My Dear Dear Spencer
As the new year continues to bring changes I'm just not prepared to accept (i.e. writing 2009 on personal cheques), I'm at least able to find a slice of solace in the fact that Spencer Kyte from Bugs & Cranks is still out there developing his delusions into blog posts.
Spencer's proclivity for nonsense hasn't died down in the slightest despite the boys of summer going into hibernation. In fact, if anything, Kyte has ramped up his drivel to new and excitingly stupid levels while simultaneously exhibiting a senility normally reserved for drooling grandpas.
First, he claims that Daniel Cabrera's decision to sign with the Washington Nationals over the Blue Jays is some sort of a sign of a sinking ship in Toronto. The thing is: just because rats don't want to come aboard doesn't mean the vessel is going down. Think about it. I'm sure Cabrera's decision to avoid Toronto has a lot more to do with his eagerness to get as far away from the American League East as is pitcherly possible.
More recently, Kyte pointed to the Jays spate of Minor League contract signings as further evidence of future failure. In fact, he's written off the Jays chances for the 2009 season before pitchers and catches have even reported.
I understand that with a depleted rotation and a lack of changes to the lineup, it's easy to imagine a giant fan dipped in an enormous vat of shit when thinking about the 2009 Toronto Blue Jays, but can we at least reserve judgment until a pitch has been thrown? If not, can we choose bring up factors that actually make sense, like the Yankees' expensive acquisitions or the . . . uh . . . I don't know.
Yes, the Red Sox and Rays are grand teams, but am I the only one interested in the prospect of seeing a broken down David Ortiz swinging away for an entire season without the lineup protection of Manny Ramirez? Or how about a steadily declining Mike "Go Back To Florida And Fucking Shoot Up" Lowell? Is everyone really convinced that the Tampa Bay Rays can maintain, let alone improve on last year's results?
I'm not predicting a parade down friggin' Yonge Street, but at the very least let's hold back on the lamentations until after the Jays have a shitty April and May. Let's also remember that according to last season's pythagorean records, the Jays were the unluckiest team in the American League.
This is baseball. It's ridiculous to write off a very good team, which the Jays are, before the season even begins. Despite what Spencer Kyte will tell you, having hope for the 2009 Toronto Blue Jays doesn't put you in the same league as those who "believe the Maple Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup this season [or] that Santa Claus is real." However, abandoning the season before it begins does put you in the same league as Spencer Kyte.
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58 comments:
Wow, he sure makes some huge leaps there...
Vernon says this year will be a challenge and that means it's going to be a long season?
Frankly, I would have liked Cabrera on a minor league deal, but not for what the Nats paid for him...
drunkjaysapologists.com
I've never seen 10:49 Anon and Spencer Kyte in the same place at the same time. Coincidence?
drunkjaysapologists.com
Again, go read Griffin and Kyte if you just want your belief that the team blows stroked like your tiny dick, dumb fuck. You do realize that what your comment is basically saying is: "WAHHHH! THEY'RE NOT TELLING ME WHAT I WANT TO HEAR! WAAAHHHHH! WAAAHHHHH!!!" Right? You do understand that, don't you? Because you write it so much, it's almost as if you think it's some kind of biting criticism, and that would just be sad.
Fuck off Parkes
DrunkObliviousJaysApologists.com
There... that's better.
What is wrong with people being pessimistic about a horrendous line-up? About a depleted pitching staff? Where is the offensive improvement going to come from? Where is the stabilization of the pitching staff going to come from without McGowan and Marcum? Are we supposed to believe that the "throw crap at the wall and hope it sticks" approach to putting the back end of the rotation together that JP tried in 2007 which didn't work will work in 2009 with Richmond, Purcey, Clement, etc.?
I understand that the first pitch hasn't been thrown yet but there are far more reasons to be pessimistic about this team heading into the 2009 season than there are to be optimistic so you can't really blame people.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with being a pessimist (although it will eventually eat you from the inside out).
But there is something wrong with wearing your pessimism like a badge of honour. It's uncouth.
There's also something wrong with imposing your pessimism on others, and bitching and wailing and moaning when they decide to reserve judgment on a season that is still more than three months away from starting.
Spencer Kyte hates you, Parkes.
Not sure if anyone has checked - but last i saw there's about 35 games before the east gets amongst itself. And of those 35 there's not a real pants wateringly scary set that can't be thought of as .500 possibilities.
1/4 of the season to get your house in order sounds like it could be quite a steady start to me (what would .500 in April have done for that end of season run huh).
