advantage in basketball for the original team, but in baseball the “trade” half of it is the draft pick and most GMs would rather have their own fresh prospect than someone else's failed one.

Q-Hi Richard
It FEELS as though Alex A makes more daring trades than his predecessor. As far as the Lawrie-Marcum trade is concerned, which JP transactions do you view as most comparable? I'm guessing Hinske from Oakland.
Regards
Stu Royal, Erin

A-Apparently, according to the Jays' GM, the turning point in his own thought process regarding iffy trades was when Dodgers GM Ned Colletti (who won the Fishel Award the year before I did) told him. “Hey Alex, if you're scared get a dog.” The Lawrie-Marcum trade is certainly daring although I have heard there are Marcum moments that might have ended on Deadspin if the social networks were in vogue a couple of years ago. As far as daring Ricciardi trades are concerned, most of the time his moves were the equivalent of Evel Knievel jumping over the Humber River with a rocket bike. As far as JP equivalent deals to AA's Lawrie trade, you're absolutely right with Hinske for Billy Koch in '01.

Q-Hey Richard,
With the non-tender deadline passing by, which non-tender free agents do you think the Jays will go after? In particular, what is your opinion on a one-year incentive-laden contract for Russell Martin? This would not only allow J.P. Arencibia to gradually grow into a major league catcher by serving as a backup but if Martin performs up to his capabilities he could prove quite the asset for the Jays by next year's trade deadline.
Matthew Lee, Toronto

A-I think that any non-tender free agent will either be a reliever or a DH-1B. As far as Russell Martin is concerned, I really like the idea of signing him as catcher No. 2-1/2 to go with J.P. Arencibia and Jose Molina. The point of that is that Martin has had hip surgery this off season, so you play him more at third base at spring training while Arencibia tries to get over the hump of attitude that prevents him from realizing that in any game a pitcher's line is better than his own two hits. If Arencibia fails, then Molina and a continually rehabbing Martin give you the experience in handling a staff. Even though many are down on Arencibia's attirude and understanding of what it takes to be a frontline catcher, I think that they need to find out by throwing him in the deep end of the pool.

Q-Has anything been announced yet for next year's TV deal? There were a lot of angry fans at the end of the season.
Joe Glionna, Montreal

A-No one more angry than yours truly, a faithful Cogeco subscriber with no Sportsnet ONE access. In fact there were some days when I wasn't on the road and had a scoresheet out where I assumed the Jays game was ONE and so didn't bother looking for it...but it was on regular TV. I think by making knowledege of access day-to-day they make viewership day-to-day.

Q-Hi Richard,
One observation I have made as a baseball fan is the number of teams in the AL West and NL Central. From what I understand, baseball is the only sport out of the big four that has uneven number of teams in two separate divisions. I assume this is the case as baseball requires an even number of teams in each league to ensure proper scheduling and match-ups, although inter-league play has mitigated this somewhat. From what you know and who you have talked to in the baseball world, has there ever been any complaining or official filings done by teams in the NL Central in terms of this apparent issue in competitive advantage (consistently 1/6 chance in winning a division versus 1/4 chances) compared with the AL West. If not, do you have any suggestions to properly address this in the future - I am sure Bud and team may have come across this topic already.
Sincerely,
Frank Chiu, Toronto

A-I agree with you that it's nuts to have 14-16 in AL-NL instead of 15-15, but the Brewers who were AL for so many years after they stole the Pilots from Seattle, decided under Bud Selig that they wanted to go back to the NL. So when expansion to 30 teams happened, Bud took advantage and messed with the game's equilibrium. Baseball is an everyday sport averaging more than six games per week. If you have 15 teams in a league then there's always going to be one team in each league that is idle. I wrote a column years ago that baseball should go 15-15 but always have one inter-league game every day during the season. That would work but someone would have to move to the DH league. Hey, if I was an owner I would pay to move to the NL Central with six mostly crappy teams where you get 54 games against the Bucs, Brewers and Cubbies. The biggest thing I believe is that at the June draft the NL gets 16 of the top 30 draft picks. That advantage has been showing up lately with NL young talent.

Q-What's the word on Dirk Hayhurst? Is he an option in the bullpen or is his future now in the media?
Duncan Alexander, Burlington

A-Check his website Garfoose.com. He has no chance of pitching again for the Jays. He is an author. It's like imagining J.D. Salinger playing for the Knicks.

Q-I fell off the Jays bandwagon a number of years ago, but the excitement of last year kind of pulled me back on. With the promise of the future, I looked forward to this off-season to see how the Jays progress and move forward into the upcoming season. Now with the trade of Marcum, I’m confused.

Maybe there is another shoe to drop, but I don’t get it. Why trade your opening day starter for someone who is still a few years away from being a significant part of the team? I know that you always plan for the future, but this is giving me a signal that the future is not as close as I hoped or was led to believe. We keep hearing on a daily basis that there is money available for the Jays to get who they need, but so far it doesn’t sound like that comment is actually in play. I’ve heard on the Fan 590 that the Jays really don’t have a budget to adhere to (spend what they need!), but I don’t find that particularly comforting. What does spend what you need mean? Contend or just field a team? For some reason, with the contracts they have shed, I have this feeling we’re in for another low-budget season. And more frustration and disappointment taking away from last year's warm, fuzzy feeling! If I’m wrong or just pessimistic, please tell me. Maybe it’s just impatience, but I keep hearing that the Yankees and Red Sox have never been more vulnerable, but if we’re still a couple years away, I’m sure the Yankees and Red Sox will have reloaded by then! I’m not doubting AA, maybe just curious what the plan is!
Tweeter

A-Forget that last part about the Red Sox and Yankees being more vulnerable. They're not and the Jays are already 90-win toast in the AL East. The Jays have always been looking at 2012 and beyond as making a run. That's why they called it rebuilding. Fans are the ones that have pushed the envelope, but it still has no stamp. Nobody in this current regime ever promised you a 2011 rose garden. Marcum was likely gone in 2013. Lawrie may be long-term solution at a position yet to be determined. The Jays strength is young starting pitching, several of whom may be ready to step up by 2012. One has to admire the Jays for sticking to their guns from October 3, 2009 until today. The Jays may in fact win between 80-84 games and be closer to a World Series than their 85-win team of 2010.

Q-Hi Richard,
I didn't play pro ball, but I played up to Triple A in the Etobicoke Ranger system and I have to ask you, is playing first base in the majors really that difficult? I've been saying the entire time they should put Lind at first. I could play first base defensively in the majors. All you have to do is catch the ball. It shouldn't be that complicated, especially for a guy like Lind who played the position in college. Where is "range" required? When does a first baseman ever "throw"? It's the easiest position in the game. Plus, he’s left handed! It’s a no-brainer. Is it me, or is everyone over analyzing this?
David Ritchie, Toronto

A-First base looks easy as you describe it, but not so much. A guy like Lyle Overbay saved the rest of the infield countless errors. The big game for Lind as far as Cito Gaston was concerned was his second start at first base when he fed a high ball to David Purcey sprinting off the mound, made him leap and come down awkwardly on the corner of the bag and sprain his ankle for a DL stint. Helll-oh! Range is subtle when examining a first baseman and if it's there allows the second baseman to position himself more up the middle if the first baseman has it. I am confident Lind can learn to play first at spring training. He should have decisively volunteered to do it in the off-season but that's another story.

Q-Hi Rich,
Read your column about Lawrie this morning, excellent as usual. If the Jays need a backup catcher if JP doesn't work out, are they going to re-sign Chavez to a minor-league deal? He wasn't that bad when he was here.
Daniel Cude, North York, ON

A-Raul Chavez is not getting any younger and at 38 next season there are younger options on the free agent market, even if the date rolls around to late-February. They cannot wait around until spring training, but now that Miguel Olivo has agreed to terms with the M's, they will be looking at late additions like Russell Martin, or if he gets a better offer, Josh Bard or Gerald Laird.

Q-Hi Richard,
Do you think the Marcum trade sets the Blue Jays back in their ability to contend for a playoff spot in 2011? Is this clear indication from the GM that they are not thinking playoffs until 2012 or 2013?
Mia Matthews, Waterloo

A-They are not thinking playoffs until 2012-13, but that's better than the streak between the 1993 World Series victory and now. They do have a bunch of 22 and under prospects that will be ready by 2013. Can you wait that long? Marcum would have helped them win 85 games again, but the ground floor for the playoffs according to Anthopoulos is 95.

Q-Hi Richard,
I was getting excited about the next few years of Blue Jays baseball until I saw what the Red Sox did this week. First they brought in Adrian Gonzalez and then Carl Crawford. Their lineup has just been upgraded from very good to ridiculous. Until the Jays begin spending big money I feel as though they will always be competing hard for third place. Do you see it any differently?
Dan Usten, Toronto

A-My early prediction for AL East standings: 1-Red Sox; 2-Yankees (WC); 3-Jays; 4-O's; 5-Rays. The Red Sox lineup is unbelievable.

Mail bag

Welcome back, Jason Frasor.

The likeable righthander has accepted the Jays' offer of arbitration and will return on a one-year contract for 2011 – unless, that is, the Jays decide to avoid the hearing and offer him a couple of years at a reasonable and very affordable rate as a setup man and part-time closer.

Last summer Frasor truly believed he would be moving on, but the fact that he pitched well enough over the past two years to qualify as a Type A screwed him. Nobody was going to offer a good setup man a multi-year offer and have to give up a first, second or third round draft pick. Maybe he should have given up a couple of more bombs and dropped to a B. That's the Catch-22 of his position.

