When I was eight, I got to go through an autograph line to meet and get pre-game signatures from Pete Rose, George Foster and Will McEnaney; in my young head, they were all headed to the Hall of Fame, even Willie Mac. And I remember that I was wearing a Pete Rose button my sister had bought for me, and being disappointed that Rose didn't comment on it. Looking back, duh.

When I was 10, I met Joe Lis, who had cups of coffee with the Indians and Twins and played quite a bit for the local boys, the Toledo Mud Hens. I always thought he'd be a star if someone would just give him a chance. Ah, the naivete of youth, again.

At age 12, in Boston Commons, I knocked over a bunch of people to get to ther front of the crowd for an autograph from Carl Yastrzemski.

That's about it for me, I guess.

Growing up in Manitoba doesn't create many opportunities for meeting ballplayers, so the closest I can come is meeting Jeff Bagwell in Florida during spring training....but I was 18 at the time.

I did meet a few Jets back in the day, but that's it.

When I was about nine or 10, I met Lefty Gomez, who happened to live in my home town, Novato, California, a small town about 20 miles north of San Francisco. He lived literally six houses down from one of my best friends. And since I was only two blocks away, a mini-journey for a fourth-grader (but of course a stroll as an adult), we would visit Lefty every so often to talk about baseball, what it was like in the thirties vs. now (now being the early 1980s, of course), etc., etc. Lefty said that the current (recall: early 1980s) hitter who scared him the most was George Brett. Brett, Lefty said, had no holes, and he did everything as a hitter: power to all fields, a good batting eye, and the personal drive to be the best he could be.

Meeting, and talking with, Lefty was enough of a gift, but we were also treated to various memorabilia featuring a few other decent Yankees: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, et al. I don't know why or when I stopped visiting Lefty (probably had something to do with those pesky hormones), but I will never forget being so lucky.

Being from Northern Ontario, I have never met or seen a ballplayer face to face (not a whole lot of people there to begin with!). But what I can do is provide a quote that I was reminded of with the QOTD:

"Don't worry, son. I'm sure [Krusty the Clown is] up in heaven right now laughing it up with all the other celebrities...John Dillinger, Ty Cobb, Joseph Stalin. I wish I were dead." - Homer Simpson

Gitz: Wow, I am officially jealous. That sounds like a really amazing experience, to be able to talk with a great player like that, especially hearing his reflections on the game. Very cool.

Thats the first time I've heard Boston's name in the mix for Delgado... whats up with that?

Is the money spent on Delgado worth upgrading Millar/MinedjkdsjfbjsdThz? Maybe, but I doubt Delgado is going to touch Millar's numbers at home - and theres no way Delgado is "platooned" at 1B.

we would visit Lefty every so often to talk about baseball, what it was like in the thirties vs. now (now being the early 1980s, of course), etc., etc.

Gitz, are you sure you didn't just watch The Sandlot and incorporate the movie as one of your childhood memories?

Eric Munson is a weird signing for Minnesota... he's basically Matt LeCroy. Power with no defence, but can be a third string catcher, DH and play a little 1B. I guess Minnesota is hoping he can be insurance in case Tiffee can't hack it at third, but I thought Munson had pretty much convinced everyone in baseball that he couldn't play third base.

Oh, the folly of youth. A bunch of years ago (I guess 5-7 or so) when I was a precocious lad of 10-12 I went to a baseball clinic at the skydome and got to meet my all time favourite Blue Jays (coinceidentally the only onees there,) Mike Timlin and Tim Crabtree. It was a glorious day that set me on the path that I now occupy: Bitter and resentful.

Just kidding. I dont actually like either of them. But I got their autographs.

I one time stood in line to get Cal Eldred's autograph. I was probably in my early twenties at the time, kid after kid kept going up and asking "Mr. Eldred" questions, then, I about 3 feet taller show up, look at him, and said, "Do I have to call you Mr. Eldred to get your autograph too." He just laughed and signed his card, and went on to the next little kid who just wanted to meet the Zephyr's ace.

I've never met a ballplayer, and really it wouldn't bother me if I never did. What would we have to say to each other?

Mick, the Blue jays drafted a Joe Lis in the early 90's. I wonder if that was his son? He had a good minor league career with the Jays but never got a chance with the big club and I always wondered why?

By the way, Lis is Polish for Fox.

I met former Boston second baseman Denny Doyle at a baseball clinic in the late 1980s. More than the batting and fielding advice he imparted, I remember his stirring admonition at the end of the clinic: "Right around second base, there's something middle infielders call a gray area. Sometimes when turning the double play, if you dance around the gray area, the ump will give you the benefit of the doubt and you can get away with not stepping on the bag. But in life, kids, there are no gray areas. Stay away from drugs!"

I remember lying in a hospital bed and telling Mr. Ruth to hit one out for me, wait, that wasnt me that was a movie... I met Willie Blair once though.

Did you ever meet a big league ballplayer when you were a young lad (or lass) of 10 or so? Who was it? What do you remember about the experience?

I met several Blue Jay players when I was young. My grandfather was a season ticket holder and member of the Blue Jay fan club from the first season until his death about 10 years ago, so I went to most of the Jays' home games throughout the summer months. We sat a couple of rows behind the Jays dugout at the old Exhibition Stadium, so I got lots of autographs. Some of the players I remember meeting most clearly are Kelly Gruber, Tony Fernandez, Damaso Garcia, Ernie Whitt, and George Bell. I was particularly in awe of George Bell as a kid, so meeting him is a great memory that I still look back on. :)

This thread is making me recall that episode of "Joe Loser", or whatever it was called, when the guy from Boston got to meet his favourite player, and mancrush, Tim Wakefield. Mr. Loser was in awe the whole time like a little boy, and you could just feel the obvious uncomfortableness of poor Tim.

