Justin Pogge Gets Call Against Buffalo Tonight
February 4, 2009
by Jack Porter… Justin Pogge will start his third NHL game tonight when the Toronto Maple Leafs face off against the Buffalo Sabres at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
Pogge won his first NHL start against the Atlanta Thrashers, but lost his second to the Minnesota Wild, allowing six goals on 21 shots.
The young goalie didn’t take the loss badly, saying he learned that he needed to work on some things.
The Maple Leafs also announced that Mikhail Grabovski won’t play in Buffalo, but didn’t give a clear answer as to why. Grabovski was benched for most of the second and third period in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Also not in the lineup tonight is defenseman Tomas Kaberle, who will be out up to four weeks with a broken bone in his right hand.
Fellow defenseman Jonas Frogren and forward Andre Deveaux will also not play, as they have been sent down to the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.
Rocky As the Wrestler? Mickey Rourke Routs the Rock
February 4, 2009
Rocky Balboa coulda been a contender! The Rock coulda been the champ again!
But Sly Stallone took the simple easy way out for Rocky to say his farewell and Mickey Rourke stole the old pug’s thunder with a rousing performance as Randy the Ram in The Wrestler.
Rourke is nominated for an Oscar. Stallone is musing butchering Edgar Allan Poe in a Bio Pic called Yo! Yo! Poe.
Rourke and Stallone were both eighties cinema stars. Rourke, while a much better actor, never had the mega hits that Stallone had with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. But both actor’s careers have faded badly in the past two decades.
Rourke has revived his as fading, suffering, broken down eighties Pro Wrestling king, Randy The Ram, who is looking to climb to the top rope one last time, because the top rope is where its at for him.
Actually, the old wrestler realizes its the only place for him. Randy the Ram wants one more glorious taste of the only place that ever made him whole and happy.
And the faded Ram doesn’t care what the butchers bill will be on his collapsing body as long as he has one more stab at glory one note of Sweet Child of Mine. Faded glory is better then no glory as many pro athletes will attest to.
Randy Ram is a glorious, aging wreck of a once wondrous fun house of a man. The Ram wanders the crumbling, collapsing Jersey shore showing his estranged daughter the old great haunted fun house, the one place they had fun together in her childhood.
It’s a wonderful scene one envision this crumbling, haunted house of a man trying desperately to rebuild the fun house that was his long gone glorious youth.
Jersey icon Bruce Springsteen sings the final sad song, “The Wrestler”, and it is a worthy sequel to Glory Days. But Bruce could have been serenading Balboa.
That haunted house should have been Rocky Balboa’s.
Stallone finished his final Rocky epic, which became completely clownish after Clubber Lane, with the usual cliched Rah! Rah! Rah! Rocky ending.
If Sly would have run Rocky a darker route his finale might have been under Oscar nights glittering gold lights. What if Rocky ’s swan song would have been a realistic one? A look at down and out broken souled boxers? Complete with shaking limbs, glazed eyes, battered brains and no income?
What if it had been colored with the bitter, grim endings of Joe Louis or Sonny Liston? What if Sly would have show a broken in body and brain Rocky shuffling, shaking slowly around South Philadelphia used as a side show to some second rate mobsters and smirking, suburban yuppies?
What if Rocky had been shaking hands at the Blue Horizon, like Joe Louis did in Detroit and Vegas, for beer, food, and chump change? What if instead of the trite Hollywood ending Stallone had gone dark and shown the harsh, ugly reality many boxers, even the great ones, face? No health insurance, no pension, no job prospects, broke both in body and in mind.
Maybe a desperate Rock doing some dark things in dire circumstances would have made the old, broken pug a deeper character instead of a common caricature.
Would that unhappy Rocky have won Sly respect and an Oscar? If Rocky checked out not in the cliched, unrealistic ring comeback way but instead died in a cheap hotel or in a run down hospital would America have cheered?
No, of course not but that flick might have made a difference to broken down boxers and maybe won Stallone some Oscar gold.
But Randy the Ram stole Rocky’s gold and even his broken down Philadelphia and Jersey scenery. Randy the Ram robbed Rocky’s fun-house but at least he did it in an Oscar worthy way.
