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So the Jays release Frank Thomas over the weekend. Naturally, you'd think that would open up a spot for an excellent propsect, who already had a taste of the big leagues, is left handed on a RH heavy team, can play the OF so Stairs can DH more, and is hitting .379/.431/.621 in AAA.

I realize Lind had a stiff neck over the weekend but he's played 2 games now, going 4-8, and is seemingly good to go. What am I missing here? I expect he'll be called up, but I would have expected that yesterday too and the Jays don't always appear to be the most rational bunch.


I'm sure Joe Inglett's a good guy, and he's good to have around in the case of a lot of injuries because he's versitle and LH, but he shouldn't he getting regular playing time. He was off to a hot start (6-13) but he's 3 for his last 15.

And carrying a third catcher so that you can DH Barajas against lefties and still have a backup catcher isn't exactly a good use of roster space either.

This seems way too obvious to me. Lind should be called up (with Diaz going down) and Wells, Rios, Lind, Stairs, and Stewart can rotate through DH and the OF. When Rolen is back Inglett can head back to Syracuse.

Has anyone in the media bothered to ask about Lind to Gibbons or Ricciardi since Lind has returned from the stiff neck with Inglett getting 2 straight starts in RF (being trained journalists and all)? If so what possible explanation can they have for it?

Say it with me: FREE ADAM LIND!
Free Adam Lind! | 53 comments | Create New Account
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jmoney - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 09:43 AM EDT (#183324) #
I'm all for freeing Adam Lind and I think he can help this team more then Robinson Diaz will at the moment.

However, he won't and can't right whats potentially wrong with this team. Then again, what do I know? I'm just a sad jays fan.

zeppelinkm - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 10:54 AM EDT (#183327) #

My beef with Inglett is that he... he just doesn't hit when the Jays need him too.

His splits in high leverage, medium leverage, and low leverage situations. (From Baseball-reference).

High: .222/.200/.222 for OPS+ of 16
Medi: .182/.250/.182 for OPS+ of 20
Low:  .625/.667/1.000 for OPS+ of 342

In "Late and close situations" (as defined by baseball reference to be: PA in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck). He is 0 - 8 in these situations with a sac fly, a ROE and 2 RBI's.

Small sample size warning galore, but man, he's had numerous opportunities to help when it counts and he hasn't delivered.

I know his stats are good with RISP and 2 outs (someone might cite this in response to his "clutch" factor or lack thereof) but i'm willing to bet of those 3 hits (he's 3 - 7 in these situations) the times he got a hit was in a game the Jays were creaming the opponent and the times he didn't were close ball games. How can I check this?

I'm with Pistol. I've been screaming it from the mountain tops. FREE ADAM LIND!

 

greenfrog - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:36 AM EDT (#183336) #
I completely agree. The Jays' decisionmaking is sometimes baffling. Had Lind and Rios played last night, our lineup would have looked something like:

Eckstein
Hill
Rios
Wells
Stairs
Overbay
Zaun
Lind
Scutaro/Inglett

Instead we get:

Eckstein
Hill
Stairs
Wells
Overbay
Stewart
Zaun
Scutaro
Inglett

And we lose 6-4. Nice. I don't even want to think about the collective OPS of that lineup. Not only do we need Lind now, but why not wait until Lind and/or Rolen get recalled before sitting Rios? Sometimes it feels as though the Jays (JP and Gibbons) are simply blase about losing. Or obtuse about the need to put together a respectable AL lineup.
Jdog - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:44 AM EDT (#183337) #

Tonigh's starting line-up.