Groove, are you trying to imply something? ;-)

"Don't worry, son. I'm sure [Krusty the Clown is] up in heaven right now laughing it up with all the other celebrities...John Dillinger, Ty Cobb, Joseph Stalin. I wish I were dead." - Homer Simpson

That's great. I don't think I've seen that episode. However, I think the term "celebrity" hardly does justice to Stalin... ;-)

Take my comment however you wish. I don't see anything wrong with boys trying to meet and get autographs from ball players. With grown men, however, it just starts to get creepy. That's why in those hypothetical situations you have to rephrase it as "someone you would like to have a beer with" to try and maintain any integrity that you think you had.

I kinda go along with groove. Maybe not as strong. Also I'd use the word 'dignity' instead of 'integrity'; there's nothing dishonest about asking for an autograph.

I've never met a ballplayer, and really it wouldn't bother me if I never did. What would we have to say to each other?

I've never met a ballplayer either, and I feel the same way you do.

To contribute to the stories, in 1989 I think, I happened to be staying at the same hotel in T.O as the Milwaukee Brewers one night, and by waiting in the lobby I was able to get the autographs of Jaime Navarro - yes, the future WP and L league leader, and future all-star and 2200+ hit man B.J Surhoff. I was looking for Molitor but couldn't find him.

This however pales in comparison to my cousin, who in 1988, once happened to be staying on the same floor as the entire defending WS champion Minnesota twins, and was able to get a ball with almost all their signatures on it. (which he proceeded to play catch with and almost lose in a bush near his house)

Met Rondell White and Carlos Perez at Gretzky's after a Canada Day game when I was a wee lad. Shot some pool with them, they were great guys except Perez' english was worse than his tenure in LA

Eric Munson is a puzzle to me. If he could hit .250-.260 against righties, he'd make a nice left-handed 1B/DH. Here are his 3 year splits. His HR/K rate of 31/124 in 535 ABs against righties is perfectly fine, but his BABIP of .217 drags him down.

As he's 27 and moving to a friendlier home park, I can see him doing well. Here is his minor league record. It would not shock me at all if he goes .260/.340/.500 in 350-400 PAs. The Twins did well to sign him to a minor league contract.

At worst, I can see Munson as a nice 24th or 25th man on the club. I'd much rather someone like him than a 7th reliever in the pen.

When I was a young man of probably around 14 or 15 maybe younger i went to a game in Medicine Hat alberta where the blue jays were having an exhibition game against their old farm team the Medicine Hat Blue Jays.
I was excited to get Carlos Delgado's autograph , it was his rookie year, i also got Darnell Coles's signature. However being the baseball junkie that i was , a few months later i was in need of a ball to play with and so we grabbed the ball Carlos had signed and played with that ball for the next few weeks.........oh i wish i had it with me ...what an idiot... oh well. All I remember from the game is they had a homerun competition and Darnell Coles was the Victor!!

I've never met a ballplayer, and really it wouldn't bother me if I never did. What would we have to say to each other?

How about "Can I borrow $500?"

With grown men, however, it just starts to get creepy.

Groove, I don't see anything particularly wrong with it, but personally, I don't ask for autographs etc. anymore. The times I was talking about were when I was 5-10 years old.

I watched a baby jays game in St.Catharines once with Derek Bell at my side. He was very friendly and spoke to the group of kids I was with. At the time I think I was under the impression he was related to George Bell.

Several years later one of my buddies found Lloyd Moseby's wallet in the St.Catharines A & P grocery store. The Shaker was in town coaching the Jays single A team. Apparently his wallet contained a nice wad of cash and Lloyd gave my buddy a crisp 20 for doing the right thing.

How about "Can I borrow $500?"

And by "borrow" I mean "have". And by "$500" I mean "$5000".

How about "Can I borrow $500?"

And by "borrow" I mean "have". And by "$500" I mean "$5000".

Yeah, but then I'd have to turn him down, and it'd get embarrassing...

As far as Delgado's offer from the Marlins goes, can anyone explain to me why the heck Carlos is still getting lowballed? Certainly, he's not going to get another 4 year/$68 million deal, and 3 years/$34 million is nothing to sneeze at, but really. Sexson, Beltre, and Glaus all got longer deals than that, and all expect Glaus got more per year, yet Delgado is much less of an injury risk than Sexson or Glaus, and has far more talent and a much better track record than all three. Sure, he's a little older, but it's not like he's showed signs of drop-off. Unless I'm missing something, in this market he should be worth at least 4 years/$52+ million or thereabouts...

By not being in any rush to sign, Delgado made sure that the teams that were targetting a big bat (namely Seattle and Arizona) went elsewhere in the first days of free agency, throwing huge money just to get Sexson and Glaus under contract. I suspect he figured to be able to use at least Seattle as leverage against some of the bigger market teams, but once they were out of the picture he was left a bit high and dry. The teams that are reported to be interested in signing him, especially the Mets and Rangers, could use him, but they're far from desperate for a first baseman, and they don't need to offer him the moon. There's more than a little justice in the fact that both Delgado and JP were caught unawares by the market this off-season.

I met Tony Fernandez, his son was in a baseball league with me one year. It was hard to understand what he was saying. He had a funny voice.

