Chasing 50

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the SkyDome, riding shotgun as Jose Bautista chased home run number 50. As he chased baseball immortality. I desperately wanted to be there, two or three Bud Light Lime's deep, when he made history.

So it was of absolutely no surprise that Bautista reached baseball's home run hitting peak on Thursday afternoon, in his first at-bat no less, while I was pinch hitting for my brother at Family Business (that's what we named the company; smart, eh?), big bro off manning the company's booth at a trade show downtown. Deep down, I knew that was exactly how it was going to go down. Hey, I tried.

My brother's got a tiny little television at his desk, at Family Business. It's set to MSNBC, all day, everyday. The stock market. Bulls and bears, yo. Thanks to Thursday's game being televised on Sportsnet Fucking One, the TV was of little use to me. I was riding with Jerry Howarth and Alan Ashby and, I've got to be honest, that was fine by me. And as 12:37 pm rolled around, and Shawn Hill threw his first pitch of the afternoon, I couldn't help but think of another historic home run I'd heard on the radio. You might remember it, too. October 11, 1992, at the then Network Associates Coliseum, in Oakland, California. Roberto Alomar, off Dennis Eckersley, a two-run shot that evened the score in game four of the ALCS, a game the Blue Jays had at one point trailed 6-1.

No, I wasn't in the mood yesterday afternoon to complain about the debacle that is Sportsnet One. Instead, I was ready for what I knew would be Jerry Howarth's epic call. And when it came, I was alone, sitting at my brother's desk, listening attentively when Bautista found himself ahead in the count, two-and-one.

"A ball hit deep to left-centre! Back to the wall! ... THERE SHE GOES!!!1 Number 50!"

I knew Howarth wouldn't let me down. I heard the "!!!1" in his voice. And I sat there, smiling like a jackass. Bautista had done it. Fifty home runs. A number baseball legends Harmon Killebrew, Albert Pujols, Mike Schmidt, Ernie Banks, and Reggie Jackson, to name a few, were never able to reach. And, more than being happy for Bautista, I was proud of him. He never let anything slow him down, especially not the steroid allegations. He was -- is -- a model of immaculate baseball consistency. And number 50 came off of King Felix Hernandez, no less, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, whether he wins the bloody award or not. That's how Bautista rolls. In style.

I would have loved to be there. Like I said, I tried. But there was something special about hearing it happen on the radio. I went all Carlton Fisk, and willed that ball past the left field wall through the radio's speakers. I hoped and prayed that it would indeed clear the fence. I pictured Bautista running the bases, head down, like he'd done it 49 times before. And I listened as the sparse crowd roared, and gave him the curtain call he of course deserved.

On a brief aside: I called out Toronto's hockey fans for booing the home team in preseason game number one Tuesday night because, you know, that was fucking pathetic. Hopefully those same folks were taking notes Thursday afternoon, when the Blue Jays faithful rose to their feet to salute Seattle's Ichiro mid-game, as he became only the second player in baseball history to record 10 seasons with 200 or more hits. Ichiro's insane. And Toronto's baseball fans are smarter, and classier.

Back to business. In the end, not even I could have scripted it any better. Number 50 was the game's only and winning run, at the expense of the American League's best pitcher, with Bautista's parents in attendance, to boot.

In the aftermath of the momentous occasion, as Bautista became only the 26th man in baseball history to hit 50 home runs, and the first since 2007, I read piece after piece about his accomplishment. One of them stood out, from FanGraphs:

"... But in 2010, it's harder to enjoy an out-of-nowhere home run performance in the same way [as others who, like Bautista, recorded massive home run spikes]. ... Once miracles are cheaply bought, they are no longer easily enjoyed. I hope Bautista can keep it up, so that we can finally feel at liberty to enjoy his miraculous season."

I couldn't, and still can't, relate. I've enjoyed Bautista's season immensely. More so than any other individual Toronto Blue Jays' season in recent memory. Yep, even Roy Halladay's years. It's different; Bautista made history. And I wanted to be in attendance when he hit the milestone moon shot partly because I wanted to say thanks. Not once have I felt not at liberty to enjoy Bautista's miraculous season all summer. One through 50, it's been a blast. I wasn't there, but thanks, Jose.

