Does anybody have an update on Barry Bonds and FALCO scandal?

Very nice. One million points!

Next 3 moves eh?

1. more bullpen shuffling (someone up, someone down 12th man stuff)
   
2. more roster shuffles (Berg down/released, someone else up)
   
3. more bullpen shuffling (someone up, someone down 12th man stuff)
   

What should they do?

1. Figure out why the pitchers were not ready for the start of the season and why Tosca is having problems figuring out when to shift and who to bring in, then let go of whoever is causing the issues
   
2. Decide which of the pen is going to continue to scuffle and shifting him out then bringing up a real outfielder who hits right handed for platoon purposes
   
3. Be ready to bring up the hot prospects in late May early June to avoid the arbitration clock and to maximize the benefits they could provide this season
   

And also, don't panic as there are 140 games to go.

Question #1 (what will happen)

Fire Tosca, promote some minor pitchers (Bush to Toronto, McGowan to AAA).

Question #2 (what should happen)

1. Trade for a decent righthanded hitter for the #2 slot against lefthanded pitching. Maybe Brian Roberts or Jerry Hairston from Baltimore, or Michael Cuddyer from Minnesota. This would be combined with DFA-ing Dave Berg to make room.

2. Drop Vernon Wells in the order to #6 or #7 until he comes out of his slump. This would be after giving him a few days off to clear his head.

3. Closed door meeting with Tosca to discuss reliever usage. Special attention paid to which guys are LOOGY or ROOGY (hint: there are no LOOGY's on the Jays, only ROOGY's). Since this will be a closed door, private meeting, none of us will hear about it.

Next three Moves:

1) Bullpen shuffling. Nakamurra down
2) Wells shifted down in the batting order. I didn't see all of the game and was despondent so this might have already happened.
3) Late May, Gross joins the team and plays every other day. Berg is sent down/cut as Clarke does the same things.

What should they do:

1) Start playing small ball to scratch out runs even if they're up by two in the 5th. Run a bit etc.

2) Sit down and decide what they have in the bullpen. What does it tell you when we're using two spare parts (Nakamurra, Frasor) that weren't in the plans during spring training. I'm not saying that they're no good but I think that Tosca is spoilt for choice and doesn't have a good idea of who should be used where.

3) Stop wasting good starts from the mediocre staff. Didn't these guys see the memo I sent?

http://mothershipconnection.blogspot.com/
Re Off-Topic Question:

About a year ago, I'm strolling through the local library, looking for two J. of Chem Ed. back issues to add the finishing touches to my thesis, when I got struck by an odd feeling of pre-non-video MTV deja vu. Back in the 80's there was a Tears for Fears video (I'm 95% sure it was Head Over Heels) in which Roland Orzabal is chasing around this librarian making his typical mouthy faux-singing gestures. Highest of high comedy. Needless to say I proceeded to reenact the video to my girlfriend who was with me at the time, much to the chagrin of everybody studying. Never mind that I haven't seen the video or heard the song in ages.

Useless Info Department: Tears for Fears lifted the title of one of their greatest hits,Everybody Wants to Rule the World, from a lyric in the Clash's Charlie Don't Surf. This so incensed Joe Strummer that he wouldn't even shake Orzabal's hand upon meeting him backstage at a concert, only muttering "Write your own ****ing songs."

Ahh, the things you find out when you have too much time on your hands and an unhealthy obsession for the 70's punk movement.

Off-topic question: Yes! A few years back, for no particular reason an episode of M*A*S*H started going through my head (no, I no longer remember which one). It stayed there for days. About a week later I was channel surfing and lo! I hit Prime (or some other lame cable channel), saw the M*A*S*H credits starting up, left it on, and sure enough, it was that episode. Creepy.

Okay, it was the one where Hawkeye and Col. Potter get trapped by enemy fire away from the 4077 and Hawkeye refuses to shoot back.

Jays:
What should happen is

1) see if there is a stupid owner out there who will trade a Danny Bautista -type outfielder for, say, Bruce Chen (AND pick up most of the salaries);
2) call in a mass-hypnotist to convince the Jays that April 2004 never happened;
3) form a pre-game genuine First Nations healing circle and pass around chaws of sweet grass and wild rice.

What will happen? Nothing.

I think most keen Jays observers felt that we really wouldn't do much this year unless we had a sensational rookie infusion like the Marlins (Willis, Cabrera) did last year. Tosca has overmanaged at times but in the past three games, it seems like he's been cursed with choosing the wrong guy at the wrong time. I think the Jays really need to figure out what to do with Delgado. I don't know if there is any traction to the rumors and that JP and DePodesta are working on a Delgado for Prospects deal. The pitching will improve as the wave of young arms get ready to arrive on the scene. The hitting is getting back on track. What to do with your most valuable asset and the man who's also eating 38% of your payroll?

Question for the knowledable posters here.

