No Yu but no Prince, either; and some Raptors stuff

Oh, boy.

I can hear some of you now.

No Yu Darvish? Go get Prince Fielder! Spend that $100 million-plus. Show us you’ll do something.

No, no, no. A thousand times no.

This is a bit of a digression but not to worry, there’s Raptors stuff down below but the big story today is the fact the Texas Rangers beat out the Jays for the right to negotiate with the Japanese phenom.

(Oh and I wonder if all those guys who reported the Jays won the bidding rights the last few days are writing “I was wrong” pieces today?)

But the last thing Alex Anthopoulos needs to do is have some knee jerk reaction and run out to throw money at Fielder, the best free agent player still available.

Forget the fact that Fielder wants something ridiculous like an eight-year contract; even on a four-year deal – and I don’t imagine he ever goes that low on his demand – you cannot possibly imagine he will be any slimmer, quicker or less of a defensive liability than he is right now.

The Blue Jays will score enough runs; they need pitching and maybe what Alex needs to do is package up some of his excess farm talent and a position player or two and get busy in the trade world.

Griff’s got a bunch of possibilities in this typically good piece, that’s the route the GM has to go.

They have shown they are willing to spend significant amounts of money on what they see is precisely the right piece for where the franchise is today; on the cusp, needing more starting pitching depth and seemingly poised to take the next step with a good young group.

They were in on Papelbon, if reports are true they were in on Mat Latos, they were obviously in on Darvish. If Alex thinks it’ll make sense, he’ll do whatever deal is necessary; no one can have complaints about that. The fact Darvish didn’t work out; or that Papelbon spurned them or that Latos drew a better package somewhere else can’t hide the fact these guys are willing to make bold moves.

Fielder would be dead wrong on any long-term deal.

Sure, there’s a gamble with any major acquisition, especially pitching, but it’s more prudent to find youngish talent than a relatively older, far bigger – and I mean BIGGER – and potentially fast-fading physical specimen.

-

So a guy mentions that Leandro Barbosa may be a huge part of what happens and that day he misses a practice because he woke up with a stiff back after being drilled on a screen during the Sunday Boston game.

Yikes.

I’m telling you, with the number of games in such a short period that’s coming starting Boxing Day the most valuable employees may be director of sports science Alex McKechnie and head athletic trainer Scott McCulloch.

Now, there’s no sense that there’s anything to seriously wrong with Barbosa, who missed practice along with Anthony Carter (shoulder). But you know that injuries are going to be a factor throughout the league this season, simply because the wear and tear and number of games per week.

Starting off the season as healthy as you can be is paramount.

-

Okay, so we’ve got this poll going over at the Facethingy page (go here, please cast a vote, and “like” it; I’m still three short of 600 and that’s a nice round number the Tall Foreheads will appreciate).

Anyway, it has to do with Peja Stojakovic, who announced his retirement yesterday and where he stands among the best pure shooters to ever play the game.

I know the Peja era in Toronto was a bad one but he was never going to play here, he was cap ballast in a trade and a piece to be moved on; maybe he stayed out too long with bad back but that’s really neither here nor there.

What matters is that he’s probably second on my all-time list of guys I could watch shoot all day.

First would be Dell Curry, third would be Ray Allen and, reluctantly, I’d put Reggie Miller fourth because I never liked the way he flayed his legs or spread his elbow on his stroke.

What Dell and Peja and Allen did, and do, is elevate shooting a basketball to an art form. It is quick and seamless and simply delightful to watch. The release seldom wavers, in Dell’s case the ball never seemed to stop in his hand on a volleyball-like catch and shoot.

I could sit in a gym and watch those three guys work for hours on end and marvel at the consistency of the shot and the purity of it.

They don’t make ‘em like that any more, it seems. And that’s too bad.

