2009 Blue Jays Pitching Staff: Questions at Back End of Rotation
February 6, 2009
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The Blue Jays were the American League’s most effective rotation in 2008 but will have many holes to fill this year as their starting pitching staff has been decimated by the signing of A.J. Burnett by the Yankees, Shaun Marcum’s elbow surgery, and Dustin McGowan’s shoulder injury.
With these players gone, Cito Gaston has to find replacements for 78 starts, 484 innings and 33 wins which will be no easy task even with ace Roy Halladay returning and Jesse Litsch proving to be a great starter, going 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA over his final nine starts.
One of the biggest holes in the rotation was created when Burnett signed with the Yankees, after going 18-10 last season and providing 34 of the 40 starts that didn’t come from products of the Toronto farm system.
Another huge lose is Marcum, whose 3.39 ERA last season was only topped by the Doc’s 2.78, and is expected to miss the 2009 season after elbow surgery.
Plus, McGowan will be out until at least May after shoulder surgery.
Toronto’s starters led the majors with 1,021 innings, an average of 6 1/3 innings per start and it’s the Blue Jays farm system that has been responsible for the team’s rise to the top of the American League in pitching. Homegrown pitchers started 122 of the team’s games last season, a number that will probably increase in 2009.
Some of these prospects include David Purcey, who got his first 12 major league starts last season and is almost a sure thing for a rotation spot. Casey Janssen, who has been a starter and a reliever, missed last season because of a shoulder injury, but has healed and should battle for a starting position at spring training.
Another potential outside addition to the rotation is Matt Clement, who signed a minor league contract after being out of the majors the last two seasons because of shoulder problems.
Other prospects include their top two pitchers in the system, Brett Cecil and Brad Mills, and also lefty Ricky Romero, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft. There is also British Columbia-native Scott Richmond, who had five big-league starts last season.
Bullpen
A deep bullpen has been the Jays’ strength for several seasons and should remain strong as long as they don’t borrow relievers for the rotation. The bullpen had a 2.94 ERA last season, best in the majors and more than half a run better than any other AL team.
The Jays are especially strong from the left side. Not only is closer B.J. Ryan a lefty, but so are their top three setup men: Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson, and Brian Tallet.
Closer
B.J. Ryan was ready much sooner than expected after Tommy John surgery and converted 32-of-36 save opportunities. Jeremy Accardo, who had 30 saves with Ryan out in 2007, was limited to 16 games with elbow and forearm problems, but is throwing again and hopes to be ready for camp.
Garbage Time: Go Away, Billy
February 6, 2009
I know I’m not the only person who’s tired of hearing about Billy Steele. No, not the gay porn actor. You know, the numbskull 17-year-old Rogers camera jockey who was barred from working in the General Motors Centre in Oshawa because he talked to Don Cherry. It’s the type of subject matter that gets all hockey moms over 50 clickity-clacking away at their email’s “FW:” button. It’s also way fucked.
And now his dad has filed a human rights complaint? Seriously, Billy – go away. And take your dad with you.
First of all, this wasn’t an innocent, isolated incident that a BIG EVIL CORPORATION!!!!!! jumped the gun on. Billy Boy pestered – sorry, “chatted with” – Don twice on two consecutive days, and the second time, it was after being explicitly told not to by his boss. Baseball cap on too tight, Billy?
And he was also reprimanded within the same month for bringing a buddy of his onto the ice after a game. Didn’t know that? That’s because I could find it in only one of the many stories written about Billy. I guess it doesn’t jive with the sexy-ass “no justice” storyline the Toronto Star is trying to spin.
And just for these repeated instances of breaking very simple rules, Global Spectrum, who runs the arena, got him canned. Wait – no they didn’t! Billy still, inexplicably, inconceivably, has a job. They’re letting him work in the video truck outside the arena. Sounds like justification for a $100,000 dollar lawsuit to me!
