Gotta At Least Ask the Question

Sooner or later everybody has a baseball related question. Below you will find some fine people I recommend you try bothering first.

Nowhere on this list will you find Damien "Suck My" Cox. Did you hear him try to talk baseball on PTS? Skip ahead to the 18:30 mark. Jesus. Shut the fuck up hockey guy.

Blue Jays Baseball related:

Gregor Chisholm: Beat reporter for your Toronto Blue Jays answers between 5 and 10 questions every week.

You Don't Know Dick Griffin: Toronto Chapter Chairman of the BBWAA obviously gets hammered and then tries to answer a lot of questions every Wednesday.

Buck Martinez: TV play by play broadcaster did a weekly segment last season and normally only answered a few questions. No word whether he's going to do it again for 2011.

Samuel Wilner: Host of Jays Talk sporadically contributes a mailbag comprised from a selection of the very best comments left on his (shit) blog posts.

Prospect Porn related:

Jim Callis: Heart and soul of Baseball America answers 3 questions on a fairly regular basis.

Conor Glassey: Another BA writer is in mailbag start up mode.

Adam Foster: Founder of Project Prospect has a shit load of quality scouting reports / videos on players and he doesn't mind sharing the wealth.

Keith Law: Klaw does his thing every Thursday. Whatever.

Fantasy Baseball related:

Todd Zola: Fantasy juggernaut Lord Zola answers your questions every Monday.

The Staff @ Fantasy Gameday: Creators of the mighty, must have ADP fantasy tool specialize in keeper league specific questions.

Weekly Round Up: Dec. 6 - 12

Consider this your required reading for the week.

Consider this your required listening for the week.

Consider this your required viewing for the week.

Boy Wonder did a couple of really solid interviews this week. You can find them here and here. Must reads.

Courtesy of MILB:

MiLB.com: What did you learn from your three starts in the Major Leagues this season?

Drabek: Just little things here and there from the players. When I got called up, I tried to learn as much as I could so I could take whatever I learned and take it into next year. The way you handle yourself on the mound is a big part of the game. You have to be able to stay calm out there to help yourself throughout the game.

MiLB.com: What's the biggest difference that you noticed between the Eastern League and the Majors?

Drabek: From [Class A Advanced] to Double-A, I thought it was a big jump in how good the hitters were and how tight the strike zone got. But in the Majors it gets a little bit tighter and the hitters are that little bit better. The hitters are the biggest thing, though. They are all pretty much amazing, that is why they are up there.

Nice interview with Kyle Drabek. Seems like he will be given every opportunity to win a job next spring. The only thing that could hold him back is the dreaded service time.

Courtesy of Beyond the Boxscore:

Villanueva's overall whiff rate of .324 ranked 7th in the majors among pitchers with at least 200 opposing plate appearances.  The slider is elite, and the change doesn't look bad, either.  There were a ton of liners, particularly off of the fastball, which is not good news.  What's particularly interesting is that, as you can by the pitch percentages, Villanueva throws the four pitches with more or less the same frequency.

All the info you could ever want on our new bullpen guy. Does he get a middle relief job or is he more of a long man?

Courtesy of Baseball America:

Emaus is playing in the Dominican Republic for the Toros and hitting .267/.353/.476 with four home runs. He played his first game at second base, his preferred position, on Wednesday after playing every other winter game at third. He said he was surprised and disappointed when the Blue Jays left him off the 40-man roster in November but excited to get picked by the Mets.
"My agent (ACES' Mike Zimmerman) told me this week that there was a 50-50 chance I'd be taken in the Rule 5, and right now I'm just very ecstatic, excited to be given another chance by the Mets," Emaus said via phone from the Dominican. Asked to give Mets fans a scouting report, Emaus said, "I'm just a blue-collar guy, a solid guy who has to know the game, has to have some (baseball IQ) because I don't have great tools. I'm not flashy but I bring my best every day and go out trying to find an edge."

I think he sticks with the Mets all season. J.P. is smarter than everybody else and can`t ever admit he is wrong. This time will be no different.

Courtesy of Gregor Chisholm:

Anthopoulos declined to name any specific players he is targeting but did admit he is trying to be as active as he can. The GM did not leave the Winter Meetings with any free-agent offers on the table, though, because that goes against the way he likes to operate.

"I don't like leaving an offer out there, [because] then it allows it to be shopped," Anthopoulos said. "My style is more getting the parameters, letting the agent know those parameters probably make sense for us, [then] we'll be in that mix.