The system works very much against guys like Frasor. There were 51 relievers on the free agent market and 25 of them were either A or B meaning there was compensation attached. Every club has young guys that need to pitch in the majors. They ask themselves, “Is the difference in middle relief between Frasor and our own guy enough to give up a high draft pick?” Not likely. The coincidence is that the guy he was traded for in 2004, outfielder Jayson Werth, is about to hit the free-agent jackpot.

On to the mail bag.

Q: There is an article in the Ottawa Citizen saying that councillors from the City of Ottawa are talking to the Blue Jays organization about bringing an affiliated professional baseball team to Ottawa. There seems to be a certain level of interest from the organization since, according to the article, Blue Jays officials have already visited the Ottawa baseball stadium to inspect it. Do you think this is a feasible possibility? If so, what team could come to Ottawa? Triple A?

Marcelo Mills, Ottawa

A: Don't discount the story of the Jays coming to Ottawa. Even before he took over as Jays' GM in the summer of '09, I had a long conversation with Alex Anthopoulos as assistant GM about the demise of minor-league baseball in Canada. I was expecting him to hem and haw and go over the usual excuses of “exchange rate, working visas, lengthy travel, etc.” Instead he went on about how he could not understand the death of minor-league baseball north of the 49th either. How it was all American B.S. and if he took over as GM one day, that would be a priority to get the minors back into Canada. He has already done it once, moving the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts to Vancouver. Thankfully they did not remain the Lugnuts. That would be as oxymoronic as Utah Jazz. If it doesn't work out with Ottawa, I'm saying right here, right now that if an interested group in Montreal was to step up with a legitimate place to play and financial backing that the Jays would consider that as well for a Triple-A franchise. Ottawa is getting first crack, but the AAA-Las Vegas contract is for another two years. Proximity and lack of temptation for young players works in Ottawa's favour – although the Sirens of Gatineau beckon. There used to be an expression when I was growing up, “What happens in Hull, stays in Hull.” The Jays are willing to take their chances. When the Expos were in Ottawa, they could always call a player up in the morning and he'd be there by noon. That was also a help to winning on the field.

Q: With the possibility of losing three key relievers in the Jays' pen, what are the chances the Jays pursue Canadian Jessie Crain, a reliable reliever with a career 3.45 ERA? If not, what other relievers may Alex Anthopoulos target this off season through free agency?

Matthew Lee, Toronto

A: The three key relievers that may be lost so far this off-season must include Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs who both declined arbitration and lefty swing man Brian Tallet, who has now signed with the Cardinals. I'm guessing that the third key Jays reliever that you actually had in mind was Frasor, but now that he has accepted arbitration with the Jays he is officially on the 40-man roster under a one-year contract with just the dollar amount to be determined by an arbitrator. As for the Jays possible pursuit of the Toronto-born Jesse Crain, I would do it if I was Alex Anthopoulos. Crain, who grew up in Colorado and attended the University of Houston, has just three career saves, but has great stuff and made $2 million with the Twins in 2010, going 1-1, with a 3.04 ERA and one save in 71 appearances. He allowed 53 hits and 27 walks in 68 innings, with 62 strikeouts. With Crain and Frasor, the Jays could possibly go to spring training with the position of closer up for grabs, basically like they did last year with Frasor and Gregg. Because of the status of the Jays in 2011, as still under construction, there is no reason to believe they have any interest in relievers like Rafael Soriano, Matt Guerrier, Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, or any other Type A reliever that would cost them a top draft pick. They do, however, have interest in Scott Downs if his options dwindle, but of all the Type A non-closing relievers on the market, he has the best chance of finding a multi-year deal with a contender.

Q: Just a quick question regarding your opinion of the current depth of talent at the position of catcher throughout the Blue Jays organization. With John Buck having re-signed with the Marlins and Miguel Olivo a free agent, the Blue Jays essentially have J.P. Arencibia, Jose Molina and Raul Chavez as their top tier talent in the catching spot. Considering Arencibia is still essentially untested at the major league level and Molina is strictly a back-up and Chavez a fill-in at best, what perceivable talent is there available within the organization that we could realistically see develop up to the major league level by 2012?

Martin Keogh, Toronto

A: Even though free agent Miguel Olivo has declined arbitration with the Jays, all it means is that the Jays must negotiate with him as a free agent on an equal footing with every other team and if he does sign elsewhere, they will receive a sandwich draft pick between the first and second round. But Olivo knows the Jays interest in him and knows it's on a short-term basis, maybe two years, plus an option. Then, their homegrown catching will be in charge. Since the World Series years, their depth at catcher in the farm system has never been better. Don't even count Chavez and realize that Molina's role as a 50-60 game backup is etched in stone. The Top four catchers on the farm include Arencibia (25), Travis D'Arnaud (22), Carlos Perez (20) and Brian Jeroloman (25). Baseball America ranked Arencibia, D'Arnaud and Perez among the Jays' Top 15 prospects in the 2010 Prospect Handbook, while Jeroloman is the most polished defender, slated to start at AAA-Las Vegas. It's a bright future.

Q: Don't you think the timing is right for the Jays to offer John McDonald an opportunity to play every day? If he's not the best choice at third base, why not move Hill to third and take advantage of McDonald's range at second? They'll have Davis when they want to bring speed off the bench and Bautista can stay in right where he's most valuable defensively. McDonald's bat showed promise in 2010, so why not make this move?

Chris M., Collingwood

A: McDonald's window of opportunty as a starting shortstop has closed. None of those scenarios makes any sense with the 36-year-old veteran ending up as a starting shortstop. The Jays are prepared to give Yunel Escobar every opportunity to start and contribute, but there is a caveat in that Escobar's performance tailed off as the season progressed, despite the euphoria of his initial 10 games. But they are reassured by knowing Johnny Mac is there as a steadying force and a mentor for the mercurial talents of the young Cuban shortstop. Hill could move to third base but it won't be to make room for McDonald at second base. McDonald is one of my five favourite Blue Jays ever, but he will not be the starting shortstop, nor does he expect to be given that opportunity. He is what he is.

Q: No question, just an observation. I find it odd no one has referenced, or at least I haven't read one, Dave Stieb's 1985 season numbers relative to Felix's numbers this season. I recall Stieb finishing 2nd in the Cy Young award voting but after looking it up he was actually 7th which is ridculous in hindsight. I recall that generating quite a buzz in Toronto at the time.

Ross Marshall, Toronto

A: I agree that a Cy seventh for Stieb in 1985 would not have happened today with the increased awareness of sabermetrics. Stieb's wins against replacement (WAR) ranked second only to Cy winner Bret Saberhagen that year, however his inflated bases-on-balls (95) would have cost him even with a modern review of his stats. It was an impressive season for Stieb as the Jays reached the post-season for the first time, but I don't think it matched up with Felix Hernandez 2010.

Q: Hello Richard,

In your opinion, what is the status of Dustin McGowan. I just love this guy. Do you think there is a chance he can recover to be anywhere close to the pitcher he once was. Thanks, Joe Badali, Aurora A-McGowan's continuing but ethereal presence in the Jays' organization reminds me of the storyline of the Nicole Kidman 2001 opus, The Others, involving the unseen parallel spiritual presence in the same house as the former Mrs. Tom Cruise and her two bratty kids. Sure we know about McGowan, the former first round pick, and his unfortunate recent injury history over the past two years, but his rehab has made him seemingly invisible. He is still in the building but only seems to be active when nobody else is around, avoiding the light and steering clear of others that may ask too many questions. It's both scary and sad. He is battling hard to get back from his labrum and rotator cuff shoulder woes (which are always worse than elbow) and the organization to its credit has stayed with him, giving him opportunity, but for every three steps forward he takes two back. Call it the Dr. James Andrews Waltz. Having not pitched since 2008 due to labrum and rotator cuff woes in his right shoulder, McGowan heard a pop as he was throwing this past June and had another surgery to repair damage. Few pitchers have come back from labrum problems after two years off. One exception is Gil Meche, who had the operation in 2000 and successfully resumed his career in 2003. But there are more failures than successes. Jays fans are familiar with Mike Sirotka who joined the Jays from the ChiSox after the 2000 season. He had tweaked his shoulder on a tour of Japan and the Jays didn't know that it was a labrum issue. He had surgery and in spring training of 2003 was cut by the Cubs in a comeback attempt. It ended up costing GM Gord Ash his job and led to the extra step in all trades of having a complete physical before any trade is official. Robb Nen was a top closer for the Giants before shoulder surgery in 2002. He never threw another big-league inning although he struggled for two years to come back. How about Mike Harkey, Jim Parque and former Jay, Robert Person? Q-There were news reports early in November that the Jays were not ruling out Kevin Gregg's return. Could you see the team handling back-to-back save situations by using him on the first night and then testing potential future closers (e.g. Zach Stewart, David Purcey) on the second? I enjoy the mail bag!

Adrian Zenwirt, Toronto

A: There are several issues that need to be addressed here. It takes two to tango and I believe both sides are inclined to stay off the dance floor. On Gregg's part, he was not treated well by the Jays fans who were quick to jeer whenever he struggled to nail down a 1-2-3 save – being astute and knowledgeable fans. Then there was the issue of the manager Cito Gaston who twice removed his closer in the middle of a save opportunity before he had a chance to blow it. The first time Gregg reacted with anger and incredulity. The second time with a shrug and a resigned air. Then consider the fact the Jays refused his option year in October for one and also for two years, insisting they would like to see who was out there and, oh by the way, if we can't find anyone else better we'll get back to you. Try using that argument with your wife when asking for a trial separation. From the Jays' side, you pretty much have to stick with what they've been saying about still being interested in Gregg if you are going to offer arbitration. Otherwise it seems like a cold, ruthless ploy to get a sandwich pick – which of course it is. But what if they had said we have no interest and we're moving on and then he had accepted arbitration? Oops. The issue Gregg had of struggling on back-to-back nights is another issue. It's real and it's spectacular. It says here Gregg will not return under any circumstance with mutual feelings.

