1:10 AM Eastern
And that’s all I’m gonna say about that one. Sorry I didn’t blog last night, but my B.J. Ryanesque tight left trapezius muscle is making it difficult for me to even hold my head up without quite a bit of pain. I’m astonished that B.J. is able to do so with that gigantic cranium of his.
Hopefully, I’ll feel more like pounding something out after tomorrow night’s game against the Royals. And hopefully Scott Richmond goes out and has another one of his typical outings – maybe then his pops will say something nice about me in the comments section!
Here’s tonight’s edition of The JaysTalk, for your listening pleasure:
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Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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What do you mean by Scott Richmond’s pops?
MW: I mean his father.
- McLovinThis post is all about Kansas City…so hopefully that’s O.K.
It’s interesting to see the money that the Royals have poured into Kaufman Stadium over the winter. Instead of a whole new ballpark they’ve taken a pretty nice one to begin with and updated it greatly. I believe I read that the new scoreboard/screen in center field is to be the largest high-definition video device in the world?
Lord knows that they have had some awful years recently (and so have the Chiefs) so hopefully, for their sake anyway, they have some success as they did back in the 70′s and 80′s. The official Royals/MLB website seems to focus heavily on enhancing their sense of “identity” with a focus on the past. It’s an interesting marketing campaign anyway, given that so many other teams are kind of “starting over” with new ballparks, new uniforms, etc. etc. etc.
MW: I love the fact that the Royals redid their existing park as opposed to building a new one and I’m with you, I do hope they get back to a place of prominence like they had from the mid-70s to mid-80s.
- Rob MHey Mike,
A few callers have inquired about signing a pitcher to fill the gap and I agree with the argument against that.
J.P. Ricciardi has already tried that the last few years to no avail (Victor Zambrano, Tomo Ohka, John Thomson, Mike Maroth, Matt Clement).
The lone big-name, big-money signing for the rotation aside (A.J. Burnett), Ricciardi’s record in assessing similar mid-tier major-league pitching (i.e. players from other organizations) isn’t great.
Miguel Batista was signed prior to the 2004 season (15-21 record as a Blue Jay).
While Loiaza, Escobar, Carpenter and Lilly were let go for a variety of reasons (and went elsewhere to post seasons of 21, 18, 21 and 17 wins respectively) Ricciardi’s most notable attempt at keeping some mid-level pitching talent resulted in a two-year deal for Josh Towers prior to the 2006 season and Towers went 7-20 after that.
So it’s sink or swim with the home-grown talent. Like you say, no point altering the plan after 20 games.
MW: For clarity’s sake – none of Loaiza, Escobar, Carpenter and Lilly were “let go”. They all left of their own accord as free agents.
- Ken PaganHey Mike,
Just because Gibbons is facing the Jays for the first time:
Jays under Gibbons in 2008: 35-39
Jays since Cito took over: 65-44
And North Bay isn’t way up north, it’s a 3-hour drive. Way up north would be Kapuskasing, birthplace of Kirk McCaskill, probably about an 8-hour drive.
MW: Technically, the Arctic Circle is way up north. North Bay is way up north enough for me.
- Ken PaganYou can take this game and file it away in the “we can learn nothing from this game” cabinet.
this will never happen again. Bannister’s stuff may have the worst in history to only give up one hit. He has and has had nothing. he relies on extremely low babip to survive and got away with absolute murder tonight…walking man after man..only to have the jays let him off the hook. what was really interesting to me was the fact that the jays hitters were either popping balls way up..or hitting weak grounders by chopping the ball nearly straight into the ground…it had nothing to do with the pitcher…it was just that the hitters were off tonight…blah.
MW: I think that when hitters can’t get good swings on a pitcher, that pitcher often deserves far more credit than that. That’s the flaw in BABIP.
- General ZodMike. What’s up with Purcey’s control. Is it a lack of confidence, a side-effect due to his disorder or just something he will correct as he matures as a pitcher in the bigs? 8 balls out of 9 pitches to the first two batters of the worst offensive team in the AL is painful to watch.
MW: It’s a lack of control, something that had better be corrected if he plans on staying in the bigs much longer.
- Renegadehey mike….doing well i hope.do you think that aaron hill has a better than reasonable chance of starting in the allstar game? do you think fans would vote for him in the states? i cant believe how untalked about this dude is in this toronto…the guy is tearing it up this year and i think he can hit 17-20 bombs with 80-85 rbi’s…if he can swat .300…wow…i know this might be ridiculous to speculate now, but if he continues to play at this level in this league throughout his career he will end up in the HOF(not that that matters because there are alot of great players that are not there)tell me what ya think mike…take care…oh yeah, also i really like that the jays have not lost back to back games yet…hopefully that continues tuesday….later michael
MW: I think you’re in a little deep talking about Aaron Hill in the Hall of Fame. As for being voted in to start the all-star game, there’s no chance of that. I’ll be stunned if he even makes top 3 in the voting.
- trevor bAll I got to say is that it is about time Wells got moved out of that 4th spot. Just switch Lind and Wells its about time already Wells can be a very good player but he does not belong in the fourth spot. Striking out with runners on second and third when he usually grounds out, that could of been an RBI had he actually done his usual routine ground-out in that situation, but of coarse he doesn’t!
MW: Could of? Of coarse? Anyway, yes, Vernon is awful.
- JayManMike,
Perhaps a visit to the Chiropractor may help you with your “traps” muscle.
Is JP’s and Cito’s patience with Purcey wearing thin?
Mark
MW: I have seen my chiro each of the last two days, and it’s helping out a lot. It doesn’t matter whether JP’s and Cito’s patience is wearing thin, they don’t have options.
- MarkHey Mike,
It seems you try and justify the Vernon Wells contract by constantly pointing out similar mistakes other teams have made (ie Hunter/Soriano – Angels/Cubs). A few comments regarding this line of defense.
Soriano is a 40/40 type player and has hit 30+ home runs 5 times and stolen 30+ stolen bases 5 times. Vernon has never even stolen 20 bags even once, and has only topped the 30 home run mark twice. Vernon clearly does not produce at Sorianos pace.
Re: Hunter, the Angels clearly overpaid however Hunter is a 7 time gold glove winner and easily one of the best defensive centerfields in the game. The Angels have not missed the playoffs since they signed Hunter in 2007, and the Cubs also made the playoffs in both 2007 and 2008 after signing Soriano. The Jays, as we are all painfully aware, have not even been in contention since giving Vernon the 6th largest deal in baseball history (at the time the deal was signed).
