Had it been Brian Burke, or Brian Collangelo the firing of the executive would have been BREAKING NEWS. Instead, the story that J.P. Ricciardi was gonged (finally) was pretty much under the radar. There was a tiny mention of it on the cover of this morning’s Toronto Sun and the other papers and outlets had it equally as buried. There were stories about the firing, but I have to let you know I, for one have been left totally unsatisfied by the reports. I don’t care that they fired him on Saturday am. This is the age of the internet. Again, if the Leafs fired (or hired) Brian Burke, they somehow would have had every writer on it until you were sick of the story. As a fan, the coverage sucked.

I know, it’s not hockey. I know, it’s not as popular as hockey. However, it’s a major freaking sport people. This team has won championships before. This team did draw 50,000 people before. I know interest has waned. I am the one who told you I wouldn’t go to a game for free. I get it all. I am telling you that we as fans deserve better than this story received.

I know it came as no surprise. I know it was the right thing to do. I know all the reason why this could have been treated as a yawner… It shouldn’t have been. We have 3 major league sports teams (4 if you count TFC). When one of them fires their General Manager, it should be BREAKING NEWS. It’s the type of story that gets the professionals in on weekends (even if it is raining). It’s a big news story and it should have been treated as such.

Now writers write, and editors edit, so the question is who is to blame for this? Well, I have to point the finger at the boys upstairs on this one. It’s their job to get guys on all the angles of the story. We didn’t get all the angles on the story as we deserved. Hell, the Sun has made it a habit of having one of their editors write editorials on the Coyotes, on the Maple Leafs and they don’t touch this? How is this acceptable coverage?

I thought for a moment that perhaps it was because the Blue Jays have a reputation of being hard on the press. They apparently put pressure on their rights holders like no one else in town. However, I would have to think that the Rogers folks would want this story everywhere. Hell, ding dong the witch is dead! This is a surprise because for the most part it is the first time we have seen ANY evidence of a pulse from Rogers about the Jays or anyone who may want to follow them. Sure firing J.P was the easy thing. The fact they have at least taken that step is an unbelievable sign. They may actually care. People knock MLSE for not doing everything they can to win, hell, take a look at Rogers. As one scribe properly put it the other day, Rogers is making Interbrew look fantastic. So when the flat lining patient actually shows a small sign of life that is big. When something of this magnitude is done to a team whose home holds 50,000 and had games around 10,000 in attendance, it’s big news.

Hate to say it folks but, we have very good writers in this town. We got the short end on this story.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

If you haven’t seen/read the news yet – Paul Beeston announced today that effective immediately, J.P. Ricciardi “will be leaving” his position as Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, and General Manager. Interesting choice of words…why not use the “F” word?  Oh, maybe they’re giving him a position in ticket sales?

While this outcome was inevitable in most peoples mind, the recent speculation that JP was the “leak” on the Cito stuff likely made Beeston act sooner than he had planned (perhaps by only a few days)…..dragging this out any further would have made the situation JFJ-like….

Alex Anthopoulos, the Vice President of Baseball Operations and Assistant General Manager, has been named the interim GM.

So, let the spin begin….will the Jays use this as step one in a pursuit to renew interest in baseball in Toronto?  Will they find a name we can get excited about?  Announce a payroll increase?

Apparently a camera was on in Beeston’s office…take a look.

LT

Courtesy of the National Post, here are interview sessions with Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, Scott Downs, Roy Halladay, Rod Barajas and Lyle Overbay. Doc predictably says absolutely nothing – the rest is worth a read.

And before you start, don’t miss this gem from Vernon:

Q: Would you say 50%, 80%, 100% [of players are upset with Gaston]?

A: (Laughs) One of those percents, yes.

Wow. More to come.

VERNON WELLS:

There are issues, obviously. If something obviously of that magnitude comes out, obviously there’s some truth behind what comes up. It’s tough for something like that to be stirred up and completely be fabricated. I think some of the issues that go on need to stay in here and be taken care of as a group. That’s something that will obviously play itself out over these next three days and over the course of the off-season.

Q: If there is a delegation appointed to speak to management, will you be one of the leaders?

Whatever goes on, obviously yeah, I’m going to be in the middle of it. Doc [Roy Halladay] and I have been here for the longest time and we’ve gone through our share of managers and coaches. Whatever situations need to go on, and whatever talks need to be made, obviously we’ll be at the forefront of those meetings and discussions.

Q: Has it been since Day 1 of this season, or has there been a moment in time during the course of the season that broke the camel’s back?

Over the course of eight months you’re going to have issues arise. You’re going to have problems and complications. You listen to guys around the clubhouse, and you listen to guys talk, and you listen to different people’s situations, and just different things have kind of gone in a downward spiral just throughout the whole year …

Q: What can you tell us about the issues that you refer to?

Those issues, I’m not in a position to go out and tell other people’s stories and go out and try to bash Cito. It’s not about bashing anybody. It’s about issues that we’re having as an organization, and issues that need to be taken care of as an organization.

Q: Have you attempted to talk to Cito about these issues?

I have not yet. I think that obviously the time is going to come. For some of these discussions I was going to wait until this weekend and kind of clear the air and get some things out there, probably from both sides. I’m sure he has things to say. I’m sure guys have things to say. It remains to be seen how that conversation’s going to go.

Q: Is it your personal intent to do that one on one, or to have a meeting? What was your plan?

This is all kind of happening kind of quickly, to be honest with you. I’ve talked with a couple guys and we’re trying to go about this as professionally as possible. Once we figure that out, obviously you guys will find out since you’ve already found out this much.