Stallone? He chose to go to Burma instead to make yet another silly Rambo movie. But in Burma real bullets were flying and the Rocky Rambo man fled. Not that I blame for that but I wonder if Sly watches the Wrestler and considers what Rocky’s swan song could have been? What it should have been?
And lets hope when Yo! Yo! Yo! Ed Poe! is released Stallone doesn’t make it a rah! rah! rah! Rocky ending. In real life everyone stays down when the final bell rings, age and injury, and in Poe’s case, like many boxers, substance abuse and mental illness take their terrible toll.
Old Poe went down hard and early and did not get up, and few cheered as he lay dying, drunk and delusional on a dark, dirty side street in Baltimore. No one there knew who Poe was until it was too late.
If Stallone would have put a dash of Poe in Rocky’s farewell that movie might not have been forgettable. No that Rocky-Ram-Poe that flick might have been famous.
Jason Blake: Holmes or Watson?
February 4, 2009
Toronto has always been a pretty clean and friendly city. While it displays a good amount of diversity, there seems to be a part of the city that remains sometimes dysfunctional.
The Leafs fans.
Being an avid Leafs fan myself, I feel it is my duty to knock some sense into the many other esteemed followers. With that being said, this piece is in no way focused on criticizing fans of the blue and white, but to rather remind ourselves to be a more understanding and less demanding crowd.
The crazed media centre in Toronto has done nothing but judge and poke holes in the mistakes players make. No wonder players do better when they leave and do worse when they join. It’s not a coincidence my friends; the pressure put on some of these athletes is completely unbearable and suffocating at times.
It seems to be a constant battle for some of us to accept the current state the Leafs are in, or the fact that various players make a number of sloppy and inconsistent plays. In any situation however, there is always some distinct light at the end of the tunnel.
I call him Jason Blake.
After announcing that he had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia at the start of the ‘07-’08 season, Blake was deemed hopeless for another productive year with his newly acquired status as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Jason Blake received most of his fame as a New York Islander from 2000 to 2007; was a contributing asset to the young organization. He progressed year after year, eventually becoming a 40-goal scorer by the time free agency struck at the end of the ‘06-’07 season.
The Moorhead, Minnesota native was then signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007 and joined the Maple Leafs for a five-year, $20 million contract.
Fans and analysts all believed he would be a growing influence for the struggling Toronto team, while still continuing to display the required skills New York benefited from in previous years.
Nonetheless, in his first season as a Leaf, Blake only managed to score 15 goals and add 37 assists for a total of 52 points. Although he played in all 82 regular season games, he struggled to get the puck in the net with over 300 shots on goal in the process.
Things have changed significantly since then as Mr.Blake has jumped back on the scoring train once again. The start of the ‘08-’09 campaign didn’t treat the 35-year-old forward well. He hadn’t quite yet adjusted to the hectic schedule and got off to a slow start posting only a few points per month.
The second half of the season promises to show another side of Blake as he begins to show his talent and perseverance to the city. He now leads Toronto in goals (17), game-winning goals (three), and is tied for the team lead in points (37) with Nik Antropov who has played four more games than Blake.
The past few weeks have been remarkable. His consistency continues to improve every game as his stamina and confidence grow. He’s faster, smoother, and doesn’t create as many turnovers.
The 180lb, 5′10″ veteran is currently riding a four-game goal and point streak with four goals and four assists for a total of eight points. He’s a +2 and has a 10.6 shooting percentage in the 46 games he’s played so far this season.
What bothers me the most is that people are finally starting to say some nice things about him. The Toronto fans haven’t been too keen on his abilities in the past and have chirped a lot in regards to his weaknesses.
Why is it so easy to praise a player for doing well, but so hard to give them the time of day when they are doing bad?
There’s just an insane amount of pressure these players have to deal with in Toronto, not to mention the fact that there are many legacies they have to live up to as well.
Blake’s really stepping up and showing that you don’t have to be the star player to get things done. You can still be a Watson, but think like a Holmes.
Watson isn’t Holmes, but he’s still smart in his own way and serves a purpose. He’s not a superstar, yet has proven that he’s not to be taken lightly.
