Imagine The Iguodala

A part of me understands that the NBA draft is a crapshoot. There's a certain element of luck involved. Sometimes a guy just doesn't work out. I get that. 

Another part of me wants to absolutely pummel former Raptors GM Rob Babcock for drafting Rafael Araujo over Andre Iguodala back in 2004.

Araujo. Over Iguodala. Oh, the humanity. All these years later, after I've bitched about it and bitched about it some more, I'm still bitching. It still smarts.

Iguodala was in town last night, along with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates, to remind us once more of what could have been. The 76ers were 2-5 coming into the game, and winless on the road, but they left the ACC victorious, of course.

The ghosts of Araujo, that useless lug, were in the air. Iguodala put on a clinic. He didn't have his best shooting game, going 5-for-13 from the floor, but finished with 18 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. Andre Iguodala is one athletic mother sucker.

He is, to a mother fucking tee, what the Raptors lack: a presence on the wing, who can play either the two or three, that can take the ball to the rack. And defend. It kills me, absolutely kills me, to know that we could have had him. 

I don't think any of Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, and Jamario Moon are starters in the NBA. Not that there's anything wrong with that. All three would be more effective in a defined role off the bench. AP was 4-16 from the floor last night, Kapono was invisible in 30 minutes of action, and if Moon settles for another jump shot, I will kill him myself.

I think Bryan Colangelo knows that the honeymoon is over, and that he's got to fix the team's glaring weakness at the wing. We're not getting points, or defence, from the position. I just don't know what the hell BC can do about it. 

To add to mine and the Raptors' woes, it looks like Jose Calderon might be in civilian garbs on Sunday after he tweaked his hamstring yesterday. I was impressed by Will Soloman during last Sunday's snoozefest in Charlotte, but any injury to Jose has to be considered the Raptors' worst nightmare. It's typical, I guess. 

Seriously, though. It's one thing to err on a draft pick. It happens (see: Adams, Russ and Cereda, Luca). It's another to draft Rafael "Hoffa" Araujo over Andre Iguodala.

Fuck you, Rob Babcock.

Maybe Next Year

For the Toronto Blue Jays, mission make the playoffs has been replaced by, unfortunately, mission play out the stretch. The dream is dead for 2007, but the Jays are embracing the role of spoiler, and giving hope for 2008.

The Blue Jays started September with a sweep of the Seattle Mariners, and visions of the wildcard were dancing around in my head. Premature, I know. It's been all downhill ever since. The Jays haven't been mathematically eliminated just yet, but even a dreamer like me knows it's all over. They've only got their pride to play for now.

Meanwhile, the stumbling Boston Red Sox have come to town and been beaten twice by the Jays. Shout outs to Frank Thomas for his three homerun game on Monday night. Say what you want about The Big Hurt, but he's done his job. He leads the teams in home runs with 25, and runs batted in with 91. Yes, he may just be the slowest man in baseball, but he solidified the DH spot for this team. He's also managed to stay healthy all year. So don't hate. Thomas still has some juice left in the tank, and the Jays will need him to put the Big in "Big Hurt" next year.

Speaking of the Red Sox, is it possible that they could relinquish the AL East crown after owning it since April? Sure is! Don't look now, but the surging New York Yankees are only 2.5 games behind. Red Sox Nation will not be sleeping easy tonight, or for the next week or so. After the Jays finish their set with the Red Sox, they're off to the Bronx for four with the Yankees. I'm torn as to who to cheer for. I want the Jays to finish the season strong, but I would love to see the Red Sox choke on a division lead that was in double-digits only a month and a half ago.

And how bad has Eric Gagne been since he's donned the Red Sox uniform? He's certainly doing his best Josh Towers impersonation. In 13 innings Gagne has a 7.62 earned run average and batters are hitting the lights out off him, at a clip of .356. Frightening numbers. Josh Towers, eat your heart out.

The upcoming off-season is another important one for the Jays, although most of the team is going to come back. It was good to see B.J. Ryan on the field yesterday tossing a baseball. As great as Jeremy Accardo has been, I miss good old B.J. He's a presence out there.

As for Troy Glaus, I am utterly disgusted by the lack of respect the Blue Jays, and Glaus himself, have shown their fans and the game of baseball. It's just typical that after Glaus is implicated in a steroid scandal, his problematic foot is shut down and he's off for surgery, all before he gets an at-bat at home in Toronto. I was looking forward to him stepping up to the plate at the Rogers Centre and listening to the crowd boo him mercilessly. He deserves nothing less.