I also talked to a few Detroit Tigers prospects two years ago. I interviewed Jeremy Bonderman and I forget the other pitchers name that I talked to. I think it was Van Hekken or something like that. He had a great year in AAA the year before and was supposed to compete for a spot in the rotation. We all know how that worked out.

I also talked to this other Tigers prospect, I have completely forgotten his name, I just remember how pissed off he was to be on the Tigers. He was telling me stuff like the Tigers had no idea how to use him and they were wasting his talent. That was awesome. OH! I also talked to Dean Palmer. The year I did all of this was 2003, the year the tigers won 40 some games. I asked him "How long do you think before the Tigers will be able to contend again?" And he got really pissed at me and told me the Tigers were going to contend that year. I tried not to laugh at him. Shortly after that I ended the interview. I just looked up his stats from that year and I am happy to see he hit .140 with a .235 OBP. Really helped them to contend there big guy.

I also got to talk to everyones favorite Blue Jays manager, Carlos Tosca. He was a really nice guy. He didn't bullshit me or talk down to me. I liked him. And I also met the voice of the Indians Tom Hamilton. He was also a good guy. And I also saw Kevin Kennedy at a spring training game in 2003. My dad wanted me to ask him what he thought of Roger Clemens.

Oh and I have one more memory to share. Spring Training, 1998. I'm in Jupiter, which for those of you who don't know is where the Cardinals used to play their Spring Training games. Also, for those of you who don't remember, 1998 was the year Mr. McGwire hit 3 million home runs or something like that. Anyways he came out of the game early, that's expected, it's spring training. He was sitting around doing nothing by the bullpen and refused to give anyone an autograph. He was pretty rude about it too. Needless to say I was rooting for Sosa that year.

That's all my baseball player experience. I am hoping to be able to go down to Florida again this year and get some more interviews.

Didn't see that the question was if you were 10 or younger. If that's the case then I got nothing.

Also, for those of you who don't remember, 1998 was the year Mr. McGwire hit 3 million home runs or something like that.

Yep, three years before Barry hit 3,000,003. ;-)

Four Seamer,

I understand your point; clearly Delgado has not exactly employed the best possible strategy in his first offseason as a free agent. Still, I have to believe that there should be enough interest in a player of his tremendous abilities, and enough teams left with money to spend, that he should be able to get at least something closer to market value...

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2005/01/17/901042.html
Elliot is reporting the 2 closest offers to Schoenewis was a 1.2mil/1yr offer from the Padres and 1 mil/1yr offer from the White Sox.

Even if those 2 figures are incorrect it still boggles my mind why a low payrolled team like the Jays would jack up the market for a fringe veteran lefty reliever. It's been more than a few days since the signing, and it still doesn't make any sense no matter how anybody spins it.

Maybe Moffatt would disagree, but I would think the sample size of superstar slugging first basemen is sufficiently small as to make any concept of "market value" remote at best. To the teams that are left out there, it doesn't appear that any of them are particularly motivated to spend a huge amount of money on a first baseman, regardless of what sort of money his comparables are making. There were a few teams out there that had money to spend, and made no secret of wanting a big-time slugger. Rather than risk missing out on one, they paid a premium to Sexson and Glaus to get them to sign and not feel out the market any longer. If you strip that "premium" out of what Sexson and Glaus are being paid, you may find that the offers Delgado is receiving are consistent with his market value.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1968821
Rangers re-sign Soriano for 1/7.5 (COMN). This seems to indicate Delgado not Lone Star-bound.

Ron anything Elliot says is unreliable, he utterly hates Ricciardi. Did Ricciardi overpay? Perhaps, but I bet there were other suitors that Elliot neglects to mention.

I think Elliot loses all credibility when he suggests Schoenenweis should be in the rotation.

In fairness ,Elliott is correct for taking Ricciardi to task about Hillenbrand and Koskie replacing Delgado, J.P. is guilty of comparing apples and oranges on this one.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1968838
Robbie Alomar to the D-Rays,(comm),talk about how far a guys star has fallen. I thought Alomar would have aged a lot better than this. It makes you wonder about the validity of his birth certificate.

That All-Time Rays team is looking pretty good in the infield, though. McGriff, Alomar, Boggs ...

The Schoenweis and Hillenbrand trades get the BP analysis in today's Triple Play. We also learn that PECOTA still does not have love for Russ Adams.

That All-Time Rays team is looking pretty good in the infield, though. McGriff, Alomar, Boggs ...

Unfortunately, they weren't so hot by the time they made it to Tampa...

Just curious Mike G, what do you expect out of Adams this year?

I didn't think .268/.338/.396 was that out of line. At best I would expect his Syracuse numbers from last year (.288/.351/.408).

Pistol, you're right. .268/.338/.396 is objectively not out of line. It was more the editorial comment that Adams has probably only a few years as a regular.

For myself, my subjective expectations of Adams changed considerably after 2004. I do not think that his power development over his year at AAA and his September cup of coffee was a sample size fluke; he was driving the ball, and he looked to have spent considerable time in the weight room working on his lower body. My guess for Russ this year: .275/.350/.420 (roughly 65 walks, 30 doubles, 10 homers). In other words, a fine rookie campaign.

Is there anywhere to find out the players, mainly minor league, who got released. I know that Chris Neylan was released by the Jays but there is no record of it on the internet. I know this is off subject, but maybe you guys could make a thread of the off season transactions. Thanks.

The Jays have not released names of players who have been released. We have asked them for a list but have received nothing yet.

So far James Pidutti and Chris Neylan are the ones who have been mentioned.