Can the Jays trade Delgado? He has a no trade clause, and has repeatedly said that he won't be traded. And yet I always hear rumours that he'll be traded. I remember last year he said that he woudln't waive his no trade clause. And the rumours continue.

Does anyone think he's open to being traded? And to whom?
I'm guessing that AL East teams are out. Both Oakland and LA could use first basemen. Would he waive it to go to either place? I know Green's in LA, maybe that would help.

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-118/epid-16215/
Off Topic Question

I was making dinner a couple of weeks ago fully aware that CTS shows Growing Pains reruns at 6:30. I decided to forgo the hockey-heavy SportsCentre and watch while eating. As I was preparing dinner, for some reason the episode where Carol's boyfriend dies after a drunk driving (COMN) popped into my head. When I turned it on, that's the episode that was playing. Probably Tracey Gold's finest performance.

On Topic Questions

a) #1 priority is figuring out what to do with the bullpen. The situation is beginning to take on a life of it's own. Come up with an approach and stick with it for a while.
b) As someone else mentioned, a right-handed bat that can hit out of the 2 spot against lefties.
c) I don't advocate adopting a full force small ball approach, but they need to find a way to score those extra runs somehow, even if it means sacrificing an out from time to time.

What will happen? I don't know, but the "we'll get things going" solution is getting more frustrating with each passing day.

Carol's boyfriend was played by Matthew Perry?!?!? Wow.

RE: Delgado. He can't be traded unless he decides not to exercise his no-trade clause. I guess the theory is that if the Jays were far enough back and the Dodgers were heading towards a division title, he might consider a trade. I don't think it's all that likely, but then again, I didn't think a 7-15 start to the season was all that likely either.

I think Delgado would agree to a trade if it was part of a new contract. If someone offered 3 years / 45 million, he'll waive that no-trade clause in a second.

http://www.tvtome.com/JusttheTenofUs/
Carol's boyfriend was played by Matthew Perry?!?!? Wow.

Matthew Perry must have had good connections with that production team. I also remember him starring in an episode of the Growing Pains spinoff, Just the Ten of Us.
Incidentally, if there's any 24 fans out there, Dennis Haysbert who plays President Palmer had a recurring role on that show as Coach Johnson.

I always hear how Delgado would waive his no-trade clause to play in LA with Shawn Green. Personally, I don't see it happening. Delgado for all his talent has never struck me as an overly ambitious player. I think he's comfortable in Toronto. I really don't think that winning means that much to him.

http://me.woot.net
if there's any 24 fans out there

Yeah, like there are any people who have seen 24 and aren't fans. Greatest show ever.

Yeah, like there are any people who have seen 24 and aren't fans. Greatest show ever.

I remember being intrigued when they started showing ads for season 1, but opted not to watch the opening episode because I though it would be too difficult to keep up. Luckily, they repeated the opener the same week on Friday and I've been hooked ever since.
It's my only must-see show.
Until January, when Family Guy returns.

On-Topic Question #2:

Nothing. The biggest mistake they make right now is over-reacting:
(a) cutting useful talent because it's underperforming in a very small sample.
(b) promoting young players too quickly to 'infuse' the ML team.

Billy Beane once said that you should spend the first two months of the season figuring out what you need, the second two months getting it, and the last two months winning. Sounds right. Making significant moves in the first month or two is a mistake, and if JP has done anything wrong it's in over-reacting and shuffling the 23rd through 25th roster spots every week and a half based on just a handful of AB or IP.

Off-Topic Question

I have had 'My Hat, It Has Three Corners' in my head pretty much continuously since I learned it in grade-2 music class. So almost 20 years.

I remember being intrigued when they started showing ads for season 1, but opted not to watch the opening episode because I though it would be too difficult to keep up. Luckily, they repeated the opener the same week on Friday and I've been hooked ever since.
It's my only must-see show.


I can't stand the suspense, so I just wait for each season to come out on DVD. Then I rent the box set from Queen Video (only $10 for a week!) and have a "24 Binge".

jc

I can't stand the suspense, so I just wait for each season to come out on DVD. Then I rent the box set from Queen Video (only $10 for a week!) and have a "24 Binge".

I did that for Season 2. My fiancee (who used to mock me for being so into the show) got me Season 1 for my birthday, watched a couple of episodes, and got hooked. We had to watch all of Season 2 in about 2 weeks so that she would understand things when Season 3 started. It's tough now watching an episode and not being able to say, "let's watch another hour".

A new Prospectus Triple Play featuring the Braves, Devil Rays, and Blue Jays is out.

What will happen:

1. Nakamura goes back down. Chris Baker comes up, goes into long relief. Gets shelled. Next pitcher comes up. Repeat.

2. The relievers will be shuttled in and out of roles, depending on who is hot lately

3. The Jays will find another outfielder (or bring Pond back) and punt Berg.

What should happen - I'll list four things:

1. Tosca should make a decision about which reliever does what, and stick with it. It doesn't really matter who goes where. I'd probably prefer to see Speier close and Adams set him up, since Adams has a bit more stamina than Speier, but I'm happy with either. Once he's made up his mind, he shouldn't change it for at least a month (unless somebody does an Escobar-style meltdown).

