MW: If such were true, then great managers and coaches would always field teams that overachieved.

So,once again; can you tell me where that saying about the managers comes from?
What is it in that statement that makes it true (obv,I think it is a fallacy)?

MW: Which saying are you talking about? And I’m assuming that you have played sports at an elite level for many years, is that right? There are so many holes in your argument above, and I don’t have the time right now to get through them all, but the important thing is - to which saying are you referring?

MW: This is why I don’t respond to your comments.

- Vito From Hamilton

And that is why I make these comments.

MW: To prove Abraham Lincoln right?

The Jays would’ve been 10 wins better if Cito had started managing at the beginning of last year.
I am so thankful that he was willing to come back to TO after the treatment JP gave him,now I don’t have to worry about some genius ruining the careers of our young studs.
As for not pinchhitting for Millar and Bautista,it simple. You may need them later on,so you give them their hacks and figure out what you have. Millar earned a shot after a good game,maybe he could’ve subbed out Bauts but it’s a team game and like some of your commenters have already mentioned,you keep it a team game by using your whole team. Egos,expectations whatever…I won’t doubt in Cito.
He knows how to let a team grow up. 2 rings…give the man his due already.

MW: I give him plenty of due. To say that the Jays need to “figure out” what they have in Millar and Bautista, two guys with plenty of big-league experience, is ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as saying that they’d have been 10 wins better if Cito had managed them all year last night.

Sorry for the double postage,
One other thing I wanted to add is, You have defended JP quite agressively over his tenure and have boldly made the statement that he never made a bad trade in eight years, However we all know that JP is not really known for blockbuster deals, I guess he stays away from them because he doesn’t trust himself to make them, Nonetheless JP has committed largely to many players that have given us only one solid year of service, because of injuries or just inconsistancy

AJ Burnett
BJ Ryan
Frank Thomas
Eric Hinske
Scott Rolen

Mike not to rehash this thing about the five year plan, but if JP had mentioned a five year Plan It would have made sense because it takes roughly five years to build a contender through the draft. He denied saying anything about a five year plan and turned away from his plan to build through the draft after thinking that he could buy a ring, Now he has gone back to the draft plan.

MW: He didn’t turn away from his plan after thinking he could buy a ring, that’s just not true at all. Nor is it true to say that players like Ryan and Hinske only gave the Jays one solid year of service. You can’t argue that Ryan’s season last year wasn’t solid, and Hinske had a couple of years where he actually hit righties quite well after his rookie season. And how is Rolen on that list? He’s only been here one year. I’m not even touching the “he doesn’t trust himself” comment.

the jaystalk has been about the same ppl over and over again…..rios, wells, overbay, mcd, JP, the list goes on…..even Reed Johnson

try putting on some new callers and talk about things around the majors for about an extra 2 mins

thxx

MW: We’re in Toronto. It’s a Blue Jays post-game show.

This is off topic, I was looking at the standings for the national league east, and Florida has jumped out to a 6-2 start. Year in and year out florida with their miniscule payroll makes such a compelling statement. On the flip side in the AL east
Each year there is talk of how the Jays have trouble staying in it partly because of the division. I would have to say that the NL east with Atlanta,New York and Philly is no pushover division, and is probably just a little less tougher than the AL east.

MW: It’s a lot less tougher, but what “compelling statement” does Florida make year in and year out? A good start? Cool. Over the last three years, the Blue Jays have 23 more wins than the Marlins, and they’ve had a better record every season. Please fill me in on your point.

Mike is it alot less tougher for a small revenue team to compete in a division where the top team payrolls in that division is nearly ten times larger? Given the discreptancy
in team payroll between florida and the top payrolls in the NL east Atlanta and New York, How many times in the last ten years have they played meaniful ball in september vs how many Jays have played.

MW: They have played many more meaningful games in September than the Jays over the last 10 years, but I don’t see the Mets having a payroll that’s even close to 10 times the Marlins’. You’re really stretching there.

You correctly pointed out that Overbay probably also makes the same play on the hit itself. What you missed pointing out is that with Lyle’s superior arm, and the better throwing position of a Lefty vs Righty, he also very likely ALSO gets the out at second. (As it was it was a real close play — with Overbay, I’m guessing it’s a DP!)

MW: It should have been a DP even with Millar, I thought the throw beat the runner.

Stewart was brought in as a short-term stop-gap? Until when? Which young phenom do we have in the minors who is the natural lead-off guy of the future? And while we are at it, at the time Ricciardi signed Thomas, was he expecting Lind to become a DH? I don’t think he was. In fact, if I remember correctly, neither he nor Gibbons were particularly high on Lind. Ricciardi has signed a bunch of washed-up batters to the dh spot, I believe. None of them worked out all that well. Nor have his s/s acquisitions. So far his best signing looks like Scutaro. But Scutaro was signed as a sub. His drafting has been good. His trading/fa-signing not so much.

MW: You honestly believe the Jays expected Shannon Stewart to be on this team this year? Never. Thomas was supposed to be here in 07 and 08, and hopefully this year if he didn’t fall right off the map, which he did. You don’t remember correctly with regards to Lind. Scutaro was actually acquired in trade.

MW: Baseball is a team sport played by individuals. Do you think it matters at all to Aaron Hill if Scott Rolen thinks he’s good?