Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Closer to the Heart

Scott Downs
Joba Chamberlain

Is the news out of New York has the Jays wanting Joba for Scott Downs, and I agree , do it and make him the closer du jour, let him work with Walton and Langford, and in 2011 , the job is his to lose. Gregg has proven to be exactly what Anthopolous thought he was, a 50 -50 shot each night. An average guy, but not dominant closer material.

If not Joba, see if the Red Sox will take John Buck ( who they need ) and Downs for Danny Bard, and Jed Lowrie ( who is almost out of options ). Lowrie plays 3 infield positions and makes peanuts, and the jewel is Bard, a hard throwing righty who has closer aspirations. He like Joba are blocked by Papelbon and Rivera, and the Yanks give the ball more lately to cheaper unheralded David Robertson, and have possibly grown tired of explaining to Joba, to wait until next year.

 Now I honestly do not believe the Yanks will do this, but if the Jays were to toss in John Buck, or Overbay and take back a double AA prospect, I would do it.  Scott Downs, Lyle Overbay and John Buck have expiring contracts, so we should shed a tear, because all will be gone next year. Do you think John Buck ( who leads the majors in homers and ribbies at the catching position ) is going to take a discount here, with Arrencibia in the wings, not a chance, he wants to cash in, and so he should, it will be his only chance to do that. I see him in Texas next year replacing Bengie Molina, as their trio of young stud catchers are all duds so far.

3 days left, and someone just starting warming up the hot stove rumours......

Wednesday Afternoon, listening to Dylan twang and rain falling















Random thoughts for a Wednesday afternoon.

Strasburg shut down now a real possibility, arm fatigue, my aunt fanny, they are worried now about "The Franchise", as they should be. He will get 2 more starts, then the Nats will likely say, enough, great start kid, sit and watch and learn.

According to a USA Today story, Roger Maris gains an rbi and Mickey Mantle lost a run scored. Hard trick to accomplish since both are deceased, and this goes back to 1961. According to Retrosheet, which is 12 geeks still living in their parents basement, the game numbers for Maris and Mantle are incorrect, so who cares ? Maris now has / had more ribbies in 1961 than anyone else in the American League, so again I ask, why does this matter ?  Answer, it does not, but becomes yet another example of the endless pursuit to get things right, regardless if sounds ridiculous.

All signs point to Jose "the sultan of swat" Bautista staying put in Toronto. He clubbed home runs 29 and 30 against the Orioles, who are fodder for the majors home run leading team. Reaching these heights and perhaps getting over 40 homers , for a 4rth place team, ensures it is too hard for Anthopolous to move the fan fave, despite all the experts saying he will not come close to these numbers next year, or ever. 
Would I trade him, depends, what are they being offered ? And who's offering ? If the Rays are offering Desmond Jennings, or Jeremy Hellickson, plus say Wade Davis, I listen, but the Rays don't make these deals, at least they haven't to date. Last year they jettisoned Scott Kazmir ( smart move it appears ).

Are the Red Sox offering Buchholz, then again, I am all ears, but I am assuming that until we see where and what happens to Adam Dunn ( there's a chance he re signs with the Nats ) , he is the bat of choice.
Bautista comes for this year plus next at great and manageable money, so 2 pennat runs, if he's not a flash in the pan. What about the Angels, they have no hope of catching Texas without a bat stimulus package.

Anyhow, onto more random thoughts.....

Young Escobar is making high light reel plays with Aaron Hill, but if he adds a few punds of muscle, he might be the next 3rd baseman.  Consider the Cuban kid is already in Double AA and hitting .310 as of yesterday.
I like what I see so far, but the kid is playing relaxed, no stress, no pressure, so far so good.

Another no hitter ( ho hun ) with Garza's grandoise gem against the Tigers, and this is now for sure The Year of the Pitcher. It is not just a good crop, Eveland is not part of any new wave. Wait, I think we'll have one more, my bet is on Josh Johnson in Miami.

With Rod Barajas injured, will the Mets call asking for a Buck ($) from Toronto ?

What will the Tigers do with no Ordonez for 6 weeks ?