Blake’s not a leader, but is just as capable of producing results and staying potent offensively as the next young gun. And just like Watson, he’s the next best thing.
February is the month of love, so let’s see what treats we receive
Fun Fact:
Jason Blake’s much-hyped 40th goal of the season was actually scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Apr. 5, 2007. Irony or just coincidence?
Ottawa Senators, A Force United or Divided?
February 4, 2009
The story of the Ottawa Senators is getting old fast, I mean, how many times will they fire the Coach instead of dealing with the numerous other shortcomings this organization has? It says here that firing Craig Hartsburg, while not completely unwarranted, will do very little to change the success of this organization going forward.
If you have been on the Senators website you might have noticed their Slogan, it reads “A Force United”, riddle me this, how can you call yourself a Force United when you fire off your coaches quicker than a porn-star fires off a load into Jenna Jaimeson? Well, you don’t!
The reality is, the Senators have been in a tail-spin ever since they made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006/07; which leads to the the question, how can a team go from Stanley Cup Finalist to a perpetual underachieving team? Better yet, how do you turn this sinking ship around, and quickly? I can tell you how you don’t do it, you don’t fire your Coach 48 games into the season, especially when there have been three coaching changes since that 2006/07 season and, for the most part, none of the incumbents had better results than the Coach they replaced. Ok, former Head Coach John Paddock had decent results, but he couldn’t get along with the players, so General Manager Bryan Murray canned him; hindsight is very powerful, looks like in this case, Murray should have fired the underachieving players, not the Coach.
The biggest issue facing the Senators is the current salaries of their top players, for example, this season Jason Spezza- the player most likely to get the brunt of the blame for the Sens failures- is a $7 Million (All figures US dollars) Cap hit, Dany Heatley is a $7.5 Million Cap hit, Daniel Alfredsson is a $4.4 Million Cap hit, Mike Fisher- who is having a terrible season- is a $4.2 Million cap hit, Martin Gerber- who just cleared waivers- is a $3.7 Million Cap hit, which begs the question; even if the Senators wanted to make some big changes, exactly what will they get back for players who are underachieving and overpaid? There is an argument out there that suggests the Senators would be lucky to get a draft pick in exchange for the likes of Jason Spezza. With 7 years left on his bloated contract at $7 Million per, who could blame a rival GM for giving up so little?
The fact is, the Senators have $24.5 Million committed to their top forwards, more than the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, the Anaheim Ducks, the San Jose Sharks, the list goes on and on. Where does the Senators offence rank? 28th overall, simply not good enough! Other notable statistics; the Sens rank 27th in goals scored at Home, 28th in goals scored on the Road, which combined, ranks them 30th overall in Home vs Road goals, they have the 16th best Power Play, and they are ranked 28th in +/-. Delusional Owner Eugene Melnyk thinks the fans that are expecting wholesale changes are nuts, with stats like that, what do you expect the fans to want?
Accountability is not in the Senators organizations vocabulary. From the outside looking in many of the Sens young players came into the organization, busted butt for a year or two, were rewarded with huge contracts and, since that point, have taken 5 days a week off. Heart has been questioned, work ethic has been questioned, maturity has been an issue- as seen with the Ray Emery incident, Infighting has been rumored for years, and yet GM Bryan Murray has continually rewarded “His Players”. The question I would ask Murray is, WHY? Why would you resign a 37 year old player to a three year contract, further handcuffing your organization, Why would you sign Spezza to a monster contract, Why is Dany Heatley continually let off the hook when he is making $7.5 Million this year? Why can you not acquire a decent goalie? Why, after a disastrous 2007/08 season did you bring back Martin Gerber? Why did you let the Ray Emery situation get so out of hand on your watch? And, last but not least, how the hell do you look yourself in the mirror and collect your big fat paycheck when clearly your complete lack of guidance, your inability to pull off the “Big trade”, your mishandling of the teams salary Cap, and your inability to land the “Big fish” in free agency have led to the Senators outside looking in on a playoff spot??? Why didn’t you fire yourself Bryan??? How can you not see your own shortcomings? Firing Craig Hartsburg is a smoke and mirrors move, he was only part of the problem, and a small part at that.
