I voted Fernandez, but I can't disagree by picking Carter. If the contest was called "Best Jay Ever" or "Mr. Blue Jay", given the number of options, it would arguably be Fernandez. (Delgado not being an option).

Joe Carter is a hometown hero. It's really hard to say that he isn't a hero.

My biggest fear is McGowan and Rosario both being dumped for pennies on the dollar. I think those two are pitchers that can be hidden in the back of the bullpen. They shouldn't be dumped for the sake of keeping Brian Tallet and Scott Downs. If they can be traded in packages for good players, that's a different story, but sending them to Oakland for a 25-year old AA prospect is what I dread the most with losing those two.

I caught the ESPN special that showed every team's "hometown hero". It had clips of Carter and comments from Rance Mulliniks, among others. Good trip down memory lane.

 I think those two are pitchers that can be hidden in the back of the bullpen. They shouldn't be dumped for the sake of keeping Brian Tallet and Scott Downs. 

   If you're trying to contend in 2007, then it's far better to have Tallet and Downs in the bullpen than two guys who haven't been able to get major league htiters out. Granted, Tallet's control kind of freaks me out, but he's still had far more success than McGowan or Rosario. If the Jays can get an extra option for McGowan that's great, but unless they really turn things around in spring training I don't see any way you can carry both of them on the roster and still call yourself competitive.

Off topic here but I was listening to the ESPN Baseball Today Podcast and Alan Schwarz mentioned that Chase Utley was denied a 3 run homer in the Phillies 5-4 loss to the Nationals at RFK Stadium last night.  There is a video link to this page.

Looking at the clip, it looked like the umpire made the right call and called the ball foul down the right field line.  However, the story goes on to say that it was apparently the wrong call.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20060926&content_id=1683250&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

That'd be a shame if this winds up costing the Fighting Phils the wild card but looking at it again, I still think it was a foul ball and I don't really blame the 1st base ump for calling it foul.   You wonder if maybe there should be instant replay for the final month of the season and the play-offs. 

I was down about the Jays home season coming to an end and the Detroit Lions season coming to an end (at 0-and-3 and two divisional losses, stick a fork in 'em, they're done!) but the races in the AL Central, NL Central, and the NL WIld Card have picked up my spirits again.  This should be a fun final week of the season.

That's a relief. Here's the article.

McGowan, 24, had reconstructive elbow surgery in May of 2004. And during his rehabilitation from the surgery, he wondered why he was urinating so much. "I couldn't take it any more, I couldn't get any sleep, I'd wake up five times in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom,” he said. McGowan thought mystery was solved when he was subsequently diagnosed with diabetes. “At first they thought I was Type 2,” he said. “I was taking pills for like a year and it really wasn't doing anything.”

It turns out McGowan had Type 1 diabetes. (With Type 2, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to meet the body's needs or the insulin is not effectively metabolized. With Type 1, the pancreas does not produce any, or enough, insulin.) "I lost a lot of weight, even from last year,” the pitcher said. “I weighed between 225 and 230 [pounds]. Then, I started eating right and ... before I got to spring training to 202 pounds.”

I was watching the Lilly game Wednesday night and was struck by a comment by Vic.  He said that Lilly had pitched into the eighth inning only twice this year.  While I knew that Lilly is not an economical pitcher and probably throws a lot of pitches per batter, it is a somewhat remarkable stat.

The shock value comes when you discover that he earned a decision in 28 starts this year.  It seems to be a very high number of decisions for someone who has seen the eighth inning only twice (one in a loss to the Tigers - I don't remember the other).  It directly infers that the bullpen held his leads and the offence never rallied for him.  What else might it mean?

I think a more "normal" record for his performance this year might have been another 12-10 season, assuming a few lead changes in the later innings of games he's pitched.  For me personally, it's soured somewhat my desire to have him return (knowing the dollars he may command).

Doc on the other hand has pitched into the eighth at least 13 times (eight times he's pitched 7.0 innings and I'm unable to ascertain whether he came out for the eighth), but only has 21 decisions in 32 starts.  Where's the norm?  This may require more in depth study.