The Jays, nor Glaus, didn't even make a statement about the steroid allegations. Glaus gave the usual "no comment" and has left the team until next year. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. It's disgusting on the Jays' behalf. The least they can do is issue some sort of statement. In this situation, silence speaks louder than words, and Glaus is already guilty in my books. He's a disgrace.

The J.P. Ricciardi regime doesn't really seem to give a hoot about the fans. They constantly lie about injuries (B.J. Ryan's back problem turned out to be Tommy John elbow surgery) and their silence on the Glaus situation is ludicrous. The whole act is getting tired.

But, being the true homer that I am, I'm going to give J.P. Ricciardi and co. one more shot. Their last shot. 2008, and that's it. It's a trip to the playoffs or, as Donald Trump would put it, "You're fired!"

I'll be honest, watching a performance like the one by A.J. Burnett last night gives me hope. He was incredible - his fastball was clocked at 97 miles per hour in the 9th inning. In 59 and a third innings pitched since coming off the disabled list in mid-August, Burnett has only given up 13 earned runs. His 9-7 win/loss record, after last night, is deceiving. He's really taken Doc Halladay's lead and pitched his butt off for the Blue Jays. He sports a 3.40 earned run average and batters are hitting just a shade over .200 against him. He's been dominant, as advertised. His one and only goal in 2008 should be to pitch a full season - no more trips to the injured list. If he's healthy, and the offence give him enough support, I truly believe in my heart that he can win 20 games. It's in him, man.

It was also good to see Russ Adams stroke a clutch hit for the Jays. He brought home the go-ahead runs with a pinch hit double in the bottom of the 8th off Gagne. It was only the fourth time in 64 games that the Jays have come back when trailing after seven innings (ouch). Adams has become the forgotten man for the Jays - I feel for the guy. This corner wouldn't mind him playing third base for the Jays next year - that right there should tell you just how much I am disgusted with Troy Glaus.

Eleven more games to go before the book is closed on another third-place finish. J.P. Ricciardi has one more year, one more chance, to deliver a playoff berth. This year I'll let it slide, but third place won't be tolerated anymore. It just isn't good enough.

Here's to the Toronto Blue Jays. They are, after all, my team - for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part...

Don't Worry, It's On Ted...

Frank Thomas, the newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays. That one certainly came out of left field. Most definitely took me by surprise. It's been about 24 hours since the rumour broke that Thomas and the Jays are close to a deal. Reports out of Florida say that pending a Thomas physical, the deal is all but done and will be announced Friday.

In that case, let me be the first to welcome The Big Hurt to the great city of Toronto. A great place for him to play out the rest of what has been a solid career. Looks like J.P. Ricciardi has surprised Toronto, and the baseball world, once again.

When I first heard the news I was, first of all, very surprised. It was just so unexpected. Once I picked up my jaw off the floor I was able to say, "Yeah, one of the Jays' biggest holes is at designated hitter."

I don't care how old Thomas is - 38 by the way. I don't care that last year was his first injury free season in the last three years. Right now, all I care about is his 37 home runs and 100+ rbi's. Honestly, none of the past matters. Not to me. Not right now, anyway. I'm looking at this signing with pure, 100% optimism. JP just added another big bat to an already potent line-up.

Now most of the comments I've heard in regards to this signing have been negative. The majority of Torontonian's who follow the Jays with a passion are ripping JP for this deal. I've heard all the regular ones:

"He's too old. He's too injury prone. What is JP thinking? Why didn't we get Zito? What about Lilly? Why didn't we keep Delgado a few years ago?"

And my favourite one of all: "How could we give him $10 million!?!?"

I just don't get why people are so fixated on the salary. Really, who cares? Is the money coming out of our pockets? No. Not at all. This is Ted Rogers' money, and if he wants to spend it on putting a solid team together, who are we to argue and complain about the salary. Bob McCown is dead on - the Jays can pay him $20 million for all I care. It doesn't matter.

Now I know I'll get some people saying his salary will be reflected in Jays ticket prices, or concession prices. Something. Anything. But the truth is, even if the Jays raise tickets by $1, is that going to stop you from heading out to the Rogers Centre to watch a game? Give me a break. You know that by going to a game, you're going to spend a certain amount of coin, even if the team is crap. You know how much a ticket goes for, on average, and you know you're going to be paying too much for food. Ticket prices are always going up, and the Jays haven't been to the playoffs since my bloody youth. I'm 24. I'll pay a few extra bucks the one or two times I go watch a game if it means we make the playoffs.

Now I know it's dangerous to manage a team using the Leafs "pick up a veteran 5 years removed from his best season" mentality. It's definitely a gamble. A gamble worth $20 million. But seriously, come up with a better excuse as to why you think Thomas should not be a Blue Jay. Don't mention the money, and we can have a decent discussion on the topic. It's going on Ted's tab, so lets not go crazy over the amount, ok?

