You too would say that you hadn't found what you were looking for, if you had to try to find a legitimate closer in the Jays bullpen.

I've really been looking forward to the winter for several months now, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Oh, Pistol, don't tell me that U2 believe Joshua Phelps would've hit Tree or four homers yesterday to lead the Jays to victory?

Competition was stiff today, but 6-4-3 was the first to get U2's 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'.

*sigh* I forgot it wasn't a cuttlefish day.

I almost feel like bringing back the "Menechino for closer" shirt for today's game. With Glynn starting, Ligtenberg's arthritus, Frasor and Chulk imploding, that leaves File, Douglass, and Frederick in the bullpen to fend off the A's.

Still, I should see one or more of of Crozier, Quiroz, and Adams, and at this point in the season, that's all I can ask for.

http://me.woot.net
What is it with the worst of the Yankees coming out when they deal with the Blue Jays? From Jeter's jerky dealings with Huckaby to Mussina now, it's rarely a pretty time when the Yanks are in town.

Does it come from being the Yankees? Are they often like this? Or is it just me?

A virtual three-way dead heat on the lyric, but nobody can argue with our sophisticated electronic timing system. Because Mick's post did make me laugh, I am awarding him a third-place bronze:

At least Kevin Brown's "run-in" with the wall was seemingly non-Blue Jay related.

Even ignoring the Huckaby incident, the Yanks still need to deal with the lovely pitching of ex-Jays Tanyon Sturtze, Felix Heredia, and Esteban Loaiza.

I often find myself rooting for players that the press dislikes, simply because the dislike seems to often stem from character flaws in the members of the media than it does in the athletes themselves.

Mussina often finds himself in the metaphoric scopes of media rifles partly because of his Stanford background. Members of the media, many from less hallowed halls of academia, are presumably resentful of someone not just athletically more capable than they, but quite possibly intellectually more capable as well. Mussina is often painted as acting in an aloof, superior manner.

And so I'd love it if Mussina were, in fact, a solid guy. Of course I have no idea at all what kind of a person he is, but the remark about the game being delayed, sadly, does not help my cause in rooting for him.

I know he is already unpopular in Toronto circles because of the all-star game business with Cito Gaston many years ago. I've just never heard a definitive enough account of what transpired to conclude that Mussina was the instigator in that instance (though he may well have been).

Joe, even Jerry Howarth, one of the most positive, kindest souls it has ever been my pleasure to meet, was ticked off at Mussina's incredible selfishness. Tom's partner said something to the effect that judging by his ERA this year, Moose must have gone through a lot of delays. Good for Jerry!

Next time Mussina's in town, I intend to sit in the 100 level and give him the heckling of his life.

Chuck, the relevant facts are that Gaston didn't intend to use Mussina, which may not have been a great idea, considering the game was in Baltimore. Presumably annoyed and attempting to "show up" the manager, but claiming later that it was his day to work on the side, the Moose got himself up in the bullpen and threw for the whole ninth inning. That excited the home crowd, then incited their anger when he didn't enter the game. Cito actually received death threats, but no apology was forthcoming until weeks later.

I agree that some scribes, and some players, will find fault with anyone who is "different" and that is a reflection of their own characters. But experience has also shown me that having a big brain does not preclude having a small mind.

With the bullpen meltdown I decided to look at the innings pitched...

Douglass 115, of which 89 at AAA
Chulk 74, of which 28 at AAA
Frederick 71, of which 27 at AAA and 21 at AA
Frasor 61, of which 4 at AAA
File 59, of which 35 at AAA
Speier 59
Ligtenberg 52

Ligtenberg is signed nextyear for 2.5 Million

By September next year, Rosario, League and Vermilyea should at least be up for a look, with luck possibly even sooner.

I think we try to resign Speier for sure. If we do then:
Speier, Frasor, Chulk, Frederick, Miller, File with Rosario, League and Vermilyea up at some time to compete.

