E:6-The Jose Reyes Story

Is this Reyes forgetting he is not throwing grounders during
infield practice with 2 hoppers to first ? 

The Toronto Blue Jays are in an interesting position as they head into the unofficial halfway point of the season known as the All Star Break. Hovering  around the .500 mark, the Jays are still in decent shape in the standings and have a good shot at both the Eastern Division crown or a wild card bid. That is provided that they manage to do something on or before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. The Jays have bats that can put up crooked numbers in a hurry but that can only take them so far. They just recently rallied back from being down 7-0 in the 6th to taking the lead 8-7 going into the bottom half of the inning.....then surrendering the lead immediately and eventually losing 11-10. There are 3 things to take away from this. The jays need at least 1 more, or more realistically 2 more top end arms in the starting rotation, they need to shore up the bullpen so when the offense manages to get them back into games they have no right being in they can hold the lead and not choke it away and third, which is probably the most difficult to do...figure out what to do with Jose Reyes. 

Jose Reyes is a threat at the plate and threat on the bases. No one is going to argue with the numbers that he can give you when healthy. Big problem is, he is also a huge threat to the team defensively. Figuring out what to do about that is no small task. Well the answer is easy, but unrealistic...you pull him late in games in place of someone who can catch and throw the ball consistently. Problem with that is, if you choose to do that you are going to loose him and most likely going to loose a bunch of the Dominican players. it is hard to understand how it seems that whenever a Latin or Dominican player has an issue with something ALL the Latin/Dominican players have an issue. Sure Canadian’s and American’s will have respect for one another but rarely do you see them stand up and side with another teammate just because of nationality. It seems island pride runs deeper. That is not necessarily a bad thing, it is good to have pride in your nationality. We as Canadians take true pride in our country. The USA as we know wave the flag as much ore more then anyone but when it come down to a personal level it seems like the Latin players will side with their brethren in spite of what may be best for business. 

The Jays are in a position to make a healthy run at the playoffs and I can't believe that when other Jays like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and especially the other Latin guys that see that Reyes’ glove and arm are costing them games that that doesn't make them mad, because it should. When they see balls going and Reyes’ glove or between his legs or he double skips a throw to first base how can they not acknowledge that he is potentially costing them games. They, more then anyone, needs to realize that something needs to be done at shortstop, especially late in tight games. Olé-ing balls that should be routine is costing the team runs, innings, pitch count, bullpen arms and surely overall moral and confidence in the team's ability to make a real run towards the playoffs. 

When it gets to the point where you figure the team is more confident with Munenori Kawasaki at shortstop in the 8th and 9th instead of your $22M guy there has to be some unrest in the clubhouse. Reyes is such a table-setter and important offensive catalyst you don't want to rock the boat and loose him. But if you are Alex Anthopoulos and it is your neck on the line and needing a good finish for your ball club to secure your employment and position as GM it is hard to let things go on as they currently are. Sure it might be nice to package him in a deal, but that is not something easily done. His salary is prohibitive and it is also a deal that is more likely to happen in the off season not at the trade deadline at best.

Hopefully Jose can refocus during the second half and really shore things up defensively. If the Jays do manage to make a move to get some arms, the new additions will need to be supported by solid defence. It doesn't even need to be spectacular defence, just make the plays you are supposed to make and that will help everyone up and down the roster.

Robbie Alomar- Fact or Fiction?

I am sure that many sport and Blue Jays fans are familiar with former second baseman, and Hall of Fame member Robbie Alomar. He was a great player for the Jays and also for many other teams including the Orioles and the Indians.

Alomar was known as being a versatile player with a solid bat, good speed and spectacular range and defensive prowess. He was what every team would love to have at the top of a lineup and up the middle. He hit for average, had some power at the plate and could turn a double play as well as just about any other player to ever play his position. A truly deserving inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame and a key member to the Blue Jays World Series Championship teams. He can be put right up there as one of the best second basemen of all time with the tools he had in his prime.

