Joe Inglett IS Reed Johnson

Why? Can someone please tell me why Toronto Blue Jays fans are still complaining about the release of Reed Johnson? It was six months ago. Please, for the love of all things holy, get over it.

Just yesterday an acquaintance of mine, who happens to follow the blue birds loosely, was whining about how J.P. Ricciardi made the worst decision in the history of baseball when he released Johnson back in March.

Look, I get it. Choosing Shannon Stewart over Reed was a mistake. I'm sure Ricciardi himself would admit that. OK, you're right, he wouldn't, but still. My point is, mistakes happen. Ricciardi isn't the first general manager to err, and he surely won't be the last.

I loved Reed Johnson in a Blue Jays uniform as much as the next guy. He was a gamer. One gritty mother fucker. Socks up, played the game the right way, all that good stuff. And how could you not appreciate that facial hair? Believe me, I missed him this past season. He was gone, yet not forgotten.

But if you think Reed Johnson was one of the main reasons behind the Jays' struggles in 2008, you need an Ari Gold style bitch slap. 

Even if Johnson had played out 2008 with Toronto, he would surely have departed as a free agent over the winter. He wants to play everyday, and the opportunity to do so in Toronto simply doesn't exist, thanks to guys like Adam Lind, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and uber rookie Travis Snider. For you math aficionados out there, that's four outfielders to fill three spots.

Enough about Reed Johnson. Please. Instead of always focusing on the negative and bashing J.P. Ricciardi, how about looking at the positives? A novel idea, ain't it? Instead of bitching and moaning about the release of Johnson, why don't you give Ricciardi some props for finding the middle infielding clone of Reed Johnson: the one and only Mighty Joe Inglett.

Last I checked, Johnson can't play second base. And last I checked, Inglett played a pretty significant role for the Jays this year. He filled in admirably for the fallen warrior Aaron Hill (whom I miss terribly).

How do Inglett and Johnson compare? Check out the layout:

                G       AB  R   H    2B  3B   HR  RBI   BB   K   SB  CS   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS+

Inglett    109    344   45  102  15   7     3    39    28  43  9   2   .297  .355  .407   102

Johnson  109    333   52  101  21  0     6    50    19  68  5   6   .303  .358  .420   101

They played the exact same number of games. Johnson's average was only six points higher, and let's call their on-base and slugging percentages a push. Yes, Johnson scored and drove in more runs, but Inglett was tied for fifth in the American League with seven triples, he walked more, struck out less, and was more successful in the base thievery department. The final statistic, OPS+, says it all; they're the same fucking player! When it comes to Joe Inglett and Reed Johnson, as my main man Jerry Seinfeld so eloquently put it, "the difference is negligible."

They compare. That's my point. Sure, we lost Reed Johnson, and it sucked. Yeah, we had to put up with the likes of a clearly finished Shannon Stewart, and Mencherson, because of it, and we're all certainly better people for having had to watch that shit show (we endured). But in the end the release of Johnson, the incredible mediocrity of Stewart and Mencherson, and the insight of the Gastonian one, led us to Adam Lind, and Travis Snider. Things worked out, n'est pas?

Instead of beating the same dead horse - that would be the "I hate J.P. Ricciardi, he is the worst general manager in the world, what happened to the five year plan?" dead horse - focus on the positives.

Focus on Joey Inglett.

Free Adam Lind

I suspect the talk about Adam Lind and his toilage in the minor leagues will reach a fever pitch this weekend as former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Reed Johnson makes his return to the confines of the Rogers Centre.

Many, especially the gents at The Southpaw and The Mockingbird, have for quite some time been making the case for Lind as the Jays' left fielder not of the future, but of today. I may not have been on board before, but I certainly am now.

Lind is ripping - ripping! - it in AAA ball. In 46 games down on the farm he's batting .337 with 17 doubles, five home runs, and 46 RsBI. He's sporting a tidy .392 on base percentage and a dirty .935 OPS. Concerns about his defense are overstated, in my opinion. Dude's only made one error all season. Clearly, Lind's got nothing left to prove down in Syracuse.

So, umm, JP, pardon my language, but why the fuck isn't Lind up with the big club? I'm going to have to plead ignorance because, well, I just don't get it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: we're a .500 ball club as we go into action tonight, and I'd much rather be a .500 ball club with Adam Lind patrolling left field than any one of Brad Wilkerson, Shannon Stewart, or Kevin Mench.

I. Don't. Get. It.

I think all of us Toronto Blue Jays fans need to go on a hunger strike, you know, in order to force JP to summon Lind from the minors. I must confess, I'm currently reading Gandhi's autobiography, hence the idea. Gandhi was one eccentric cat, but his non-violent and civil disobedience ways certainly worked out well for the motherland.

It's pretty absurd to let Lind tear up minor league pitching while the big club struggles for its life to plate runs. And remember, Stewart, Wilkerson and Mench all joined the Jays in April or later, and are not part of the future of this ball club.