  1. Eckstein    SS
  2. Hill              2B
  3. Barajas     DH
  4. Rios           CF
  5. Overbay     1B
  6. Zaun           C
  7. Inglett          RF
  8. Scutaro       LF
  9. McDonald  3B

Im sure Wells is gassed from last night. Of course Im joking but I actually wouldn't be too suprised to see it.  Boston pounded out 16 hits in a come from behind win yesterday, right now we have absolutely no reason to believe we can compete with them. Lets hope things change

tr0mbone - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:58 AM EDT (#183340) #
"Has anyone in the media bothered to ask about Lind to Gibbons or Ricciardi since Lind has returned from the stiff neck with Inglett getting 2 straight starts in RF (being trained journalists and all)? If so what possible explanation can they have for it?"

IMHO, this is more of a problem. The media should be the teams ombudsmen not their tool. I get more relevant information from blogs then I do from newspapers about the games.

I say we petition Paul Godfrey for Blog Press Passes so we can make our own Blue Jays news network. At least we care about the team for 162 games... not just that window between the hockey playoffs and football training camp.
Chuck - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#183341) #

In "Late and close situations" (as defined by baseball reference to be: PA in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck). He is 0 - 8 in these situations with a sac fly, a ROE and 2 RBI's.

Small sample size warning galore, but man, he's had numerous opportunities to help when it counts and he hasn't delivered.

Good splits and bad splits, given incredibly small sample sizes, are equally meaningless as predictors of future performance. Were Inglett 4 for 8, rather than 0 for 8, in "late and close situations", would that make you more confident to see him in the lineup? Would that suggest a greater likelihood of success moving forward?

A much broader argument, based on his long career, albeit mainly in the minors, can be used to argue against giving Inglett too much playing time. There's no need to cherry pick a few crummy, small sample splits.

Mike D - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 12:54 PM EDT (#183345) #

When Rolen and Lind are called up, I propose this rule:  Of Stewart, Scutaro, Inglett and McDonald, either 0 or 1 of them are permitted to be in the starting lineup.  Starting three of them is kind of crazy.

I agree that, failing a very specific reason for rest, it was very ill-advised to give Wells and Rios days off during this (hopefully brief) window after Thomas was cut and before Rolen and Lind are added.

zeppelinkm - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#183347) #

Chuck: I wasn't trying to predict Inglett's future success by showing those numbers and apologize if I implied this. More so, I was just trying to confirm what I thought from watching the games - that he's hitting when it doesn't matter. I was "cherry picking" the situations that i've observed him to be poor in. IE, important situations. And those numbers confirm that so far this year he hasn't been good in those situations. 

Over his career he's been a below average hitter in the majors and at a late age to boot (games played at age 28, 29, and 30). The indicator that he shouldn't be given substantial playing time would be like you said, his career stats combined with his age.

 

Rob - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 01:22 PM EDT (#183348) #
I'm on the FREE ADAM LIND train with everyone else--he won't be outstanding, but he won't be Joe Inglett--but jumping on sportswriters for not being journalistic enough is like, with proper respect to Roger Ebert, kicking a dog for not being better at calculus.
Chuck - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 01:32 PM EDT (#183349) #
Except that dogs aren't masquerading as math teachers.
Pistol - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 04:46 PM EDT (#183366) #
but jumping on sportswriters for not being journalistic enough is like, with proper respect to Roger Ebert, kicking a dog for not being better at calculus.

Well, if we can think of these things with our heads buried in a spreadsheet in our parent's basement you'd think trained professionals could handle it, right?
ChicagoJaysFan - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 05:18 PM EDT (#183370) #
On the topic of "sports journalists" in Toronto ... I was having a conversation about the guy at the Star the other day and I have to say, that I'm starting to actually feel sorry / pity the guy.  This season, to me, it's become obvious that he really doesn't like the people he spends most of his time covering.  This was cemented by his comments about what he said to Reed after he was cut.

In isolation, I wouldn't think much of that single article, but the guy just doesn't seem to ever enjoy anything about covering these Jays (the early season switch to steals is a bit of an exception).  Why continue covering them?  Is baseball reporter for the Star really that lucrative that he couldn't find a similarly paying job where he actually enjoyed spending time with the people he closely worked with?  I mean Kelly came over from soccer, so if he enjoys the Star but hates the Jays, why not try and cover something else?