Image courtesy the fine folks at daylife. 

Brandon League a Mariner? Yep, League's a Mariner

UPDATE #7: (2:27 pm) According to the Drunks, Chavez was ranked Toronto's #1 prospect by The Hardball Times.

Chavez, from Tumero, Venezuela, had a very successful year in Lansing this season putting up a .283 AVG, .346 OBP, .474 SLG. As an international free agent, he was signed to a $2 million contract in 2006.

UPDATE #6: Rumour has Johermyn Chavez pegged as "the prospect." I have no idea who he is. Which is bloody awesome!!1

Rumours are flying around Twitter late tonight (12:15 am) that It's true: Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Brandon Morrow from the Seattle Mariners for Brandon League, and a prospect. Who that prospect is, I (still, at 2:40 am) have zero fucking idea. Nobody does at this point. David Cameron, from the reputable USS Mariner, has speculated that it might be Brett Wallace, which doesn't make sense to me, otherwise he would have went Seattle's way in the three-team Roy Halladay trade and it's not.

But let's hold on a second here. I'm losing focus. What you need to do right now is pray for our good friend Lloyd the Barber from Ghostrunner on First. First Doc. Now League. They were right: life isn't fair. If you read GoF, and I assume you do, you know how highly we, the community, think of League.

Moving along: Brandon Morrow. Everyone and their mother is high on this kid. He strikes out a ton of batters, and walks plenty of them as well. I'm sure he'll get along great with The Manager. At the end of the day, as long as "the prospect" isn't Brett Wallace or Travis Snider, we're good. (Except for Drew. Sorry mate.)

In a perfect world, the prospect is Lyle Overbay. He was huge in 2006. Tremendous upside, and he's a Washington boy!1

Here's what the 2010 Blue Jays rotation looks like:

Ricky Romero

Shaun Marcum

Brett Cecil

Brandon Morrow

Marc Rzepczynski

A good left-right mix, with Scott Richmond as the long-man, and Brian Tallet back in the bullpen where he belongs.

Here's what we know for certain: Alex Anthopoulos is doing work. He's putting his stamp on this team.

Playoffs!!1

UPDATE: Here's David Cameron with some insight on Brandon Morrow ...

Plus fastball, inconsistent curve, minus minus command. Has potential, still needs a lot of work. A.J. Burnett upside. But in terms of development, he's basically a Triple-A starter. Very raw.

Burnett is dead to me, so fuck him. But there's nothing wrong with raw talent. It's a good thing this team's got one Roy Halladay, and Brad Arnsberg, to teach Morrow the ropes. Oh ...

UPDATE #2: My man @dlbrows posted the following link on Twitter, from The Mockingbird, about Brandon League and his 97 MPH sinker. You know, the pitch nobody else in baseball throws. If this rumoured trade is fact, League will be sorely missed around these parts, no matter how good Morrow is. To these eyes, he was always the closer of the future.

UPDATE #3: I hope "the prospect" is not R-Zep. It can't be R-Zep.

UPDATE #4: The Seattle Times's Geoff Baker believes in Brandon League.

UPDATE #5: (1:38 am) It's not Wallace. We knew this already. Because there was no way that was happening in the first place. But it's good to know know.

What Happened To Mashing Lefties?

Mere hours after I sang the praises of our beloved Blue Jays, they delivered a serious stinker. I can't say I'm surprised. We were up against a southpaw after all.

I guess we were due for a loss. Hell, I probably jinxed the boys. Sometimes, actually more often than not, I need to just shut the fuck up and enjoy the good times.

Seattle's Jarrod Washburn turned the Jays hitters into his personal bitches. Again. It was his second win against Toronto in three starts this season. He's held the Jays to only four earned runs in 20 innings. That's, uh, pretty good.

Washburn was on point this afternoon. He went eight innings strong, and gave up only four hits. The only hit of significance the Jays could muster off of him was a solo shot by the home run hitting machine known as John McDonald. It was Mac's first home run of the season. Hey, he's only five behind Scott Rolen!

Rolen has six home runs. In 80 games. Oh my, that is depressing.

