Whoo hoo! Game thread.

I'm going to be listening on the radio, mostly because I don't get Rogers Sportsnet at the moment. See, we've got the silver package from StarChoice, and that lets you pick three sets of channels from their menu. We need the one with Space and Bravo and all that stuff, and my wife needs the one with HGTV and so on, and of course we need the one with YTV so I can watch X-Men and Justice League on Saturday mornings. We'll probably switch that last one to the sports option once the regular season starts up, but it's not worth it for three spring training games.

Tosca just said, in relation to Chen's chances of making the team, "If you're gonna go 'bullpen-by-committee', you need three lefthanders in it."

Aaagh!

Just getting caught up on my reading. Richard Griffin has a fine feature on Ken Griffey.

Not only is Junior in good shape, but unlike many of the game's other top sluggers, he has reported to training camp at the same playing weight as in the past. Others among the game's beefy power elite have mysteriously melted away on what some are calling the BALCO diet. However, as bright as the immediate future seems, Junior needs to stay healthy to escape the label of fragile.

"The disappointment is I have not been able to play," Griffey said. "But all my stuff happened on the field. It didn't happen doing something else. I have to answer to the face in the mirror.

Geoff Baker profiles Aaron Hill:

It will take some time before anyone knows whether Hill can avoid the pratfalls of youth that claimed (Felipe) Lopez after he broke in with the Jays in 2001. But the confident glove man from Louisiana State University already has one advantage as he makes the transition from prospect to true professional — the fact he majored in psychology.

"Anyone can handle success," said Hill, whose Jays beat the Reds 4-0 in the opener of their Grapefruit League schedule. "It's how you're going to handle your failures that's the true measure of what kind of player you are."

On the radio pregame, Carlos Tosca said Jason Arnold has got himself back to an arm angle that puts more movement on his fastball, and was at 92-93 yesterday.

Jerry asked the skipper about Rosario; without mentioning why he didn't pitch yesterday, he echoed J.P.'s raves.

"He's got a real power arm. He needs to come up with a breaking ball. He's an attentive kid, a big part of our future."

Like Matthew, I shivered when Tosca, with a nod to Jim Leyland, said, "If we end up with three lefthanders, that would be great for us."

Justin Speier's "command was a little bit off, but he comes with a reputation as a bulldog, and we saw that."

Asked if Reed Johnson and Frank Catalanotto would be setting the table, Tosca said, "Our batting order's not going to change much from last year. If it's not broke, don't fix it."

He called Phelps "a streaky guy," but sounded emphatic that Josh would get more AB this year. Woody will hit eighth and Cash ninth most days, but "when Myers is in the lineup, that will change things."

Woo-hoo! Guillermo Quiroz gets the start behind the plate today.

fyi: Fan 590 is also carried on the Centre Ice channels on Rogers Digital Cable (e.g. channel 425); comes in handy here in Ottawa.

Sunday's game is also on Fan 590, and then home games are on the Internet during the week.

Tom Cheek just announced something about the radio schedule, and like an idiot I missed it. What was it - weekend spring games on the radio, all others on the net? Something like that?

Apparently spring training games aren't free on the internet this year; they're 'free with purchase'. Lets me out.

Tosca on Phelps:

Didn't he just respond to a question about Phelps being the everyday DH going into the year, with a "for now". Providing I heard this correct, can someone send Carlos to the principles office by May please.

http://economics.about.com
Just getting caught up on my reading. Richard Griffin has a fine feature on Ken Griffey.

Oops... I didn't realize you had already linked these.. I started a new Jays Roundup thread. I won't normally have them on weekends, but I sent the wifely person out shopping. :)

Cheers,

Mike

...And while he's in the principal's office, i'll be in the library writting out "principal" one hundred times.

I'd just like to say:

Yahoo, whoopee, yeehaw!

If Tosca said "for now," Shane, I missed it. I thought Carlos sounded quite positive about Josh, except for that "streaky" reference; he mentioned how frustrating last year must have been for him and suggested that 2004 should be much better.

Wilner had a friendly chat with Homer Bush, who actually has a chance to be the Opening Day 2B for the Yankees.

"They feel very fortunate to be on the field with me," joked Bush, in reference to his illustrious infield mates.

Ouch! That 2-2 thing was n-a-s-t-y.

Vazquez on the Stanks is the one winter move that makes me nervous.