Lets not throw this baby out with the bath water till late May, then you'll know what you have.
You're right, there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic. I'm definitely pessimistic. It would be crazy not to be pessimistic. But that's different than completely writing off the whole season already, or calling anyone who points out reasons why things aren't nearly as bad as this giant collective pool of pessimism can make it seem an apologist. There are certainly reasons to think that there's a chance things might work out OK and we'll see a competitive team this year, but a lot of people are so lost up their own assholes with negativity that they refuse to even acknowledge that. Nobody expects anyone to be optimistic about the team, but if you're going to be an unthinking dickhead about it and start saying that anything that remotely tries to see things optimistically is an apologist, then yeah, you can fuck right off.
Yeah, I think that's what I found so terrible about Spencer's stuff. We're forgetting that the Jays are actually a pretty good team. And for stretches of last year, they were a great team.
As far as the throwing shit against the wall thing goes, I'd argue that it worked out pretty fucking well with the rotation that year.
It gave McGowan and Marcum time to work shit out. Yes, we had to tolerate Towers, Zambrano and The Ohka Crisis, but who knows how Marcum and McGowan would've performed without them being inserted into the rotation first.
I think that there are reasons to look forward to the upcoming season. Yes, it's disappointing that the Jays aren't going to bring in any big guns to the lineup . . . and no Marcum will hurt the rotation.
But it's not like there aren't any young options. Let's fucking simmer and wait until the Jays lose back to back games before throwing in the towel.
"As the new year continues to bring changes I'm just not prepared to accept (i.e. writing 2009 on personal cheques)"
Wait, what did I miss? Parkes got a checkbook?!
Parkes u dropped the ball on this one. The Rays just signed Burrell for 2 years 16 mill, whereas the Jays can't even sign someone for 800 thou! You think that Giambi or Abreu might come to Toronto? I highly doubt it...... Parkes with the teams in this divison the Jays are fucked. They lost 3 pitchers from last years, what is that, 35 wins? Their number 5 is now their number 2, c'mon this is becoming a joke. An awfully good team in 2009, try an goodly awful team!
drunkjaysapologists.com
"Let's also remember that according to last season's pythagorean records, the Jays were the unluckiest team in the American League."
Parkes, where can you pick up the 2008 Toronto Blue Jays according to last season's pythagorean records,were the unluckiest team in the American League t-shirts. I couldn't find one at the Jays Shop.
Go suck Wilner's dick.
The Rays got a great deal for Burrell, makes that line up even better and more balanced. Plus he fucking mashes lefties, something the Rays had trouble with last season.
Here's a quick review of what the Rays have done this off-season:
Floyd ------> Burrell
Hinske -----> Joyce, Perez
Jackson ----> Price
Miller -----> Nelson
Maybe the Jays should pick up Hinske - it would give them two 20 hr hitters and power hitting 3rd baseman - oooohhh that would make our line up scary and Rolen can be a late inning defevsive replacement.
C'mon Jp do it, bring back Hinske.
"An awfully good team in 2009, try an goodly awful team!"
Yep, I totally dropped the ball.
Who did the Rays replace Troy Percival, Chad Bradford, Dan Wheeler, Jason Bartlett and Carlos Pena with?
1. Iwamura 2B
2. Crawford LF
3. Upton CF
4. Longoria 3B
5. Pena 1B
6. Burrell DH
7. Joyce RF
8. Navarro C
9. Bartlett SS
Wow talk about a pretty good line-up. Iwamura, Crawford, Upton all had down years last year too. These guys also play fucking great defense and Burrell doesn't even have to own a glove anymore. And they still have trading chips in the minors. Fuck.
God dammit, it sucks that we can't spend any money, the DH market has totally tanked (as shown by Burrell getting only $8 million a season for 2 years) and we probably could have easily picked up Giambi if we were going to maintain even a $90 million payroll.
I hope Snider or Lind give us 30 bombs with a .350 OBP or we're screwed.
"Let's also remember that according to last season's pythagorean records, the Jays were the unluckiest team in the American League."
Parkes, where can you pick up the 2008 Toronto Blue Jays according to last season's pythagorean records,were the unluckiest team in the American League t-shirts. I couldn't find one at the Jays Shop.
Go suck Wilner's dick.