All of this is common knowledge and known by most, that is far from the interesting part. I am sure that both sports fans and regular people are at least familiar with hearing that back in 1996 Alomar was involved in a spitting incident involving an umpire.  Alomar got into a heated argument over a called third strike with umpire John Hirschbeck and spat in his face. He defended himself by saying Hirschbeck had uttered a racial slur and that Hirschbeck had been bitter since one son had died of ALD and another had been recently diagnosed as well. Upon hearing this public disclosure of his private life, Hirschbeck had to be physically restrained from confronting Alomar in the players' locker room.

This is where the un-proven and never verified part comes into play, and is part of a bigger part of the story that I had not heard before just a few days ago. Like I said before, I remember the story but never this version and now that it was mentioned it kind of makes sense and is a very interesting theory. This is all just alleged but is a somewhat plausible explanation. It was said that Alomar had heard a racial slur from Hirschbeck. Perhaps it was not a racial slur but maybe it was a sexual preference slur. If this was the case it would help validate the second part, the part that was a little more interesting.

Alomar joined the Mets in 2002 and it was in this time period that It was during this era that the "Mike Piazza is Gay" rumors began -- somewhat as a result of comments that Bobby Valentine made about Major League Baseball being ready to accept an openly gay athlete. This was a big deal at the time, so much so that it forced Piazza to hold a press conference to make a formal announcement with his model girlfriend saying he was not gay, that he was heterosexual. No active player has come out as being openly gay and to have to hold a press conference to state your orientation was big news. It was because of this that many still believe that Piazza is gay and he was just trying to get get ahead of a possible story. What was news to me was the possibility that Valentines comments were possibly made in regards to another prominent Met at the time...Robbie Alomar. He too had a prominent, beautiful, and famous girlfriend in tennis player Mary Pierce. Apparently there were whispers for years about Alomar's "preference" but it was Piazza who bore the brunt of all that crap at the time. Most people now have no issue with a persons personal preference, but in pro sports, especially team sports, there is still a stigma and an announcement of that nature would be a very difficult to do. There is also allegations of HIV and AIDS linked to Alomar (which do not help by any means either) and has been sued by a former girlfriend and his wife.


Weather or not any of this is true or not is up for debate, but because I had not heard this theory/story before I found it interesting that a lot of these pieces fit together and is at least plausible. It is up to the reader to decide what they want to believe. To many Alomar is and always be that Blue Jay who was a vacuum at 2nd to others he will be that Mets player who's skill almost disappeared overnight and was more of a train wreck then a ballplayer. It just makes it more interesting that it was his time in New York that all this happened and at the same time his play began to erode.

Time For An New/Old Approach To Pitchers

 It is interesting on how depleted the Toronto Blue Jays are due to injury. I outlined in my last post all about the position players, now for the pitchers. 

The pitching staff has been picked apart and has seen more then its fair share of adversity to say the least. Kyle Drabek 60-day DL, Jason Frasor 15-day DL, Drew Hutchison 60-day DL, Jesse Litsch 60-day DL, Dustin McGowan 60-day DL, Brandon Morrow 60-day DL, Luis Perez 60-day DL, Sergio Santos 60-day DL. Is this just bad luck or does it go deeper then that?

One possibility is that they have a secret referral deal with Dr, James Andrews in Alabama and are getting kickbacks for sending such a huge percentage of their staff for Tommy John Surgery. Another possibility is that the program at the minor league level and perhaps even at the major league level is in fact doing more harm then good. For the most part it seems like the majority of the issues stem from players who are younger and have spent time in the minors. If this continues, Alex Anthopoulos is going to have to take a serious look at the organizational plan that they use in developing young pitchers.

It seems like teams, because of signing bonuses, rush players along to get the most for their money. I is a little odd that a player can be making more money in A ball one year then someone playing in the majors at that same time. You do get rewarded for potential, and that is not necessarily a good thing. The minor leagues are there for the purpose of developing players in all positions. When a pitcher makes it to the majors they should be major league ready...completely ready. That includes a strong, refined, reliable arm that is fit to throw over 200 innings in a year. The Majors is not the place to develop that.

It is rushing pitchers in particular that has the Washington Nationals in the news right now because star pitcher Stephen Strasberg may be shut down at 180 innings. This is fine, except they are 1st in the NL East right now and how can you shut down your number 1 guy? Do you bring him back for the playoffs? These are questions that should not need to be asked. Oh, and Strasberg has already had Tommy John surgery.