My guess for Russ this year: .275/.350/.420 (roughly 65 walks, 30 doubles, 10 homers). In other words, a fine rookie campaign.

And certainly comparable, if not superior, to Bobby Crosby's Rookie of the Year campaign.

If Elliott is right, and the only other offers on the table were that low, then obviously I would be even more disappointed with the signing. But I'd also have a much more profound respect for how hard it is to run this ballclub. I have confidence that J.P. is not a completely stupid man, so if what Elliott says is true, then I would assume part of, if not all of the extra money he forked over was to convince Scott to come to Eskimo country. From all I've heard this offseason and in offseasons past, it certainly isn't out of the question. And if it's gotten this bad, regardless of the stable ownership, you really have to fear for the future of this franchise.

Just Curious... the Baseball America transaction wire (found the main page) is the best place to find released players in the minor leagues.
If you are wondering about specific players, ask away and I or someone else should be able to tell you if they are still kicking around. From what I have heard, there has been very few players (Kip Bouknight, Marvin Benard, Noah Hall) let go this offseason, other than the minor league free agents the Jays lost (also can be found on the Baseball America Web site). Currently the Jays have about 15 excess players in their system right now who could very well be released during minor league spring training.

I have confidence that J.P. is not a completely stupid man, so if what Elliott says is true, then I would assume part of, if not all of the extra money he forked over was to convince Scott to come to Eskimo country.

I'm not sure if that's true in this case. I remember reading an interview with Schoeneweis in the Star after the Jays signed him, and he was telling them that Billy Koch had sold him on Toronto, and he wanted to be on the same team as Koch again. But it's not surprising that the Jays need to overspend to get players, even without being in Canada, a last place team isn't appealing unless they're throwing money around.

Just for clarity "I have confidence that J.P. is not a completely stupid man, so if what Elliott says is true, then I would assume part of, if not all of the extra money he forked over was to convince Scott to come to Eskimo country." should've been italicized above.

6-4-3 in all seriousness, who the heck would be bidding even CLOSE to the 1.5 per year mark for Schoneiewies, if it wasn't for the complete drought on FAs this season then he'd be looking at a 700k per season deal.

No GM in their right mind is going to give him the type of cash JP gave him.

So Caramon, you're on the record that you feel JP is not in his right mind? How come you're not campaigning for him to be fired immediately?

JP does seem to overprice relievers doesn't he? Maybe he needs an assistant to help out with this part of the portfolio. After all every other aspect of sports is being choked with 'specialists'.(;

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-hardball-times-2005-ncaa-pre-season-all-america-team/
I've got a new college baseball article up at The Hardball Times. I'm going to be doing regular college baseball coverage through the season which starts in February.

I just noticed that Scott Williamson is still available. He's only 28. Anyone, know why the Jays wouldn't be interested in his services. He has closed before, in stints with the Reds and BoSoxs.

When I was about nine or 10, I met Lefty Gomez, who happened to live in my home town, Novato, California, a small town about 20 miles north of San Francisco

Gitz, did he ever tell you the famous Joe Dimaggio story? DiMaggio roomed with Gomez. Early in his career, Gomez was on the mound and Hank Greenberg was at the plate for the Tigers. DiMaggio was playing shallow and Greenberg tripled over his head. In the dugout at the end of the inning, Gomez implored DiMaggio to play Greenberg deeper. "I'm going to make them forget Greenberg", Joltin Joe said. "Roomie, if you don't play him deeper, you're going to make them forget Lefty Gomez", came the reply.

I just noticed that Scott Williamson is still available. He's only 28. Anyone, know why the Jays wouldn't be interested in his services.

I'm thinking because he's pricey and coming off shoulder trouble.

You mean 'Speaker', not 'Greenberg', in DiMaggio's quote there.

Nope, I meant Greenberg. DiMaggio was a rookie in 1936. Speaker had been out of the league for 6 years, and Greenberg was a rookie.

Incidentally, Gomez died in February, 1989, so perhaps the end of Gitz' visits to him might have resulted from ill-health rather than Gitz' adolescence.

Ugh. In 1936, Greenberg was not a rookie. He was already a star.

I agree that probably I would have nothing to say to a baseball player, but viscerally I ask myself why this is true. Are they really so different, other than the vast sums of money they make? Here's a standard "for instance." Scott Hatteberg lives about 15 miles away from me now (in Gig Harbor, WA), and we (that's my wife and I, not Scott Hatteberg and I) take our dogs to a vet in the same small town. Occasionally I wonder what would happen if I came across Scott at the vet, at the store, at a coffee shop, etc. We're the same age, we're both college grads, we live in the Pacific Northwest, we both like baseball, we both like the A's, etc., etc. So why would we not be able to hold a conversation like two "normal" people? I wouldn't hold him in awe for being a millionaire/professional athlete, nor would, I presume, he hold me in awe for being an ESPN.com "writer" (that deserves both quotes and a snicker), mainly becuase neither are really awe-inspiring at face value. (And mine isn't awe-inspiring on any level.) In fact, it would actually be easier to start a conversation with Hatteberg, because right off the bat (so to speak) there would be an entrance point. It's like seeing somebody reading the same book you happen to be reading. And especially if that person is an attractive member of the opposite sex, we'd feel the pull of wanting to have a conversation with them, then would regret it the rest of the day if we didn't try. I would feel the same way if I came across Hatteberg, partly out of a desire to put my "theory" into practice: would we have something to say to each other? It'd be interesting to find out. Possibly he would find Bertrand Russell, Noam Chomsky, Henry Miller, The Simpsons, et al, tireless bores. But maybe not, and it would nag me if I didn't say something to him.

