Dumping Ground

There is an lot of stuff going on and I am having a hard time addressing all of it. Instead, I'll mention some of it in passing. Lose-lose!

Social Media Dump

If you don't listen to the Getting Blanked podcast...you should. You can stream it here or download it here. I encourage one of each.

Speaking of media, the tidy GROF facelift comes courtesy of graphics God MPH. Check out his sweet site and follow him on Twitter. Thanks again Matias, great work!

You should also like Getting Blanked on facebook so you might enjoy both our empty pontification and good looks. This week we talk about no-hitters, and how we feel when they happen to "our" team. And cheap drugs.

Classy Segue

Though I didn't realize it then, my feelings on cheering for no-hitters was perfectly encapsulated by Tom Ley during Pitchers & Poets inaugural 90s First Basemen Week (keep your eye on that spot for a brief appearance by yours truly.)

Ley quoted a semi-famous joke by semi-famous genius David Foster Wallace, as seen below:

Two little fish are swimming around in the ocean and along their way they happen across a much bigger, older fish. The big fish nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The big fish swims on without the little fish answering; who stay silent for a few moments after the big fish has left. Finally, one of the little fish looks at the other and says, “What the hell is water?”

Which is to say: if you can't get out of your own way once in a while and appreciate something special going on around you, you're doomed.

Brandon Morrow's Identity

Am I crazy or do the Blue Jays and Brandon Morrow have a very different views of Brandon Morrow's abilities and durability? The DL session in the spring, the early hook based on a dropping arm slot - the team seems convinced his arm will come flying off at a moment's notice.

Morrow, as one would expect, feels differently. Can we safely say that the team doesn't have a great deal of confidence in Morrow to stay healthy? That the red flags shine brightly to the smart people who monitor such health risks? Consider what he told Shi Davidi:

"I didn’t really feel like I was losing velocity or getting fatigued," said Morrow. "I was throwing 88-89 mp.h. sliders. I didn’t hit 98. I hit 96, sat 93 most of the time. It was cold last night. The changeup I threw that Don Kelly hit was 89 miles per hour. Changeup."

Hard to argue with a man who says "changeup" to signify "boom - roasted."

Allow me to again voice my skepticism of the Jays offering to extend Brandon Morrow beyond his arbitration years. Based on nothing (really) I think the kid glove treatment reflects an organizational plan to get the most out of him while they can and let somebody else overpay when he is due to hit the open market.

Which isn't a bad idea at all, better to be cautious than go Dusty Bakering every young arm in sight, I suppose.

What is This I Don't Even

Wow Drew, I can't believe a month of the season is already gone. And what a month it was! The good players played good and the bad players played bad, wouldn't you say?

Hard to disagree with that Drew, though I'll surely try. Some might argue the collective braintrust isn't exactly putting the good players in "the best position to succeed." I suppose that is tough to do when the bad players outnumber the good and when the bad players put the team in such a position that the good players are simply left to pick up the pieces.

Speaking of which, how about the decision to send Travis Snider to the minors? That seems like a totally sensible move in line with the greater organizational philosophy...

..or it seems like a giant odious mess. What can they possibly know from a 100 PA chunk at the beginning of the season? Why the garbage about fielding a competitive club when clearly "getting something for nothing" is far, far further up the priority list?

At least it gave the team a chance to take a look at David Cooper! That's good, right? Always important to get a good look at a first-round pick, even if he's a vanilla white singles hitter without, it appears, an ounce of personality or power. Even his stance is boring! But yeah, anytime you can bring up Sean Casey without the glove, you have to do it.

Wow Drew, that's some next-level cynicism. Why don't you give Alex Anthopoulos the benefit of the doubt? He's clearly earned it, from you of all people. Why do you get so bent out of shape when Snider goes down but don't say much about Brett Cecil? Don't let the horses you clearly have in this race cloud your "unbiased analysis."

I'd love to give Anthopoulos the benefit of the doubt. I really would. In fact, I think I will.
I don't know that the challenges Cecil faces and the demons plaguing Snider are analogous situations, in the end. Maybe that's because of pitch f/x, where the struggles of Cecil are laid bare while everything around Snider is so touchy-feely.

In the end, I probably just want it more for Snider. I think he has a higher ceiling and, unabashedly, like him more as a player. Sue me.

You sure whine about the manager a lot. What's the deal? He really doesn't have much to work with as we discussed above.

Are you familiar with the saying "you gotta have the horses?" If you want your team to run and chug and go-go-go, you better have the horses. I appreciate the challenges an injured lineup present, but seriously, enough all ready.

Enough what? Now that Rajai Davis is back, Corey Patterson is safely secreted away at the bottom of the order. Davis even had a great series, despite your previously stated concerns.

The better Davis is, the better I feel about this season on the whole. No pressure.

What kind of positives have you taken from the first month of this season? Does anything warm the cockles of your cold, black heart?

Brandon Morrow is rather excellent. Travis Snider became a tidy little left fielder. Ricky Romero is excellent. Despite his fear of more than one inning outings, John Farrell (and the excellent bullpen corps) handles the bullpen with aplomb¹. It is probably too soon to tell. They lost more games than they won. I think we should all get used to that.

¹ - The kids call this a teaser.

Wasted Breath

There is no greater straw man in soapbox baseball punditry than the sacred batting order discussion. Parkes took an interesting, analytical approach a few weeks ago while the Tao chimed in with his specific take. Even I wrote about ongoing lineup discussions around the league for Getting Blanked.

Lineup machinations get a lot of coverage even though we, as fans and bloggers, over-emphasize their impact. But you know what? It is fun. It is fun and it is March. Nothing about March is fun so if sniffing our own farts and telling John Farrell how to organize his batting order entertains us, so be it.

As such, here's my ideal batting order.

