12:30 AM Eastern
Well, either that or “the light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train.” It’s one or the other, I’m just not sure which.
Another night, another painful-to-watch exhibition by your Toronto Blue Jays. This time they managed to score one whole run, despite having runners on in every inning and having a hitter come to the plate with a runner in scoring position 14 times! They did manage a hit with a runner in scoring position, but just one, a David Eckstein single in the 5th that didn’t produce a run.
I have to correct something. On The JaysTalk tonight, I mentioned a few times how the Jays are now 11-for-their-last-100 with RISP. That’s not true, math error on my part. They’re actually 11 for their last 97. Much better.
But enough about baseball. I was flipping around the dial on the way home from work, looking for one of those Saturday Night Retro programs, but sadly not being able to find one. Two stations played U2′s Pride (In The Name Of Love) within about 40 seconds of each other, though, that was weird. Anyway, I stopped at JACK-FM, one of our sister stations, and they were playing what’s called the Jack Nation Countdown. I’ve since looked it up, to check what song it was, but I heard Amen by Kid Rock for the first time. Not to rag on the Kid, by any means, but I was struck by the musical juxtaposition between his using the riff from Sweet Home Alabama along with the music bed from Werewolves of London. Never realized how similar those two songs sounded before. It was also kind of interesting that he rhymed “bottle” with “tomorrow”. Lyrical genius, he is.
OK, back to the baseball. Shaun Marcum was fantastic, David Eckstein had three hits, Rios, Stairs, Rolen, Overbay and Zaun reached base twice each, and the team scored one run. Does that information stun anyone else? It speaks to what I’ve been going on about for the last week and a half (over which time we’ve seen the Jays play every day and win twice) – this is a staggering amount of bad luck, along with everything else, and it HAS to turn around.
I guess the Jays finally figured it was safe to call up Adam Lind, because he was in the line-up, batting 8th (a spot lower than I thought he would), and almost followed in Rolen’s Friday night footsteps with a big hit late, but Tony Pena, Jr. made a McDonaldesque play on his grounder into the hole with the bases loaded and two out in the 8th, stole a two-run single, and nipped Lind at first by half a step.
John McDonald got a front-row seat to admire it, because he was on his way from second to third, having been put in to pinch-run for Matt Stairs. Pinch-running for the DH, by the way, ensured that had the Jays come back to take the lead, Mac would NOT have been put in the game for defense, because that would have put the pitcher into the batting order. I can’t believe the Jays signed McDonald to a two-year, $3.8 million contract to be an occasional pinch-runner. It’s mind-bottling.
Just one more thing. Three more inches to Pena’s right, and Lind has a two-run single and the Jays have the lead. Eckstein catches the ball Friday night, and the Jays take the lead into the 9th. Aaron Hill doesn’t throw away a double play ball on Thursday, and the Jays don’t lose the lead to T-Bay. Roy Halladay doesn’t blow up in the 6th Wednesday, and the Jays beat T-Bay. Joe Inglett gets the suicide squeeze down in the 10th against the Rangers and the Jays win that game. Jack Hannahan doesn’t make a spectacular play down the third-base line in the 11th and the Jays win that 12-inning game against Oakland. None of that stuff was John Gibbons’ fault – OK, maybe the Eckstein thing was.
I realize the whole thing about ifs and buts and candy and xmas, but I’m just trying to illustrate the difference between 10-15 and 16-9. The Jays have been in virtually every game they’ve played this season, and that’s a very good thing, but it’s also why this 2-9 run has been especially maddening.
Remember, either tune your radio to 590 or hit the “listen live” feature on the website at 12:30 pm eastern Sunday (or 12:40, I’m not sure how long the degenerate gamblers are going to want to talk) for a special pre-pre-game show. I have nothing planned yet, but we’ll figure something out. Probably going to talk about the Blue Jays or some such.
And Sunday night at 7:05, The Blue Jays This Week. Might be discussing a winless week. Yeesh.
Comments are encouraged, and I’ll try to answer, but it’s a day game after a night game, so you never know.
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mw, of course it is true that alot of the RISP position numbers are simply luck based. statistical analysis has supposedly shown that there is no such thing as clutch hitting. with these things in mind, certainly 4/50 RISP the last six games is based in part on luck. BUT in watching these games (and i TIVO them all and watch them at some point here in Arizona) you will notice that the majority of the lineup is not hitting the ball hard anywhere. this isnt a case of them hitting into tough luck for the most part (although Lind might beg your differ). this is a case of the majority of the lineup simply not driving the ball at all. they are striking out or hitting weak grounders (or in stewarts case popping up) in key situations.
remember AFTER the jays got the gift from the pena bobble, they STILL had first and second with one out. people were saying yesterday that the jays handed the game to KC with errors, and its partly true..the jays did offer them the game, but the royals accepted. they broke the doors down after that one misplay. tonight, tables reversed, a bad play made by a shortstop..young pitcher on the mound..middle of the order up…instead of reciprocating, the jays (in mind bottling fashion) promptly hit into a douple play. so basically..while they have had some bad luck, they have squandered their chances when fortune has smiled upon them.
MW: Yes, but part of the squandrage is bad luck. Whether it’s bad luck that no one is hitting the ball well, which usually doesn’t all happen at the same time, or it’s bad luck that a poorly-hit ball doesn’t find a hole, or a broken-bat duck snort doesn’t fall, it’s bad luck. Everyone in that line-up is a capable major-league hitter, and capable major-league hitters just don’t hit .080 unless they’re very unlucky.
- sammy jalalzaiHi MIke,
Good optimistic view. The Jays have been getting good pitching have have not really been blown out yet this year. Although they are frustrating to watch as they do appear lax in their effort. This is probably not their intent, but last weekend they looked disinterested (especially Monday) and that has stcuk as they have continued to lose. The losing does in fact boggle/bottle the mind as very few things sem to be going for them. But there is a lot of season left. Keep up the good work.