Yes, I know the guy has a learning disability. But I’ve also known many people with learning disabilities who were only that much more driven to be fantastic employees because of it. Truth is, the company made the right call. And the only reason Don Cherry is defending the kid is because it’s squeaky-clean positive press for a guy whose name usually shares a headline with “XENOPHOBIC TIRADE”.
Global Spectrum has hopefully taught Billy an important lesson: which is, if you want to become a well-paid professional, don’t snap pictures like a little girl, and definitely treat the on-air personalities with the respect and privacy they deserve, whether they claim to appreciate it or not.
Or blow Darren Dutchyshen. You could always blow Darren Dutchyshen.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS VERSUS ARIZONA CARDINALS: RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM SUPER BOWL XLIII
February 6, 2009
Okay, I give up. Lets talk football. Last weekends encounter lived up to hype. Sometimes the actual game can be anti-climatic, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals managed to put on a good show. Here are my random thoughts from Super Bowl weekend:
As good as the game undoubtedly was, lets stop all this talk right now about it being the best Super Bowl of all time. I’ve lost count of the number of times the game just played has been declared the greatest in the history of the event. I heard it after San Francisco beat Cincinnati 20-16, Denver beat Green Bay 31-24, St Louis beat Tennessee 23-16, New England beat St Louis 20-17 and the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14.
Do you notice a pattern here? Every time a close entertaining game is played, the media think it’s the best ever purely because it’s the freshest memory they have. Each of the encounters was enjoyable, but you could just as easily pick them apart.
For example, San Francisco versus Cincinnati was a 3-3 snooze-fest at halftime. It only picked up towards the end of the third quarter when Stanford Jennings returned a kick-off all the way for the Bengals. Likewise, St Louis was dominating Tennessee 16-0, before the Titans finally woke up in the second half to make a game of it.
Even last year’s battle was only 7-3 to the Patriots at the end of three quarters. Admittedly, there was a lot on the line with New England’s unbeaten season at stake. This added something to the occasion, but the actual quality of play and entertainment value was not too good until the final period.
And if we look at this year’s game, yes, it was interesting. But the fireworks didn’t really start until the fourth period. If we’re talking best fourth quarter ever in a Super Bowl, that I can understand a bit more. However, even then you have competition from the games I have mentioned above.
Making any declarations of ‘the best ever’ within seconds of a game finishing is foolish. It’s all a matter of opinion.
Talking of being subjective, I personally would have put Shannon Sharpe in the hall-of-fame. What he did as a tight end, retiring with all of the major records for the position, deserved to get him in at the first time of asking. I have no doubt he’ll get there eventually, but that will be of no consolation to Sharpe today.
And for all of those people who say the guy is a jackass, I agree. But the Hall of Fame is about what you do as a player on the field, not as a person off it, one example being Lawrence Taylor.
Is it just me, or were there too many questionable penalties called by the officials? Two prime examples happened on Pittsburgh’s first drive of the third quarter. Dominique Rogers-Cromartie was called for a facemask penalty. However, the NFL took away the incidental facemask penalty before this season started. You now have to actually pull and yank down on the facemask in order to get the penalty, which Rogers-Cromartie did not do.
And Karlos Dansby being called for roughing the passer was ridiculous. You’re asking a guy to stop his forward momentum one step after Roethlisberger has released the ball? Seriously? I’m sure there was lots of Seahawk fans’ having flashbacks and empathising with the Cardinals back out on the west coast as they knocked back another beer.
Well I guess the Cardinals fans now know how Steelers nation felt after Super Bowl XXX. Despite gaining more yards and first downs, Pittsburgh still lost to Dallas. Exactly the same thing happened to Arizona. There’s no doubt that the Cardinals were the better team over the course of the game. They held Pittsburgh under 300 yards, while gaining over 400 themselves. You could tell it was Arizona’s first Super Bowl, save for five players, as they continually made critical errors.
Undoubtedly the biggest play of the game, which epitomised why Arizona lost, was the goal-line interception of Kurt Warner. James Harrison returned the ball 100 yards for a touchdown, right on halftime. A stunning play by Harrison, but it should never have happened.