Versus Right-Handed Pitchers	Versus Left-Handed Pitchers
Yunel Escobar Travis Snider Aaron Hill Jose Bautista Adam Lind Edwin Encarnacion Juan Rivera Aaron Cibia Rajai Davis	Rajai Davis Yunel Escobar Travis Snider Jose Bautista Aaron Hill Edwin Encarnacion Adam Lind Juan Rivera Aaron Cibia

So, yeah. That is it for today. I don't even know if I agree with what I have here, it is really up in the air. Bautista is the cleanup hitter now and forever more. I really think Escobar is a great fit for leadoff if he can regain his patience at the plate. Plus, hitting him first means he won't give away so many bloody outs with his confounding love of the first inning sacrifice bunt.

Seriously Yunel, the guy who hit right behind you last year hit FIFTY home runs. I'm sure the leadoff man can score just as well from first as third when that happens.

I have completely fallen in love with the idea of Travis Snider hitting second because it just makes sense. He's at worst the third best hitter on this team and one who benefits from getting lots of at bats AND not coming to the plate with two outs all the damn time.

Against lefties your guess is as good as mine. Rajai Davis draws more walks against lefties so I'll slide him up. Snider hits third because why not? Both he and Adam Lind aren't great against left handed pitching but they have to hit somewhere, I suppose.

I tried to take all the touchy feely stuff that inevitably factors into batting order discussions as best I could, not throwing out the established order of things too much. A post like this is clearly comment bait so I beg you take it. Same Guy Incorporated wants YOU on the Travis Snider Two Hole Bandwagon. Catch the fever!

Image courtesy of Exit 15b, apparently.

Dear God No

Hey, did you hear Michael Young made his now-annual trade request? Of course you did, except this year: he's serious! Most folks with brains laughed off one of the more overpaid players in baseball foolishness, but most folks with brains don't write for TSN.ca. The good folks at TSN.ca actually advocate acquiring Young! I know! Let's open up a hot can of fisk on one of the more specious pieces you'll read today, or ever.

With the Michael Young situation in Texas looking like it's heading to a rather unpleasant ending, baseball fans North of the 49th parallel have to wonder if the one-time Toronto Blue Jays farm hand would make sense for the club in the 2011 season and beyond.

That conversation, if we must have it, is a short one. Michael Young isn't a very good baseball player anymore. He had a good year in 2009 thanks to in play average inflation but beyond that...no thanks. Next! Oh wait, this article continues..

For his career, the 34-year old Young is a .300 hitter, who posted five consecutive 200-hit seasons between the years 2003 and 2007 and led the American League with a .331 average in 2005. Last season, he hit .284 with 21 home runs.

Yup, that is true. He hits .300 and compiles singles. Woo. For his career, he is barely above league average offensively when you look beyond the holy grail of batting average. 105 wRC+ for his career. Not great, especially not for an aging player with frightening home/road splits. Which I shall address later.

To be clear, there are several hurdles that would need to be cleared up before a deal could happen. Firstly, Young has eight teams that the Rangers could deal the six-time All-Star game participant to without needing Young to approve of the deal first. Unfortunately for Blue Jays fans, Toronto is not one of those teams, meaning that Young would have to consent to any deal that would send him to the Blue Jays.

Too bad Jays fans don't get to approve this deal. How great would that be? A fandom-wide referendum on dumb, expensive, dream-crippling trades! We could start lobby groups! Think of the kickbacks! VOTE NO ON YOUNG! NO MORE PORK FAT TRADES! Seriously, this is what you call a "blessing in disguise."

The second major issue would be the fact that Young is owed $46 million over the next three seasons, which is a steep price for a player who would be 37-years old when his deal expired in three years.

Yes. That is a major issue, a minor one compared to the roster implications of bringing in a fire hydrant to play third base when younger, cheaper, better options languish in the minors.

Money aside for now, would the acquisition of Young make baseball sense for the Jays?

Nope. Yet look at the sheer volume of words below this sentence. My guess is the author doesn't agree.

There's a solid argument to be made that he could. The most pertinent point is that Young could fill the team's current hole at third base, which would allow the club to shift Jose Bautista back to his preferred position in right field. Travis Snider would then be slotted into left field, with the speedy Rajai Davis patrolling centre field.

That's the argument for acquiring any third basemen. It's also a ringing endorsement for punting on 2011 when you consider the "Rajai Davis in center field every day" part.

The infield would be offensively productive with Adam Lind and Aaron Hill on the right-side and Yunel Escobar and Young on the left.

The right side of the infield would indeed be offensively productive with Hill and Lind, provided they, um, produce offensively. The hypothetical left side of the infield features two league average offensive performers at best; one of whom is a superlative defender, the other being Michael Young.

Young's reputation as being a solid clubhouse presence would also be a plus for a largely young group of hitters. He can hit for average and power, and while his defense isn't great, he did capture a Gold Glove award in 2008 and perhaps some of his lack of range could be covered by Escobar.

Young's reputation as a solid clubhouse presence is COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED. The man is — as you go on to state yourself! — a very poor defender. So poor that his current team moved him from his position twice because of the damage he does there. AND HE PICKED UP HIS BALL AND HE WENT HOME. This valued clubhouse presence has now grumbled to the press about his job and barked about wanting out. Just because he's old doesn't mean he provides one iota of leadership.

As for his power and average, Michael Young is the proud owner of some of the most extreme home/road splits in baseball. Away from the Arlington Jetstream, Michael Young's offensive profile becomes eerily similar to slap hitting glovemen instead of a muy macho power hitter. His career wOBA at home is 50 points higher than his (below-average) road numbers. After 3000 plate appearances, that just doesn't happen.

Naysayers of the deal would point to the fact that Young's advanced age means that he does not fit into what the Jays are attempting to do. Maybe so, but if the club wants to seriously compete in the American League East in the next few seasons, they're going to need to get an established player or two. Simply put, the Jays could do a lot worse than Young.

Advanced age, high price tag, bad reputation, diminishing returns. Grand slam! They could do worse, sure. Let's consider the other side of this coin, even for just a second: what part of Alex Anthopoulos' track record suggests they couldn't do better?