The word is out on the Senators organization and their players, and the word is not very complementary. First, Ottawa is quickly becoming a graveyard for Coaches, second, many of their players are viewed as coming up small in big situations, third, the Senators owner has recently come out and shown his ignorance by suggesting the team is just fine, and, last but not least, the odds of any Free Agent of any consequence ever coming to Ottawa has been completely diminished by the constant bumbling of their GM Bryan Murray and all the BS that surrounds this team. If I am a free agent, I say to myself, self, why the hell would you want to go play with the Ottawa Senators when the entire organization looks like a bad episode of the Twilight zone???
The problem with Senators is that the issues are continually the same, it’s like the movie “Groundhog Day” in Senator-land, every season is the same BS, over and over again. Here’s a taste of this years issues- The Sens don’t have a number one Goalie, the Sens need to get tougher, the Sens have drafted poorly/ fail to develop good players, the Sens made poor choices when signing Free Agents, the Sens only have one line going, the Sens made a bad Coach hire, the Sens look disinterested, the Sens have too much money wrapped up in three players, the Sens defence is weak, the Sens can’t win the big games, the Sens seem to be fighting in the locker room, and, finally, the Sens are UNDERACHIEVING. Does any of this sound familiar????
There is no magic formula for a Sens turnaround, the reality is the Sens will be seeking wholesale changes, they need to not only change the roster, they need to change the entire Culture of this hockey club, if they fail, there will be more turmoil to come. Success will not come easy, the Sens are handcuffed by huge salary obligations, they have very little in the way of prospects coming up and they have made some poor personnel decisions recently. All of these factors will make GM Bryan Murray’s job very tough, not to mention the fact that Murray is perhaps the biggest problem of them all. Riddle me this? Name a good trade that Murray has pulled off? Name a great Free Agent signing Murray has made? Sorry, Jason Smith doesn’t count…As the Gang who brought knives to a gunfight once said, the Senators “Be F-cked!”, Ok, they said “We be F-cked”, but who’s counting???
Somebody once said, “If you continue to do the same behavior over and over again you will get the same results”, clearly the Senators have not learned from this saying, and probably never will…………
Until next time, Peace!
Georges St. Pierre vs Thiago Alves: The World is Weighting
February 4, 2009
After Saturday nights total annihilation of BJ Penn by Georges St Pierre it would seem nearly impossible that there could be anyone in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championships—or the whole of Mixed Martial Arts for that matter—who could make even the slightest dent in the Armour of the great French Canadian fighter.
Georges St. Pierre’s recent performance undoubtedly Crowns him as the ultimate king of MMA welters; however, the young Brazilian gladiator who entered the octagon to congratulate him - during the post fight interview - could very well be the fighter to dethrone him.
The 25 year old Thiago Alves Araujo is a another, in a seemingly never-ending line of already great, young, Mixed Martial Arts warriors coming out of Brazil. Now fighting for American Top Team out of Coconut Creek Florida…Alves possesses bone crushing leg kicks and knock out power in either hand.
The 5′ 9″ Alves who is 16-3 with 10 KOs started training in the discipline of Muay Thai when he was a mere 15 years old, and MMA at 17. Despite early career losses to Jon Fitch, Spencer Fisher and Derrick Noble, the young warrior has rapidly rebounded with stunning wins over Josh Koscheck and legendary pioneer MMA wrestler Matt Hughes.
When analyzing this matchup on paper, it looks eerily similar to the recent match-up involving Lyota Machida versus Thiago Silva; Where we witnessed a pressure fighter—T.Silva—with tremendous power, make a vain attempt to “walk down” the counter-punching Karate master—Lyoto Machida.
GSP is a world class Wrestler, with amazing balance, speed, and great kicks; he now also carries some very much improved boxing skills.BJ Penn was highly regarded as having the best boxing skills in MMA but was constantly beaten to the punch by the very slick-moving Canadian Champion.
GSP was once considered “very good” in all areas but in my personal opinion he has elevated that status to the word “great” in the areas of Wrestling and Kickboxing skills.
