We are not going to be champions this year, but at least some of the players' wives stand a chance to be a beauty queen one day.

Kudos to The Original Ryan for correctly identifying Queens 'We Are the Champions' in honor of the Fisher Cats AA Championship.

And you remember the "B" side to that record, surely? The first 34 since the Beatles to have both tha A and B hit #1?

You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your cat all over the place ...

I guess that would've been a good song if the F-Cats had been blown out in the series. Instead, they're deserving of the later lyric

"Wavin' your banner all over the place ..."

Spencer Fordin writes so much good stuff that I tend to take it for granted, and maybe don't rave about it as often as I should. One of the things he does extremely well is interpret coach-speak. Mike Barnett isn't the easiest interview, and it helps to know a little about hitting before having a conversation with him. Fordin has shared a lot of Barney's philosophy with us in various articles this year, and today he does the same thing with Brian Butterfield.

The article is about Russ Adams more than Butter, but we get a glimpse into some of the essential building blocks of infield play from one of the game's best teachers:

"The first thing is glove action -- holding and carrying the glove the right way. Next up is the feet attacking the ball, the feet catching the ball and most importantly, the feet after you catch the ball.

"How do you use your lower half? Work in a straight line, make an accurate throw to first base. He's well above where I thought he'd be."

A variation on that will be drummed into some high school players in a gym next March. Thanks, Spence. It's late in the season and you could just be going through the motions, but this was terrific.

That interview with Brian Butterfield about Russ Adams was one of the most encouraging things to come out of Skydome in months. Butterfield, who's unquestionably an authority on infield defence, might be over-selling his young protege a little to boost Adams' confidence; but even discounting the praise slightly for that reason, it's still terrific to hear that Adams does have the inherent range and arm strength to play the position, and that his throwing problems come mostly from finding a consistent release point and getting his feet set -- these are correctable things. The kudos Butterfield is giving Adams for his work ethic, instincts and attention to detail sound very much like the ones Mike Bordick was giving Russ two spring trainings ago. If Adams can in fact play an acceptable (or better) shortstop for this team -- and if anyone can get him there, Butterfield can -- then the Jays are already stronger in 2005. Shortstop will suddenly become a plus position offensively (because this guy can get on base), and JP won't have to go out and overpay for an Orlando Cabrera, thereby opening up more cash for other position upgrades. Keep your fingers crossed that Adams continues to develop.

Put me firmly in the camp that believes Miguel Batista will serve this team better next season in the rotation than in the bullpen. As I've pointed out before: on August 1, Batista was 9-6 with a 3.97 ERA, and opposing hitters were batting .239 against him. Yes, his control has been an issue all year, but up until the last two months, it was not a debilitating issue; he was still keeping runs off the board. I support Batista's move to the pen on three conditions: (1) if it forces him to cut his repertoire back by one-half, (2) if it allows him to shake himself out of the mental and mechanical rut he's clearly fallen into, and most importantly, (3) if it's temporary. Batista can give this team 200 good innings in the rotation, and that's a lot better than 70 good innings in the pen. Justin Speier was and remains the best closing candidate on this club right now.

While I admit I'll be excited to see Brandon League and intrigued to see Gus Chacin in Toronto uniforms the next two weeks, I also have to question their promotion somewhat. First, these guys have pitched long and hard all year, and they just won their league championship: it seems like time to give them a break. Second, they're not going to be at their best following the climactic playoff win, and they might not be able to show the front-office people everything they've got. Third, it's extremely unlikely that these guys will break camp with the big club next year: at least half a season in Triple-A appears necessary for both, so why the rush? And fourth, as Adam Peterson has proven in spades, a two-level jump can be a shattering experience, especially for two pitchers who must be tired. I hope their workload is kept to a minimum, in low-pressure situations. In fact, if they spend the next two weeks essentially trailing after Roy Halladay and learning from him what it takes to excel in The Show, then it'll be time well spent.