Unfortunately, a good baseball move doesn't happen in a vacuum and other concerns always take precedent.

First off, the Jays would have to work out a deal with the Rangers, which could be difficult, Texas has already stated that they're not simply going to give the talented Young away. Along those lines is the money that Young is owed.

Is something wrong with my browser? Am I reading Bleacher Report or the most heavily-trafficked sports website in Canada?

It stands to reason that if any clubs that the Rangers speak to are willing to give up better prospects, Texas would more likely eat a substantial portion of Young's current contract than if the deal was simply a salary dump.

So if money is problem, the Jays should just overpay? That sounds great! Who doesn't love a bidding war over a bad investment?

With that said, if the Jays decide to make a move for Young, money shouldn't be a huge deterrent. In the last two-years alone, the club has saved around $145 million on their commitments to Alex Rios and Vernon Wells, not to mention the fact that they're not paying any pitcher close to the $20 million that they would have paid Roy Halladay had they been able to keep him.

I can only assume the Blue Jays offices and finance department looks like the final table of the World Series of Poker, huge stacks & piles of money everywhere. "Toss a couple bundles into a nondescript sack with a dollar sign on it Tony, we're going Young huntin!"

No one is saying that the Jays should take Young's entire contract; however if the Rangers picked up $15 million or so, it would work out to be around $10 million a season for a proven bat at the hot corner that would help put the club one step closer to their goal competing in the AL East.

Would he waive his no trade clause to come to Toronto? I have no idea, but it's interesting to consider at least.

Just like that. The Rangers agree to eat 8 figures of the insane contract extension they signed and the Jays could have an aging singles hitter without a position! Plan the parade!

Look, it isn't as though Michael Young is the worst player in baseball. He is simply overrated and overpriced, an aging guy with a distorted view of his own value and abilities. What part of that package suits a rebuilding team hoping to begin their assault on the division crown in 2012?

Getty Images photo of Michael Young, once again, coming up just short courtesy of Daylife.

Hey, Would You Look at That!

While one internet haunt of mine winds down and another gears up, the home base keeps on keeping on. As it turns out, today is the third anniversary of Ghostrunner on First.

Three years! Not bad for a no-account scumbag. Lots of fun in the past, plenty of work to do in the future.

Thanks again to all the readers, linkers, lurkers, commenters, and anybody else who takes a few moments of their day to give a damn. I couldn't go on without the love and affection shown here and all around the Great Interweb Plains. For that I thank you all.

In the coming year you can expect...more of the same. What do you want from me? I'm only one man!

Thanks again y'all!

Into the Void

Taking a quick look at this space — and others like it — one can quickly surmise that absolutely nothing is going in the Blue Jays world. During the opening playoff round it was easy to distract ourselves, but the intermidable break before the league championship series...

Frankly, I find myself going somewhat crazy. I got to thinking about Jose Bautista and Marc Rzepcyznski (AFLFTW!) and next thing I knew I was reminiscing about the final series against Minnesota. And guess what? IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS THREE LIFETIMES AGO.

There is a better than average chance I was completely losing my shit yesterday. Idly flipping through pre-season basketball and what I'm lead to believe was "regular season hockey." I shook and quivered. It wasn't pretty.

The epic matchup of Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay on Saturday would be an excellent way to sooth my pain, were I not attending a wedding and unable to watch. This, I believe, may just increase my pain to intolerable levels.

In the mean time, we must busy ourselves with post-season roundtables featuring me and other, more insightful people and the hardest working baseball blog in the business, Getting Blanked. Parkes does a yeoman's work while I just show up a couple times a week to bore everyone to tears.

Enjoy baseball this weekend, each game brings us closer to the end. I'm 100% unprepared, there's a great chance it ends in tears.

So That is, uh, That.

Please don't go baseball, I miss you already.

I want to go on the record thanking, of course, the Toronto Blue Jays for an incredibly entertaining and never-dull-for-a-moment season of futility excellent baseball. Thanks to Jose Bautista for proving me wrong in the worst way.

Most of all, I want to thank everyone who reads and comments here at Ghostrunner on First. It means a lot and I appreciate and live for each and every interaction.

If you're new around here, you should know we certainly don't fold this tent up and wait for spring. I'll spend most of the winter throwing all manner of crap against the wall in hopes of having just a little stick.

In addition to what you see here, I'm also now contributing to the The Score's Getting Blanked baseball blog. My first post went up Friday, thanks to the Giants for making me sweat it out until Sunday but saving me from a public shaming.

Walkoff Walk is still going strong and I'll pop up over there whenever I have the chance.

Other than that, keep your eyes peeled here for a pretty exciting announcement in the next few weeks. Good times ahoy!

Reuters photo courtesy of Daylife

Re-thinking the Morrow Trade

Sure, you could point to his crazy strikeout rates (highest in baseball, no matter how you slice it) and think; "Man, the Jays totally fleeced the Mariners in the Morrow-for-League-and-Other-Guy trade. It isn't even close!" You'd be right, of course. A big, tall, stud with plus stuff and an ever-rising ceiling? And what a year for Morrow! He finally figured it out, Alex Anthopoulos is a genius!

No doubt that somebody already wrote that column, and somebody else might just write it again. Probably written by the kind of person who might have a say in the American League Cy Young award.

This is where things get tricky. Just as quickly as any sentient being recognizes Morrow's emergence and strong 2010 performance, they'll do an about-face and cast a vote for whomever has the most wins at the end of the year.

If this describes anyone you know, stop and think for a moment. Then run over and punch them in the face. Then quickly remind them of something: Brandon Morrow has only 10 wins this year. The man he was traded for, Brandon League, has 9.

Nine wins for League and he, unlike Morrow, is still pitching and might just pick up one or two more. As a middle reliever, League's held up his end of the equation for the sadsack M's. Fractionally worse FIP and xFIP numbers compared to last year, thanks in no small part to his returned-to-crazy ground ball rates (more than 60% GBs) and very low in-play average. The strikeouts went away but he's still pitched very well.

