If only the Jays were in the Central. We'd go 7-3 in each of Cito's precious ten-game stretches. *sigh*

It will be interesting to see if the Jays sustain this start as they continue to play against the weaker opposition in the Central and West. July and August however...

That was one efficient offence last night.  I especially liked the back-to-back walk/homer sequences in the 2nd and 3rd innings.  No muss, no fuss, no waste.

Richmond threw 106 pitches last night. Ordinarily, that would be no big deal at all.   However, with his limited spring training work due to the WBC and his rain-shortened outing of 74 pitches in his first appearance, it probably would have been a good idea to keep him under 100.  He had thrown 95 through 6 innings and held a 10-2 lead, so that would have been the natural place to pull him. 

Richmond threw 106 pitches last night. Ordinarily, that would be no big deal at all.   However, with his limited spring training work due to the WBC and his rain-shortened outing of 74 pitches in his first appearance, it probably would have been a good idea to keep him under 100.

However, you have to remember that Richmond said his right arm is four years younger than he is so 106 pitches shouldn't be that big a deal. :)

Nice to see the Yankees getting spanked by Cleveland to open Yankee Stadium.

With the time difference, The FAN actually had pre-game shows this week, and last night, Jerry Howarth did an extended segment with Cito, talking about Jackie Robinson, or "Mr. Robinson, as Cito always called him. (Cito won the Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award last winter).

Now, I do quite enjoy listening to Jerry's broadcasts, but he has one odd, and often jarrying habit of making up on-field conversations. (Along the lines of.. "As Cito takes the ball from the rook, he says to him, 'Nice game, young man, you can be proud of your efforts'", or some such).

Last night in the interview, Jerry  "quoted" Robinson when he retired in '56 rather than accept a trade to the Giants. "No, Mr. Rickey, I'll always be a Dodger".

But Mr. Rickey was then the GM of the Pirates, and had been gone from Brooklyn for 6 years. (And since apparently, Jackie had already decided to retire anyway, perhaps what Jerry heard was "No, Mr. Bavasi, I'm going to go work for Chock Full O'Nuts".

Nice tribute and comments by Cito anyway.

Richmond's the kind of guy you get away with overusing. He's not in the rotation next year, so may as well get all you can from him.

A highly recommended movie opens in Toronto on Friday: Sugar.

It's the story of a young Dominican prospect, nicknamed "Sugar" who gets signed by a fictionalized Kansas City Royals, and is sent to a low-minors team in a small midwest town. It follows him, his teammates, the elderly couple who board players for some time, and then switches gears part way through the movie.

It's made by the directing/writing team of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden who had previously made Half Nelson, so it's no surprise that their new film is superbly intelligent, with complex, fleshed-out characters,  and excellent acting.

In Sugar, almost all the actors are amateurs. Boden and Fleck drove all over the Dominican, filming and talking to ballplayers, and they came up with a winner in Algenis Pérez Soto who plays the lead role.

I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival last fall. You can't go wrong if you like baseball and/or well-made films.  There are some interviews with Boden and Fleck, along with reviews being published today and tomorrow. You can check the interview by Mike Wilner's brother Norman in NOW:  http://www.nowtoronto.com/movies/story.cfm?content=168975
      

There's a review of Sugar in today's Globe and Mail. The couple who made the film previously did Half Nelson, which I  enjoyed. So, it's on my list.

It is good to see our boys Snider and Romero getting some love on mlbtraderumors.com in their community discussion on early favourites for ROY. Not surprising to see Snider topping the list but a couple posters throw in Ricky Romero's name in there as well (in addition to Wieters, and Price).

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/04/discussion-rookie-of-the-year-picks.html

With pitchers one never knows.  Richmond may very well end up in the rotation in 2010, depending on the health of Litsch, Marcum, McGowan and Cecil.  It is certainly possible that two of them will not be ready to go.  And the difference between Richmond and Woody Williams may not be that much.  It is this kind of thing that has earned Arnsberg his reputation.

Well regardless of how the season ends, it's finally fun to watch this team again. Last year we had a first baseman with a penchant for DPs, a concussed second baseman, a SS that couldn't hit, a DH that couldn't hit his weight, a 3rd baseman with a bad shoulder, two duds in the outfield, a CF on the DL and a talented RF who slept most of the game.

What a difference a year makes. Sure the pitching is suspect, but now every at bat is an adventure.

And in a town with the Leafs, the Raptors and the Recession, we need some fun.

“Now, I do quite enjoy listening to Jerry's broadcasts, but he has one odd . . . habit of making up on-field conversations. (Along the lines of.. "As Cito takes the ball from the rook, he says to him, 'Nice game, young man, you can be proud of your efforts'", or some such).

Last night in the interview, Jerry  "quoted" Robinson when he retired in '56 rather than accept a trade to the Giants. "No, Mr. Rickey, I'll always be a Dodger".  But Mr. Rickey was then the GM of the Pirates, and had been gone from Brooklyn for 6 years.”


