I just read this over at the fan590.  Wilner is conducting a 'live blog' ...answering any and all questions!
http://www.fan590.com/feature/special/

Without looking it up, Hill is one of the younger players to win this award, isn't he? I suppose this increases his chances of being one of the first (the first?) repeat winner someday. Not that we'd want that... or we would, kind of?

I suppose this increases his chances of being one of the first (the first?) repeat winner someday.

In fact, this has been done five times -- by Norm Cash, Boog Powell, Bret Saberhagen and Andres Galarraga. Rick Sutcliffe won the award in both leagues.

Saberhagen might have been a top-five vote-getter five times in his career. 

Saberhagen could only pitch well in odd years if I remember correctly.

Congrats to Aaron. Despite the fact that I basically abandoned watching the games in August, seeing what he did in the first four months was truly inspiring stuff. 

I know this is off-topic, but I just finished reading `The Yankee Years` by Tom Verducci and Joe Torre. The descriptions of turmoil between the  years '05-'07 in the Yankee clubhouse, mixed with the total lack of quality and depth in their starting pitching makes it puzzling the gap wasn't closer between the Jays and Yanks..  I mean, geezus god they threw Carl freakin Pavano out there for an opening day start in '07 and gave guys like Darrell Rasner and Aaron Small full seasons in the big leagues. 

Obviously its a skewed perspective, but the book highlighted a lot of things wrong with the Yankees in the latter Torre years.  I guess the Jays faced similar issues with injuries, malcontent players (Hillenbrand anyone?) between '05-'08, but it makes it all the more frustrating knowing that the Yanks were not even close to full strength and they still won considerably more games.  

Is this all J.P.'s fault? Of course not, he didn't have the resources to patch up holes as easily as Cashman did.  Injuries largely killed the chance that perhaps the Jays could pull off a division crown between '05-'08. For me, the failure to add pitching in the '06 off-season marked the end of any sort of marked direction J.P. went in.  Had Lilly or Meche taken the Jays offer (or both) I don't see the Wells albatross mega-deal happening.  With considerable money left from the Rogers allotment at that point, its seems clear that the direction of the front office really went off the rails.  To me, its just like.....damn that Gil Meche.

Jerjapan posted these questions and answers in another thread and I am just re-posting them here because I want to comment on them in a thread people are still actively checking.

DL: Who has most helped you to become an outstanding defensive second baseman?

AH: Oh, it's Brian Butterfield, without a doubt. He's our infield guy, and obviously our bench coach now, and he was the third-base coach when I came up. I'd always played short, and making the transition to other side of the field was different, to say the least. I knew that I'd be able to do it, and that it was my chance to be in the big leagues, and to have a guy who was so positive… I think that's what you need as a young guy in the game. You need someone who is going to be there, to push you, but at the same time support everything that you're doing. It's a game of failure anyway, so it's nice to have somebody on the positive side, helping you out, giving you a pat on the butt, and telling you to keep going.

DL: Cito Gaston recently said that he'd like to see you draw more walks.
AH: You know what? I'm at the point where… I don't know. I'm sure that he would. Obviously, I don't walk all that much, but does that take away some aggressiveness? I mean, I kind of like where I'm at right now, so I'm not going to change anything, and I don't think that anyone else wants me to change anything.

I am really, really dissapointed with Hill's answer to #2. How can a player not want to improve himself? Obviously I don't think Cito wants to trade 10 home runs for 10 walks. But man, what a close minded thought process to have. I thought he was smarter than that. Not going to lie, respect to A Hill just went down. Also his answer to #1 also hints at how he feels about Cito too. He wants positive reinforcement. He is not interested in tough love. He doesn't seem to want to be told "you need to walk more, outs are a bad thing".

Hey Hill, I would like you to walk more too. A few more walks instead of outs would increase your BA and OBP and SLG% too. What a crazy concept. Less outs are a good thing bro!

 

I saw that too.  I have a theory that Cito has evolved.  It's well known that he HATES it when pitchers give up walks.  But on the hitting side he has always promoted aggressive hitting and seemed to love Joe Carter types.

However sometime this summer I think he was sitting in the dugout watching the yankees patiently take pitches and cause all kinds of trouble.  He watched Hill, and Barajas and Wells swing wildly.  And he had enough and realized to compete with the yanks you need plate discipline.  He brought it up and Hill, Barajas, and Wells said no thanks.

Barajas, Hill, and Wells all were three of the loudest voices acknowledging the 'problems' with Cito and they all have subpar plate discipline.   Cito loves 'swinging at your pitch', gets mad when you take a good pitch right down the middle.  BUT is now also getting mad when they are swinging wildly (no plan).  Barajas, Hill and Wells didn't like this.

 

Interesting contrast-


"I'm not going to move him down in the lineup because I don't want to change things up and mess up a great year"


"Hey kid, you need to be more patient andtake more walks even though you're on a pace for almost 40 homers"


Same guy held both opinions.

Don't seem right to me.

I doubt it seemed right to Aaron Hill either. Maybe he'd have been more open to the second view if Cito wasn't so married to the first one.

Since AA says he reads blogs, I will put up my armchair recommendations:
1. get a useful management/coaching team together that you are happy with. Anyone not on the plan can be sent packing
2. get Halladay signed long term if he will do it
3. get the payroll bump from Rogers even if the team will not be expected to contend
4. if 2 and 3 are out, be committed to a full rebuild
5. get some more speed on the team (the utility inf. or 4th outfielder)
6. don't be afraid to play the kids. Give the minor league players every chance to make the team before filling spots with retread veterans
7. get Vernon to act like the face of the franchise (that includes doing proper interviews)
8. don't be afraid of taking a chance to improve the team through trades
These next relate to things to take to the Club President
9. fix the usher situation where they are there for customer service instead of policing
10. get rid of or prevent bad idea promotions
11. lower certain non-premium ticket prices (especially down the lines)
12. have a way for fans to avoid a service charge on their tickets (printing them up at their own home or over the Internet for example)
13. don't cater to out of town fans at the expense of Jays' fans
14. fix the "take a picture of the Jays"
15. don't make fans at the ballbark feel merely like consumers

I can't comment on the stadium/promotion issues but here's my major thoughts-

1. Cito has to go. I trust you (alex) to already know this and the reason he's still around to be political

2. Take a good look at Fredi Gonzalez if the Marlins let him go. I trust you will get proper reports eitherway

3. Assuming ownership is willing to put some real money into the team this year (at least up to $100 million) - Approach Doc about some creative situation whereby he gives you at least one more year in order to see what you can do with it. I'm sure you are smarter than me about the paramaters (a commitment not to trade him unless he requests as part of a one year extension? some sort of player option arangment where it's a 3 year extension but he can opt out at some point?)

the point here being that there's no point in pouring money in if he's going to bail anyway, conversely if you don't pour money in - he will. So get him to give you a window of opportunity. Especially given the bonanza of free agents at the end of 2010 (in fact, it's probably in his financial interest to NOT be coming out in a glutted market - his value might be much higher in 2011 and he'd still be young enough to have a significant run elsewhere if he does depart)

4. consider new uniforms. Preferably some kind of slightly modernized version of the world series unis - THAT is the ONE bit of "retro nostalgia" that is really needed here, otherwise look forward not back.

I am really, really disappointed with Hill's answer to #2.

Ah, not so much - it's exactly the same as Gaston's reluctance to move him down in the order. Everyone hates to mess with something that's actually working (especially when so many things around you are not working.) They'll try him in the 3 spot next spring.

You can add Carpenter's name to that list, he won previously in 2004.