That said, it would require willful ignorance on a Coxian scale to believe the quality of Morrow's season and League's season are that close. Yet so many people, fans and Luddites alike, see the relative contributions of CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez, Clay Buchholz and Francisco Liriano, as nothing more than their won-loss record.

Dumb and tired? Indeed. But seeing the two Brandons post nearly identical win totals lays bare just how pointless and misleading this team stat really is. Context isn't something you can turn on and off at will. Not all wins are created equal, yet they still pile up the same.

Image courtesy of the amazing Artificial Owl

The Fruit Hangs Low

Two days off during the All Star break? How must one fill time and column space? Why listicles, of course! The National Post's Jeremy Sandler clearly took the task of generating letter grades and mid-season awards as you or would take to washing the dishes or raking the yard.

Mid-season awards are a decent way to spark a tiny bit of debate, mostly around the criteria used for said selections. Jeremy Sandler nips this in bud by seemingly eschewing criteria all together. Allow Sandler to explain why he feels Ubaldo Jimenez deserves the NL Cy Young while Roy Halladay deserves nothing because Chase Utley broke his thumb.

All the sabermetricians who argue wins don't matter take note: a league-average 10 wins in place of Jimenez's 15 would drop Colorado from breathing down San Diego's neck in the NL West to a .500 team in fourth place...Innings leader Roy Halladay (10-7, 2.19 ERA) is the NL pitcher owed an apology by his offence. He has two complete game losses and a nine-inning shutout for which he got a no decision.

Hardly a sabermetrician, I still must argue that wins do matter as they're the thing we use in the standings to tell which team is better than the other teams. Team. It's a team stat and this is an individual award. Halladay is quite rightly owed an apology by the Phils worsening offence, yet Yoo-Baldo gets all the credit for his Rockies picking him up? I dunno. Besides, this is Josh Johnson's award to lose and no amount of HR/FB suppression will let Ubaldo take it away.

The Jays grades are tough to figure. John Buck gets an A+ thanks to his 14 home runs and 43 RBI, "on pace for personal highs." Adam Lind gets a F for his 12 home runs and 40 RBI, because those are sad numbers for a talented hitter. The lesson here: everyone wins with lowered expectations.

One would think Vernon Wells lackluster fielding over the last few years would bring the expectations to the basement, and one would be right. Sandler insists Wells's defense is in decline but the numbers suggest otherwise.

UZR finds Wells still below average but not to the degree of the last two years while Dewan's plus/minus has Vernon 5 runs to the happy side. Considering the depths of his hamstring and shoulder woes, this is at least decent news.

All in all, the only thing more forced and pointless than mid-season report cards and hypothetical halfway awards are blog hit pieces fisking those articles. The circle of life!

Thanks to Seasonal Chef for the obvious image

Paying for Pedigree

If there's a lazier trick in the blogging playbook than "Player A/Player B" (other than insert hot girl photo when you're bored), I don't know it. But it serves a functional little device when you're looking to cherry pick facts or stats about a decision you aren't particularly happy about. So guess what, here we go!

Player A: 93.67 mph average fastball, 10.33% whiff rate, 7.7% home run per fly ball, 2.06 strike outs per walk. 27 years old.

Player B: 91.71 mph average fastball, 9.52% whiff rate, 15.3% home run per fly ball, 2.37 strike outs per walk. 31 years old.

Wee, such fun! You've likely guessed Player B is big free agent signing Kevin Gregg, one of only three bullpen arms guaranteed an Opening Day job. The other? GBOAT barter chip Josh Roenicke. Maybe it's just the association with Rolen, but I'm convinced Roenicke is awesome.

Based on nothing, really. Roenicke made a handful of forgettable performances towards the end of 2009, nothing I can really remember. Other than the scouting porn. The build, the stuff, the mechanics. Mmmmmm, I'll crosscheck you anytime big boy.

However you get there, watching Roenicke progress and mature has to sound like a lot more fun than praying Kevin Gregg doesn't butcher the rare opportunity to preserve a Jays win in 2010. Just for fun, let's took a closer look at their repertories and what it means for their futures. Click to make image much, much bigger.



The WonderCutter/SuperSlutter that Roenicke humps in there helps him induce a whole lot of ground balls, the rare curve seems to miss a lot of bats. Gregg's splitter should do the same but, for some reason, doesn't. Gregg gets a lot of whiffs with the splitter but next to zero ground balls. That either means it doesn't last long in the strike zone or most hitter know to lay off it.

By all accounts, Kevin Gregg was pretty bad in 2009; worse than his skill set and track record suggest. On the other hand, Kevin Gregg has the appearance of a man who sucks. I don't know what it is (yes I do, it's the glasses. Real men wear goggles.) but I already don't trust him. But Kevin Gregg has pedigree, he's closed at the big league level and all that good stuff. Josh Roenicke is just a guy that probably prefers football. With options. So in Vegas (his home state!) he will rot.

Griping about the job done by Alex Anthopoulos after all he accomplished in the offseason isn't fair nor is it my goal. The Gregg signing doesn't really hurt or hinder the Jays neither in the present nor the future. But failing to give Roenicke a fair shake in the 'pen as the new League would be a real shame.

Hugs and Kisses to Joe Lefkowtiz, the first of his life if you go by the ugly stereotypes in my mind.

Work-Addled Braindump

Things, as you may have noticed, are scant around here these days. This isn't by choice; I'm simply in a new job that doesn't sit me at my computer all day. Which sucks. I'm trying to bang out a few quasi-worthwhile posts in the near future, with SIERA getting a look-see, but in the meantime I'll ramble and your time &mdash marginally valuable as it is &mdash is about to get wasted.