Some of the knocks on Thiago Alves is that he has a notoriously hard time cutting weight on his short compact frame. He has also been suspended for testing positive for using diuretics.These are a family of drugs used for combating water retention, commonly known as fluid pills.
This is a factor that may or may not point to a lack of self discipline, which is an area that his up coming opponent greatly excels at.
my prediction here is that if the “weight factor” doesn’t present problems for Alves and the fight takes place as planned that Georges will emerge victorious. GSP is at his pinnacle right now, he has mastered his technique in all areas.
My personal thoughts are, that Alves lack of self discipline, and powerful but prodding style wont pose too many meaningful problems for the current elite welterweight champion. Although as of this time it is simply a weighting game.
Patience is the art of hoping-Luc De Clapier
Porter’s Weekly Leafland Talk: Who Stays and Who Goes?
February 4, 2009
by
With the NHL trade deadline about a month away, I wanted to weigh in on who might stay and who might be wearing a new sweater come March 4th.
Staying
Ian White
Although Ian’s name has popped up in trade talks (most notably with the Los Angeles Kings) don’t expect White to be moved. White is a young offensive defenseman that has shown he can play the wing too, no team will be able to put any offer on the table that will make Burke trade this young man brimming with potential.
Dominic Moore
Moore’s name like White’s has appeared in some trade rumors but expect them to be nothing more than rumors. Although Moore is having a career year offensively and has leadership, I don’t believe any team will make an offer that will be worth trading a player that is a mentor to the young players coming up in the Leafs system and also plays coach Ron Wilson’s two way hockey style.
Vesa Toskala
Well, the old saying applies here, the Leafs should’ve quit while they were ahead with Vesa Toskala. A move last year could have seen the Leafs get at least a prospect and 1st round pick for Vesa. This year Toskala has lost all the stock value he had compiled last year. With the leagues worst save percentage among starting goalies at .883 and a lowly 3.32 goals against average, no team will touch this guy with an hundred foot pole. I smell a buy out at the end of this season.
Matt Stajan
The talented center has been tested and passed this season by coach Ron Wilson. Matt is a future leader on this team and can chip in offensively. Stajan is also very close to being an untouchable on this Maple Leafs squad such as the likes of
Luke Schenn, Mikhail Grabovksi, Nikoli Kulemin and Justin Pogge.
Going
Thomas Kaberle
The 30 year old defenseman from Rakovnik, Czech Republic has already said he will waive his no trade clause if asked by GM Brian Burke. Kaberle will be a hot commodity at this years trade deadline, mostly likely going to the highest bidder. Despite a recent injury Kaberle is expected to be moved for a top prospect and a first round pick. Teams interested in picking up the all star rear guard include LA, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Montreal and as many as ten other teams.
Pavel Kubina
A team that fails at getting Kaberle, may make a pitch to acquire Kubina. Pavel has shown his worth and may waive his no trade clause come March 4th. Although he may not command a first round pick Kubina could be traded for a prospect or young roster player as well as a second or third round pick. Columbus is rumoured to be the top team interested in Kubina’s services.
Nik Antropov
Antropov’s name has been bouncing around in trade talks all season and why not? Nik has developed into a powerful center who has a gift for scoring. Nik should be able to bring in the Leafs a solid return. Columbus is again the front runner this time for Antropov and it is rumored a deal is in the works that would see Toronto rake in a package of prospects and picks including a first rounder for Antropov and Kubina.
Jason Blake
The pesky forward has been lighting it up this past month and has pushed his trade stock skyward. Burke should be able to pick up a roster player and decent prospect for the surging Blake. Vancouver and Washington may be interested in Blake but his $4 million salary might be a stumbling block.
Alexei Ponikarovsky
Alexei hasn’t exactly burned up the league but a team looking to add scoring depth may trade for the hulking winger. Alex has good size and can score or dish the puck. Leaf fans shoudn’t expect a big return for Poni but a decent trade could be in the future. Minnesota seems to be the main team interested in Poni.
Jiri Tlusty
Okay settle down. It may seem like a surprise that Tlusty is on this list but take a minute to think about this. Tlusty hasn’t lived up to the potential he was supposed to have but he is looking like he will turn into a decent player. Now you maybe thinking, “If he’s going to be a decent player then why trade him?”