This should not take away anything from Ben Roethlisberger, who improved considerably from his previous Super Bowl performance against Seattle. His drive at the end of the game, to clinch the win was impressive. The guy may not always look pretty with what he’s doing out there, but he flat out knows how to win. Period.
This is backed up by the fact that Big Ben has the most regular season winners ever for a quarterback in his first five years in the league with 51. Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Otto Graham are all second with 48.
Did anyone else feel cheated at the end of the game when Warner fumbled the ball away before he had the chance to launch one final pass towards the end zone?
Bad night at the office for Arizona’s left tackle, Mike Gandy. Three holding penalties’ in one game is not good.
About the only Cardinal player who might be (secretly) happy that they didn’t win is Matt Leinart. It’s going to be tough enough to replace Kurt Warner whenever he decides to retire, (hopefully not just yet. Kurt’s playing as well as ever and this team has every chance of returning to the big show next year to try and finish the job) but can you imagine the pressure Leinart would be under, taking over from a Super Bowl winner?
We all know how much Mike Tomlin looks like Omar Epps who stars in House. But has anyone noticed how much an unshaven Kerry Collins resembles a poor mans Hugh Laurie? I watched a compilation clip of NFL films during the weekend and had to do a double take when I saw Collins, thinking I was looking at Gregory House himself.
There has been talk about the United Kingdom pushing to host four regular season games a year at some point down the line. The NFL is also toying with the idea of having one week each season where every game is played internationally. Given, that fans are complaining about possibly losing one of their eight home games, another thought is to have less pre-season games (two instead of four) while increasing the regular season schedule from sixteen to eighteen.
This is not a good idea. The games take enough of a toll on players as it is. Having to put their bodies on the line for two extra meaningful games a year is madness. Does the NFL not realise that this will mean more injuries. Do they really want more star-players like Tom Brady going down each year? The average NFL career only lasts three seasons as it is.
Bruce Springsteen put on quite a show at halftime. I was amazed by the moves he can still make as he approaches 60. However, I winced when he went sliding crotch first into one of the cameras on stage. Not sure if it was planned, but it certainly looked painful.
Finally, kudos to my girlfriend, who decided to stay up with me and watch the game. Alison wanted to see what all of the fuss was about as well as having me explain the rules to her. She actually made an interesting point as the Steelers were driving down the field at the end of the game, looking to at least get into field-goal range to tie the game. It went something like this:
Al Michaels: And it’s become a little windy here on a night, which began completely windless.
Alison: No it didn’t! It was windy before the game started.
Me: What are you going on about?
Alison: When that woman (Jennifer Hudson) was singing the National Anthem before the game, I was thinking how I wish I was in Florida, because it looks so nice and sunny and then I saw her hair blowing in the wind and thought ‘oh no! It’s a bit windy out there.’
Typical comment for a girl to make, but to be fair, brilliant. Take that Al Michaels!
Paul Taylor can be contacted at [email protected]
Justin Pogge Shows a Lot Despite Ugly Leafs Loss in Buffalo
February 6, 2009
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There have been losses this season. Tough ones. There will be more losses before the season is over. More tough ones. At this point of the Maple Leafs’ rebuilding effort, sometimes losses aren’t that hard to swallow.
Efforts like the last game in Buffalo, however, are.
Not even able to use the tired excuse—Buffalo had just returned from a tough road trip—the Leafs left Justin Pogge out to dry, as the Sabres, led by Thomas Vanek, pummeled the Leafs 5-0.
Always a shame when the Leafs lose in Buffalo due to the large contingent of Blue and White fans who make the trip. The Leafs didn’t only lose the game; they lost everything along the way.
They lost every battle. They lost every foot race. It was simply an effort that surely should have the coaches and players embarrassed. It’s one thing to lose, but it’s an entirely different thing to not compete.