On Hill's Spray Charts

Fangraph's author Dave Allen did his awesome visualization thing on uber-pull hitter Aaron Hill last week. The graph is really pretty, but I'm a little bit afraid for Hill's future. His diagram is a mirror image of all or nothing former reclamation project Carlos Pena. Is Hill on the way to becoming a right handed Three True Outcomes guy? You don't see too many of those, especially since Hill doesn't walk. Which would give him two true outcomes. Which is bad.

On Religion in Baseball

For some odd reason, I started thinking about the Blue Jays players who may wear their "faith" on their sleeve. Are there any hardcore Christian Jays? Who could be candidates? Of the existing core (aka guys I pretend to know anything about.) With Halladay gone I'm at a loss.

I could see "The Latin Guys" as it seems to come with the territory, outwardly anyway. Hill? Too California. Frasor? Too Chicago-ish, if that's a thing. Downs? Definite candidate Jars of Clay t-shirt ownership. Litsch is either too ghetto (product of the RBI program!) or not ghetto enough (uh, you know.) Marcum? Perhaps, he has the geography aspect down but is awfully grimy. Cecil? He's got an uppercrust vibe, I'm doubtful. Everybody's favorite marketing genius The Garfoose doesn't seem like a born again die hard, but one of his early contest quizzes was bible verses and it flopped with a thud in front of his largely godless Canadian heathen following flock.

Travis Snider's life thus far has been far too real for him to fuck with church. Lind? Probably. Johnny Mac? Catholics don't count. Vernon's seems too pragmatic, Overbay is a good bet based on nothing.

What's the point of this? I'm glad I don't know. Keep it to yourself. Nobody cares, if anything I'm put-off by proselytizing athletes. Just skate around in a circle and fuck off.

The Richmond Thing

Poor Scott Richmond. I totally wrote him off last year, then he shows signs of awesomeness, then he struggles as the year winds down. Now he's hurt. That sucks. I don't think he was a candidate to make the team this year but I'm sure his wealth of options would keep him bouncing up and down whenever the need arose.

The rest of the bullpen intrigues me. In my mind, Frasor is closer with Gregg & Downs sharing the 8th. Despite both their odd left/right splits, I think Frasor misses enough bats and throws enough strikes for the back of the pen. Also, if Josh Roenicke doesn't make the team, something is seriously wrong. Despite giving it no thought whatsoever, I think he might be awesome. I'm still not over Brandon League, but I'm trying.

Image courtesy of This Isn't Happiness

The Dumbest Thing You Won't Read Today

Picking on Bleacher Report "articles" isn't really my style. I'm not the kind of guy to push drunks in front of oncoming buses, nor am I interested in throwing pennies at the intellectually homeless. However, by some freakish act of SEO charity or somebody selling his eSoul to the internet pecking order high-ups, Bleacher Report posts are lumped in with my "Toronto Blue Jays" Google Alert ALL THE TIME. They're usually awful but generally easy to ignore.

Unfortunately, I can't let anyone write something as stupid as this and get away with it. Bleacher Report seems to circumvent the whole "meritocracy" ideal of the internet. Ill-informed and poorly constructed articles get a lot more eyeballs on B.R. because of their deal with the GoogleBot Devil. So, in a word, fuck them.

You see the link, but I encourage you not to click it. The author of the post offers a completely asinine point and it only gets worse from there. Sample the opening paragraph and imagine how much worse it gets:

A major league baseball insider recently revealed that the Blue Jays management's apparent obsession with defense is just part of the low-grade propaganda advanced to convince fans to purchase 2010 season tickets in the face of a 100-loss year.

Yup, defense sells tickets. Casual fans flock from miles around to watch &mdash with reverence &mdash a crisp relay throw and smooth transfers during a 4-6-3. Cynical Blue Jays management is capitalizing on fans great love of subtly and nuance for the one millionth time. Same old song and dance, I guess.

This poor, misguided fool goes on to quote fielding percentage rates and how teams with bad records sometimes have good fielding percentages, but not before comparing the pay scales for John MacDonald and Manny Ramirez and a three paragraph digression on the term "spazz" (Seriously). Apples to apples! Shocking exposé!

The most disappointing part of this entire post (aside from me reading and responding to it) is the still-prevalent disconnect between pitching and defense. There are far, far more baseball fans that see the game exactly like this and don't seem to grasp how one supports the other.

It's easy to assume that, when inside the internet baseball bubble, Fangraphs is common knowledge to everyone that owns a baseball glove and Bill James is demigod. Clearly it just isn't so.

The last line of this brainrape is telling and not to be ignored. The author (after bragging about all the women he's ever bedded) expresses his dismay over the Jays failure to put a contending team on the field "right now." He doesn't get why they don't sign Jermaine Dye immediately, he's a proven slugger!

It's really a shame. The golden age of baseball knowledge and appreciation is passing right by too many good fans. Hopefully this guy (and many like him) realizes it is all for the better. The stats AND the rebuilding, that is.

Image courtesy of The BS Report

'Tis the Season

For small-town local papers to appreciate the conquering heroes who possess the good sense and natural athletic gifts to flee their two stoplight prisons! The kind of towns in which the sports headline "Big Pirates Too Much for Mossyrock" are not out of place.

While Adam Lind may seem like a life-long Blue Jay and Toronto native, he's actually from the Outer Mongolian reaches of Indiana. The Jays mashing lefty finally emerged from Jimmy Chitwood's shadow in his hometown of Anderson to garner a mention in the Anderson Herald Bulletin's year-end editorial. After fulfilling MY lifelong dream of mention in the same breath as Octomom, Lind is held up as an example to the teeming masses as a done-good story.

Highland graduate Adam Lind, the Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter/outfielder, wasn’t in town to make a difference, but his exploits on the baseball diamond made him a local celebrity and, of course, a role model for sports-minded youngsters.

That's right kids, learn to use the entire field with power and you too can experience the joy of local architecture greater than 10 stories tall.

