In Defence of JP

Before you get riled up and ready yourself to dump on this post, I’d like to make it clear that I’m not going to suggest that JP is the second coming of Pat Gillick.  In fact, I’m not a big fan of JP and his public persona agitates me.  That said; what prompted me to write this post is that I believe that JP is overly criticized – Toronto Media especially love to exaggerate to incite.  It’s easy to make the case against JP.  The team is no closer to a division title, let alone World Series Championship, today than it was the day JP started.  And yes, success is measured in wins and losses.  Based on that alone, the “brain trust” at Rogers would have every right to terminate JP and try someone else.

While I admit that I have not have done a lot of research on the topic, allowing the TSM readers to refute my arguments, I do believe there arguments to support (or at least defend) JP’s work with the Jays.  I’d like to share a few points to see if you too agree that while not perfect, JP has not done as poorly as most suggest.  I look forward to getting ripped with your commentsJ.

Rios & Wells

JP gets criticized for the contracts he handed out to Rios and Wells.  Neither player has lived up to their contracts – agreed.  I ask you this.  What would have happened (at the time) had JP passed on both players and not tied them up?  I say JP would have been severely bashed in the media and both players would have been scooped up and received the same – if not more from other teams.

Trades and Free Agents

Not a stellar record here…but actually a lot of no harm no faul moves on the trade front especially.  Did anyone criticize the BJ Ryan acquisition?  Yes, it’s JPs fault that his arm died abruptly.  Anyone have an issue with the Rolen for Glaus deal?  How about the deal to grab Marco Scutaro?  How about AJ Burnett?  Was it JP’s fault that he didn’t have the cash to retain this FA pick up?  I know, I know….Frank Thomas.  Fans were optimistic but yeah, that one sucked and everyone was suspicious at the time.

Draft Picks

You have to admit; he’s done fairly well here – or at least as far as we can tell at this point.

Aaron Hill

David Purcey

Ricardo Romero

Travis Snider

Shaun Marcum

Adam Lind

Brett Cecil

Marc W Rzepczynski

More interesting is his strategy to grab as many pitchers as possible.  What is the most difficult and costly commodity to acquire via trade or free agency?  I like what JP is doing.  He’s playing the numbers game.  Grab as many pitching prospects as you can so that you end up with some solid home groomed major league talent.  Then use your cash and perhaps excess arms to fill out the rest of the roster….which are cheaper and easier to get via other means….smart move.  We’ll see how that plays out in the next year or two…a time when he can truly reap the rewards of his strategy over the past few years.

Money

The Jays payroll is in the middle of the pack….not awful.  Problem is that they play in a division with the Sox and Yankees.  The real issue is that if JP wanted to spend to put them over the top, he doesn’t have the money to do so.  An $80M payroll is fine during a re-build….but, when ready to go for it….the cash is simply not there.  Rogers needs to hear it more from the fans.  If we had Yankee, Mets or Sox money, we’d still have AJ and who knows who else.  When the Jays won their championships, they were at or near the top of the payroll list.

So there you have it….just a few points to consider when before you call JP a terrible GM.  No, he might not be the best and yes he has a brutal public persona but….in my humble opinion, he has been unfairly judged…..but what do I know.  He has freed up $11M by moving Rolen for young arms and it looks like he’s been able to dump another $10M (next years salary) by moving Rios.  Work one of the young / cheap outfielders into the line up next year and add in 1-3 of the injured arms into the rotation and JP has the makings for a better team next year…..use some of the money saved on Rolen and Rios and who knows.  It might not e enough to win next year but perhaps get close enough that Rogers agrees to add to the payroll…net result, Roy sticks around and they add more talent to put them over the edge.  Okay, the last part of this post might indicate that I’ve nodded off into dreamland….sorry.

LT

Here’s your bikini of the day from bikinibeat.org:

On Fan 590 Tonight- thanks to Mike S.

