No Regrets

"... I have no regrets about being here. I'll never look back and wonder."

- Roy Halladay

I believe I speak for us all when I say: we have no regrets either, Doc. Regardless of the high quality of prospect porn we receive in return. None. It's been a pleasure.

When I embarked on Mission: Doc, to watch every home Halladay start, this past summer, I had no idea this season would be Halladay's last in Toronto. The mission was simply something to do. The best pitcher in baseball, tossing in my hometown, and I can be in attendance for $10? Even I, a not-so-handsomely paid journalist, was all over that shit.

Life - a friend's wedding, the passing of my dear Grandmother, an extra shift or two at work - intervened along the way. As it always does. In the end, I took in 13 of 18 Halladay starts. I spent a lot of time at the SkyDome. I spent a lot of my hard-earned money on overpriced beer. And it was worth every penny. You will never hear me say, or read that I've written: "I wish I would have seen Roy Halladay pitch more often." No regrets. Truly The Greatest Blue Jay Of All-Time.

The tributes - The Tao of Stieb, Hum and Chuck, The Blue Jay Hunter, Go Jays Go - are beginning to roll in and, in what will I think be a trend amongst Toronto writers, it isn't about the statistics. It never was. It's about what Doc stood for. For the franchise. For the city of Toronto. As Dirk Hayhurst so eloquently put it, baseball is about more than "just a bunch of numbers," and there's nobody who personifies that statement more than Roy Halladay.

Thanks for the memories, Doc. A quietly-crazy baseball town mourns your departure, and wishes you nothing but good fortunes; wishes you nothing but the ring you so covet. It's nothing personal, just business. It had to be done. I get it. Life is all about timing, and ours simply didn't match up. Get yours.

Tommy. Fucking. John.

Our worst fears have been realized: Shaun Marcum needs Tommy John surgery. He'll miss the entire 2009 season. It goes without saying, so I'm going to say it anyway: this is a huge blow.

The devastating news dropped late yesterday afternoon, and undoubtedly ruined Friday night for Jays fans across the city, country, and the world, myself included.

Dr. James Andrews, the "Ligament Pimp of Birmingham," will perform the surgery. He's the same cat who gave B.J. Ryan his new elbow. I'm quite certain Andrews is now officially on the Blue Jays' payroll.

From here on out, uncertainty abounds. If A.J. Burnett departs, only Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch from this year's rotation will open spring training 2009. Dustin McGowan is coming off labrum surgery and won't be ready until May at the earliest, and who knows what we'll be getting when he returns. McGowan might also still have rotator cuff issues, but, well, I don't even want to go there right now.

It looks like David Purcey's spot in the rotation is all but assured now, and the pressure's on J.P. Ricciardi to see if he can convince A.J. to stay. As everyone and their mother is reporting, the Jays are willing to top up A.J.'s contract, but only at a reasonable price. What's "reasonable" these days for a starting pitcher of Burnett's ilk? $15 million. All I know is that Halladay is scheduled to make $14.25 million next year, and there's no way Burnett should be taking home more than Doc.

However, when I read stuff like this, I get optimistic that it'll be harder than we think for A.J. to leave us. As much as we've taken to him this season, I think he's taken to us just the same. Love is there, A.J., love is there.

As The Ack over at The Tao of Stieb so astutely points out, we've had our fair share of arm trouble this season. Marcum is the fourth man to drop, behind Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, and McGowan. It's actually pretty remarkable what the Jays have been able to do this year in light of their injury issues. That's right, Ricciardi deserves some serious props. Give it up. 

Janssen, Accardo, and McGowan will be back next season. If Accardo can return to form, he's another dynamite arm in an already fantabulous bullpen. I'm not sure what the plan is regarding Janssen but considering he's coming off a torn labrum, I can't imagine him being thrown into the rotation. These arms are valuable - Janssen is 27 years old, Accardo and McGowan 26 - and we must tread carefully.

Are the kids - Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero - ready for prime time? I'm thinking not. That's why A.J.'s gotta stay, even though it's a dangerous proposition, considering he's never pitched as many innings as he has this season (over 213). Burnett is bound for a trip to the disabled list. He's practically overdue. But, and it's a big "but," we need him. We need him now more than ever. Tough decisions, and they're Ricciardi's to make. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.  

I know it's pre-Marcum's injury, but check out the "State of the rotation" from Twitchy over at The Southpaw. It's good shit.

When speaking to the media yesterday evening about how he won't be in spring training next April, Shauny Marcum was on the verge of tears. The guy's a warrior. He wants nothing more than to help this team. He will be sorely, sorely missed next year. But we'll be waiting for him when he comes back.

Marcum, like many other courageous men before him, proved that it's really the stronger men who show their tears. That's why I'm not ashamed to say that I cried myself to sleep last night.

We shall overcome. At least I hope we shall.