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No easy solutions for struggling Blue Jays

JEFF BLAIR

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 8:31 AM EDT 02/05/08

A trade would shake the stumbling team, but Ricciardi sees a difficult market for offence ...Read the full article

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  1. Matt Chapin from Toronto, Canada writes: Trade?

    How about an offer for $390,000?

    Some Blue Jays fans may recall rumours in the summer about Riccardi trying to acquire a pitcher from the Bay area. It's now a month into the season and maybe he should take another look out west, except this time he won't have to give up Alex Rios or any pitching prospects.

    Barry Bonds anyone?

    There are probably plenty of Blue Jay fans that dislike the man, but he has hit a homerun or 762 in his day.

    Would it really be that bad of an idea to just call and say "Hey Barry, it's J.P Riccardi calling, um our last DH just went your way and we ended up paying him way too much money. Do you feel like coming up north for a little while? Ted's introducing the Iphone here and I'm sure he could spend a few bucks on you."
  2. Matthew Goff from painsville, Canada writes: I am not sure I like the line up shuffle anyway. It might have worked as a one off, but it looks completely out of whack. Rios gets on and I'm thinking 'here comes a double play'. At least with Hill second it at least seems we have three chances of batting the runner in / moving them up. I feel you either bat Eckstein first or not at all. And watching him throw hail marys from SS to first - jeez, errors waiting to happen. Poor Johhny Mac - wait all game to get in and then get picked off. Well lets give him credit, least he didn't spike himself.

    Seriously folks, aside from our starting pitching, we are in trouble. Like it or not, the Rays are going to hit all year and although I expect Baltimore to flop sooner rather than later, we are in a four team division. We are just lucky the Yankees are as bad as us. How very very depressing. When does the CFL season start?
  3. boz dobbs from toronto, Canada writes: Riccardi should still be a back room boy with Oakland,making sure there,s enough coffee and pastries around.Stay in Beantown J.P,park your car in Harvard yard.Maybe that teenager who runs the Red Sox can hook you up with a spot.
  4. M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes: JP....sign Barry Bonds immediately...it would give me the excuse I need to totally ignore this team. Giving a cr&p about the Jays is getting too painful...please put me out of my misery.
  5. i. ignatius from Mount Pleasant, Canada writes: i'm not an overly avid baseball fan, often catch the Jays between periods of hockey ...

    a question to Matthew Goff who was talking about Rios 2nd in the lineup with a penchant for hitting into a double play ...

    i don't understand what the "importance" is with the batting order lineup. I could see that if Rios is 2nd in the lineup, and has that history of hitting double play balls, that's generally only an issue in the first inning, when the 1, 2, 3 hitters come up. But after that, it's really how the previous inning ended. Every player has a chance at being 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., hitter of the next inning down the road.

    so to me, order isn't hugely important. What it really amounts to is whether each and every player on the team is capable of getting on base and reaching home plate consistently.

    and i guess that's the Jays problem overall this year??

    anyways, that's enough armchair baseball musings between periods of hockey :-)
  6. Scenic Sask! from Canada writes: I agree with M Spiker from Ottawa. If you have to cheat to win you've actually won nothing. Signing Bonds would be tantamount to cheating.
  7. Kevin MacKinnon from Some Perspective, Canada writes: The plague of Toronto sports franchises is unjustified expectation. Having been a Jay fan since I attended their very first spring training game, their first playoff game in 85 against KC in the pouring rain etc., it has become apparent that these are the days of economic apathy. While a Blue Jay fan, I am not a Leaf fan, nor an Argo fan. These franchises have not removed their heads from their a$$ long enough to warrant any loyalty from anyone. The same disease is unfortunately infecting and progressing with the Jays. Given the revolving door ownership (four distinct owners in 30 years), how do you expect to hold any course other than pandering? The change that needs to be made? Who acquired and approved, and pays the alleged talent? Who is responsible for daily execution and performance? Sounds drastic, but what difference would it actually make? Given the quality of GMs in Atlanta, NY (both AL-NL), Boston etc. why is ownership enthralled with a charlatan from a small market team? He knew how to make a team competitive enough (not a winner), to put butts in seats. He never knew how to win...to accuse him of anything other than consumer competitive is a lie. The talent decisions have been ludicrous, including whom they have selected t 'run the team'. Think this would be okay in Atlanta? Before last year, how many consecutive post season appearances? Ummm, 14...dating back to their Series loss to Toronto. Can the same be said for Toronto since?
  8. Matthew Goff from painsville, Canada writes: Re: batting order. For sure its not the most important thing in its entirety, but its about who follows who that I am really talking about. I was referring to Rios batting before Eckstein. Rios has a high OBP and I would prefer the little guy not following him. And with pitching duels like the last two nights when guys go down 1-2-3, you do get to the top of the line up a couple of times a night in that same order.

