Sunday, August 23, 2009

Quick-hitter: Feeling Blue (Jays)

It occurred to me that Blue Jay fans probably aren't interested in logging in to the ToS and reading my bullshit commentary filled with doom and gloom, weekend in, weekend out, for the next few months. You can get that same depression from watching the games (heyyyyooooo!).

So here's my vow to you - I'm going to save the hand wringing for the offseason, and let the 2009 (shit) chips fall where they may. Focus on the positives - the remarkable seasons of Aaron Hill and Young Adam Lind, potentially our last few glimpses of Roy Halladay greatness, the maturation of Travis Snider......etc.

Because it's still baseball, damnit.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

It IS still baseball.... DAMNIT!!!
And the Jays have a pre-June show on today. Besides, fourth place isn't so bad, we could be the Oriols, who only dream of being fourth.

-Chris

Mattt said...

Amen. In a few short months you're going to miss being able to watch the Jays every day...

Darren Priest said...

JP goose may be cooked already, but he definitely made a nice choice with Ricky Romero.

Jim Briggs said...

JP could have shown some balls and called up Randy Ruiz in late June or early July. Dude is straight mashin'. I know it's not like they are on some kind of win streak since he's been around, but that's in part because of the pitching. How many more games would they have won if they had Ruiz instead of Millinglettista in the lineup?

Darren Priest said...

Don't sweat it, Jim, you'll have someone else to bitch about soon.

Jim Briggs said...

Darren: honestly... I think JP is not problem #1 with this team. It's mostly likely Rogers. And I'm not here to bitch. All I'm asking for is an approach. Instead we get JP, Beeston's and others confusing the bejesus out of fans by suggesting at turns:
1) next year is the year
2) we have the money
3) we don't have the money
4) we like our guys
5) we need to move our guys
6) this team will compete
7) this team is moving salary

Like everyone, I'd rather we were cheering about a winner. Instead, we're watching the Red Sox bring a home crowd into our team's park for a sweep.

I think you can probably admit that the team in general, and JP as a general rule, is conservative to a fault. This approach has netted them winning seasons a few times during his tenure, but it hasn't netted a playoff appearance, or even many meaningful Septembers.

It has netted him some great trades and perhaps kept him from making some rash decisions. I think some rash decisions, or some desperation moves to get FAs to Toronto, have been part of his resume as well, but c'est la vie. Just wish they were desperate enough to move mountains for a guy like Teixeira. It's tough when ownership has that kind of money and yet refuses to spend it despite the fact that the best moneymaker is a winner.

So, it's a different philosophy, and herein lies my gripe: if the play is for the future, what's the better play: the guy who is just having an unreal season, killing the ball and hasn't gotten much MLB time (despite his years), or the guys who are stinking it up and are a regular explanation for their offensive futility? In some of the guys I see at AAA I see hope. But instead of selling hope, it seems that the team instead tries to rely on a yearly reincarnation of the Menchersons whose talent and upside left the station seasons ago. I like Millar -- as good-time-guy and maybe even as bench man in the playoffs. But as cleanup DH?

You know this is insanity, yet the Jays seem to try to test the time-honored definition of it by trying the same thing and hoping for different results.

If they do can JP and ask his replacement to work within the same limitations, if good options are on the table and the team trot out some bullsh--, I will bitch. Till then, I'm just hoping for some excitement.

Jim Briggs said...

"mostly likely" = "most likely" = typing fail.

bkblades said...

Ack, you're an inspiration to us all with your moratorium on Blue Jays hate. Wish I got this memo before writing a downer post myself, but I can't have it all.

Jim Briggs said...

bkblades:
yr right, Ack is the man. It's just the "potentially our last few glimpses of Roy Halladay greatness" shit that has had me down in the dumps since the notion was first floated.

But f'real: Sniderman, Lind, Hill, Randy effing Ruiz forever.

The Ruiz mention is a slight joke, but those are three the Jays can build around.

The Ack said...

Dudes - thanks for the words. Ultimately, I was pulling a Matthew Sweet and was sick of myself, reading all the negative comments I've been posting around the ol' blogosphere. And if I was sick of myself, I can only imagine what everyone else who takes the time to read was feeling.

So instead, I'll be a miserable bastard upon conclusion of game 162. Then it's game-on, baby.

(I'd like to think Sniderman rewarded my bravado today with his effort. A boy can dream...)

Jim Briggs said...

everyone else who takes the time to read was thinking, "when is the Ack's next post?"

you do it righteous, don't second-guess yourself.

Navin Vaswani (@eyebleaf) said...

When Travis Snider hits an opposite field home run, everything seems right in the world.

plain_g said...

don't check out yet, it's right about time for the jays yearly late season surge that comes too late, falls short, but convinces us that 'next year' we'll be contenders.

Andy said...

I love the Ruiz as much as anyone but lets be honest, once the big league pitchers figure out what he cant hit, thats all he will see and then it will be obvious why he was in the minors for 10 years.

Having said that, walking Vernon to get to him and then watching him clear the bases was sooo exiting!

Jim Briggs said...

@Andy: you're probably right, but haven't big-league pitchers been murdering the lineup by figuring out what Wells, Millar, Bautista, Inglett, Barajas can't hit?

Some of these liabilities in the lineup this season have either excuses or other value (awful contract necessitating installation in the lineup, or catching, for example). Others don't.

Again, you take some chances when you have nothing to lose. I don't mind riding out the Ruiz wave and seeing if prevailing notions can't be proven wrong. If the team did this more often, they might make some headway for the next season instead of leaving more unanswered questions...

Jay Hill said...

Re: Ruiz. Minnesota also gave up on an older DH type once...goes by Big Pap-something.

(Not saying that Ruiz <> Ortiz, but anything is possible)

LB said...

Hey now, let's not forget about Scutaro! I could watch his lead-off walks and double plays with Hill all day long.