If the 2004 season from hell will be remembered for anything good, it'll be that this was the year the following players all made their big-league debuts:

Alex Rios
Gabe Gross
Russ Adams
Guillermo Quiroz
Dave Bush
Brandon League
Adam Peterson
Jason Frasor
Eric Crozier
Gustavo Chacin
Vinny Chulk

A number of these guys are going to help form the backbone of future Jays contenders, and all should end up with major-league careers of varying lengths. That's remarkable.

Thanks, Spence. It's late in the season and you could just be going through the motions, but this was terrific.

I had a hard time deciding what to exerpt from that article, there was so much to choose from.

Put me firmly in the camp that believes Miguel Batista will serve this team better next season in the rotation than in the bullpen.

I concur.

While I admit I'll be excited to see Brandon League and intrigued to see Gus Chacin in Toronto uniforms the next two weeks, I also have to question their promotion somewhat.

I look at it as a nice reward for a great season and the organization's first title since Joe touched them all over 10 years ago.

Of course, I'm not sure about throwing Chacin out there tomorrow in Yankee Stadium. I'd just put them in the bullpen for the rest of the year and get them a few appearances.

I think Batista should use Blind by Korn.
Or, for a cheesy and fun song, Eye of the Tiger. I know I'd go insane if that started playing at the Dome.

So seriously... no one answered my question yesterday. I've been gone for a whole week without newspapers, radio, TV, or the internet. What the hell happened since last Saturday?

I think it would be hilarious if Batista used that indecipherable rap song that comes one when Delgado comes to the plate. Anyone know what that song is called?

Stomping in from the bullpen music:

I wish someone would use "Zero" by the Smashing Pumpkins... Not Batista, but someone!

So seriously... no one answered my question yesterday.

I thought you were joking, Craig, so I didn't answer you. But to recap:

• The Fisher Cats beat Binghamton in four and Altoona in a three-game sweep to take home the Eastern League championship
  
• Chacin and League were called up today
  
• Ozzie Guillen blasted Buck Showalter, with hilarious results
  
• Dave Stewart is mad at J.P., and Elliot took another shot at the firing of his friends
  
• Cat re-upped for two years, $2.7 million each
  
• J.P. was on the radio on Wednesday, and it appears Delgado is all but gone, and Gross may not be ready to play LF next April
  

I figure you can see the game results in a few minutes at ESPN, so I didn't include them here. Anything I missed, I'm sure there are many people who can fill you in. ;)

Oh, and Wells smashed one into the fifth deck on Thursday. My reaction at the time cannot be printed here, as it was mostly indecipherable gibberish.

Like C.B. I was away all last week at a seminar in the wilds of Chesepeake Bay. No communications except the bar. Heck I never even seen the Canada v. Finland game.

It seems virtually everyone here, is not onboard with this closer decision. The question I have is, if Batista does a decent job for the rest of the month does Speier even come back next season.

From what I have been able to gather this morning this decision may be based on budget. Batista being cheaper than a bona fide closer. But what does this tells us about the budgetary decsions as they pertain to Speier? Further does it tell us anything about managements confidence in his ability to hold down the job. Its starting to look like they don't know what the hell they're doing again. I thought this line of thinking was gone with C.T.

Another thing I forgot, Craig: Batista has been moved to the bullpen. He's the closer for the rest of the season - RG is beside himself, since he said that should happen back in April or May. I don't like the move at all, but some do. Friday's Roundup has varying opinions on the subject.

Sorry for all the posts, but:

If the 2004 season from hell will be remembered for anything good, it'll be that this was the year the following players all made their big-league debuts:
[...]
Vinny Chulk

Chulk pitched last year. Remember the Cuzzi game? His start a few days after that got scrubbed when Doc was tossed and Vinnie had to come in and pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th.

We need a game thread. I'd start if I knew how...

Lots of RH against Kazmir today.

Johnson,lf
Hudson, 2b
Wells, cf
Delgado, 1b
Menechino,3b
Gomez, dh (!!)
Rios, rf
Woodward, ss
Quiroz, c
Miller, p

Jerry just said Chacin will start in New York. Whoa.