The guy just reminds me of those people at every company who constantly complain about the company, the work they do, and everything associated with it, but then ends up sticking around for years without ever moving on to something else.
Rob - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 05:35 PM EDT (#183372) #
you'd think trained professionals could handle it, right?

Wilner said about Lind, on Monday, that the Jays will "stick him in left field everyday once he’s recovered from his stiff neck (by the end of the week)" so presumably he's asked someone about Lind. If he pushes further and asks why Lind needed two games in Syracuse, is there any doubt he won't get the "Lindy's still a little stiff and just needs to get back in the groove" response?

I guess my expectations are just really low when it comes to sportswriters doing research and looking for answers and all that other stuff. We've known Richard Griffin and Bob Elliott are clueless about the Jays for...well, it's been several years now. The fact that they went to a j-school (they did, right?) and have been around the game forever doesn't mean they're going to ask why Adam whatshisname isn't up with the team.

And, man, would properly trained dogs ever constitute a huge pedagogical improvement over the majority of math teachers at Waterloo.
ChicagoJaysFan - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 05:41 PM EDT (#183373) #
And, man, would properly trained dogs ever constitute a huge pedagogical improvement over the majority of math teachers at Waterloo.

I studied Math at Waterloo and did a Masters at U of Chicago - I can completely relate to what you're talking about as far as quality of teaching.  I had maybe 3 profs at Waterloo that I thought were worthwhile once I experienced Chicago (and Larry Smith wasn't one of them, but I never had him, so I can't comment).
Gerry - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 05:50 PM EDT (#183374) #
Lind is in the lineup for the Chiefs tonight.
Paul D - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 05:54 PM EDT (#183375) #

 

I had a number of good math teachers at Waterloo, and at least one great one.

Mike Green - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:07 PM EDT (#183377) #
Lind is in the lineup for Syracuse tonight

It probably costs $99 US or less to get him on a plane to Tampa.  I'll put in $10, and I'll bet I can find 9 other Bauxites willing to fork over the cash!  He may not be free, but $10 is not too much to spend for this worthy cause.
ramone - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:09 PM EDT (#183378) #

Well not only is Lind still in Syracuse but check out this lineup from Gibby today, he's lost it, and Rios must either be hurt or in the doghouse:

Eck
Stewart
Hill
Wells
Stairs
Barajas
Zaun
Diaz
Inglett

GrrBear - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:12 PM EDT (#183379) #
Why are guys like Wells and Rios getting days off in April?  It's April, for cryin' out loud.  July, August, okay, I can see that, but it's frickin' April.  If I were Rios, I would have said, "Uh, skip, we're only twenty games in.  I'm still younger than the cast of High School Musical.  I don't think I need the rest yet."  But, oh yes, let's rest our stars against the Rays, who Toronto hasn't been able to consistently beat since just about ever.

Maybe it's just a way to get fans used to all the days off Bonds is going to get after the Jays sign him. :)

Chuck - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:16 PM EDT (#183380) #
I had maybe 3 profs at Waterloo that I thought were worthwhile once I experienced Chicago (and Larry Smith wasn't one of them, but I never had him, so I can't comment).

This is like a UW alumni society. I was also not particularly impressed with the vast majority of my professors at Waterloo. I did enjoy Larry Smith, however. He was an interesting character.
Chuck - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:17 PM EDT (#183381) #
and Rios must either be hurt or in the doghouse

I'm hearing flu.
ChicagoJaysFan - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:27 PM EDT (#183382) #
This is like a UW alumni society. I was also not particularly impressed with the vast majority of my professors at Waterloo. I did enjoy Larry Smith, however. He was an interesting character.

With UW's reputation in Math, Statistics, and related fields, are there any alumni events / focus on sabermetrics?