While listicles are a great way to encapsulate the now-ending decade for pageview hungry bloggers, local sports scribes aren't immune to the allure of lists and two hour lunches. Jays stud Travis Snider is honored as the second best high school athlete of the decade by Evertt County Washington's Heraldnet! Travis Snider's high school numbers are surely eye-popping, but let's not count out his contributions as starting fullback for some other dude!

As a senior, the burly yet relatively fast outfielder batted .500 with 45 runs batted in and 11 home runs, helping nationally ranked Jackson go 27-0 and win the Class 4A state baseball championship. An Arizona State University recruit, Snider instead opted to go pro and was a first-round Major League Baseball draft pick of the Blue Jays, who gave Snider a $1.7 million signing bonus. Before deciding to focus on baseball, Snider was a standout football player. He was Johnie Kirton's lead blocker in 2002 when Kirton rushed for 2,675 yards.

Snohomish County's online news source goes to great lengths to explain why local stud Grady Sizemore does NOT qualify as prep athlete of the decade. Awesome to think of Travis Snider using his burly yet relatively fast abilities to run game all over a rainy pine-encircled burb.

Aaron Hill is no stranger to the spotlight in Toronto, where he's quickly being positioned as Face of the Franchise. Tell that to the good people of Visalia California and you're sure to get some odd looks. A quick poll of elementary school attendees at Hill's first annual baseball camp showed support for the hometown boy could use some boosting.

Several of the campers were asked who their favorite Major League Baseball player was and Jeter was one of the names repeated more than once.

The campers, who were fourth through eighth graders, listed off players like Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Evan Longoria as their favorites.

Poor Aaron Hill. Can't a man come right the fuck out of nowhere to knock 36 dingers earn some respect around here?? Also awesome are the comments that follow this Visalia Times-Delta piece which immediately claim Hill's All Star game exposure is due in large part to Chase Utley's injury and withdrawal from the game. Visalia California &mdash baseball hotbed.

I shouldn't tease these small town papers and players of lily white humble beginnings. Hell, much puffier puff pieces appear in every paper in Toronto when born in South Africa, raised 3000 KM away Steve Nash comes to town. It is awesome to see guys like Aaron Hill make the most of the tax breaks available to them and give back to their community. Jesus, doesn't this cynicism switch have an off position? Hope everybody had a good Christmas!

Image Courtesy of Picasa User Stumpekyle

Alex Anthopoulos versus Euclid

No matter how many reassuring words we read about the pedigree of one Alex Anthopoulos, I can't help but worry he's already losing the optical battle. While surely not a major concern of his during the winter meetings, AA sends out a high volume of mixed signals via his Wall of White Noise PR approach. While the constant babble of non-committal "no comments" may play it safe, it isn't doing a damn thing for hard-up masses itching for a look at the next phase of the plan.

I think I can help young Alex. He just needs to make a few slight adjustments to his delivery and style, enough to keep the teeming masses sated a while longer. We really want to believe in you Alex, meet us half way.

• Grow a Filthy Beard. The first step in your development is to grow a long, mangy beard. A good beard can both disarm and engage. Right now, you're far too fresh-faced. The other GMs see this as weakness. You can't up your cragginess to J.P. levels overnight, so why not cover your youthful visage in a swath of wiry hair?
  
  The inane ramblings you're famous for spewing will instantly transform into cryptic soothsaying or downright madness. Is he dancing his way around this straight forward yes-or-no answer or reciting the lyrics to Helter Sketler backwards? Either way, there will be a lot more tea leaf-reading and far fewer glazed-over beat writers waiting for you to finish. Plus, you're Greek! You can probably grow an hearty beard between now and your next appointment on Santa Beeston's lap.
  
  
• Distance yourself from Cito. Holy crap, this will work wonders! The further you keep your wheelings and dealings from the bizarre workings of The Manager, the better. Cito stepped into The Manager's chair as all of our benevolent black dad, a kindly face from the past with little in way of ill will. Now he's a marketing nightmare dressed up as a hopelessly out of touch baseball dinosaur.
  
  I'm not suggesting your replace him as manager (actually, I am) but if you're going to keep him around, DON'T LET HIM IMPACT PLAYER DECISIONS. Managers fall victim to their own cronyism far too often, bringing in old buddies or the guy that killed them that one time based on foggy memories. The team needs your bearded, passionless hand making difficult decisions. Like when to pull the plug on The Manager.
  
  
• Enough with the Howard Hughes routine. Absconded in your hotel suite, refusing to shake hands out of fear of filthy, filthy germs? Playing a bizarre game of hide-n-go-seek with the local media? You're a baseball man. Grab yer chaw, grab yer dipcup and sit yerself down for a good ole chinwag. Your distinct lack of swagger is going to cost you, my friend. You have the swingingest dick of all, the best pitcher in baseball. Get out there and network! Press the flesh! Obviously keep the nitty gritty details close to your vest, but show these teams you aren't afraid to get out there and get grimy.
  
  
• Flesh out your entourage. The life of a baseball GM is surely a lonely one, so you need a crew to enhance your swagger and show the league you and the Blue Jays are for real. Sure, Theo and Cashman have their lieutenants, but you the Jays need to roll even deeper to make an impression.
  
  Having Handsome Tony Viner at your side is never a bad thing, but may I recommend a large, silent goon? A strapping man wearing sunglasses indoors is sure to draw attention, especially when his vibe is all "I know you're watching me but I don't even care." I know the perfect guy! From your Expos days, Frank Robinson! Noted hardass? Check. Baseball man? Check. Possibly beef with Cito? Why not? Frank Robinson hates EVERYBODY! What better way to send a message to the baseball world than have Frank Robinson standing silently beside you? You can't lose!

These are merely guidelines Alex, a jumping-off point to reform your public image. Another good way would be saying something of substance EVEN ONCE in your life. Failing that, rock the beard. Build your clique. Perfect your pimplimp. Just make sure you make your mark on this baseball team. In a hurry if possible.