Q: With Jeter hitting the free agent market and the report he is looking for 6 years and huge dollars, I have a wishful thinking question. Would it make sense for the Jays to sign him for 2-4 years, have him move to 3rd base, bat 2nd and mentor the young players on how to be a winner. I would have to think a move like this would be very similar to the Jays of the early 90's bringing in Molitor and Winfield. With bringing in Jeter for that amount of years could work out well, for 1 or 2 years play 3rd base until Hechavarria is ready for the majors, then move Hill to 3rd, Adeiny to short, Escobar to 2nd and Jeter to DH. If my memory serves me correctly Molitor was a DH when he was with the Jays and he was never a power threat, he was the same kinda hitter Jeter is. The experience and leadership Jeter would bring to the clubhouse would be as a commercial says...priceless. Would AA look at a move like this?

Scott Cochrane, Niagara on the Lake

A: The Jays already have one classy player making $20+ million dollars that is not worth it with regard to performance on the field. Do they really need a second albatross contract in Jeter and make no mistake about it, he would not come to a non-playoff team for anything less than $20 million. As for moving to third base, the only team he will make a position move for is the Yankees. Next, with regard to clubhouse presence, it would be “...the Yankees do it this way...the Yankees do it that way.” and the Jays are trying to build their own brand right now. We saw how that backfired with Kevin Millar, who was helping promote the “Red Sox way” in his disastrous one-year stint with the Jays. A guy like Jeter does not consider himself a mentor and at that price he could not be treated as such. Molitor was looking to be a part of a winner before he packed it in. Jeter has been to the playoffs every October but one since his rookie year in '96 and does not need to go elsewhere. What Jeter needs to do is come to terms with both the Yankees and reality and get himself back in pinstripes for three years $45 million.

Q: During this Free Agent season with all the hotstove rumors going around and people speculating on contracts etc. One thing I have always wondered is how much influence the actual Players Association has in players' decisions. Example being Cliff Lee - I have read some articles that mention the PA will be pushing for him to get close to if not exceed CC Sabathia's per year price. How do they actually do that and can it be detrimental to a player to accept a contract perceived as "team friendly" Thanks !

Joel G., Almonte, Ont.

A: The Players Association has a huge influence on contracts and an inordinate influence with agents, who though they are all independent of the MLBPA are all sanctioned and closely aligned via meetings and e-mails, etc. One of the great baseball negotiating ironies is that collusion is a one-way street with clubs being fined for comparing notes, but agents can freely exchange info on offers they have received before any deal is done. Yeah, I know that's part of any collective bargaining agreement. The pressure from the union is tremendous not to give “home town discounts” because of the ripple effect it has on other free agents that may be comparable in years and production. One guy that I love as a man of principle that was criticized within the industry by players and agents was catcher Darren Fletcher who adored his time both in Montreal and Toronto and gave both teams breaks when it came to staying a little longer. He heard about it for years, treated almost like a reverse-scab. As for Cliff Lee getting CC money, I don't believe that will be a case of the union pushing him. This is his career moment to cash in and he earned it by getting two teams – the Phillies and the Rangers – to the World Series in the past two years and by issuing fewer four-balls than the Ryder Cup.

Q: Love the blog - thanks for keeping us baseball diehards up to date and entertained during the long off season! My question has to do with the MLB network. Do you know if there is any chance they bring the network to this side of the border? Why don't we have it? It would instantly be a favourite of mine, and I probably would pay whatever rip off fee Rogers would charge.

Isaac Oziel, Thornhill

A: Hey, before we get the MLB Network, how about Sportsnet ONE? I would in fact pay for both. How can you possibly lose bringing Hazel Mae and her MLB Network sports desk hosting duties back to TO. Surely that would count as Canadian content. I do believe people are working on it, but remember that making Canada happy has never been major league baseball's priority.

Mail bag

The Mets announced the other day that they have hired former Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi as a Special Assistant to the General Manager Sandy Alderson.

From the moment he was hired by the Jays, J.P. always insisted that he didn't have to be a general manager, that he was perfectly happy to go back to the mainly scouting role he had with the Oakland A's before he was hired in Toronto. He said that family was very important, with two young sons, and that he could walk away from the GM's role and still be happy.

Ricciardi is returning to his roots. He was originally hired by Alderson in Oakland and then served under Billy Beane in a player personnel role while living at home in Worcester, Mass. He has done what he said he could do, returning to pretty much the same role he had with the A's. It is a better role for him than being on the firing line.

The biggest mistake he made in Toronto was in underestimating the baseball knowledge of the fans, in believing that his was a missionary position wherein he would be teaching the game of baseball to the great white north. He found that out the hard way, trying to snow the fans about his team's chances and making lame excuses for his team's failures including an obsession with the Red Sox and Yankees operating budgets compared to his.

He is in a good place for himself and his family right now and we wish him the best. On to the mailbag.

 

Q: Hi Richard, I've heard some rumblings about baseball expanding the playoffs, possibly as early as next year. Assuming that this were to happen, would this change the status of the Jays contending as soon as '11? Even if this did not happen, shouldn't the mindset of the Jays be to contend as soon as '11? The Yankees are getting older, Boston seems to be a hurt team (and aging as well), and Tampa seems to be on the verge of losing some key players. If the Jays were to make some wise moves and shore up some issues, then what would stop them from contending in '11 as opposed to '12? The main issue I see with this team is the bullpen, and how quickly it can be rebuilt. This team seems to have a great rotation (although no true stud starter yet), and the offense seems to be well balanced compared to years past (although increasing the on-base % dramatically would help). I do recall a team such as Tampa coming out of nowhere only a few years back, once their players developed, and the Jays, with a deeper farm system than ever before, could make some wise trades to shore up their soft spots (not to mention some great talent available via free agency). Ultimately, what is the real difference between contending in '12 vs. '11 if the nucleus is the same?

Zaki Ameen, Mississauga

A: To contend in MLB even for a second wild-card position, a team needs to believe it can win at least 90 games. The addition of a second wild-card spot would surely encourage many teams and their fan bases as September arrived, but the reality is that unless you're going to be in the 90s for wins, especially if you compete in the AL East, then by October 1 it would be back to reality and the same old “Wait until next year” rallying cry. Researching recent history, even with the proposal that I had made in a column earlier in October, of a playoff field similar in size and format to the NFL, with three wild cards and three division winners -- 12 teams in the mix – the Jays would have missed the post-season for 11 straight seasons dating back to 1999 and before that '98.

The obvious truth is that the Jays and GM Alex Anthopoulos would love to contend in 2011. But he has always said that his team will tell him when it is a contender, not him telling his team. That means he will not make major moves until he sees it happening which means the July 2011 trade deadline once he detects the first sign of contending and then every off-season thereafter. The best thing about the Jays the past two winters, including this one, has been that they are not throwing out false hopes like beads at a Mardi Gras parade and selling hype to fans in order to sell tickets because rash promises of contending in the winter that are broken in the summer do more damage with fans and their ability to trust the team's headed in the right direction, than does a case like 2010 with low expectations followed by a surprisingly high win total.

Overachievement is a wonderful thing.

The Jays' bullpen issue is a real one, but John Farrell's expertise with the Indians in his front office role before becoming a pitching coach was in finding overlooked players, six-year minor league free agents and others coming off down seasons and ready to rebound. A bullpen can be reinvigourated probably easier than any other area of a major-league team. The Jays have had success in that area – see Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Shawn Camp, Jesse Carlson, Brian Tallet, et al.

The AL East is coming back to earth. Sports is all cyclical. The Rays are going to lose some of their star power and their identity. The Yankees are reeling with their failure to launch against the Rangers and the Red Sox don't know what they are because they have good players and a good and expensive rotation, but they don't know who's going to be healthy or back or in the bullpen. Besidees, the Red Sox are always challenged in multiple ways because not only must they compete against the AL, they must compete against the Yankees.

Ultimately, the Jays have decided to stay the course on completing the rebuilding process and allow things to play themselves out. The fact is that if A.A. decided to change course and accelerate 2012 into 2011 because of the surprising 85 win total in 2010, he would merely be J.P. Ricciardi Lite.

 

Q: Anthopolous has stated that he is focused on the trade market rather than free agency. If our new manager is looking for high AVG/OBP guys - what sort of outfield help of that nature is available? Do you foresee a Dodgers firesale? Do you consider Marcum to be a good trade chip (you can get a lot for good young pitching, and he is the least "controllable" of all the Jays young pitchers)

James Scott, Toronto

A-It distresses me that the new manager's first statement at his press conference was that he did not like the way his players swung the bats from the ass with the longball and prefers a team that has a better feel for situational hitting and on-base percentage. It sounds like a case of a guy trying to make chicken salad out of...a seafood restaurant. You have to maximize what you actually have and unless the Jays are going to change personnel, they cannot force this team to be an on-base team over a slugging percentage lineup. I recall when Ricciardi took over, his mandate handed down the line to minor league teams was that each of their players needed to draw at least one base-on-balls for every 10 at-bats, no matter what else they brought to the table. I am sure that because of that guideline, they lost some good players hearts and souls. If Jose Bautista gets his way, he will be the right fielder, Travis Snider will be in left and Wells will be in centre. That means any changes will be at first, second and third base. There is flexibility because Hill could always be moved tio third if they think they find an answer at second or he could stay at second if they trade for a third baseman. As for the Dodgers maybe rebuilding and making guys like Matt Kemp available for prospects, I don't see it happening. They compete in a market with the Angels and neither franchise can afford to be seen as rebuilding. As for Marcum, yes I see him as the most tradeable starter in the rotation. Farrell hinted as much when he answered a question of his opening rotation by naming Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow as his top two starters.

