Frank Thomas Memorial Link Dump

** There's nothing better than beating the livin' bejeezus out of the Mets. Well, almost nothing. I admit that beatin' the living bejeezus out of the Cardinals comes first.

But what makes beatin' the livin' bejeezus out of the Mets even more special is recapping the series through You Tube videos.

** Hey -- Rob Neyer's got a new book out. I might have to give it a look-see.

** Thank you to Goat Rider Kyle for quantifying "Scrappiness." Hey, it makes as much sense as any of Dr. Phil's alleged analysis.

** Mike Downey tells us all about scrappy white guy Reed Johnson. He's a "31-year-old who hustles like Pete Rose and hero-worships Ty Cobb."

As my bilingual friends might say, Donde los yikes! Let's hope he stays away from the casinos. And doesn't beat up handicapped fans in the stands.

** This just about sums up Brewer Fans' reaction to Ben Sheets' latest.

** We've got a new addition to the links: Where Have You Gone, Andy van Slyke? Show a Pirate Fan some love, would ya?

** I was going to point out that Corey Patterson is still not having a good season, but Pat (from the aforemention WHYGAVS blog) beat me to it.

** The week's most shocking news, of course, was the Blue Jays sudden dumping of Frank Thomas. Reaction ranged from mocking the Jays for ditching their best hitting just because he had a bad two weeks and praising the Jays for getting rid of selfish, mean, no-good Thomas (both encapsulated here by FJM's Junior). Mike Downey wonders why Thomas is waiting on the unemployment line with Barry, Sammy, and Roger.

I can't reckon why the Blue Jays pulled the plug like that. The most obvious answer is economics -- after a certain number of PA's, Thomas' option for '09 kicks in. But eating the rest of this year's contract seems to be an odd way of getting out from under that option.

Thomas is on the downslope of his career, but there's nothing that makes me think he'd be a waste this year. I think some enterprising AL team needing a cheap DH would be more than happy to pay Thomas the Major League minimum for the rest of the year...

** In honor of Frank Thomas, I continue my award-winning Rutles retrospective. This song is from the Rutles' second film (the one in color that wasn't as good as the black-and-white one). Enjoy!

We Got a Pass

Dr. Phil -- the same guy who taught us that trading Babe Ruth for Neifi Perez and Brad Ausmus gives your team a +1 -- presents his latest bit of statistical analysis:

The Cubs, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Phillies need to pick up the pace a little bit. Entering the weekend, those four 2007 playoff teams were among the 10 biggest losers this spring. There was only one playoff team from among the 10 teams with the worst records last spring. …

This just might be the first and only time that I've ever seen anyone refer to any previous year's spring training records. Because, frankly, who the hell cares about spring training performance?

And before you raise your hand and shout "Me! Me!" answer this question honestly -- what was your favorite team's exhibition record last March? I sure as hell don't know what the Cubs' March record was last year, and I'm the biggest Cubs geek in my circle.

By the way...as of this writing, there are ten teams with ten or more losses this exhibition season. The Cubs, Phillies, and Diamondbacks (along with the Giants and Pirates) lead the suck parade with twelve losses. Running a close second with eleven losses are Houston, LA, and Toronto.

Right behind those guys, with ten losses so far, are Washington...and the Chicago White Sox. Yep, the Pale Hose are among the "10 biggest losers." And yet, there is no exhortation from Dr. Phil for them to "pick up the pace," lest they fail to make the playoffs.

But remember -- there's only one sports team in Chicago that will get a pass. I won't name them. But it ain't the White Sox.

Toronto Blue Jays 2008 Preview: If Wishes Were Horses

2007: The year that sucked/was groovy (pick one)

Although the Jays finished third at 83-79, most fans and team management would probably say it sucked. Coming into the season with high (some might say unrealistic) hopes of threatening the Red Sox/Yankees stranglehold on the division title, the Jays suffered serious injuries to Roy Hallady, A. J. Burnett, B. J. Ryan, Lyle Overbay, Gregg Zaun, and Reed Johnson and were never in the picture. The team's biggest moves this winter were to make a challenge trade of fragile third basemen with tattered reputations (trading the accused steroid user for the guy considered to not be a gamer) and hiring a shrimp to play shortstop.

They can put it on the board yes! no! maybe!