"I want to know that the player wants to be here, or at least we're on a short list. If the agent then comes back and says, 'Look, he's willing to come here, you're definitely one of the top places he wants to be,' ... If I can get a window to start negotiating with someone and we're engaged and there's a back and forth, that's usually my process."

Some decent insight right there.

Courtesy of Gregor Chisholm:

"That's strictly based off our scouts," Anthopoulos said of the selections. "If we have a scout that believes strongly in someone, we don't have anything to lose. I'm a big believer that if you have a scout pounding the table for someone that's a Rule 5 Draft -- or a waiver claim or something like that -- you just got to go ahead and do it. ... If you can't do that for your scout, there's something wrong."

If you wanna see just how many scouts we got click here. Scroll about halfway down the page.

Courtesy of Samuel Wilner:

Lawrie will go to Las Vegas this year, and see if he can tear it up there.  Lesser talents have done exactly that.

This trade, which is most assuredly a step back in the hopes of moving a couple of steps forward, now gives the Jays young elite-level controllable position-player talent in Escobar and Snider at the major-league level, Gose and d’Arnaud in the low minors, and Hechevarria and Lawrie in the high minors.  These guys - along with Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Drabek and Stewart - are the building blocks of the teams the Jays will have when they become perennial contenders.  Shaun Marcum wasn’t going to be one of those guys, by the simple matter of his age.

Rarely - if ever - do I bother reading Mike Wilner`s bullshit. But I must say he was on quite a streak while covering the winter meetings.

Courtesy of  Scott Carson:

Most of you might complain that dealing that much future is foolish, but I beg to differ. I’ve seen Snider since he first arrived as a 20-year-old after just 305 games of minor-league experience. I was wowed by his line drive home run power, an above-average arm and okay foot speed for a "thick bodied" youngster. But I also became leery of his average baseball IQ and the fact that he had trouble with the in-game coaching he was receiving from Cito Gaston and Gene Tenace. That raised some red flags from members of the Sportsnet broadcast booth who once played this game.

As for Drabek, I’ve only seen him pitch three times in the majors, but I won’t say that I was blown away at any time. Average height (6-foot-1), he certainly won’t intimidate opponents from six feet, six inches away. And I saw nothing that screamed out "ace" (though it was a small sample I admit.)

On the other hand, I rarely miss one of Scott`s columns. I was quite disappointed in this one.

Weekly Round Up: Oct. 18 - 24

Consider this your required reading for the week.

Consider this your required listening for the week.

Consider this your required viewing for the week.

Courtesy of ESPN:

The contract Wallach signed earlier this month to become a member of the Dodgers' major league coaching staff after managing their Triple-A Albuquerque affiliate the past two seasons has a list of clubs with which he can talk to and a list of clubs with which he can't. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, Wallach was allowed to make those lists himself while negotiating the deal, which the source said was unusually beneficial to Wallach in terms of both length and financial compensation.

Because there are so many major league managerial openings this winter -- there were eight when the offseason began and there still are six -- the Dodgers didn't want Wallach to interview for all of them, presumably because that would have held up their effort to fill their coaching staff. So Wallach was asked to prioritize those eight clubs based on his level of interest before any of those teams even requested permission to talk to him.

It isn't clear how many teams are on the "can-talk-to'' list and how many are on the "can't-talk-to'' list. But the source said the Brewers and Blue Jays are the only teams that requested permission to speak with Wallach.

BULLSHIT.

Courtesy of MILB:

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, have been named the Eastern League's top team for most outstanding promotional effort, community involvement and overall operation for the third consecutive year, earning the league's nomination for Minor League Baseball's prestigious Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy.

Danielle Matteau, the Fisher Cats Director of Public Affairs, has been awarded the league's nomination for the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year Award for the third straight season. The Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year award is given out annually to one woman who has made an outstanding contribution to her club, league or to baseball. 

The MacPhail Trophy and the Rawlings Award winners will be recognized at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, FL on Monday, December 6.

"We are truly honored to receive the Eastern League's nod for this tremendous award for a third consecutive season," said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. "With so many deserving teams in the league vying for this honor, we are humbled to again be recognized for the hard work and commitment our staff put forth all year long."

During the 2010 season, the Fisher Cats welcomed a total of 391,472 fans to regular season and playoff games at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, including 14 standing-room-only crowds. August saw the highest monthly attendance in the team's history with 110,285 fans enjoying Fisher Cats games.

Congrats!!!!1

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick:

The Jays need a manager who will be there for the next three to five seasons to avoid a “win at all costs” mentality at the expense of player development.