So, what happened to that lefty-mashing lineup the Jays were supposed to have? Their record dropped to 10-18 against left-handed starters and it's one of the main reasons they keep scuffling around the .500 mark. With a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup, the Jays were supposed to dominate lefties. I mean, baseball is all percentages, right? I shouldn't be surprised. Nothing ever goes the way it's supposed to. But still, I'm surprised.

In contrast, the Jays have a more than respectable 43-34 record against righties. If they were 18-10 against lefties, which they should be, the Jays would be right where we all think they should be: in the heat of the race. Tampa Bay, the Massholes down in Boston, and the douchebags in New York all own better than .500 records against lefties.

It's frustrating, and extremely disappointing.

Back to Scott Rolen, and some happy thoughts, for a second. Yeah, the guy has forgotten how to hit, but he's marvelous over at the hot corner, isn't he? Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell commented today that he can't recall Rolen making one bad throw over to first base this season. I would have to agree with him. I really can't recall one. What about you? If it has happened, I wasn't tuning in that night.

It's only a formality that Rolen will win another gold glove award come season's end. His fielding percentage and zone rating are both tops amongst third basemen in the American League.

It doesn't matter whether Rolen is bare-handing a slow ground ball or a bunt, making a sweet grab on a hard hit ground ball down the line, or ranging deep to his left or right, his throw is always right on the money. Lyle Overbay must love Scotty Rolen. In all my years of Blue Jays fandom, I don't recall ever seeing a more prolific fielding third baseman than Rolen. And he's only been here a few months. The guy is a machine, and a pure joy to watch. Now, about his hitting...

If the Jays really wanted to convince me and others that they were ready to make the leap to contender from pretender, they would have came out today and torched Washburn. I mean really torched him. Enough to make the Yankees think twice about acquiring him.

Here come the Rays for a huge three game set, beginning tomorrow night. I think I might have to make my way down to the SkyDome, sit in right field, and heckle the living shit out of Eric Hinske. A.J. Burnett will be on the mound tomorrow, and Doc takes the hill on Tuesday. Anything less than two out of three against Tampa might just have me reaching, officially, for the white flag.

I hope the Jays were pumping "It's Not My Time" in the clubhouse after the game because from here on out, the losses have to be few and far between.

Come on boys. Stay alive.

The Good Doctor

Roy Halladay is a fucking machine. When Doc's on his game there is no better pitcher in baseball, and he was on last night. Was he ever.

Halladay made sure the Toronto Blue Jays' six game road trip got off on the right foot by shutting out the Seattle Mariners 2-0. It was Doc's league-leading sixth complete game of the year, and he was downright rude to the Seattle hitters last night, holding them to only four singles over nine innings.

What I find amazing is Halladay's ability to go deep into games, strike out batters, but still keep his pitch count low. I guess it helps when you don't walk anybody, and Doc didn't allow a single free pass yesterday. He struck out six and threw only 115 pitches. He makes it look so god damn easy out there.

Doc's among the league leaders in almost every major American League pitching category. You name it: ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, wins. Most impressively, he leads the AL in innings pitched, and has only walked 19 batters in 130 innings. Unreal. He spoils us, he really does.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's back-to-back shutouts by the local nine.

As for Cito Gaston, he continues to impress after making a couple of key decisions late in yesterday's ball game.

Replacing David Eckstein with John McDonald, the Prime Minister of Defence, in the bottom half of the eighth inning was absolutely the right move. Eckstein had already made an error earlier in the game, and McDonald got involved right away, making two outs in the eighth. Johnny Mac might be the best fielding shortstop in the game and since we've got him, we might as well use him.

I've also got to give Cito some props for sending Halladay back to the mind to finish the Mariners off in the ninth. It was definitely a B.J. Ryan save situation, but Halladay's pitch count wasn't too high, and I thought he deserved to finish what he started.

I must say, I am rather enamored by Gaston's reluctance to obsess over the hallowed pitch count. He won't live and die by it, and that's how it should be. The pitch count is overrated.

And speaking of props, Marco Scutaro deserves to have some sent his way. He drove in the first, and winning, run of the game yesterday, and also made one hell of a play with his glove in the bottom of the eighth inning to keep that speedy mother fucker, Ichiro, off the bases.