Hey idiot, what is it about this fact that makes you so uncomfortable? Nobody is saying it's acceptable to finish fourth but be the unluckiest team in the league. But it's an indicator that the team is NOT AS BAD AS YOU FUCKING RETARDS THINK. Why don't you discuss how that's wrong instead of tossing around empty insults. (Nothing against insults mind you, it's just, when I call someone-- let's say you-- a retard, it's because you're actually being a retard, and then I point out how. You and your ilk, on the other hand, seem to think that it's enough to toss out some shitty burn and hope that nobody sees through the fact that you haven't demonstrated anything that would indicate you have a clue what the fuck you're talking about. Go ahead and be pessimistic, but talk some fucking sense and try to read and understand the points other people are trying to make before you respond with this horseshit, big shot.)
Parkes u dropped the ball on this one. The Rays just signed Burrell for 2 years 16 mill, whereas the Jays can't even sign someone for 800 thou! You think that Giambi or Abreu might come to Toronto? I highly doubt it...... Parkes with the teams in this divison the Jays are fucked. They lost 3 pitchers from last years, what is that, 35 wins? Their number 5 is now their number 2, c'mon this is becoming a joke. An awfully good team in 2009, try an goodly awful team!
So... the guys they're going to replace Burnett and Marcum with (McGowan is not gone the whole year FYI) are going to win zero games? A number of last year's losses where the offence was at fault aren't going to turn into wins with full years of Hill, Wells, Snider and Lind?
The situation is hardly rosy, but... jeez, get a grip, people.
Jays face 'challenges' in wake of significant pitching losses.
Gaston plays down Jays' chances in 2009.
Questions abound as Jays enter a tumultuous season.
Jays will face their share of challenges.
Jays brace for daunting road ahead.
Blue Jays are bracing for a challenging season in arguably the toughest division in baseball.
Club sees the daunting road ahead and understands that competing for a spot in the postseason this year might not be a realistic goal.
How I've missed you guys trying to use me as the example of unnecessary pessimism only to have a load of comments left agreeing with me.
No AJ, no Marcum and no McGowan is huge and no matter how much the likes of Purcey (who you seem to shit on if I remember), Janssen, Romero or Cecil step up, the likelihood of them doing enough to make this team a contender is very, very unlikely.
And yes, the Yankees are much better - at least on paper - and the Rays add David Price to a lineup that went to the World Series.
While I am pessimistic, it's also realism boys - this team has no chance in 2009.
A couple of headlines and Spencer? Shit, I'm convinced. See you guys in 2010.
Am I wrong for thinking it's sad that people are equating "challenge" with "no chance, just give up already"?
But Spenny's right, guys. Let's also give the AL Central last year to the Tigers, OK? That way we don't even have to watch the damn boring baseball season.
Missed you too Spence.
Feel free to laugh in my face come late May, but the team, as assembled right now, is still a very good squad, and yes, it sucks that the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees are in the same division, but the Jays can compete with the team they have.
This isn't homerism or anything of the sort. The team's pythag record attests to it being very good. Good enough to make the playoffs this year? Maybe not, but certainly not so bad as to write them off before Spring Training opens.
Come on, guys.
Don't you see what they are doing? They are trying to tear Jays fans apart!!! Don't let them!!!
Stoeten:
Yes, the Tigers looked to be in a similar position to the Yankees last year and failed.
But even if that happens to the Yankees this season - and I'm certainly hoping it does - do you honestly think this team can compete with the Red Sox and Rays?
Yes Boston is getting older and broken down in some places, but they also have some kids who can play and Tampa is going to be better than last year.
As far as the challenge v. no chance thing, challenge means realistically have a chance at the playoffs and I personally don't think this team has one. Kind of like people in Pittsburgh have been feeling about the Pirates for 15 years... not that we'll be Pirate bad or anything.
Fuck Wilner and his shitty stats
Fuck Griffin and his shitty intangibles
Why is it that because the other teams get better people seem to think the Jays get worse? They have some injuries and one major loss, but they have returning players too, and another year for some younger guys to develop. This team is not far from the team that won 86 games last year, why does everyone seem to assume that because the Yankees got better the Jays are going to lose 16 games from last year.
Why is it that if you can't make the playoffs you suck? Why can't people be happy going to the ballpark and watching the Jays knowing that they're more likely to win than lose? Do people in Toronto not understand baseball, do they not understand that success in baseball cannot be measured exclusively on whether a team makes the playoffs.
Why do people assume the lineup is set? The offseason isn't over.