Q: Have these issues ever been as bad in this clubhouse during your time here?

No.

Q: Is that’s what driving you guys to act?

What course of action we’re going to take, we don’t know. We’re a family. We go through issues. We have to figure out how to do this in a family manner. Like I said, we’re not out to bash anyone in this situation. It’s a touchy situation. It’s something that obviously most of us, if not all of us in this clubhouse, have not gone through something like this …

Q: This could be interpreted as the players blaming the manager for a season that didn’t go too well. That’s not necessarily your point, is it?

Is it my point? I’ve sucked, period. It’s not his fault, it’s not anybody’s fault. It’s my fault. So as you look around a team full of guys and listen as things go on, this is not about winning and losing. This is about family issues. Obviously, if something comes out and we’ve won our last nine out of 10 games, it’s not about the winning and losing.

Q: Is it about communication?

I think there’s been communication issues with some guys. I think there’s been different issues with different guys. That’s one of them, yes.

Q: Are the problems in the relationship to the point where it would be difficult for this team to play under Cito next year?

I can’t answer that question. I don’t know who’s going to be here next year. I don’t know what moves are going to be made. It all boils down to us playing better on the field. It’s the 25 guys that are willing and committed to trying to get better, and kind of leaving the extracurricular activities to the side and try to concentrate on winning ball games.

Q: When you said earlier about clearing the air, do you see it as a large meeting or a smaller group getting together for that purpose?

I’m sure there’ll be a meeting and I’m sure there’ll be a large group. Like I said, this is a family. We’re all in this together, good or bad, and the discussions will probably be had with pretty much the entire group.

Q: Who will you meet with?

Don’t know yet. I’ve spent pretty much the day with Aaron [Hill] and Rod [Barajas], and we’ve all kind of just been like, ‘What are we going to do? What’s going to happen, especially once we get to the field, and how’s it going to be the next three days with all this coming up?’ The details I don’t know yet.

Q: Have you talked to general manager J.P. Ricciardi or interim president Paul Beeston about your concerns?

No.

Q: Have you talked to them at any point during season about these issues?

No, not really. It’s kind of just been talked about in here …

Q: Have a lot of the younger players been asking you questions to have you maybe guide them through what’s probably maybe a unique experience for them?

I’ve talked to a lot of people on this team, and they’ve all had a lot of questions. Obviously, a lot of those questions I can’t repeat. It’s something that we’re trying to deal with.

Q: Are you the go-to guy for players who have these issues? Are you about the first person to hear from everyone?

I don’t know. Maybe. Some guys, yes, I know. We’re going to have issues. That’s the bottom line. It’s just a matter of trying to keep those issues to a minimum and try to keep them from boiling over. Obviously, unfortunately it’s gotten to the point where things have kind of boiled over.

Q: Would you say 50%, 80%, 100% [of players are upset with Gaston]?

(Laughs) One of those percents, yes.

AARON HILL:

I don’t really have much to say.

Q: Are you part of a clear leadership group?

The guys who are going to be here the next couple years, I think everybody’s a part of it. This is our team. The guys that we’ve had the whole year, we’ve stuck together and we’ve done a great job with it, too. We’ve got a great group of guys and maybe we’ll get together and see how things work out.

Q: Get together with?

I don’t know. That’s something we’ll talk about.

Q: You said the players have done a great job with “it”? What do you mean by “it”?

Great job, just staying together. It really hasn’t even, no matter what has happened, it hasn’t separated any of the guys. We’ve got a tight-knit group of guys and I think it’s kept us pretty strong. It’s good to see, but you hate anything like this coming out. You have to deal with it.

Q: Is the story true?

I think there are some things that need to be addressed, yes.

Q: Is this something that needs to be addressed before next year?

Obviously, the story is out, so I’m sure there will be some things that will come up over the next month or so. I don’t think there’s any rush to get anything out. But, we’ll see.

Q: Are these different opinions, or is it one voice from clubhouse?

I think everybody pretty much feels the same, for the most part. Everything that’s gone on with the team, we’ve stayed together. It’s one of those things where as a whole I think they’ll stay together …

Q: Could this turn into a good thing in terms of veteran guys stepping up and showing leadership?

I guess, yes. It’s just something that I guess you don’t really like anything coming out like that, but in that sense, yeah, some guys will speak out and take control of the team. So it’s something we’ve been lacking, so I guess it would be a possible thing for guys to grab this team and go in the right direction.

Q: Do you expect a small meeting? A group meeting?

I think it’s up to everybody. I think the door will probably be open to whoever wants to be a part of it and we’ll see. Everything’s public now, so I’m sure you guys will know about it in the next couple days.

Q: Is the relationship salvageable between the manager and players?

I think any relationship is salvageable, but on both sides there’s got to be a little give and take. From that part of it, we’ll see what happens.

ROD BARAJAS:

Q: Were you talking with Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells after this came out?

We were. We didn’t come to a conclusion on how this should be approached and what should be said. It caught me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see anything written down. I’m just so surprised from reading that.

Q: What are the issues?

I’m not going to get into details on what the issues are. On any team, you’re always going to have issues and they’re going to come up, and as players and teammates you try to figure out ways to deal with them. I’m not going to sit here and say this is what’s wrong or that’s what’s wrong, or this needs to change. For me, I’m not in a situation to sit here and criticize people and give reasons for why things aren’t going the way we think they should.

Q: Is this the most upset a clubhouse has been in your experience?

No, I’ve been on teams where relationships with managers and players aren’t always the best and that easily makes for an unhappy clubhouse and usually you’re not going to have too much success on the field. It happens. Probably to a lot more teams than people think. Usually it doesn’t come out. It stays in house.

