In praise of the doctor ...

No, not Roy Halladay. Not this (one) time.

I'm talking about Dr. James Andrews, of Birmingham, Alabama, doctor to the stars pitchers.

Dr. Andrews apparently has a monopoly on the burgeoning Tommy John surgery market, thanks in no small part to our Toronto Blue Jays, and up next is Jesse Litsch.

I can't say I'm surprised, so let's forget about Litsch for a second. Can J.P. Ricciardi sign Dr. Andrews? He might as well lock him up. Let the other, less experienced doctors work on the rest of baseball's broken pitchers. Hell, even throw in a no-trade clause, JFJ-style. There could be a press conference, where Dr. Andrews is presented with a jersey, and a cap. It'd be grand. The jersey would, of course, have "DR. ANDREWS" across the back.

Oh shut up, Brad Arnsberg haters. I don't want to hear it. Dr. Andrews has got to eat, too.

One day, in a ceremony at the Rogers Centre with the future president of the ball club (how's that search going, anyway?), the legendary Dr. Andrews will have his name, along with the final number of Tommy John surgeries he will have performed on Blue Jays players, rightfully honoured on the Blue Jays' Level of Excellence.

Inshallah, I will be there, on my feet in applause. Thank you, Dr. Andrews, for mending our wounded.

(See you in a bit, Jesse. Make sure you hit the treadmill.)

UPDATE: Here's Dr. Andrews' jersey. Although I have no idea how many TJ surgeries he's performed on Jays players, it looks pretty fly.

Musings:

At one time, it was Jesse Litsch. Then David Purcey (by default). Scott Richmond, for a bit. Maybe even Ricky Romero, just once. Now, the answer is unequivocal: Brian Tallet is the number two man behind Halladay. The Summer of Tallet, indeed ...

Jason Kapono for Reggie Evans. A post defender with a zeal for rebounding, for arguably the most one-dimensional player in the NBA. Rejoice! Although sadness is there, as this signals the end of the Pops Mensah-Bonsu era in Toronto. For shame ...

The MLB Draft happened. I didn't really care ...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new goaltending consultant coach: Francois Allaire. Now they just need a goalie ...

Garfoose! ...

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.