That said, I would never go out of my way to meet a baseball player just because he's a baseball player. But it's folly to dismisss out-of-hand this idea that we would have nothing to say to each other because, seemingly, we have nothing in common. I don't quite follow that.

Forget it. Matthew E isn't saying what I thought he said. DiMag might very well have said "I'm going to make them forget Tris Speaker". Another cup of coffee please.

Well, Mike G., I was in college when Lefty died, but I maintain the end of my visits had more to do with puberty. Incidentally, the baseball field where I played in high school was re-named "Lefty Gomez Field" not long after Lefty died. I hear "John Gizzi Stadium" was a close second, though.

And I don't recall a specific story about DiMaggio, but rather a sequence of stories that fused into one general thread. I do remember the George Brett anectode, but that's possibly because I played third base and had always wanted to be a left-handed power hitter.

6-4-3 in all seriousness, who the heck would be bidding even CLOSE to the 1.5 per year mark for Schoneiewies, if it wasn't for the complete drought on FAs this season then he'd be looking at a 700k per season deal.

No GM in their right mind is going to give him the type of cash JP gave him.

If you look at ESPN's free agent tracker, a lot of relievers are making Schoenweis-type money (Wilson Alvarez, for example, is getting 2 million for a year). One reason the Jays might've had to pay Schoenweis more money (and maybe the extra year) is that he strongly wants to start, and the Jays are going to use him in a relief role. Add that to the fact that there were (I believe) no other real LHP options after Kline signed in Baltimore, and his value suddenly goes up a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a good deal, but it was probably a better idea than looking for the next de los Santos and spending 850K on him.

I agree that probably I would have nothing to say to a baseball player, but viscerally I ask myself why this is true. Are they really so different, other than the vast sums of money they make?

Most baseball players are different from me: I'm a 40-something geek who was cut from his grade-school softball team. :-)

There is the general point that people are people, and you can always find something to say to anyone.

JP does seem to overprice relievers doesn't he?

I think this is a learned behaviour. In 2003, he spent very little on the relievers he brought in, and they all pitched badly. In 2004, he spent a bit more, and they all pitched slightly less badly. It looks like he's going to keep increasing his spending incrementally until he can find pitchers who can actually get batters out.

I don't have high hopes for Schoeneweis (though I'm as pleased as punch that I was able to spell his name correctly from memory :-)). I think he'll be the next Trever Miller. But I suppose you have to have somebody coming out of the bullpen to face the guys who absolutely crush right-handed pitching.

I agree that probably I would have nothing to say to a baseball player, but viscerally I ask myself why this is true. [...] That said, I would never go out of my way to meet a baseball player just because he's a baseball player. But it's folly to dismisss out-of-hand this idea that we would have nothing to say to each other because, seemingly, we have nothing in common. I don't quite follow that.

You're right, of course, and what you wrote is closer to what I actually think than what I wrote. But I didn't want to write that much.

There is nothing wrong with getting autographs, its called being a collector. A fan. Some people like jerseys, hats, autographs, none of which are wrong. Now stalking a player, that is wrong, asking him to sign a card or photo is fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Incidentally, Gomez died in February, 1989, so perhaps the end of Gitz' visits to him might have resulted from ill-health rather than Gitz' adolescence.

Sir, are you implying what I think I'm inferring? Headline in tomorrow's Star:

BATTER'S BOX'S GIZZI: LEFTY GOMEZ'S KILLER?

I vote "ooh, that's gonna sell some papers and drive traffic to the site!"

6-4-3 in all seriousness, who the heck would be bidding even CLOSE to the 1.5 per year mark for Schoneiewies, if it wasn't for the complete drought on FAs this season then he'd be looking at a 700k per season deal.

No GM in their right mind is going to give him the type of cash JP gave him.

Actually no fan in their right mind should be getting worked up over this deal. Is it a move that is going to make the Jays a playoff team, no. Is Scotty the best loogy out there, no. Is he even going to be a league average loogy? I don't know but there is a decent chance he might.

The Jays have not had a league average loogy for a while. Getting one will help solidify some roles in the pen and hopefully help everyone there. Cormier got $5.25 over 2 years, Kline got $5.5 over 2 years, Estes got $2.5 for one. Did JP overpay? Maybe. Are all these guys so much better than Scott that he is only worth $700,000? I think that assertion is ridiculous. If Elliot is right, (and we all know he is so fair when it comes to the Jays), and Scott is worth only $1.2 a season (maybe the Padres were just taking flyer by the way) then JP overpaid by $1.4 million a season. Does this $1.4 million cripple the team? Does this limit flexibility going forward? Are the Jays down to their last nickle? No. They have money to spend and can't find anyone worth spending it on.

I don't understand why they let Eyre, Miller, and Phelps go over the last few years or how Scott or Shea are going to fit in. But I do know that none of them are going to make a huge amount of difference one way or another. I doubt Carlos Beltran would have put them into the playoffs either.

Some people like jerseys, hats,

It's a disease.

DiMaggio was going to make everyone forget how Tris Speaker played center field, which was both state of the art, and very much shallower than other centre fielders (Speaker being exceptionally fast and very good at going back on the ball.)

That's if the story is true... Joe DiMaggio, bragging about his game?

Once I told Tony Batista he sucked after he struck out to end a game...we didn't exactly meet

But he looked over at me and gave me a nod

I also met Homer Bush in Dunedin when he was a Yankee...or at least my dad said hello to him while I stood beside him...