I’m not saying Vernon is a lousy ballplayer, but the deal is clearly horrible. I don’t see how it makes it any easily to swallow just because other teams have made similar mistakes. Can’t we all just agree the contract stinks and move on?
MW: It’s not about comparing the Wells contract to other team’s mistakes, it’s about the market at the time, and that’s what the market was at the time. When Wells and Soriano signed their contracts that same winter, I’ll wager Wells had the better career OPS of the two, despite Soriano’s 40-40ness. Wells was nipping at the heels of Hunter at the time for best defensive CF in the game. Of course it’s not a good contract, I’ve never once intimated that Wells is worth that kind of money or that he’s earning that kind of money, but it has to be put in context, and it was market value at the time.
- RickBlown out in two of their last three games. Out scored 20 – 7 over that three game span.
Red Sox have caught up, and the Rays are gaining. I’m pretty sure the sky is falling.
MW: And?
- Kennot a well played game at all, I had to turn it off. Anyways I just wanted to comment on the prior game. I watch MLBTV so i get to see all out of town games, and I just wanted to point out that the White Sox announcers consider Vernon Wells an above average hitter and a clutch hitter at that. Very nice to hear other teams opioion of him and not all the hate. They are also very big on the good Doctor…i dont know why
MW: Vernon Wells is easily an above average hitter.
- DanHi Mike
Do you have any idea at all when Romero will be back?
Thanks, I hope your stiffness goes away, you probably need to have one of these big danish ladies to give you a body massage
Francis
MW: Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, danish. I’d think Romero would be back by mid- to late-May.
- FrancisI was listening to JaysTalk last night and was again surprised to hear more doomsday callers. The passion is there which is a good thing, but why panic and writeoff the Jays chances after one loss?
Way to early to get into a panic. Let’s enjoy this run, and exciting team.
MW: It happens after every loss.
- RezMW.,
I know that developing pitchers can be slow and painstaking, but isn’t there much in Purcey’s progress so far that would have us believe the potential will be
realized. I am not advocating abandonning him but I wonder if he continues in these mediocre performances for a few more starts if it won’t shake his confidence worse than a trip to the minors to work on his control. Perhaps it’s simply that there’s no one ready t replace him at this point.
MW: If Litsch and Romero were healthy, then Purcey would likely be one start away from a trip to Vegas right now, if not already there.
- GeorgeI wondered whether we could beat the Yankees /Boston.
I guess Boston is the one to beat.
Hope you feel better. Physiotherapy?
MW: It’s a long way off. I’m seeing a chiro now, hopefully physio won’t be necessary. It’s just a pinched nerve.
- barbigod, heres hoping the jays can keep up the win after a loss attitude this year. Lets go Richmond…How many of these games do you think cito will allow Purcey to have…It was quite a depressing outing, hell i went to bed early before a games finish for the first time this year after Guillens back to back mirror homers. When Purcey and Cecil were in our system, who had higher expectations?
MW: Cecil, without a doubt. Still does.
- paoloGreat to hear from John Gibbons in his interview with Jerry. Sounds like the same old “Gibby” – made me chuckle with his comment as to the Royals not hitting and then went on to say ” hey, maybe it’s me”! Nice to see him back in the game!
I feel for ya Mike with the neck thing. Every once in a while I get what sounds like the same thing. Pain in the neck that travels down to my left shoulder – just at the point between my shoulder and neck – ouch!
It really does make you concious of the weight of yoru head! Very difficult to sit at the keyboard for sure when that burning feeling starts between the shoulders!
No expalantion how it happens nor is there any when it finally goes away for a while! I found a much firmer pillow seems to help when sleeping! Take care of yourself.
Thank you.
- Bob from BurlingtonHello Mike,
When a caller hyped Aaron Hill and Scott Rolen as comeback-of-the-year prospects, you told him that it was early yet and to relax.
Yet you, from an earlier post, breathlessly and unrelaxed said: “Ricky Romero’s early chase for the rookie of the year/Cy Young award hit a bump in the road this afternoon when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain.”
MW: And dripping with irony.
- Evan WhiteHi, Mike:
Sorry you’re having “trapeze” problems — just part of your daily circus, I guess!
Mike, I just noticed last night how much Brian Bullington resembles the great Orel Hersheiser, both facially and “build-wise” — at least, as I remember him.
Do you also see this resemblance?
MW: Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance.
- Normhey mike,
Do you think if the jays had opened the season giving Matt Clement the 5th starter spot, that he would have stayed and not retired…If so, damn i wish the decision to put richmond in the 5th spot could be reversed because then Clement would have stayed and Richmond would have come up eventually. I wish we could all have the ability of foresight.
MW: You didn’t want to see Clement getting the 5th spot the way he was pitching in the spring.
- paoloMike.
So once Casey Janssen makes another rehab start for Dunedin, will he make his Toronto debut on the Baltimore/Cleveland home stand or when they go on the Anaheim/Oakland trip? Also, what was Scott Richmond’s job in Vancouver before the Jays signed him? Thanks.
Peter, St.Catharines
MW: I don’t know, and dock worker.
- PeterMike… who else can we turn to for straight goods on the injured pitchers??
Marcum – out for ’09 but back next season?
McGowan – out for all of ’09? Why?
Romero – 15 day DL… i guess that doesn’t mean 15 real days, huh? Heard you say last night that he is approx. 3 weeks out, one week after being injured.
Litsch – 15 day DL as well? Back sometime in May?
I find it a bit frustrating that we as fans can find out a guy is hurt, but keep getting muddy answers about their condition / status. The reports on McGowan are the worst… first it was Spring Training ’09, then May ’09, now not at all?
Can you help clear any of this up?
MW: No, I can’t, because these guys are human and human beings heal at different rates. I think Marcum will be back late this year, and so might McGowan. However, McGowan could be back in early August and he could not be back at all this year. When a player is placed on the 15-day disabled list, it doesn’t mean he’ll be out of action 15 days, it means he’ll be out AT LEAST 15 days. Very rarely does a player spend just 15 days on the DL. Litsch and Romero should both be back sometime after mid-May.
- MikeQuite frankly I’m surprised that we haven’t seen more games like this one this year – they’re surpassing all of my expectations (so far), but what I’m really looking forward to are the Boston games in May as a real test of their mettle.
- Terry BradleyI think the Jays used the injury excuse for BJ just to to give him some time to figure out how to pitch again. If he really is injured, why was he out there then?