- open phones with Faulds from 4:05 to 4:40
- co-host from 5:00 to 7:00 is Jim Downtown Marriott Kelley
- Friday roundtable featuring:
- Michael Grange
- Sam Cosentino

On 640 with Brady and Watters:

Brady is solo:
440 Dave Hopkinson, Senior VP for MLSE
510 Jim Nill, Red Wings Assistant GM
540 Jay Triano, Raptors Head Coach

TSM TAKE:

Yes that is Danica Patrick in the bikini of the day. It is Indy time after all! It’s been a wild week, and yet a slow day. I guess there are still lots to say about the issues dujour, BJ Ryan, Roy Halladay, Raptors moves, Chris Bosh, Burke moves, Red Wings issues. All I can think is TGIF!

Don’t forget, TSM will be live at tomorrow’s ARGO home opener, follow us on twitter at @yyzsportsmedia for in game updates and here for pre, during and post game thoughts.

TSM

I was thinking more about what I wrote today about how little TSM doesn’t know any of the Maple Leafs. Of the Raptor playes, the only one he has been interested in was TJ Ford. On the Blue Jays side little TSM loved his BJ Ryan until he got hurt. We all know the lack of success the Toronto teams have had, since, ummmm, well a long time, the question tonight is, forget the losing, or the lack of winning, did our teams fail us by not having players we could “idolize” for lack of a better term?

I still love sports. I am as nutty as I was way back when. I still know all the Leafs and the Jays, and I really try with the Raptors. So, I don’t think in this situation it is me. I really think our teams have failed to provide the fans with type of players that we can really endorse as our own. Part of that may simply be because we don’t really draft any of our own talent (at least in hockey). I mean, every player that the Leafs draft is the next coming of Wayne Gretzky, but in reality we are left with more Jeff Ware’s than anything else. Leaf fans for the most part adopt every player who wears the blue and white as one of our own, yet still , over the years we have failed to have that one player we really call our own. Yes there are lots of Sundin jerseys and lovers out there. I saw the same number of Mccabes and Tucker’s too. Since the first Gilmour era ended, or even before that, have we had the player here that we really identified as or own? I don’t think we have- certainly not in hockey.

The last winning team we had was the Jays. That team was stocked with guys we loved, I don’t recall how many were drafted as our own, but those teams, those players people loved(and YES winning certainly helps). Since then there is but one guy really, Doc who people really marvel at. Who else has played for the Jays that people have really gone gaga over since the winning days? People loved Hentgen. When he came back they really wanted it to work out. Unfortunately it didn’t. I got the sense that Reed Johnson could have been one of those types of players before JP cut him loose.

On the Raptors, we had Damen. Then Tracy, then it was Vince and not Bosh. We have such the inferiority complex about playing for the Raptors that we are desperate for someone to say I want to be here. Truth be told, we don’t really attach to any of the players.

Who knows, maybe I am totally full of shit. All I know is that my 6 year old dances around talking about Crosby and Ovechkin. Whom on the Leafs should he be talking about? Who over the last 10 years should he have been talking about? I think our teams have failed us not by not winning (winning is hard), but rather but not providing us the fans with the types of players we deserve. Has sports gotten so big, change so common that we truly will never have what we did years ago? I don’t think so. I think the Toronto teams in general, and I mean the big 3, have failed to provide the best that there is in their sport. Doc is the exception. He has always been amongst the best players at his position in his sport. Has he been, therefore amongst the best players in his sport overall? I am not sure on that (and I am not saying he hasn’t been).

I think it’s too bad. I look at our teams today, again, with the exception of Doc, and I don’t see a player who i would rush out to watch perform. That isn’t to say that they aren’t good athletes nor good at what they do. They aren’t exceptional, or extraordinary. I don’t think the players have to be the best to earn that attention, but if they aren’t they need to be “special” in other ways. The Toronto teams haven’t really produced that over the years. As a parent these days, I am watching more and more sports with my kids as they become more and more interested. Their mother is from Detroit, it’s a hell of a lot more intriguing for them to root for the Red Wings than our Maple Leafs. the talent is superior and the characters more engaging.