2. I'm not sure about dropping Wells in the order. It depends on how he would take it, I suppose. It might benefit him - relieving some of the pressure - or it might cause him to lose his confidence. I don't have enough inside information to know. The problem is: if you move him, who do you put there? Hinske? Woody? If you move somebody there, you'll put the same pressure on him that you're currently putting on V-Dub.

3. Find a genuine outfielder somewhere, or else bring up Pond to replace Berg. Gomez, though he won't hit for long, is filling the same ecological niche as Berg, so Berg is just sitting on the bench, rotting away. And the at-bats Gomez doesn't take could go to Clark, who is a better hitter, and a roughly equivalent outfielder.

The Jays could use any kind of fourth outfielder whatsoever - a defensive replacement would be useful, or a right-handed spare part.

4. Most important: don't panic. Despite their gawdawful record, this isn't actually a bad team. It's not a really good team, but it looks like the Red Sox and Yankees are going to do their thing, as advertised, so the Jays weren't likely to win this year anyway. (The Yankees are off to a slow start, but they can always go and buy somebody from another team.) The best thing to do right now is just leave the guys alone, and let them work their way out of whatever it is they're currently in.

Yeah, like there are any people who have seen 24 and aren't fans. Greatest show ever.

I've only seen one episode. It involed Kiefer Sutherland's character wearing a bee keeper outfit and busting someone for dealing drugs, because the drugs were actually some some sort of virus.

I thought it was terrible. The acting was atrocious! Every line was overaught BS.
I haven't watched it since.

Oh well, different strokes for different folks. I happen to love the Trailer Park Boys, so I don't want to criticize any other show too much.
:)

I think Tosca is handling his bullpen like a drowning man grabbing at straws. The bullpen know he is doing it and it makes them edgy and unsettled.

Tosca needs to go back to defined roles and not change it based on one nights results. After JP spends $10 million in the offseason to stock the bullpen, the first man called into a 4-1 lead by Tosca is a pitcher claimed off the waiver wire less than a month ago.

Nakamura should be long relief, or used in losing situations only. When Frasor came into the game on Wednesday night Tom Cheek stated that the Jays have found that Frasor is not great pitching in back to back games, he loses velocity. Now Tom may have no idea what he is talking about but Frasor was used Thursday after throwing 24 pitches on Wednesday. He allowed two hits.

Maybe Tosca should have to take a Valium before games.

Speaking of taking a Valium, now that the Jays are really imploding, I find I cannot access the Jays Fan Forum on Insiders.com/ezboard; in all the places that I might access it from, it either is not linked anymore (Yahoo sports/mlb/bluejays page) or when I click on a favourites link or when I go to the insiders.com website, the jays site just gives me the 'page cannot be displayed' notice.

Any suggestions/explanations?

CHANGE #1: get rid of the new uniforms. Not only are they horrible to look at, the baseball gods have cast ill karma to the Jays because of them

CHANGE #2: either: (a) fire Tosca, (b)make him stop intentionally walking bad hitters, swtiching pitchers for a righty-righty (or lefty-lefty) matchup when fearsome hitters like Timo Perez are at bat, or (c) direct Tosca to work in his cap, or bend the rim.

CHANGE #3: Tell Vernon Wells that this inability to hit was a good prank, but we're tired of it now!

MM: Have you ever got a scene from a TV show or a movie stuck that you haven't seen in a long, long time stuck in your head? ... Am I absolutely nuts, or has this happened to you?

Your wording suggests that these might not be mutually exclusive questions.

Christopher: Does anybody have an update on Barry Bonds and FALCO scandal?

After her fling with AJ's guidance counselor, Carm sets her sights on a partner with more celebrity. Tony is simultaneously angered and titillated at the idea of his to-be-ex dating a professional baseball player. David Lee Roth loses his spot at the poker table.

Wrong Falco?

alsiem: What does it tell you when we're using two spare parts (Nakamurra, Frasor) that weren't in the plans during spring training.

I don't think using these two is a problem, in and of itself. Just that if you're going to carry 7 relievers, then use the back-end guys in low leverage situations, not like they were used last night.

Christopher: Both Oakland and LA could use first basemen. Would he waive it to go to either place? I know Green's in LA, maybe that would help.

Even in the absence of a contract extension, whick Oakland would never offer, I would suggest that finances would preclude them from acquiring Delgado for even just a half-season, at $8M.

As for LA, Shawn Green has been forced to play 1B because of shoulder problems. All the Delgado/Green buddy talk may be irrelevant.

DT: I'm not sure about dropping Wells in the order. It depends on how he would take it, I suppose. It might benefit him - relieving some of the pressure - or it might cause him to lose his confidence.