It's the Phelps-less lineup, with Myers at DH. Four straight lefty batters from 4-7, counting the switch-hitting Hudson. The Yankees are going with their "A" team, with Travis Lee's glove at first base.

Pretty good rip for the Sparkplug on the 0-1, pulled foul. The 1-2 curve just missed; Reed fouled off 2-2 heat then was frozen by a much better breaking pitch. This early in the spring, hitters aren't ready for this kind of pitching. Cat got under one for a popup, then V-Dub, late on the first fastball, grounded out to second.

Hentgen, who Tosca said was only slated to work one inning, began by aiming the ball a little against Lofton, but escaped trouble on a harmless popup off a grooved 2-0 pitch. Jeter skied the first pitch to right, then A-Rod got a 2-out single. The svelte Giambi didn't like umpire Eric Cooper's high strike zone. Pat made four very good 1-2 pitches: fastball just under the knees, a straight change, and a slow curve, then another low heater, all fouled off. Finally, on another change, Cat took an adventurous route to a lazy, windblown fly ball to retire the side.

On a pregame interview with John Cerutti, in addition to praising Hentgen's pitching ability, J.P. called him, "someone for Doc to lean on." The respect is mutual; Pat told Rob Faulds, "Mike Bordick had nothing but great things to say about the character of these guys."

Gotta love Hinske's 2-out walk, during which Faulds said, "he takes a strike; three-and-oh."

Sheff just fell over his own feet! Triple for O-Dog cashes Hinske, 1-0 good guys.

Errant pickoff throw from Posada scores O-Dog.

Man. All the money in the world can't save them from comical mishaps in the field, eh?

Errant pickoff throw from Posada scores O-Dog.

Man. All the money in the world can't save them from comical mishaps in the field, eh?

A-Rod looked a little lost on that pick attempt at third.

But it's a GOOD thing to move him from shortstop. heh heh heh.

Yeah, that was fun to watch, and Hinske's patience got it going. Sheffield turned the third out into an RBI "triple" for Hudson, then Posada threw the ball away, and it's 2-0 Jays. Quiroz showed a good eye by not chasing the curveballs in the dirt and inside, but eventually fanned.

Mmm, defence. We may have spotted the chink we've all been looking for in the pintriped armour.

Perhaps Sheffield's apparent bad-read was inflected by Hudson's bat spike. I'd rather have watched him make a good play on an ultimately tough ball.

Jeebus, Hentgen's giving up bullets left and right here.

Not Hentgen, man. Hentgen's thinner, shorter, better and a whole lot more right-handed than Bruce Chen, who is indeed serving up some meaty offerings.

When did Chen come in? I must've missed it.

Chen might have got squeezed a little on the 1-0 to Matsui; it's hard to tell because the CF camera is pretty far to the right. Anyway, he threw a straight one right down Broadway after that, which Godzilla roped to the base of the wall.

Cat lost another pop fly in the sun, and didn't find this one, putting runners at second and third on a tainted "double." Bruce finally got an out on an infield popup, but he didn't fool Enrique Wilson, who just missed a three-run HR but gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead.

On the heels of Maurer's effort yesterday, Chen has done himself no favours today. There isn't much movement on any of his pitches.

Gotta love Hinske's 2-out walk, during which Faulds said, "he takes a strike; three-and-oh."

No? He didn't say that did he? The strike count never got beyond one. Pathetic. If Faulds hasn't worked to improve both his concentration and his style since last season, Rogers inc. has me totally baffled...they are trying to sell this product aren't they?

Spring training, is it fair to evaluate Chen on an inning of bad work against the Yankee brawlers (and Enrique!)? Maybe, but surely Chen didn't buy any favours from the higher ups in the organization.

OK, Chen starts a second inning...

is it fair to evaluate Chen on an inning of bad work

I'm not saying he should be cut, just pointing out the obvious -- he's completely hittable today. Wells normally catches that ball A-Rod hit, but it's early, in an unfamilar park, on a windy day with a wicked sun. But Alex very nearly left the yard, as did Sheffield, and Chen isn't missing any bats.

I know the powers that be frown on the use of "ntr", but Faulds is goin' supply a lot fodder over 120 games, and i've got a good one i'd like to break off. Moving on now...

"Not a bad idea," said Cerutti about the full-count walk to Sheffield with one out and a runner on third. It's an exhibition game, for crying out loud. You don't pitch around anyone.