 

Q: Richard, Last year there was extreme angst among seam heads that Vernon Wells' defense was indefensible. This year, not so much. A turnaround offensively seems to have quieted that crowd. Wells still seems to make most of the plays you expect a cf to make. His arm still seems adequate. All of which leads to a few questions -- do you get any sense as to how long it will be before the Jays brain trust plans to move him out of the middle, possibly to right? Are the new 'improved' defensive stats as reliable as offensive ones? How much will a club rely on them as opposed to personal observation?

Eric E., Roslin

A: Of all the modern stats, I believe the ones that involve the quantification of defensive range and ability are the ones most patently ignored by major-league clubs. They have professional scouts that see hundreds of games and those reports when ranking players defensive abilities are more important than “range factor” and the like. Amazing that when Roy Halladay was the ace of the Jays rotation, Vernon Wells had lost his range. Hey, how about the fact that for 230 innings, all Doc did was serve up groundballs? Wells range improved when Doc went to Philly. Go figure. For a long time MLB defence was largely ignored by seam heads who were baffled on how to judge whether a guy was a good defender compared to history. Then they placed 30 geeks in 30 press boxes to determine that when a ball went in the air off the bat whether it should have been caught or not and whose responsibility it actually was. Sun? Lights? Wind? Funky hops? No problem, no factor. In answer to your question of any defensive stats being as reliable as offensive ones. No!! In answer to when I think the Jays will move Wells out of CF. At the latest, in the two or three years when Anthony Gose is ready to play major-league centre field. At the earliest when A.A. finds someone in an appealing trade that is a better centre fielder and is young and controllable. Until then, Vernon is not a horrible option.

 

Q: Hey Richard, Love the blog. Just wondering what you think of the Jays chances next year if the playoffs do expand. Would that change the GM's philosophy a little because it would make it slightly easier to make the playoffs and the Jays would have been in contention this year? Secondly why do so many people think the Jays would be better off in the National League. Yes they usually end up with a better record, than some of the NL East teams, but they don't have a great record against NL teams head to head-thoughts?

Matt Sookram, North Bay

A: Like I said above, it would have been since 1999 that the Jays made the playoffs under any expanded wild-card format. The other caveat when accelerating the Jays ability to contend next year with an extra playoff spot is that in the last decade there has been no non-contending major-league team that plays as hard in September as do the Jays. The franchise philosophy has always been “win as many games as we can”. Under manager Cito Gaston the explanation was “the integrity of the game” under GM Ricciardi it was to “protect my legacy.” But the fact is that if there is a second wild-card carrot on the end of a second wild-card stick, then even more AL teams will be in contention in September and they will all have their pedal to the metal as the Jays have done for years. The Jays will no longer be able to take advantage of teams playing their prospects down the stretch to see which of the kids are alright. Additional wild-card spot or not, the Jays will always be in tough when it comes to reaching the AL playoffs. And any team that points at the wild-card as their goal before the season starts is not a true contender. It's like horseplayers betting Place. Woo-hoo. Try to win the division, settle for a wild-card.

As for the Jays saying they'd be better off in the NL, I don't think I have heard too much of that. The Jays as an organization have always favoured having the designated hitter and would hate to see their pitchers hit. I think the NL references you're talking about are all those whiny front-office types that over the years have pointed to the NL Central or the NL West and said, “If we were in that division we would have been in the playoffs x times in the last x years.” That doesn't mean they want to be there.

 

Q: Hi Richard: I also would love to see Carl Crawford in a Jays uniform but I don't see it happening. My question though concerns Colby Rasmus. I heard he and Tony La Russa had a dust up of some sort last year. He would seem to be the type of player the Jays are looking for. Young, lots of upside and locked up for a few years. What do you think it would take to get Rasmus. I've heard they like Aaron Hill. Could that be the basis of a trade?

Stan Grossman, Toronto

A: If the Jays could work a deal for Rasmus it would be great. The guy is a real player, but the asking price, even if he and his Cards' manager are in conflict, would be very high. It would not just be Hill, but would have to involve young pitching as well. The Jays have a terrific inventory of young starting pitching and Rasmus is controllable for four more years before free agency. Manager LaRussa has had run-ins with players before, most notably Scott Rolen, so since LaRussa re-upped as manager, there is a solid chance Rasmus will be moved. What is the basis of the conflict stays within the clubhouse but since there is a history, one would have to point a finger at LaRussa. There are many teams interested and the cost in trade might be more than A.A. is willing to give up. But Rasmus is a five-tool outfielder.

 

Q: Lyle Overbay and Zach Stewart. Do you see either with the Jays in 2011? Jays were prone to southpaws in 2010 and given Overbay can't hit left handed pitching, would you rather see a Derrek Lee at 1b in 2011? We have Snider, Lind and Lewis as left handed bats, if we keep Overbay be four bats all from power positions that are weak hitting LHP. On Stewart he has a great arm for a closer, given our depth with young starters ahead of him in majors and behind him in low minors, do you think he could be ideal closer?

George Nickerson, Wood's Harbour, Nova Scotia

A: I would be surprised to see Overbay return to the Jays in 2011 because that would not be a case of the Jays moving forawrd as much as it would be a case of the Jays treading water. Bring back all the same position players and where is the forward movement? Would you be left relying on the improvement of the youngsters? The truth is the only real youngsters in the lineup would be J.P. Arencibia, Yunel Escobar and Travis Snider. And even then, Arencibia is not guaranteed anything. It would be a mistake to re-sign Overbay or Buck.

As for Stewart, he is sureley a big part of the future of the Jays' bullpen. The reason he started at AA-New Hampshire last year was to get him the innings, the reps, the ability to work on his pitches in preparation for the next step. The reason he wasn't in Vegas was because the Jays didn't care about the statistics, they cared about seeing each of his sinking fastball, his slider and, to a lesser extent, his changeup develop. If he is a bullpen candidate in 2011 and a closer candidate as time goes on, then it will be his 94 mph sinker and his swing-and-miss slider that get him there. There again this is another reason to point at 2012 over 2011 because in 2011 Stewart will be honing his skills. The Jays have a lot of talented young starters, but Stewart has off-and-on with the Reds and Jays and in college been groomed as a closer. That should be his ideal role.

 

Q: Hi Richard, There was a report that Kerry Wood has been let loose by the Yankees. Would there be any interest from The Jays? Perhaps in the same role as set-up man or trying him out at closer?

Rod Salloum, Vancouver

A: Kerry Wood would cost a lot of money for three years. If not for his success with the Yankees in a setup role in the second half of the 2010 season, he would have been lucky to get one guaranteed year from anyone. Now he is going to be overpaid for what he brings to the table. The Jays don't need a setup pitcher of his type for the price it would cost them this year in 2011. By 2012, they should have better homegrown options. By 2013 they would regret signing him. Not worth it.

 

Q: Dear Richard, I’ve been tired of reading the same material about the Jays interest in bringing back John Buck and putting J.P. Arencibia in limbo. What’s really going on? My guess is that A.A is trying to work a trade with Arencibila to fill other offensive holes. What doesn’t make sense is that the Jays are supposed to be developing their young stars. The only ready-to-go position player (youth) is him and no one else on the radar for 2011. Can you share your insights on this matter once and for all? Much thanks Richard.

Kam Hooshmand, Richmond Hill

A: The Giants winning the World Series with rookie catcher Buster Posey behind the plate proves that going with Arencibia behind the plate doesn't necessarily doom the 2011 Jays to rebuilding. However I do think that Posey had his head screwed on straighter than Arencibia. Just in speaking to pitchers, the other catchers and coaches last September it seemed that in the case of Arencibia, his ego is bigger than his id. Arencibia has to realize that what he doesn't know about catching is far more important to the Jays than what he does know. Yes he was the MVP of the Pacific Coast League but so was Randy Ruiz and by the end of April the slugging first baseman was headed for Japan. Arencibia shoud be given the right to earn the role of everyday catcher for the Jays, but it's as much up to him as it is to Anthopoulos and Farrell. The manager will have a chance to form his own opinion on his young catcher in the spring. He may like what he sees. As far as Arencibia being a trade possibility, other teams would likely view him the same way as do the Jays, so the return would be equally as iffy.

 

Q: There's been a lot of talk about Bengie Molina being guaranteed a World Series ring after being traded to the Rangers part way through the season as he has played for both teams this year. Who determines which players/coaches receives a World Series ring? Does everybody who has put on the uniform in a season get one? What about call-ups and players left off of the post season roster?

Cliff Strabac, North York

A: The players vote on World Series shares – full, half or partial – and then the team's pool of money is divided up accordingly. Callups late would get quarter shares or less. Players there all year but left off the WS roster like Barry Zito would get a full share because the vote is conducted in September. Travelling secretaries, trainers, equipment guys would get shares. The Giants would likely have voted Molina at least a half-share. As for the World Series rings that is purely an ownership decision, including the ring design and how many diamonds and how much they spend on each bauble. Normally the players and coaches get the expensive rings with gold and diamonds and front office and support staff get the ones with glass diamonds and brass.

 

Q: Richard, You mention something to the effect that the Jays are not ready to win a championship. The question therefore is how does one know when they are ready? It is not as if other teams are ready to lose, if you get my drift. We were not expected to have won 85 games this year but we did, Help me out here!