- HuguenotI’m open to being wrong, but I’m nearly certain it is ‘mind boggling’, rather than ‘mind bottling’.
Could you please explain exactly why the pitcher would have been forced into the batting order had McDonald stayed in the game? Why couldn’t McDonald just continue to fill the DH slot?
MW: It is “mind-boggling”, unless you watched the epic tome “Blades of Glory”. McDonald would have filled the DH slot, but if he’d gone onto the field to play shortstop, the Jays would have lost the DH and the pitcher would have moved into the batting order into the spot of the player that McDonald replaced. That’s what happens when you bring your DH onto the field.
- JCLHey Mike,
I’m trying hard not to get down but it’s becoming so frustrating. I think they’re close to coming out of it but how many more games do I have to wait to say that. I’m just glad the Yanks and Sox are not playing any better.
Here’s tomorrow’s win.
- CameronThese Gibbons-bashers kind of confuse me. I’ve never really been a fan of his, but I also won’t blame him for things that aren’t his fault, such as the team’s inability to hit with RISP.
What really gets me though, are the people that want him to call the players out after games like this. Ok, say he does, what happens next? Oh right, these same people will then be outraged that he would publicly berate them like that, the same way they were when JP called them out in ’06. It’s really just lose-lose with most of these fans and it’s becoming increasingly frustrating to listen to. I don’t know how you do it.
MW: This job wouldn’t be as much fun if everyone made sense!
- Jessicagee mike, you’re starting to use the word luck a lot more often now. you see mike when things don’t go your way, you say it’s bad luck. sorry mike, there is no such thing as luck in baseball, just as you claim there is no such thing as clutch hitting! well I think the jays woes with risp shows you how there is such a thing as clutch hitting! by the way mike, I just want to brag some more about how I was the ONLY person on this blog to actually PREDICT this losing streak. yeah go back and read it. if you have any questions about baseball just ask me cuz I know everything. oh and for you to say vw may have “lost a step” MY GOD!! he is in the first year of a SEVEN year deal and he’s lost a step? I’ll say it again vw contract will go down as the WORST contract in jays history. funny how nobody is bragging about his mediocre defense anymore. what happened to all those “he doesn’t have to dive because he gets great jumps” tell that to reed johnson. next prediction: jays get swept by boston, could be a bloodbath
MW: Changing your handle and e-mail, huh? Weird. I’m done arguing with you, though, it’s a waste of time. Let’s just put it on the record now that I’m going to disagree with everything you say.
- moreforlesOh yes, one more thing, Michael of the Ballyard:
I remember seeing that the Royals’ starter tonight (yesterday when you read this) had a remarkably unimpressive record and ERA headed into the game. Is my recollection correct and the Jays got schooled by another struggling nobody?
MW: Yes and no. He had a bad start last time out, but this guy was the #1 overall pick a couple of years ago. But these guys can’t hit anybody right now.
- JCLI never believed in “heart” or “chemistry”. I am starting to think that may be something to that in a baseball club. Did you see Reed Johnson’s catch for the Cubs? Someone sent me the Youtube link just before I watched Adam Lind watch Tony Pena Jr.’s fly get behind him. I am starting to think there may be something to heart, chemistry, grit, etc. to actually win games consistently. Whatever it is, this team doesnt have it.
MW: What this team doesn’t have right now is wins, or (seemingly) the ability to drive in runs. I did see Reed Johnson’s catch Friday night, it was incredible. But what did that catch have to do with heart, chemistry or grit?
- Jim BJohn McDonald was signed to be the SS, and then Ecksein fell into JP’s lap. We’re all frustrated, but signing X seems to be a move you condone. You can’t call the Mac signing mind-bottling because at the time it was the right thing to do. Once X was signed, holding on to both Scutaro and JMac was silly. Inglett should fill Marco’s role because he’s a LHB and cheaper, and apparently Rogers is pinching pennies over there. If you want there’s room aboard my FREE JMAC!!! train. His presence is missed across the infield, he makes everybody else look better. Overbay and Wells in particular have both looked sluggish. It just seems the overall level of defense has dropped dramatically from last season, but hopefully Rolen’s return can help turn things around. Also doesn’t help that Reed is gone, he was probably the best defensive LF in baseball (Crawford, Byrnes, Soriano?). Here’s Reed’s FANTASTIC catch on April 25th, courtesy of YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9tJzjlbw7k
MW: Yeah, if anyone reading this hasn’t seen that catch, check that link. Amazing. I’ll take Crawford over Reed defensively, but I don’t think I’d take anyone else.
- AriI never said “why did the Jays sign Johnny Mac if the weren’t going to use him”, I said “why is he still here if they’re not going to use him”, which is what you’re saying as well.
A I stated a couple of days ago on this blog, this year is starting to resemble last year. Last year the Jays did a 9 game slide in late April/early May on a road trip through Baltimore, Texas and Cleveland and for all intents and purposes never did recover. The current streak has reached 6. I believe this is a collection of good baseball players, but maybe this collection just does not play well together. Each day this situation becomes more bewildering. Sparky Anderson once said, “Every team wins 60 games and every team loses 60 games. It’s what you do in those other 40 games that determines your season.” He was absolutely correct.
They gotta win Sunday. It’s my birthday. That should be motivation enough.
MW: It would be nice to see them win, but they don’t “gotta”. If they lose, the season isn’t over.
- Jim BranscomeI read this blog because I am a Blue Jays fan and, right now, the most important Blue Jays reply to MW lates blog is….Mike, you got Kid Rock song wrong. It’s called All Summer Long, not Amen.
Kind of ironic to because Blue Jay fan are saying prayers now that we don’t have to watch this Jays show All Summer Long. Amen!