They thought they'd have a pretty decent offense in 2007, but that wasn't the case. The Jays scored 753 runs, tenth in the AL and last in their division. Injuries to Overbay and Johnson and a pretty cruddy year by Vernon Wells dragged them down. Due to the injuries, disappointments, and simply playing guys who aren't any good, the Jays gave 2335 at-bats to players with on base percentages below .320.

LF Reed Johnson
SS David Eckstein
RF Alexis Rios
DH Frank Thomas
CF Vernon Wells
3B Scott Rolen
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Aaron Hill
C Gregg Zaun

This lineup looks like a lot of wishcasting to me. Everyone in it has had pretty decent seasons in the recent past, but every one of them has also been a major disappointment within that same span. Tossing them all together and hoping that everyone plays at his 90th percentile level isn't the most reliable way to build an offense. Rios is their best player, but he's not the superstar the Jays pretend he is.

Pitchers or belly itchers?

Despite losing their top two starters and their closer for extended periods, the Blue Jays allowed the second fewest runs in the AL. Halladay pitched well, although his strikeout rate has been declining and he allowed more than a hit per inning. A. J. Burnett was frequently dominating in his 25 starts, striking out 9.56 batters per nine innings while allowing just 7.12 hits. Dustin McGowan went from top prospect to reliable starter, and Shawn Marcum and Jesse Litsch were effective as well. Jeremy Arcado, Scott Downs, Casey Janssen, Brian Tallet, and Brian Wolfe turned the bullpen into an asset.

SP Roy Halladay
SP A. J. Burnett
SP Dustin McGowan
SP Shawn Marcum
SP Jesse Litsch

CL B. J. Ryan
RP Jeremy Arcado
RP Scott Downs

I like all of these guys, but I expect some slippage in 2007. However, additional innings from Halladay, Burnett, and McGowan could make up the difference. The 2007 Jays gave 30 starts (a full rotation spot) to Tomo Ohka, Josh Towers, and Gustavo Chacin, none of whom had an ERA below 5.38. Simply distributing those starts among the five guys listed above would keep the Jays' rotation at a high level.

Jays management is extremely optimistic or perhaps delusional about Ryan's chances for a successful opening day return ten months after Tommy John surgery. We wish them well. The guys who filled in last year are good pitchers, but not as good as they looked in 2007.

Witnesses for the defense

One thing that the Jays did very well in 2007 was to turn batted balls into outs. They had the highest defensive efficiency record in the majors at .714. The changes on the left side of the infield are pretty much a wash: Rolen is a bit better defensively than Glaus, but Eckstein is not a very good shortstop, and John McDonald is.

Farm aid

Don't look for much help here. The Jays have only one really outstanding prospect, outfielder Travis Snider, but he's at least a year and a half away. None of their other reasonable prospects are any further advanced. What you see on the major league roster is what you get this year.

Watch out for that tree!

Frank Thomas is now 40 and runs as well as the Ford truck on blocks in your neighbor's yard. Despite reaching base 235 times he scored only 37 runs other than on his own home runs. I'm not ready to write off Scott Rolen yet, but I am compelled to point out that he's 33, very injury prone, and slugged .398 in 2007. Gregg Zaun is 37 and is not up to catching a full season's worth of games.

I can make a hat, or a broach...

I'm pretty sure that the Blue Jays are telling themselves that they are all set to contend this year. I'm here to tell them that they are wrong. It's hard to see any one area in which they will do better than in 2007. The plan seems to be, "have everyone be healthy and play well and we'll win." This is a business plan roughly as well thought out as that of the Underpants Gnomes.

…And Boy, Are My Arms Tired!

Just got back from a fun-filled week in beautiful Toronto, Ontario. Did all the fun touristy things – saw the zoo, took a bus tour, went to the top of the CN Tower, visited the Hockey Hall of Fame. But from a blogging perspective, the highlight of the trip was walking down to SkyDome on Father’s Day to see the Blue Jays play the Expos…errrr…I mean, Nationals.

The Blue Jays showed all the Dads in attendance some love, as we all scored a kickin’ Blue Jays tie, complete with manager John Gibbons’ facsimile autograph. Is “kickin’” appropriate slang anymore? It’s hard for me to keep up with what the kids are saying nowadays.