MW: He wasn’t, after he told them he was hurt.
- cam gilmourHi Mike,
Last night there was that caller who praised Bob McCowan so much and was saying the Jays needed to do this and that to compete this year. Why didn’t you burst his bubble again and let him know that Bob has predicted a 90 win season?
MW: Forgot about that.
- PeterThis is the lineup I like to see in the 2nd half of the season…although I realize Arencibia is a longshot for this year.
1. (R) Marco Scutaro , SS
2. (R) Aaron Hill, 2B
3. (L) Adam Lind, DH
4. (R) Alex Rios, RF
5. (R) Vernon Wells, CF
6. (L) Travis Snider, LF
7. (R) Scott Rolen, 3B
8. (L) Lyle Overbay, 1B
9. (R) J.P Arencibia, C
Bench: (R) Kevin Millar, (R) Jose Bautista, (L) Joe Inglett, (R) Rod Barajas
Sorry Johnny Mac fans.
MW: Rios won’t be the clean-up guy, and Wells won’t move below the 4th spot, I don’t think. Also, there’s no back-up shortstop on your roster – that’s not going to work.
- CynicalGuyHi Mike,
I’ve had more opportunities to tune into your broadcasts and even was in the ideal situation (for a less-than ideal game) of being able to listen to Mr. Ashby and Mr. Howarth whilst watching on the television machine. Thus far, you’ve at least maintained the high quality you set for yourself.
I have a suggestion you might wish to scoff at but as it is your show, that is your prerogative, I won’t be hurt if you do. Here it is: why not set up phone interviews with various baseball “stathead” or “scouthead” types around baseball on Wednesday? The folk at Baseball Prospectus (I’m thinking of Will Carroll (injury expert) and Joe Sheehan (an always entertaining wag) ) do quite a bit of media (and BP has been bearish on the Jays for a long time and have each of the last 3 years have thought they were worse than you did; could make for interesting conversation). J.C. Bradbury is a nice fellow who has written an excellent book called “The Baseball Economist” – I’d tune in to hear what he has to say. I’d love to hear an actual live “advance scout” take questions. For local colour: you’ve given a shout out to Drunk Jays Fans you could inter-nah…all in all, you get the idea; Wednesday tends to be an “in” day for most folk. Having something special to listen to on Wednesday’s on your show even had my girlfriend willing to listen (we burst out laughing at the infamous Dunn comment, which tells a little too much about our sense of humor). You could call it the Wilner’s Wednesday Gabfest. I’d be in. I’d be laying house money for such a show and promise to patronize your sponsors. Just a thought. No disrespect to yourself or your producer(s) — I am merely feeling the void each Wednesday.
To sum up: I write all this to say, I miss the special little reason to reserve my Sunday nights and I think there are enough savvy baseball fans in Toronto who’d like to dig into the details of baseball and pose questions to an expert each week.
Sorry for the length and as always, thanks for your excellent radio and blogging work and I hope your neck gets better.
best,
Christopher Taylor
MW: Sunday nights? But you have “The Blue Jays This Week”! As for your Wednesday idea, it’s an interesting one, but those types are the ones I’d rather have on for pre-pre-game shows. I think we’re going to work hard on getting all the Flashbackists to stick around for phones on Friday nights.
- Christopher TaylorListening to that, I can’t believe I said Syracuse and not Vegas. Habit.
- JBHi Mike,
I’ve got to agree with you about BJ’s melon. That sucker is huge. Kinda like a pumpkin on a stick.
Anyway, Purcey’s maddening inconsistency in the 4 plus inning, six (6) walk, ten (10) strikeout game kind of reminds me of another bizarre game the Jays once played in Cleveland. This was in the old Municipal Stadium (aka – “The Mistake by the Lake”). This was in or around mid-season, 1990 I recall:
The Jays were trying out a new second-sacker (i.e., in the year before Robby Alomar owned the position). This guy was pretty much just up from the minors and was an “all-hit, no-field” type of player. I’m sure you know him, his name was/is Luis Sojo (pronounced SO-HO).
The Jays won the game something like 12-11 in front of like 3,000 rowdy Indians fans (including the guy with the drum – oh yeah, he was there alright, even back then). What made this game so strange was that the embryonic Sojo committed something like three (3) errors at second base that directly resulted in something like six (6) unearned runs allowed. However, with the bat Sojo atoned for his mistakes by knocking in like seven (7) runs, including a three-run homer and a three-run double.
In the Toronto papers the next day, The Toronto Sun summed it best with the following headline:
“Jays Win Wild One in Cleveland…Oh, Sojo bad, oh, Sojo good.”
In keeping on the Purcey topic, Keith Law (yeah, that guy again) recently made the claim that Purcey will never be anything more than a 45 with his control and he dismissed any chance of Purcey becoming a decent no. 3 starter because of it.
Mike, what the heck is a 45? And what is the sabermetrically inclined Law basing this assertion on? Purcey’s got a plus arm and hitters tend not to “pick-him-up.” He could suddenly find his “release-point” just like many other pitchers have, no? I see mucho potential with him.
MW: Solid recall on the Sojo story. Not great, but certainly not bad. The game was a 12-8 Jays win on August 31, 1990 at Cleveland. Sojo did commit three errors, but they only led to one unearned run. He drove in five runs with a three-run homer and a two-run double, and he was playing shortstop. A “45″ refers to a rating in the scouts system, in which 20 is the lowest rating and 80 is the highest.
- JamieHi Mike, I really love your show and the blog. Is there a reason why the Jays are not going with Fabio Castro
instead of Burres or Purcey?
MW: There must be, but I don’t know what it is.
- Jayhey mike, how many times do you think you’ve been asked about pedro and byrd this year? it’s gotta be at least a hundred i reckon. how do you not let a tinge of frustration creep into your voice when you have to answer the same questions over and over again. i think you have a tougher job than given credit for.
i want to raise a point: i really, really hate the red sox. i mean, i really, really, really, hate the red sox.
MW: Thanks. It’s a nightly occurrence, for sure. I hate the Yankees more than I hate the Red Sox.
- Paul OWow, that caller at about 40min in was a beauty. Like you I do not understand the term “.500 pitcher” and how the jays could not be 7 games over .500 the rest of the way is crazziness. That is absolutly possible. Fans really need to relax but this is Toronto and they are used to over reacting on the Leafs. Once Litch, Romero and Janssen get back I think the Jays will have a better than average rotation and put that with the best bullpen in baseball, I still think this team can take advantage or the AL East and potentially a Wild Card birth. The Yankees are old and can’t pitch to save a life and I thought from the onset that it would be hard for Tampa to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Sure they have decent pitching but their offence has too many holes.