MW: Thanks for the tip, but blame the Jack-FM website!
- JeffAt what point do the excuses stop and something gets done? Either with the players on the field…the manager… or the management? Are we expected to say for the rest of the season “but they SHOULD be better than this?”. I once heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Last years team was decimated by injuries. This years team is “just not hitting”.
I think there is a shake up needed, even if it’s just for the sake of change…cuz nothing else seems to be working. Of course we could always just say wait ’til next year.
MW: What are the excuses? They’re not hitting. That’s not an excuse.
- AnthonyMindbottling?…..my thesaurus wants to know. Mike, Eckstein has a few credentials, but I wonder why he hasn’t been able to throw in the air to Overbay most times. Russ Adams re-visited. I feel sorry for Lyall having
to dig them out of the dirt. Does Gibby have an axe to grind with Mac?. Maybe the new manager will look at this setup differently. Until then, keep the faith.
Jack
MW: I doubt anyone will look at the set-up differently because of Eckstein’s reputation in the game, which is a big mistake. But comparing Eckstein to Adams is WAY unfair. As for mind-bottling, see the answer to an above comment.
- Jack LynchMike, Let me preface this by saying im a long-time listener, life-long jay supporter but current day peripheral Jays “fan”. Now, ever wonder why theres consistenly sparce crowds at the Rogers Center, why baseball now takes a back-seat to TFC along with the Leafs and Raptors? Mediocrity. I understand you towing the company line, after all–this is your JOB. When i hear comments like Lyle Overbay will be fine, comparing his start to previous years; Marcum was fine, but he had ONE bad inning (2 starts ago); justifying the Glaus for Hudson deal from years back, i cringe. ITS NOT OKAY. This team is LOSING. Newsflash, its been losing for over a DECADE. I totally expect you to have your token patronizing response like 3rd place is not bad, and after the all star break this team was very good. Stats do lie. Numbers *can* lie.
This isnt a personal attack. Its just unfortunate that you are the one bridge betwen this mediocre franchise and a large portion of its dwindling fan base. Just a heads up, you might want to tone down the cynasim and patronizing you seem to hold so dear to your heart. I know curling up with your Sabermetric stats and running your baseball simulation games have given you a false sense of entitlement to deem what is an intelligent question, and what isnt. What amazes me is the belief that just because things are bad, they HAVE to turn around. And you are right, when things hit rock bottom, theres no where to go but up. Even if it is marginally, and the sad part is, in the grand scheme of things, we’ve been dealing with that margin for a very long time.
Teams regress, players regress. Just because something improves from being crappy, doesnt make it good. Now i understand why you get annoyed when people ask how you are all the time.
Regards,
MW: I cut a line from this comment because it was in horribly poor taste. Not one of your insults (I wonder what, in your mind, is a personal attack), but something else. As far as the Jays losing ground to all those other teams, it’s simply not true. I mean, the Leafs are the Leafs, that’ll never change. Funny, though, how you mention the fact that the Leafs are one of the teams to which the Jays take a back seat, and it’s because of the Blue Jays’ mediocrity. The Leafs are spectacularly mediocre. Anyway, the Blue Jays’ average attendance this season will be higher than that of the Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC’s, but there’s definitely more buzz about the soccer team, no question. It’s because of the novelty, because the soccer team is awful, just like the Jays are right now.
- Barrett E.Newsflash – the team hasn’t been losing for a decade. They’re coming off consecutive winning seasons, and have had six winning seasons in the last ten years. If they were playing a sport in which 16 teams make the playoffs, they’d have probably been in 8 of the last 10 years, and people would be raving about their successes.
I believe Vernon Wells bears a great deal of responsibility for this horrible display. Having the largest contract on the team makes you the defacto offensive leader. But I’ve always believed there’s been a question about his mettle. If was half of what Jeter was when it comes to delivering for your team, then his contract might be in the realm of reasonable. And, I don’t care how many rbis or homeruns his managed thus far; because he hasn’t done anything to try and spark this team out of their likely season-ending slump.
:(
MW: What would you suggest he do to try to spark the team out of the slump, if hitting home runs and driving in runs doesn’t count?
- PaulPathetic!
- Matt SEven though they lost, it was at least good to see because they (finally) fielded their full line up. In essence, I’d rather watch Lind go 0/4 than Barajas (or Thomas for that matter.) Rolen looks good.
- pete“Mind-bottling”??? To quote an earlier exchange between us, please tell me that was intentional.
MW: Of course!
- NormHey, fans — the Red Sox have lost four in a row, the last two of which were to the Rays. Is anyone calling for the head of Terry Francona???
MW: The Red Sox won’t lose today, because it’s impossible for a good team to be swept by Tampa Bay. It never happens.
- NormThrough yesterday’s games, Travis Snider is still struggling in Double A, hitting .143 (3 for 21, all singles), with 5 BB and 12 K’s. The BA may not be too much of a concern, but I would guess the high strike-out total must be — I’d certainly expect a blue-chip prospect to at least be making some contact!
MW: Usually you’re pretty sensible, Norm. It’s 21 at-bats!
- NormHow do you think John Gibbons is feeling right now? I agree it’s not his fault, at least not entirely, but do you think he’s feeling tremendous pressure right now? How do you think Ricciardi is feeling, having assembled this unable to hit with RISP unit?
MW: I think he’s approximately 7,465,332 times more frustrated than anyone reading this. I want to see him pull the batting order out of a hat today.
- CamIt’s time. Tie the can to both of them. – J.P. and Johnny. Where is the intensity that was talked about?
- JimWhat ARE they doing with and too Johnny Mac? This is a guy that was the best defensive SS in the game last year and now he’s rotting on the bench!! I think JP is now in a got’s to go situation. In five or six years he really hasn’t moved the team forward.
MW: Yes he has.
