"I take [criticism] and use it as fuel. I'll be back."
Who am I to doubt him? I believe in Vernon Wells. And I'll say this: if Vernon is booed on opening night, April 12, 2010, shame on you, Toronto.
Harry Leroy Halladay III is no longer a Toronto Blue Jay. Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, and Travis d'Arnaud are forever tied to his good name. Imagine: not only trading Halladay, but sending $6 million in cash to get it done. And that being a good sign. Heady times.
If you look to your right, you'll find a new poll. The banner up top, which Doc has been the focal point of since this blog began, now represents the past. Whether we honour Doc in our own little way, or move on and live in the present, bleak as it may be, is up to you. Just don't vote for Cito.
After the dust finally settled, I thought Jayson Stark put it best:
"[Toronto] had the best pitcher in baseball on their payroll for the past eight years -- and never played one postseason game. They were the wrong team in the wrong division in the wrong era. And none of that was Halladay's fault. But his time had come, and his time had gone. He wanted out. He wasn't going to stay. So the Blue Jays had no choice."
Life After Doc (AD). It has begun.
(Playoffs!!!1 In 2012.)
38 comments:
Can I leave a write-in vote for Brandon League?
I like how M.D. Miner thinks.
I wonder if Brandon League knows that he has a cult-like following ...
I believe in Vernon Wells.
Be happy for Doc that he gets to play for a competitive team, but let him go. VW FTW. PLAYOFFS!!!1
Gotta go with Hill, He has been my favorite Jay (well position player) for the last couple of years.
For the people voting for Aaron Hill:
Remember the Eyebleaf Banner Curse. Vote Vernon Wells and see if this thing really has the power.
+1 for PPPs comment
Wait...I'm not the only B-League fan?
Who am I to doubt him?
A sentient being with functioning eyeballs?
Crap! I voted for Adam Lind because I didn't see the "None" choice. That would have been my choice if I'd seen it.
Eyebleaf--I voted for Ricky. I had to. I understand wanting to keep Doc there, but time to move on, cut the strings. If I keep telling myself that, it'll come true, right? I'm not good at this optimism shit like you.
However, if the banner really is a curse, then yeah, put VDub up there. Though I suppose the curse would be that he'd stay *forever*.
The "Vernon Wells" and "Vernon Wells. Seriously. He's not going anywhere" totals will be added and counted as one score. So Vernon's got 14 votes right now. In the aftermath of the trade, we're all still pretty emotional, so Doc's got a comfortable lead right now.
I'm sure this will sound weird at this time, bit I'm more excited about Toronto's baseball future now than I have been in many years...
Mattt, that makes sense. It's a new beginning.
Hope? Hmmm, I can buy that. So which one of these guys is Phil Kessel?
There's a little bit of Phil Kessel in all of them, mate.
Should Doc be replaced by Phil Kessel?
Don't vote Hill. Avoid the banner curse!! Vernon Wells ftw.
LOVEDEEP MINHAS!
Wow, VW must have been going green cause' all that CRITICISM last year didn't fuel SHIT!
What.... does your dad need to come up to the plate, put you over his knee and TAN YOUR ASS this time? Maybe that will "fuel" you...., ya that's it. ;) Just stop thinking about your TINY dink and earn that HUGE paycheck.
@ furcifer: Hill's made strides. Kid's winning this shit right now.
@ Dan: I was thinking the exact same thing. What are the fucking odds?
@ Loosh: That's a lot of Vernon hatred, bro. Leave that shit in 2009. Life After Doc is different. It's a new beginning. For everybody. Including Vernon. So go and re-vote, and select Vernon Wells. He's going to do big things, I tell you. Big things.
I indeed voted for VW. I want to see this guy succeed but he has to get his mental composure together, plain and simple.
PS: What did you think of the trade?
Good man.
Based upon what I've read regarding the prospect porn we received, it's a good deal. It addresses organizational needs. Whether these kids work out is a different story, but, well, that's the case for any prospect porn. The Jays have solid pitching, even with Doc removed from the rotation. Drabek will start in Vegas. I wouldn't be opposed to a full season out there for him, but I'd also be excited as fuck if he gets the call. Wallace is our 1B of the future; any thoughts of Lind moving to first are now shelved. And, by all account, the kid can hit. He's supposedly a better hitter than Travis Snider. As for d'Arnoud, he's another in a long line of, as my man Drew at Ghostrunner put it, "catchers of the future." He's apparently the furthest away from the big leagues right now, but he's got all the tools to be a solid catcher and hitter in the bigs.