However, it wasn’t all a lost cause for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Buffalo. Though people who didn’t catch the game and simply relied on the TSN ticker will surely look at me like I am crazy, I saw something that night. Something that can’t be read in a box score.
What I saw, I think, was assurance that Justin Pogge is going to be a N.1 goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs, sometime very shortly.
Now, I am a fan of Vesa Toskala, and I am not jumping off his bandwagon just yet. He is simply having an off year and is really fighting injuries right now. Still, I think he is a good goalie, and hopefully some time off can help out his ailing groin.
Having said that, I think it’s fair to say—based on what we have seen this season against Dallas, and last season against a few teams—that if Toskala had been in net last night, the score likely would have been in the neighbourhood of eight or nine goals for the Sabres.
Despite having his pants pulled down yet again by his teammates, Justin Pogge stood tall that night. He did let in five goals, there is no disputing that. However, he made several great saves and continued to battle until the end of the game, no matter the score.
He also showed mental toughness. It would have been very easy for Pogge to pack up his tent and head home for the night after the first period, when it was clear the Leafs didn’t have it. But he didn’t. He bent, but wouldn’t break. He continued to trudge on, choosing not to give up in a battle he was destined to lose.
As someone put it to me last night, Marty Brodeur wouldn’t have won that game for us. Far be it us to expect a rookie goaltender to be able to complete the mission impossible that wa sthat night’s lackluster effort at the HSBC.
For many fans and writers, it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Pogge. A Canadian junior hot shot, Pogge became a national hero and rose to fame when he led Team Canada to the 2006 World Junior Gold Medal. Pogge, drafted 90th overall by Toronto, finished the tournament a perfect 6-0-0 between the pipes for the Red and White.
However, it wasn’t as rosy of a picture this time last year, in the opinion of some.
A subpar season with the Toronto Marlies saw some people begin to lose confidence that Pogge was the man who could lead the Maple Leafs in the crease to better times. Whether he was truly struggling or was just a victim of unrealistic expectations is still up for debate.
Nevertheless, Pogge appears to be on track to be the goalie the Leafs can count on in the future, possibly as early as next season.
Ritter’s Power Rankings
February 6, 2009
The “Real” season is upon us, no more excuses, no more complaining about the schedule, no more whining about who was overlooked at the All-Star game, now is the time for teams to buckle down, bring it every night, and determine what is needed to make a lengthy drive into the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the Ranking’s, and, while we are at it, I’ll put my two cents in as to which teams will be buyers or sellers heading up to the deadline.
1. San Jose Sharks- Clearly the West is the tougher Conference to get Wins, thus, I have the Sharks ahead of the Boston Bruins. Truth be told there is not much to choose between these two powerhouse’s, still, I like the Sharks 23-2-2 record at home. The Sharks will look for depth, why mess with a good thing?
2. Boston Bruins- Third best record at Home, best record on the road, the Bruins are no joke! The Bruins will try to add a little forward depth, but I don’t think they will get too carried away at the deadline.
3. Washington Capitals- Remember all the talk about how bad Jose Theodore was playing? Yeah, Jose is just fine, thank you very much! Washington is holding their own and taking out some impressive opponents. 6-3-1 in their past ten, the Capitals are just starting to “Get it going”. Look for this team to make a move or two at the deadline, they will have just under $2 Million to play with and owner Ted Leonis is not afraid to spend. They are looking for a defensive upgrade.
4. New Jersey Devils- Coach of the year? Yep, I think it’s safe to say that Sutter has earned it! The Devils were left for dead when Brodeur went down, yet, somehow they continue to win. The Devils are 17-7-2 on the road, making them a fearsome opponent in your home building. Scott Clemensen, (a Toronto Maple Leaf cast-off), is having a career year and is THE main reason the Devils have dominated lately. The Devils are 8-2-0 in the past ten, the NHL’s hottest team. Look for the Devils to add a little offensive depth, maybe a guy like Bill Guerin???