I think it's safe to say that Tosca, making a rare mid-inning pitching change, thought it was a terrible idea. Bob File attempts to work out of Chen's jam.

Yikes, 6-2. Posada got even.

I think the Yankee bats are BALCO clients. The ball's just exploding off everyone's bats.

I thought File was robbed on the 1-2 to Matsui, but he struck him out anyway on the high heat. He started Posada with a fastball strike, threw a tantalizing bender that just missed, then may have been squeezed again on the 2-1 pitch. Jorge was sitting on the 3-1 down the middle, and blasted it out of the park. Any good lefty hitter is supposed to put a lot of air under that pitch.

JP's on the Sportsnet broadcast for those of you who mute Faulds.

Alex, welcome to the hot corner. Wells scorches a double under A-Rod's glove, and J.P., in the broadcast booth, jokes that "Robin Ventura makes that play." What a kidder

Wow, and now Faulds doesn't know that Hinske has to stop at third on a ground rule double.

"Clemens and Pettitte were a big loss," points out Ricciardi about the Yankees pitching, also wondering if Kevin Brown would stay healthy and "Who's their four and five?"

"Ideally, we'd like to see them play one more year in Triple-A," said J.P. about his prize prospects, while imagining "seven or eight rookies with a chance to make our club" next year.

Wow! O-Dog got all of that one, hitting right-handed. Just missed a 3-run homer, settles for a ground-rule double and it's suddenly 6-4. The fifth Toronto run scores on a Quiroz groundout.

Sounds like we've been beat on getting Quiroz a nickname...The boys in the radio both say his teammates have given him Q.

That's original. As shortforms go, it's probably better than Quir.

We've been calling him Q for as far as I can remember.

I"m sure it's been suggested, but wouldn't GQ be an obvious one?

JP's with Tom and Jerry in the radio booth (not saying anything new) and then with the 2-run error, through his teeth you he mutters, "gotta take the out there."

Durocher isn't bringing the high-octane gas just yet, but he managed to sneak a couple by A-Rod to get ahead 0-2. Unfortunately, Alex is a tough guy to put away; he lined his third hit of the day over the outstretched glove of Dave Berg, the new second baseman. Another sub, Shawn Fagan, had an easy force play at the plate on a Giambi bouncer, maybe even an inning-ending 3-2-3 DP, but threw the ball over Quiroz' head, and it's 8-5.

This isn't going to look very good in the box score, but Durocher hasn't pitched in almost a year, and he still has a long way to go. I hope he's not discouraged; his new teammates made a couple of very costly errors behind him.

Ricciardi just compared Simon Pond to Bamm-Bamm Rubble.

I hope this is one that sticks.

Best Fauldsian moment so far:

Cerutti tells Faulds that the last Yankee rotation without a lefty was in 1992, and then asks Faulds if he knows the last time the Yankees made the playoffs without a lefty in the rotation. Faulds: "So I guess it wasn't '92 then..."

Vintage!

Lexi Rios is, most definitely, not on steroids.

It's early, so I can't tell which Sportsnet announcer is which.

Cerutti is the colour guy right?

OK, the colour guy, I know it is spring training for them as well. But can Cerutti continue to spew incorrect facts like this? The Rule 5 draft means that players taken has to be used at 'one' level higher than last year. I'm sure they have to be used in the majors if taken in the major league portion of the rule 5 draft.

Just now, the Yankees are paying 60 million in luxury tax this year? About 60 million is eligible for the calculation (total payroll minus 120.5 million), of which 30% of that amount is the actual amount paid. Comes to about 18 million, maybe more, I really don't know how the Arod contract comes into play with the luxury tax arrangements.

Hrm... Sportsnet's stat/fact employee must be MIA today, giving Cerutti free reign on whatever.

OK, to be fair, Cerutti is trying, unlike certain other TV personalities who can only spew out tired out cliches left and right, is actually trying here.

13-5 Yankees? Talley's wackered!

Cerutti: "The Jays see McGowan possibly as a closer someday; that's just how good he is..."

Someone splain that to me!

I was baffled by that too, Steve. Could Cerutti be confusing him with Adam Peterson?

Watching all the Jays prospects bat was interesting, but you have to credit Ramon Ramirez, who has a very live arm, and made great pitches for called third strikes to Rios and Fagan. After the Yankees bought him from the Hiroshima Carp, he zipped through three levels of the minors last year.