Well I’ll tell you: When a team is looking to acquire Kaberle, Antropov or Kubina they may be willing to give up a draft pick and a prospect but maybe not as good of a prospect or as high of a pick Toronto wants. So by adding Jiri to the deal the Leafs could go from for example with the Columbus Blue Jackets from a prospect like Cody Goloubef to a prospect like Jakub Voracek.
Other players on the move could include Jeff Finger, Anton Stralman, Nik Hagman and Lee Stempniak.
Takin’ a T/O With BT: Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns Make Saturday Night Alright
February 4, 2009
For the second time this season, the Air Canada Centre was brought up to it’s feet and down to tears by a man who barely set foot in the building as a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Wendel Clark only saw half a season of action in “the Hanger while Doug Gilmour never set foot in the building—he had the opportunity following his trade back to Toronto in 2003, but he suffered an ultimately career-ending knee injury in his first game back with the Leafs in Calgary.
Both of them have certainly thrown parties to be proud of though, and their numbers are now proudly “honored” amongst those who share in the legendary lore of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The entire night was an honorable affair: From the throwback 93 jerseys the Leafs wore to honor Killer, to the banner emblazoned with his likeness that was raised to the rafters, to the treatment of his family, to Don Cherry’s tribute (and kiss on the cheek) the evening painted an iconic picture of the once-Crown Prince of Leafdom returning to his stomping grounds.
The most endearing moment of the night however was the speech Gilmour prepared for the occasion.
He thanked the Maple Leafs, the MLSE, the management of the Maple Leafs (including Brian Burke, Jeff Jackson, and Dave Nonis), Cliff Fletcher for bringing him to Toronto, his past teammates, and the fans.
But most importantly, he thanked a man who’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
He thanked Pat Burns.
As has been well-documented, Pat Burns has been diagnosed with Cancer for a third time. Unlike his previous two bouts with the disease however, Burns is looking towards other options rather than chemotherapy.
While some may spell doom and gloom over the disease though, Burns isn’t looking behind him, or holding his head down; he’s moving forward, moving onward, and moving upwards.
Under the same light as which he coached, Burns is taking a no-nonsense approach to battling the disease: He plays golf, he still attends hockey games as a scout for the New Jersey Devils, and he still rides his motorcycle amidst the sunny banks of Florida.
If anyone is saying ‘woe is me’, it certainly isn’t Burnsy.
“I don’t want pity. That’s the last thing I want from anybody.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the time I’ve got left”…
Simple words from a man whose enjoyed a simply successful career: 500 career wins as a coach, three Jack Adams awards, and a Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils; The team and the General Manager—Lou Lamoriello—who’ve got Burns out-and-about, scouting out the league, and proving he’s still one of the best hockey minds around.
Further cementing that Hall-of-Fame resume is the fact that, of the All-Time leaders amongst NHL Coaches (past and present), Burns is one of two coaches (the other being Billy Reay) to be amongst the top-ten in regular season wins and not amongst the top-ten in games coached.
For Leafs fans, you may also remember him as the man who took the Leafs on one of their most-magical playoff runs post-1967 in 1993.
Kind of fitting that, at a ceremony honoring the Leafs’ own great #93, Burns received the second-loudest ovation of the night from an appreciative fan base, whose only bitter memory of that run is a missed call from Kerry Fraser.
The applause and cheering wasn’t out of pity; it wasn’t out of sadness, or a nagging sense of inevitability. The applause was out of respect, appreciation, and adoration for a man who not only brought the Leafs back from the brink, but only finished two full seasons under-.500 with four teams and thirteen seasons (not counting his eight-game 2000/01 stint with the Boston Bruins).
Doug Gilmour was a hockey hero, Pat Burns is a real-life hero—kind of fitting that, in a bit of a distant way, both had their moment on Saturday night.
2009 Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview: Infield
February 4, 2009
After an 86-76 finish to the 2008 campaign, eleven games back of the upstart Tampa Bay Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays are looking to their up-and-coming infield to help bring a balance to the club.