-

This is an out-take from an e-mail I got yesterday and it’s kind of representative of several that have arrived over the last few weeks:

“i am cheering for raps loosing as much as possible. we really need that high pick next year. this is the only way we will see some good b-ball for a few seasons._all the best”

So, to this dude or dudette and all the other who have expressed the same sentiment I kind of demand this:

Do not dare to come here during the season and tell me how bad this team is. It’s what you want, right? You want ‘em to lose? You deserve bad games and have no reason to waste my time, or the time of others, by telling us how bad they are. It’s your wish; if it’s granted, you have to be quiet and take solace in it. Can’t have it both ways.

End o’ rant.

-

And, with that …

Nothing says Christmas better than a little Dee Snider.

-

Oh yeah, one more Raptors note.

Now that we know what “multiple stops” are (I’m sure you’ve all read this already; if not, take a look) there’s something for the stats-wonks to chart each game this season.

You know I’m not a huge fan of advanced metrics in basketball – they have a place in the process but shouldn’t drive it – but it’s pretty easy to see how getting three defensive stops in a row seven times in a game would prove that the defence is working.

So we’ll give you that one to check out as the games unfold.

-

 

Comments

[JHP]

Good Morning and happy Tuesday to you as well. It seems the low expectations for the coming year has hit a nerve. Now I'm all for rebuilding and believe this year will be the low point of the process. Of course who really nows, so what happens if they actually start winning games :-) Oh well I'm a little bumped out about not being able to say Yu's pitching and Who's on first. Oh wait a minute that's been done.

[sam]

No Yu....No worries. AA/Rogers are being burned by more than a few of the great unwashed by readers comments I've read on other sites. For the life of me I'm not sure why. Winning the Yu sweepstakes was more or less a stab in the dark. It didn't work out - maybe for the better. In the past it seems anytime the Jays signed a big time free agent it comes back to bite them. AJ Burnett, BJ Ryan are two of the names that come to mind. Griff mentioned James shields in his article as a pitcher who might be available. He's be the guy I would go after. I'm certain AA has something up his sleeve -

I looked over the available free agents last night - Reggie and Hump are still available - I'm wondering why no one has jumped on these guys.....Too much of a circus with Hump perhaps - Reggie would provide some energy off the bench for a contender -

[Mike D.]

Twisted Sister.....that brings back memories. During her rebellious teenage years my little sister used to play "We're Not Gonna Take It" daily during breakfast. Great on game days when I needed to be psyched up, but perhaps a little less useful during the rest of the week.

[Ricky]

Well I'm glad the Jays dodged a bullet on this. Although I'm sure they probably won't, I would like to see them go get Prince Fielder. I think that would be a much greater statement signing and one I'd be more excited about going to the park next season to see than Darvish. And you wouldn't have to pay $50m just to talk to Fielder.

Signing Darvish would have been a statement signing, but I feel the Jays can still do that elsewhere.

[Jeff D]

Your rant today prompted me to unload one of my own.

I am tired of people compaining about how this blog includes one thing or excludes others. Why do readers assume this blog will be specifically tailored to their personal tastes? I am not an "Irregular of a Certain Vintage", nor do I care for music. I love the acronyms (HOTH, TOD, HWSNBN, etc.), I would prefer all basketball all the time (i.e. CIS, NBL, etc.)...but I don't write the blog. There is this really cool invention on the inter-web called a scroll bar. I have found this to be a very effective tool to skip sections I'm not particularly interested in. Bottom line is that this blog is what it is. Enjoy the parts you like, come and read what you want. If you want different content how about writing a respectful e-mail to Mr. Smith rather than some childish whining comment for all to see.

End o rant

Merry Christmas Irregulars.

Oh yeah, at the risk of digressing from b-ball, how about a top 5 list of top Christmas movies. I've got Elf, National Lampoon's and Rudolph as my top three.

[AT]

@Mike D.. that is really funny with your little sister playing that song at breakfast on a daily basis...

[Lorie]

Good Morning,Doug!
Well, I like me some Twisted Sister as much as the next affecionado of classical music, but here's a hardcore Christmas tune to elevate the spirits - if not the cultural level - around here. :)
http://youtu.be/V7uiqRCW6I8
And it was a bit late for me, but did you happen to see any of the Clippers-Lakers game last night?