Lindy Coswell, Toronto

A: The 85 wins was real in 2010. But the Jays reached that total with the help of some veterans that are not going to be a part of it when they make the playoffs. The 85 wins would encourage the Jays to re-sign Overbay and Buck and several members of the bullpen and go out and sign a free agent No. 2 starter. But that's not the plan and A.A. swears he will stick to the plan. The way that Anthopoulos has explained it, the team's performance will let him know when they are ready. There are a lot of smart baseball people on board with the Jays so leaving spring training next April they will have a pretty good idea to get ready and start looking for in-season help. If in July they are within striking distance of the division and if the front office believes it's not just a mirage, they will make the moves to add parts to take a run at it. Money is not a problem. Just check your Rogers monthly bill.

 

Q: Enjoy your articles and your suggestion about extended playoffs How about this: Keep 162 games, start April 1st and finish Sep 28 using Sunday doubleheaders to get them in. Two wild cards from each league play 1 game "play-in" on Sept 30. DS starts Oct 1 and is the same format as today but is 7 games, no off days except travel days for all series and 2 days between series. This would make it more important to win the division and allow more teams in the playoffs and finish by Oct 30.

Richard Armstrong, Little Rock

A: Even though I like my revamped playoff format idea better, what you are saying here with two wild cards and a one-game play-in is pretty much going to be the short-term answer for Bud Selig. It's not the right idea but it will become the fact. The only thing that won't happen is the arbitrary April 1 to September 30 and the condensed games with off-days as you describe.

 

Mail bag

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Thanks.

Joe Lamothe, St. Catharines

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

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Tom M., Ottawa

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Zaki Ameen, Mississauga

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

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

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

Love da blog....

Richard Netherton, Halifax

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

Q: Hi Richard:

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

Bob Leatham, Ilderton, Ont.

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

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

Q: Hello Richard,

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

Trevor Hardy, Mississauga

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

Q: Hey Richard,

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

Nick Shepard, Saint John, N.B.

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

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Kent Randall, Peterborough

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

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Frederick Vance, Calgary

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

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

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

Terry Fallat, Espanola, Ont.

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

JJ Redington, Winooski, Vermont

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

 

Mail bag

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

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

Q: Mr. Griffin:

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

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

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

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

Clary MacDonald, Merigomish, N.S.

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

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

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

Q: Richard,

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

Andrew Puckrin, Toronto

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

Q: Richard,

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

DeShaun Kozak, Uxbridge

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

David K., Toronto

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

B.C., Calgary

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

Q: Hi Richard.

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

Thanks for a great blog!

Wayde Murray, Port Hope, Ont.

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

Q: Hi Richard.

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

Charles Novogrodsky, Toronto

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

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

Q: Mr. Griffin,

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

All the best,

Jay Menard, London, Ont.

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

Q: Hi Richard:

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

Bob Leatham, Ilderton, Ont.

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

 

Mail bag

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

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

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Maresh F., Toronto

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

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

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

Rob Hardman, Madison

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

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

Q: Richard:

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

Richard Joll, Brockville

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Paul Boudreau, Waterloo

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

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

Q: Richard,

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

Frank S., Toronto

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

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

Q: Hi Richard:

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

Bob Leatham, Ilderton

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

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

Q: Richard:

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

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

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

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

Craig Breen, Owen Sound

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

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

Q: Hi Richard

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

Dave Brown, Kitchener

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

Q: Hi Richard,

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

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

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

Mail bag

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

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

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

Why the dysfunction in the first place?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mail bag

Etobicoke native and Reds first baseman Joey Votto appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week but if he goes on to win NL MVP honours, he should bring his teammate Scott Rolen to the awards banquet with him. To me, it's the addition of Rolen to the Reds lineup for a full season that has spurred the Cincinnatians to where they are today, holding a 2.5-game lead over the powerful Cardinals, tied for the fifth-best record in baseball with the Red Sox and Twins. Granted the Reds have picked on the four also-rans in their own division and other weak links, but you gotta do what you gotta do. While Votto has been among the Triple Crown category leaders all year, it's Rolen that brings passion and defence at third base and the ability to play the game the right way that is making the difference between this year and last. Rolen's numbers are solid but don't jump off the page at you until you remember that with the Jays two years ago the tightness in his shoulder made people think his career might be over. He had to revamp his entire offensive approach. Aaron Hill calls him the best teammate he ever had. The Reds are a good story and Votto is a feel-good story, but don't forget about Rolen. On to the mailbag.

Q: Just asking, but what was up with that in-house blog fight between you and Damien Cox and why were you picking on Dave Andreychuk, a solid citizen of hockey?
Alex B., Brantford

A: Just to clear that up, I love Damien Cox and have admired his work on hockey, tennis and soccer through the years. He is what I want to be when I grow up. I did take exception to Damien's blog regarding the purported question that he felt needed to be asked with appropriately raised eyebrow about Jose Bautista and his sudden emergence as a home run hitter. I was watching Sports Reporters on Sunday with Dave Hodge, Damien, Steve Simmons and Michael Farber (my personal favourite sports writer ever). The final discussion was “Is baseball back in Toronto?” Damien's belief was that baseball is not back and may never be back and if you went out on the street and asked an average citizen who Jose Bautista is that they would not know. Then he mentioned the home run surge of Bautista and said that should lead to questions. It was a spontaneous on-air discussion so I believe that when he wrote his blog, I felt it wasn't pre-meditated to stir things up and accuse J-Bau as much as it was something he said on TV that he felt he should be followed up as a blog. I get that.

My response, also in blog form, was about hockey players who have done something incredible late in life, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It was clearly meant as satire, to show the fallacy of just taking a player that steps up his game in any sport and attributing it to cheating – or subtly suggesting as much. I chose Andreychuk and purposely used flawed arguments with skewed numbers because that was the point of it all. I chose him instead of other more suspicious names because of the absurdity that anybody would believe it of Andreychuk (as solid a hockey citizen as has been), and the belief was that once people realized that, they were supposed to notice the exact phrasing and logic borrowed directly from the Bautista blog and actually “get it” and go “oh, yeah.” Unfortunately there are those out there (mostly hockey fans) that have no sense of irony or humour and thus the kerfuffle and the perceived appointment for an in-house throwdown in the office octagon.

Q: Allow me to ask a very hypothetical question. If the Jays had kept Roy Halladay and everything had worked out the way it has (team hitting a ton of home runs, the young pitchers blossoming into bona-fide major league pitchers) do you think this team would be making the playoffs in October and possibly going to the World Series?
Jason Sinnarajah, Tokyo, Japan

A: That is a very hypothetical question, because keeping Halladay would have meant that one pitcher, likely Brett Cecil, would not have got his chance to pitch in the majors. Thus, Doc's numbers would be merely replacing the lefty's. How good would Doc have had to be to make a playoff difference? Besides, I think the time had come where Halladay needed a change of scenery and if he had stayed, his mindset would not have been as positive as it has been in Philadelphia. I don't believe his numbers as a Jay would have been as good, since pitching is such a mental task and he had suffered a mental beatdown by the end of last season. And there is no way the new general manager and the Jays could have believed at the end of last season that they were on the verge of going to the World Series given the clubhouse dysfunction. If they had kept Doc and made a run at it, even manager Cito Gaston would likely have been moved to senior adviser a year earlier. So many things would be different. Keeping Halladay and last year's Jays team basically intact – then with the assumed off-season additions of Brandon Morrow, John Buck and Kevin Gregg – and even with the emergence of Jose Bautista as an offensive force, it would not have been enough. Be happy with the team you have.

Q: Hi Richard. Wondering if you can explain how September call-ups work in terms of number of players allowed, affect if any if it has on a player's status (future free agency eligibility, etc.) and philosophies behind it for a non-contending team. I know the Jays will be playing many contenders in September thus would want to field their best team. At the same time I would love to see players like J.P. Arencibia, Adeiny Hechavarria, Canadian middle reliever Trystan Magnuson and starter Kyle Drabek up for a look to give them a taste of the majors and to give them a feel for the environment before they break for the off-season. Any players you would like to see in the majors for a trial run?
Phil W., Sarnia

A: This call-up period used to be a much more useful tool for major-league teams back in the day. But now, as you sagely point out, you're either involved in a division or a wild-card race yourself or else you are playing a team that is and integrity dictates that you play your best lineup. Basically, this is the call-up concept. At any moment every MLB organization has a 40-man roster of players that are reserved at the major-league level. Prior to September 1, there are 25 players on your major-league team, plus the other 15 guys that are divided between the disabled list and various top levels of your farm system. On September 1 a team may promote all of them to the major-league team and use them in any game at all. Even when there were four MLB divisions and 24 teams right into the early '90s, with two teams (maybe three) remaining alive in each division into the final month, you would still have 12-16 teams playing meaningless games re the post-season. I remember the Expos would often have 33-35 players up and play them to get a first-hand look at the future. I can't remember the Jays since I started covering them ever having more than 30-31 active roster players in September.

There are some key factors of playing time that teams are always careful of. 1) if a player has not reached the point in his career where he must be protected and added to the 40-man (either 3-4 years post draft or post-signing) then you do not want to being him up in September no matter how big a minor-league hotshot he is. If you bring a player up before he has to be protected under the rules of baseball then his major-league clock starts then and there and it clicks once for every year after that you send him to the minors. Three options is the max, then you have to place player on waivers at the end of his fourth spring that he is on the roster if he does not make the team. It's all about roster control and flexibility. 2) If a player is not going to get significant playing time, then either send him to Instructional League or the Arizona Fall League, both of which begin in September; 3) If a player has accumulated enough days of service wherein the 30 September days of service time on the roster will help him reach his free agency or arbitration a year sooner, then don't do it.

