Tell you what, if losing out on Clement means Batista's out of the closer's role and back in the rotation, I feel better about it already.

I would have liked Clement AND Batista in the rotation.

The Jays batted a commendable .500 on their two primary FA targets, and we may never know how close they came to landing Clement, but once Pedro left Boston, this seemed inevitable. There's more money left to tweak the Toronto bullpen and add a big bat, so I'm not disappointed.

I quite like Halladay-Lilly-Batista-Bush as a talented, cost-effective front four, and do not mean to imply any dissatisfaction with Towers when I say that Chacin (and Downs) will give him plenty of competition for the #5 spot.

Mattick's "recipe" for longevity has inspired me to start taking vitamins.

Why did you guys want the Jays to sign Clement?

Havn't we learned a thing from the Baltimore Orioles? My rule is that if Baltimore does it the Jays Should avoid it like the plague.

Last year the Orioles blew millions of $$s turnig their 4th place team in to a 3rd place team - whooopeee!!

In the longterm, Clement would probably have been gone by the time the jays were good enough to use him. The jays are not in a position to get FAs. His contract would have limited the Jays future payroll flexibility and opertunities to make the club better in the longrun.

I'm not a big Miguel Batista, i'll tell you all that now.. But I feel he'd be better off as a closer than a starter. I'd feel far better if we got another mid-rotation starter to put inbetween Lilly and Bush. AJ Burnett anyone?

I still don't get the need for another pitcher, when the Jays will be lucky to score 750 runs next year.

batista as a closer continues to scare me. His first inning always seemed to be his worst. Though he did alright at the end of the season, but of his successful saves, how many of them were nail biters?

I still don't get the need for another pitcher, when the Jays will be lucky to score 750 runs next year.

Perhaps the thinking is that if they can't find an impact bat, another pitcher will give them a better chance to win low scoring games.

Despite not getting Clement, I feel a sense of hope with this team that I haven't had for a while (not that I was without hope altogether). Coming out of the meetings with Koskie, and being competitive with Clement gives me a light-at-the-end-of-tunnel feeling, a sense that we won't end up on the perpetually rebuilding path.

You're probably right, Christopher. Or maybe the Jays think they can get a couple of potential breakout players cheaply through non-tenders. Who knows?

Or maybe there's a trade in the works. Again, I don't really like the idea as Hinske as the everyday 1B and The Ghost of Christmas Past (or some other has-been) as DH.

Again, I don't really like the idea as Hinske as the everyday 1B and The Ghost of Christmas Past (or some other has-been) as DH.

Still, I'd rather have the Ghost of Christmas Past DHing rather than playing first. I could see a lot of ground balls going right through him.

Merry Christmas to all Batters Box posters and readers from my children and I. We are heading down to Mississauga tomorrow for Christmas and New Years. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a happy new year.

I would again like to thank the Batters Box community for the over 90 + emails I received this summer after the death of my wife. The support I got from Batters Box helped me to survive through the first few months of hell after losing Yvonne at the young age of 37.

It was overwhelming and wonderful receiving the emails from all the Batters Box readers , posters , Blue Jay management and Blue Jays players families this past summer.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Jeff , Hannah and Landen

Merry Christmas Jeff.
All the best to you in the New Year.

Christopher

Still, I'd rather have the Ghost of Christmas Past DHing rather than playing first. I could see a lot of ground balls going right through him.

Good point. So here are your 2005 Toronto Blue Jays:

Lineup
---
C Myers
1B Hinske
2B Hudson
SS Adams
3B Koskie
DH Christmas Past
RF Rios
CF Wells
LF Cat

Bench
---
OF Johnson
UT Menechino
UT McDonald
C Quiroz or FA (Zaun?)

Rotation
---
SP Halladay
SP Lilly
SP Batista
SP Bush
SP Chacin/Towers/Downs/Miller

Bullpen
---
RP One of Chacin/Towers/Downs/Miller ??
RP Chulk
RP Ligtenberg
RP Frasor
RP Gaudin
RP FA
Closer Speier???

I hope there's a trade, or the Ghost of Christmas Past has a career year. :)

I'll second that Merry Christmas. Take care!

of his successful saves, how many of them were nail biters?

Well, let's look. He came out of the pen seven times, twice in Get Some Work situations, and five times in save situations. He was 0-1 with 5 saves and a 3.12 ERA.

18 Sep vs Tampa: MB starts the 9th with a 4-2 lead. Leadoff BB to Martinez, one-out single to Upton. Strikes out Blum and Cummings for the save.

20 Sep vs New York: Jays up 6-1; MB comes in with the bases loaded and no one out in 8th. Jeter fly out, Rodriguez 2 run single, Williams walk, Matsui GDP. In the 9th Posada leads off with a single, and with two out Cairo walks and Clark singles. Gets Jeter on a ground out to get the save.