At Chicago, Nate Silver has been really good about engaging the alumni community - at least recently.  I remember last year he, and someone else from Prospectus, hosted a seminar in conjunction with a ChiSox game.  I'm hoping they do something similar again as that was well received (even if we did have to venture to the South Side for it).
greenfrog - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:30 PM EDT (#183383) #
Well not only is Lind still in Syracuse but check out this lineup from Gibby today, he's lost it, and Rios must either be hurt or in the doghouse:

Well, at least Eckstein has grit and Stewart is a proven offensive performer and Barajas has some pop and Inglett...hmm, can't remember if there are any Inglett cliches out there. I know Jerry Howarth kept raving about his small-sample .300+ average long after he went into the tank in key situations.
timpinder - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:31 PM EDT (#183384) #

Barajas and Zaun both in the lineup, Rios out, Overbay out, Lind in AAA.  Who's responsible for keeping Lind in AAA, Gibbons or Ricciardi?  I've never called for this before, but John Gibbons should be fired.  Not just because of these crazy lineup decisions, there's been many poor management decisions in the past.  I really started to sour on Gibbons a year or two ago when, in a critical at-bat and with Rios and McDonald both available on the bench, a lefty was brought in and Gibbons pinch-hit with John McDonald!!  (Who either promptly struck out or grounded into a double play, I don't remember). When Gibbons was asked about the decision the following day (by Wilner, I believe), Gibbons' response was that he, "had a hunch". 

Absolutely terrible.

greenfrog - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:41 PM EDT (#183387) #
A funny exchange from today's BP (available to nonsubscribers):

Taylor (Toronto): If I kidnapped Adam Lind and brought him down to Orlando the Jays would have to play him over Joe Inglett right?

Kevin Goldstein: You supply the van, and I'll drive.


The following comment was also interesting:

Bill (Toronto): The Lansing Lugnuts have an interesting team loaded with players from the Jays '07 draft, any guys that really impress you?

Kevin Goldstein: TONS. I like Kevin Ahrens, I LOVE Justin Jackson and I think Yoherman Chavez is underrated. The future of the Jays really does reside in Lansing right now.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=452





Jdog - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:47 PM EDT (#183389) #

With another horrible line-up being presented, at least there is some reason to watch the game as Diaz makes his debut. Im excited to see how he looks.

Rios better have the flu and it better be bad. And Overbay(who's been heating up)  better have something as well.

If we lose this Halladay- Hammel matchup tonight , Gibbons gets axed. Thas my predicition.

timpinder - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:50 PM EDT (#183390) #

"If we lose this Halladay- Hammel matchup tonight , Gibbons gets axed. Thas my predicition".

So it's a win-win situation!

Brian W - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:51 PM EDT (#183391) #
Is this the first time the Jays have ever had three catchers in their starting lineup?  Especially outside of September callups?
HollywoodHartman - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:52 PM EDT (#183392) #
There had better be a good reason why Rios is sitting 2 straight days, and Gibbons having a hunch isn't a good reason.
Mike Green - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 06:55 PM EDT (#183393) #
Riddle me this.  Why would you run out a lineup filled with right-handed hitters against Hammel?  It's not like he's Shields with reverse splits.  Has the flu bug struck Overbay too?
Ryan Day - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 07:02 PM EDT (#183394) #
Maybe Gibbons is trying to get fired? That's about the only explanation I can think of for playing Rod Barajas at first base. And Stairs and Stewart in the outfield at the same time?

According to Blair, Overbay hurt his ankle. So that's two players day-to-day who might not be able to play, and Lind still isn't up here? Is Ricciardi on vacation this week?

Rob - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#183395) #
With UW's reputation in Math, Statistics, and related fields, are there any alumni events / focus on sabermetrics?

At the risk of derailing the FREE ADAM LIND train (which I see is now a plane)...no. I think there was one presentation about using integer programming to create the MLB schedule, though that was a couple of years ago and I haven't seen anything since. Baseball isn't popular enough and the Perimeter Institute probably cares more about string theory anyway.