- Michael KrimmerHey Mike, I am a shift worker, and hate missing jays talk, is there a podcast and if not why, even the swirsk gets one.
MW: I’m trying, I’m trying!
- Nicky ZNice Blades of Glory reference, well done good sir. Couple quick questions. Do you think Lind will continue to hit 8th or move up to 7th if Overbay struggles. Also since Johnny Mac isn’t even being used as a defensive replacment does he stay here all season? Can he even be moved to the minors, or would that just result in a team that wants a great defensive SS snagging him in a heartbeat?
MW: I do think Lind will eventually hit higher in the line-up, but I think Overbay should be leading off, so what do I know?
- NickThis rough patch is actually interesting to watch now. Just to see how they beat the odds every time by not getting a hit when they can cash someone in time after time is incredible.
I agree that Gibby isnt the one to blame for most of this. If he went to bat himself he would fit in just as well as the others with men on base. I just hope he doesnt become the scapegoat if this continues.
MW: You know, I think Gibby could probably hit better than .080.
- CKBHas it ever occured to you that maybe the offence of 06 was a fluke?
As for the playoff race you referred to last night, this team is not as good as 3 of the teams in its own division.
Time for Ricciardi to go. Pity Jocketty snapped up by a team that does want to win.
MW: The offense of 2006 may have been a fluke, but that wasn’t the only good offensive season that these players have had. They’re not even close to their career numbers, not just their best years.
- jchenryHi Mike.
I really appreciate your baseball knowledge and insight. I also appreciate you taking the time to respond to most of these rants. Also love the Talladega nights “mind bottling” reference in your latest blog.
Can’t agree more with your Johnny Mac frustrations. When Eckstein dropped that ball the other nite I was screaming at the tv “Why is he in there in the first place?” And why is Mcdonald pinch-running for Stairs last nite when it all but eliminates him from being a defensive replacement? Shouldn’t that be Stewart? Is Stewart going to have nagging injuries all season and be a non-factor?
To make matters worse I watch Reed Johnson make possibly one of the great catches of all time! When they obtained Rolen and Eckstein J.P. talked about adding more dirtbags (which I agreed with). Then they release one of the great “dirtbaggers” in Johnson. Saying all this I do admit I liked it at the time, but now it seems like another J.P. misread.
I still think we have the team to get back in this but when we miss the wildcard by 2 or 3 games everyone will look back on a horrible April that cost them the season.
Incredibly frustrating!
Rob H.
MW: I’d give the Stewart/Johnson thing more time. I would have used Scutaro to run, but Gibby seems to have no intention of using McDonald for defense, which is mind-bottling (Blades of Glory, by the way, not Talladega Nights).
- Rob Hodgins3 questions/observations…
Is it possible that the Jays don’t have sufficient major league scouting? Perhaps the scouts employed by the Blue Jays are only paying attention to the Yankees/Red Sox?
Every year we go out and blow our season against teams we have more talent than, we slump when we go on road trips and play Central or Western teams, yet we can play pretty well against top teams. It could be a team attitude problem but I’m trying to look for other answers here…
Now, if Jesse Litsch went out and threw ball one to every batter he faced, surely the pitching coaches would tell him to go out there and throw a first pitch strike. So how is it that Vernon Wells watches a fastball go right down the heart of the plate for strike one on nearly every at bat? Why isn’t anyone telling him to go up there and swing at the first pitch once in a while?
At this point I think we need to stop calling Vernon Wells a “former gold glover”. He looks lazy out there this year, Evan Longoria’s homer in Orlando earlier in the week was barely over the fence, a gold glover would’ve at least tried to jump for it.
Sad to say but I think the pressure is off on Vernon and we’re seeing the results in the field and at the plate.
MW: I don’t think that’s true. I’m still stunnedified that anyone would rip Wells for taking a first pitch after all the criticism about him swinging too early in the count for his entire career.
- MCIn regards to that ridiculous caller last night who suggested taking Matt Stairs out of the DH role…
I often wonder, if these people even bother watching the games/looking at stats or actually THINKING for a minute before they just frantically dial the phone and make themselves look like idiots on national radio?
Another genius point he mentioned, which I’m surprised you didn’t jump on and berate him for .. His “solution” was to have Mac play third and Rolen be DH …. Granted, everyone loves Johnny Mac and he’s obviously our best defensive shortstop, but to take out Rolen, a multiple gold glove winner at 3B? Sometimes I wonder how you don’t just bang your head off your desk hearing these calls Mike…
MW: And he was so firm in his opinions. I mean, give him credit for being obstinate, at least.
- ColeYes Mike the jays are leaving alot of men on base and some of its bad luck but alot of it has to do with the fact they are slugging .366 as a team. Your sugar coating the fact that the jays aren’t a good offensive club.
Looks like its Bonds or fourth place for the Jays.
Being in games but losing them is somethng that will happen when you have a good pitching staff and bad offence.
MW: It’s not because they’re slugging .366. When overall, you’re .256/.346/.366, but with runners in scoring position you’re .217/.312/.312, and over the last six games, hitting .080, there’s no sugar coating. They’re getting hits, just not at the right time. No offense is that bad.
- Dan MMind bottling? LOL Is that how we are going to describe JP’s contractual brain farts?
- TestSubjektOne theme I’ve heard a lot about is that the Jays’ brass loves JP. If this turns out to be another disappointing season, how much chance is there he’s finished?
What is the closest a JP built team has come to making the playoffs? How did they do in 06, the year we all dream of? They didn’t have pitching that year, right?
I’m not demanding that this team has to make the playoffs or JP should get canned. I just want to part of a playoff run in September.
And off topic, when a team signs a free agent, do they ever have to compensate the other team with a draft pick?