Better to try Batista there now than next April. Considering yesterday was less than 48 hours after a 75-pitch outing and he can't possibly have established a routine, I was pleased with the results. That's not a ringing endorsement of the move, but it's an option worth looking at. It will be much easier to find a $2 million starter to plug in behind Doc, Lilly and Bush than to sign a dominant closer.

Welcome back, Craig. There's a great NL wild card race, Bonds hit #700, and the AL West is getting interesting. Rob's done a nice summary on Jays news, but you'll enjoy browsing through the archives.

We need a game thread. I'd start if I knew how...

Done, Magpie. We'll send you to instructional league right after the season. :)

Something I'm surprised I don't know offhand: when did Gillick take over from "the Jays' first GM", "Peter Bavasi". I think of Gillick as being around since the beginning.

Stephen, Gillick was there from the beginning, just not as GM. Here, from the 20th anniversary issue of Baseball America, is a great Mike Berardino retrospective on a fantastic career.

I would rather see Batista in the rotation than in the pen, although the pen may give him a chance to regroup. Batista is a real enigma. I don't understand why an experienced pitcher (in his early 30s), with an excellent fastball, and who, by all accounts, is a very bright guy, needs eight pitches.

At any rate, he's less than a year removed from a very good season as a starter (the optimist). On the other hand, the rest of his career has been pretty average (the pessimist).

I think Speier is better as a setup man, not a closer. Stats, Inc.'s preseason scouting report (not that it's gospel) noted that "Speier will settle back into a setup role, which is where he is more comfortable. He has a tendency to get too excited when he is given the task of closing out a save." I would say this is consistent with what we've seen in 2004.

... when did Gillick take over from "the Jays' first GM", "Peter Bavasi". I think of Gillick as being around since the beginning

It's sort of "unclear" how, exactly, Gillick and Bavasi's roles were defined in the early days. Bavasi was the GM, but many seem to talk as if Gillick was making most of the baseball decisions from early on. An often-told story tells how Gillick arranged a trade with the Yankees before the 1977 season, in which Bill Singer would be NY-bound, in exchange for a young lefty named Ron Guidry. The story says that Bavasi nixed the deal, believing that the team needed the "draw" that an established star like Singer would provide.

The 1982 Baseball Abstract contains an article titled "A Solid Financial Footing for Toronto or A man's outhouse is his castle if he holds his nose and pretends the flies are pigeons" which discusses Peter Bavasi's legacy...

The article apparently starts with the following:

"Peter Bavasi resigned last winter as General Manager of the Blue
Jays with the incredible parting comment that the thrill was gone
and that therefore it was time to move on to new challenges. I
would suggest farm work, maybe buy a gas station, sell shoes or
something. ..."

Now if only I still had my copy of that book... :)

While I'm excited to see him, I'm nervous about Chacin getting a Yankee Stadium debut in September. I also hope that they've worked out an arrangement with him for a late arrival to the Venezuelan Winter League, as he's already pitched roughly 170 innings this year.

As for the Batista for closer question, it's a tough one. He's thrown 184 innings one year and 195 another and each time he has faded in September. He does seem to take a while to get into a groove. If you can get 120 very good innings out of him as an "ace reliever", going 2 or even 3 innings, rather than as a modern closer, it does not seem like a bad deal. I think that it's a wait and see proposition now, and as he's already thrown over 190 innings this year, it's probably not a bad idea.

Thanks Coach for the link, though it didn't actually clarify when Gillick became GM.

My oldest Jays media guide (1982) says Gillick became "Vice President of Player Personnel" on Aug 16/76 and then became "Vice-President, Baseball Operations" on Nov 24/77. That was the last status change listed, so I assume Nov 24/77 is the date when Gillick became the official GM, i.e. after the Jays' 1st season, though he was plainly heavily involved right from the beginning, including in the expansion draft, which fits my memory.

The Nov'77 date is also consistent with these great links I found listing Bavasi's trades and Gillick's early trades as Jays GM.