Q: Do certain things need to change for you to come back the Jays next year? (Barajas is a free agent after the season.)

Honestly, I haven’t thought about that. Like I’ve been saying before in the past, I love the guys in this clubhouse. I have a good time when I come to the field. I enjoy my teammates’ company and for me that’s the main thing — to be somewhere where the guys who I play with, the guys who I go out on the field with, I enjoy being around and are positive influences in the clubhouse.

Q: Do these issues need to be resolved before next year?

If there’s problems, absolutely. They always have to get figured out. You can’t sit there and let problems linger. A small problem starts growing into a bigger problem and all of a sudden if you let this go for another four months, who knows what could happen? So, if there are some issues, then absolutely you’d want to be able to talk to whoever you need to talk to to try to resolve them. You don’t want to go into a brand new season with a whole set of issues. It’s going to make for an unhappy season.

ROY HALLADAY:

I’ve got nothing for you guys on that. Any concerns or views I have will be expressed, but to the right people.

• • •

LYLE OVERBAY:

I can’t speak for everyone. I can speak for myself. You’re going to have to ask them. It’s been the same since the beginning for me. I wanted tio play every day. I don’t expect him to make 25 guys happy, so I don’t expect him to change just to make me happy. That’s my situation. It’s been evident since the beginning of the season.

Q: Is this something you have talked to the manager about, or tried to talk to him about?

I’ve contemplated about it. Just because at the beginning of the year we were winning, it’s got to be for the better of the team. That’s kind of the way I look at it. I didn’t want to be a distraction. I didn’t want that to be a distraction. I’m putting that on the side burner, but on the same token now, we’re not really winning, so I just might sit down and say I just want to more than anything just to try to figure out what to expect next year, ‘cause it kind of did hit me off guard a little bit when I wasn’t playing every day. It’s something that I need to go in the off-season and get myself prepared and hopefully next year will be different.

Q: And he didn’t talk to you about that?

No. I think [Gaston] has been quoted twice in I don’t know which newspaper but at the beginning of the season that it wasn’t a platoon role, but it didn’t happen that way.

Q: Do other players have maybe not the same kind of complaint you have but other types of issues with communication, his approach, that he’s a very old-school type of guy?

It is old-school. I think when you have a younger group in here, it kind of hit us a little harder. It kind of caught us off guard more than anything. Still, he’s the manager. He’s putting the lineup out there. We’ve still got to go out and do a job. That’s the thing. Not everyone is going to be happy. If you try to make 25 guys happy you’re going to make them even more miserable, I think.

Q: Is there a difference in his style, in his communication, between last year when you were winning, and this year?

No, it’s the same … He never really said a lot. We were winning. He was just kind of sitting on the back burner and watching us play good and watching us do the things we were doing. He’s doing the same thing now, so nothing’s different.

Q: Have the players lost respect for him?

I don’t know. You’ll have to ask them.

Q: How about you?

I haven’t lost respect for him. Like I said, I don’t want to be a distraction, just because this is a team thing and I don’t want for me to say something that might offend somebody that’s going to affect the team.

Q: There’s a group of players that wants to meet with [interim president] Paul Beeston to talk about the situation. Are you aware of that?

I heard that. I didn’t hear it from the players. I don’t know if it’s happening or not.

Q: When did you hear that?

A couple weeks ago, but I hadn’t heard anything since. I don’t know if it’s happened. I don’t know if I was reading it in the paper or something but Beeston was on vacation or something …

Q: It wasn’t from within the clubhouse that you heard that?

I’m trying to remember where I heard that. I don’t think I did. I’m trying to remember. I don’t know.

SCOTT DOWNS:

Q: Do you feel that the young guys in the bullpen need guidance?

Sometimes. That’s been hard. I’m not going to lie. I’ve never been in that leadership role because I’ve always looked up to (B.J. Ryan) and when all that went down [Ryan’s release} we talked about it. I told him I’m going to do everything that I can to keep it the same way you had it, which is hard because we have two different personalities. They do look to me, but I’m more laid-back when it comes to things like that. But if there’s somebody that wants to talk about anything, needs help with something then I’m always there.

It was apparent with the whole B.J. thing that something wasn’t right. I don’t exactly know between those two guys [Ryan and Gaston]. As a bullpen as a whole, we want to just give it the best shot we can. going out and pitching. But sometimes when you don’t know what you’re going to be asked to do, it’s kind of hard.”

-DL

It seemed like just yesterday that Cito Gaston was the hero in Toronto. The two-time champion had rescued the Blue Jays from the depths of despair, having finished the 2009 season on fire. This year looked even better after a torrid start, before just about everything went wrong in a disastrous final two-thirds. Now, Cito is reportedly under fire from his players, as TSM detailed in his excellent rundown of the local stories.

There’s no question that Blue Jays fans want GM J.P. Ricciardi gone. But what about Cito? The young hitters seem to be ok with him, but I don’t see this ending well.

Between Gaston’s trashing of B.J. Ryan, his somewhat disrespectful and oddly-timed comments regarding Rod Barajas’ future, and his “throw-in the-towel” attitude with regards to Roy Halladay, the talk of constant negativity is real. Or at least it seems that way, not to mention his handling of the pitching staff. Cito has a contract for next season – Do you think he stays?

And if Gaston is fired, do you think he should be?

Even two months ago, I would have said it was impossible, but I think Cito is toast. And I truly think it’s the right move, even though plenty of fans still support him through this mess. We know the man can win with talent, but has he lost the clubhouse?

Vote below, and share your thoughts in the comments section.