5. Detroit Red Wings- Slumping a bit, the Wings are 4-4-2 in their past ten, but every team has their ups and downs, right? The Red Wings have looked weak in Goal, often that is a sign that the Defense needs re-tooling. Look for the Wings to stay put in the nets, they have very little Cap room, so what you see is what you’ll get here, unless they can pull off a trade that is $ for $, not likely.
6. Chicago Blackhawks- Another guy who will get a ton of consideration for Coach of the year is Joel Quennville. The Hawks are 6-3-1 in their past ten games, 14-4-5 at Home and seem to be getting better every game. The Hawks have about $700,000 to play with at the deadline, enough room to get some depth on the blue-line or a checker.
7. Calgary Flames- The Flames need to be better on the road, they are 11-11-1 in the other teams Barn, simply not good enough. I think the Flames are happy with the forwards, could use a backup goalie and perhaps another depth D-Man, with only about $800,000 to play with it will be tough to make any acquisitions.
8. Montreal Canadiens- Carey Price has been a little weak lately, but he’s still a solid goalie. look for the Canadiens to rest him a bit down the stretch. Montreal is looking for a forward, especially since Robert Lang went down. They could also use a puck moving D-man. Les Canadiens have about $1.7 Million to play with at the deadline, I suspect they will be “All-in” when the deadline rolls around, look for them to be in on many rumors.
9. Dallas Stars- No team is any hotter than the Stars right now. Marty Turco has been awesome and since the departure of Sean Avery the team has been much improved, perhaps one of the 5 best teams in the NHL? The Stars Have about $1.5 Million to play with at the deadline, but I suspect they will be fairly quiet. Is this their year?, or, should the Stars hold off until next season? If anything, look for the Stars to acquire a D-Man, or possibly a return of Bill Guerin???
10. New York Rangers- This team just keeps hanging around. the Rangers are 5-3-2 in their past ten, but they have lost three in a row, not good. The Rangers have very little to spend at the deadline, they will be looking for offensive depth.
11. Philadelphia Flyers- Philly has about $1.2 Million to spend at the deadline, with many teams in the East playing at a mediocre level, the Flyers are in a good position to compete for the Cup. Philly needs another D-Man and a good 3rd liner.
12. Anaheim Ducks- Back to life, back to reality…Good to see the Ducks quacking again. The Ducks have around $1.3 million to play with at the deadline, I expect them to make a final push for the Cup, changes are coming, so why the hell not spend it all? The Ducks also need to make a decision in Goal, do they even dream of moving Giguere??? Stay tuned!
13. Florida Panthers- The panthers just kind of snuck up on us, didn’t they? 6-2-2 in the past ten games, seem to be getting better every shift. Steady goaltending and great play from Corey Stillman and, Gulp, dare I say it, Bryan McCabe…Look for the Panthers to trade Jay Bouwmeester if he won’t re-sign, they could get a boat-load back in return for his services, but don’t hold your breath, the Panthers want him back badly and may overpay to keep him.
14. Minnesota Wild- Back from the dead! This team was floundering for a while, but, with grit and determination have worked their way back into the playoff fold. Minny has $2.5 Million to play with at the deadline, the question is, does management believe they have a strong enough team to compete against the likes of the Ducks, Stars, Flames, Wings and Sharks? I sure as hell don’t! They need scoring, and probably will for the next decade or so.
15. Buffalo Sabres- This team just keeps sticking around, kinda like a bad case of acne, no? Buffalo has about $5.5 Million to spend, but the WNY area is in a state of disaster employment-wise, it says here they do nothing, which is ok by me.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins- What the hell has happened to their defense? Better yet, what the hell has happened to Marc-Andre Fleury? The Pens need help on the back-end in a big way, the question is, will the return of Sergei Gonchar be enough? There are some rumors of the Pens trading Ryan Whitney, but don’t believe the hype. $2.2 Million to spend, look for the Pens to add, not subtract.