MW: When a team signs a Class A or B free agent who has been offered arbitration by his old club, they have to compensate with a draft pick, yes. In 2006, the Jays finished 10 or 11 games out of first in the East and about the same back of the wild card – no, they didn’t pitch that year. Hit well, though.
- michael sThe Big Wilbowski,
You keep sticking to your guns that Gibbons shouldn’t be fired, but listening to Jaystalk last night you bring up points that at least provide some merit for having the manager fired. First, I’m nearly certain you have not been a fan of the batting lineup since day one. If the Jays are winning then there is no problem with the order, however, they are not so I think Gibbons should have switched something, anything with the batting order in hopes of getting some different luck with RISP. Granted a different batting order may not have won more games, but it couldn’t possibly have lost them anymore during this losing streak, and it would be nice to see him trying to do SOMETHING. Second, you mentioned last night that the Blue Jays “do not use their assets to their fullest”. This is 100 percent true, and this is the job of the MANAGER. It is John Gibbons job to use the roster as he sees fit, and having Macdonald on the bench late in the game when they are leading, or having him just be a pinch runner is ridiculous. They may as well pay me 3 million plus to be a pinch runner. Therefore, by your own logic you provide at least some reasoning that makes sense that the manager does lose his job in this case, and that it wouldn’t just be change for the sake of change. I thank you.
MW: You’re welcome. I don’t think not using Mac for defense is a reason to fire a manager. I can disagree with a move that’s made on a consistent basis and still not think the guy deserves to be fired. And, to Gibbons’ credit, he did turn the line-up upside down for today’s game.
- Brian VMike, I heard you say to a fan on the post game show that the division is not the only avenue to take to get into the playoff.
J.P sure acts like the dvision is the be all end all with all the complaining he’s done over the years about the Yankess and Redsox. I’ve heard you alsowine and complain about the division
as well, Wow is it just now where finding that the wild card is an avenue to the playoffs. To me that is horrible that over the years the Jays could not even contend for a wild card, So lets leave the division out of conversations. On your show I’ve heard you also say that J.P did not say anything about a five year plan, then why is it that in 2003 on TSN’s off the record Geoff Garcia then of the toronto star critisized J.P on this five year plan, Rob Godfrey Responded by saying, the toronto star needs to relax because they have two years left of J.P’s five year plan. If the CEO’s son is confirming J.P’s words as are many jays fans, then I think we can conseed that it was said. It’s highly unlikely that many of those fans that call into your show as weil as many media outlets
misunderstood J.P. Give the fan base more credit than that.
MW: I have heard that about the Godfrey five-year plan thing, though I didn’t hear it first-hand, but I’ll say this – because Rob Godfrey said J.P. had a five-year plan doesn’t mean J.P. said he did. It was Geoff Baker, by the way, who may well have played quarterback for the Stamps at one point.
- alexanderWinning the division doesn’t matter, but the division you play in does matter. The Jays have to play almost a quarter of their schedule every year against the two highest payrolls in baseball. That cuts down on a team’s ability to win the wild card, as well as to win the division. There are only two other teams in baseball who are up against that, and neither of them have made the playoffs in the last 10 years, either.
http://www.star-telegram.com/284/
story/606896.html
Sound like our sitution?
The Boys are going to turn this around….
MW: Well, yes and no. You should have linked directly to the Gil LeBreton column, by the way. It’s a good read, but the Jays’ situation is different. There are legitimate reasons to have expectations of the Jays this year, not so much Texas.
- TheOtherVernonObviously, I have no insight on the goings-on in the clubhouse, or what kind of person Johnny Mac is, but if I were him, I would walk into Ricciardi’s office, summon Gibbons in as well, and state “trade me, or I write ‘this ship is sinking’ on the wall”. There are likely 29 teams that would pick him up in a heartbeat.
There must be a limit to his professionalism and commitment to a team that treats his so badly.
Naturally, as I type this, you announce he is starting.
MW: John McDonald would never do that. And of course he’s starting today, it’s Sunday.
- PaulMike, I’ve got to say that I am impressed with your objectivity when it comes to the current hitting with RISP woes. You’re right, statistically it is very unlikely that a team can be that bad with RISP all year.
I also heard you say last night (or the night before) that the Jays don’t seem to be serious about winning given the Adam Lind mystery, the Barry Bonds non-signing etc… Given that such a comment could be interpreted as a slag against Rogers in a round about way, do you ever feel pressure to watch what you say on air? Lets face it, in other industries negative comments could get one in trouble with their employer. Good for Rogers for letting you tell it like it is. Now can you do something about my cable bill?
John
MW: When I can do something about my cable bill, I’ll do something about yours. And I don’t feel pressure to watch what I say on the air – I’m here to give my opinion, not to, umm, pee on your shoes and tell you it’s raining.
- JohnMike, watching Reed Johnston effort and catch against Washington should be enough to fire JP Big Nose Richardi.
MW: Yeah, damn J.P. for keeping Shannon Stewart because he’s a better defensive outfielder!
- brunoHow has JP moved them forward? In his time they haven’t made the playoffs. Only once have they finished above third. This year they are in danger of being out of it before May. I know it’s a long season but as the Leafs showed you can’t fall to far behind. Especially when it appears the Rays are much improved. Please explain how that’s a forward progression?
MW: Well, the Leafs showed you can’t fall too far behind in a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs, so that shows you just how far behind the Leafs fell. You can’t look at the standings when you’re seeing if the team has progressed. Are they better? Well, they have better players who are under contract for a long time, they have good young players who are on their way up, and a nice little group down in A-ball as well. When J.P. got here, the team was full of declining players on bloated contracts and others making way more than they were worth and locked up. If J.P. goes, the next G.M. will look like a genius given what he’s been left. And J.P. was left some good stuff himself.