-DL

Phoenix Coyotes, NHLPA, Toronto Blue Jays and now, Cito Gaston… Here my friends is around the globe on les Coup Cito:

“A Fox Sports report by Ken Rosenthal this morning claims that virtually the entire Jays’ clubhouse is in agreement that manager Cito Gaston needs to go. He has lost everyone, says the source. Since Rosenthal is not around the Jays’ clubhouse and has very rarely quoted any Jays’ players directly in recent years, this “clubhouse insider” information has to come from someone in the Jays’ front office.

Here’s a clue. Needing confirmation for the column, Rosenthal claims he was unable to reach GM J.P. Ricciardi for comment. If it’s true that he was unable to contact the GM that would be a first. This has the feel of a Ricciardi scud missile on his way out the door.”

We start things off with a bang as the Star’s Richard Griffin slams J.P. Ricciardi as the likely rat behind this story.

“Let’s see, if an entire team wants a manager out of the way, the usual strategy is that a team quits playing for him and virtually mails in the results. Unfortunately for the conspirators, the Jays have won six in a row and nine of 10 and have returned to the offensive juggernaut numbers of April and May – and even beyond that production. Way to deliver a message to management boys.

No, some significant discontent is definitely there towards Gaston, but it is far from as rampant as Rosenthal insists it is. When the New York Yankees visited Toronto September 3-6, they already knew about the clubhouse anger. The links are former Jays Josh Towers, A.J. Burnett and Eric Hinske, who heard about it from friends with the Jays. The knowledge of the discontent has certainly permeated the Jays’ clubhouse. They have all heard it, but for young players trying to establish themselves and fit in, stating that position and adopting it as their own would be professional suicide.”

It’s not necessarily whether the things are as bad as they may appear, its that they are TOTALLY public…

“The leadership of the revolt likely comes from the bullpen and likely started with the treatment of B.J. Ryan as he struggled to regain his form at spring training and was subsequently released.

At spring training Gaston threw Ryan under the bus during a trip to Orlando to play the Braves. He discussed the diminishing returns issue and scratched his head over Ryan’s loss of velocity, even though he was healthy. The baton of explanation was immediately passed to a distressed pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, who while trying to defend his friend B.J., inadvertently backed the bus up over Ryan and moved forward, crushing him again. That was the beginning of the end.”

I can’t believe that the answer here is letting the inmates run the asylum and with the 2009 Blue Jays the analogy couldn’t be any more appropriate.

“Gaston is not patient with pitchers. Scott Downs, a good friend of Ryan’s and another of Arnsberg’s disciples, has been the latest whipping boy for Gaston. He took over from Ryan as closer, then got hurt and was replaced by Jason Frasor, came back and got hurt again. The last time he was hurt it was in leaving the mound to cover first, and he strained a hamstring. The manager and trainer George Poulis went to the mound to check on Downs. When Cito found out his pitcher was hurt again, Gaston strode back to the dugout, leaving the trainer and injured reliever to hobble off the field. It seemed strange at the time, but seems to be part of the mutual discontent that has clearly developed.

It comes down to this. There are many villains and few heroes in this Jays’ piece. In hindsight, that’s exactly the way their disappointing season has gone. Many changes will be made.”

Classic stuff, what a way to end a season.

Over at the Canadian Press:

“There are issues, obviously,” clubhouse leader Vernon Wells said before Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. “We have to figure out how to do this in a family manner. We’re not out to bash anyone in this situation. It’s a touchy situation. It’s something that obviously most of us, if not all of us in this clubhouse, have not gone through something like this.”

It’s public already- it’s way beyond the “family” when us outsiders are reading about it!

“Wells indicated he and ace Roy Halladay are at the forefront of a group of players that also includes second baseman Aaron Hill and catcher Rod Barajas which intends to raise the clubhouse issues in a meeting with Beeston, and perhaps Gaston in a team-wide chat, this weekend.

While they were all uncomfortable airing their dirty laundry in public – Halladay offered nothing more than the terse “Any concerns I have will be expressed to the right people” – they confirmed what multiple sources at all levels of the clubs, including two players, told The Canadian Press earlier about the “friction” between players and Gaston.”

This whole things reeks of an intentional leak. Someone wanted to do true harm to this team. Why this is the least bit public is beyond comprehension.

” “I think there are some things that need to be addressed,” said Hill. “I think everybody pretty much feels the same for the most part. Everything that’s gone on with the team, we’ve stayed together. It’s one of those things where as a whole I think they’ll stay together.”

Gaston – the 65-year-old whose contract runs through the 2010 season, just like Ricciardi’s – questioned just how pervasive the insurrection was, and said bluntly, “I’ve treated everybody with respect, so I’m not sure what their bitch is.”

“I don’t think you can and just rely on the players that told you that,” he added later. “I think you need to talk to all of them to find out. If it comes out to 50 per cent, maybe we got a problem. And I’d like to know what the problem is because I can’t be any fairer than what I’ve been.”

If Hill or any of the younger guys have the same feeling, it’s a MAJOR problem….

” “You can’t sit there and let problems linger,” said Barajas. “A small problem starts growing into a bigger problem and all of a sudden if you let this go for another four months, who knows what could happen? … You don’t want to go into a brand new season with a whole set of issues. It’s going to make for an unhappy season.”

Added first baseman Lyle Overbay: “It’s something that we go through and we’ve got to figure it out because we’re not going to be a very good team if this is going to go on. We’ve got to get it straightened out, either way.”