Why do people assume that the Yankees are so much better now? They replaced Giambi with Teixeira, a notable defensive upgrade but hardly a massive offensive upgrade. They replaced Mussina with Sabbathia, again a notable upgrade but it's not like Mussina was Daniel Cabrera out there last year. And they replaced Andy Pettitte with AJ Burnett, which is only an upgrade if Burnett actually pitches a full season. They still haven't accounted for the loss of Abreu, or the inevitable continued declines of Posada, Jeter, Damon, Matsui, and Rivera. And their bullpen is still more flammable than a stack of old newspapers.
Why do people assume the Rays will be great? What's so different between the team that was so good last year and the team that was so bad the year before? Who's to say that with a couple of early injuries, or with an implosion from their overworked shitbag backend of last years rotation, they can't revert?
Colin I could kiss you.
The most amazing part is the bulk of these doomsayers are likely fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Colin:
All that matters in sports is winning and to win you need to make the playoffs.
Sure .500 is nice and rosy and wonderful, but that's what we've had the last couple years and I haven't enjoyed being a third and fourth place team nearly as much as I would enjoy actually making the playoffs.
As for your thoughts on the Yankees, they got much younger with each upgrade you mention. That plays into it too. They still have some kids who can come up and play and why do we all suddenly expect AJ to get hurt again after a full season last year? If he was still in Toronto we wouldn't mention his health, except to say how healthy he was last season.
And the Rays of 2008 are much, much different than the Rays of 2007...
"No AJ, no Marcum and no McGowan is huge and no matter how much the likes of Purcey (who you seem to shit on if I remember), Janssen, Romero or Cecil step up, the likelihood of them doing enough to make this team a contender is very, very unlikely."
This is the core of the ridiculousness of your argument. First of all, McGowan is already throwing and should be ready by the start of May. Secondly, losing Marcum sucks, but I'm guessing heading into 2006 you either had no idea who Shaun Marcum was or that he could be an effective starter. The loss of Burnett is big, but the Jays have had the best pitching staff in baseball over the last 2 seasons because of their defense more than anything, not the individual arms. It's really not all that inconceivable that McGowan/Cecil/Romero (or a similar combination of pitchers) in 2009 post similar numbers to what Burnett/Marcum/McGowan did in 2008. All this team needs is guys who throw the ball over the plate and keep it in the park (low BB & HR rates) and it will have pitching success, because they have an outstanding defender at basically every position except LF, where Snider/Lind might only figure to be average. Their defense is what makes guys like Marcum look like a huge loss and gives Jesse Litsch #2 starter numbers. Pitching simply will not be the area of concern for the Jays this year, there is way too many arms in the system for it to become a serious problem pitching in front of our team D. It's all on the offense's shoulders.
I'd like to edit Lloyd's comment: TYPICAL fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fucking retards that are happy that the leafs win which only hurts the chances of them being a fucking good team. Fucking short sightedness
It's 5:50 PM and it's dark outside, according to the logic employed by the staff at DrunkJaysApologists.com, we don't know for sure that the sun will rise tomorrow so we can go ahead and say it doesn't exits. WHOOPEE!
exist!
"As for your thoughts on the Yankees, they got much younger with each upgrade you mention. That plays into it too."
The issue isn't whether or not they are better now than they were before the signings - we are trying to figure out if the signings make them a better team than they were in 2008, when they were inferior to probably all 3 of Boston, TB, and Toronto. You don't factor in age-related declines into that, you simply measure one groups 2008 vs. the others. And if you're going to measure getting younger you better not say it without mentioning Jeter-Matsui-Posada-Damon all on the wrong side of 35.
it's tough to watch bonafide sluggers signing for 8-10m on short term deals while the jays sit after what happened to them in the first half of last year.
All that matters in sports is winning and to win you need to make the playoffs.
What an utterly joyless and cynical thing to say. If you ONLY get enjoyment or entertainment from watching teams WIN, why not simply switch allegiances every season?
Baseball is fun, PLAYOFFS and the like make for MORE fun. No playoffs do not make for the absence of fun though. Cheer up, it's a game.
Chance is a matter of perspective. I don't think they have a particularly good chance, but I definitely think they have a chance, and there are still so many variables-- not having thrown a single pitch and all-- that it's crazy to just write them off right now. And all the challenge talk is bullshit anyway. Headlines writers need to pull people in, and the Jays want to lower expectations (mission accomplished, I think), but it's pretty meaningless.