In the hiring process, the Jays also will insist that the new manager retain Bruce Walton as pitching coach. Walton’s work this season with the young rotation and his ability to communicate with manager Cito Gaston in the latter’s final year were key. Keeping Walton would be an easier request to make of a first-time manager.

Interesting.

Courtesy of Daniel Girard:

With an eye to figuring out the process of hiring a major league manager, the Star turned to a guy who’s done it three times.

Dan Duquette spent more than 20 years in the majors. He scouted for the Milwaukee Brewers, was director of player development and general manager with the Montreal Expos, and GM of his hometown Boston Red Sox.

During that time, Duquette hired three big-league managers: Felipe Alou in Montreal and Kevin Kennedy and Jimy Williams in Boston.

“Who’s going to be best able to help you win games?” Duquette said simply, in assessing the ultimate question clubs must answer with their decisions.

But in coming to that conclusion, Duquette, who now runs a tournament facility and sports camp for boys and girls aged 8 to 18 in Hinsdale, Mass., said the process is lengthy, multi-layered and designed to explore the long list of things required of a manager, from strategy to personality to influences.

Enlightening.

Courtesy of mlbdepthcharts:

Latest Player Updates
10/19/10 - IF/OF Callix Crabbe, OF Adam Loewen, and OF Dan Perales re-signed to minor league deals
10/06/10 - RHP Dirk Hayhurst activated from 60-Day DL and outrighted off 40-man roster

Updates.

Courtsey of TSN:

Opposing pitchers can take some solace knowing that even a sports hernia couldn't slow down major-league home run leader Jose Bautista this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays slugger underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in Philadelphia on Thursday, a procedure that "was done without complication" and will need about a month to heal.

The 30-year-old, who ripped a franchise record 54 homers in 2010, first began experiencing soreness in his lower abdomen in May.

An examination revealed the injury -- a weakening of the muscles or tendons of the lower abdominal wall -- and team trainers and doctors decided he could keep playing without inflicting more damage.

As things turned out, damage was inflicted on opposing pitchers, as Bautista finished the season with 124 RBIs, 109 runs and 100 walks to go with all the home runs in his first all-star campaign.

He also stole nine bases while providing elite defence in right field and third base.

"If we felt he wouldn't have been able to run full speed, or do the things he wanted to, or all those types of things, we wouldn't have allowed him to play," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in an interview.

"He had it, but it really did not impact him at all."

Un-fucking-believable.

 

I probably should give my take on our next skipper.  In keeping with the theme this week, I'll sum it up in one word for ya.  

Ballsy

Mike Samuel Wilner Hits Last In "Celebrity" Softball Game

If you haven't notice, let me be extremely clear about this: I have a lot of hate in my heart for Jays Talk host Samuel Wilner.  Like a lot.

So after he let it slip that August 1st was his wedding anniversary with his wife Natalia - who apparently can't jog for shit - I wanted to give him my present since I wasn't invited to the party for some odd reason.  The party that was no doubt catered by his in laws that live in the basement of his Mississauga home.

Can you say: Mail Order Bride?

My Present:

I was able to get my hands on some pictures of Samuel playing a little slopitch not to long back.  He blogged about it and as you can see by this sample, he took it a little bit more serious than he probably should have:

The next time up, I hit a little nubber up the first-base line, hurdled over it as it spun towards the foul line, and got thrown out at first by the pitcher.  But umpire Bruce Hood ruled, in his infinite wisdom, that the ball had gone foul before it was picked up, so I got another chance and managed to deliver a sac fly.  So it was 1-for-1 with a sac fly, two ribbies and one near-miss of a major Miss Canada International dental bill, for a 1.000/.500/3.000 slash line.

I have become one of the players I hate - guys with an OBP that’s lower than their batting average.

 Samuel smells extra bases and legs out a "deep" triple into the left field corner:

Here he is serving up some meat balls:

And finally, him taking a well deserved breather:

Samuel sounds like a complete and total perfect mash up of angry young guy and stat dork:

Weekly Round Up : May 31 - June 6

Consider this your required reading for the week.  We got a draft next week.  And we got a shit load of picks.

Courtesy of MLBTR:

The Blue Jays and A's are eyeing Michael Choice, Christian Colon and Justin O'Conner, according to Law.

Click on the links for some more details about the players.  Doesn't look like Choice or O'Conner are going to be available at number 11 but hey, it's Klaw so it doesn't have to be totally accurate right?