I think moving Wells in the order would be a good thing. I think the trade-off of sending a message vs. potentially upsetting his confidence is worthwhile. Wells isn't having decent AB's and suffering through bad luck. He's going to the plate a lost man, with no apparent game plan. His lack of plate discipline is easier to take when he hit like he did in 2003. It's unacceptable when he's hitting like David Wells. I'm all for a kick-in-the-pants strategy at this point.

DT: Find a genuine outfielder somewhere, or else bring up Pond to replace Berg.

But Pond, being a LHB, doesn't help the situation. The Jays needs a RHB for the corner OF. How hard could one of those be to scare up? Even a Dustin Mohr would help.

I do agree that Berg and Gomez are redundant, so punting one makes sense.

Just The Ten Of Us--My favorite TV show of all time!

I think it is part of the reason why I became a teacher!

I was wondering how long it would take before some suggested that the Jays need to either change their uniforms/fire the breakdancers/replace the J-Cru with Hotters Waitresses in order to improve the performance of the club. The correct answer is 24. Given the TV talk in this thread, that's a little spooky.

RE: Other suggestions. I think alseim hit the nail on the head when he suggests that Tosca's job may be easier if he had fewer bullpen choices.

I find I cannot access the Jays Fan Forum on Insiders.com/ezboard

Try:

http://mb3.theinsiders.com/ftorontobluejaysfrm1

http://www.sasesportssigs.com/JimyWilliams.jpg
direct Tosca to work in his cap, or bend the rim.

Why is this a common affliction among Jays managers? COMN

That should be Hooters Waitresses. Though it never hurts having hotter waitresses.

But Pond, being a LHB, doesn't help the situation. The Jays needs a RHB for the corner OF. How hard could one of those be to scare up? Even a Dustin Mohr would help


Let me reiterate my Cuddyer suggestion. I think there's a real chance of trading for him.

1. Instead of praising him for his hitting, Minnesota dumps on him for his mediocre defense.

2. He's lost playing time to Lew Ford, who (IMO) is an inferior hitter. He just happens to be going through a serious hot streak right now, and the Twins might be blinded by it.

3. When Mauer and Lecroy come back, the Twins will have to make a move. If Morneau keeps hitting the cover off the ball at AAA, the roster will become even more crowded (Minny is a hotbed of talent eh?)

Cuddyer has power and patience, and could blossom into a 30HR/100RBI guy, given the chance.

direct Tosca to work in his cap, or bend the rim.

With all due respect to those that have already bought new caps...These new ones seem a bit wacky. Is the front panel bigger than usual to fit in the logo? They're like train engineer caps with the tall front.

Next time you're at the dome, check out the Jays pictures when they come to bat. It's like they're little leaugers with those hats. I swear Hudson's cap is actually over his ears!

I think the Twins will hang onto Cuddyer as plan B at third base, to guard against injuries to the moderately healthy Koskie.

As for Lew Ford, what a value-for-your-money $600K platoon he and Howie Clark would have made last year and this. Of course, you can't burden yourself with silly things like sample size.

2003
Ford: 329/402/575
Clark: 357/400/429

2004
Ford: 407/455/695
Clark: 333/357/444

http://me.woot.net
Hooters waitresses are most certainly not hot, by and large. Their food is bad too.

Paul D.: I don't know what "overaught" means (and neither does Merriam-Webster), but "atrocious" isn't a word I'd use to describe the acting. You came in about 1/4 through the season, too, which is why you didn't understand what's going on; 24 isn't a show you can pick up part-way through too easily.

Let me reiterate my Cuddyer suggestion. I think there's a real chance of trading for him.

What would it take to get Cuddyer, or Ford?

Hooters waitresses are most certainly not hot, by and large.

Never suggested they were. :)

Their food is bad too.

Agreed. For the most part, it's downright awful.

There's no need to pick on Paul D for his mispelling of overwrought. I've only seen one episode, and I have to agree with him. However, I am willing to give it another chance.

I can't imagine the Twinkies will give up Cuddyer. What would we give them in return? Dave Berg? I love the idea, though. He'd fit in well with this team.

If we're serious about trading for major-league talent, and for the record I'm opposed at this point, one of Adams and Hill is likely expendable.

"Tonight, on a very special Diff'rent Strokes..."

Ah, so many memories. I'd be doing drugs right now if not for Nancy Reagan.

OT, but it appears A.J. Pierzynski is not the most popular man in the Bay area.

Stories like that Pierzynski one always bug me.

"Hell, he's a horrible guy. Lousy character. Everybody hates him. Criticizes his teammates. No, you can't print my name."

At what point did this sort of thing become acceptable journalism?

I don't know what "overaught" means (and neither does Merriam-Webster),
Hey, I have a math degree, what can I say?
:)

I didn't have a problem with following the plot, I had a problem with just about everything else.