I thinks that it may be more important to have pitchers throw more and not less. Starters throwing more in-between starts to strengthen their arms. Don't baby pitchers and have them on such a short leash. It is just common sens that a young persons arm will be stronger and more resilient then that of an older player. Use the benefit of youth to bring along pitchers quicker by making them stronger and allowing them to grow by throwing more often. Look at what the Yankee's did with the "Joba rules" and limited pitches and innings and outings. What did that do? Exactly what it was set up to avoid. Washington tried a similar thing with Stephen Strasburg and he required Tommy John as well. What about Matt Clement, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. That had all the makings of a dynasty rotation but was instead ravaged by injury.

Make pitchers pitch in the minors, and pitch deep into games. Teach a pitcher early that the goal is to pitch 8 solid innings each start is the goal, not 5 1/3 innings and then going to the bullpen for a lefty-lefty match-up. More throwing, more often, and deep into games. They used to do that in the mid 1900's. Players are bigger and stronger and better conditioned now. There is better medical treatment now. There is more knowledge about good mechanics to save arms...use them. If guys could do what they did in the 40's, 50's, and 60's shouldn't the "super athletes" of today be better equipped and be able to handle even more? One would think so. Teach the pitchers to throw a good slider and/or develop a cutter and not throw as many curve balls is a good option as well. The curve balls are know to put even more added stress on the elbow then the average pitch. All these young kids are far better suited to learn those pitches and develop control and then, when more mature, learn and develop the curve more at the higher pro level. If you already have the strong arm it is better equipped to handle the strain of the high torq a curve requires.

Sure there is no sure way to avoid injury and every players is different. On the whole a new plan may not be a bad idea. When you hear about Dr. James Andrews more then a teams prospects you know there is a problem. The name of an orthopedic surgeon should not be the name most affiliated with your sport. With the amount of work he seems to be getting from baseball It is like he is the hot dog vendor on the Simpsons when Marge wonders why he follows Homer around everywhere and he responds "Lady, he's putting my kids through college!"

A Brave(s) Celebration - Part 1 of 2

Well, my Atlanta Braves had a nice ceremony before a packed house at Turner Field before the game Saturday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The attendance was the most for a baseball game in either Atlanta Foulton County Stadium or Turner Field of all time. I was nice to see a packed house in Atlanta, It has been a long time. The occasion was to celebrate the career and contributions of their manager Bobby Cox. Cox will be retiring at the end of the season, which was prolonged by some gut wrenching baseball, but I will get to that.

Cox is the only manager that I gave really ever known since I began following the Braves in the Early 90’s. Until that point I was Blue Jays thru and thru but there was something about the Braves when I was first exposed to them in 1991 when they went to the World Series versus the Twins.
Bobby was hired as manager first in 1978 but was fired in 1981 and replaced by Joe Torre who led the team to their first divisional title since 1969. Cox landed with the Blue Jays in 82 and managed until 1985. At that time Cox went back to Atlanta as the General Manager. Bobby began to build his team over the next few years and in 1990 decided to replace Russ Nixon with himself, where the team ended with the worst record in baseball, at 65–97. Apparently Bobby knew what type of team he was building and figured he was the best person to lead them. Apparently he was right because for 14 straight years (OK a strike may have gotten in the way and maybe the Expos would have won the World Series but unfortunately we will never know) the Braves won their division and won one World Series. I don’t know what it was that attracted me to the team but I am glad that I attached my fan cart to that teams horse.

The Braves, in celebrating Cox presented him with a very nice portrait of him up on the top step of the dugout, a bench that was made of baseball bats and balls (autographed by the team) and a nice new car. Apparently he has enough pickup trucks that they thought he should also have a car. My favorite player, one Mr. Chipper Jones, who does not do a lot of talking, presented a nice speech to commemorate Bobby and his time with the Braves and all his years in Baseball.
This is the conclusion to part 1 of the end of the Braves 2010 Regular Season. Part 2 will be the gut wrenching way the Braves extended their season and managed to obtain the Wild Card birth on the last day of the season. Stay tuned for that soon.