- Michael KrimmerMike! Just wanted to share something that I’ve noticed for quite a few years. It seems that The Boo Jays, along with the two ‘other’ big 3 sports teams in Toronto (MLSE teams, of course) have an insatiable tendency to play theirs games at the level of capability with their opponents. It seems that whoever they may be facing for any given series, they allow their opposition to ‘set the tone’, if you will. This, of course, sets them up for incredible failure 9 times out of 10 – why can’t they just grab the reins and get on with it?? Why can we be right there in games with the Jankees and Botox Sox, yet have games slip away against the Rays or, heaven help us, The Royals? The Royals! We let teams come into our house (a losing proposition some would say for most sports – you’re supposed to have a winning record at home; advantage home team, yes??) and we play follow the leader. Let them play their game, and see if we can stay in it.
It IS one of the things that I’ve noticed, and bottles my mind. Did the Jays NOT have a losing home record last year? Did the Leafs NOT have a losing home record last year? Yet we can sweep the Sox – or at the very least take a series from the better teams in the majors, and throw away all the ‘takers’.
It’s high time we set the tone of gameplay. What’s with Toronto? Is it the fans? Media scrutiny?
MW: Jankees? Botox Sox? Can a tendency be insatiable? The good points you might make get lost in that sort of stuff. And for the record, the Blue Jays are 99-63 at home the last two seasons.
- John RExactly my point about fall too far behind. In the American only about a quarter of the teams make the playoffs. These better players right now haven’t been hitting as a team since before last season. Where’s the end result? At this point the playoffs aren’t in sight.
MW: Except that the Jays are just 2 1/2 games behind the best team in the wild card race that actually has a legitimate shot of making the playoffs.
- Michael KrimmerHow many teams do they have to pass to catch that team? Who is that by the way the Yanks, Cleveland, or Detroit? How long are the fans going to accept third place? I guess I am not willing too anymore with JP at the helm.
MW: With 136 games left, they could have to pass 30 teams and it wouldn’t matter. To say that the playoffs are out of sight is ridiculous. The team is Cleveland. The Jays are two games behind the Yankees, a game back of Detroit. And they could not be playing worse right now.
- Michael KrimmerMr WIlner
Do you think Mr Chacin’s days as a Jay are gone? Or can we get rid of someone in the rotation for him (if Chacin is good)?
MW: Chacin is currently 0-2, 6.62 in A-ball, with a WHIP over 2 and just 9 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
- gregMike, can you list me your top 5 favourite calls on jaystalk. Also can you tell me why JP is on the hot seat. I keep hearing that JP job is safe as long as Paul Godfrey is the president of the blue jays.
MW: I can’t list my top 5 calls, there have been SO many, good and bad, over almost seven years of doing this. JP is on the hot seat because he’s been here seven years and the Jays have not yet played a meaningful game in September, and they’re off to an awful start.
- andrewMike,
I’ve been praying for Adam Dunn every night before bed for the past few weeks. What do you think it would take to get him from the Reds? I would think they’d be interested in Lind because Junior Griffey is aging and other than Jay Bruce I don’t think they have too many other great outfield prospects. Would Lind and Purcey be enough? Is that too much to give up? Would Lind and one of the Romero non- brothers be enough?
There is another part to this question as well. Since Dunn is a free agent after this season, is there space in the budget to sign him? It seems like Dunn is in line for a big pay day; probably more than Wells got. Is there budget room for a 20 million a year outfielder? Is it worth giving up prospects for a half year rental of Adam Dunn?
MW: Lind and Purcey would be more than enough, too much if you ask me, and I love Dunn, too. I don’t think he’s going to get $20 million a year on the market, though, he doesn’t hit lefties or play defense, and he strikes out too much. He could be a relative bargain in the off-season. And it’s worth giving up prospects for 2/3 of a season of Dunn, just not those prospects.
- SteveMike
Wells caught stealing in the 8th. Ryan is asked to pitch a 2 inning save.
Has Gibby lost it? Help me understand
MW: Ryan wasn’t asked to pitch two innings.
- DanI was following the jay’s game on MLB,com, and on the live section on their website for the Jay’s game, where they put the box score for the game, they show that Litsch got the win, that Carlson got the Save, and next to Ryan was H (1). What is an H?
MW: You were following the Jays’ game, not the Jay’s game. H stands for “hold”. A reliever is awarded a hold when he enters the game in a save situation, retires at least one batter, and leaves the game with that same save situation still intact.
- Sam McLeanFurther to my Travis Snider comments — thanks for recognizing my attempts to be reasonable, and I DID say that the BA was not of great concern (reason, as you say, limited AB’s). However, 12 K’s in 21 AB’s, I would argue, IS reason for concern — surely the Double-A pitching can’t be THAT good?
MW: No, it can’t, but they say that the jump from A-ball to AA is the hardest to do other than going to the majors, so give the kid a little time.
- NormWhen is Shannon Stewart going to make a contribution?
Damn J.P. not for holding on to Johnson for his superior defensive play but damn J.P. for not doing his research on Stewart who can’t catch, throw or hit with Johnson.
By the way you said on air today (sunday) that Johnson will finish around .265? Where do you get this from? Truth is Johnson is a .282 career hitter. In fact, I just did some math and found out that if you remove the injury-plagued 07 season, Reed is a .289 lifetime hitter. Yes a 4-year body of work hitting .289, not .265! Maybe I misread the stats? Did Johnson hit .265 in ’03, 04, 05 or 06?
Your stubborness and your reluctance to back Riccardi on almost every move is rediculous. As for Overbay batting leadoff?? You want to slow the train on the basebaths before it even has a chance to get started. Sending Rios and watching him score on a single is enough said on your rather strange idea.
MW: No, it’s not, because until you can steal first, it doesn’t matter how fast you are if you’re not on base. Overbay isn’t a sloth, and he’s getting on 45% of the time.