It may be that I'd like it if I watched an entire episode. However, that's one of the reasons that I don't watch many TV shows. I'm not ready to make that type of committment. (This has lead to problems in other areas of my life as well...)
I try to stick to shows like Law and Order, the Simpsons and South Park, where I can watch any episode without knowing what happened last time. The only exception I've made lately is for DaVinci's Inquest.

Anyways, back to baseball. I don't think the Jays will trade Delgado. Assuming he agrees to lift his no trade (which is a big assumption) there's still a limited market for someone making as much as he is. Which means that the Jays won't be offered much. What was the last half season rental where the team giving up got a good return?
The Jays will be just as well off letting him play out the season, and trying to resign him, or take the draft picks.

My prescriptions are basically Dave Till's:
1. don't panic
2. reduce bullpen size to 6
3. stick with a bullpen plan for a month (even if it is bullpen by committee) and don't announce a new closer every game or two
4. find a right-handed 4th-5th OF for bench

This is still basically a good team. I would not move Vernon from the 3 slot. I'd give him a day off on a day game after a night game.

As for LA, Shawn Green has been forced to play 1B because of shoulder problems.

Although this was the way it looked in the offseason, they were set to open the year with a Green/Roberts/Encarnacion outfield. When LA traded for Milton Bradley, Green moved to 1B so Roberts could continue to start. While I thought Roberts was the wrong choice in LF (he seemed barely adequate for a CF last year), he has gotten on base at a .407 clip this year and stolen 14 bases (0 CS!), and he's got value if he keeps that up despite a career SLG of .335. But if he tails off, I could see Green returning to the OF to make room for a bat at 1B.

On the off-topic:
24 is freaking amazing. The best show on TV. Early on, I really thought they had lost it this season, but they pulled it together and it has been I think better than Season 2. They've really done something totally new, and that doesn't happen often with television. There's a 1-shot 24 comic book coming out, I think in May...

Guys realistically do you see tosca lasting the season.
Just a prediction but i can see this team switching managers by the all-star break if this continues.

JOIN THE FIRE TOSCA BANDWAGON

Because I know you've all been anxiously awaiting them, tbe results from the All-Two-First-Names Hall of Names feature are now available in the earlier thread.

We actually came up with three teams (All-Pretty-Common; All-Not-So-Common; All-Female) and a fourth list of a host of leftovers. Where have you gone, Amos Otis?

Michael Lewis' latest column for Bloomberg News is a decent read, although it contains nothing really new from the author of Moneyball.

Of the Jays-post-mortum-part-N articles in today's dailies, I thought Jeff Blair's was the best.

But I was a little confused by Mr. Blair's suggestion for the next Skip, if Tosca were to be replaced:

...considering the organization has relatively inexperienced managers in the minor leagues, it will at least make everyone's life a little easier. The minor league skippers make director of player development Dickie Scott, 41, the likely choice to take over if Tosca is fired.

(Aside: Any thoughts on whom Ricciardi would have scouted in Oklahoma?)

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&refer=columnist_lewis&sid=arHT.F6s.2SI
COMN for Lewis column.

I like the idea of changing the uni's. The fact that the Jays now look almost exactly the same as the Rays seems to be carrying over to the field.

I tuned in last night when Frasor came in. I don't think you can really blame him. He got the ground ball he needed, it just went off his glove. Of course he was helped by the incredible move of the White Sox bunting with men 1st and 3rd with one out. What's up with that?

I think Tosca getting dumped will be the next big move. The team is playing with no confidence. This may not Tosca's fault but the Jays have to get the big guns going somehow.

A minor move might be switching Hinske and Wells against righties. It might get them both going.

The right field situation has to be improved, but with Rios coming next year and the Jays not making the playoffs anyway this year, it does not make sense to go out and get an established player there unless you can get a real deal or that person fits into the long term plans.

Anyway, things are not that bad, the starters have picked it up, the offence (Delgado are now hitting, Woody and Cash are exceeding expectations) is showing signs of life. Things will even out. If you do anything now with your roster you get poor value in a trade and will likely regret it.

My strong belief is that good teams fire managers for only two reasons:

1. The manager has lost the respect or attention of the clubhouse. Players tune him out or ignore him, and his authority becomes fatally undermined. In this situation, you need to make a change in order to get the personnel re-focused on their jobs and on the goal.

2. The manager has the players' respect and attention, but collectively they've hit a wall: there's no improvement in the team's performance year over year, or a good team can't get over the hump to become a great team (call it Jacques Martin Syndrome).

I don't think Carlos Tosca fits into either of these categories, not yet at any rate. I've been saying for awhile that if the worst thing about Tosca is his inability to handle relievers, he's a pretty good manager. When the Jays broke out of their slump with that mini-three-game winning streak last week, the players were outspoken in their praise of Tosca for keeping them on an even keel. Unless they were completely BS'ing, I don't believe that Tosca has lost them that quickly.