True, it's not likely the Jays will make the playoffs, but the pessimism lately has gone way beyond any sense of the reality of the situation-- I mean, people actually think the Rays are some kind of unstoppable force (Spenny here obviously does, though he hasn't said why-- Burrell and Price??? Joyce was good last year, but average through the minors before that. And that bullpen still has the stink of shitbags all over it. '06 White Sox redux. Don't believe the hype.) that Ortiz and Lowell aren't question marks for Boston, that the Yankee lineup isn't full of question marks as well (Cano? Swisher? Gardner/Cabrera? Damon/Matsui? Jeter?), and that any of those teams isn't an injury or two away from being very mediocre. It's got to the point where, even just by pointing those very true things out, we're getting labeled apologists. The truth is, the Jays were OK last year (and would have been "good" in any other division), and they lost some pitching but will get some hitting back.
So then maybe they're a little worse off, as it stands now? And being not that much worse off than an 86 win team is not such a terrible position-- not even close to bad enough to have incited the kind of pissing and moaning that we've been seeing (and it doesn't help when so-called experts write lazy bullshit that agrees with the hysterical idiots).
So what has to happen to make this a better club than last year, then, if we can agree that full seasons of Hill, Wells, Lind and Snider will offset much of the loss of Burnett, Marcum and maybe half a year of McGowan? What if, say, Rolen is better? And Overbay is better? And Rios is better? What if one of their back-end starters is actually better than league average?
Yes, a lot of what-ifs, but IS THAT REALLY SO FUCKING IMPLAUSIBLE? I don't think it's very likely either, but fucking seriously, the idea that those things all happening is so impossible that it's OK to go around acting like the season is over in January is retarded.
Stop acting like these other teams are the cartoonish beasts that shitty dinosaur writers (and their disciples) tell you they are, and actually look shit up for your fucking selves! They were not that different last year, and the Jays won 86 games-- and should have won a bunch more if not for an impotent offence. Again, I'm not saying it's likely, but how fucking thick do you have to be to look at all that conclude that they're already totally fucked?
People are just so fed up, I think, with the lack of playoffs for so long that they've stopped using their heads and started assuming the worst about this team-- which is fine, except that it would be really seriously fucking great if they would just shut the fuck up until they're ready to use their heads and not be overwhelmed by all this pent up frustration, valid as it may be.
To pretty much echo Ari, it doesn't matter if they got younger because the players I mentioned were mostly all healthy last year. Sure, these deals set them up better for the future, but all you can compare is the output of Giambi, Mussina, and Pettitte last year vs the output of Teixeira, Sabbathia, and Burnett this year.
The reason I don't believe in Burnett lasting a full year is his history and makeup and his pitch count last year.
And you still haven't addressed the loss of Abreu, or the bullpen, or the decline of the older Yankees, not all of whom will notably decline, but some will.
As for the Rays, they would certainly not be the first breakout team to take a step back the next year. They could be very, very good, but they could also implode early.
The thing with the 2009 Jays is that with some bad luck it's not inconceivable that they could finish 5th in the AL East, but it's also not inconceivable that with some good luck finally going their way they could legitimately challenge. And if you chose to say it's impossible then you're as bad as the morons who handed the Tigers the AL central last year and said the ChiSox and Twins didn't have a chance between the Tigers and Indians.
And as for third place being unacceptable, I'd rather see 15 straight seasons of above .500 baseball than a cycle of 12 seasons of 90 loss baseball followed by 3 seasons of 90 win baseball. And if you would prefer option 2, then start cheering for the Nats now because you're still early in the 12 years.
How can anyone assume that Price will be a huge part of the Rays' 09 rotation without noting that a) Brett Cecil's minor league numbers were just as good, and b) Price (and Cecil for that matter) threw about 110 innings last year, meaning that expecting more than 140 innings from either of them would be asking for elbow surgery.
Optimism? Sorry, all out. Spent it during the 10-in-a-row streak and September push last season. (Ironically, I'll bet a lot of the Debbie Downers are the same guys who shit on Fullmer Fan for calling them ridiculous for having hope. )
But yeah. No optimism here. We were a bat or two short last season and watched the organization sit on its collective hands.
We've lost our #2 pitcher to a division rival (who added the two top free agents in addition), our #3 pitcher is on the shelf for the year, our #4 is dealing with arm problems and may or may not be ready by May.
The DH spot is completely empty, and despite a glut of free agents out there it appears we won't be buyers.
Left field will be patrolled by a youngster, possibly two, and neither have a full season under their belts.
Our second baseman is a bumped noggin away from career-ending injury.
The owner is dead.
After giving the team a competitive advantage in 2008, the Canadian dollar is back down to 83 cents.
The entire economy has the parent company shit scared to spend anything more than the bare minimum, and despite the $25-odd million that came off the books, it appears the team will get to spend none of it.