Not sure of either of these count....especially since they occured in my moody adolescent years rather than my young lad of 10 years

Oh yes, and can't forget Fransisco Cabrera from his glory days on the London Monarchs of the CBL

Or was he on the Niagara Stars?

Was anyone else emotionally involved in that league?
I remember the relationship with one of my friends in Calgary completely deteriorating due to our Monarchs-Legends rivalry remaining unconssumated due to the shortened season

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story.asp?id=111646
COMN for news that a Windsor, Ontario umpire, Don Gilbert, has been named International Umpire of the Year. Congratulations Blue, but don't let it go to your head!

But there's just something incongruous about the International Baseball Federation being headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It seems the equivalent of having the offices of the International Cricket Federation in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Sir, are you implying what I think I'm inferring? Headline in tomorrow's Star:

BATTER'S BOX'S GIZZI: LEFTY GOMEZ'S KILLER?

Mick, do you realize how many career opportunities you have? Boldface journalist and litigation lawyer for a start. It'd make a nice combo.

Actually, the truth is much more interesting. As adolescents, many of us, myself included, paid less attention to the old people who fascinated us when we were kids. Fortunately, it's just a phase.

I remember in 1990 meeting John Olerud at the Jane & Finch mall. He was doing an appearance with Tom Cheek that day.

I lived in the Bluffs of Scarborough (Well... not on the Bluffs themselves... but the neighborhood behind them) and it was one heck of a long trip for an 11 year old.

I got Olerud to sign a ball and his Donruss Rookie card for me. It was the thrill of my life, as my favourite players of my youth were first basemen... (Upshaw, McGriff, Olerud)

I still remember Tom Cheek doing baseball trivia and I got a question right! It was such a thrill. I believe my prize was one of those Blue Jays compilation musical CDs. Which featured "Help us Mookie", "I Want to Get Home", "The Wham, Bam, Blue Jays Gang", "Terminator" and other classics!

I think I still have the picture hiding somewhere of my brush with greatness.

John shook my hand and talked about baseball with me for a good 3 minutes. It made a huge impact upon me... and helped me get even further into baseball.

Which got me into studying the history of baseball.

Which got me into studying history.

Which got me into studying history at Trent. (Specifically, Military Strategy and its reflection of existing societal norms)

Which got me a B.A with Honours

Which got me into the Faculty of Education.

Which got me a B.Ed.

Which got me into being a Manager with Blacks Photo Corporation..... hey... did I miss something here!?

Laters,
Ken Kosowan

You mean I'm not the only baseball loving history student with a focus on military affairs from Scarborough?

I considered Trent as well.....though I guess the similarity ends there (When the University of Regina calls...well you answer the door...)

Though for me it was more Lloyd Moseby than John Olerud...I never met him, though 3 successive baseball gloves, from 1992-present are Moseby "officially" signed Spaldning's

You're right, of course, and what you wrote is closer to what I actually think than what I wrote. But I didn't want to write that much.

If you were taking a subtle dig at me, well done! And if you weren't ... you should have been.

Former Blue Jay Jose Cruz Jr. and his wife stayed at the Muskoka resort where I used to work during the 2000 All-Star Break. They played tennis and I had to give him a junior racquet because his wife took the last adult racquet we had at the time.

Seeing as how I was 21 at the time and that doesn't really count, I guess my other experience would be getting Ottawa Lynx pitcher Reid Cornelius and outfielder F.P. Santangelo's autographs before a game against Scranton. (Phillies) I was 15 at the time. Erstwhile All-Star Carlos Perez started for the Lynx, who won 2-1 I believe, with Bien Figueroa driving in both runs with an RBI double. The next weekend, the MLB players struck.

Pistol, you're right. .268/.338/.396 is objectively not out of line. It was more the editorial comment that Adams has probably only a few years as a regular.

That did seem like an odd comment about being a regular for a few years. He doesn't turn 25 until the end of August. Is he supposed to go in the tank when he hits 28?

I just noticed that Scott Williamson is still available. He's only 28. Anyone, know why the Jays wouldn't be interested in his services.

The Boston Herald notes that Scott Williamson had to have a second Tommy John surgery on his elbow and will likely miss all of the 2005 season.

So unless you sign Williamson to a Leiber-like deal there's no point in signing him for next year.

Back in the late 80s, I had the chance to play against Jeff Cheek's baseball team from Burlington. Jeff is obviously Tom's son, and I think he was drafted by Jays a few years later. Not only was Jeff a very tall and imposing figure on the mound, but since we all grew up with his dad, the entire team was awestruck. He goes up 0-2 on me with the bases loaded, when I hammer a curve off the top of the wall in dead centre for a bases-clearing triple. We're leaving the park after the game when one of my teammates spots Tom Cheek sitting by himself in the bleachers. We go over and introduce ourselves, telling him how much we've admired his work, and he seemed somewhat flattered. Then he says to me "aren't you the one who nearly hit the grand slam?" Umm, yes, I answer. "That was quite a poke son." I don't remember if we won or lost that game, but I could've cared less at that point.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000911/
Yeah Greg; Trent was a blast. Wrote major papers on German Military Strategy in the Great War and the Life of the Naval Surgeon in the 17th Century RN. To all of the rest of you; yadda yadda yadda. I likes my history.

So Greg; what part of Scarlem did you come from?

Almost forgot to add that I met Devon White at the Eglinton Square in Scarborough. It was 91 and he had that awesome Devo slant haircut. Hi-larious..... I remember that he had a very loud shirt on, and that he smelled of french fries (I know, weird....)