Jay Look South For Help

Cuban prospect, SS Adeinis Hechavarria is near signing a four-year, $10 million contract with the Blue Jays. That’s right, the Blue Jays. I am sure many are as shocked as I am that a top prospect Cuban player would choose the Jays. Hechavarria was heavily linked to the New York Yankees (as is just about every other player that may be available) Perhaps there is a concern that Jeter will re-up and sign an extension and there is a better opportunity to step right in an play in TO and not have to be in Jeeet’s shadow or wait another season for Robinson Cano to become a free agent next year and then take over at 2nd Base.

I guess that it is a good fit not only on the field but off. We have a decent relationship with Cuba and can get him cigars without difficulty and President Paul Beeston has been known to enjoy the odd cigar himself so I am sure that the convenience is there. If he gets homesick then at least he can get a taste with a genuine Cohiba.

It is clear that the team is in full rebuild mode after the repeated botches in judgement and re-started 5 year plans put in place buy former GM and Oakley spokesman (maybe not, I just always say him hanging out wearing his sunglasses, shielding his eyes from all his critics) J. P. Ricciardi.

New GM, young Alex Anthopoulos seemed to get as much as he could in the Roy Halliday deal and by all accounts Kyle Drebek has looked good so that is something on the bright side and Travis D’Arnaud may be a decent catching prospect. Couple that with many young but decent pitchers and a young core that include Aaron Hill Travis Snyder and Adam Lind.

At least some of the pitching rotation that has been decimated by injury may actually be getting closer to being healthy. Who knows maybe the team can grow with some youth and catch lightning in a bottle like Tampa Bay did that one year. Maybe they can sneak up from behind in the next few years. Ok, probably not but. It is always nice to dream the impossible dream.

Best and Worst Of The Wekend

Best: Toronto Raptors guard Jarrett Jack’s brought the ball up the court when he noticed that his shoelace was undone. At that point he tucked the rock under his arm while the clock continued to run, bent over and tied it back up... not a single Bulls player tried to steal or knock the ball away. No Bulls player even made an effort to approach him. The Bull wound up losing the game by 32 points. I guess they were lacking a little bit of hustle.

Worst: Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns who not only probably cost himself a Heisman Trophy after a very average game but almost cost his team a shot at a National Championship opportunity. At the end of the game Saturday night versus Nebraska, Colt lost track of time or something and ran an ill-advised play before throwing the ball out of bounds. He, by the slimmest of margins, managed to stop the clock with at best 1 second on the clock. They did get the chance to win the game with a field goal but had he held it for a fraction of a second longer the huge underdog Cincinnati would be in the BCS Championship game.

Best: Although it happened on Friday, the 100th anniversary for the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre was what it was expected to be...Well done, moving and a great tribute. The Ceremony was about 90 minute but did not seem overblown or drawn out at all. It was great to see all of the Old Time Greats that have played on that historic teams over the years. In addition to the celebration they also retired 2 numbers to two of the most elder members of the Canadians hockey family. Elmer Lach’s No. 16 and Emile (Butch) Bouchard’s No. 3. (In a class move Ryan O’Byrne pulled off his #3 jersey and gave it to Bouchard as he changed his number to #20). Having Mr.. Hockey Gordie Howe come out with a "Rocket" Richard jersey was great. It was interesting that only 3 got a special intro. Jean Beliveau I get, even maybe Guy Lafleur but Patrick Roy? He got his own and received one of the biggest ovations. I agree that maybe he deserves it as I was and still am a huge Roy fan but it just seemed interesting that he would get special attention.

Worst: Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left patella. First off are there many injuries that sound more painful then a fractured patella? Secondly this looks like it is going to be an ongoing issue as he has already had some major issues with his legs. Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, missed the entire 2007-08 season due to a micro fracture surgery on his right knee. He then missed time last season with foot and knee injuries. I though going into his draft year that he was a risky pick, especially so high just based on his play and his perceived potential. I thought the was going to be brittle at the NBA level but that isn’t even the case, it was just doing average moves. You never will expect to jump and break your leg.

