There's an article about John-Ford Griffin from the Sarasota Harold Tribune.

I have a sudden urge to go watch Fashion Television....

http://economics.about.com
I have a sudden urge to go watch Fashion Television....

Yup. Good call.

Cheers,

Mike

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=1752473
In thier Daily positional battle update, ESPN looks at the Jays' closer situation (COMN).

A few more articles:

- Spencer Fordin's Hentgen report: Back Where He Started.

-Some more Fordin Notes. Interesting to hear GQ is the one picked to showcase his approach at the plate for all the minor leaguers.

-Tosca renewed acquaintances with a guy he coached back in Oneonta, Donny Baseball.

The Jays have signed the remaining youngins on the 40-man roster to 1-year contracts. We'll see if at this time next year, Hudson and Phelps are donning multi-year contracts a la Hinske and Wells.

Hmmm, I see Talley Haines is one of the guys just signed up to a new one-year deal. Question: Will Tampa Bay be bound to the terms of this contract if Haines ends up back there? I would think so, and it makes me think of a scheme for the Evil Empire:

1) Draft a guy you like in the Rule 5, from a poor team
2) Sign him to a 7 figure contract
3) If you decide you want to send him down to the minors, you don't have to worry about his old team taking him back.

I wouldn't put it past Steinbrenner to waste money like this, but I do doubt the Yanks would have much use for a Rule 5er.

Ooh, Mike picked my favourite great-bad song of 1984!

Jonny, that's brilliant.

Jonny: Only problem there is that it isn't only the original team that gets a shot at the guy. I think other teams get to try to pick him up, too, so if the Jays were to do this, the Yankees would get their shot at taking Haines on the rule 5 terms. I believe this is how the Jays got Willie Canate.

So I was watching the Jays-Yankees game today and John Cerutti caught my attention with a statement he made about Dustin McGowan (spelling?).

Dustin was pitching pretty well at that time and Cerutti mentioned that the Jays have been planning to turn him into a closer and wondered if that was still their plan. Well, as far as I have evr heard McGwan has been considered a starting pitcher.

Has anyone else heard anything about this because I personally think a dominant starter is a lot harder to find than a great closer...your thoughts?

Thx, Nolan

This is probably a figment of John Cerutti's imagination and I wouldn't worry about it.

Well, maybe not. For a while there, Ricciardi's generic compliment for any pitcher was that he might make a good closer. As I recall he said this about Prokopec and Thurman and perhaps a couple of other people. So he might also have said it about McGowan.

But I still wouldn't worry about it. Every indication is that he's going to be used as a starter.

This was discussed in the Playball! thread. The assumption is Cerutti was mistaken and meant Adam Peterson because McGowan has always been referred to by the Jays' front office as a starter and is described by publications like BA to be a potential ace in the next 2-3 years. The play-by-play crew made several errors that are well documented by the folks contributing to the makeshift game thread so it would shock alot of people of Cerutti actually meant McGowan.

Jonny: Only problem there is that it isn't only the original team that gets a shot at the guy. I think other teams get to try to pick him up, too, so if the Jays were to do this, the Yankees would get their shot at taking Haines on the rule 5 terms.

Matthew, you're confusing me. Are you saying that if a team wants to send a Rule 5er to the minors, they have to offer him to his original team for $25K, and if that teams syas "No thanks", the player then has to be offered to the other 28 teams? If so, that's a new one on me. There were a couple Rule 5ers traded mid-season last year, but those were just trades, not 'claims'.

Anyways, the scheme isn't for the Jays, it's for the Yankees. The idea is that they can sign up a Rule 5er to an inflated contract such that they don't have to worry about him being taken back by his original team. It's not likely to ever happen, just a random thought.

Matthew, you're confusing me. Are you saying that if a team wants to send a Rule 5er to the minors, they have to offer him to his original team for $25K, and if that teams syas "No thanks", the player then has to be offered to the other 28 teams?

That's what I'm saying. If I have something wrong, I am eager to be corrected. But that's my understanding. As I say, I think this is how the Jays got Canate.

Ooh, Mike picked my favourite great-bad song of 1984!

Finally, one that I actually own. The 12" is somewhere in the garage.