With great past performances from the likes of Lyle Overbay, Scott Rolen, and Aaron Hill, the Jays have every reason to believe that the 2009 version of the Jays infield can become one of the most efficient, consistent, and successful infield squad in the majors.
At first base, in his fourth year in a Jays uniform, Lyle Overbay, 32, started to turn around after a dismal 2007 season. Known for his consistent hitting with the Milwaukee Brewers and in his first season in Toronto, Overbay struggled in 2007, batting .240 with only 44 RBIs.
In 2008, Overbay started to regain form hitting .270 along with 15 HRs and 69 RBIs, still a far cry from his career year in 2006 with 92 RBIs and 22 HRs, his first season in Toronto.
But the Jays have alot to expect out of their first basemen this season. If Overbay’s consistency is back, then the Jays can look forward to his presence at the plate. On the defensive side of the ball, Overbay is a solid, left-handed first baseman with only five errors in each of his last two seasons.
Activated off the DL on November 14th, second baseman Aaron Hill is hoping to rebound after a shortened season due to a Grade II concussion suffered 55 games into his 2008 season. Hill’s rise to become the Jays main second baseman has been slow and steady, yet his 17 HRs and 78 RBIs in 2007 shows that Hill has the tools needed to be a good second baseman at the plate.
On the defensive side, Hill is noted for making big plays when it counts. His single error in the 55 games he played in last year is a testament to his superb defense.
Hill’s contract signed last April was a four-year, $12 million contract. Signing Hill was necessary to lock up a full-time second baseman. His comparisons to former Jay Roberto Alomar have come about since he hit those 17 HRs in 2007 and broke Alomar’s record of 41 doubles in a season.
At shortstop, the Jays may have their shortstop position up for grabs coming into training camp.
Many questioned the move of signing John McDonanld to multi-year contract and then signing veteran David Eckstein only days later. McDonald, a fan favourite in Toronto, is known for his gritty style of play and his great defensive skills. Not known for power at the plate, McDonald makes up for it with his defense.
But after Eckstein was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks in late August, McDonald’s regained the role as the primary shortstop for the rest of 2008. Yet, McDonald and Marco Scutaro are both vying for the top job in 2009.
Scutaro’s breakthrough season in 2008, mainly due to injuries to Eckstein, Rolen, and Hill, may have earned him the starting role in 2009 at short. His consistent play at the plate (.267 average) and his 60 RBIs along with his great defense has given rise to another shortstop dethroning McDonald from the shortstop position.
Depending on what happens in spring training, Scutaro is likely to be the starting shortstop in 2009.
At third base last season, vetern Scott Rolen’s position as the primary third baseman was seen as a welcome addition after the fiasco with former third baseman Troy Glaus. Rolen’s twelfth season in the MLB was mediocre and did not start off on the right foot after a fracture on his right middle finger.
Being on the DL twice, the other time due to his shoulder, Rolen knocked in 50 RBIs and hit 11 HRs and had a decent .262 average. His leadership and experience in a great addition to the Jays and hopefully he can contribute even more in 2009.
Another long shot at getting a starting position is Joe Inglett. Known as “Voodoo Joe”, as he was nicknamed by former manager John Gibbons, Inglett also played a substantial amount of time in the Jays lineup in 2008. In 109 games in 2008, he hit home 39 RBIs while batting .297.
However, with Scutaro likely to get the starting job at short and Hill slated to be back at second, Inglett may be called upon as a backup to both Hill and Scutaro along with McDonald.
A deadline deal brought Jose Bautista over to the Jays from the Pittsburgh Pirates. His inconsistency with the Pirates saw him demoted to Triple-A and then dealt to the Jays. He played in 21 games in 2008 and is known for his versatility, either to play in the infield or the outfield.
Behind the plate, after the departure of veteran catcher Greg Zaun, the main man for the job is now fully in the hands of Rod Barajas. With a World Series ring from his days in Arizona, Barajas split time in 2008 with Zaun, playing in 104 games while hitting .249 with 11 HRs and 49 RBIs.
Barajas backup will likely be Curtis Thigpen, although the Jays have signed former San Diego catcher Michael Barrett to a minor league deal as well as former Pirates catcher Raul Chavez. Thigpen played in ten games last season as the number three catcher.
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