I don't fucking get it. Free Adam Lind.

Oh, and if you were at the game tonight, I hope you showed Reed Johnson some love. He was, and continues to be, a rudey.

Bye Bye Big Hurt

This just in from the Holy Shit Department: Frank Thomas has been released. After benching him yesterday afternoon, the Jays handed The Big Hurt is walking papers this morning. Colour me surprised. And perplexed.

I was going to write about Thomas' benching last night. I even had a title - "Trouble Brewin" - ready to go, in honour of the cancer that Frank was about to become in the Toronto clubhouse. It didn't happen and I woke up this morning, headed over to TSN.ca, and there it was. I guess the Jays had to act fast in order to keep the infection known as the Frank the Tank from spreading.

Thomas' release is all about $$$$$. When he signed his two-year, $18 million deal with Toronto in 2006, it included a $10 million option for 2009 based on plate appearances. Frank was healthy last season and healthy so far this season, and was inching ever so slowly to locking up that $10 million. Heading into game one of the season, he needed only 376 appearances in the batters box to do so.

The Jays will argue that the release is about production, not dollars. They have a point, although I'm not sure it's enough to convince me. Thomas is a notoriously slow starter. He was atrocious last year in April and May, and was up to his same old tricks to start this season. In 16 games, and 60 at-bats, Thomas was batting .167 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. Eight of those ribbies came in the home-opening series against the Red Sox, when the Jays swept Boston out of town, large in part to Thomas. Other than that series, he's been a non-factor.

Thomas will be 40 years old on May 27. There have been rumours about his decline being permanent and age-induced. His bat speed has simply slowed down, and it's not coming back.

Thomas was livid after yesterday's benching. I can't really blame him.

"They told me that I'm not playing. Gibby told me that he can't guarantee that I'll be in the lineup."

"They do that after 16 games, after 60 at-bats. That's bullshit. We all know what's behind this. What else could be behind this but the money?"

"What the fuck is that, with my track record, they know what I can do. I tried to be the nice guy, the gentleman. I've kept my mouth shut."

"But I know I can hit. One good week and I'd be back on top. I know I haven't hit the ball that well but I'm not the only fucking player. Look at (Gary) Sheffield with Detroit, (David) Ortiz with Boston. I know I can hit, that I can get on fire."

"But I didn't expect this at all. This is a shocker. It's terrible. Don't tell me I can't help this team win. If they don't want me here, then why not just cut me and then they wouldn't have to worry about the $10 million next year?"

Clearly Thomas was pissed. And clearly Thomas can predict the future. His tenure in a Jays jersey is over.

This is a tough one for me to swallow. I think Thomas makes a good point about Sheffield, Ortiz and Jim Thome. He's certainly not the only designated hitter stinking up the joint. I thought Hurt was going to be a big part of a Blue Jays playoff push this season. Not anymore. It looks like Matt Stairs, who is batting a very tidy .333, will take over the DH duties, along with Rod Barajas. And it's assumed that Adam Lind will get the call from Syracuse. Lind has been ripping it up in AAA but if he comes back up to the big club and swings at everything, I'm going to be pissed.

I'm sure this was a tough decision for the Jays brass. At least I hope it was. Tough decisions are easy to look back on. Like, say, picking Shannon Stewart over Reed Johnson. Stewart's batting .235 with only one extra base hit and four runs batted in. Johnson, on the other hand, is enjoying his new surroundings in Chicago, batting .349 with seven runs batted in. At the end of the season if the Jays haven't received 20-plus home runs and 90 RsBI from the DH position, I think this move will have been a mistake. It's cut and dry for me.

There is definitely a sense of urgency when it comes to the 2008 Blue Jays, another reason why Thomas is a goner. They couldn't afford to wait for him to heat up, and that's why he's no longer part of the team. With a record of 9-9 after 18 games, the Jays know they can't fall too far behind in the standings. The Red Sox are already beginning to heat up, 8-and-2 in their last 10, and in first place in the AL East with a 12-7 record.

As you can see, I'm conflicted about Thomas' release. I understand why it was done, but don't agree with it 100% either. What if Scott Rolen gets injured again? What if Stairs can't keep up his pace? What if Lind can't get the job done? These are the questions that haunt me. At the end of the day, the Jays chose to eliminate 26 home runs and 97 runs batted in from their lineup.

And I'm not sure I agree with how they went about it, either. Thomas is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, after all. Does that entitle him to more respect than another player? I'm not sure. That's a tough one. But Thomas is among elite company. He's one of only four players in baseball history to hit for an average of at least .300, swat 500 home runs, score 1,500 RsBI, 1,000 runs, and tally 1,500 walks. The other three? Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams. Elite company, indeed.

No doubt Thomas is going to have a lot to say about his release. And it isn't going to be pretty. It should be interesting to see how it all shakes down today and in the coming days. It's a shame it had to come to this. But I wish him well. Thank you, Frank Thomas. Good luck to you, mate.