17. Edmonton Oilers- Is another fire-sale coming? Nobody is sure, and we probably won’t know until the day before the deadline. the Oil needs to make the playoffs, but they are in pretty deep in the Western Conference. $2 Million to spend, but I think they are on a tight leash.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets- Will they ever make the playoffs? Now that they have Steve mason firing on all cylinders it is possible. The BJ’s have $3.5 Million to play with, problem is the fanbase is slipping and ownership is struggling to pay the bills, sounds like a team that will take it’s chances with the current roster to me.
19. Vancouver Canucks- This team has been hideous since they signed Mats Sundin, curiously Roberto Luongo has been terrible too. Nice going Mats, looks like you picked another losing team! Vancouver needs to think long and hard about this season, it’s like they have two Jacks and there is an Ace and a king in the flop…Do they go for it, or do they fold? Maybe they should ask Mats, he of the professional poker tour!!!
20. Carolina Hurricanes- 4-6-0 in the past ten, they have $7 Million to spend at the deadline, but are unlikely to add much in the way of help. one thing that may help is demoting that bag of rocks Rod Brind’Amour, he has been terrible, sitting at a -30 rating!!! Nik Antropov to Carolina, you heard it here first…lol…
21. Phoenix Coyotes- Two weeks ago this team looked like a team on the rise, this week they are a team in trouble…again! Inconsistency is killing this club, what’s up with that Wiener? The ‘Yotes will be lucky to be in Phoenix next season, look for them to sit tight.
22. Colorado Avalanche- 3-7-0 in their past ten…again! this team is going nowhere fast, look for them to unload faster than a porn-star at the deadline…
23. Los Angeles Kings- L.A. has a boat-load of Cap-space, that said, don’t expect them to move any youngsters or acquire any veterans. The Kings are sellers, they are looking to the future, and, for the most part, it looks pretty bright.
24. Nashville Predators- Dan Ellis may have lost his starting job. Pekka Renne has been solid in the pipes, but the Preds still can’t score. I’d love to tell all those Preds fans to wait for the big trade, but it’s not coming. They may entertain moving Ellis, but they won’t get much in return. Is Ellis the second coming of Andrew Raycroft, or is he just having a bad year???
25. St. Louis Blues- Starting to heat up, kinda remind me of Leaf teams from the past. you know the type, play cruddy all year and then turn it on at the end only to weaken your draft position. Me being a Leaf fan, I say, “Go Blues Go”…The Blues are going nowhere, so they will be sellers. Would love to trade Boyes, believe that!- Check out his plus/minus- warning, it will make you puke!
26. Toronto Maple Leafs- Sell, sell, sell, that is the mandate in Leaf-land. The question is, are there going to be enough buyers?
27. Tampa Bay Lightening- They are sellers, the only thing left to decide is to what degree they will unload???
28. Ottawa Senators- 4-5-1 in the past ten games, and lucky to have won the four! The coaching change will do little to change this team. Look for the Sens to consider a number of trades including both Goalies, all six D-Men, all 12 Forwards, and the trainers rub a-5-3-5 collection.
29. Atlanta Thrashers- Should have a good shot of landing John Tavares, also should have a good shot at going bankrupt.
30. New York Islanders- The Glory days are never coming back, officially the NHL’s graveyard for re-treads and retarded moves by Management. Somehow, the Islanders have won four in a row, hey, every dog has it’s day…maybe they will screw up the Tavares draft too, wouldn’t surprise me one bit!!!
The Curse of Leafs Nation
February 6, 2009
I’ve only lived in Toronto for four months.
I’ve never had a poutine, I don’t own hockey skates, and I still pronounce the last ‘T’ in the city’s name. In short, I’m still a foreigner in these here parts.
So why, in a hockey city of five million people, am I one of only a few who seem to appreciate the Toronto Marlies?
It’s the fault of the Maple Leafs.
Let’s look at the facts
- They won their division and came second in their conference last season.
- Their goalie was called up to start for the Leafs.
- You can watch them play for 10 bucks.
In contrast, here’s how the Leafs are doing:
- They are currently fourth out of five in the Northeast Division