That said, Tosca's reliever problems are nothing new. Although we Bauxites tend to obsess over his bullpen weaknesses, to the point of second-guessing him unfairly, it is undeniable that Tosca displays little confidence in his relievers, and they know it. Tosca's error was not to "misunderstand" Terry Adams' availability for that first game against Minnesota; it was to yank Justin Speier out of the closer's role after one blown save opportunity. Now Tosca has put the fear of God in all his relievers: screw up once and you're back to setup or mopup duty. The best suggestion I've heard here so far is for Tosca -- with or without help from the front office -- to settle on defined roles for his bullpen and stick with them. I don't know much about major-league ballplayers, but I do know this: they hate not knowing what their job is. And rumours about the pitching staff's unhappiness with Tosca's reliever roulette extend back to last season.

But this one aspect of his game shouldn't be enough to sink Tosca; had Speier not served up that gopher ball in the Metrodome, we likely wouldn't even be having this discussion. I was taken aback that JP would publicly second-guess his manager -- that's not like him -- but he's no doubt ten times as frustrated with the team's performance as anyone here. I don't think his bullpen foibles will cost Tosca his job; but he should be careful nonethless. If the young players start backsliding, if the team starts making mental mistakes from lack of good teaching and preparation, if the club looks like it's given up on 2004, then it'll be adios Carlos. But right now, I don't see any of that. It's the veterans who are struggling, not the kids, and the coaching staff deserves credit for Chris Woodward and Kevin Cash taking giant steps forward that nobody foresaw in the spring. None of us know what's really happening in the clubhouse, of course, but I don't see any signs of breakdown or mutiny.

The best course is to take a deep breath, take a step back and remember the big picture. As someone said, the Jays are halfway through the two-month period of assessing what they need, and they aren't even a contending team. Let's have this conversation again on May 30 and see if our prescriptions for improvement are the same as they are today. I would say not.

As for Lew Ford, what a value-for-your-money $600K platoon he and Howie Clark would have made last year and this. Of course, you can't burden yourself with silly things like sample size.

Unfortunately, trading for Lew Ford at this stage would be a classic case of buying high. With his 20 odd RBI in a two week period, Ford's value has skyrocketed over the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, Cuddyer is regarded by a lot of people as a first round draft pick who failed to develop. This is the guy you want.

What would it take to get Cuddyer, or Ford?

I think a few low level pitching prospects would do the trick. Maybe Vince Perkins and some other low-level pitching prospect?

I think it's too soon to make a call on which middle infield prospect (Hill & Adams) to keep. Or if they should keep both and trade Hudson.

Here is a question - do you think any of the problems the Jays have been having has anything to do with the new bench coach the Jays hired this season?

Discuss.

do you think any of the problems the Jays have been having has anything to do with the new bench coach the Jays hired this season?

You mean like distracting Tosca with a game of cribbage thereby allowing Batista to start an 8th inning when he should have been replaced?

The problems thus far don't appear too different from early last season, at least in the end results column. To me this suggests that the team needs to reevaluate how it runs spring training (which you can't do anything about until 2005). As for this year, see if May goes like last May and if so then work on figuring out how to avoid a mid-season slump ala 2003. If May goes badly too then June will be the time to see a lot of AAA guys get their shots in RF (Rios or Gross) and on the mound with a shot for anyone who appears ready early at other positions.

http://www.battersbox.ca/archives/00001696.shtml#12posts
(Aside: Any thoughts on whom Ricciardi would have scouted in Oklahoma?)

Perhaps David Percey for Oklahoma. He's a big lefty (6-5, 240 lbs). BA ranks him 13th among draft eligble players (although the rankings are a couple months old now). Looks like he dominated the Cape league last summer.

COMN for the college pitcher profiles.

Oklahoma is playing Oklahoma State this weekend. Josh Fields, 3b and Jason Jaramillo, C of OSU are both highly regarded players as well.

(Aside: Any thoughts on whom Ricciardi would have scouted in Oklahoma?)

Just going by Baseball America's mid-season college player rankings (their Top 50) as of March 24th, the following players of interest are from Oklahoma colleges.

LHP David Purcey, Oklahoma (13th) - big (6'5, 240 lbs) hard throwing lefty starter. comfortable in the low 90s and can touch 95 with some room to develop more velocity. good slider in the low 80s and a changeup that needs work. he needs more consistency with his overall mechanics and command. not a great season so far but his potential makes him a possible first rounder.

5-4 3.12 12gs 75ip 56h 36r 26er 37bb 85k 13db 1tp 4hr

3B Josh Fields, Oklahoma State (19th) - the best of a weak class of 3B prospects. also plays quarterback and some think he could get better if he dedicated himself to baseball. a righthanded power guy with a good eye but not a great contact guy. his D is shaky to average but has the tools to stay there given his bat. expected to go in top five rounds.

