I'd say that this is an important game, at least from a PR standpoint.

7 days to opening day, during a year that you've lost your big ticket name (Delgado), and where you're trying to get the 'average' person to come out to the RogerDome....and your getting spanked with the team you intend to field come opening day. ;/

All the media's going to report is that, inspite of a 'good' spring training, the Jays are going to continue to be smacked around by the teams that 'matter' in the the AL East.

Although the coverage is minimal, which of the following 2 'short' news reports is likely to have a positive impact with the casual fan?

"...and in Spring Training, the New York Yankees scored 7 in the first 2 innings and added 7 more, as the Toronto Blue Jays were stomped 14-2, with only 7 days left until the regular season opens."

or

"...and in Spring Training, the New York Yankees scored 7 in the first 2 innings, but the Toronto Blue Jays scrapped there way back and took the game with a final score 9-7, with only 7 days left until Opening Day."

Although the games mean nothing, to a 'Casual Fan'tm, the difference is either reinforcing the idea that the 'Jays suck' or thinking that they might be O.K this year.

THAT'S a phrase Yankee fans don't want to see too often in 2005.

But cast in the shadow of the Red Sox and Yankess, the Jays do suck. There's no way they can compete this year against those two. Can't blame the media for spreading the message now because it will be the truth through 2005.

You can always move a third baseman to left or right field. I wouldn't put too much stock in Bob Elliot's plans for the Jays' draft strategies, either.

This is probably their plan as of today but there's another 2.5 months to go until the draft. I'm sure they will continue to monitor the other players available including pitchers.

Here are some snippets on these players from brewerfans.net (I've thrown in stats from the college websites):

Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
Zimmerman... 0.389 24-24 95 20 37 7 2 3 33 57 0.6 9 3 5 4 0.45 2 0 7/8 12 56 3 0.958

Height/Weight: 6-2 / 210
Junior
School: Virginia
Brewerfan.net Rank: 20

Zimmerman really came on last spring as a sophomore, hitting .361 for the surprising Caveliers. He followed that up with an impressive showing with Team USA leading the team with a .468 batting average and 12 doubles, while tieing the team lead with 4 home runs. Zimmerman's best tool might be his defense, as he is considered Gold Glove caliber at the hot corner with good, quick movements, soft hands a very strong arm. While he's not a flashy player, he should be very steady in the mold of a Jeff Cirillo.

Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
Braun 0.457 28-28 105 45 48 9 1 10 43 89 0.848 15 6 18 0 0.519 7 0 15/19 27 62 0.908

Height/Weight: 6-2 / 205
Junior
School: Miami
Brewerfan.net Rank: 25

Braun could emerge as one of the more exciting all-around offensive players from the 2005 draft. He started to produce immediately upon stepping onto Miami's campus, leading Miami in triple crown categories, which led to him being named Baseball America's freshman of the year. He projects to hit for both power and average, and he has the speed to steal 20+ bags as a professional. He has the athleticism to stay at SS, but his actions may be better suited at 3B. He could project favorably to Nomar Garciaparra as an offensive-minded shortstop, with enough pop to justify a move to 3B if needed, and with another big spring he could easily find himself being taken in the top 10 rounds in the June draft. He didn't hit very well on the Cape last summer with a wood bat, so questions about how his bat translates at the pro level may loom.

Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
Clement..... 0.342 22-22 73 19 25 8 0 5 20 48 0.658 18 6 13 0 0.505 0 2 1/3 163 14 0.983

Height/Weight: 6-1 / 205
Date of Birth: 8/21/83
School: USC
Brewerfan.net Rank: 4

First-team preseason All-American according to Baseball America. Power hitting catching prospect that was considered a first-round pick coming out of High School in Iowa, but he disappointed scouts somewhat that spring which caused him to fall to the 12th round, where he was selected by the Twins. Clement is best known for breaking the prep home run mark previously held by Drew Henson. He also holds the all-time walks record for prep players. He has continued to hit with incredible power from the left-side of the plate at USC, using a short, compact stroke and good bat speed. He hits the ball to all fields, and shows a very keen eye at the plate. For a good power hitter, he doesn't strike out very much, and he will also draw his fair share of walks. The big question mark remains on the defensive side of his game. He did a very good job throwing out base-stealers as a sophomore, and has worked hard to improve his footwork, blocking and overall game-calling skills. With a big spring Clement could easily find himself as one of the first 3-5 picks, especially if he proves himself behind the dish.

Bush struggled today entirely because I drafted him in my fantasy league yesterday. If it's any consolation, I also drafted Jeter. I'm glad Bush finished out his 5 full innings, and that he recovered to pitch well over the last three. I've never heard of the Yankees or any other team "letting up" in a professional game, exhibition or otherwise -- if they didn't score after the 3rd, it's because Bush was throwing better.

"Average fans" interest me the least of any fan. If they make decisions about the team based on a spring training game, they deserve to wallow in their ignorance.

Well, I didn't say we should not trust him. I said I "wouldn't put too much stock" in what he says about the draft. There are a few reasons:

1. Reading the article, he throws the mention of those three players in the middle, with no bridge. If you delete the part of the story that Ron provided from the article and read the paragraphs before and after, they flow quite nicely, leading me to believe he needed to put this section in somewhere. It didn't warrant a full article, so he tossed it into a similar one.
2. He doesn't give any reason for these players -- Clement, Zimmerman, Braun -- to be on the Jays' watch list other than "the Jays scouts have been seen focusing on." Maybe it's just poor word choice, but why add the "seen" in there? "The Jays scouts are focusing on..." is more declarative, and I bet Elliot used his passive phrasing because he doesn't know what the Jays will do.
3. Nobody, and especially nobody writing for the Toronto Sun, knows who the Jays will pick in June.

Of course, it's fun to speculate, and since that's what Elliot was doing, more power to him. I just don't think he knows one way or the other.

See also: Moneyball, Billy Beane, Nick Swisher ;)

It's kind of nice to know who the Jays have been scouting and speculation is always fun. But I agree that it is in no way a great indicator of who they're likely to select come draft time.

And will a fan be turned off by a loss they couldn't see or hear when the team is still in first place? What's more important to the casual fan: winning today, or being in first place?

That's probably right, but if Womack is out for any length of time, the job probably goes to Robinson Cano or Andy Phillips. Even though Cano is higher on the prospect chart, probably Phillips.

Oh, who am I kidding? The Yankees starting a kid? If Womack is hurt, the Yankees starting 2B will be ... Robbie Alomar.