Just a side note, I must say how classy Gibby was in his interviews this week. Giving Cito praise and really treating the whole thing like a pro. Good on you Gibby!
- IanHi Mike,
What is up with the word lose? Why is it so hard to spell? It is lose and losing, not loose and loosing!
I have been a J.P. detractor in the past. Was especially frustrated last season with the Johnson/Stewart decision and the ridiculously frustrating Mencherson experiment. I’ve also been frustrated with his selection (and treatment, most notably Buck Martinez) of managers.
However, based on the roster he has put together this year I have to give him props. This is a good team. This could potentially be a great team if half of our injured pitchers weren’t injured. I have called for J.P.’s head in the past but I now believe he at least needs the chance to manage through the end of next season. The man deserves to see his team compete with a healthy roster and I hope this can happen for him.
Another problem with all these injuries is that there is no better option for a struggling pitcher like Purcey. We have no choice but to keep throwing him out there every 5 days.
Thanks as always!
- Rob H.Wow, I gotta say, your patience is amazing – constantly answering the same question. It’s like the guys aren’t listening to the radio while they’re waiting to talk. No trades in April, Pedro wouldn’t even be ready in time before Janssen and Romero get back etc. etc. etc.
The fact is JP had done his best to have some backup arms – it’s really too bad that Clement retired. I’m always a big fan of comebacks. What’s the skivvy on him – was his arm done, or did he just not have the heart?
MW: It really seemed as though Clement’s arm was coming around at the end of Spring Training, though it wasn’t there yet. He just didn’t want to slug it out in the minors anymore, I guess.
- BruceMike,
I’m in Toronto for Fri and Sat for a game of golf and a pair with the Orioles.
Look me up at The Renaissance, and I’ll take a look at the neck and trap problem you’ve got…..it’s my specialty.
How’s that for nice?
MW: Very nice, Dr. Bob! I’m seeing a chiro now who is helping me out quite a bit and besides, you don’t seem to like my opinions very much so I don’t know how thrilled I’d be about you having your hands around my neck. How about you come on the pre-pre-game on Saturday and we can talk about your boy?
- Bob RichmondTaking a look at his stats on baseball reference, Richmond has given up on one extra base hit to a right handed batter in his entire career, a triple in 2008. I think you’re exactly on the money with your analysis, you can get by against lefties, but you have to absolutely destroy righties.
MW: He can get beat up by lefties if he absolutely destroys righties.
- Greg WHi Mike;
Too bad the hitting went on hiatus, and Percy lost control of his command but all in all the jays are still tied for first with boston, let’s hope richmond has another good outing and casey jassen gets better quick. Tallet has been a surprise, he is good and the hitting is superb. Any chance of kivin Millar playing more? His hitting is superb ans well as jose bautista, great job as always mike, keep up the great blog- GO JAYS GO.
MW: As good as Millar’s hitting has been, Overbay’s and Lind’s have been better, so there’s no place for him to play more. Likewise Bautista with Snider and Rolen.
- robert.sHey Mike,
Since there isn’t much to talk about from last night apart from the very obvious (we stunk), I wanted to ask you about a very small bit of the Rogers Centre experience: the Gameday program.
Now this may be a complaint that only a regular would raise, but I hate that the Jays insist on charging $5 for a recycled magazine as the only means of getting a blank scorecard.
I’m a big fan of scoring the baseball game and I’ve been to many other parks in MLB. Other places typically charge about $2-$3 for a pencil, a proper scorecard, and a sheet with today’s lineups. I found this to be a great bargain in addition to an excellent souvenir and teaching tool. In fact, teaching my girlfriend to score was the only way I was able to raise her interest in the game!
Anyway, I’ve heard from vendors that this idea has been raised and vetoed by the Jays brass. Do you know anything about this? What do you think?
More generally, do you think the Jays could be doing more things like this to encourage their patrons to take an interest in the game?
More and more at RC I see people on phones/blackberries and cheering more loudly for free pizza than they do a great pitching performance.
Or am I just being cynical?
MP
MW: It’s the reality of today’s stadium experience, and not just here. As for the program, it seems that for an extra two or three bucks you get a magazine to go with the scorecard – sounds like a deal to me. You can always print a scoresheet out from the internet and bring it with you if you want to avoid buying a program.
- MPmichael,
this is not good.
we’ve now lost 2 of our last 3 games and at this pace we’ll be lucky to win 65 games.
if you had to pinpoint it exactly, where do you think the season fell apart for us?
i’ll hang up & listen to your answer.
thanks.
MW: Is this going to be a regular thing with you?
- darrell bishopRight now the Jays have 2 bad pitchers in the rotation. One being Burres & the other being Purcey. Purcey has fallen apart time & time again outside of his first start and I’m starting to loe my patience. I’ll get to why in a minute. Burres is an awful pitcher who probabyl couldn’t even be the 5th starter of Washington let alone any other team.
On your show you called Burres “the 11th starter”. Halladay, Purcey, Romero, Litsch, Tallet, Marcum, McGowan, Richmond, Janssen…who’s #10 & why isn’t he in?
Let’s say, for the sake of thsi argument, Romero comes back first, the Jays get rid of Burres. Then Litsch comes back, Tallet goes back to the rotation. Then Janssen comes back. Who leaves the rotation? Knowing the Jays it would be Scott Richmond but he has easily earned himself that 5th spot over Purcey. Purcey has struggled in 4 of his 5 starts, Richmond has never allowed more than three runs in any of his eight career starts.
But let’s stay on Janssen. Who says he can even start? He was the Jays 8th inning guy then got hurt in the offseason/spring. He started 17 games in 2006 and had a 5.22 ERA & 1.30 WHIP in those starts.
Halladay, Romero, Litsch, Richmond are a good 4 in my opinion but the Jays need a 5th starter who’s name is not Janssen or Purcey.
MW: #10 is Brett Cecil, and he’s not up because the Jays want to control his innings. I say Janssen can start, and so do people who are a lot smarter than I am. Look at Janssen’s work in 2006 as a starter before the knee injury he didn’t tell anyone about about nine starts in. I’m not so sure that Tallet goes back to the rotation when two starters come back – the first two sent out might just be Burres and Purcey.