Best: Blue Jays Pitcher Roy Halladay, who only has one year left on his contract and doesn’t seem to want to re-sign with the club. He has a no trade clause. He has said that he only wants to go to a team that trains in Florida so he can be close to home. He wants to be moved to a winner/contender. If there isn’t a deal done by spring no deal. Those aren’t very restrictive demands now are they?? By my math that pretty much just leaves Boston New York, New York Mets and maybe Philadelphia. Granted he may be more up-front with his reasons to want to move but is what he is doing really that much more different then what Dany Heatley did in Ottawa? Sure the optics are a little better for Doc but in the grand scheme of things the two are very similar. It happens is all pro sports, it is the nature of the beast. Heatley was a lot more secretive and that was the main difference but all things considered it is all very similar. I say Dany is now vindicated in his move.

Worst: Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Stevens and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. In his first game behind the bench the Flyers managed to rise to the occasion and lose 8-2. Granted that was aided by Dan Carcillo who was just suspended four games for his role in a fight that earned him 19 penalty minutes and a game misconduct. The 9 min. power play given to the Capitals may have helped seal the fate of the Flyers. Something tells me that Carcillo may already be in Laviolette’s dog house and may not be on the roster for much longer, especially if he pulls a stunt like that.

Poor Attendance In Baseball

When you are in the last 20 games of the baseball season, for many teams you know what your fate is going to be. You know that the playoffs are not in the cards and the games really don't mean much. Occasionally you will face a team that is still in the hunt and you can use the role of spoiler as motivation to go out and win the game or take a series. For some bubble players you play for your job next year. Maybe if you finish strong you will be in good favour with the management and keep your roster spot or position in the organization.

They always say that you have to play for pride and play for your teammates and that works to a point but you know you are not likely to get that same effort from everyone. This is no secret to anyone especially the fans. It is hard enough to get people to come to a game late in the season when you know your team is out of it and the likelihood of a great game is very slim. Watching highlights it is evident that getting a seat is not an issue.

It wasn't too long ago that the Blue Jays manages the lowest attendance at Rogers Center that I believe they have ever had. Sure a bad economy has a great deal to do with low ticket sales and that is an issue for just about every team in every major sports league. For that matter take into account that a 3rd or 4th place team with no leadership at the top, little or no direction as a club as a whole and 5 year plan that is into it's 9th year is not the way to pack in the fans. Watching the game the other night there were either a ton of empty seats or a lot of people in blue shirts. Where is Shea Hillenbrand when you need him with his "this is a sinking ship" comment?

In Pittsburgh it is the same thing for similar reasons. Recently they had a game where paid attendance was 15,892, but turnstile count was about 3,000, and even that seems generous. Attendance was so sparse that the Pirates closed off the upper deck at PNC Park.

it is sad to see a pro game that is pulling in less then a Triple A franchise on a bad night. The Ottawa Lynx on a bad night could get that many people. The playoffs can't start soon enough to get some meaningful games being played again. There is few things better then Baseball in October.

Quick Hits

The Tour De France is now in full force which means we should hear about a bunch of positive drug tests, Lance Armstrong allegations and criticisms, poor North American ratings and if all goes well 1 or 2 huge crashes. Other then that there is little to hold ones interest until the last day...when it is over.

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly shopping the service of ace Roy Halladay, guess that is the white towel we have been waiting for. Halladay is almost the only pitcher on the team without a broken wing and can actually throw strikes so I guess it is time for him to move on. It is too bad that they can’t rid themselves of the albatross that is Vernon Wells and his massive contract.

The Reds managed to loose last night 22-1 to the Phillies. That is the worst loss in team history. This is not an expansion team either that means it was the worst loss in some 119 years, not good. The Phillies plated 10 in the first inning, not a great way to set the table for the rest of the game.

Remarks by Maple Leafs’ head coach Ron Wilson on a Toronto radio station could prove to be very costly. The Leafs are being investigated for tampering as it relates to the Vancouver Canucks Sedin twins. Wilson stated "You’re hearing right now, and this sounds very contradictory but, there’s a real possibility, I would think, that we would be going after the Sedins. Let’s just speculate there."
This they investigate but they look the other way when Brian Burke was rumored to go to the Leafs as GM. Seems like the NHL only investigates things that they feel like sometimes. Guess that is how 1 owner can lend money to the prospective buyers of a team or another can buy a team with no money. Guess It is very selective and subjective.