22 Sep vs New York: MB starts the 9th with a 5-4 lead. Three up, three down (Jeter, Rodriguez, Sheffield) to get the save

25 Sep vs Tampa: Jays down 5-3; MB pitches the 8th to get some work. Jays tie game in top of 9th, but MB walks leadoff hitter, puts him on 3rd with his own throwing error to set up game winning sac fly. MB takes the loss.

27 Sep vs Baltimore: MB starts the 9th with a 4-1 lead. Three up, three down (Gibbsons, Bigbie, Roberts) for the save.

30 Sep vs Baltimore: Jays down 7-3, MB pitches the 8th to get some work. Gives up solo HRs to Gibbons and Newhan.

2 Oct vs New York: MB starts the 9th with a 4-1. Hits by Lofton and Crosby put runners on 2 and 3 with no one out. MB gets Giambi, Clark (RBI grounder) to get the save.

OK then. Two of the saves were textbook. In each of the other three he put the tying run on base.

His ERA in his 5 saves was 1.50 (1 ER in 6 IPT.) SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, but that's not that great. While it is theoretically possible to give up two runs per inning and get a save, as a practical matter relievers ERA in the games they save are much, much lower than their overall ERA. I once upon a time went through all 45 of Duane Ward's saves in 1993, and discovered his ERA in those 45 games was well below 1.00.

(This applies to Quality Starts as well - it is theoretically possible to have an Quality Start every time out and post an ERA of 4.50. But as a practical matter, most starters have ERAs in the low 2.00s or lower in their quality starts)

Merry Christmas, Jeff, Hanna and Landon!!!
And a happy New year...

If I understand Gammons (BBRRS = fast-food milkshake) who was just on ESPNews, correctly, the original Randy Johnson deal will get done as soon as RJ and Shawn Green, who have both already waived no-trade clauses, get contract extensions. That might give the D-Backs something to think about. Oh, and LA will also send Kaz Ishii, who I've always liked, to NYY for additional salary relief. He might could be an awfully nice fourth or fifth starter for the Yankees if they can dump Kevin Brown. I heard (but don't remember where, so BBRRS = empty fast-food milkshake cup) that they were talking to the Cubs about Brown for Sosa with Brown the top candidate to close for CHC. I can't imagine that happening, but more to the point, what would the Yankees do with Sosa? DH him?

And who the *&^%% is gonna play 1B in the Bronx? I mean, if Sosa comes to town, there's no way they sign Delgado.

Maybe they'll play Sosa there. Or maybe they'll play four outfielders and put A-Rod at first. Jeter can cover the entire left side of the infield. :)

Or maybe they'll play four outfielders and put A-Rod at first.

Or they'll swoop in and offer the Ghost of Christmas Past more money than the Jays could offer and steal him from us.
Damn Yankees. They make me so mad!

I believe there has been some talk about Bernie Williams playing 1B. They still have that Giambi fella as well. They owe him a ton of money. I haven't heard anything about trying to break the contract.

If Sosa is in the Bronx... that means Matsui is your CF, and Sheffield moves back to LF (he played there with the Dodgers.) Williams/Giambi cover 1B/DH.

It ain't exactly Speaker, Hooper, and Lewis.

No real place to put this so I went with the roundup.

Surprisngly names are still coming in for the first annual Batters Box/Cheer Club Road Trip. Got about 20 names now and even assuming 50% drop out rate its still a good number to take down there. I welcome others to drop me a line (COMN) and even if you sincerly doubt you'd wind up going, we'll send you out the Newsletter from Cheerclub.com just incase you wanted to keep informed.

Thanks again, now back to regularly schedule programming.

(Remember that show "House of Buggin'"?)

The Big Three is now down to one. ESPN's Peter Gammons reports A's ace Mark Mulder has been traded to the Cardinals for pitchers Danny Haren, Kiki Calero and catcher Daric Barton. On Thursday Oakland sent Tim Hudson to Atlanta.

What the hell is Oakland doing?

Not getting Clement is big blow, but there are players still available, and I wish JP would get aggresssive in signing of them. I don't think a player like Alou is the right move. They need a player who could make a bigger impact, or a 2/3 starter. The Jays need to make a non-cosmetic move.

Such as?

Jim, if a .293/.361/.557 hitter is a cosmetic move, what exactly is an impact transaction?

if a .293/.361/.557 hitter is a cosmetic move, what exactly is an impact transaction?

And his lines the two previous years were:

.275/.337/.419
.280/.357/.462

You can decide for yourself which one would be likely to show up in Toronto. Me, I'm guessing the one from the previous two years.

Moffatt and Christopher - you guys are both missing the point entirely. The guy you want to DH is the Ghost of Christmas Future. He isn't eligible for arbitration for three years.

No new posts, threads???

Has the extreme cold weather shocked everyone enough to stop talking about basebal??

Heh, I couldn't post a new MYOR because the GO train I was on froze and couldn't move, making me late for work.

the GO train I was on froze and couldn't move

The true north strong and free!!