- PaulDo you read baseball novels? You might like Summerland by Michael Chabon (author of Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union). It’s marketed as a kids’ book for some reason, but I’m 60 and enjoyed it (though I had to wince at the false but often repeated statement that ‘even the best hitters’ fail 70 percent of the time). It reminded me of Philip Roth’s The Great American Novel.
I hope that your neck feels a lot better soon.
MW: I’ll check it out. And it’s true, even the best hitters fail (at getting a hit) about 70 percent of the time. But they only fail (as in get out) about 60 percent of the time.
- Mark GoldenHi Mike
A qestion for you I listened to the Jays talk here and you sparked an interest.
What was the difference in why Jesse Litsch came directly from AA and Fabio Castro is not, especially as you said he is tearing it up in AA
MW: Timing, I guess.
- Richard from ARThe red sox don’t have a record of 14-7 like you said.
They are 13-6
MW: I’ll submit my resignation forthwith.
- ChrisHi Mike,
Great start to the season for the Jays. I am making sure I enjoy every second.
It really has me thinking of how amazing the 84 Tigers were. They started 35-5 and if I heard correctly, they also won 35 of their last 40 games (I am assuming that counted the post-season).
That is playing some great baseball!
Just wondering if you have any interesting facts about that team that you could share?
MW: They didn’t win 35 of their last 40, I can tell you that much. They went 26-14 over their last 40, including the playoffs. And how crazy is this? Despite that 35-5 start, those Tigers were only 3 1/2 games ahead of the Blue Jays after the Jays beat them 6-3 on June 6th.
- Gary WYo Mike. April wins bring September grins. Hey has Frank Thomas hit a fast ball yet? LOL
- John Artistake care Raptorized John
Mike, do you think that there is a chance that the Rays will have the type of season that the Colorado Rockies had last season after their world series run? They finished 74-88 but had much higher expectations. Are the Rays a one hit wonder??
MW: I don’t think the Rays were a one-hit wonder, but I don’t think they’ll be a factor this year. I think they’ll be a solid team for a long time, not the joke they were before last season.
- Adamcaller of the year so far?
1) Strength up the middle, strength up the middle
2) litsch is a 500 pitcher and boston will win 120 games
3) other
MW: Keep listening! There’ll be more.
- jeremyEnjoyed the show Mike for the front running Blue Jays! Scouting for our SNBL draft for DYNASTY League Baseball and was looking for your thoughts on Jesse Carlson. He had a great season last year and seems to be a late blooming lefty.
MW: He does, doesn’t he? I always worry about relievers who come out of nowhere, because most of them seem to find their way back there reasonably quickly. However, the Jays have had some very good luck turning out solid bullpenners, and Carlson appears to be a good one.
- Mike CieslinskiHi Mike, it certainly was a rough night for the Jays. I agree with one of the callers into the jaystalk lastnight, when he said that Percy isn’t quite ready to be up with the big club. When they get Janson, Remero, or one of those arms back, think they might consider sending Percy down to AAA to work on his location? It seems that he’s just not able to throw strikes consistently, particularly starting hitters off with first pitch strikes seems to be a weakness. UNlike a lot of the callers who have called in this season on the post game, I’m just enjoying being able to listen to baseball again, and i realise that the Jays are probably not likely to make the playoffs, however you never know, they might just do that. Tampa did it last year, so you never know. It’s baseball, and we still have a long season to go.
MW: Yes, we do. Purcey might go down to AAA to try to work things out, but not until at least two of the injured starters come back.
- DanHey Mike,
With the all of the injuries to the Jays’ pitching (starting rotation in particular), what do you think about the idea of going after Tom Gorzelanny. I don’t think the Pirates would ask for much in return for him, and at 27 years of age, I think there is still some upside with him. I know he had a brutal spring and he’s currently in AAA, but maybe a change of scenery would do the trick for him.
MW: I guess I’d rather have him than Brian Burres, but I wouldn’t want to give up any talent for a guy who will come in and be the 10th or 11th starter.
- AlexHey Mike,
I just wanted to say that u are doing a hell of a job on the radio, keep it up. Also do you think that it would be wise to send David Purcey down to AAA beacuse last year when the Jays sent down Litsch and when he came back he improved a lot so I just wanted to hear your comments.
Thanks
MW: See above.
- Hussain PradhanHello Mike
I am not sure if you heard the conversation between Richard Griffin and the dynamic duo of Doug McLean and Armstrong today. Richard mentioned that this time around, Cito seems to be more patient with the kids. He seemed to accept their shortcomings, tolerate them knowing that they will be good players later on. He said that the 11 years Cito was off baseball had made him a better manager.
He also praised JP in the interview which almost caused me to drive off the road.
Regarding the caller who panicked with Boston winning so many games in a row and thought that winning 2 out of 3 is a given –
I checked the internet for most wins by a team in a year. Two teams managed to win 116 games (that is better than a .700 clip). The latest was Seattle back in 2001.
I think 95 wins will get you in the play offs – What do you think?
Francis H
MW: I think you’re right.
- FrancisODE TO PURCEY
Starting Pitcher number three, is your rotation placement gratuitous,
a default consequence of injury and Burnett’s free agent exodus?
Your poor command of the strike zone hurts your chances very much,
this kind of sharpening up opponents’ skills is anything but clutch.
I find myself intrigued by the velocity of your pitches,
but your inconsistency has caused more than a few glitches.
What obviates your basic raw potential is the question.
Simply throw more strikes to earn the fans affection.
Chewing gum is not essential for the effectiveness of your talents;
perhaps you would not be so wild if you just developed better balance.
And if not being utilized to aide in your focus and concentration,
chewing gum often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O David, the complex levels of wildness you display
have brought about many the type of fielding misplay.
And though you are not consistent, David, and the all-star game you won’t attend,
I’m sure your Blue Jays teammates still consider you a true and valued friend.
MW: Wow. You’re no Dr. Seuss, but that’s some good work.
- JamieHi Mike. Love the blog, Love the Jays. I go to the Minor League Baseball Site about once a week to keep an eye on the baby Jays. I notice the AA New Hampshire Jays have also got off to a decent start and am wondering what we know about their starting staff. They all are sporting decent numbers with good ERA’s. I know we plucked Litsch right out of AA, any chance any of these kids get a double jump to the Bigs?
Thanks again.
Bob in Guelph
MW: Maybe Fabio Castro, since he’s already been up, but I don’t think anybody else does. Of course, it depends on how many more guys go down.