Gabe Gross looks big, strong and athletic. His GIDP was almost a single up the middle. Rios looks tall. McGowan is also impressive; he has bigger, stronger legs than I imagined, and a good feel for the strike zone. Changes speeds beautifully. There can be plenty of very good things in a 13-5 loss at this time of year.

Way to break in the rookies there Torre?

I mean 14-5. It's hard to keep up.

Better get used to this sight: Paul Quantrill pitching for the Yanks against the Jays. When the games matter, they will be critical innings.

Oh well; at least it was baseball, and there're about eight more months of it. Go get 'em tomorrow.

Absolutely. About the only prominent guys we've yet to peek-a-boo is Aaron Hill, and Rosario (Arnold too). Not to bad.

I was baffled by that too, Steve. Could Cerutti be confusing him with Adam Peterson?

I think you are right Coach. Cerutti also tossed in the line, "Maybe I'll ask JP next time I talk to him" (referring to McGowan being a closer). I'd love to see JP's reaction to this question.

I watched the game with side-by-side picture. Smaller picture was the radio broadcast on the Centre Ice channel. Bigger picture was the muted Sportsnet broadcast. Radio was about a second behind. It's unfortunate to not have full-screen video and to be watching analog rather than digital, but based on the above comments, it saved a lot of aggravation. Maybe I should invest in a 2nd digital terminal, or go back to listening off the Internet (30 seconds behind).

Fun game. Howarth suggested Tally Haines was the Jays' Chad Bradford (soft-tosser from the minors). McGowan struck out 2 former major leaguers (TClark, HBush).

Howarth suggested Tally Haines was the Jays' Chad Bradford

Right. And when Rob Faults says it's a 'shallow fly ball to center' and it end up in the seats, i'm glad I have him there to tell me what's going on.

Nice pitching by Vinny Chulk, I thought -- an aggressive called third strike, a weak infield popup (Chiaffredo made a good catch) then got ahead 0-2 and retired the next guy on a grounder to first. A very tidy inning; Chulk should consider himself in the same mix as Chen, Durocher, Maurer and others -- most likely to go north with Syracuse, with a chance to pitch his way on to the Jays.

They don't have that option with Talley Haines, who got out of the fourth and worked a solid fifth before they either figured him out, or he started missing his spots. I liked watching him work -- he tries to paint the corners with slow stuff -- but I didn't see enough to warrant keeping him over these other alternatives. Last year, the Rule 5 guy was a no-brainer; Aquilino's arm stood out among the relievers all spring. Two years ago, they knew Corey Thurman was raw, but had room to carry him. It's still possible that none of the bullpen hopefuls will seize the opportunity, and "Bamm-Bamm" Pond will make the cut.

Did you hear J.P.'s sarcastic "yeah, right" about Ted Lilly moving his TV? Funny stuff. He also said that the lefty had been playing catch and throwing off a mound again, so it mustn't be too serious.

Arrived home late to watch the game -- missed the first three innings -- but it sure was an eyeful. I was pretty thrilled to see so many top prospects. A few thoughts:

- Dustin McGowan has game. His fastball is ready for the majors right now, and his breaking stuff just needs a little more consistency. Even if he never progresses beyond where he is today, he'll be a solid big-league starter; as he continues to develop, Toronto could easily have two aces in the rotation by mid-'05.

- Gabe Gross is bigger and squarer than I'd imagined. I'd always had this image of Shawn Green in my mind's eye, but Gross is brawnier and heftier. The power, which is all that's missing from his game, is coming. His swing also isn't as smooth as Green's, but I do like his eye at the plate. It'd have been nice to see him bat against a lefty, but I liked what I saw today.

- Russ Adams didn't have much luck at the plate, but I was more interested in his fielding. I can see why the organization still likes him at short: he's fluid and natural at the position. He fielded a hard grounder cleanly, and perhaps putting the lie to the no-arm-strength theory, almost overthrew his first baseman. I didn't like that little glove slap before he threw, though: that's a bad habit that he needs to get rid of fast. I think maybe he could handle short in the bigs, with a little more time.

- Alexis Rios is tall, oh yes. He's not ready for the majors yet; a full Triple-A season will be necessary to ensure he's not overwhelmed. But you can see the tools and the presence and the All-Star in progress. His swing is short and sharp, and he showed excellent bat control: no wild swings, no breaking-ball chases. He's going to be really, really good.