.352/.450/.545 165ab 12db 1tp 6hr 31bb 29k

C Jason Jaramillo, Oklahoma State (29th) - defensive catcher with good footwork and strong arm and handles pitchers well. switch hitter makes solid contact with gap power from both sides. possible 2nd or 3rd round pick because of scarcity of defensive catchers that can hit.

.342/.425/.460 161ab 7db 0tp 4hr 24bb 14k

There might be other interesting players in that state but my guess is JP is looking at Purcey. He wouldn't bother checking on lower round guys so much.

Toronto is 10th in the AL in runs scored, 9th in ERA. So which one of these is more of a surprise? in this fan's opinion, the former: while J.P. signficantly overhauled his pitching staff, the general hope during the pre-season seemed that the Jays would prove to be a significantly-better-than-average bunch of hitters. Yes, relief pitching has been an issue, but so has hitting: it's safe to assume that Vernon will break out of his slump at some point, but can the same be said about Josh Phelps or Eric Hinske? Will Orlando Hudson or Reed Johnson ever be more than mediocre? Right now, the Jays have offensive black holes at C, DH, 2B, 3B, RF and CF...pretty tough to win that way. Trick is to figure out which one of these will prove to be a lingering problem that will eventually need correction.

If I were J.P., I'd keep a close eye on players like Cuddyer (as mentioned), Travis Hafner (Cleveland seems to be leaning towards Ben Broussard early on), Coco Crisp etc.

VORP for Toronto batters in 2004

NAME	POS	VORP
Delgado	1b	6.5
Woody	ss	6.2
Gomez	ss	4
Hudson	2b	2.8
Cash	c	2.2
Phelps	dh	2.1
Clark	rf	1.6
Zaun	c	0.7
Cat	lf	0.1
Crash	c	-0.4
Hinske	3b	-0.5
Johnson	rf	-0.5
Pond	rf	-0.8
Hsen	lf	-2
Wells	cf	-2.9
Berg	lf	-3.3

http://me.woot.net
There's no need to pick on Paul D for his mispelling of overwrought.

I wasn't intending to - I honestly didn't make the connection.

And Paul D., I'm working on a Math degree too. :)

Ricciardi, incidentally, plans on joining the team here tomorrow after a scouting trip to Oklahoma

Purcey (5-4, 3.12) is pitching for the Sooners tonight against another lefty, Oklahoma State's Spencer Grogan (10-1, 2.74 ).

Given the offensive struggles of a team that was supposed to hit well, might Mike Barnett's job be on the line?

I'm not saying it should be -- I wouldn't have a clue whether he's doing his job well or not -- but struggling teams often make moves to show they're not being complacent with losing. Replacing a coach says "We have faith in this team, but we needed to fix a problem."

Even if J.P. is patient, his bosses might not be; they might demand a sacrifice.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/john_donovan/04/30/mailbag.seattle/index.html
lol, i was reading John Donovan's mailbag and came across the following question:

I'm just curious. I'm on a nerdy baseball message board, and everyone there prides themselves on being so cerebral. Literally, to the point where I'm getting hate mail ... I didn't realize baseball was so SERIOUS. Really, though, what the hell? What about baseball makes "purists" believe it is so much more than just a game people play with a ball and a stick?
-- Ryan Lawson, Burlington, Ontario

I thought this was rather amusing. COMN for link...

It's hard to blame the hitting coach as some of the younger players (Cash especially) are hitting better than expected.

The problem is that the "stars" haven't got it done yet. This team goes with Delgado and Wells thumping everything. Both will do better. Even Doc has not had his best stuff yet, though I love to see him battle through.

This is subjective opinion here but the Jays rarely seemed to have close games last season. Do you remember when this team used to win 13-7 then lose 15-8. It didn't matter that poor fundementals added a couple of runs on for the opponent. Now they have better pitching but it's still not top end. It seems that the ability to be winning 4-3 in the 7th has brought us new levels of heart ache. If Delgado and Wells start hitting once again then nobody will care if Naramura gives up two runs in the 8th.

I'm not sure how to feel about Hinske, Hudson, Phelps as they've hit better than they have this year but I'm not sold that they will have stunning turn arounds.

Ramble, mumble, curse the darkness

Sef, Orlando Hudson is hitting .250/.340/.401, and is playing his usual excellent defense at 2b. This is not mediocre performance. If he gets it to .260/.355/.420 by the end of the year, he'll likely be the best second baseman in the league (Bret Boone seems to be aging fast, particularly in the field).

Moffatt's chart tells a story. When your outfield cumulatively is performing below replacement level offensively, you're going to have trouble scoring runs. The infield as a whole has been average offensively.

to the point where I'm getting hate mail

Well, I sure hope nobody here is actually sending anyone real honest-to-god hate mail. Funny to read, though, and the response is priceless.

Well, I sure hope nobody here is actually sending anyone real honest-to-god hate mail.

Well, I have been forwarding along some that I get, does that count? I bet he was wondering why he was getting all these messages telling him that he's a shill for Haliburton. :)

There's some discussion over at Baseball Primer about Tosca's recent managerial decisions.