But as G.T. suggests, Bavasi was still around until the fall of '81, I'm guessing as a "president". I'm not sure how much influence he had on Gillick's decisions. Although the 1982 Bill James Abstract suggests that Bavasi was basically in charge (and called the "General Manager"), I'm not sure that Bill James would really know.

In the Jays 25th anniversary book, Wayne Parrish says in the fall of '81 that Hardy had to take "the presidential reins himself" because "Beeston quit, or at least threatened to, and Hardy was given to understand that Gillick likely would not be far behind. The issue was Bavasi, whose relentless, micro-managing style had nudged both to the brink."

Of course, the Jays' upswing basically began in 1982, so it would be convenient to blame the first 6 years on Bavasi, but it's hard to say how fair that would be. I suspect a lot of the timing was coincidence.

And you remember the "B" side to that record, surely? The first 34 since the Beatles to have both tha A and B hit #1?

That's not entirely true. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions was released as a Double-A side, not an A and a B side.

/pedantic

That's not entirely true. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions was released as a Double-A side, not an A and a B side.

Mr. Moffatt, if we ever play a Batters Box version of Trivial Pursuit, you're so on my team; I can be the towel manager, a la Dale Gribble.

Batista being cheaper than a bona fide closer

If Batista were to be a closer he'd have to be pretty darn good to be better than a $4.75 million closer.

Urbina and Benitez didn't sign for that much this offseason and they have more of a track record for closing. Tom Gordon got less than that as well IIRC.

Pretty funny. Around the trade deadline, the media kept spreading rumours that Batista was being shopped, and virtually everyone here (myself included,) balked at the idea. In hindsight, though....

As a closer, Batista would not be worth 4.75M, I don't think. He needs to be in the rotation and pitch effetively to be worth that pricetag. That, or he needs to pitch like Eric freakin Gagné (5.00M, by the way ;) )

Top ten closers (by number of saves)

Rivera: 10.00 million
Cordero: 2.03 million
Benitez: 3.03 million
Nathan: 0.47 million
Isringhausen: 7.25 million
Gagné: 5.00 million
Graves: 6.00 million
Mesa: 0.80 million
Smoltz: 11.00 million
Hoffman: 4.50 million

Other top 10 AL only closers:
Foulke: 4.50 million (7 million next year)
Percival: 7.50 million
Dotel: 2.80 million
Urbina: 3.00 million
Guardado: 4.33 million
Takatsu: 0.75 million (plus, AFAIK, negotiation fees)

So Batista at 4.75 million is more expensive than many of the above closers, and only really cheaper than the established big name closers, like Smoltz, Isringhausen, Percival. The Jays would probably be able to find a decent stop-gap closer (like Lopez last year, or Frasor this year) for much less money. So long as it's not Arthur Rhodes, they probably wouldn't do too badly. Now if the team was competing, paying Batista 4.75 million to close wouldn't be much of a problem (assuming he's up to the task).

BTW, if Richard Griffin were really devious, next year he'd refine the Gagné rumor to create a new "The Jays could've had Justin Morneau for Miguel Batista" rumor. JP would love that one.

As a closer, Batista would not be worth 4.75M

Well, at this point it doesn't matter what his salary is. He's under contract for 2 years. He needs to be in the role that'll maximize his performance (which I still believe to be starting).

Re Bavasi/Gillick... after the 1977 season, Pat Gillick took over last-word control of all baseball operations. In effect, Gillick was in control of much before then - Bavasi had hardly anything to do with the assembling of the expansion team and the moves and draft in 1977 - but Bavasi had final say, which he used to disastrous effect in the mooted Guidry/Singer deal.

I will be extra scarce for the next week or so, after being totally absent last week. The combination of a new computer to install and configure and some work projects...

That's not entirely true. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions was released as a Double-A side, not an A and a B side.

Mr. Moffatt, if we ever play a Batters Box version of Trivial Pursuit, you're so on my team; I can be the towel manager, a la Dale Gribble.

LOL. My trivia knowledge isn't that great. I just know a lot about Queen. :)