I hope our teams improve in that way. I think that is one of the reasons Burke really wanted a Tavares. It’s pretty hard winning without that franchise player. We have none right now and it’s hard to see any on the horizon. So many people assumed that Rick Nash would be a key target for Burke next season. That isn’t happening. Burke’s job just got much, much more difficult. I think my ability to turn a Red Wing fan into a Maple Leaf one too has become more difficult as well.

TSM

It’s pretty amazing to realize just how far BJ Ryan has fallen these days.

He lost his job as closer earlier this season, before a DL stint sidelined him. I’m not entirely certain he was hurt, but Ryan clearly needed the break.

Still, most fans, especially during preseason, figured Ryan would be back. Most of us figured it would take some time, but eventually, our former closer would be our current closer once again. Yes, BJ looked horrible at that point, but the guy has been dominant in saving 30-plus games, and he had plenty of time to recover, rehab and come back strong…right?!

To his credit, Scott Downs didn’t just fall into his current (well, before the injury) role as closer. He took the bull by the horns and earned it, with his stellar work on the mound, dating back to last season. And it’s a good thing, too, because BJ can’t seem to figure it out.

With Downs firmly entrenched as the closer, there was no rush to have BJ pitching in pressure situations. Cito Gaston made it perfectly clear that Downs was the closer, and probably for the rest of the year. But fans had to wonder what would happen if he ever got hurt, and like practically every other Jays pitcher, Downs is now hurt.

Gaston immediately pointed to Jason Frasor as the interim closer, and with good reason. Frason, like Downs, has been fantastic this season, and was the obvious candidate to take over. Still, fans had to wonder whether BJ would now get a shot. He hasn’t been horrible lately, and in fact, hasn’t officially given up a run in 11 straight appearances. That stat is utter crap, of course, since Ryan’s allowed inherited runners to score, and he can’t seem to throw a clean inning, but still, BJ has improved ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, Frasor has struggled since taking over, and Gaston may be tempted to try Jeremy Accardo or Jesse Carlson next. The question is, will BJ ever get another shot?

I’m not saying he should. In fact, I would probably say he shouldn’t. But it’s an interesting dilemma to face.

This is probably BJ Ryan’s last chance to close before Downs comes back and ultimately tightens his hold on the job. The problem is…what happens to Ryan? His huge contract can’t be traded, nor will he ever be claimed off waivers. Really, the only way Toronto has a chance to deal him (and it’s still a loooong shot) is if he comes in, and pitches well when it matters.

So, if Frasor continues to struggle, and if Carlson and Accardo can’t get the job done, will Cito give BJ one last chance? At least Ryan has closing experience, and despite throwing beach balls for the past three months, he might be Plan C if Gaston is desperate enough. And I actually believe, despite being betrayed by his body, that Ryan has handled this situation admirably. No complaints, no whining, and no talk of getting back a job that he clearly hasn’t earned. Then again, nobody cares about that right now.

Again, it’s just pretty amazing to think about this whole situation. Back in April, if you’d told me Ryan would be healthy, with Downs injured, I’d have said BJ would have the closing gig. But he doesn’t, and I’m not sure he’ll ever have another chance to earn it back. It’s pretty said when your $10 million closer is done…for good. Unless he gets one more chance. Are you desperate enough, Cito?

-DL

From Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star:

“It’s been a busy day in the Blue Jays trainer’s room. And a devastating day to the pitching staff.

The club today placed staff ace Roy Halladay, closer Scott Downs and starter Casey Janssen all on the disabled list.

The club took a well advised cautious approach with their ace, shutting him down for 15 days retroactive to June 13, a day after he came out of his scheduled start (vs. Florida) with a mild groin muscle strain.

Halladay, the winningest pitcher in the major leagues and roundly considered the best in the game, is due back June 28 when the world champion Philadelphia Phillies are at the Rogers Center for an interleague game.