On tope of that, my ass itches from my tanning session that was supposed to prevent that same ass as being the guest of honor in a Mexican sun UV-ray bukkake fest.
So, optimism? I'll pass for now. I'll save it for when the games start to shape up.
I completely agree that the pessimism has gotten WAY out of control, and the Jays are going to be good, with a chance of being fucking great.
BUT, it makes me fucking puke everytime I think of how REALLY GOOD this team would be if they could just stay at even $92-95MM.
When I see players that we have all talked about as a fit for the Jays (in previous weeks) like Penny go to Boston, and Burrell go to TB, for $13MM combined, (which would put the Jays at $93-95MM, same as if Burnett stayed), I can't help but get depressed.
I believe in the team, and that the youngsters can make some noise, but give me a fucking break. Standing pat gets you killed when your competition keeps adding guys that are GOING to contribute. I'm not a big fan of Penny, or Burrell for that matter, although I would love to plug them both into our roster right now, as opposed to hoping for the best, and trying not to expect the fucking worst.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Buy a fucking DH you cheap fucking Rogers clowns.
This website really has become a one trick pony. Too bad that Parkes and Stoeten think pretty much exactly alike 99% of the time, things get a little repetitive.
This website really has become a one trick pony. Too bad that Parkes and Stoeten think pretty much exactly alike 99% of the time, things get a little repetitive.
I don't think the pessimism is out of line. Last year the Jays had a middling-to-good team (sorry, but if you're going to tout the pitching and defense, you have to count the subpar offense, too) and finished fourth. Meanwhile, the Jays have regressed while their competitors have been addressing key needs. The Yankees and Red Sox also have far more resources to make significant deadline deals during the season - something the Jays have never really been in a position to do.
The problem is that baseball isn't a crapshoot (at least, during the regular season). You play 162 games--long enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. Over time, weaknesses like a lackluster team OPS catch up to you.
Touche, Royal...
Is that Spencer trying to perform the difficult procedure known as the self-finger-lobotomy there ?
Greenfrog, you're right, the pessimism isn't out of line, but the "fuck it, we're fucked, there's no hope" attitude completely is.
Royal, part of this has to do with the fact that absolutely fuck all is going on. And what are we going to do, disagree with the side that's clearly, unquestionably right?
Also, we haven't been drunk posting nearly enough lately. Sober Stoeten is a dick.
Might I remind you all that the Twins lost Santana and Silva from their rotation, didn't get Liriano back until midway, traded Garza for Delmon Young, went into last year with basically the same team as '07 otherwise-- except Denard Span came up and Carlos Gomez came in through the Santana deal-- relying on lots of young pitchers, in a division that was supposed to be dominated by the Tigers, after their freewheeling off-season, and the Indians, who'd just pushed Boston to game 7 of the ALCS. A lot of you J.C. Spenny's out there would have written them off in January, too, I presume. And, well... that's kind of why you're being idiots.
I think one of the reasons is the lack of perceived effort in the GM's office.
All media reports are highly negative from JP perspective lets say he does a trade Overbay/Ryan for say a ludwick ANother deal. If it goes wrong he is canned. If it goes right what is the upside a high 3rd place finish?
If he does nothing and they finish last he can say well my hands were tied. Sadly for the Blue Jays JP is no Billy Beane and is far too safe to be a nimble GM. He is like a nusery school teacher far too risk adverse.
Although I don't think 80-100MM is exactly outlandish payroll. You should be able to do something with it.
The GM is wrong with this team he was never the man they thought they hired.
averse = reluctant
adverse = opposition, contrary
Anon 11:52: But isn't what you're saying, from JP's perspective, smart? Not good for the team, but smart, in terms of self-preservation-- which seems to be the thing he's best at, and which Rogers seems to always put him in a position to have to think primarily about. You can't fault him entirely for being what's wrong with the team, without looking at the hands he's been dealt.
Or perhaps they're not letting him put any more of his mark on the team than he already has, seeing as the new president will almost certainly want a new GM.
It's too bad a solid baseball site like B&C has someone like this portraying the Jays.
I wonder if Tao wouldn't mind losing his weekend editor so we could see Ack full-time. Just an idea...
Hmmm... is B&C actually good? I just assumed, based on the Jays stuff. Spenny is a good sport, though. I'll give him that. Just kind of epically wrong about most things.
*that it isn't.
Hey, so Mike Sweeney wants to play another year. Ugh.
B&C is a great humour website, I have no idea why kyte is employed there. I guess he's fairly prolific so it keeps their page moving...
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