Jays Fall Out Of Nest - Boston's Embarrassment Of Riches

The Blue Jays have been hit again my the injury bug and have sent 3 pitchers to the disabled list. Closer Scott Downs, Casey Jansen and ace of the staff Roy Halladay. They join 3 more pitchers on the DL in Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch. This team’s pitching staff has had been decimated by injuries not only last year or this year. It is almost a wonder that there is even anyone left in the rotation. It is a wonder that they are still only 2 game out of first which is almost amazing. How long they can keep this up is questionable but if they can manage to hold on and keep things close until they can get a few pitchers back it could go a long way in showing the rest of the league that they can become a potential player in the pennant race.


This brings us to the Boston Red Sox, who seem to be trying to change the way teams set up their starting rotation. The Jays can hardly get enough arms to play the games, the Sox are getting ready to run out an unprecedented 6 man rotation - and a good solid one at that. Former Braves ace and future Hall of Fame member John Smoltz is set to make his season debut for his new team next week. I guess this is just a case to the rich getting richer. Smoltz will join a staff that will include; Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brad Penny and Smoltz. Not a bad luxury to have, that is a pretty deep pool to draw from. Will this work? Maybe, but it is a great problem to have.

Gone Are The Days That The Sports Are The News

So yesterday was an interesting day in sports, but for the most part it wasn’t for on-field or on-ice issues. It is getting to the point when you are watching shows like SportsCenter or Sportsnet Connected where it takes 10 minutes of news before you get any highlights. It isn’t just the fact that it is news but it has little or no impact on the games but is more like an episode of E! Now or Extra or one of those gossip shows.

First there was the news that Jets QB Brett Favre has decided to call it a career...again. For this player who has had more speculation of "will he or won’t he" then Friends Ross and Rachel and an episode of The Young and the Restless combined. I think that maybe this one may stick just because this time he has a legitimate injury and even with the use of his trusty Bow Flex it will be difficult for him to make a recovery to get to the point where he is healthy enough to get back into game shape. It doesn’t hurt that there is little options for a banged up 40+ year old starting QB. In any event I will go ahead and set the over/under date before speculation starts up about a possible return at July 8.

Next there is the startling lawsuit brought against former Blue Jay great Roberto Alomar by an ex-girlfriend. A $15 million dollar civil suit. She claims that Alomar has AIDS, and insisted on having unprotected sex with her. This seems similar to the Trevis Smith situation in Regina for the former CFL player. Whether it was as predatory will be interesting to find out. But I guess we wait to see how it plays out. It is sad to hear on both a sports level / social level/ and a personal level, both for Alomar himself as well as the ex-girlfriend. Until more info comes to light we won’t know all the facts but whatever direction it takes it is an unpleasant situation. (Alomar was on time engaged to former French tennis star Mary Pierce who was born in Montreal)
What says Spring is coming like pitchers and catchers reporting, like they are to do this Friday to get the baseball season off and running? Well that isn’t this issue, again a couple off field issues that have taken that out of the headlines.

First it was Joe Torre’s book about his time managing the Yankees. Early quotes from the book made it sound like it was a tell all expose with things like -the players called ARod (Alex Rodriguez) A-Fraud and things of that nature. In actuality it wasn’t as bad as it first sounded but I don’t think that Torre is far enough removed, time wise to come out with a book. Thankfully for Joe his book has gone to the back burner after the SI revelation followed by the admission from ARod that he took performance enhancing drugs (possibly steroids and/or HGH) between 2001-2003. Some people have commended him for admitting use others criticize him for only kind of apologizing but still more ducking many questions. It is hard to give credit for telling the truth, something that you are supposed to do but it is more then many players before him. It was a no win situation for him in whatever he had said but at least he went a little further then Jason Giambi did when he apologized but never said what he was apologizing for. ARod had a blueprint on what to do after seeing how Clemens, McGuire, Palmero, Pettite, Tejada, et al.