If the Jays don't throw in $6 million, they don't get Philadelphia's best prospects. Like Blair wrote, the fact that ownership was willing to send $6 million along with the best pitcher in baseball is a good sign.
Anthopoulos's hands were tied on this trade. He had very limited options. And, according to his comments today, Doc made it clear that Philly was where he wanted to go. I'm going to go ahead and pretend that Doc didn't want to go to the Yankees or Red Sox, b/c he didn't want to come to Toronto and fuck us up. That would be like showing up to the club with your new girlfriend, and making out with her right in front of your ex. Nobody needs to see that shit.
Considering the Jays had limited options, and considering a lot of baseball heads are saying that the Jays made out better on this trade than Cleveland did when they traded Fat.Fat. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, or the Twins did when they traded Johan Santana, I think the Jays should be proud of themselves. And, we, the fans, should be content.
Doc was leaving. We knew it. We got a good haul for a guy we knew we had zero chance of retaining.
It's a new day. A new dawn. One chapter has ended, another has begun. I'm excited. I'm excited for the three guys we got back. And I'm excited for Doc. I'm a Phillies fan, starting today. If we can't win the World Series, I hope it's them.
Onwards and upwards, mate.
I voted for Doc - I just had to.
There's no wrong vote, Ian.
(Except for Cito.)
Good analysis. I agree with all your points. For a guy whose hands were tied big-time he really managed to pull off a pretty sweet trade and like you say; so much of this hangs on the development of these players but hey, when hasn't it ever? It's the pitching over the long term that I'm a little more concerned about. The draftees we've had in pitching have been quite erratic to say the least. Rogers ponying up the 6 mill to get the deal done is indeed huge and as you say "a good sign". Doc pitching in the National league is absolutely huge, if not from just a fan perspective. Seeing him come into The Dome with pinstripes or a member of the Massholes, killing us start after start, could really kill the spirit of the fanbase. Who needs to be reminded how good you really had it for so long and that you're the ugly duckling in the relationship?
......Year 1 A.D.
If Wells has an all-star year in 2010, should the Jays trade him for prospects as soon as his "untradeable" label is lifted?
onthefencesports.blogspot.com
@On the fence sports
Yep!
First of all, Wells will have an all-star year. Secondly, I don't think it will matter. That "untradeable" label isn't going anywhere, whether the Jays want to trade him or not.
According to Cot's Contracts:
2010 A.D.: $12.5 M
2011 A.D.: $23 M
2012 A.D.: $21 M
2013 A.D.: $21 M
2014 A.D.: $21 M
Even if he rakes like never before next season, which he will, who is going to take that contract, with $86 million left on it? Vernon's ours. For better and for worse. Until death do us part.
He can opt out after 2011, and leave $63 million on the table, but, well, to put it simply: he's not retarded.
To be relieved of the incredible burden that contract is placing on the club would be huge. AA would be a champ.
AA's a general manager. Not Krishna.
Think about it: we had to pay $6 million for the Phillies to take Doc. Sure, it's not as simplistic as that, but Doc had one year left at $15.75 million. So for Philly to take that amount, they needed $6 million from us. How much would a team need from us in order to eat $86 million? My head hurts.
Yes, they are pretty fucked up. But I still refuse to call Wells' contract a burden. I believe the Jays offered Doc $20 million a season, and he turned it down. Because he knew this team wasn't winning, and he had to bounce. If Wells' contract was truly a burden, the Jays wouldn't have been able to offer Doc $20 million. That's my logic and I'm sticking to it.
Exactly
No one in the Majors is taking that financially ruinate contract. Ever.
I love your enthusiasm, I hope to God he starts to earn that contract. It really is scary to think what could be done with that money.
Before you know it, it'll be 2014, and Vernon will be gone. And you'll miss him.
HAHAHAHA! Your probably right...I have a soft spot for draftees.
CONTRACT!!!1
Born and bred Blue Jay. Just like Doc was. A tear.
And thanks to you, Loosh, the Wells Hatred Advisory System has been upgraded to HIGH. Going over to Cot's Contracts to pull his numbers left with me no choice. The Wells family is set for bloody generations.
Truth be told I was happy to see it at ELEVATED, but HIGH I feel is a far more appropriate setting given the nature of how his contract almost DOUBLES after next season.There are pressing times for Vernon and Jays fans ahead.
Baseball needs a salary cap.
Forget baseball, just the AL East. And it doesn't need a floor, just a ceiling. Nobody can spend more than, say, $130 million. And by "nobody" I mean the fucking Red Sox and Yankees.
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