I know it's a hijack here; but as for my 3rd rate celeb run-in... while working at a Gas Station in Scarlem I came up to the car to find Nigel Bennet at the wheel. COMN for his information.

Needless to say; I asked him to say the line.... he wouldn't. He said not to waste his time..... No tip either... I guess he was thick enuhh to dent a five irron. :)

Ken Kosowan

I hail from...close by the Town Centre, Midland and Sheppard
Right smack dab in Chinatown

(We cleverly dubbed our high-school "Asian-Court" rather than it's official name, Agincourt...yes teenagers don't usually worry about actually making ethnic humour funny)

I find it refreshing that no one out here knows what Scarborough is, so I am free from any East-side hating....though they just hate for being from the Toronto area, so it all evens out

I did a paper a couple years back on the Germans in WW1 (my favourite area though that means learning German so.....bah) about how the alliance with the Austrians held up during the war, at one point Falkenhayn or someone like that calling the Austrians a bunch of "coward camels"

I'm also doing some stuff now on the 17th century navy, Sir John Coke and his work early in the century....sounds like a pretty low point for the navy

But yes, I'm sure no one comes here for this....

I was at the Ernie Whitt apearance as well, he seemed like a great guy. I saw Tony and Fernandez at frozen pond in August, Tony was alot more frienly and was open to posing wtih pictures with people. George Bell was their too and seemed a little stuck up.

Fergie Jenkins will be at Frozen Pond in a few weeks as well.

Tom Henke lived in my nieghberhood as well (Streetsville), he signed tons of stuff for the kids on the street and also seemed like a great guy.

http://digamma.net/btfwiki/index.php/Sure%2C_I%27d_listen_if_called
To tie two unrelated posts together, who can explain the strategic military significance of Agincourt?

I started laughing at Greg's line:
When the University of Regina calls...well you answer the door...)

It reminds me of one of my favorite recurring Primer jokes. The infamous "Sure, I'd listen if the _______ called" line. Click on my name for the details. But beware, Primer's Wikipedia site will consume a few hours of your life. You're guaranteed to laugh a ton though.

I don't know about the significance...

But I've always thought it boiled down to 5,000 steady Welsh archers + Muddy field = thousands upon thousands of well dressed, dead French Knights

Like I said I don't know a lot of the details, but from what I do know it sort of signified the beginning of the ascendancy of light missile infantry over heavy cavalry

The ascendency of light missile infantry over heavy cavalry? What the frick? To think I had suggested that Da Box had hit a new low when Matthew E. started talking about Holes of Annihilation and Wants of Assimilation. (Or something along those lines.)

Hmmm. Wants of assimilation. That could be an interesting typo, but in reality it's a reminder that Wands of any kind should not be taken lightly. Unless of course they're pocket ... oh, never mind.

The knights wouldn't engage the archers -- it wouldn't be a manly victory, speaking in chivalry terms. And so they died in piles.

It was the victory of the much lower paid soldier over the so-called elite.

It was the victory of the much lower paid soldier over the so-called elite.

Should JP and Keith be studying military history? I hope that the Jays strategy is not to get the Yankees to to refuse to engage the Jays, we could be waiting. Where are our archers?

Oh my... look what I've done.

From John Olerud to Peterborough to the field at Agincourt.

This truly is a banner day for us all!

Hey Greg... (or anyone else who wants to talk history) drop me a line at my email. COMN.

Ken Kosowan

PS I was a Birchmount Park Panther man. Home of Peter Zezel and a lot of roided up guys who made Jason Giambi look like a weakling.

BONUS QUESTION - Describe the military strategy used in the battle of Tannenberg, referencing at least one other example of this strategy. I'll give you a hint.... both armies came from countries which we now would say were in the Axis Powers....

Hmm

I played for the Birchmount Bulldogs a couple seasons
I think I went 1-11 (though the team went 2-24 or something)

Stupid Birchmount
the high school sports teams kicks are asses for years, and the second I join the baseball team we win 3 games in 2 years

Zezel's from the Borough?
Get out
I knew there was a reason he was my all-time favourite Leaf

Everybody relax. Who cares if these Blue Jay players are making millions? Who cares if they're not the greatest bargains in MLB? The Blue Jays have to build a reputation of being a good home for free agents. It's what the Detroit Tigers have been doing: overpaying to get agents used to considering Detroit in the offseason. You want the buzz around players being: "so-and-so got good money with Toronto, and he's having a ball over there, and they might be good in a year or two." You need that buzz, that snowballing effect. That's how the Blue Jays finally won their first World Series, followed by a second, players cottoned on that Toronto was the destination for them.

Curious: How much flack do you think the Blue Jays will get if Delgado signs with Flordia for 3 years / $35 million? (It might happen, they meet for over 5 hours yesterday.) Florida. Didn't the Blue Jays draw twice the attendance that the Marlins did? Don't the Blue Jays have a more lucrative TV market than the Marlins? Don't the Blue Jays have a higher payroll than the Marlins?

If JP and Godfrey were serious about signing Delgado, and offered him the same figures back in November that Florida is now offering, would Delgado have taken it? I think he would have. Would the Blue Jays be better off? That is something I'm no so sure of.

But couldn't we have Koskie, Hillenbrandt, and Delgado in the same lineup for 2005 and beyond, shipping Hinske off for a Schoenweiss-type player? That would have to be more than a touch better than the lineup going in to 2005 at the moment.

