Tension in T-dot: Who's to blame?
By: Isaac "Zeek" Cohen
August 23, 2006
What has happened to the Toronto Blue Jays? Reality has set in on a team that may as well be quoted as "third for life" in the A.L. East. The Jays have definitely taken positive steps this season towards being serious contenders but they're still a few pieces away. J.P. Ricciardi had a very busy off-season reeling in A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay and Bengie Molina. Ryan, Glaus and Overbay have definitely paid dividends for the Blue Jays, and talent wise, this year's rendition of the team is a vast improvement from a year ago. However, the Jays failure to reel off an extended winning streak this year has once again kept them from being a top contender in a very competitive AL East.
Their inability to go on a lengthy winning streak can be mainly attributed to their inconsistent starting rotation. Roy Halladay has carried the load as expected but the rest of the staff has been consistently inconsistent. Burnett's 2 month stint on the D.L. decimated the starting rotation. During this stretch Josh Towers compiled a 1-9 record with a very ironic 9.11 E.R.A. Adding injury to insult, Gustavo Chacin also went on the D.L. and instead of pursuing another proven arm J.P relied on the likes of Casey Janssen, Ty Taubenheim, Shaun Marcum, and Scott Downs to pick up the slack. Janssen showed some promise but eventually opposing teams figured him out. The other three are at best spot starters and it is unrealistic to think they are anything more than mediocre arms.
Hitting has been the Jays strong point, but many are misled because a lot of the Jays runs have either been scored in bunches or insurance runs in a blowout. The Jays have banked on homeruns far too much this season to bail them out of games. The fact that this lineup is very streaky can be a double-edged sword. When clicking on all cylinders the Jays lineup one through nine is as good as any, but once they go into a slump you'll catch me watching re-runs of Married with Children. Manager John Gibbons has compensated for the teams lack of speed with the hit and run strategy, but when you have the likes of Molina and Overbay on the base paths you're better off letting the batter swing away. How often have the Jays sacrificed a runner over or stolen a base? While the long ball is a nice luxury to have, playing fundamental baseball is still the recipe to long term success.
The Jays have also had to deal with a new found problem in the middle infield. Russ Adams caught the "Chuck Knoblauch Syndrome" and hasn't panned out the way Ricciardi had hoped. The Jays D as a whole has been suspect, and the middle infield situation has left many hollering for O-Dog to come back. As much as Orlando Hudson's glove has been missed, no one would take that trade back considering how much power Troy Glaus has added to the lineup. Regardless of the fact, the importance of the defense up the middle cannot be undermined when looking at the team as a whole.
Toronto's bullpen with the exception of B.J. Ryan has left many sick to their stomach. After observing how John Gibbons manages a bullpen, it seems pretty clear that he's all about equality and not putting the right pitcher in at the right time. There have been so many instances where Gibbons has put in a reliever and taken them out after facing one or two batters; wasting an arm for nothing. In certain situations (a lefty-on-lefty match up) it's justifiable but when you switch a righty for another one I question the logic. Gibbons uses too many relievers per game making the bullpen look worse than they really are.
The bottom line is he is not the right manager for this team. At one point in the season it felt like the lineup was as random as a slot machine with Gibbons hoping to hit the jackpot. Experimenting is acceptable to a certain degree, but at the end of the day this is the major leagues not house league softball. Last night's scuffle between Ted Lilly and Gibbons has also sent a clear message that there is instability in the clubhouse. At first glance, many thought Lilly's outburst at Gibbons was inappropriate given that he let up 7 runs in less than 3 innings. However, it is evident that Lilly's reaction was out of character meaning that the problem is Gibbons. All of this tension began with the Shea Hillenbrand saga eventually forcing Ricciardi to make the trade. How can anyone expect this ball club to succeed when their own manager is challenging players to a fight? One has to question if Gibbons really knows what to do with this ball club.