Scutaro has been tremendous for the Jays all year, filling in at third base, shortstop and second base. The super-sub has played in 72 games because, well, he can play almost every position. Great acquisition by J.P. Ricciardi.

Don't look now, but the Jays are only two games below the elusive .500 mark, with 11 contests left before the All-Star break.

Burnett's As Good As Gone

A.J. Burnett is the talk of the town and, once again, for all the wrong reasons. Here's the one reason why Burnett's comments about accepting a trade to the Chicago Cubs don't matter: Carlos Silva.

First of all, in regards to A.J.'s comments, if they took you by surprise, you're an idiot. It's A.J. Burnett. You should expect nothing less to come out of his mouth. He came to Toronto with the reputation of a clubhouse - I don't want to use the word "cancer" - nuisance and his relationship with the media, the fans, and management has been rocky throughout his two and a half years with the Blue Jays. He is just a "talented bonehead" after all.

Think about it. We're talking about a grown man who has sported arguably the worst mohawk in the history of mohawks, and whose hand-picked introduction music is "Hanging Tough" by New Kids On The Block. Clearly we're not dealing with a highly intellectual individual here. He's a 12-year old trapped in a man's body, with one hell of an arm.

Anyway, you're probably wondering what the hell the rotund Carlos Silva has to do with A.J. Burnett. Allow me to take this opportunity to tell you. We're all aware that Burnett has an opt-out clause in his 5-year, $55 million contract. Burnett can walk away from the Jays at the end of the season, leaving $24 million on the table, and make his services available to the highest bidder (even the Jays if they were so inclined).

Here's where Silva comes in. Carlos hit the free agent market this past winter after putting up these numbers in 2007 with the Minnesota Twins: 13 wins, 14 losses, a 4.19 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, 89 strikeouts, and a .287 opponents batting average.

As you can see, not exactly Cy Young type shit. Not even close. With career numbers that scream out mediocrity, he'd be a fourth or fifth starter on most teams. But along came Santa Claus the Seattle Mariners on December 20th, 2007, offering Silva a monster 4-year, $48 million contract. Now I'm sure Silva thought it was all a big joke. I'm positive he thought he was getting Punk'd, and that Ashton Kutcher was going to come running out and rip up the contract, and point out the cameras. I mean, come on. Twelve million dollars a year...for Carlos fucking Silva? What his this world come to?

Of course, Silva signed on the dotted line. He's still laughing, actually. And how's good old Carlos doing this season, you ask? He's won three games, lost seven, is sporting a Josh Towers-esque 5.79 ERA, and opponents are batting .315 against him. In an utterly shocking move, Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi was fired yesterday. I've got an inkling the Silva contract might, just might, have had something to do with that.

You see my point, I'm sure. If Carlos Silva got $48 million over four years on the open market, A.J. Burnett would be a fool not to opt out of his contract. Pitchers make the big bucks and just like the Toronto Blue Jays showed A.J. the money Jerry Maguire style, thinking they could finally harness his amazing potential, someone else will do the same. Burnett-type electric stuff doesn't come around often and if A.J. could only ever put it all together he'd be one of baseball's best.

Yes, the Jays could explore trading Burnett before the trade deadline next month, but the Drunks are right, it ain't going to happen. Not with that opt-out clause looming so large over his contract. If When Burnett walks, the Jays will receive two draft picks as compensation, and J.P. Ricciardi will be hard-pressed to get something better than that in return via a trade.

So enjoy A.J.'s final three and a half months in a Blue Jays uniform. Here's praying the switch somehow goes off, he finally "gets it," and he and Doc lead the Jays on a magical run to the post-season, or at least some meaningful baseball in September. If Burnett can help get this season out of the shit hole it has found itself in, it will ease the sting of his imminent departure. And so will Casey Janssen.

And A.J., before I go, did you ever think that, while this town may not be "a place where baseball is breakfast, lunch and dinner," you might help in bringing fans back to the Rogers Centre? Sure, Toronto's a hockey town, but in case you haven't noticed, the hockey team around these parts fucking sucks, and nothing would get this city more pumped up than some October baseball. Burnett really is a bonehead.

I need a drink.