Add Brad Mills to the list of Jays getting starts, are we up to 10 yet, let's see.  Marcum, Romero, Morrow,Cecil, Tallet, Litsch, Zepper, now Mills, well that's 8, so my prediction of 10 is looking good. Did I miss anyone, let me know if I did ?

Jays fans, enjoy tonite's game against the O's, and the upcoming series against the Indians, because we get the Yanks, Boston, Rays, Angels and Tigers in August.

Onto to the links tomorrow with the kids, so enjoy !

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Another building block


Okay Jays fans, your GM has secured yet another long ranged building block in Yunel Escobar, and it cost them some assets, but replaceable ones.
I loved watching Alex Gonzalez range to his right and making all the plays at short, and who knew he'd knock out 17 homers by the All Star break. But you knew he was not the shortstop of the future, and whether is the Cuban defector, or Escobar, we'll conceed it will be will youth.
Many Jays fans immediately barked that we gave up an All Star for a guy that Bobby Cox could not dealt with. Geez folks, how is it playing for half asleep Cito Gaston for half a season on his way to his next assignement. It so far has provided dividends. His series against the Orioles and Royals shows the little guy can rake and has some moxy. Maybe a possible number 2 hitter , might as well, nobody steals in "Cito World", so a contact guy behind Fred Lewis.
The next deal, the Overbay or John Buck version will bring lower propspects I expect, maybe a 3rd base prospect, but my thinking is Anthopolus is envisioning the next closer. Kevin Gregg's days are numbered.
I also expect Jo Jo Reyes to make it back up by August, and Tallet or Purcey to go to Vegas.
Now I like Purcy, but if he goes back to Nevada, it may be to be a closer in waiting. They need a right handed version of Purcey, and they do not have that yet. I half thought about Brnadon Morrow, but that thought is long long gone.
JP Arrencibia should arrive the 1st week of August to platoon with Molina ( half catcher/half mentor/future coach ?? ), and we'll see what all the Triple AAA fuss is about.
So, opening day 2011 roster, might besomething like this:
Catcher: J.P. Arrencibia
1st Base: Brett Wallace/Jose Bautista
2nd Base: Aaron Hill
3rd Base: Jose Bautista/Edwin Encarnacion
Shortstop: Yunel Escobar
Centrefield : Vernon Wells
Left Field : Jose Bautista/ Adam Lind
Right Field: Travis Snider
DH: Adam Lind
Rotation:
Shawn Marcum
Rickey Romero
Brett Cecil
Jessie Litsch
Kyle Drabek

Time to Deal


John Buck , pack your bags.
Lyle Overbay, alert your travel agent.
Scott Downs, postpone that team dinner you're hosting.
Jose Bautista, well we'll see, but if you keep knocking big flies, maybe give the real estate agent a buzz, keep him on stand by.
Time for players that are on non playoff contenders to be on high alert. The media , the bloggers and the twitterers.
While we are all losing our minds over the whole IlyaGate saga, my mind and my eyes see the calendar and note we are 10 days until the non waiver trade deadline, so let's take a quick look.
Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks, while his team has largely underperformed this year, Haren is only 28 and under contract for a spell, so it would take a huge offer, as the Snakes would love to go into 2011 with Haren along side Brandon Webb ( at some stage ), so maybe a 30 % chance he's dealt.
Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros, ditto his predicament with another poor team and an ace starter, still in his prime, but has a best before date. Much more likely he will be dealt, and the thinking is the Mets and Phils are both front runners, but do not ignore the Cardinals and possibly the Twinkies, who were in the hunt for Cliff Lee. Never discount the Red Sox, but with Buchholz returning, with Dice K and Beckett returning, they just need to stay close, and hope to get Ellsbury before August 1st.
I would rate his chances at over 50% that he will get dealt, it would be higher, but the owner loves Oswalt, and must want to punish him and have him remain an Astro-Nut.
Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals, easily a marketable slugger, and probably the guy most likely dealt , and the Chicago White Sox have already discussed a deal with the Nats, so expect more teams, likely the Red Sox, and Dodgers to chime in, and make this harder for Kenny Williams, but he has prospects he is willing to move. Chances are 75 % and perhaps higher. Also if the Morneau "concussion " lingers, the Twins become an option.
Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs, get those bags ready Teddy, you are getting dealt. Sweet Lou would love his lefty to stay put, but Lou is bugging out after this season, so my thoughts are, Teddy is going to beat him out of the south side of Chicago.
Several teams , like 10 have been scouting his starts the last 3 weeks, so the Cubs are going to turn over a lot of their vets, and Lilly will get the ball rolling.


