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.

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 !!!

Elvis is in the building

Well that's one for the money and 2 for the show, 3 to get ready, and watch this cat go !

Down in Arlington Texas they get to watch Elvis perform 81 shows a year, and he even takes his show on the road. He performs at a high level, brings the fans right out their seats, and is a high light package all his own.



No sequin vests, no gold jackets, but gold gloves, he will certainly add many to his wardrobe, we speak not of the King of Rock N' Roll, but the starting shortstop of the 1st place Texas Rangers of the American League West.


Andrus has great range to his right, he also has great range to his left, and oh yes, he goes deep into foul territory, and makes the plays Derek Jeter only dreams of making. Now he has added hitting to his list of talents, and base stealing for good measure. He is quietly leading this team.



Many believe the team leader is Josh Hamilton, or long time Ranger Michael Young, or the presence of Vlad Guererro, or manager Ron Washington that fuels the Lone Star Rangers, but in truth, it the diminutive shortstop that is the glue that holds the team together.



He starts double plays that should be gap singles, or at worst infield hits, he turns them as a messiah into instant inning ending double dips, and shuts the other team down.



Now the Rangers starting pitchers already know this, and they all encourage the ground ball to position 6 on the field, because it means outs, and 3 times to Elvis, and we get to bat again.


He makes the routing play in his sleep, and makes the extrordinary play look routine, and the great play so many times, his teammates could call him the Closer instead of Neftali Feliz.


In the National League, Jose Reyes is the don of the great defensive gloves, but Elvis is fast approaching the status of " King of the oohs and aahhs ", and while chicks dig the long ball, managers dig the 6-3 put out, it saves games, ends threats and puts out fires faster than Ladder 49 can.



He is as graceful as Concepcion, acrobatic as Vizquel, and Aparacio, and has an arm as strong as Ripken, or Yount, or Trammell. He turns the double play with Kinsler despite his partner's less than sterling rep at 2nd base. He is the complete defensive package, his glove is where 9th inning comebacks or big time rallies go to die.


I watch him dive for balls I thought were Michael Young's, or Ian Kinsler's, and not only does he get to balls he has not right to try for, he throws out the runners by a step.


I would admit that Texas was wrong to move Michael Young at the beginning of 2009 season, I mean a raw rookie supplanting Young, who had moved years before from 2nd to make room for Alphonso Soriano. I was dead wrong, becasuse the kid has the royal jelly, he is the real deal, and like Lincecum, like many of the New Era players, he is leading the new wave of superstars, and he'll be doing this for a long time.

Lincecum

I have decided to write about the next generation of baseball heroes, and this will kind of last awhile, so let me apologise for ignoring any current events. Like new no hitters ( sorry Edwin Jackson ).

If I knew why I marvel at Tim Lincecum's ability to throw the ball the way he does. Cause I could never could, and I always wanted to.

I could catch, and damn, I could run, but I could never throw the ball that well. Lincecum is that athlete that does things effortlessly, and with such flow. Damn he makes me wish I could get another chance. But the hair is a bit too much, however, I loved Johnny Damon and those Oakland Atheletics of the 70's with the handlebar moustaches, so the Freak can keep his doo. Is he another Samson ?

Maybe from his long hair comes his inner strength. If so, Tim, you are something rare, and special. Throwing in the mid to high 90's , and can mesmerize with his offspeed stuff, just watch the expressions in the hitters when that curve breaks away, their eyes widen and they listen to the umpire call it for a caught 3rd strike, then they wince and toss their batting helmet off like discarded battle gear.

He is nick named "The Freak", because I think he is seen as a freak of nature, since due to his slight build, no one expected Lincecum to generate such power. I love the high leg kick, slightly reminiscent of El Toreador, Juan Marichal, of Los Gigantes of years past. Marichal's trade mark high leg kick helped create enough deception that hitters were watching his delivery as much as his fastball, and were never sure what direction the pitch was coming in from. Just too many body parts in motion. Lincecum's fluid pitching motion has been broken down frame by frame and analysed by kinesiolgists ( no spell check for that ) to define it.

I say " do I want to know how he does it " ? No, I don't, I would rather just marvel at his ability to pretzel major league hitters.

So who is next, Pujols, Arod, or stay on the mound with Carpenter, Jon Lester, no, I want to focus on the next generation, so upcoming segments will be on Rickey Romero, Elvis Andrus and Andrew McCutcheon.

Take yourself out to the Ball Game

Happy Father's Day







To all the Fathers out there, the soon to be fathers ( right Joe ) and grampas as well ( my ol' pal Brian ) .



And to my Dad, who always had time after working all day to have a catch with his son, thanks Dad, hope you have many more.



Oh, and thanks to Aaron Hill who ( with his father in the audience today ) cranked a 2 out big fly in the bottom of the 8th against Matt Cain.

A Game winning blast, by the way.





I was going to write about Ken Griffey jr and his father, the only father and son to ever hit back to back jacks, but I am going to devote a 2 part blog to the career of a first ballot HOF.







Today I wanted to also acknowledge that I am a very very proud father of 2 wonderful kids who I adore. My son, the first to graduate from post secondary world, and my baby, my daughter who is such a treat. Wring out your hankies, it's now back to baseball.







Can I ask a question to the fans of the Blue Jays ?







Where the hell are you, this weekend you have no NBA, no Stanley Cup, and the G 20 is a week away, and you get the San Fran Giants send Zito and Cain to the mound, and we get 20,000 fans ! The team , our team has not collapsed, yes, they struggled out west but they are still nicely above .500 and Jesse Litcsh just tossed 7 shut out innings so I mean c'mon fans, start turning those turnstiles.






Weather is great, you have a winning team, and no excuses.

Thanks Dad for always being there.