Not much interesting happening for the Jays at the moment, so I thought I'd take a look at the past.
One Year Ago:
I asked 'who we'd like to see playing second next year (this year).' And the same question is on my mind at the end of this year. Who did end up playing second is kind of complicated. So far:
Munenori Kawasaki has played 62 games, starting 48. Totaling 434.2 innings
Ryan Goins played 53 games, starting 42. Totaling 360 innings.
Steven Tolleson played 53 games, starting 23. 235.1 innings.
Brett Lawrie played 32 games, starting 26. 193 innings.
Maicer Izturis played 10 games, starting 9. 77.1 innings.
Chris Getz played 10 games, starting 6. 63.2 innings.
Jonathan Diaz played 5 games, starting 1. 16 innings.
Some of us had hope that Goins would learn to hit over the winter, but most were thinking we'd pick someone up before April.
Three Years Ago:
We had post sponsored by the then new movie Moneyball post on 'My Most Under-Appreciated Blue Jay Ever'. My choices were Ernie Whitt and Rance Mulliniks. There were a number of good suggestions in the comment thread.
Also three years ago, we talked about a neat little move that John Farrell had made in the game the night before:
In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the score tied, one out, nobody on, John Farrell pinch hit for Adam Loewen, who was playing RF with JP Arencibia. We didn't score in the inning
Now the normal move would have been to put Dewayne Wise into the game to play right, either in Loewen/Arencibia's spot in the order or let JP stay in and catch and put Wise in Molina's spot. Instead Farrell decided to move his DH, Jose Bautista to right and put his pitcher into Loewen's spot in the batting order.
What did he gain by doing it this way? Well, instead of Wise batting next time that spot came around in the order, he could choose the pinch hitter he wanted to use. He could match up. Not that he had great bats on the bench, but the only time that spot came up, he had Mark Teahen (a lefty batter, if batter is the right term for Teahen) against the right handed pitcher. I'd rather he have used Cooper but that's me.
Also that day. we found out that Brett Lawrie fractured his finger and would miss the rest of the season. And we had a quick Moneyball movie review.
Five Years Ago:
I wrote about a column Jeff Blair saying it was time that Cito was let go. In it Blair said:
Leaving aside the hints that Gaston is not exactly universally loved in the clubhouse, the Blue Jays ownership must bring in a new manager to run the field operation.
Which bugged me. I hate statements like that that aren't attributed to any one player. I wrote:
A totally unsupported statement that is just there to shot at Cito's rep of being player's manager. Come on Jeff, if you are going to say that, tell us who is unhappy.
All managers have players that don't like them. Cito had his share, but not telling us who is saying this makes it seem at was something that the whole clubhouse thought. Cito would manage the next season, the team went 85-77, finishing 4th.
6 Years Ago:
I had a little fun with something Reggie Jackson said about Mariano Rivera being 'one of the top 5 most important Yankees of all-time.
As well as having some fun at J.P. Riccardi telling us that Marco Scutaro was our MVP that year.
JP said Scoot was our team MVP. This should be added to our reasons to fire JP. I mean if you have such little understanding of what goes into winning baseball that you think a guy who's OP+ is 86 is your MVP then you have no business running a team. Frig....putting aside that Doc is the team MVP, offensively who comes in front of him? Hmmmm Wells, Rios, Overbay, Inglett, Rolen, Lind, Barajas.
Marco hit .267/..341/.356 in 145 games mostly at shortstop in his first season with the Jays. But, while JP may have been wrong about him being MVP....I was wrong too:
And if he hits at the top of the order more than a few times next year, well then you'll know we haven't learned anything from this season.
In 2009 he would hit .282/.379/.409 and he was great at short and as our leadoff hitter.
Also 6 years ago, Hugo didn't like a Steve Simmons article that tried to tell A.J. Burnett that he would be'making a monumental error' in opting out of his Blue Jays contract. Hugo as always, was great. I love the ending. Hugo quotes Simmons saying:
A lot of quality No. 2 starting pitchers can't, or don't, make it as No. 1 guys. The betting here is that Burnett is one of those. And knowing the way agents work -- who in their right mind would turn down an increased commission? -- the betting is no one will inform him of that.
And Hugo answers with:
Good bet, because that would be 1) malpractice; 2) incredibly stupid; and 3) a total jerk thing to tell another human being, let alone a client who is paying you millions.
That is every word of this "article" and literally, every word is complete nonsense. I love how people can write about ballplayers like it's this alien world where absolutely none of the usual wisdom or rules about jobs apply. A.J., you made a significant positive contribution to the Jays and to pitching, but let's face it, it has been outweighed a hundredfold by the damage you have done to the field of journalism.
Anyway, read the whole thing. Miss you Hugo.