Hardcore Haberdashery

Though it's been a while since any Jays news moved me (apparently I've been writing for the AV Club under the pseudonym "Jason Heller"); a recent twitter back-and-forth between yours truly and the class of the Blue Jays blogosphere focussed on hats and logos and shook me from my doldrums. The Tao, as you may well know, is a dyed in the wool blue loyalist, wearing his black hat hatred with as much pride as his anonymity. Myself, I'm decidedly on the other side of the fence. I quite enjoy the black hats. I own three different versions of the same cap, one purchased every other year since 2005.

These three hats are the only pieces of Blue Jays (or non-soccer jersey) sports memorabilia I own*. My quest for complete ironic detachment prevents me from wearing a baseball jersey in public and team sanctioned merchandise (Property of...my balls) is generally gaudy and, well, uncool. I was in Asia when the Jays made the switch and I bought up the new black hats as soon as I returned to Canadian terra firma. Why did I wait? I don't really like blue hats. There, I said it. Especially the two shittastic logos they rolled out over the preceding 5 years.

Yes, they're the Blue Jays so I suppose they're hats should be blue. But that doesn't mean I have to wear a blue hat. Let's look at what's available down ye ole hatshoppe and who might be in the market for such goods.

If you own this hat, there's a better than average chance you love Cito implicitly. You appreciate the corporate tie-ins from days gone by for their simplicity and upfront honesty. You enjoy the traditional logo and the traditions it represents. You hate the brown stains (or "stink lines") that creep through the white front as you sweat out a Jason Frasor save attempt on Flashback Friday. Especially if you're Jason Frasor.

Brim Curvature? 60% of owners will curve the brim in a tasteful manner, 30% leave it flat for the modern throwback look, 10% bend it severely.

This hat is awesome in that it embodies everything that is awful and unfair in the world. The hideous, arbitrary color scheme coupled with quite possibility the cheesiest logo of all time? Where do I sign? Hey, it's even on sale and can be mine for the low, low price of $27.99? Bonus.

Let's talk about that logo for a second? What the fuck was going on in the late nineties that we needed everything to be cutesy and cartoonish? What a nightmare. If you own this hat, we can never be friends.

Brim Curvature? Nil, at least not applicable. No single person on Earth ever has or will purchase this hat. It is an abomination, the perverse lovechild of ill-advised marketing and poorly conceived branding all in one. May God have mercy on our souls.

When looking ridiculous just isn't enough, why not reach for the hat that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you're from Oakville. Generally worn precariously perched atop of the head of someone who loves buying shoes on eBay and outlandishly coloured hoodies, this hat is another sure sign that your slow march towards old age and death is well under way. Asking the wearer of this hat to name a Blue Jays player is likely to result in head-scratching (don't knock the lid!) and a sentence that starts with "Shhiitttttt, I dunno..."

Brim Curvature? Are you kidding? The sticker might come loose!

These all blue numbers &mdash like your kid sister's chronically undersized dorm twinbed&mdash definitely get slept on by more than one Jays fan. It represents a particularly dark time in Jays history and is washed from our minds by the garish wave of red that followed. If you rock one of these, there is a good chance you know what the fuck is up. You also remember the negative side of Cito and are nonplussed that he's sticking around. We could definitely hang out, just don't tell your sister.

Brim Curvature? Absolutely. Without a doubt. Sweat stained to the core and proud of it.

What an odd combination. The all white says "I enjoy wearing linen pants and drinking on chartered boats that circle Toronto Harbor until a fight breaks out; causing the barely-seaworthy craft to gun it for Scarborough, where the totality of its passengers live. Also, my hat features a logo created over a smoke break by someone in merchandising who needed to increase sales by 3% to activate a bonus."

Brim Curvature? Doubtful. This is the kind of hat that is worn once and promptly lost or stolen. Pay if forward.

If you wear the awful red and blue hat, we can't be friends because I won't be seen in public next to that monstrosity. The modern hats, while not blue, are pretty awesome. The logo is no great shakes but it doesn't embarrass itself or you by wearing it, something we can't exactly say about past designs. So go ahead, rock an old school blue and white or a modern logo upstart. Just don't bring them together, the results could tear the style-time continuum!

* - I do own a Carlos Delgado bobblehead that I picked up on the eve of Alex Rios's big league debut. They didn't give them away that night, but I had an acquaintance in the ticket office whom I got acquainted with off and on for a while. They hooked me and El Leal up with Delgado bobbleheads though I soon after ceased acquainting said acquaintance.

GROF Exclusive: Live Streaming Video of the Yankees Parade

Thanks to the new programming mandate at the Score, I have new access to videofeeds the world over! Enjoy the Yankees marching on Hyperbole Hill.

Housekeeping? What you keep in your house?

You've surely noticed and I hope you enjoy the new Ghostrunner on First banner, created by old friend Dennis of Amplified Communications. I'm appreciative of all his hard work and though we'll miss JP & Rocco, this is a much better direction. Interesting note about the graphic designer in question: he was once ejected from a baseball game for informing an umpire "you have no penis." After being ejected, Dennis insisted: "but sir, you have no penis!"

Because its Friday and the season is now, finally and sadly, over; I thought I'd do a quick look back at some of my favorite posts of the year. Not before I thank each and every person that's commented, read, linked, ignored, dismissed, or even thought of Ghostrunner on First over the past season. I hope you have as much fun as I do. 100 days to spring training!

• In April I predicted full scale bullpen breakdown. I wish I'd been wrong.
  
• Andrew Reilly's awesome guest piece from May when the Sox rolled in to face the best team in baseball (at the time.) Note his prediction of White Sox suckage.
  
• June was a good month. The Mancrush Allstars one week and the Albino Warlord the very next. My brain is solarpowered.
  
• After my first full-on loveletter to Brandon League, things kind of started going to shit in July. At least I was there to pile on! Maybe my favorite GROF post ever. Don't forget your nightmare fuel!
  
• The Jays traded Rolen and dumped Rios in August. I took it poorly. At least we had a lively semantic discussion on expanded playoffs
  
• In September the rosterbation began and won't abate until, well, ever.