    Not that I want to blame any player in particular for double plays - Eckstein for example - but I reckon we are near the top in the majors. Its killing us (along with RISP, errors, pick offs, GM, etc etc).
  9. D D from Canada writes: Spend your money on supporting local little league teams...support the next generation!! Maybe then the jays will get better when the kids grow up and get drafted...Maybe then they will have more than 8 playoff teams and actually make the season and post season interesting to watch...Maybe then the big market teams won't be able to buy their way into the post season...spending money on Jays tickets is a waste to a losing cause.
  10. Bill Murtagh from Toronto, Canada writes: As with the Leafs, Raptors or any other business, success comes from sound, competent management. With Paul Godfrey, J.P. and Gibbons, the Jays are lacking in this crucial area. All three should be fired and the Rogers Empire should find the best baseball mind in the business and lure him to the city. I wonder if Pat Gillick could be enticed away from Philadelphia?
  11. Ryan Hickman from Canada writes: I wish I had the job security the Blue Jays brass has. J.P. has had seven years to put something together and this year we sit at the bottom of the division....and they can't point to injuries either! So this is what we waited for??? The bottom line is that they're not hitting with runners in scoring position. This was a problem last year as well if memory serves me right. Hitting with guys on and two out is tough but if you've got less than two out you've got to be walking away from that inning with at least one run in. It is getting far too predicatble to see guys weakly flying out and rolling over and grounding out to end threats. Everyone mentions the Reed Johnson situation and it's been analyzed and questioned to death. The idea was a bad move...end of discussion. A blue collar guy, gritty and hard nosed. Not to mention a propensity to get on base with an ability to play small ball. However I digress.....(just the kind of guy we need on this ball club)...okay I'm over it for real now. I don't know the mentality these guys have going up to the plate when it counts but they really need to get their collective heads out and start doing their jobs. Hit the ball the other way...don't be afraid to hit and run more with guys on 1st and 2nd. Who cares if the lead runner is thrown out...he wouldn't have scored with the way the guys are hitting now anyway. Try a squeeze if need be! Start getting some guys in and build on the confidence. If slumps can be contagious than so too can hot streaks. Gawd darng it...where's a gatorade cooler to toss when you need one???
  12. CD W from Canada writes: Who is the DH?
  13. Nicholas Stewart from Ottawa, Canada writes: I believe Reed Johnson's yesterday morning was sporting a .295 batting average compared to .200 to Shannon Stewart. JP has only himself to blame for that idiotic decision. A couple of injuries, our lack of batting depth is again exposed, and another season is down the drain... I know its early, too early in the 5 other divisions to write of a team, but in the AL East, I think we can say the Jays are toast.
  14. Lorne Carmichael from Canada writes: This team , with the excellent pitching , does have a chance to win . What a great move to get Rolen and we know that Hill , Rios , Stairs Johnny Mac are good ballplayers . Did I read Riccardi's statement correctly ...... if put up for trade someone would take Wells ? I would have reason for optimism if he were gone .

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