Well, if you can’t leak em join em eh JP. Man, Ken Rosenthal over at Fox Sports must be pissed! I can’t wait to see JP’s first coverage of an Adam Dunn game. The Good news for JP is that when is reporting information he can lie at will. We all know that it isn’t a lie if the teller knows the truth. JP should start baseballbuzz.com. Word from JP on his joining ESPN as a baseball analyst is that it’s part of a 5 year, I mean 6 year, I mean 7 year, ooops 8 year plan.

The good news is that JP hasn’t lost his humble ways:

“I look forward to sharing my perspective of the game, which has many layers and has been built over the years through my various roles,” Ricciardi said in a statement.”

Confirmation that JP’s favorite words remain, I, me and my.

Apparently JP’s best buddy is Matt Millen.

The globe and mail had the story first, at least that I saw and you can see their report here.

“We wanted to trade Roy and Roy wanted to be traded (in the summer), as he does now. I think there’s no secret that he would like to be traded,”

I don’t care if it’s true or not, but can someone please tell Montgomery. Burns’s boy Smithers to crawl back into this little hole and shut the hell up. If we want to hear from JP Ricciardi, we will let you know.

I have little respect for the guy as a GM and even less for him now that he is out of the game.

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

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

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

So there seems to be some confusion with respect to J.P. Ricciardi’s accountability for words he may or may not have said with respect to when his team would win. Many J.P. haters refer to the J.P “5 year plan”. The common theory is that J.P said that the team would win in five years (from the point he made the comment). Now, semantics aside, those, especially one on the radio, seem to be of the belief that he never said such a thing, and instead it is an urban myth. I say semantics because, I think we can all agree that those who say he didn’t in fact say it aren’t referring to the use of the specific words ” I have a five year plan”. The point is, did J.P. ever refer to a year in the future in which his team would win or be competitive? The answer is yes. It is no urban myth:

“”We could win next year, we could be in position to make some moves to expedite this process. But realistically you’re looking at 2005.”

That was a quote in the Toronto Star on September 4, 2002 by J.P. Ricciardi. So it wasn’t really a 5 year plan, it was shorter. It was later extended. The funny thing is that CNNSI.com wrote about the quote a few days after it was made as part of a piece singing J.P’s accolades:

“So who will be the next AL team to show us how a team should be rebuilt on the cheap?

The guess in this corner is the Toronto Blue Jays, ranked 21st in this week’s Baseball Power Rankings. And it may not take them nearly as long as it did the A’s and Twins.

At 80-82, their first losing campaign in four years, the Blue Jays were a long way from horrible last year under rookie manager Buck Martinez. But when they stumbled to a 20-33 start this season, new general manager J.P. Ricciardi didn’t hesitate. He canned Martinez and replaced him with third base coach Carlos Tosca.

The transformation has been remarkable. The Jays are 48-48 since Martinez was fired, 34-29 since the All-Star break. Two weeks ago, they took three out of four from the Yankees in New York. A six-game winning streak ended Sunday with a 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay. ”

It seems so long ago that J.P was the boy wonder doesn’t it? The Jays were almost the talk of the town again. J.P. was the next young bright GM….

“A big question is whether Ricciardi will be around to see it. He’s a native of Worcester, Mass., and despite his contract, speculation is rampant that he’ll take over as general manager of the Boston Red Sox before next season.

But even if Ricciardi is pulling the strings at Fenway Park in 2003, it appears he’s laid a solid foundation for the Blue Jays’ success. ”

If only we should have been so lucky….

In any event. Semantics aside, there is proof that in fact, J.P. did look into his crystal ball and predict success down the road, first 4 years then 5. Did he call it a 4 year plan or a 5 year plan? Maybe not in those exact words, however we all got the point. Now, the easy thing to say is which GM doesn’t point to a time in the future and try to predict success? That, my friends isn’t the point here. The issue isn’t should he have said it, the point is he DID say it.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

the cnnsi article is here

Mike Wilner had a pre-pre game show tonight on which he asked the best question of his listeners (me) that he has asked all year:

“Have you given up on the Blue Jays? If so, what do they have to do to get you back?”

Now I have to admit, when I heard Wilner ask the question, I laughed uncontrollably. Seriosuly, I chocked. Is he kidding, I asked myself. There is only 1 lone blogger out there who hasn’t given up on the Blue Jays. The rest of the world is mired in apathy towards Canada’s baseball team. The season started with a manager telling us to wait until next season and it’s ending with us wanting to put a gun to our heads. Have we given up???? Who the hell hasn’t????? I am not sure there is a player on the team who hasn’t given up, and for once I am not sure anyone blames them. Wilner admitted that the previous night it was “very difficult” to get people to call into the post game show. Hell, I didn’t even know they were playing a doubleheader that’s how apathetic I am about them right now.

The funny thing about the Blue Jays team is that the apathy is not based upon the fact that they suck this year or that they are way out of it. This one is squarely on ownership. It’s one thing when you cut payroll or blow things up to start again, but to do so in complete silence without ANY announced plan?????? If you can’t be bothered to sell it, I certainly am not gong to be dumb enough to buy it. So, to answer your 2nd question Mike, here is what Roger’s needs to do:

1. Fire JP
2. Announce that either Beeston is staying or going as of ____ date
a. If Beeston isn’t staying on as President, hire a new one
3. Announce team payroll for next season/intentions for the team
4. Show that you care in the team and the fans

All of those go together in one word- COMMUNICATE. Funny, the mother ship’s corporate name is Roger’s Communications, or at least it used to be. Yet ownership does a real shitty job at communicating. Do you know what the most powerful thing on earth is and the most dangerous? The most powerful thing on earth is HOPE, the most dangerous thing is apathy. Because ownership is sitting on their hands with their collective mouths shut, I don’t know a single person who would think of buying a ticket to a single game the rest of this season or next. By saying nothing, they have created a completely apathetic fan base. Not only don’t we care that they are losing, we have no interest!

Roger’s needs to send someone, hell it can Beeston to get in front of a microphone and announce that JP is gone, that he Beeston is staying on, that he will announce a new GM asap, and that Rogers has promised to give him the payroll he needs to compete. If that were to happen, I would take my kids to a game or two this month (something I haven’t done all year). Hell, I would buy a couple of pairs to give away on this blog. Why? Because I would have some degree of hope that maybe, one day this team will be exciting again. When ownership doesn’t care enough to speak, I don’t care enough to support. Give me hope, and I will participate.

So, Mike there you have it. Have I quit on the Jays? Hell yes, the same way ownership did. Can they get me back? Yessir, it’s pretty easy. Make a plan, announce a plan and sell it. otherwise, good luck with your 2010 budget projections. Next year will be uglier than this, I guarantee it.

TSM

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