Compounding matters is that there’s also a split in the coaching staff between bench coach Brian Butterfield, pitching coach Brad Arnsberg and bullpen coach Bruce Walton, who were left over from the fired John Gibbons’ staff, and Gaston’s crew of hitting coach Gene Tenace, third base coach Nick Leyva and first base coach Dwayne Murphy.”

When, if ever have you read so many public comments about a teams “dirty laundry”? I mean for us fans it’s fascinating- but this shit doesn’t get aired in public.

“Added Scott Downs: “I don’t think anything really snuck up. I just think nobody paid attention to it. It was just one of those things where it was kind of `We have a job to do. Let’s go do our job and play the game, play hard and let everything else take care of itself.”‘ Whether or not that can happen under Gaston is now in question. “Whatever goes on, obviously yeah, I’m going to be in the middle of it,” said Wells. “Doc and I have been here for the longest time and we’ve gone through our share of managers and coaches a”

“I have not yet (spoken to Gaston). I think that obviously that the time is going to come. For some of these discussions I was going to wait until this weekend and kind of clear the air and get some things out there, probably from both sides. I’m sure he has things to say. I’m sure guys have things to say. It remains to be seen how that conversation’s going to go.”

Now this is odd. Consider if you will, why would a player leak this to the media? I mean look at what these guys are saying. Down’s basically says this has been going on for awhile. Well’s says he hasn’t talked to Cito about it. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS TEAM? Where is JP, Where is Beeston? This makes the NHLPA look like a well managed business!

Tim Wharnsby’s take:

““You hate for anything like this to come out, but we’ll have to deal with it,” said Aaron Hill, the all-star second baseman. “I think there are some things that need to be addressed, yes.

“I think everybody pretty much feels the same, for the most part.”

That’s a major fucking problem. For a guy as important as Hill to be saying that everyone feels the same way!!! Wholly shit- I mean how bad is this clubhouse?

““In the past I always knew what players thought of managers and all that stuff – their strengths, weaknesses and their ability to laugh at them and their ability to be upset with them,” he said. “But I haven’t heard any of that this year. And no one’s talked to [general manager] J.P. [Ricciardi] about it either.”

That from Beeston who has been away for a few days. If this is true then it just goes to show you just how out of touch Beeston and JP are. If the young phenoms are saying it’s true and everyone’s pissed then the guys running the team clearly aren’t paying attention.

““More than anything, I want to try to figure out what to expect for next year,” Overbay said. “It kind of caught me off-guard a little bit when I wasn’t playing. … [Gaston] never really said a lot. As we were winning, he was kind of sitting on the back burner, watching us play good.”

Gaston and his coaching staff are under contract until the end of 2010. Hill remarked that any relationship can be mended, but there needs to be “some give and take” from both sides. Wells wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know who’s going to be here next year,” Wells said. “I don’t know what moves are going to be made. It all boils down to us playing better on the field. It’s the 25 guys that are willing and committed to trying to get better and kind of leaving the extracurricular activities to the side and try to concentrate on winning ball games.”

Fantastic attitudes- and this in a season when “they were supposed to be shitty!” Can you imagine if the were supposed to contend?

““As far as coaches, I have a couple of coaches who are loners,” Gaston said. “They go their own way. They are always invited to come out and have dinner. If they want to come, they can come. If they don’t want to come, that’s fine.

“I don’t think [anybody] wants to hang out with their boss, do they?”

Now that’s not only telling, it’s just not very smart. How the hell do you look your employees in the face after making such an asinine comment like that? If you are “hanging out” with some of your employees and not others- there is clearly a problem- calling them loaners….just not very smart.

Jeff Blair has a few gems too:

“In truth, the players wanted a meeting during the last homestand but Beeston was overseas for his 40th wedding anniversary until mid-week. Beeston rubbished the reports of mutiny Friday, saying he would have known if Gaston lost the clubhouse, because the players knew his door was open.

But, really, Beeston himself is here on an interim basis, as he keeps telling everyone. Couple that with a general manager, J.P. Ricciardi, who most in the game view as dead man walking, and a manager who is tight with the interim president in an environment where nobody trusts ownership? Good luck keeping lines of communication open with that.”

It’s a total disaster, that’s what it is. The reality is, they should all be gone, Beeston, JP and CITO- totally clean the house and start again!

“What to make of this mutiny? What does it mean for the future? The first thing to keep in mind – and not to be indelicate about this – is that the 2009 Blue Jays aren’t a very good team, so who the hell cares what some of these guys think? I know this: If Kevin Millar’s upset with Gaston, he’s dimmer than I think he is because no other manager would have given a player as pathetic as him as many at-bats.

As for Vernon Wells? My guess is there are worse things that could happen to the Blue Jays than have him so embittered that he decides to exercise his escape clause. In fact, the payroll relief that would provide might alone be worth another year of Gaston managing.”

Cito’s stubborn support for a horsehit player? NO really… There is no way Vernon will walk away from this deal- no one- not even Dominic Moore is THAT dumb.

“Gaston’s bullpen mismanagement is as poor as Buck Martinez’s was when he was here, so if the relief corps is a bubbling cauldron of discontent it’s understandable. Since it might be the most cost-effective part of the team and should be back almost in its entirety in 2010, that’s not good. You can debate Gaston’s so-called passive in-game managing all you want, I judge a manager first and foremost on how he handles a bullpen.

At the end of the day the only ones who matter in all this are Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Travis Snider and pitchers such as Ricky Romero and Marc Rzepczynski. It is their souls and well-being that ought to be first priority, and the young pitchers have done okay by Gaston, as has Lind. Hill becomes the most important person in the clubhouse the second Roy Halladay is traded, because he has the edge and the interpersonal skills to be this franchise’s go-to guy for years to come. He is close to Wells, too close, some of his veteran teammates will tell you, to the point of being deferential.