Courtesy of ESPN:

J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas)
On a scouting level, there's little not to like about Arencibia. He was a first-round pick in 2007 for a reason, as he's a big, athletic catcher with well-above-average power. An impatient approach has been his undoing at Triple-A, but he's still capable of going on a hot streak, as he's gone 10-for-23 with three home runs over his past five games to raise his triple-slash line to .263/.312/.500. Twelve walks in 160 at-bats isn't exactly a ratio to write home about, but it is a significant upgrade from previous years. Expect the home-run-happy Jays to add another power bat as early as September, as Arencibia remains their long-term answer at the position.

Another catcher of the future type guy.  Another maybe.  Yawn.  Is D'Arnaud ready yet?

Courtesy of Globe Sports:

Blue Jays president Paul Beeston was perturbed Thursday when he realized that the walk-up for Sunday’s game might be adversely affected by yet another closure of two of the city’s main highways to accommodate the Ride for Heart charity-fundraiser event.
And this after Blue Jays had to relocate a big weekend series against the Phillies to Philadelphia from the Rogers Centre in Toronto because of G20 security concerns at the end of the month,
“We don’t get any breaks no matter what – and I ain’t complaining,” Beeston bellowed over the phone. “But I didn’t realize that both the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Expressway are closed on Sunday.
“It’s hard to have decent crowds when nobody can get there.”

If any of you fine readers are planning on heading down to the Dome to catch the sweep of the Evil Empire take note.  The City of Toronto doesn't view roads as a place for cars anymore.

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick @ The Star

The Jays didn’t just sneak up on the American League in April and May. They emerged from the shadows armed to the teeth, minus former ace Roy Halladay but swinging the home run lumber with reckless abandon, taking no prisoners, bludgeoning opponents to their knees.
Heading into the third month, the favourites must look north with a renewed combination of fear and respect.
Following Tuesday night’s 7-6 loss to the division-leading Rays, here are both glass half-full and half-empty scenarios: the top five reasons why the Jays might be there all year fighting for a wild-card spot, and five reasons why September will be meaningless other than the annual battle for third.

Dick plays good cop, bad cop.  It's funny but I consider myself a realist when it comes to Blue Jays baseball but even I think something special is going on right now with our team.  It defies logic but it is happening.....

Courtesy of National Post:

Mike (Samuel) Wilner, who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for the team’s flagship radio station, has been taken off the job for the weekend series with the New York Yankees following a confrontation Wednesday with Jays manager Cito Gaston. The disciplinary action was taken by Wilner’s station, The Fan 590, which is owned by Rogers Communications. Rogers also owns the Blue Jays.
During Gaston’s daily media scrum Wednesday afternoon, Wilner raised questions about the way Gaston had used his bullpen in Tuesday night’s 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay. A brief but tense exchange followed.
Later on his Fan 590 blog, Wilner wrote at length about the exchange, asserting that Gaston had “painted himself into a corner” by using relievers Shawn Camp and Scott Downs too early. Wilner also wrote that Gaston had “belittled” him in front of other reporters.
Friday, Wilner was absent from the game and his usual post-game call-in show. A source close to the situation said management had “benched” him for the weekend. It was unclear when he would return to his post-game show.
“My only comment is that I have the weekend off,” Wilner said in response to an email seeking comment.

Enough has been written and said about this clusterfuck already.  On one hand you have douchebag Wilner and on the other you have past his expiry date The Cito.  Doesn't really matter who you believe because they both will probably (hopefully) be doing something else next year.  I get the issue of censorship angle and what that means to the freedom of press and blah, blah, blah.  But don't you think it's better to save those bullets for an issue that actually fucking matters.  Like naming sources in articles for example.

Bottom line from where I sit: Wilner is a fucking dickhead that thinks he is the story.  And he just got what he had coming to him for a looooooong time.  I commend his friends in the business jumping to his aid in a time of need, that's what friends are suppose to do for one another.  But his angle on the Jays is boring and self serving.  You cannot manage a professional baseball team like you would a fantasy team.

One last thing Mike Samuel: it's called a suspension not a weekend off.   

Player Hater's Ball - April & May Edition(s)

Picture courtesy of King Jordan (sorta)

If you noticed, and judging by the daily hits on sitemeter you have not, we missed last month's edition of hate.  Fittingly, we saved up and decided to unload an extra helping on Mike Wilner.  Anybody that has called in to Jays Talk has more than likely been trashed by this "expert".  Friend of the site, Mr. Ike Stake, called in after a game early last year and asked simply if Travis Snider was going to get some at bats against left handed pitching.  It was the first question of the night and dickhead Wilner made sure to set the tone for the show by stating: First of all it's Snider, not Snider.  He then went on to rant about how Snider couldn't hit lefties and should be happy with a platoon role to start his career.  He then cut Ike off without giving him an opportunity to respond.  Typical Wilner.