Another Ryan at Da Box? Wow...this guy Ryan Lawson is aware of baseball. I'm convinced only fourteen people in the entire city of Burlington know anything about the game. Any other Burlingtonians here? I doubt it.

Another thing RE: 24.

I watched the entire first and second seasons and loved it. Now, the acting is bad and the dialogue is lame. That bit a few weeks ago with "you have to decide whether you will take the suicide pills now or later" was awful. I stopped watching a while ago, and only saw that part because I was flipping around. Glad I kept going, the show is nowhere near as good as Season 1 was.

Mike G: I was referring exclusively to the Dawg's hitting in reference to league-average hitters (not just at 2B)...while .250/.340/.401 may be well above average for a 2B (the AL average is an atrocious .269/.330/.373), that position is now the weakest in the American League. Contrast that with the average performance of all AL hitters in '04: .273/.344/.427; in that context, Hudson's definitely mediocre.

http://me.woot.net
Paul D:
4A CS at Waterloo; my 4A term starts Monday. 12 months till graduation!

JKCL: I'll wager ten bucks that when the Jays finish with a better record than last year you won't be crowing this same angry-upset "Jays suck" line.

if there's any 24 fans out there, Dennis Haysbert who plays President Palmer had a recurring role on that show as Coach Johnson.

As someone on Primer pointed out yesterday, Dennis Haysbert is NOT referred to as "President Palmer from 24" on a baseball site. On a baseball site, Dennis Haysbert is ALWAYS known as Pedro Cerrano. :)

There might be other interesting players in that state but my guess is JP is looking at Purcey.

Me too, though I have no other information to back that up. Purcey is exactly what the system lacks - a big lefty with a real good fastball. Also, let's face it, this front office loves young pitching.

Purcey's problem is that he's a two-pitch pitcher - the one plus a hard slider. Now I'd rather have Toronto's player development team working with a two-pitch guy than almost anyone else - maybe he can get the change to work, or work in a cutter. But that might be a reason they'd pass on him... he's also had some control issues in the past (this year I think it's better). Still, if you get a chance to draft a 6'5" lefty who can hit 95 and put it in the strike zone, that's a pretty good asset.

I would be concerned, though, that Purcey's future is really in the bullpen, because of potential control issues. If so, he's

I sure hope nobody here is actually sending anyone real honest-to-god hate mail.

OK, I want to say this once and once only. If you guys are sending each other hate mail, I want to know right now why I'M not getting any. This is not right. If I'm not the lightning rod around here, something has to change.

Seriously, please don't do that. But I'm sure it's not Batter's Box.

Guys realistically do you see tosca lasting the season.

Missed this earlier, and wanted to comment. Yes, I do see Tosca lasting the season, for the simple fact that I think the team will turn around. He is apparently popular with the players but not a traditional "player's manager" either. A popular guy who's a bit of a hardass is the best of both worlds, and I don't think his tactical and strategic choices have been all that awful, certainly not awful enough to get him fired.

Now if the team doesn't turn it around, and is still below .400 in three or four weeks, then yes I think he will be fired, as I explained earlier this year. But I wouldn't be watching for news of his firing until at least May 20.

He is apparently popular with the players but not a traditional "player's manager" either. A popular guy who's a bit of a hardass is the best of both worlds, and I don't think his tactical and strategic choices have been all that awful, certainly not awful enough to get him fired.

This actually highlights something I've been considering lately: Doesn't the above description sound more like a bench coach? A guy that's great to have around and is essential to running the team, but who perhaps shouldn't be making the big decisions?

Mind you, I don't think managers often accept demotions like that on the same team, so it's really a moot point.

http://bluejayscheerclub.com
Announce an engineering study to the pubic on introducing natural grass.

Ain't gonna happen unless you can figure out a way to either move the natural grass off the field and store it somewhere or put concrete over it without ruining the grass -- Monster Truck rallies, trade shows, concerts, and events are all part of the SkyDome revenue stream, and they are absolutely not going to give up all of those for the Jays.

A different artificial turf is probably our only solution.

I remember a conversation about this from before -- is the turf owned by the Jays or by the Dome?

York University - B.Sc. (Hon.) (Applied Math.) '93
York University - M.A. (Math.) '96

Red Deer College - Academic (Probation) - GPA 1.15

Here's what JP told Jayson Stark's Rumblings & Grumblings:

Carlos Tosca may not have vaulted to the top of the managerial hot-seat rankings. But it was clear, from his general manager's second-guess on a radio show this week, that Tosca is now on the endangered-managerial-species list.

"He's not in trouble," Ricciardi told Rumblings. "He's going to finish the year. Then we'll see where we are at that point, as an organization. But he's not in trouble right now."

That's my first HTML attempt, sincere apologies if I botch it.

Also, Woody's batting second tonight.

24 indeed rocks!! THEY HAD ME AT HELLO!!