And when Hill told reporters Friday that there were issues that needed to be addressed, it spoke volumes.”

Damn straight. I could care less about 9/10’s of the guys in the clubhouse- Tell me what these guys are feeling…besides “get me the hell out of here”

Over in the National Post:

“Asked if he would be willing to change, Gaston replied: “Absolutely. I’d really like to know what I need to change. That would be interesting, I’d like to hear it myself.”

Gaston said he liked everyone on the team and has treated players and coaches fairly. He suggested the complaints may originate with a small number of players.

“I think you need to talk to all of them to find out,” he said. “If it comes out to 50%, maybe we’ve got a problem. And I’d like to know what the problem is because I can’t be any fairer than what I’ve been.”

You can hear the sarcasm in those answers.. The guy probably can’t wait for the season to end. Can you blame him?

So, the meeting is tomorrow. Truthfully I fully expect to hear all the right (wrong) things come out of it. The reality is all the these guys, those at the top should be gone. I have lost total faith in any of them to deliver a winning product.

Griffin is here
CP is here
Wharnsby is here
Jeff Blair is here
The National Post is here

TSM
@yyzsportsmedia

11,598

11,598

11,598

That’s the attendance at last night Toronto Blue Jays game. 11,598- think about all the events held at the dome, and try to come up with a smaller crowd. Seriously.

Rib fests, Wiggles, Tractor pulls, fishing shows, ARGO games, all have had more than that. The only team to draw worse than that is the Phoenix Coyotes in the exhibition game the other night!

What’s worse, baring a total and I mean total PR campaign, it isn’t going to get better any time soon.

The baseball guru’s are all writing about it now, and it’s good reading. Consider:

“If an observer had wanted to count the actual number of people in the seats at this game, it would have taken two or three innings, but only if you really, really took your time. When they opened the roof in the second inning, one press-box wit noted that it was probably so they could count people watching from the nearby condominium towers. To get a foul ball, you generally had to walk, not run. It was, in a word, depressing.

And that’s the season, in a nutshell. Or, in manager Cito Gaston’s words, “I mean, our pitching went down, and then our hitting went down, and then our whole team went down.”

The building holds 50. A number we will never see again. From 50 to 11. From the most respected franchise in baseball to this….. The Leafs have sucked for years….The Jays have caught up quick. The difference, Leaf fans like me are delusional. We still go. We still care. Jays fans….crickets….

“Or maybe it was just the end of hope, illusory as the hope peddled around here has been. Maybe it was a realization that this team has no clearly defined plan, no credible long-term leadership, and a largely absentee owner whose CEO, Nadir Mohamed, was quoted last week as saying Ricciardi “has been a great leader … He is somebody who has helped us and will continue to help us.”

Not everyone will agree. Ricciardi is identified with everything bad about this team, and it is just wrong to suggest otherwise. Meanwhile, Rogers Communications seems to be indicating that payroll could decrease – there are whispers that it will drop from US$80-million, though who knows how far – as revenues fall. Which would be a hell of a way to try to turn around the attendance.

“If you win, they’ll come back,” says Cito, the walking reminder of the long-gone golden years. “And that’s just the way it is. If you win, they come back. And if you don’t, they don’t.”

No, Cito- it’s not that simple. As many have pointed out, when they were winning earlier, they weren’t coming back. The mistrust runs deep. We families of four aren’t going to shell out the dough. This will be the first time since year 1 that I haven’t been to a game. Not one. I just couldn’t do it.

“And nobody is buying it. It’s amazing, really – this team operates in the fourth-largest market in North America, and it owns the building, and it feels like the Jays are closer to the Kansas City Royals than they are to L.A. or Anaheim, to Boston or New York. And at some point, doesn’t this franchise risk losing a generation of fans who only know the Jays as an also-ran? As Cito puts it, “You know, people forget.” That, or all they know is hopeless baseball. Rogers Communications has proclaimed its commitment to the team, but it sounds like empty corporate talk. What is this team selling? What, exactly, is there to believe in?”

Not just the franchise- the sport Bruce. My kids could care less. Not once did they ask to go to game. Adam Lind was at little TSM’s summer camp. He signed an autograph. He took photos. My son got a hat. He’s never thought of wearing it. He’s never asked about the Jays. Not once. He’s asked about TFC. He’s asked about the Argos. Not once about the Jays. They are dead to him. I take him to school in the morning. Not one Blue Jays hat, not one Blue Jays jersey.. He goes to a big school. All potential attendees. Not one sign of baseball.

“The Toronto Blue Jays must be sold this winter. Not in terms of changing ownership – the recent words of Nadir Mohamed and Paul Beeston ought to have eradicated that concern in all but the grassiest of knolls – but rather in the sense of selling the public on a pursuit that too often seems pointless: chasing the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Impossibility. Catch The Fever!”

Actually Jeff, I will settle for a pulse. It used to be a plan. Now I just want proof of life!

“The intriguing question, frankly, isn’t general manager J.P. Ricciardi. It’s Gaston. Ricciardi can be dealt with easily enough. Beeston has his replacement as president and CEO, it seems (Beeston is out of town on vacation until the middle of next week), and it’s pretty clear the new president could give the fan base its pound of flesh by simply firing Ricciardi before the expiration of his contract next fall. I’m concerned about any plan that would get rid of Ricciardi just to bring in somebody new and have that person’s first responsibility be trading Halladay. (“Congratulations on the new job! Now go trade the best pitcher in franchise history! Don’t worry that everybody in baseball knows you have to do it!”) But it is a quick and easy way to mollify the masses.”