In the end, there are some positives the Jays can take away from this season; the hitting as a whole has improved dramatically and for the first time since the glory days of Tom Henke and Duane Ward, the Jays have a legitimate closer in Ryan. J.P. Ricciadi knows he has some work ahead of him to get the Jays back in the postseason. If J.P. addresses Toronto's need for a better shortstop, more speed and pitching, this team will see themselves in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
By: Isaac "Zeek" Cohen
August 23, 2006
What has happened to the Toronto Blue Jays? Reality has set in on a team that may as well be quoted as "third for life" in the A.L. East. The Jays have definitely taken positive steps this season towards being serious contenders but they're still a few pieces away. J.P. Ricciardi had a very busy off-season reeling in A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay and Bengie Molina. Ryan, Glaus and Overbay have definitely paid dividends for the Blue Jays, and talent wise, this year's rendition of the team is a vast improvement from a year ago. However, the Jays failure to reel off an extended winning streak this year has once again kept them from being a top contender in a very competitive AL East.
Their inability to go on a lengthy winning streak can be mainly attributed to their inconsistent starting rotation. Roy Halladay has carried the load as expected but the rest of the staff has been consistently inconsistent. Burnett's 2 month stint on the D.L. decimated the starting rotation. During this stretch Josh Towers compiled a 1-9 record with a very ironic 9.11 E.R.A. Adding injury to insult, Gustavo Chacin also went on the D.L. and instead of pursuing another proven arm J.P relied on the likes of Casey Janssen, Ty Taubenheim, Shaun Marcum, and Scott Downs to pick up the slack. Janssen showed some promise but eventually opposing teams figured him out. The other three are at best spot starters and it is unrealistic to think they are anything more than mediocre arms.
Hitting has been the Jays strong point, but many are misled because a lot of the Jays runs have either been scored in bunches or insurance runs in a blowout. The Jays have banked on homeruns far too much this season to bail them out of games. The fact that this lineup is very streaky can be a double-edged sword. When clicking on all cylinders the Jays lineup one through nine is as good as any, but once they go into a slump you'll catch me watching re-runs of Married with Children. Manager John Gibbons has compensated for the teams lack of speed with the hit and run strategy, but when you have the likes of Molina and Overbay on the base paths you're better off letting the batter swing away. How often have the Jays sacrificed a runner over or stolen a base? While the long ball is a nice luxury to have, playing fundamental baseball is still the recipe to long term success.
The Jays have also had to deal with a new found problem in the middle infield. Russ Adams caught the "Chuck Knoblauch Syndrome" and hasn't panned out the way Ricciardi had hoped. The Jays D as a whole has been suspect, and the middle infield situation has left many hollering for O-Dog to come back. As much as Orlando Hudson's glove has been missed, no one would take that trade back considering how much power Troy Glaus has added to the lineup. Regardless of the fact, the importance of the defense up the middle cannot be undermined when looking at the team as a whole.
Toronto's bullpen with the exception of B.J. Ryan has left many sick to their stomach. After observing how John Gibbons manages a bullpen, it seems pretty clear that he's all about equality and not putting the right pitcher in at the right time. There have been so many instances where Gibbons has put in a reliever and taken them out after facing one or two batters; wasting an arm for nothing. In certain situations (a lefty-on-lefty match up) it's justifiable but when you switch a righty for another one I question the logic. Gibbons uses too many relievers per game making the bullpen look worse than they really are.
The bottom line is he is not the right manager for this team. At one point in the season it felt like the lineup was as random as a slot machine with Gibbons hoping to hit the jackpot. Experimenting is acceptable to a certain degree, but at the end of the day this is the major leagues not house league softball. Last night's scuffle between Ted Lilly and Gibbons has also sent a clear message that there is instability in the clubhouse. At first glance, many thought Lilly's outburst at Gibbons was inappropriate given that he let up 7 runs in less than 3 innings. However, it is evident that Lilly's reaction was out of character meaning that the problem is Gibbons. All of this tension began with the Shea Hillenbrand saga eventually forcing Ricciardi to make the trade. How can anyone expect this ball club to succeed when their own manager is challenging players to a fight? One has to question if Gibbons really knows what to do with this ball club.
In the end, there are some positives the Jays can take away from this season; the hitting as a whole has improved dramatically and for the first time since the glory days of Tom Henke and Duane Ward, the Jays have a legitimate closer in Ryan. J.P. Ricciadi knows he has some work ahead of him to get the Jays back in the postseason. If J.P. addresses Toronto's need for a better shortstop, more speed and pitching, this team will see themselves in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
posted by Isaac Cohen at
3:55 PM
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