- MikeOK, so Reed was a .281 career hitter going into this season with a .342 on-base. I thought it was .265/.335, so shoot me. Strangely enough, Shannon Stewart’s contribution to this team has been that he’s raking left-handed pitchers, hitting .364/.467/.545 against them. Weird, huh?
Hmmm. Gibbons on the radio today used the train line too. While it’s a reasonable well-known phrase, what are the odds of it cropping up in the same context two days in a row? (Shuddup, statisticians, I don’t care if the APPB* is .396 or whatever).
So…does the beloved manager read this blog? Given the tone of a lot of the comments this week, his ears must be burning, and not in the nice way…
(APPB : average pithy phrases blogged, of course)
MW: I hope he does read it – we’ll see what happens at shortstop the next time he has a slim lead late. It actually wouldn’t surprise me if McDonald starts Tuesday in Boston, with Halladay pitching.
- DaithíI like Rios leading off. He has great speed, steals bases, and gets on base. Eckstein should be batting 9th and Hill should bat 2nd. I dont like Overbay batting 1st or 2nd because he lacks speed and the double play is an issue if he bats 2nd. Instead, Overbay should bat 6th behind Wells. Rolen bats 3rd and Stairs 4th. The bottom third should be Lind, Zaun /Barajas, Eckstein.
MW: I’m with you on the bottom 3, for sure. I still want Rios in a position where he’s going to have more of an opportunity to drive in runs. If he leads off, he’s guaranteed to come up at least once a game with nobody on, and the rest of the time, the team’s worst hitters will be batting in front of him. As far as Overbay goes, I only want him up there as long as he’s walking and not slugging. The DP shouldn’t be more of a concern, the lead guy is going to get nailed over 90% of the time, regardless of his speed. It’s the batter’s speed that’s more of a concern in beating out DP balls.
- aviMiKe you say the next GM will look like a Genius because of what J.P has left, well J.P looks like a genius for Rios,Doc,Mcowan,and Wells products of the Gord Ash Regime.The only quality bat cultivated through the farm by J.P is Aaron Hill.
MW: Well, that depends on what you think of Lyle Overbay and Adam Lind, as far as guys on the current roster go, but you’re right. Interesting that you would mention Halladay and McGowan, but not mention any of the pitching that J.P. has brought in, such as Marcum, Janssen, Litsch and Accardo. I don’t think too many people think J.P. looks like a genius anyway, though.
- alexanderMike
When I typed the question earlier it was when Ryan was brought in and the TV guys were asking why two innings too. As it turned out he didn’t pitch in the 9th, so why did he pitch in the 8th? Also, my other question, what happened with the Wells CS? A missed sign?
MW: I’m not sure why the TV guys were talking about Ryan pitching two innings, there was no way he was going to do that. Him pitching in the 8th, I think, was to assure that he would get into the game. Why did Wells get caught stealing? Because sometimes stolen base attempts are unsuccessful.
- Danwhat is this fascination with speed at the top of an order being necessary? youd think this was 1982 or something. having overbay bat second is a great choice with a high obp in the leadoff hole because of the HUGE hole between first and second. all you need to do his roll over a grounder and its first and third.
also, yesterday you stated that some where some statistitcal analysis (or analyses) stated that batting orders do not really matter in terms of run produced for a given team. I think that it might not matter in terms of how you stack the hitters relative to each other, but i think the absolute order would HAVE to matter. if b. bonds in his prime bats ninth vs first, there is a significant plate appearance discrepancy for that team. this HAS to result in less runs given his producing ability.
MW: Game-to-game it doesn’t really matter. In the overall, yes, if you’re costing your better hitters plate appearances by hitting them lower in the order, it’ll bite you.
- sammy jalalzaimike, how do you know I changed my email, did you memorize my old one? I’m flattered that you are obsessing about me. what do you mean you are tired of arguing? you’ve haven’t made any valid points about anything! all you did was call me names. and when you use bad luck to explain things well, not much else I can say to that. anyways regarding the socalled 5 year plan, if you just do some searches you can read direct quotes from JP. he did say in 2004 that the jays will field their best team in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. it is now 2008 so regardless of whether he said 5 year or not, he himself gave a window and that window has now passed. another disturbing quote from him is when asked about an extension for halladay, he said “we would have difficult time giving a pitcher more than 3 or 4 years” (paraphrasing) he then gave BOTH bj ryan and aj 5 year deals. no need to argue this point mike, it’s already fact, go look it up.
MW: Les, this is the last comment of yours that will be posted on this blog. The fact you have now changed the domain name of your e-mail address to “wilner.com” is beyond a step too far. I apologize to all the other readers who enjoy reading what Les has to say. Sadly, he’s the first commenter to be banned from the blog.
- moreforlesHey Mike,
You cling to the fact that Shannon Stewart is “raking” against left-handers. Well, he’s only had 11 at-bats against lefties, so I don’t think that you should keep using that stat to justify keeping him over Johnson. It would be great if Stewart got to face a lefty in every at-bat, but that just doesn’t seem to happen.
I would also like to ask why everyone only considers Johnson’s worth as a platoon player. In 2006, he had 297 at-bats against righties and hit .316 against them. This year, he’s killing righties and batting a respectable .286 against lefties. While this may be a moot point if Adam Lind remains as the everyday left-fielder, I would like to know why the Jays couldn’t have kept Johnson and used him as their everyday left-fielder. Were they scared off by his performance last year?
Also, how long does Johnson have to keep outhitting Stewart before you admit that letting Johnson go was a mistake. All-Star break? End of the season?
MW: I didn’t feel as though letting Johnson was a mistake at the time, so I’m never going to feel as though it was a mistake. You can’t go by hindsight. No one knew then what kind of April either Johnson or Stewart would have. And I’m hardly “clinging” to the fact that Stewart is hitting lefties well. I was asked if Stewart was making any sort of contribution to the team or something, and I answered the question.