As for which prospects the Jays may promote in September, if they go according to form, it will be fewer than you think. We do not know how rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos operates yet in this regard, but if it was me I would say Arencibia, Drabek, reactivate David Purcey, give Adam Loewen a look as a reward, bring up a roster middle infielder and also reliever Josh Roenicke. That would be 31 players.

Q: What's with the Yankees attitude where they can hit as many of your guys accidentally but any toss towards a Yankee is intentional? And will we see Jesse Carlson vs. Posada round 2?
John Harris, Toronto

A: I like the cocky Yankee attitude of we can throw at your guys (I don't like when it's at the head) but if you throw at one of ours, there will be retaliation. It's not the Yankees fault if many other teams don't share that attitude of team aggression, or if many other teams are intimidated by the tradition and the pinstripes and the arrogance and the ghosts. Former Jays starter Pat Hentgen was my favourite pitcher in this regard because he would forever defend his own players without being asked, if someone was thrown at or if someone played the “embarrass-my-teammate” card. Hentgen would choose his own time and place within the game and it would be obvious what was happening. He would scowl, plunk, smile and deny after the game. Carlson is another who has no qualms about dusting a millionaire. Josh Towers would do it (although his fastball wouldn't hurt you) and many others that I admire. Intimidation used to be an integral part of the game when they didn't even wear batting helmets, but political correctness and wussy boys on both sides of the ball have made it less so. Just not the head please.

Q: Hi Richard, I just happened to notice the stats of Alex Rios as a Chicago White Sox and wondered what the impact of his "pretty good season" thus far would have been had he remained with the Jays. Money aside, he has hit some home runs and showed some speed on the base paths. Was the saving of his contract worth the departure or could the current staff been able to work with him to realise his potential? thanks and I love your column.
Carrie Conlon, Clarkson

A: I have always liked Rios as a player and a potential star. I am one who believes that a player's comfort level and peer support in the clubhouse contributes to his playing ability. To me, if Rios was still with the Jays and surrounded by this current solid Latin community of coach Omar Malave, Jose Molina, Bautista and Alex Gonzalez, now Yunel Escobar, that he would have thrived on and off the field. The thing that still strikes me about his near all-star season with the White Sox as a centrefielder is that the Jays gave him away for nothing and insisted it was a good deal. This after not dealing him at the July 31, 2009 deadline when there were actual player offers on the table. The GM should be fired...oh wait, he was. The bottom line is the Rios move was best for Rios, even though he struggled in Chicago early on. The trauma of a player's leaving his first organization is always tough, but it's over and he has shown his 30-30 possibilities as many had predicted. Should the Jays have received something for him? Yes. Is he better off there? Yes. Have the Jays moved forward and is their outfield future bright? Yes.

Q: My question has to do with the Jays' current and past managing of their pitchers, specifically their arms. While pitch counts seem a modern day phenomenon, when did they really begin to factor into coaching decisions on use of the bullpen or altering their starting rotation? And, the real question, do the Jays have an average problem with pitching arms compared to other teams or are their troubles -- McGowan, Richmond, Litsch, Morrow, Marcum, some twice, etc. -- evidence of past bad managing of pitching arms? The current team seems to be paying the price -- Morrow sits out two complete rotations and comes back ill-prepared to pitch.
Rick Prashaw, Kanata

A: The Jays may have a slightly above average problem with pitchers and their arms, but there are extenuating circumstances for the organization and others like them. Because of the financial strain of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox the Jays have to take chances on pitchers with a history of surgery, or on pitchers with deliveries that might lead to arm trouble. For instance, check players like A.J. Burnett, Jason Frasor, Shawn Hill, John Thomson and others that the Jays have signed or acquired through the years because the price for damaged goods is less and the potential if they remain healthy is great. Some have worked out. Others haven't. The advent of 12-man pitching staffs has led to frail relief pitchers that can only be expected to work two days in a row and to starters that when they reach 100 pitches start looking longingly to the pen to see who's warming up. In the last three years, there have been studies that show that young pitchers that accumulate say 200-plus innings early on take a step back a high percentage of the time. That has led to the Jays among others, instituting an organization-wide innings count for their pitchers. It led to both Marc Rzepczynski and Brett Cecil being shut down in early September last year even though they were healthy and has led to talk of a six-man Jays' rotation in September. As for the seemingly growing list of arm, especially elbow surgeries, check out other teams and you'll see much the same thing. It seems with improved techniques of elbow surgery that more teams are willing with young players to give up a year in exchange for a career.

The greatest relief pitcher in history was Mike Marshall, who won the Cy Young Award for the Dodgers in 1974. Even though he was somewhat of a prick, he pitched 100-plus innings in relief five years in a row (1971-75) and in back-to-back seasons 1973-74 was 29-23 with 52 saves in 317-1/3 innings over 156 games – all in relief. At least twice Marshall, who has a doctorate in kinesiology from Michigan State, pitched six games in a row. His greatest relief performance was a bases-loaded appearance against the Padres on June 13, 1973. Marshall threw one pitch and got a triple play off the bat of Jerry Morales. He finished the game, two more innings, and picked up the save in a 3-2 win.

Q: Richard, As someone who has never been to Fenway, I am curious about the green monster. Would most HRs in Fenway be homers in other stadiums? Would MLB allow the stadium to be built today with the wall the way it is? Final question and it scares me to write this, is Cito actually a candidate for Manager of the year? (yikes)....
Brian M., Barrie

A: The other day in Boston, Bautista smoked a line drive, hitting the ball as hard as it can be hit. It resembled his game-winning homer against the Yankees at RC with the infamous 28-second trot. Only this time the ball hit two-thirds of the way up the Green Monster and bounced back to Bill Hall. High flyballs that might be warning track outs in other parks are the ones that are considered cheap homers at Fenway, but there are a lot of balls like the one Bautista hit that would be homers in other parks that are singles and doubles at Fenway. It's a hitter's park, but not necessarily a home-run hitter's park.

The point is moot about anyone building a park like Fenway today. Back in the day when Fenway opened – seven days after the Titanic sunk – ballparks were built on city blocks and therefore were forced into their dimensions by the shape of the block on which it was built. Check the right field wall at Ebbets Field or the deep centre field in the Polo Grounds or the deep alleys and centre field at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. With the huge plots of land stadiums today are built on, there is no need for such dimensions.

Realistically, Cito has done maybe his best managing job this year, but manager of the year should go to Ron Washington, Ron Gardenhire, Ozzie Guillen or Terry Francona.

Q: There will be talk in the off season on ESPN or MLB about moving the Cleveland Indians into the AL East. The Jays would go to the AL Central. Would this be a good move for the Jays? Also, as a Twins fan, I hope that the Twins have clinched the AL Central pennant before we close out our season against the Jays at Target Field. Toronto always gives the Twins trouble.
Bob Keegan, Coon Rapids, Minn.

A: The Jays front office has hoped for that move for years, but in talking to Jays' president Paul Beeston, who is on MLB committees to study both realignment and a balanced schedule, changes are years away. The likely time to re-study all this stuff is after 2012 at the same time as the new Basic Agreement is negotiated. There is no doubt the Jays would be competing hard for the Central division, but I believe that a balanced schedule is the answer with reduced inter-league play and more of an intra-division emphasis down the stretch in September. The Jays get the attendance bump when the Yankees and Red Sox visit and that's hard to replace with the Royals and Twins. Besides, just win baby. The first thing you have to do in any division is reach 90 wins and from there, as September winds down, it's game on. The Jays are still working on that part and haven't been there since Joe touched them all in 1993.

Q: Hi Richard, Hope you have endured the heat well - my condolences to you Easterners! 
My question is about the catching situation. I've been impressed by how John Buck and Jose Molina have complemented one another, worked well with a young and green staff, and have even tried to mentor J.P. Arencibia. It almost seems too good to be true! I read recently about how Buck was impressed with Kyle Drabek in his minor leage re-hab, and he sounded very enthusiastic about the club's prospects. I know it has been tossed around - by you, among others - that Molina would be a good mentor next year for Arencibia. Is it realistic to think of Buck in that mix? Would he be interested in staying and playing half the games while mentoring J.P.? And then, what to do with Jose - perhaps hire him as a catching coach?
Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A: That “heat” crack would be the same sentiment I sent to you around, oh, let's say the Olympics when snow in Vancouver was a mere rumour. But I must say you guys bounced back and did a great job even minus the white stuff. That question about John Buck has often been asked, but when I say that Jose Molina is the likely one of the two to remain, there are solid reasons. First of all, Buck has worked hard to establish himself as a viable No. 1 catcher on the cusp of his free agency. His next contract will be his personal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He needs to be a starter at this stage of his career and at the same time if Arencibia is on the Jays he needs to be the starter at this stage of his career. Never the twain shall meet. You can argue that maybe J.P. needs another year of seasoning, but Buck will be getting a multi-year contract this winter and that does not mesh with the Jays and their hopes for their homegrown guy. Molina, on the other hand, is a career backup catcher, a true student of catching who has helped even the veteran Buck reach potential he only guessed he had. Molina has a club option for $1 million for 2011 and that is a perfect match for the Jays moving forward with one more developmental year on the horizon before they compete hard in 2012. Molina's not ready to be a coach when MLB minimum is over $400,000. Arencibia needs to start in 2011 and he needs a mentor and that's Molina.