[db]

Greatest shooter of all-time? Larry Bird. Now that's a guy I could watch all day.

[Jc]

Here's a thought to put it in perspective today. We're all upset at losing the chance to give a pitcher a $125 million dollar contract over five years ($50 million post plus $75 million contract).   That's more than Cliff Lee makes. More than Halladay. More than just about any pitcher in baseball. And he's never played an MLB game yet. Maybe we just saved ourselves from something. Keep in mind, of all the hundreds of baseball players this year and all the amazing all stars in the league, the person making the second most money out of everyone this year is...Vernon Wells (more than Albert Pujols)

[Dave]

It is funny how people see things differently. I watched the game and I was hoping Casey would take Barbosa off the floor because I was tired of him over running the ball and losing it out of bounds - then someone states that he may be the most valuable player this year.

As for losing games, I have accepted that they may not be good this year. I want to see them work hard and compete every night in very close games. I hope they win enough to stay interested and interesting. I also want them to be a lottery team in the draft because I think they need another high draft pick in order to become competitive in the future. As I mentioned here before, the worst thing that could happen this year is for them to end up in seventh or eight place in the playoffs. I promise I will not comment of how bad they are and I won't wish you any harm.

I am really surprised by how many negative and mean comments I have read on other sites about the HOTH. Some of these are comments on articles on other newspaper sites and on NBA.com. I assume most of these people have no idea about Brian's "building" plan and want an instant Championship team which is nearly impossible.

Have a good week.

[Bill]

Doug,

Did you see the Lakers/Clippers game last night? When I saw the Clippers starting five I almost thought I was watching the all star game (Paul, Bullips, Bulter and Bad Blake). Do you think they will be good this year (at least go past the first round in the playoffs)?

Will there be an all star weekend this year?

Blogger's note: No idea what'll transpire this season; if I did, I'd be making a lot more money doing something different. Yes, all-star is in Orlando as scheduled

[Geoff Read]

I love the fact that Twisted Sister's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" has the same drum beat as "We're Not Gonna Take It." That is all.

[K.Wright]

Hey Doug,

Since basketball is starting back up, will this blog be morphed back into a basketball blog? It's nice to hear about other sports here and there but I'd much rather you stick to basketball.

[Andrew H]

I generally enjoy your baseball writing, but couldn't disagree more regarding Prince Fielder. Regardless of whether the Jays won the Darvish bidding, Fielder made sense for the Jays. Lind is not a long term solution at first base. Fielder is 27 years old, clearly in his prime with no signs of slowing down, and has been remarkably durable (never played fewer than 157 games in a season). Even on a 7 year deal, he would be the same age at the end of his deal that Jose Bautista will be at the end of his. So how exactly is this such a risk? And yes, they still have a hole in the rotation. Nothing stops them from signing and Fielder AND packaging prospects for a starting pitcher. Sorry, but a lot of Jays fans aren't willing to accept Griffin's pie-in-the-sky idea of waiting two years for Joey Votto (meanwhile wasting two years of Bautista's prime).

[james]

The Suns' TV broadcaster, Eddie Jones (I think), has made the point on several broadcasts that "greatest shooter" lists almost never include Nash even though he may be the greatest of all statistically, not to mention playing the most demanding position. Where would he rank on your list (and I realize you're talking about aesthetics as much as anything else)?

Blogger's note: He'd probably be on a top-20 list

[Larry Lukeeborg]

I don't dispute Doug's right to write about whatever topics he wants, but if this is to be a sports blog covering sports other than basketball, can we have a qualified someone at the Star write a basketball blog? And Doug, since you're the most qualified, why don't you take charge of this?? :)

[David Moon]

Doug - sad about missing out at Darvish, but life goes on. If you could sign Prince Fielder to a two year contract at $30M/year, would you?