It will be interesting, however, to see if the team grants Halladay that start, given manager Cito Gaston’s realized fears with Downs.

The Jays closer suffered a sprained left toe Monday in Philadelphia while running out a ground ball. Downs apparently suffered the injury on his first step out of the batters’ box.

Lefty Brad Mills was summoned from class AAA Las Vegas and will make his major league debut tomorrow in Philadelphia.

This marks the fifth time this season the Jays have had a rookie make his major league debut due to an injury at the big league level.

Mills will also become the 11th starter the team has used so far this season”

Good news and bad here. Well, most of it bad, but at least Cito made the right decision by sitting Halladay. Doc is a competitor, and it’s easy to imagine him getting back on the mound too soon. This makes that decision much easier, and it’s worth it for Gaston to be cautious with his ace. It’s simply not worth bringing Halladay back early, just to get one extra start.

The other good news, as with Downs, is that neither injury is the throwing arm, or either arm, for that matter. It means both pitchers should be back to normal once they return, as opposed to a guy going through shoulder or elbow surgery.

There is a little more concern when it comes to Janssen. This is a pitcher who missed all of last season with a throwing-related injury, and now he’s back on the DL. Personally, I love what Janssen brings to the table (A lot more than say, Jesse Litsch), so this really sucks. There isn’t too much news on the extent of the injury, so we’ll have to wait and see.

The one other positive (if any of these are really positives) is that Jays fans will get to see ANOTHER prospect in Brad Mills. This truly is a transition year for the Jays, and fans will be happy next year, when there will be little left to experiment with. Yes, it would be nice to make the playoffs this year, but finding out what the kids can do is still more important. And it’s for the wrong reasons, but at least we’re getting to see pretty much all of them.

Unfortunately, it’s a huge damper on this season’s hopes. Halladay (obviously) and Downs are the team’s most important pitchers, and while the bullpen is solid, this really hurts. BJ Ryan will need to step up, although I predict Jason Frasor will see the bulk of the save opportunities. Or at least he should. It’s possible Gaston will use this as a test for Ryan, to see if he can handle 9th inning duties. I’m pretty sure the answer is no…Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

Jays fans are going to have to count on the offense – At least for the next couple weeks.

-DL

Zwolinski is here.

He let Carlos Delgado leave as a free agent…unfortunate, but understandable.

He signed AJ Burnett to a ridiculous contract, including an opt out clause and Burnett opted out and signed with the Yankees…somewhat forgivable.

If J.P. Ricciardi even thinks of trading Roy Halladay he should be fired on the spot and never allowed to be a general manager of another team.

Let’s face it Doc Halladay is the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. If he continues to throw the ball the way we are used to seeing he may be remembered as one of the all-time greats. When you have a pitcher that is as dominant as Halladay you do everything in your power to hold on to this player, because you never know when another one will come along.

Sure some people out there argue that trading Halladay at a time when he is still somewhat young and a valuable asset to pretty much every team in the league is the right thing to do. You hear them say that what Toronto would get in return would be too much to turn down. Well, I say these people are IDIOTS.

Yes, every GM in the league would salivate at the chance of getting their hands on a pitcher as talented as Halladay, but what would Toronto get in return, some young arms? Toronto has those. Young bats? Yes, they have some of those too. A true clean-up hitter? Okay, they are in dire need of one of those, but you can always pick one up through free agency. There is also the argument out there to get some prospects. Do you know what you get with prospects? Potential. What you have with Halladay is guaranteed.

So far this season Doc’s record is 10-1, the best in the majors. (It would be 12-1 if the bullpen didn’t blow the game against Baltimore and manager Cito Gaston had left him in versus the Braves.) He leads the league in innings pitched, is third in strikeouts and is in the top ten for ERA. He’s already thrown three complete games, including an unbelievable performance against former teammate Burnett and the hated Bronx Bombers. The only pitcher that you can say has had a better season so far is Zack Greinke, but lets face it for a guy with that much potential he’s still got a lot more to prove.