Stand in front of a microphone, look your fans and the media eye to eye and say, in fan speak, not business talk that you actually care. Don’t talk about it being a sound business. Don’t talk about bottom lines. Try, and I do mean TRY to be passionate. Show a friggin PULSE. If you want my money, make an effort, hell fake it!

“If the Blue Jays want a plan to follow, they might look to the Toronto Maple Leafs. True, the fan bases are different: One is deeply skeptical, the other … oh hell, we don’t have enough time or space. Just work with me on this, okay? At any rate, the Maple Leafs made it pretty clear to anyone last year that they were going to stink. That was especially the case when Brian Burke was finally extricated from the Anaheim Ducks to become president and GM of the Leafs. And while that was being finalized, Leafs senior adviser Cliff Fletcher helped carry out some of the trash. It was a plan: tough love, to be sure. But a plan nonetheless, and one of the key tenets of that plan was the knowledge that, whatever the fallout, the guy who was going to be head coach when it was all settled was Ron Wilson. This is what the Blue Jays must now do. It’s not enough to have interim CEO Beeston saying that ownership is prepared to raise payroll to $120-million (U.S.) when the time is right. Off-the-record nudges and winks and corporate-speak are no good any more. ”

Exactly! Don’t stand in a nice corporate suit and speak nice talk about commitment. I say it again. I won’t buy a single ticket. I won’t buy a hat. I won’t buy a beer. I won’t go. By the looks of the stands of late, neither will too many others. Don’t sell me on the kids. Don’t feed me stats. I don’t want to hear it. I want to know what your going to do to earn my business back. In Florida the Panthers offer parking, food and all sorts of goodies. In Arizona, it was Vodka. What are you going to do????????? Free blackberries and iphones???? Something. Get up infront of the 11,000 on the last game and say, “we are really sorry. This is our mess, we screwed it up. We will make it up to you.”

“Change must be complete. It can’t be half-assed. The Flashback Fridays stuff? A generation doesn’t care any more. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. ”

No, the good old day chips have been spent. We are way beyond that. With the price of gas down, I would sooner drive to Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee to see a game then go down the street from my office. Baltimore, Boston and New York are nice spring, summer and fall destinations. You want my money, you are going to earn it.

“The Jays aren’t the Leafs, but they need to show their fan base that the imminent change will be properly managed. The road map is available just down the street.”

First there should be signs of imminent change. Right now there are no signs of anything.

So, all you out there, resist the urge to go. Let’s see how low we can go. Show the suits at Rogers that we actually care and we aren’t going to spend any more money.

At some point last winter, I was talking to my friend Ben about our hometown Toronto Blue Jays.

“Wow,” I said. “This year is going to be terrible.”

Of course it was. Half the starting rotation was gone before the year began, while ownership decided to hold back on spending. Management openly spoke about a “transition year,” trying to temper expectations before the inevitable poor season.

It actually made some sense. With A.J. Burnett in New York and with Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan both out for the season, competing in the AL East would be a tough assignment. Plus, most of the kids would need at least one year of seasoning, while mediocre veterans would be playing major roles.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed back then, as we decided it would be no surprise if the Blue Jays finished with the worst record in baseball this season. On the other hand, we were looking forward to seeing a core built around the kids, because it seemed like the best-case scenario. I was ok with this, I guess. I knew I wouldn’t like it, but I could deal with it.

So why does the season seem more excruciating? Blame the good start.

The Blue Jays jumped out to that nice lead in the first month, capped off by a 4-game sweep of the White Sox that made Toronto look like a team that just might be for real. It was a fun ride, but it couldn’t last. Everything has been downhill from there, with the drop even steeper than I’d imagined. The supposed “stars,” Alex Rios and Vernon Wells, have mostly stunk, while management clearly got into Roy Halladay’s head and derailed a Cy Young-type season.

The worst part is that a bunch of great storylines have been overshadowed:

1. Adam Lind becoming a real force at the plate. The guy had a huge season and will be a cornerstone for years to come.
2. Aaron Hill’s comeback. After dealing with a months of symptoms from last season’s concussion,  Hill is back with a vengeance. Fans in Toronto already loved the guy, but he has developed into a premiere second baseman, both in the field and at the plate.
3. Big years for the vets. Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas have been great since the spring, while Scott Rolen tore it up before his trade to the Reds.
4. The kids have been solid. Ricky Romero is a Rookie of the Year candidate, while the rest of the rotation was filled with rookies throughout plenty of the year. It was actually amazing to see the Jays in first place while starting Robert Ray as a regular starter.

That’s the saddest part about the year for me. The Toronto Blue Jays really had no expectations, but they created false hope with a surprising first month. Fans should be excited to have Hill locked up at great value, while looking forward to a year with Marcum back and Romero developed. Plus, Travis Snider will get it together, while Lind is quickly becoming a star. Yes,  the Blue Jays still play in the AL East, but at least there is young talent on the roster.

If the Jays had started out badly and won meaningless games later in the season, morale would be higher. Look at the Toronto Raptors, who won a whack of insignificant games to close out a dreadful 2008-2009 campaign, but left fans with a better memory for the offseason. It’s not even a great example, because the Raptors were incredibly disappointing all season.

Still, whether or not you think the Blue Jays will be contenders in the future, think back to your expectations for this season. They were supposed to be bad. They are bad. But try to catch a glimpse of the silver lining…again.

-DL

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

Rack one up for Howard Berger. Yup you read right, Howard hit a homer on his last blog. While I will admit that I loved Brian Burke’s comments on Dany, The Teammate Killer Heatley, Howard is 100% right that Burke is being a tad bit hypocritical when it comes to issues about willingness to take on players who have demanded trades and made those demands public.