- Bob from GuelphHi Mike,
Ok. Purcey is tredding thin ice. Because the way he is pitching this season I can think of 10 guys ahead of him the organization. He is now 27 and does not have his act together. He either doesn’t get it or won’t take Arnsbergs methods to heart. The last guy who didn’t click with arnsberg was Ted Lilly. The blue jays have made it clear that Arnsberg is in charge and if Purcey doesn’s shape up he has got to go. Go to the minors or get traded. In your opinion do you see any comparisons with Lilly and Purcey. Great raw talent that can’t get their act together in Toronto?
MW: Lilly actually pitched pretty well when he was here – except for the “not walking people” part. The thing is, when Lilly was here, there was “good Ted” and “evil Ted”, and you never knew which was going to show up. But good Ted showed up a heck of a lot more often than good Dave has.
- MotiSo that really is Scott Richmonds dad who comments on here? He’s still better then Rick Litsch. He used to post on the Jays message board and would get more then a little upset when anything negative was said about Jesse.
MW: I’m pretty sure it’s Scott’s dad.
- NickWhen will we be able to see J.P Arencibia in the majors?
He has put amazing numbers in the minors and I just can’t wait to see him in the lineup with Lind and Snider.
Also, do they have any good prospects in the shortstop position? Thanks!
MW: I would think that we’ll see Arencibia this year, as a September call-up at least, if not sooner. Justin Jackson is the top prospect at short, but he’s a ways away.
- Jayi love the blog
- ginoMike, are you saying that Richmond’s Dad posted on the blog?
MW: Yup
- McLovinWe’d look good with AJ Burnett in our rotation, minus the average start from AJ. Not worth the contract though, especially with the good kids coming up that we have.
Question: where is Frank Thomas? Has he officially retired? Was he at spring training with anyone, or is basically now just waiting for someone to call?
Thanks!
MW: Thomas got one offer in the off-season, and found it insulting. He’s waiting for a team to come with a proper offer, but he’s not retired.
- Jamie They mike hope all is well
i find that whenever a pitcher starts pitching badly, their club covers it up by placing them on the disabled list and blaming it on the injury. im probably exaggerating here but it annoys me when this happens
MW: It almost never happens.
- oliverHey Mike, love the show.
Have you ever noticed a similarity between Travis Snider and Hideki Matsui in their approach at the plate? Snider has very quiet hands (much like Matsui, and Molitor before him, and Rios to a certain extent as well. Rios may be a little more Tony Fernandez.) – he’s in good company and I truly believe that quiet hands make for a better hitter. Of course there are exceptions, but I’ve seen batters get caught mid-wag with inside heat more times than I can count. In my experience hitters with a lot of bat movement tend to have longer swings because they have a tendency to cock the bat after they decide to commit to a swing. This kid is one to watch.
MW: He definitely is, but I see more similarities to Carlos Delgado.
- Terry Bradleymike, I dispute your claim that vw contract was market value. If I recall he was the first cf to sign for that money. he was the highest paid cf at the time so he in fact made the market. he set the bar that high. then the others like hunter etc signed for the same amount. soriano played a different position and got that money because of his 40hr power. also vw was not a free agent so JP was competing against only himself. would vw have turned down 5 years 90 mil?
MW: Yes, he would have. The fact that Wells is a centrefielder and Soriano isn’t doesn’t enter into the equation.
- harishawI hope you feel better Mike. This comment is for Scott Richmond’s father. I also doubted Scott’s ability and couldn’t understand how a guy who has had trouble with left handed batters can survive in the rotation. Looking back I am a little embarrassed that I would be critical of a pitcher who has not had a single bad outing of his career. Unlike his teammate David Purcey, Scott realizes that challenging the hitters makes sense with a great defence behind him. Left handed batters are not giving Richmond a problem this season. Up until the 4th inning they are batting .244 (10/41, 1/7 tonight) While 41 atbats is not really a large enough number to judge a pitcher, either was the 61 atbats against lefthanded batters last season. Keep up the work Scott!
- DomenickThat Sojo game, was that the same series that Dave Stieb tossed his no-hitter?
MW: Yes, the Sojo game came two days before Stieb’s no-no.
- McLovinMW: As good as Millar’s hitting has been, Overbay’s and Lind’s have been better, so there’s no place for him to play more. Likewise Bautista with Snider and Rolen.
for robert.s:
Millar has .191 Run Created per plate Appearance (RC/pa) while Overbay is .147 so I’d stick with the straight platoon there.
Bautista’s RC/pa is 0.177 compared to Rolen’s 0.148 and Snider’s 0.164 so again, when Bautista is in for either Rolen or Snider against a LHP, we certainly aren’t giving up anything offensively.
What’s key about these numbers is that Millar and Bautista have been getting these numbers primarily against lefties. Bautista has an OPS of 1.079 against lefties and 0.782 against righties. Now Millar is a bit counter-intuitive: His OPS is better against righties than lefties, 1.067 vs 0.853. Overbay is the prototypical platoon player: OPS of 1.073 against righties and 0.347 against lefties, the latter based on only 9 PA. In 2008 it was 0.865/0.540.
- Alan the stat geekMike,
What is the rehab timetable for Casey Janssen from here? His line from last night was vey good while pitching for the Single A Jays in Florida.
To Scott’s Dad, your son is gettign better and better! Putting down Guillen with the bases loaded in the third was impressive.
Tony
MW: So was pitching around Teahen because he knew he could get Guillen. I would think that Janssen gets another start in Dunedin, then maybe one in Vegas, and he’s good to go.
- Tony from OakvilleWhat’s up with Alex Rios this year? He’s looked lost at the plate and in the field. Is it mostly mental with him as usual? (taking his at-bats to the field).
MW: He hasn’t looked lost at the plate and in the field all year. He had a two-week slump at the plate, and he’s misplayed a couple of balls in the field – one after he got hit in the face.
- RenegadeAt the break of spring training you and I had some back and forth on the decision to bring Scott Richmond north. At the time, I thought it was a mistake and that he was not worthy of a job in the show. I gotta come clean Wilner, although it is still SOOO early, I did not expect him to look this good at any point. After 4 innings tonight, he continues to be very solid. There has been plenty of Blue Jay surprises this year, to me he is the biggest so far…
I have been meaning to ask you: twice, following the Litsch then Romero injury, you reported that Brett Cecil would be called up – the second time you made it sound like it was already done, what happened?? Did the Jays make a late change or did you get some wrong info???