Also in honor of Father’s Day, my beloved wife encouraged my to splurge on a fancy-shmancy Jays replica jersey. Wary of buyer’s remorse, I dithered over the decision for a while before settling on a very attractive black number, complete with “Halladay 32” on the back. The Younger Heir to the estate scored himself a spiffy Toronto cap, and a Vernon Wells t-shirt.

The Blue Jays provided one last Father’s Day surprise – this cornucopia of licensed apparel was enough to net me a complimentary hardcover edition of the Blue Jays’ 25th anniversary Commemorative Book. There’s nothing that says “Happy Father’s Day” than a free copy of a six-year old remaindered book.

The game itself was better than I could have expected from this clash of Titans. The Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first, only to lose it four batters into the Nats’ half of the second.

Frank Thomas tied it up in the home half of the third with a huge home run (which we had a great view of – our seats were down the left field line, four rows from the field). Unfortunately, that was the last Blue Jay hit of the game, as the hometown heroes spent the rest of the afternoon making Micah Bowie and the highly estimable Washington relief corps look like for-real Major League pitchers.

Cub Fans may remember Micah Bowie from his eleven starts for our team back in 1999. In forty-seven innings, he got slapped around for 9.96 ERA, a 2.19 WHIP, and a .358 BAA. I give him credit for hanging in there long enough to get another shot. This year, he’s 4-2, and pitched pretty well. It’s only a matter of time before Dr. Phil pens a column wondering why we ever got rid of this guy…

Josh Towers started for the Jays, and pitched better than I expected. He gave up four earned in seven innings, and aside from one mistake to Ryan Zimmerman (who hit a dinger even longer than Thomas’, also hit right past us) looked like a for-real Major League pitcher, too.

But even with the quality start, it’s hard to win when your offensive “support” consists of two walks over the last six innings of play. Final score: Washington 4, Toronto 2.

Looking especially ignominious was Vernon Wells. He singled and scored in the first, but then went down swinging his next three appearances. And he didn’t look particularly good doing that.

A few other random notes:
** With Lyle Overbay hurt and Wells not hitting very much, it’s a wonder that Thomas gets anything to hit. The Jays’ lineup with not very inspiring – their fifth and sixth hitters were Aaron Hill and Curtis Thigpen. Would you throw Thomas a strike with those two coming up?

** The bottom of the lineup wasn’t any better than the middle. The catching tandem of Jason Phillips and Greg Zaun, Adam Lind, and Royce Clayton could rival the Astros for the crummiest three hitters in the Major Leagues.

** Surprisingly, the Nationals looked OK. Not a good OK, but the kind of OK that means they won’t lose 120 games. As long as the pitching holds out. And they don’t suffer a lot of injuries.

I think Washington’s biggest issue right now is a lack of depth. They just don’t have the guys on the bench or on the farm to step in if someone gets hurt (or bombs). It will be a few years before the new regime there can rebuild the system after suffering the tender ministrations of MLB (and, before that, Loria the Destroyer).

** I did see quite a few people with Nationals gear wandering the ballpark. If Nats fans are willing to make the roadie up to Canada, perhaps they’ll be patient enough to stick with their team the next few years…

** The Jays have a chili pepper race (sort of like the Brewers’ sausage race, but not as good) between innings. I don’t understand it, either.

Tough Crowd

Geez..I thought the Chicago media was quick to throw in the towel. I guess even the Canadian press loves its knee-jerk reactions...

UPDATE: I found this amusing...

There is no denying that the injury bug has stung the TORONTO BLUE JAYS of late. Despite the bumps and bruises, the team continues to work hard on the field of play and in the community. As a way to keep recent headlines in perspective, the Blue Jays will host "JAYS ANATOMY" NIGHT on Wednesday May 16, 2007.

The team is asking fans to help in their road to recovery. Fans attending the May 16 contest versus Baltimore can show team pride and support by donating First Aid supplies in a symbolic gesture to stop the bleeding. The first 5,000 fans, with a valid game night ticket, who make a donation, will receive a complimentary Toronto Blue Jays baseball cap. Supplies collected will in turn be given to the Canadian Red Cross to assist in their community outreach.

"There is no denying that the bumps and bruises have tested our team and fans," commented V.P. of Marketing, LAUREL LINDSAY. "But we are Toronto and we will not give up. We're asking fans to help us mend a little faster by coming out, donating first aid items and cheering us on to victory."

I was going make a crack about how the truth was bruised by J.P. Ricciardi, but it seemed too easy...