The Chiefs are in Pawtucket and I see we can get Adam Lind from Boston to Orlando tomorrow morning as long as he doesn't mind a stopover in Pittsburgh. I'll match Mike's $10, so we only need 15.1 more of you to donate and he can be in the lineup tomorrow night.
Geoff - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 07:14 PM EDT (#183396) #
A right handed DH, a right handed 1B and a right handed LF against a right handed pitcher?

Heads must roll!      Unless the Jays win and hit well, in which case heads can stay where they are ...for now.

And this isn't the first time of a three headed catching monster. You don't remember the days of Zaun-Molina-Phillips? Here's one such game.

Nick - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 08:26 PM EDT (#183400) #
I'm in for $10, 14.1 more to go.

This is going to be the 15th straight season of non-playoff baseball with nary a meaningful September game in between.  What a disgrace.  I love baseball and I love the Jays, but following this team is bad for my blood pressure.  I just want to explode, so I should probably stop typing now and do something to take my mind off of this.  Good thing we have Doc going tonight to hold up that 1 run.
Mike Green - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 09:45 PM EDT (#183411) #
Ugh.  This one is tough to swallow.
scottt - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 10:02 PM EDT (#183413) #
One bad inning for the Doc and that's game. It would have taken some balls to pull him after 5 innings.

Pretty good game from Stairs. And Inglett wasn't half bad. Lead off single, 2 steals and gets stranded at third. At least he was hitting the ball out of the infield.

Diaz must be a good first ball hitter, either that or he had the jitters. That second one was hit well.

If you must have a lineup like that, why Stewart rather than Inglett in the second spot?





robertdudek - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 10:17 PM EDT (#183417) #
If you must have a lineup like that, why Stewart rather than Inglett in the second spot?

Does it really matter? what we saw today was a AAA quality lineup.
SuckaMD - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 10:56 PM EDT (#183424) #
Is there a paypal account set up to purchase the plane ticket, or do I write someone a cheque??
scottt - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:29 PM EDT (#183426) #

Could have been worse. McDonald and Scutaro where still on the bench.

Can't wait to see what's supporting McGowan tomorrow.

 
Thomas - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:35 PM EDT (#183430) #
Does it really matter? what we saw today was a AAA quality lineup.

To some degree, no. But it's also another indication that Gibbons is not having the best week, to put it charitably.

Thomas - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:41 PM EDT (#183431) #
I'm sure somebody out there listened to WWJP. If you did, can you say what JP said about Lind, as I'm sure someone asked him? Any other interesting notes from the interview are also appreciated.
Dez - Wednesday, April 23 2008 @ 11:46 PM EDT (#183432) #
JP said that Lind would be up "soon", but I didn't get the impression that soon meant tomorrow, unfortunately. Though he did say that Rolen and Lind would hopefully help the lineup. So maybe they'll return together.

The other main question was about Bonds, and JP did say they were thinking about it, but it would be a decision that would require a lot of 'signing off', and he didn't think they'd go in that direction.
Shane - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 12:12 AM EDT (#183434) #
I'm sure somebody out there listened to WWJP. If you did, can you say what JP said about Lind, as I'm sure someone asked him? Any other interesting notes from the interview are also appreciated.   Wilner's latest blog entry is up, and it hits on a lot of the WWJP content and tone & wording that it had from Ricciardi, which seemed to be very telling listening to him.
China fan - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 12:35 AM EDT (#183435) #

     I guess it's inherent in bloggers to feel superior to the rest of the world, but is there any chance that people could refrain from insulting all sportswriters as "dogs" who "can't understand calculus"?    I've always admired Batter's Box for its intelligent discussions and its emphasis on civility, and our Code of Conduct is pretty clear that we're supposed to avoid hurling insults.  It's one thing to say that Griffin is factually wrong on various things -- fine.   But to insult an entire class of people is going a bit far.  Are we saying that Jeff Blair and every other writer is a "dog" who can't understand anything statistical?  Only a Bauxite has any brains at all?  That's taking the superiority of bloggers to a new level.