Didn't Ludendorf and Hindenburg defeat two different forces in detail. Routing one and then turning to rout the other. I think lakes had split a superior Russian force. Didn't Manstein do this to Soviet forces around Kharkov in 43 also.

Before the offseason, Delgado, or Delgado's agent, seemed convinced that he was going to be getting the same type of contract that he just got out of -- in the 17-18mil per year range. Based on that, I think that even if the Blue Jays had offered as much as 3/40, Carlos would have stillturned them down on the hopes that he could get more as an FA.

So, no, I don't think the Jays had any real chance of resigning Carlos, and I don't think they should get any flak for letting him go, no matter how much he ends up getting.

There's 4 reasons why Florida is a better destination for FA's than Toronto besides paying more money:

1) The team is better
2) They don't play in the same division as the Yanks and Red Sox
3) Florida is a better place to live than in Toronto
4) Florida isn't in Canada (I'm only going by what JP says about FA's asking goofy questions about Canada and players hesistant to play in a foreign Country)

As for the Tigers, what FA's have they added this off season besides Pervical? I know Drew, Koskie, Glaus, and Pavano all signed elsewhere.

German, I do think JP should be fired.

Part of JP's job is to market Toronto to the FAs, which he has failed to do. Kline turns us down and when we offer him more than what he accepted.

He overpays badly for SS, who has done nothing meaningful in his career to warrent the type of money hes getting. Seriously we could have traded some 3rd tier propect for someone who can toss a 5.00 + ERA, starter or releiver... but OooOoOO he tosses left and isn't very good at it.

I honestly think he has done a terrible job as GM, but of course thats my opinion.

Me Grimlock also from Scarborough. Malvern represent!

Me Grimlock once got a baseball signed by Kelly Gruber when he was 8. Me Grimlock then played ball with it. The signature is gone.

Me Grimlock also believes Carlos would have signed with us for the rumoured Marlins money.

3) Florida is a better place to live than in Toronto

What do you have to back up this? Considering that the Baseball season is in the summer as well, so don't say cold winters.

Toronto is a great city, anyone who has played here has only said good things about the city while living here and after leaving, including Carlos.

Best autograph score? Leaf practise at the Pacific Colisseum. 1972 or 73.

Leafs trainer Joe Sgro asks me and a pal to help unload and sort the players sticks. Joe gave me a Bob Neely stick, Neely was injured and didn't need the extras.

Later after the practise I got the stick autographed by Sittler, McDonald, Salming, Shack, Bouttete, Errol, Palmateer, Milkman and pretty much the whole team.

Best autograph ever, the Sabres were in town, bus pulls up to the Colisseum. The Sabres are all piling off the bus and my pal and I are are watching them file out, Gilbert Pereault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert and all the great players they had. A couple of them stop to sign whatever rag we were holding, we thanked them but said no thanks, "We're waiting for Mr. Horton". We got his autograph and were at the game that night.

Two or three weeks later we heard on the news Tim Horton died in a car crash between Buffalo and Toronto. He was going to Toronto to take care of his new donut shop.

Crushing.

Good for Cesar Izturis getting ten mil for three. Izturis and Quantrill for Prokopec and Chad Ricketts. *Chuckle*.

LA can pay him, that's fine w/ me.

Hey westcoast dude. You mentioned you were a lightkeeper at Nootka Sound. Are you still out there?

What do you have to back up this? Considering that the Baseball season is in the summer as well, so don't say cold winters.

Toronto is a great city, anyone who has played here has only said good things about the city while living here and after leaving, including Carlos.

I don't deny Toronto is a great city (I personally enjoyed my summer vacation there 2 years ago and might be heading back this summer)but I but believe the weather is generally better in Florida than Toronto in the months of April, May, and September. The nightlife and beaches are better in Florida too.

You take a poll of all Major Leaguers and ask them if they had to choose which is the greater area (which can be defined in many ways) Florida or Toronto, I'll bet my life savings Florida comes out on top.

3) Florida is a better place to live than in Toronto

Very true.

If you're 102.

Me Grimlock also from Scarborough. Malvern represent!

Albert Campbell in the house.

I've hung out in Asiancourt and dodged bullets in Malvern.

Mississauga is so boring.

Hey, another U of Regina alumni on the board. Go Cougars!

OooOoOO he tosses left and isn't very good at it.

He's pretty good at tossing left actually. His 3 yr splits against LHB:

.222/.286/.302, AB:334, SO:72, BB:25

Hmmm looking over his 3yr splits I may have discovered the real reason JP was so eager to sign SS.

vs. BOS ERA: 1.13, Avg: .120
vs. BAL ERA: 1.32, Avg: .146

Who cares if it's only 21.2 innings worth of work, he's dominant against the World Champions who just happen to be in our division ;)

Florida's weather is beter? When's the last time TO had one of those pesky life-shattering hurricanes?

Mick, in my world those Hurricanes don't exist:)

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tor/news/tor_news.jsp?ymd=20050117&content_id=931847&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp
New Mailbag from SF is up.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a good deal, but it was probably a better idea than looking for the next de los Santos and spending 850K on him.

Honestly though, is the upgrade from a VDLS-type guy to SS worth $1.75 million to a team on a budget? I personally don't see the difference being all that great, given SS's relatively weak track record.

Hi, Lefty. I'm still out in Nootka Sound, lots of rain. I got a hunch you're wondering about our celebrity mascot whale? We're all Luna-tics here (and that's the name of the Gold River baseball team). Actually, his name is Txu-Xuii (sp)(pronounced soo-key) the reincarnation of Chief Ambrose Maquinna. I'm a redneck who had an epiphany.