Now there are viable viewpoints out there, as to why this is not a good signing. I've heard someone say that the Jays lineup is already strong enough, why add another bat? Now my take on the situation is this: everyone knows pitching is, and always will be, at a premium. It's tough to put together a solid starting rotation. Even the Yankees and Red Sox, who have the deepest pockets in baseball, can't put together a great rotation on the regular. It's simply difficult to do. In light of that, Boston this week payed some Japanese ballclub $51 million just to NEGOTIATE a contract with a Japanese import pitcher, who's clearly the next best thing since sliced bread. That is an absoloutely ridiculous amount of money, and it clearly highlights the problems in baseball's economic system.

The thing that pisses me off is, first of all, that we are stuck in the AL East with the Yankees and Red Sox. I read an SI piece about how it's incredible that the Red Sox call the Yanks the "Evil Empire" when they conduct business the same way as the boys from NYC. They're both "Evil Empires" and how in hell are the Jays supposed to compete with these guys? It's infuriating. That's one thing I like about JP Ricciardi. He's trying. He's doing all he can. Last year we "overpaid" BJ Ryan and AJ Burnett, but once again, WHO CARES? JP's not creating the market. The market is being set by teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, who pay anyone anything.

The $51 million paid by Boston to the Japanese team WILL NOT COUNT AGAINST THEIR PAYROLL and therefore the Rex Sox will not be taxed for it under baseball's luxury tax system. They just paid an amount that would probably equal the payrolls of both the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates, to negotiate with a player. And teams like the Royals, Pirates, and Jays, won't see a penny out of that, even though revenue sharing exists. It's absurd. I could go on, but that's my point - baseball spending is out of control, and unless the fans want to watch the team sit around and do NOTHING, we have to pay free agents like Frank Thomas the money the market defines for them. If JP could get Thomas for $5 million, I'm sure he would.

Back to my point - pitching is at a premium. All pitchers get overpaid. Wait and see the amount of money thrown at Ted Lilly, who's nothing more than a 3rd or 4th starter, with a career record hovering around .500. The Jays can't afford to match the Yanks and Red Sox when they offer pitchers ridiculous amounts of money. We just can't do it. Now we've got 2 really good pitchers, and a decent third starter. We'd love to get Lilly back, but the odds are not in our favour. If the pitching is too expensive, we might as well try and assemble the most powerful lineup that we can. The Jays already boasted an incredible offense, and with the hole at DH thanks to the departure of Shea Hillenbrand, who better to fill it than The Big Hurt? Wells, Rios, Glaus, Overbay, Thomas. It's the Toronto BOMB Jays!

We can't afford the best pitchers. We've already got the best in Doc Halladay, and if AJ Burnett can pitch how he did in the final two months of the season, Toronto will have a formidable one-two punch in the rotation. So I applaude JP for going out and signing another big bat. Why the hell not?

JP's still got lots of work to do though. Frank Catalanatto, Justin Speier, Bengie Molina, Ted Lilly and Gregg Zaun are all free agents. Supposedly JP has been talking to Rod Barajas' agent. I wouldn't mind him as our new catcher. I'm good with any of those three - Zaun, Molina or Barajas. My gut tells me Zaun will be back. I was hoping The Cat would be back in the fold but with the signing of Thomas, I doubt it. I think Reed Johnson is ready to play everyday, anyway, so I thank The Cat for his service, and wish him well. I'm really hoping there's someway we can get Speier and Lilly back, although retaining both of them seems difficult. Brandon League was lights out last season, and if Speier does end up with another team, League is going to have to step into the set-up role and take care of business.

There's also the business of assessing the middle infield. Have the Blue Jays given up on Russ Adams? I know a lot of people have. I think I'm one of them, although I don't mind giving him one last shot to become an everyday second basemen.

I love the off-season, for all these reasons and more. I also heard the Jays are interested in Mark Mulder. He'll definitely come cheaper than Ted Lilly, and of what I remember of him from his days in Oakland, I'd love to see him in a Jays uniform.

Will JP resign Vernon long term? I think it's pretty clear the Jays won't be trading him in the off-season. I think that's wise. He's under contract for next year, we might as well keep him. He's amazing. Every night before I turn in, I pray to God that Vernon will sign an extension. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

Frank Thomas, welcome to Toronto. People might be hating, but I'm happy your here.

If you're out there and reading, leave a comment and tell me what you think about the newest member of the Blue Jays family.

Oh, and thanks, Mr. Rogers.

Goodnight, Toronto...