Blogger's note: How about two at $52-55M total?

[JHK]

Another guy I could watch shoot all day - Yao Ming.

[GM]

* Nice rant, Doug. You nailed it. But I suspect there'll still be sniping at the losing here all season.

* As for Jeff D.'s rant, it's not that "the blog is what the blog is". That's the problem. The blog has morphed from a dedicated basketball blog to a general sports blog. Yes, we get mostly basketball, and Doug has always given us snippets of other sports and non-sports but now there's more of a mandate for longer snippets on whatever sport is newsworthy, even though those other sports have their own blogs. Oh, if only we could read some basketball in those other sports blogs, everything would even out. But basketball is 'sport non grata' everywhere else so we have an imbalance.

[Cluck Kent]

Dave and Jeff D summed up my thoughts very well today. Thanks Fellas. Nice link, Lorie, thanks ma'am. For a moment there I thought you were linking to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Cool dudes, but cut your hair, k?

Thanks for another year of the blog, Doug. As has been said, if someone wants more basketball in their blog then they should write one. I suspect very few folks around here understand the commitment you've made to having this space filled every morning.

[Tim H.]

Hi Doug:

Perhaps you could give some of your readers a 'public service announcement.' Maybe list three or five blogs that do nothing but basketball. Then they can go to one (or more) of those, and leave those of us who like DOUG SMITH's blog alone!

[Stephen Graham]

Doug, I know basketball is your game but your comments on the Jays are dead on. All I can say is thank God the people who run the Jays don't pay attention to the comments from the lunatic fringe who think the only thing to do is blow hundreds of millions of dollars on free agents who aren't what the team needs. Personally I trust the judgment of AA and Paul Beeston to develop this team in a prudent manner such that we put ourselves in a position to be good not just for the short term but for the long term. Developing from within and augmenting through trades is the correct course of action for the team and I believe they've done a good job of that. When they're ready to jump to the next level we can look at free agents. For all those people clamouring to give Prince Fielder $20+ million a year for the next 8-10 years, keep in mind that Joey Votto is a free agent in two years. Who would you rather give that kind of money to? In addition the Jays will very likely be in a much better position to take advantage of someone like Votto in two years as opposed to this year.

[LeeZ]

I've got one for the conspiracy theorists, and it's a DOOZY, Doug! This'll stir 'em into a frenzy: let's say Rogers told AA that they didn't want him to spend boatloads of money on Yu (or anyone else, for that matter), but that they didn't want the negative spin with the media or fanbase that would come if they didn't at least make a competitive bid. So AA phones Nolan Ryan and says, hey, do me a favour, bud: I want to bid on Yu just for appearances sake. What are YOU going to bid? $52 mill? O.K., we'll bid 51.5 mill. Here, watch me as I write that on my bid to MLB and watch as I seal the enveloppe so you know I'm not conning you. That way, Texas doesn't have to overbid, and the Jays can save face. Win-win. Come on, Doug, you have to admit that's a pretty good conspiracy theory!!!

Blogger's note: Only if Nolan was on a grassy knoll at Dealey Plaza

[BradW]

Sounds like the '3 stops in a row' thing might also be a way to keep the players focused on an attainable short-term defensive goal.

[SheikYurbouti]

Perhaps a slightly different take on the controversy surrounding the blog's content: I know a few internet trolls have dropped by and sullied the discussion, but a little understanding is perhaps due to the more level headed people who express their dismay. As much as I have warmed up to the sharing of Music, Movies, etc. by my fellow irregulars of a certain vintage, it took me a while. Not because I don't have an appreciation for such discussion, and not that I haven't learned about great things from this cultured crew. But speaking for myself at least, I used to find this place in a league of it's own for a mature, responsible, and balanced take on the NBA and the Raptors in particular. It still is, but the disappointment is that there's so much less of it now. Rather than an idle complaint about the current content direction, perhaps it's a compliment toward what Doug provides from his basketball perspective, and people simply want more of it?