First vacation blog, and I promise more to come.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Rows of Seats waiting for Seymour Butts


This is my first attempt at baseball poetry, so if you don't like it, you can always watch
reality TV.

All I see is green as I walk down the steps of the ballyard, bordered by white lines
Players in grey, players in red, players both black and white and clean dance and stretch
The manager speaks in hushed tones to his assistants , last minute orders and pleas
The bases are clean, the plate is swept and the air smells of fresh hope
The umpire calls for the beginning of play and the catcher and pitcher converge
A hitter is ready, the game will commence as he swings his bat at invisible pitches
The fans take their seats, they chant for their heroes, and tension begins to mount

Strike One, and the batter pulls back, sniffs the air is disgust, and prepares for another
Their pitcher recoils and heaves in Strike Two and the fans stand and scream their displeasure
The last ball drifts in slowly but catches the corner, and the umpire pumps his fist to declare it
Fans bark like a dog pound in heat, and the batter pivots and his walk displays disagreement
The game continues with both sides feeling out the other side like prize fighters in the ring
And the pitchers duel like two swordsman from an Errol Flynn movie , seemingly to the death
I watch from my seat to this summertime war expecting the explosion of offense
But the battle wears on, and the day's getting hotter, as the crusaders continue to sputter

Have the bats in their hands lost their magical powers , are their eyes lost their vision to see
Why have the swatters lost their swat, where has the pop and the smack gone to
In ballparks in California and Illinois, and New York and Texas become dead zones
Have the stopped popping pills, and do they not have the swagger, why has the energy wavered
Is it the brilliant young guns, with their 23 year old arms that has neutralised the thunder
Across the majors the questions persist, it's a new game some say, and we'd better learn fast
In the ballpark one fireballer replaces the other, and for a brief moment the other side has new hope
But we continue to play on in this scoreless exchange , awaiting the others to blink
The sun has set now, and lights are turned on, but there is no power to witness
The highlights are dives, and slides, and brilliant catches, and the single up the middle

The game is changing, and we watch it evolve from bashers and bangers to smackers, tossers, swingers and new young men who are surely changing our game.

Canada Day

Across this great country, we celebrate our togetherness, our diversity our uniquenesss, and I hope you all did something that was truly Canadian.
I started off reading last nights boxscores, drove through Tim Hortons for a double double, and cut the grass.
I also OD'd on TSN's Free Agent Frenzy and caught a few innings of the Jays loss to Cleveland.
No fireworks today or tonite, but my Leafs added 2 decent forwards, and I BBQ'd for my son and I as we managed with the women away. My daughter is in New York, and the wife is visiting family up north, so other than some laundry, and a quick clean up, my day was devoted to what waas happening in the NHlL, NBA and MLB. Does it get any better ? Nope.
Some observations ( as I watch the ALs and Sask game ) on what this day means to me.
# 1 - I display a Canadian flag to show patriotism, as I am Canadian
# 2 - I walked the dog, and we discussed why Cito Gaston has lost his marbles.
# 3 - Like most Canadians, my lawn is an important extension of my outdoor abilities.
# 4 - Brian Burke had to do something today, just to justify all the rhetoric ahead of time.
# 5 - I hate anything to do with Twilight, don't get me started. Go watch Toy Story 3 instead.
# 6 - I "live" for fantasy baseball, 24/7 -365 I am always thinking about how to improve.
# 7 - My kids are awesome, just awesome.
# 8 - When my wife is away, I never stay up late, smoke cigars or drink whiskey, and I miss her
# 9 - I wear sportsgear because it makes me feel closer to the players, well maybe it'sd more.
#10 - I am a proud Canadian , proud Jays, Leafs and Argos fan, so sue me.
Happy Canada Day Everyone !!!