Have a good weekend peoples. Rocco filed for free agency yesterday so hope still lives!!!

Old Habits Die Hard

The Jays baseball operations brass sit around a sterile office deep inside Fortress Rogers. Tim Hortons cups are strewn across the bland table, a large board full of player names and positions holds a prominent role on the wall.

Tony LeCava: ...and the value of those two draft picks certainly offsets the on-field production of a 34 year old, based on these age-regression numbers. I say we let him walk.

Alex Anthopolous: Fuckin' eh? I don't know if I'm ready to walk away quite yet, the short stop market is a real gong show. Anybody got anything else, let's take our attention elsewheres, eh?

TLC: Hmmmm, I dunno. Not much going on before the series ends, you know?

AA: Shit guy, we must feed the Beest. Let's show him we haven't just been trading offices and parking spots. You got anything for me? Gimmie something and I'll buy you Burrito Boys.

TLC: Uhhh, shit. Uh, the Orioles left this lefty reliever unprotected. Sean Henn is his name.

AA: [shifts uncomfortably in his seat] I dunno, seems like simple roster filler.

TLC: That is precisely what he is. Wholly unremarkable. Pretty much passed over.

AA: [twitches] We....should....move....onnnn....

TLC: Are you okay? All the color is draining from your face.

AA: [sweating profusely] That's colour, jackass. Didn't you get the memo? Anyway........I think we should pass and establish our own itden-

[Alex Anthopolous appears to black out momentarily, his eyes glaze over and roll back in his head]

AA: [Bursts from his chair, vomits, and unleashes a blood-curdling scream] AAAAAIIIIIEEEE, just sign him! Bring him in!!! No Beeston jail can hold me! I NEED MORE LEFT HANDED RELIEVERS!!!!!

[Anthopolous passes out in his chair]

TLC: Fine whatever. I'm going to turf Barrett, you know? Oh like it matters. [Sighs deeply] Why won't Cashman return my calls? Wake up, I want a damn burrito.

Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together

For the sake of a little levity and because I'm obsessed; how about some Fun with Google Street View!


View Larger Map

Good family fun at ye olde ballyard!

Fun with the TV Production Truck

Smart enough to stay away from the FOX broadcast of the All Star festivities, I smartly and luckily chose the international feed. O Canada started playing and something strange happened to my TV. Somehow I was getting the banter between the TV truck and the camera operators broadcast into my home! What fortune! Here's what transpired:

Producer: Okay, as soon as the schmaltzy video piece is finished, we're going to the Canadian anthem. Who's singing it?

Lowly PA: Um, nobody. It's a recording.

Producer: What? Fuck me. Meh, I'm sure we can fill the time somehow, just get me some shots of smug self-righteousness and clo&mdash OH NO!! THE PLAYERS ARE MINGLING WITH THE COMMON FOLK!! HOW WILL WE KNOW WHO'S WHO???? THIS IS TV CHAOS!


Producer: Oh sweet Jesus the players are randomly strewn across the field. ACK! The song's starting. Quick, get me a shot of the Canadian flag!

[Cameramen vainly search stadium, finally spot one underfoot]

Producer: Christ, gimme a shot of Bay or...or...the other one? You know, the guy with the hair and the brain-injured monotone of a hockey player. This is hell, honestly. Fucking Canada. WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE GOING TO DO?????

Camera Guy A: I've got a nice shot of Halladay in the bullpen, he plays in Canada.

Producer: Mutherfucking right! Take it and push in after 30 seconds. HOW LONG IS THIS FUCKING SONG?? Anybody else???

Camera Guy B: I've got the side of some dude's face. I think it actually might be Morneau. Let me pan acr&mdash

Producer: NO TIME! Shit, is that him there??? ZOOM THE FUCK IN!!!! I need Canadians!!! Damn their oily-but-unfailingly-yet-somehow-disingenuously-polite hides! They're so bland and nondescript: they blend right in!

Camera Guy C: I think I've Jason Bay, or it could be a security guard. Perhaps a volunteer or...

Producer: Just get it up on the damn screen! Is that him? He looks like mayonnaise might give him an ulcer, that's GOT to be Jason Bay.

Camera Guy D: Boss, I've got a nice shot of Aaron Hill, he also plays for the Ja&mdash

Producer: Who? Might as well frame-up a shot of Jeter's crotch; more people have seen that damn thing up close than Aaron Hill.

[we stand on guard....for....theeeee]

Producer: That was a living nightmare. I can't wait until we annex their asses.

High on the Hog

Things are so good in Blue Jay Land right now, we can afford to noodle around on the internet without a care in the world. During such a noodle session this afternoon, I came across an article on Slate that was shockingly interesting.

The premise is this: explain baseball in 150 words or less. The author needs to help his 6 year old son understand and appreciate baseball, so he opened it up to the contrarian public that reads Slate. The results varied from the wistful ("apple pie and the smell of the grass brother!") to the thoughtful ("it's like tag") to the negative ("it's boring.") One I liked in particular:

All of the little league coaches who told kids to go up there hacking and made them ashamed to strike out have fostered generations of people who can't comprehend the value of driving the ball. The worst myth ever put upon us was the idea that baseball is about putting the ball in play. It's about putting hard-hit balls in play. Extra-base hits win games.

Right on the money, friend. Anyway, how would YOU describe baseball in 150 words or less? Of course you would, that's easy. Let's make it interesting, can you describe baseball in 15 words or less?

Here's my first attempt:

Hit ball, run until you can't. Touch plate. Wear glove, run after ball. Throw. Spit.

How about a second try:

Solo glory plus team achievement equals douchemagnet. Learn to be left handed or fuck off.

As for the Blue Jays

What, there's still debate? Don't they just show up and win? That's just what happens now, isn't it? I like what I saw from Travis Snider last night, hopefully he can smash some Jered Weaver gawkballs around the yard for good measure. Thanks to everyone that came out to the glog last night, shit was real. Melongate!