Halladay’s won a CY Young award. He consistently leads the league in complete games and innings pitched. He’s the king of the ground ball and barring any type of career ending injury should be the next pitcher to reach 300 games. (That’s right I said it.) So why in the world would you ever think of trading him? In the Sports Illustrated annual executive and scout poll asking who are top five players they would pick to start a franchise, Halladay was in the top ten.

Halladay is under contract with Toronto until the end of the 2010 season. If the Jays were smart they would hand the man a blank cheque and have him filled out the total and let him tell them how long he wants to sign for. Anyone who’s ever watched him pitch, know he’s worth every penny.

Sticking with the Jays:

• Wouldn’t it be absolutely disgraceful if Aaron Hill doesn’t make the All Star team? He’s batting over .300 with 14 homeruns and 43 RBIs. Kinsler and Pedroia may have a couple better stats, but overall Hills has them beat.
• Remember that deal that J.P. was working on? The one where Alex Rios would have been sent to the Giants in exchange for Tim Lincecum. That would have been awesome. Especially since Rios’ play in the field and at the plate has taken a nosedive and Lincecum won a CY Young. If you need any more evidence check out his latest collapse on YouTube.
• Is there anyone else out there who thinks Vernon Wells should be batting in the three spot? His best years at the plate were hitting in that spot. Keep Marco Scutaro and Hill in their spots, move up Wells and drop Rios to the ninth spot. Adam Lind has proven he can hit in the clean-up spot.
• What’s up with the pitching staff under Brad Arnsberg. First BJ Ryan, then Casey Janssen, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum and now Jesse Litsch; all of them missing huge chunks of playing time due to major surgery. Coincidence, I think not.

Let me ask you a question:

Team x wins a game.
They then tie the next 3 games.

Are they unbeaten in 4 or winless in 3? If the lose (not loose) their next game are they on a 4 game losing streak?

The answers depend greatly upon the view of the author. In our great city, there is little question that the majority of the scribes who cover our teams would take the negative, glass is half empty approach to the above scenarios. Their is a common belief that negativity sells. In this town, there is just no doubt about it.

“What Arnie detected as negative questions were enough to send him temporarily off the deep end. “When’s the last time I talked to (the media) about a positive thing about anything that’s going on with this pitching staff?” Arnsberg asked. “Maybe you guys haven’t seen any positive things over the past 6-8 weeks that you wanted to speak on, but every article that I’ve done, every interview that I’ve done is on the negative side and I’d just as soon not do them. But if you want to even it out a little bit, then we’re good to go. Otherwise, I’d just as soon not talk about all of the negative all the time.”

That from an excellent piece by Richard Griffin in today’s Star. It may be a Blue Jays piece but the story is applicable to all Toronto teams and press. The bold part is fairly accurate of the coverage we get in this town. Negativity is the approach, and it’s what we get most of the time. Who can blame “Arnie”?

“For Arnsberg it’s like an outsider criticizing a member of his family. The truth is it’s not just the media that were curious. It’s the entire fan base of the Jays that is looking for a Ryan answer. The media are just the messenger.”

Not so fast. Yes we want answers, but there is always more then one way to get that answer. As with the team that ties a few games and then either wins or loses, you can position things in either a positive light or a negative one. I don’t think my messenger is the one which is mostly negative in it’s approach. Part of the problem is that the media is so concerned with not being viewed as fans, as being objective. That doesn’t mean they have to constantly be negative, it’s the approach they generally choose.

“”It’s tough when you try to build that family,” Arnsberg said. “You try to build that bond and, you know, to sit and the only things you get to read (about Ryan) are `Well this is what we’re trying,’ and `We’re going to keep sending him out there.’ When I’m dealing with (the media) it’s always the negative things brought to me.” It’s admirable Arnsberg has his pitchers’ backs, but it’s disconcerting that the reaction comes after an opening week of 5-2, with the team sitting in first place.”