You're quite right, John.  Jerry simply cannot resist giving his warm and fuzzy little sermons, at any  flimsy opportunity.   He's an unregenerate proselytiser, old Jerry.  It's an abuse of his position.

Warm and fuzzy is fine with me when the Birds of Prey scores 7 in the 7th to break up a close game.  Hmm, 7 in the 7th, maybe I'll make a trip to Las Vegas to check out the prospects...

Exactly what brand of Wheaties is Marco Scutaro eating? We're only half-way through April, and the guy has 3 home runs.

Can we make him play for Venezuela's national team every year?

Hey VBF,
You may be right that you can get away with overusing Scott Richmond. In college he recorded outings of 130, 140 & 150 pitches, so once he's fully stretched out, he'll prove to you that he's more durable than most.
Smarter commentators than you have also written Richmond's obituary prematurely, so don't feel too bad as you sit down to a meal of fresh crow in the Fall, and be big enough of a man to admit it publicly, that you're not as good a judge of horseflesh as you first thought, when he makes the rotation again in 2010, as I predict he will.
 

Does anyone know the last time a Blue Jay hitter had consecutive 0-5 games like Rios? Perhaps Alex Gonzalez or Olerud? 

Richmond is a Jay and so I cheer for him to do well; he is also Canadian and so that puts him on my radar.

 However, VBF is right, Richmond may get 40 to 60 starts over the next few years if he's lucky, but it is far more likely he ends his career closer to Gustavo Chacin than Jamie Moore.

I have to say, canuckiwi, whenever you decide to toot Richmond's horn, it seems that you teeter on the edge of troll-dom.  I have been a part of this site for four or five years [although I am not a proficient poster] and I appreciate the standards that people are held to.  Perhaps you should preview your posts before submitting and check for uncalled for sarcasm and condecension. 

I think canuckiwi is just a big Richmond fan and there is nothing wrong with that - we all have players we cheer on too much :)

I think all of us agree - if Richmond can prove himself this year and keep it going into 2010 we all win (well, except for whoever he beats out for that rotation slot).  I see him as an ideal 5/6 guy - someone you use until someone better comes along, knowing that you can bounce him to AAA anytime with no fear for a year or two.  For a guy with so little high level experience (ie: AAA/AA) he has done very well - 3.86 ERA in 37 1/3 IP so far - and I know I love the speed with which he pitches.  For someone who suffered through watching Juan Guzman and various other rain delays over the years that is a wonderful thing to see (thank you Roy Halladay for encouraging it for all pitchers).

I think canuckiwi is just a big Richmond fan and there is nothing wrong with that - we all have players we cheer on too much :)

Maybe that is all it is and if that's all, then I'm all for it.

I could be off base completely, but when I read his Richmond posts, it seems there is nearly always an undercurrent of condecension towards whomever was critical of Richmond.  However, I am ready to admit misinterpretation on my part and apologize if this seems off base to everyone else.

Halladay vs Buehrle is the ideal match-up for speed. Thinking way back, Jim Kaat was like that. Even faster, if memory serves, than Hallday and Buerhle. I think he used to receive the catcher's throw while he was in his wind-up.

Guzman, Escobar, Trachsel... the Jays have had a few rain delays. I don't miss any of them.

Trachsel pitching to Mike Hargrove... where would Dante (Alighieri not Bichette) rank that match-up?

Trachsel pitching to Mike Hargrove... where would Dante (Alighieri not Bichette) rank that match-up?

What is the opposite of a "three dog night"? Do I get "Pop references in baseball" for $200, Alex (Trebek not Obal)?

Exactly what brand of Wheaties is Marco Scutaro eating? We're only half-way through April, and the guy has 3 home runs.

It's official, Marco Scutaro is now a suspected steroid user. Four home runs now for a 33-year old who has not shown much power in his career. (as in only somewhat noticeably better than McDonald)

It's like Brady Anderson all over again.

Haha Geoff, I as well just commented on the Wheaties that Scutaro is eating in another thread on the site.

I would certainly take a Brady Anderson 1996 season version from Scutaro this year. Heck, I'd be happy if he even just replicated Brady's significantly worse 1997 season!

Hey VBF,
You may be right that you can get away with overusing Scott Richmond. In college he recorded outings of 130, 140 & 150 pitches, so once he's fully stretched out, he'll prove to you that he's more durable than most.
Smarter commentators than you have also written Richmond's obituary prematurely, so don't feel too bad as you sit down to a meal of fresh crow in the Fall, and be big enough of a man to admit it publicly, that you're not as good a judge of horseflesh as you first thought, when he makes the rotation again in 2010, as I predict he will.

Smarter fans than you (and we're probably talking hundreds of thousands) are well aware of the depth of pitching this organization has. He is going to have to beat Cecil, Janssen, and Mills, all while McGowan, Marcum and Litsch return from injury.

He's the disposable camera in the rotation. Use him as much as you want, he'll run out of film and then you throw it away without even a thought.

Prove me wrong Scott!