“Difficult to argue that code. But, why didn’t Burke apply the same standard to his own pursuit of Chris Pronger three summers ago? Didn’t the big defenseman demand of the Oilers the same thing Heatley is asking of the Senators right now? After significantly factoring in Edmonton’s surprise advancement through the 2006 Western Conference playoffs, Pronger made it known he wanted out of northern Alberta. No particular reason was given, and the request prompted rampant speculation. Ultimately, the Oilers were forced to deal Pronger, and Burke – opportunist that he is – pounced on the situation, resulting in a Stanley Cup title for his Anaheim club the following spring. Three years later, double-B has become highly principled. Which begs the question: Would he feel the same way if there was either a logical reason, or a legitimate chance, for his current team to land Heatley? If the Leafs were a star player away from challenging for the Cup – as were the Ducks in ’06 – would Burke shelve his apparent righteousness? This sort of mutual high ground between manager and player will be seriously challenged when Burke gets around to dealing with the copious salary commitments he has for next season.”

I think there are a couple of issues in play here. One Burke doesn’t want Heatly for this team, at this time. Not only that, Heatly is not the same type of guy as Chris Pronger. Heatly has been on 2 NHL teams and now has demanded trades from both of them. While he is a super talented player, he doesn’t have the same high character reputation as Burke appears to be after. Burke, I believe likes to make good radio and he performed brilliantly on this issue the other day. He was able to talk down his interest in a player without bashing him for personal reasons. In reality it likely isn’t Heatley’s fault that word leaked out, it most likely his agent’s who did the deed. Lastly, I think Burke was sending a message to his players.

“Professional sport is frequently a ruthless vocation, and nobody understands that better than Burke. I’ve repeatedly been on record saying he’s the best man to drag the Maple Leafs out of their four-decades-long quagmire, and I believe he’ll pull off at least a couple of eye-popping moves this summer. But, he backs himself into a corner, now and then, with involuntary comments and reactions. Perhaps such remarks were lost in the megalith of southern California, where hockey ranks behind baseball, football, basketball and college sports. But, in this market, every word Brian speaks will be highlighted, analyzed, compared with previous stances, and filed for future reference. That’s why his stern admonition of Dany Heatley may prove contradictory when the Leafs are closer to contention.”

No matter what Burke says or does he will be judge on every word by the local media. If in 2-3 years time a guy like Ovechkin were to demand a trade publicly, every media member would roast Burke if he didn’t want to pursue him based solely on moral highground alone. Burke shouldn’t be treated any differently than any of us. You say things and they should be applied to certain circumstances and times. Burke didn’t say he would never sign a player under those circumstances, he spoke about this player and at this time. It says here a GM has to be smart enough at the right time to put his personal standards or feelings behind what’s best for his team at a certain time.

I do believe Howie is right though. The appearance here isn’t good and Burke should have explained the Pronger discrepancy. Now compare Howie’s take with that of Jim Kelley. Kelley took the odd position that Burke wasn’t hypocritical with himself by speaking out about Heatley. Kelley correctly points out that Burke didn’t demand to be exiled from Anaheim as Heatley has both from Atlanta and now Ottawa. Right conclusion, wrong comparison.

Berger is here
Kelley is here

To date, over 80% of those who took the Should Brian Burke Purse The Sedin Twins poll answered no (thank god!). I wonder now that it has been revealed that they are looking for 12 years at around 6-7m per how many of the 20% who said yes want to change their vote???

I don’t want to embarrass anyone, but I have to say I get some pretty funny emails from time to time with respect to this site. I got a real gem the other day:

“Hello
I am getting married this septmber and we are having a hockey theme. I was wondering if yourself and Andy Frost would be able to record a cd of the two of you introducing our wedding party? I heard through the grap vine you have done this in the pass. If you can how much would it cost and how do we arrang to do this?
Thank you for your time”

I of course told the writer that I was more than willing to do the honors, but that I have never done so before and I am not Joe Bowen, but if Andy is game so am I. Seriously, I love all the emails I get, keep em coming this one was really stellar!

You know i am a huge AO fan, and you know that I just got back from Las Vegas, but I have to tell you I had no interest whatsoever in the NHL award show.

Bad break for the NHL, the NBA draft being the night before the NHL draft. Does anyone remember the week before the draft being this quite in years past?

It was the morning of the NHL draft last year when I was sitting at LAX waiting for my Westjet flight home when I caught the ESPN ticker fly by on the screen, announcing that the Jays had fired (finally) JP Gibbons and replaced him with Cito Gaston. I nearly fell out of my chair at the bar. i then flew home and got watch the draft activities on the WestJet/Bell Expressvu tv at my seat- man technology is cool! One question….Where did the year go?????

Has Jim Balsillie become the Mats Sundin of 2009? All summer long last year we had various reports of where and when Sundin was going to do…Cherpa’s in Sweden were suddenly sources and Nik Kypreos got to read tea leaves and get invited to casa Mats to talk shop. Suddenly I feel that this is the summer of Jim. Rallies, emails, press releases SERENITY NOW!!!

Lastly, hard to believe that one year from today will mark the one year anniversary of TSM. WOW! Yup, last June 25th, the lights came on and I am proud to say we didn’t miss a beat. Look for more on the 1 year anniversary as we get closer to the 25th! Am I the only one who used to like it when Stellick did his annual pool party radio show…I thought that was pretty funny in the day- Maybe LT will blow up an inflatable pool for us on the 25th

TSM

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.