In all fairness, most of the calls he receives are from idiots.  And I guess if I was in his chair, I would get a little tired of it to.  But Mike, we don't call you for a fucking English lesson and quite frankly you are not schooled in either the language, sports broadcasting of even journalism for that matter.  You have a degree in psychology remember?

Here is a quote from Mike:

"I played youth softball growing up, and played league baseball for six or seven years at Bond Park and Sentinel. I caught a no-hitter once, and once threw out five guys on the bases in a League Championship game -- those were the highlights."

Good for you sir.  You played softball and league (not rep) baseball growing up.  Guess that qualifies as baseball experience.  I once played tee ball and have a degree in underwater bingo, can I get on the radio please?

So just how did Wilner get on the radio anyways?

It all started back in 1988 while he was still at the U of T learning to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior.  He got a gig at CIUT, a campus and community radio station found @ 89.5 on the FM dial.  Within a year, he was anointed the title of sports director.  He also worked for Toronto’s Cable 10, where he hosted a show "Let's Talk Sports" from 1989 to 1995.  He then took a job in 1995 with 680 NEWS covering sports for them.  In 2001 he jumped over to the Fan 590 to cover baseball for them.  Mix in a little minor league play by play for the Welland Pirates, Watertown Indians and Hardware City Rock Cats and what do you have?  Experience.....I guess.

That's what is says on paper.  What it doesn't say is how he got the job.  I'll bet his friend Keith Law had something to do with it.  Let's look at the facts:

• Wilner started as the third man in the booth in 2002.

• J.P. got the job as GM of the Blue Jays after the 2001 season ended.

• KLaw was on J.P.'s original staff.

You get what I'm laying down?

Wilner says: "I just got lucky, and worked from there."  Sure you did Mike.  Your friend got you the job, that's not luck.  The least you can do is admit it.

Wilner is quick to point out that he does not actually work for the Jays.  His paycheck comes from the Fan 590, which is part of the Rogers Media umbrella.  Rogers Media is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications.

Question: Who owns the Blue Jays, the SkyDome, Sportsnet and the Fan 590?
Answer: Wilner is full of shit. 

We here at 1BlueJaysWay always take our heckling to the next level.  Always.  So here is a bit of personal info on Wilner.  I must say, he is a very private man but that just makes the search more challenging.....and we like that!

His full name is Michael Samuel Wilner.
He is born in 1970 not 1969 as it is reported.
He is a Pisces.  Which is a fish.  Some of the bad traits of that sign are as follows.  Tell me if any of these sound familiar:

• Escapist and idealistic

• Secretive and vague

• Weak-willed and easily led

He grew up in the Bathurst and Steeles area.
He is a Jew.  He said it, I'm just relaying the message.
He resides in Mississauga.
He has a mail order bride from Argentina.
He has two daughters.
He enjoys dice based fantasy baseball games, specifically Dynasty League Baseball.
He has a face for radio.
He has a weakness for the brilliant and cheesy music of the 1980s. 
He really hates it when you call him the voice of the Blue Jays or when you pronounce a players name wrong.  So you know what to do next time you get through now.....

Samuel Wilner, as he will now be known in these parts, will be on hand June 17th in St. Marys @ 7pm to play in a "celebrity" slopitch game.  I guarantee this chump has zero game.  So much so, that I will call on my childhood friend to take some pictures of his performance and demand that they are exclusive to us here at 1BlueJaysWay.  Stay tuned.

If you want a chance to spike him breaking up the double play or perhaps go elbows up, you can buy some tickets for a draw to play in the game.  I think it would be a fucking awesome idea to pool some money together and buy out the rest of the tickets.  Then we find the biggest ex football player / juice monkey in southern Ontario, jack him up with some Red Bulls and teach him how to "play the right way".  Just a thought.  Who is with me?  

In closing, I will send it over to Silky Johnson for a few words.  Go ahead Silk.
 

 



"We are the Time-Haters. We've traveled back in time... to call ya a cracker."







Update:

Looks as though Samuel has done it again!  In advance of the biggest series of the year to date, he has been given "the weekend off".  Say what you will about the optics of said decision and how it equates to censorship.  But knowing how Wilner conducts himself and his business, I am pretty sure he deserved whatever he got.  And personally, I think it looks good on him.....   

How does it feel to be on the other end of the phone Samuel?

Now, moving forward, he really has but two options:

1) He tones it down and tries to play nice with the other children.
2) He comes back even more insufferable than before.

Is there really any doubt which way he goes on this one?