- JasonIt was good to see Jays win. Maybe you mentioned it in postgame show already, but interestingly they did it without having a hit in RISP situation, meaning that their problem was still there for today. Do you think this win will take some pressure off them and make them perform better with RISP from Tuesday?
MW: They were actually 1-for-7 with RISP, the Rios pop-up that fell in counts.
- DRMike,
I guess someone has to ask this question. Why should the Jays sign Barry Bonds after they just released Thomas? They are very close (at this point in careers) to being the exact same player. Aside from his walks and OPS (I think Bonds OPS is just north of 1.000 and Thomas is just north of .850…man that is good for Bonds) they still hit the same amount of HR’s, get on base at ALMOST the same rate (I know, I know, Bonds is better in this category…maybe way better) and drive in same runs and score the same amount of runs. So, why eat a guy’s contract who is making 9+mill a year that will hit 25+ and drive in 90+ to sign a guy that will do the exact same thing for similar money.
I write this knowing that if healthy, Bonds is still the scariest hitter in the game. Ah..Did I just answer my own question?
MW: You probably did. But Bonds hasn’t declined the way Thomas has the last two years, the difference in their OPS is VERY significant, and Bonds hit his 28 HR last year playing in one of the worst hitters’ parks in the game.
- RyanMike,
Do yourself a favour and
admit Richardi made a mistake, a big mistake picking Stewart over Johnston or lose baseball respect. One gets more respect when they can admit to a mistake. Your line in this matter sounds dumb. Its not better to have .340 for a month or 2 and superior defence all year long. Its better .212 for a month or 2 and very weak defence all year long. ITS A MISTAKE one of many J.P. has made and can’t admit and one of many reasons its time for him to go.
MW: Yes, it’s much better to have .212 for a month and poor defense than to have .340 for a month and good defense.
- brunoLast game JMac started, Jays won. Today JMac started, Jays won.
Free JMac!!!
Loved the batting order today, it was a copy of the one I posted here recently. While you may not like Rios at #1, recognize the fact that he’s been hitting in the #3 behind Eckstein and Hill, so switching to have him leadoff means he’s hitting “behind” Zaun & Eckstein, and Zaun’s ability to get on base rivals Hill’s. Giving the most ABs to our best hitter (and best base stealer) is a good idea, and Rolen-Stairs-Wells can handle the heart of the order adequately without Israel.
MW: In case anyone is wondering, Israel is Rios’ middle name. I still don’t like him leading off, for all the reasons I mentioned before.
- AriAlso…forgot to give you props for the “mind bottling” I made a promise to myself to use that phrase after I saw “Blades of Glory” but forgot. Now it’s back in the vocab.
Wilbowski (former writer called you this and I LOVE it.)
What do you give that movie 1-10?
MW: I can’t go much higher than a 7, but it was the first movie I ever saw in Argentina, so that was cool.
- RyanWho do you think will be the better player in your mind when it’s all said and done. Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez. Also Im just wondering why you would send Barry Bonds to the Hall of Fame when he used steroids?
MW: I think when it’s all said and done, it’ll be Rodriguez, provided he continues to stay away from major injuries. There are a few reasons why I would put Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame, aside from the fact that he’s one of the greatest players of all-time. One, it’s a museum dedicated to the preservation of baseball history. Visitors to the Hall go there to soak in all that is baseball, the good and the bad, and Bonds’ plaque in the Hall should note that he was implicated in the steroids scandal. Two, Bonds was the best player of his era. His era was filled with guys who took steroids, he was still the best. Three, you can’t pick and choose who goes in and who goes out based on what we know about who took steroids, because new information is coming out all the time, and there are guys who juiced but we’ll never find out. It’s unfair to only take the 100 or so guys we know about and leave them out, but put in dozens of people who might have juiced. After all, if Roger Clemens hadn’t been named in the Mitchell Report, he might have been a unanimous first-ballot guy.
- andrewWilbowski (gotta make this stick),
David Purcey – Real or not? Keith Law (who I have a ton of respect for regardless of the differences with him and JP) thinks Purcey is overrated. Please give me your opinions as opposed to thoughts on Purcey and his future.
Thanks Wilbowski!
MW: As much as I like Keith, he’s seriously biased when it comes to the Blue Jays, whether it’s conscious or not. I have only seen Purcey pitch three times and he’s been OK. He was terrific in Arizona and has been very good in Syracuse, but he has to find his control again, walking seven in his big-league debut, then four more in his last start for the Chiefs. Now that he’s healthy (he had a bunch of cysts removed from his arm last season) he may be ready to come into his own.
- RyanMike,
Maybe I’m bored, but Les has to be heard. He sounds without any doubt like a 100% idiot…but people do have that first amendment to be that way…
MW: This country doesn’t have a first amendment.
- RyanReed Johnson’s catch was all heart and grit.
Many more talented centre-fielders do not even attempt that grab.
- Jim BHey Mike,
I was wondering…I’m a hardcore baseball fan not just a Blue Jays fan…
I’ve been watching a little of the Red Sox lately and I am beginning to wonder if they are stealing the opposing teams signs. Is that possible? I know sometimes in spring training it isn’t uncommon to see Bill Bellicheck hanging out in the dugout with Francona.
It could just be a consipracy theory but when Papelbon picked off Johnny Mac a few weeks ago, I began to wonder.
Also, you guys do a fabulous job on your radio and SportsNet broadcasts…What are the chances we can get Buck Martinez back for a guest appearance sometime, possibly on a Flashback Friday?
Keep up the good work Mike!
MW: I didn’t know I did anything on the Sportsnet broadcasts, but thanks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sox were stealing signs, everyone tries to, but that’s not why McDonald was picked off. That was because Papelbon balked.
- Jason C