Q: We all remember how Giants fans came to the defense of Barry Bonds when his PED problems were front-page news. Now that Roger Clemens is back in the spotlight for similar problems, I was wondering if there's anybody out there who's defending The Rocket. I know Red Sox fans can't stand him. I don't know anyone in this city who has fond memories of his tenure with the Jays, despite winning two Cy Youngs in his two seasons here. I'm not sure about Yankee fans, but I doubt they're too warm & fuzzy about him. That leaves Houston, where the Texan ended his career. Does he have any fan support out there?
Patrick Lannon, Toronto

A: Roger is a very hard man to feel warm and fuzzy about. That stuff that came out of Boston about his insistence that his favourite bar as a Red Sox play Elton John's “Rocket Man” whenever he entered the building is kind of creepy. Maybe he can continue with a variation on the theme and when he enters the courtroom for his various charges of interfering with Congress, etc. they could play Elton John's “Have Mercy on the Criminal” and when his wife takes the stand, he could ask for Elton John's “Don't Trust That Woman” and when Andy Pettitte testifies, Elton's “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows” and finally, as he addresses the bench and seeks forgiveness Mr. John's classic “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.” And yes, Clemens has support in Houston, where he is still a hero. But Hall-of-Fame? “I guess that's why they call it the blues.”

Q: Hi Richard, 
 
What position do you believe Dicky Thon Jr. will end up playing, if he makes the majors? 3rd? Will we see Drabek this year as a call up?
Sean Heffernan, Sunderland

A: Thon's dad was a shortstop and the family seems intent on him remaining at shortstop. He, like many others at what is becoming the Jays' deepest position, is still four years away from the Majors, so a lot can happen between now and then. It's amazing how a year ago, the underachieving Justin Jackson was the main hope for the future at shortstop and now he is far down the list behind Yunel Escobar, Hechavarria, Thon, Ryan Goins and Gustavo Pierre. Drabek needs to be added to the 40-man roster after the season, so he may be rewarded with a September stint in the majors to see what it's like, although as the son of a major-leaguer he's been around enough clubhouses.

Q: Without suggesting a smear against Jose Bautista, how do you explain career years deep into a career? Long before the steroid era, I remember one year Norm Cash hit .361, Bob Porterfield won 22 games, Bobby Avila won a batting title and never came remotely close before or after. Even Hall of Famers such as Al Kaline or Robin Yount had many good years, but only one or two great ones statistically far out of the norm for their careers.
Nick Martin, Winnipeg

A: I hate to sound like I'm watching guys coming out of the shower, but Jose Bautista is 200 lbs. of solidly bunched, sinewy muscle just like the home run hitters of the past that took good care of themselves and, like those guys, that given a solid athleticism, has found a swing and a groove that allowed him to become a sultan of swat – at least for a while. Bautista is on a pace for 51 homers, while second-place perennial slugger Albert Pujols is on pace for 42. To me those numbers are a tribute to baseball's strengthened drug policy that involves mandatory random testing a couple of times per season and a rank-and-file players backlash to lining up on the field of play with the cheaters through the years. Most players don't want to play with drug cheaters. Further, it's a stretch to say that at the age of 28, which he was last September when Bautista began this streak, and after just 1,700 major-league at-bats that it can be construed as “deep into a career.” Face it, there is always the chance that anyone is cheating, but of the 13 major-league position players suspended by baseball for PED as the result of mandatory testing since 2005, only Raffy Palmeiro and Manny Ramirez are home run hitters of note.

Mail bag

Sad news this week with the passing of Bobby Thomson. The Giants' third baseman hit the most famous home run in baseball history, The Shot Heard Round the World, on October 3, 1951 at the Polo Grounds to win the pennant over the Dodgers in an era when television was just coming of age. Many fans of the current generation can recall in their mind's eye the TV images of Joe Carter's home run to win the '93 World Series for the Jays or the '88 pinch-hit blast by a gimpy Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers to win Game 1 vs. the A's, or even the Carlton Fisk extra-inning blast into the netting of the left field foul pole above the Green Monster at Fenway in 1975 to force a Game 7 against the Reds. Somehow the Bill Mazeroski Game 7 game-winner for the Pirates vs. the Yankees loses some of its deserved lustre because it came in a tie game for the home team and a team everybody hated in the Yankees.

But in terms of pure lingering, life-altering emotion, nothing will ever, ever resonate to an entire generation of fans like the Russ Hodges radio call of "Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe\the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" that rattles around in their brains and causes nightmares to this day with Dodgers fans of that generation, many of whom still work for the Elias Sports Bureau, baseball's statistical historians in New York. A few years later their team left for L.A.

As I grow older, I realize and appreciate how lucky I was to be able to sit down as a young man and talk with many of the players and executives of this golden age of baseball from 1947-64 – that began post-war with the integration of the game and the advent of Jackie Robinson to '65 which began a decade of Yankees sucking, with guys like Jake Gibbs, Horace Clark, Roy White, Mel Stottlemyre, Stan Bahnsen and Dooley Womack as marquee names. Where had you gone Joe DiMaggio?

As a young employee of the Expos in the '70s and '80s I fondly recall conversations with the wonderful Whitey Lockman, who passed away on St. Patrick's Day 2009. Lockman had doubled ahead of Thomson's homer that fateful October day and in quiet moments over a berer, he spoke with reverence and wonder, his eyes aglow with the memory of the effect it had on all their lives. By the way, a young rookie named Willie Mays was left in the on-deck circle for the Giants when Thomson delivered.

I recall conversations on spring training bus rides and at winter meetings with the bombastic Charlie Fox, a front office member and scout for that '51 Giants team, who always claimed it was upon his advice that the Giants had brought Mays to the major leagues in May of 1951 after a pro scouting trip he took to see the AAA Minneapolis Millers. Hey, I believe I discovered the Beatles for America when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. “These guys might make it big,” I told friends. Of course Charlie also claimed that he won World War II by himself, storming the beaches of western Italy at Naples as a Navy Seal. Fox, as GM of the Expos in 1978, was down in the Olympic Stadium clubhouse before a game berating shortstop Chris Speier for something or other like lackadaisical play or poor hitting or a combination of such. Pitcher Steve Rogers stepped in and asked Fox to leave and Charlie cold-cocked his ace with a righthand cross. “Down goes Rogers!” The call came upstairs for damage control but Charlie wanted no part of it. Cy deserved it, was his view on why he hit Rogers. That day, July 20, 1978, Speier hit for the cycle. In hindsight, former Jays' skipper Jim Fregosi, currently a Braves senior advisor, has a lot of Charlie Fox in him. But, hey, the game has changed and you don't see a lot of GM's like that anymore. All of those personal memories prompted by the death of Bobby Thomson. History and tradition. That's what makes baseball great.

On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard, longtime reader first time writer. I have two questions.

1) What is your opinion of Alex Anthopolous' aggressive draft and IFA (international free agent strategy). As a die-hard Jays fan frankly I'm quite excited about the amount of money we're spending acquiring talent through these channels even if it will take a while to show results at the big-league level. It's great to see that while we have a relatively low payroll, we are re-investing that money in acquiring lots of young talent, instead of just sitting on it.

2) In regards to international free agency, while the Jays have already signed Adonis Cardona and Gabriel Cenas from Venezuela, and Adeiny Hechavarria from Cuba, I have also heard them linked to, among others, Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia, Venezuelan shortstop Rougned Odor, and Dominican outfielder Eskarlin Vasquez. How accurate are these reports and how long before we find out whether we got any of these players or not? Also are there any other names you've heard us linked to.

Thanks Richard.

Mike Green, Toronto

A: Anthopoulos is a forward thinker when it comes to linking international free-agent scouting and the June draft. For instance, the 21-year-old shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria's signing bonus at $10 million was almost the same as the Nats paid catcher Bryce Harper on Monday night. That tells you that Anthopoulos and his advisers considered the young Cuban's talent as high first-round. The difference is that there were 30 clubs available to sign the Cuban free agent refugee, while Harper's future was locked in with the Nationals, or go back to school. At some point, most GMs believe that there will be an international aspect to the June draft (as early as the next Basic Agreement after the 2012 season) and that will help control the spending sprees for unproven Latin-American teenagers. But in the meantime, the Jays, among others, are trying to link the two talent pools with the same value-ratings.

As for the amounts of money being spent, consider that at the same time the Jays spent $4.9 million in signing bonuses in the final hour before Monday's deadline -- on lefty Griffin Murphy ($800,000), righthander Sam Dyson ($600,000), shortstop Dickie Thon ($1.5 million) and righthander Deck McGuire ($2 million) – they are also paying $10 million for B.J. Ryan not to pitch for them in 2010.

There has been a snowball effect arising from the impact of being in the final four on Aroldis Chapman, signing Hechavarria and snapping up the two highly-regarded Venezuelan teenagers as soon as the hunting season opened for 16-year-olds in early July.

Jays' director of Latin-American scouting, Marco Paddy is becoming a rock star in the Caribbean among baseball-playing teenagers and their families. It is a return to Epy Guerrero type days with the difference being that Paddy places his organization ahead of his personal interests. It has reached the point where the Jays in the Latin-American free-agent market are considered true “players” mentioned in every free-agent discussion instead of being window shoppers as in the past. It's a psychological advantage and a welcome step for a clubhouse that has already become noticeably more diverse.

Q: Hi Richard,

How much influence over the pitch-by-pitch course of a game does a team's manager exert in terms of delegation to his players? For example, when a better steps into the box, does he always have his assignment, or does the manager let the player get a read for the situation or the count and then use his own judgment about what he should do? As for the pitcher, does the manager let the catcher call the game, subject to the pre-game meeting about how to pitch to a certain hitter, or does the manager usually call in specific pitches? Lastly, given the range of control managers exert, where does Cito fall, and is that better or worse for a developing team?