Dan
MW: I don’t believe I actually reported that Cecil would be called up following the Litsch injury. I might have said I hoped to see him or that he was an option. With the Romero injury, I was sure it would be Cecil, based on correct information that I acquired, but misinterpreted.
- DanMike,
While last night’s loss was a total team effort, it was painful watching Purcey pitch. I didn’t see the whole game but did Purcey throw a breaking ball that was even close to a strike? Also, with tonight’s start, does Richmond jump ahead of Purcey on the depth chart?
Apropos of nothing, listening to Jay’s talk the other day, it’s fairly obvious that you’re not big on Chipper Jones. Is it because Toronto isn’t cracker enough for him or is there something more? Finally, do you hate it when you’re peppered with a lot of inane questions?
MW: It’s because Toronto isn’t cracker enough for him. Richmond was already ahead of Purcey on the depth chart.
- Rob Theriaultmike, you don’t know that he would have turned lesser money down. did roy halladay not accept less money to sign an extension?
MW: Yes, Halladay did. But Wells came to the Jays with his number and term, there was no reason for him to settle for less than what he wanted.
- harishawI believe Vernon’s contract is structured in such way that he will earn much more during the later years of his contract. Would you happen to know how much he is making this year and next year? Once his salary jumps to something like $20m, do you think it will be better for J.P. to trade him? I love Vernon Wells and his skills, but $20 million would be too much. Thanks again!
MW: Wells is making $10 million this year, then $21 million next year and $23 million each of the next three. He has a full no-trade clause.
- JayI don’t believe for 1 second that a non-greedy player like vw would turn down 90 mil. all it takes is 1 injury or 1 bad year and you lose all that money. JP could easily have made the last year or 2 team option years with buyouts.
MW: You’re welcome to believe that, but you’re incorrect.
- harishawWeird season that 1990 season. The thing I remember most about `90 was the Jays losing the division title to the Red Sox on the final weekend of the season at Fenway. Henke blew a game in the bottom of ninth in the first game and Clemens came off the DL to beat the Jays in the second game and that was all she wrote. The Red Sox laid the foundation for that win at Fenway by beating the Jays in a four game set at Skydome a week or two prior. The Jays lost by scores of 1-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1. An unbelievable hitting slump.
MW: If I remember correctly, the Jays were scoreboard-watching the last weekend of the 1990 season, and found out that the Sox won the division when Tom Brunansky made a sliding catch in the right-field corner to end the Boston win that clinched it. I can still see that catch. Let me check…………..yep, Ozzie Guillen lined out to Brunansky to end a 3-1 Red Sox win over Chicago to clinch, then the Jays lost in Baltimore almost immediately afterwards and finished two games back.
- McLovinMW: Yes, Halladay did. But Wells came to the Jays with his number and term, there was no reason for him to settle for less than what he wanted.
mike, your answer makes no sense. actually there is a good reason. it’s called a bird in the hand theory. roy halladay can do the exact same thing. what is to stop halladay from saying I want 7 years 140 mil?
MW: Nothing. But he didn’t, and he didn’t have that kind of leverage at the time. Remember, he was coming off two straight injury-riddled seasons.
- harishawThank you for your answers.
I really appreciate them.
Is there a website that shows each team’s total payroll and how much each player in that team is making?
Scott Richmond.. possibly #2 starter now?^^
MW: Cot’s Baseball Contracts
- JayCecil’s line from tonight.
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Cecil (L, 0-3) 6.0 4 3 3 1 5 0 8.31
MW: Looks pretty good to me.
- Tony from OakvilleYou know it’s funny that the Jays used to have a reputation as choke artists based on their meltdowns in ’85 (ALCS) and ’87 (division race). But even in the first championship year of ’92 there was still much talk of the “Blow Jays” and the players would often get asked questions about previous team’s failures. Even if players like Joe Carter and Dave Winfield were not even on those ’85 & ’87 teams.
I remember even Bob Elliott of the Sun spoke and wrote often of the pressure on the ’92 team to win. Even by nicknaming that squad “The Team That Must Win” in every column he wrote that entire season.
When it was all over, and the Jays had the World Series championship, having exercised the demons of ’85/’87/’89/’90/’91, Elliott wrote simply, “The Team That Must Win, has won.”
No more talk of the choke Jays after that. And then in 1993 was seemingly no pressure at all, just pure gravy.
- McLovinroy WILL have that kind of leverage this time but I dont see him as that type of greedy ballplayer to hold out for a kingz ransom.
also why are you so adamant that vw would not accept less? what do you know that we dont? why dont you just go up and ask him “vernon if JP had offered you 100 mil would you have taken it?”
MW: OK, I will. But I guarantee I don’t get a serious answer from him.
- harishawCecil’s first good start this year.
Boy, did Scott Richmond look like a veteran tonight.
Hoping for rain tomorrow or Thursday in KC. It would be nice to avoid using Burres this turn through the rotation.
- Tony from OakvilleMike,
Any idea what the MLB record would be for most consecutives starts without giving up 3 runs to start a career would be? Pretty obscure stat, but what Richmond is doing is pretty impressive and I wonder how it measures up in baseball’s history books.
MW: Check my last post about Richmond. Brandon Webb had at least 13, but I don’t know who else is in that company.
- RMWho would have predicted these ERAs among our active starters:
Tallet: 0.82 (as a starter, 2.95 overall)
Richmond: 2.70
Halladay: 3.75
No complaints here! The Richmond kid looks to be for real! I’m starting to have the same kind of excited feeling about Richmond that I had back in 1973 when Steve Rogers came up. I’ll be ecstatic if Scott has half as good a start as Rogers. Rogers went 18 straight games without given up more than 3 ER. (In fairness to Rogers, 12 of those games were 8 innings or more.)
- Alan the stat geekI guarantee that vw will say yes only because that’s the pc thing to say.
also why is JP not locking up roy right now?
MW: He probably will, which won’t get us any closer to the truth than we are now. Halladay doesn’t want to talk contract until after the season.
- harishawMW: They didn’t win 35 of their last 40, I can tell you that much. They went 26-14 over their last 40, including the playoffs. And how crazy is this? Despite that 35-5 start, those Tigers were only 3 1/2 games ahead of the Blue Jays after the Jays beat them 6-3 on June 6th.
Wow, that really is incredible. I was 10 years old that year and was just starting to get into baseball. I vaguely remember the Jays still having a chance to catch the Tigers but Joey Maclaughlin blew 2 saves in a row in late August.