The question is: HOW MANY NEW ARMS DO WE NEED AND MUCH DO WE SPEND ON THE BULLPEN NEXT YEAR TO GET US TO R, L &V?

Douglass comes into the game with the 10-2 lead... now is it Possible for the Bullpen to blow this one?

Gaston didn't intend to use Mussina, which may not have been a great idea,

When it was all over, Sparky Anderson shook his head and said "if I was Cito, I would have used Mussina for three innings. Toronto's in a pennant race with Baltimore."

The Yankees had asked Gaston not to use Jimmy Key, and Gaston was basically just bringing Pat Hentgen along for the ride. Gaston omitted Mussina out of some sense of fair play. He wasn't using his starter, he wasn't using the New York starter, he wouldn't use the Baltimore starter either. Its another reason Gaston was so furious - he was trying to do rightby the Orioles, and he got slimed.

Sparky wasn't kidding by the way. In one of his all-star games, he managed to have pitchers from division rivals work a total of seven innings.

Gaston omitted Mussina out of some sense of fair play. He wasn't using his starter, he wasn't using the New York starter, he wouldn't use the Baltimore starter either.

From Retrosheet, the 1993 All-Star Game, held Tuesday, July 13 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

American League       IP     H  HR   R  ER  BB   K
Langston               2     3   1   2   2   1   2
Johnson                2     0   0   0   0   0   1
McDowell W(1-0)        1     0   0   0   0   0   0
Key                    1     2   0   1   1   0   1
Montgomery             1     0   0   0   0   0   1
Aguilera               1     2   0   0   0   0   2
Ward                   1     0   0   0   0   0   2

Key pitched the sixth, so that "protecting the rival's starter" theory doesn't quite work.

What a terrible thing for Mussina to say; I guess the only streak that matters to Mussina is the "Great God Ripken"'s streak. I wonder if the break from Cal's game disturbed the O's and Mussina's teammates that nite.

Ok, so I am reaching here, but his comments piss me off. From now on I am going to call him "retired teacher". Wht "retired teacher" do you say??? NO CLASS!!!

The Yankees could have made a great gesture by distancing by apologizing to the Jays for Mussina's clueless, graceless remarks.

Of course, if they did apologize, Mussina would probably sulk and get lit up even worse in his next few starts.

Does it come from being the Yankees? Are they often like this? Or is it just me?

I would posit it comes from the way other people feel about the Yankees; the same comments from Kenny Rogers would have annoyed TO fans the same amount, but nobody anywhere would have said "Typical Rangers" or "Does this come from being with Texas?"

The same number of horribly inapproprite things come from all major league clubs, but because it's the Yankees (and the attendant New York media), it's headlines and finger-pointing all over the place.

Sticking with the Texas comparison, why do you think Juan Gonzalez had no interest at all in playing for the Yankees? Even he must realize that he got a virtual free pass from the DFW media and almost no national attention for refusing to play in the Hall of Fame game because his uniform pants were too tight. And he must be aware how his six status of having six ex-wives would play on Broadway.

If Juando had begged off the HOF game wearing pinstripes, the Cheer Club would STILL be making "pants" jokes and signs when he came to town. It's a catch-22; the Yankees SEEM to do more of these kind of things because when they do, the spotlight shines brightest.

If Jeremy Shockey had called Bill Parcells "gay" while wearing the uniform of the Seattle Seahawks, it would've cause barely a ripple.

I've just never heard a definitive enough account of what transpired to conclude that Mussina was the instigator in that instance (though he may well have been).

IIRC, there's an account of some sort of this in Cal Ripken's autobiography. When I was on the O's mailing list years ago, this topic came up. One O's fan admitted that while he was all into booing Cito, bought a "Cito Sucks" shirt and everything, after reading Cal's depiction of the incident years afterwards, he couldn't help but conclude that Mussina was in the wrong... if you want a "definitive enough account", you might try seeking out Cal's book.

Key wasn't a Blue Jay in 93, he went to the Yanks that yr.