- Guillermo Quiroz went hitless, but you can see the power in that swing: it's like his bat is loaded, and the ball jumps off it. But it's also a little slow and a little sweepy, which makes me think he's not going to hit much above .250 or .260 his first couple of years in the show. His one throw to second was off-line, but the release was quick, and he seemed to handle his pitchers well. Looks good.

- Talley Haines was interesting. It seemed like the Yankee hitters weren't entirely comfortable against him, though they broke through in his second inning of work. He has excellent command and a very nice change-up; that spells effective long reliever to me. We'll need to see more from him.

The defence was very shaky, though it is still early in the spring. Rios disappointed me somewhat with his wild throw home that allowed a runner to advance and his late start on that looper to center, but again, the tools and talent are unmistakable. Shawn Fagan made the dumbest move with the disastrous throw to the plate; that won't help him.

I have less sympathy for the broadcast crew, who had four months to prepare for this game. I normally like Cerutti, but he referred to the Jays' AA team as "Knoxville" at one point. Faulds was his usual self, and I'm already dreading the Sportsnet broadcasts. They had clearly done little homework on the Toronto prospects beyond what the Stats guy gave them; to imply that Shawn Fagan and Gabe Gross are equally bright prospects is just unacceptable. And wasting McGowan as a closer would be insane. I really hope they're in game shape by the end of spring training.

Finally, that one-hour "documentary" about the 2004 Jays actually looked pretty good. It's nothing but a promotional video, of course, but it's very nicely put together. I briefly thought that the Halladay piece was part of the new ad campaign, and was disappointed to realize it wasn't: that's exactly what this team should be doing, riding its star players like Doc, Vernon and Carlos, as well as the cool guys like Hudson and Hinske.

Overall, this was great fun, despite the final score. I also would have liked to have seen Rosario, but McGowan was enough of a treat. I'm just that much more excited about this team.

http://www.immune26.tv
McGowan & Rios & Durocher.

McG looks like a tree stump. Big legs, thick like Roger C, mixed it up came back with curves back to back. Didn't look concerned about the Yanks. Looked like he was making HIS pitches. FIRST IMPRESSION, a definite keeper.

Rios JUST LOOKS BIG LEAGUE. I was impressed by his LACK OF MOVEMENT at the plate. The ball's inside or outside. He just stands there. Not concerned. VERY MATURE. Can't wait to see him 600+ times!

I'm p*ssed off about thier comments about Durocher and McGowan. Big D brought 98 mph heat and was FANTASTIC before being hurt. They never mentioned his stuff or that he was coming back from serious injury, and while still an injury risk has a huge upside. DON'T THEY KNOW? The cr*p about McG being a potential closer is DISGUSTING what planet are they on on?

All winter EVERY day I spend at least an hour going from site to site on the internet to learn everything I can about the team and they put guys on the air that just don't give a s*hit. ANYONE of us would be a huge improvement! Coach, wanna job?

I'm also anxious to see Rios, among others. I think Robert D. mentioned that he is looking forward to his first year of MLB's Extra Innings -- me too! (Well, not to Robert's first year of it, but to mine.) It'll be good to see more Toronto games this year.

As for Chen ... we ought not to rely on spring training to tell us anything. It seems to me Chen has already provided plenty of evidence that he's not going to make it. I was corrected by a well-placed Blue Jays source that Chen doesn't have an attitude problem, so I apologize for making disparaging remarks in that regard. However, I don't know what at this point should make us believe that Chen will ever contribute to a major-league team.

Gitz, Chen is a pitcher in his late 20s who has had substantial minor league success, and no real major league success yet. He strikes out plenty and does not walk many. Baseball history is littered with pitchers like Chen, who for no apparent reason, just click. I'm not saying he will, but just that he probably needs to spend time in Syracuse to let him try to pull it together.

My best guess is that he does not respond well to pressure, and facing the Yankees in his first spring training game might not be the best thing for him.

Great comments guys ...

I was away from a TV for the afternoon and therefore missed the game. Just as well, since I have vowed to completely boycott the Yankees in 2004.

If Quiroz will be nicknamed "Q," here's a question ...

When does he set the all-time "Q" home run record?

Last season, Mark Quinn (45) broke a tie with record-holder Jamie Quirk (43) for the lead. Presuming Quinn doesn't live up to any of his early hype, and it looks like he won't ...

Anyway, food (in this case, quiche) for thought.