Kudos to Arnsberg for speaking what others in his position probably think every day. Next he will be accused of being anti-media a-la Ron Wilson. It’s not the least big disconcerting at all. What he will learn, unfortunately is that no matter what he says, the sharks will continue to circle, with little to no change in the approach. It says here that they aren’t my messenger. Are they yours?

Read Griffin here…

TSM

So while the Jays were on their way to win #1 a funny thing happened. A soccer game broke out. Some drunk (why else would they do it), wait there was no booze at the TED, how where they drunk, fans apparently threw balls on the field. Another one mooned one of the Tigers (and was ejected). As a result, Jim Leyland (who may be older then God) yanked his players off the field until the Jays faithful (all 48k of them- no sellout) were warned to behave. So while many would rather be discussing the hitting clinic put on by the 6 RBI man, Adam Lind who went 4-5 with, again, count em 6 rbi’s. Instead, tomorrow the talk will all be about the “idiots” who disrupted the game.

Hopefully tomorrow things will be calmer. Anyone want to bet on the actual attendance (asses in seats) at tomorrow’s game?

Some interesting stuff from Jeff Blair’s column…

“This weekend, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman — who is well connected at the GM level — speculated that the Red Sox might be willing to take on the remaining $20-million (all currency U.S.) of Toronto closer B.J. Ryan’s salary in order to expedite the acquisition of Alex Rios, who has six years and $63.6-million left on his multiyear deal (not including a club option for 2015.)”

That’s quite an expedition! can you imagine the Jays shedding some $83 million from their payroll?? Wow.That would be a move that would get lots of attention.

“General manager J.P. Ricciardi’s eyes widened when asked about the report. “We haven’t talked to them [the Red Sox], about that,” Ricciardi said. “Honestly, I don’t think we’ll know a lot about what our payroll will be going forward until the end of the year. But I don’t see our ownership doing that [forcing a distress sale].”

Did anyone else forget that J.P. was still involved with the team. Talk about a guy who went from the being THE guy to becoming an after thought….

“The Blue Jays are going to be revenue-challenged this year, particularly if the team performs to its low level of expectations. They will be hurt by the Canadian dollar, and let’s be honest: with the Rogers Centre set to “celebrate” its 20th anniversary on June 5, we’ll all be spending an inordinate amount of time wondering how much life is left in it, especially with the Minnesota Twins moving from the Metrodome at the end of the year. This is going to be one long year of introspection.”

How much time is left in the TED???? Okay sports fans, lets ask ourselves this question. Who is going to pay for a new stadium in this city right now? Seriously! David Miller and The Dalton may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but there is no way they reach into their pockets as the governments have before. Rogers? I don’t see it. The Dome is 20 years old. I think the Jays have done a good job maintaining it. Last I was there it looked better then it did on opening night. It remains all that it was meant to be. As much as I think it would help the Jays to have a new stadium, I don’t see it happening anytime soon (an nfl team coming here being the lone exception).

“Attendance will go down, unless we’re a contending team in August or September, in which case we might be able to pull ourselves out,” Beeston said matter-of-factly, when asked about his expectations for the year. “That’s due to the challenges of the economy, the perception that we did not improve the team — which I don’t agree with … but if we play hard and are entertaining, I think we’ll bring the fans back. And if we contend … we can get big crowds here, again.”

That is a lot of “IF’s”. I would love to see the Jays in the hunt come August and September. I don’t see it happening but would love nothing more. I do agree that attendance will go down as a result of the economy and general apathy towards the team. I think the degree to which it spirals will be entirely dependent on how the team performs.

“It’s early, but here’s a prediction: the Blue Jays will make a significant, payroll-inspired move this year. And it won’t involve Halladay.”

I love the term “payroll-inspired move”. You mean salary dump? If the Jays are way out of it, who could blame them for cutting? Not I for sure. There is, in my opinion anyway nothing worse then over paid, underachieving sports teams. Team may as well cut where it can, save some coin and get younger talent where it can.

On to game 2…good luck boys.