Ryan Kirshenblatt, Toronto

A: Every batter steps into the box with a plan. The first strike has to be in a location that he can drive, otherwise he takes it. If he gets into a hitter's count like 2-0 or 3-1, he locks in on a certain pitch, certain location and if he gets it he drives it hard somewhere, if not, he takes it. When he gets to two strikes, he expands his zone slightly so as not to get punched out on a borderline pitch and maybe shortens up his swing a little bit. The third base coach lets him know bunt, hit-and-run or if the runner is stealing. The hitters on his own knows situations, moving runners, runner on third less than two out and what he has to accomplish. That's why they take up to 150 swings every day before games.

The pitcher is another story. All of the preparation for facing an opposing major-league lineup is done before the game. At the start of a three-game series all the pitchers disappear into a room with the pitching coach and catchers and they go over all the hitters on the other team in general terms. Then, each starting pitcher in the hour before batting practice sits down with the catcher and the pitching coach and they go over recent scouting reports in detail. The pitchers watches video of the opponent in a back room. When they hit the field they are prepared. Cito Gaston does not like to deal with pitching. He does not like the breed as a whole because they spent a lifetime trying to take bread off his table. But Bruce Walton and before him Brad Arnsberg are very thorough. When a catcher looks over to the dugout it's not for what pitch to call, it's for the running game – pitchout, throw over, etc. Cito has no influence wither positive or negative on a young staff, except in those moments like early in the season with Ricky Romero where he walks to the mound late in a game, then turns and leaves him in or with Brandon Morrow when he gave up his first pitch after 134 pitches, then Cito visits and lets him finish. The rest of the influence on young pitchers is pitching coach and veteran catchers.

Q: Hi Richard,

Two players I have been tracking, statistically speaking, this season at Double A New Hampshire who have seemingly put up good numbers are outfielders Eric Thames and Darin Mastroianni.

Could you please tell me general opinions you have heard about these two prospects and if the Jays realistically have high hopes for both or either?

Thanks

Mike Davies, Cambridge

A: Thames and Mastroianni are nice minor-league players with a chance for a cup of coffee at the major-league level. My personal, unscientific opinion is that gone are the baseball days when a minor-league guy will suddenly leap out of nowhere into the picture as a major-leaguer as outfielder Jay Gibbons did with the O's after the Jays had given him up as a Rule 5 selection. Natural ability now rules above chemistry in the minors (hopefully). Thames and Mastroianni are what they are and as such must be ranked behind the guys at the major-league level, Travis Snider, Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista, Fred Lewis and Adam Lind as well as minor-leaguers Anthony Gose, Jake Marisnick and maybe even Adam Loewen. Bench players for a while? Maybe.

Q: Hi Richard,

I look forward to reading your mailbag every week. Just a quick question about the AL MVP. Do you think Jose Bautista has a legitimate chance to win the award considering his BA is right around the .260 mark? Also, does the fact that he plays in Toronto figure into his chances?

Thanks.

David Wallis, Newmarket

A: Hopefully Bautista will get significant support, but rather than attributing it to the fact that he plays in Toronto, it's more the fact that the Jays will not be in the post-season. Each AL city has two voting writers ranking their Top 10 MVP candidates. Geography would seem to have little to do with it. I think a guy like Evan Longoria with the Rays or Robinson Cano with the Yankees or Vlad Guerrero or Josh Hamilton with the Rangers have better chances.

Q: Brad Mills seems to fade after four innings. Is this because his overarm style just makes him this way and he is better off as a middle reliever, or does he just need more time to adjust to the big leagues? Do you see him as a middle reliever next year to replace Tallet? And while we are on this, why does a starting pitcher not get a win if he doesn't make five innings and his team keeps the lead and wins? It seemed silly to give Tallet the win that game where they took Mills out before he finished all five, and yet Tallet could get the win by only pitching one or two innings.

Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A: The perception Mills is fading is more about rising pitch count and the stress of throwing at the major-league level. Mills tops out at 85-86 on his fastball and has to be more of a nibbler, more precise, more cerebral. Against patient, grinding teams like the Red Sox his count will be 80-100 pitches for the fifth inning. Against aggressive teams like the Rays he may get through seven on the same count. It's a whole new world in the majors rather than Triple-A where you can take a few batters off mentally in every lineup. I think the middle relief role may be a good one for him once the avalanche of young starting talent comes storming down the minor-league hill in a year or two.

As for the starting pitcher going five to earn a win, you should be asked to go more than half the game to get a win as a starter. I could see a manager allowing a starter who needs three more wins for 20 down the stretch allowing his man to pitch until he has the lead, take him out with the win and then do it again two days later, etc. It's a rule, just like if a reliever goes three innings and finishes the game in a win he gets a save. But if two relievers go three and end it the team does not earn a team save.

Q: I was reading that Cito was saying the other day that Batting Practice is useless because the coaches throw it and the pitches are about 50-60 mph. Why don't the Blue Jays or other teams just hire semi-pro or washed up minor leaguers to come in and throw real batting practice with pitches around 80-90 mph?

Jason Sinnarajah, Tokyo, Japan

A: Saying b.p. is 50-60 miles-per-hour is being generous. But the fact is most veteran players use batting practice to just loosed up their hitting muscles and get the swing mechanics in order. Cito's nuts. He wants to hire some righties and lefties that throw in the '80s to work b.p. for next season when he's an advisor, but I guarantee that if those guys were out there, then many veterans would stay in the cages and the clubhouse. Batting practice is a social even as much as anything. It's like PGA touring pros skipping the driving range because the fairway is too wide.

Q: I was totally surprised and shocked when I found out that the baseball game on Saturday will only be on RSO One. I use Bell expressview, with full sport coverage (except that I find out that is not the case). How can the CRTC tolerate this attitude - don't care about the consumer? Also will the problem be resolved soon?

Bob Schenk, Lindsay

A: Recall when TSN-2 arrived the brouhaha with hockey games that could not be seen by anyone on Rogers because of the Rogers-TSN competition and Rogers Cable not carrying it. Things will work themselves out as they always do when all the corporate money issues are worked out. Screw the consumer! Sportsnet-1 should have offered free service for two months for viewers to get used to it then sell it after that. But of course that would be neglecting the Cable war rallying cry: Screw the consumer! The CRTC hotshots are obviously not sports fans.

Q: Hello Mr. Griffin. I'm a big fan of your blog, it helps keep overseas fans like me up to date with all Blue Jays matters. My question is about Aaron Hill's contract. What's the likelihood of the Jays picking up all 3 of his options, covering 2012-14, this coming winter? It seems prudent to me to let the 2014 option slide. Further, if Hill doesn't bounce back and is batting around .220 this time next year, will his 2012 option even be picked up? It seems odd to say that, but he's fallen so far this season from his great 2009.

Edward Peebles, Cardiff, Wales

A: Since the Hill contract was a brainchild of Anthopoulos as assistant GM, I think they will think long and hard about all their options. The logical thing for them to do would be to wait until after the 2011 season and then pick up the 2012-13 options leaving the $10 million for that final year of 2014 off the list. Then if Hill continues to progress they can always negotiate with him again for one more long-term deal beginning with 2014 and through whenever. Loyalty should be a two-way street but in sports is usual a cul-de-sac. The fact is if he is playing well for the next three years, $10 million will be a reasonable kickoff point for a future long-term deal, but if they pick up all three options 2012-13-14 and he has another year like 2010, they would be second-guessing themselves for the obligation of $10 million in 2014.

Q: Richard,

Maybe its the lack of Blue Jays playoff baseball that makes me want to see some old video of the 80's and 90's, but I can never find any source for this footage. I have read about MLB's draconian policy of protecting its property on YouTube and the like. But what puzzles me is why don't they provide some footage on their own website? It seems a league with such history would want to encourage its fans to watch old footage the way the NHL and NBA allows.

Brad MacMullin, Boston

A: Hey, this attitude of MLB charging outrageous sums to anyone that wants to use great baseball video for clearly promotional purposes for the game and its fans comes from the same brilliant marketers that many years ago when I was in P.R. wanted to charge people to run baseball statistics in the paper. Huh!? Baseball is a game by and for the people. Hoarding old Jays' video from the glory years unless you are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money is silly. But I guess that's why they're all driving Mercedes, Lexus and BMWs and I'm driving an Intrepid.

Q: Hi Richard,

I really need to voice my thoughts about the new Rogers channel. I was an avid Jays' fan in the '90s until the '94 strike. Then I lost interest until about 2003. I started watching them again on TV and now I'm back in their lineup of fans. Unlike in the '90s when we would only watch the games via TV, we now hit the 401 once each season and catch the Jays at the Rogers Centre. I was at that 17-11 game a few weeks ago - what a pick of games to go to eh? So now I'm back to being an avid Jays fan - but what the hell are they doing to me? I can now only catch half of their games because of this "great new station" that we don't get here in Sarnia. Wow, what a great thank you to their fans. What is Rogers' Einstein plan now now? Are they thinking that we will all subscribe to their new station to watch the games? I would love them to know that when I couldn't catch their games in '94, I came up with other things to do. Who knows though, if Rogers is as inconsistent and indecisive with their televising as they are with their sales approaches for renting movies at their stores, their broadcasting will change again in a few weeks. If they stay the way they are though, they will, at least partly, lose me again. So Richard, what do you think of this crappy broadcasting move? Is anyone else feel like Rogers is playing an unappreciative, self-centred prick job on us? (Wow, do you want any help writing? Lol)

Sue Roberts, Sarnia.

A: Well said.