I remember how excited I was about the 85 season and how much excitement there was when the Jays first played the Tigers in May that year. I think the Jays were leading the division when the Tigers came to town and Jimmy Key threw a no-hitter into the 9th and Buck Martinez hit a two run homer in the 10th to win the game 2-0 for the Jays. I remember that like it happened yesterday (I was past my bedtime listening to Tom and Jerry on the radio under my covers).
Anyways, the point I am trying to make is that I really think Blue Jay Fever is going to be running rampant when the Yanks and Sox come to town in May. Hopefully they will keep playing well until then as there will be some great atmosphere in the Dome that hopefully the Jays can feed off of and help them keep rolling!
Winfield Wants Noise!
MW: Almost perfect memory! Key did indeed take a no-hitter into the 9th inning before Tom Brookens led it off with a single, and wound up pitching 10 innings of two-hit shutout. Buck’s homer came in the 12th, though, and the game was in June.
- Gary Whave you noticed that almost all of hill’s errors occur late in the game? I remember he made a big error in yankee stadium in the 9th. a few days ago he made an error in the 9th. and today he makes an error in the 8th.
MW: All three of Hill’s errors this season have come in the 8th inning or later. I don’t think that really shows anything, though.
- harishawMW: He (Snider) definitely is, but I see more similarities to Carlos Delgado.
Absolutely, another great comparison.
Love the small ball by the Jays in the eighth tonight (bunt, fake bunt slash). They already had the lead, but it’s nice to know that they’re not sitting on the three run homer (a la Earl Weaver).
- Terry BradleyRE: my last comment about the 84 Jays
my bad, I think I am remembering the 83 season when the Jays were close in August and blew some leads.
MW: I thought so.
- Gary WCLEVELAND WINS!!!! HOORAY! IT’S ABOUT TIME SOX LOOSE
- harishawMike,
its 10 minutes after the game and the fan590 on the web isnt switching to the post game show… they are still playing the pre game
ahhh!!
- Jamie Tmike, rios is still not hitting, no power. how many games till you get worried?
MW: 50
- harishawHey Mike,
You made a comment on the radio about the fact that Vernon Wells swings at the first pitch because it works for him – I think you said he was batting .350 or so when he did and that’s why he did it.
That got me to thinking is that really all that great? I looked up Wells 3 yr ops when swinging at the first pitch and he indeed has a .937 ops which is 123 pts better than his overall ops. I checked out some other Jays and Rios is actually 191 pts better swinging at the first pitch and Overbay is +117 and Bautista +94. The average of the 10 Blue Jays I looked at was about 65 pts above their overall ops.
Not sure why the heck I needed to look into this, but it reminded me of a Bill James comment that Babe Ruth was the only major league player to hit .400 when he actually put the ball in play. I suspect Wells is probably not all that effective putting the ball in play 0-0 if compared to say the top 20 hitters in the league. The fact that he does it so often probably has a lot to do with his low walk rate which in a nutshell is his major shortcoming as a hitter.
Enough of that nonsense.
Scott Richmond – I’m starting to think this guy is actually pretty good.
Last yr AA and AAA – 137IP, 44BB, 124K, 20HRs – few too many walks, too many hr’s but great K rate
But with the Jays over 9 starts
50.1, 52hits, 12BB, 40K, 5 Hr
Whip – 1.27
Pretty impressive. Right now at least he’s clearly the Jays number 2 with Tallet 3,
just like they wrote it up at the beginning of the year.
MW: Exactly like they wrote it up. With Wells, one correction – those are the numbers when he puts the first pitch in play, not when he just swings at the first pitch. But it shows you why he does it.
- Jim Maronwouldnt’ it be amazing if the jays rake grienke tomorrow for 10 runs!
- harishawmichael,
- darrell bishopit’s very difficult for me to answer that question my friend.
frankly, i’m not sure how much of this “a” material i have left in me.
i won’t lie, it’s day to day at this point at best.
MW: If I remember correctly, the Jays were scoreboard-watching the last weekend of the 1990 season, and found out that the Sox won the division when Tom Brunansky made a sliding catch in the right-field corner to end the Boston win that clinched it. I can still see that catch. Let me check…………..yep, Ozzie Guillen lined out to Brunansky to end a 3-1 Red Sox win over Chicago to clinch, then the Jays lost in Baltimore almost immediately afterwards and finished two games back.
————————-
Impressive.
And I believe as soon as the Jays knew they were out, Henke grooved an average fast ball to put the Jays out of their misery.
MW: That may well have been the case.
- ProkopecAnd how about, Dave Bergman’s 13 pitch at bat against Roy Lee Jackson in May 84 , on ABC, and the resulting extra inning HR to sink the Jays.
- ProkopecI’m not sure Wells had a play on the ball Scutaro dropped, but as CF, I think he has to call off Hill on that ball he dropped in the 8th.
MW: I didn’t think Wells had a play on the first one, but you’re right – he has to call Hill off on the second.
- Ryan McCallenNow that 22 games are up we can see that the jays will need approxiamately 80 more wins to make the post season. Doing the quick math – that means that the jays need to go 80-60 the rest of the way. Can the jays make 20 games above .500? Only time will tell.
MW: Brilliant analysis. I don’t think it’ll take 95 wins to get to the playoffs, though.
- Joe BloughMike, in the ode to Purcey methinks that the complex types of wildness and fielding mishaps refers to the wild pitch that hurt Barrett and the wild pitch on the pitchout that he later tossed into centerfield.
But what’s an ode?
- McLovinmike, rios is still not hitting, no power. how many games till you get worried?
MW: 50
In his late game strikeout tonight his head was leaving the ball and his front shoulder was opening. He’s starting to press.
- Terry BradleyBefore Tom Brunansky made that catch, I had always disliked the Red Sox. But when he caught that ball in the corner, from that moment on, I have hated the red sox.
Thanks for reminding me why, after all these years.
MW: You’re welcome. I can still see him sliding for it, then moving out of the camera’s range. Damn.
- sandyI hate the Red Sox too. Except when they play the Yankees – then I love `em. But only then.
- McLovinhey mike, any blog to read tonight, or a post game show to listen too, to kill a good 40 minutes yet..
MW: Sorry I work too slowly for you.
- paoloI thought Bergman’s home run was off Jimmy Key (who pitched out of the bullpen in 84) . . . but Key got yanked and Jackson came in to give up the homer in the 10th
- Ken Pagan