    Judging by the participation in the polls on this site, there are only a couple hundred of active participants in the Box.  Maybe there are hundreds of lurkers too, and maybe the daily "hits" are more than that, but I would guess that the number of daily readers of the Box is in the hundreds, whereas the Globe and Mail (for example) is financially obliged to cater to 400,000 daily subscribers and a million weekly readers.  An interview with JP Arencibia is of intense interest to a few hundred of us, but a mainstream newspaper would go bankrupt if it filled the sports pages with those kinds of articles.  To attack a sportswriter for catering to a million casual sports fans -- instead of catering to a few hundred hardcore statistical freaks -- is a little silly.  There's room for all of us in this world without attacking those who fill a different niche, isn't there?

timpinder - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 12:46 AM EDT (#183436) #

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced something must be up with Lind and the situation in leftfield.  I've tried getting my head around it, and I just can't come up with any logical reason why the Jays would keep starting Inglett/Stewart/Scutaro in leftfield with Lind wasting away in AAA.  I didn't catch all of Ricciardi's time on the Fan 590, but I did hear him talk about Bonds.  I would have expected Ricciardi to respond with a resounding, "No", when asked about Bonds.  Instead he was non-committal.  With Ricciardi's comments and the handling of Lind, I wouldn't be completely floored if the Jays actually signed Bonds.

China fan - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 12:57 AM EDT (#183438) #

  The Bonds thing is fascinating.  If Ricciardi is admitting that they are thinking about signing him, this could explain a lot of what's happening with Lind.   Why bring him up for one or two games if they are trying to sign Bonds?  By the way, Ricciardi's style is to deny any rumored signing or trade until it actually happens, so of course he will say that he thinks a Bonds signing is unlikely.  If he said it was "likely", then Bonds and his agent would obviously demand more money.

   Again, I'd like to venture that some of the vitriol on these threads is a bit excessive.  Everyone condemned Gibbons as a moron for failing to put Rios and Overbay into the lineup tonight.  Then it transpired that they were not healthy enough to play tonight.  Anyone for a little patience here?

    As for Lind, it's been obvious since spring training that the team believes he needs more seasoning in the minors.  An early-season hot streak isn't enough to prove that he is ready for the majors.  The team's plan, probably, was to give him a full season at Syracuse this year.  (They promoted Coats and Inglett rather than Lind because they clearly believe that Lind needs more time in the minors -- why would their scouting report suddenly change on the basis of a few weeks of good numbers at Syracuse?)  Now they might adjust the plan to give him most of the season in Toronto, and that's still promoting him sooner than they probably believed was appropriate. 

    Let's wait another month or two before deciding if Gibbons and Ricciardi should be fired.

timpinder - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 01:29 AM EDT (#183440) #

There's nothing more for Lind to prove in the minor leagues.  Even before this year's great start he had batted .317 / .378 / .506 in the minors.  Coats was called-up because the Jays wanted to make sure that Lind got regular playing time, not because they thought Coats was better or more ready.  If Lind was seen as a future bench player also, he may have been promoted instead of Coats.  Inglett was promoted because he could play multiple positions, including 3B.  The cry to have Lind promoted now is a result of his position finally being open for him, coupled with the fact that he would almost certainly be an offensive upgrade over Stewart or Inglett, especially in the power department.

As for Gibbons, in my opinion he's mismanaged the bullpen, overworked his "go-to" starters and made many poor in-game decisions for years.  I think he's a bad manager.  It went beyond today's starting lineup which, at the time of many of the posts, came without any explanation.  Apparently Rios didn't have the flu when he sat yesterday, and if Wells sat the previous game because he had the flu, why not just say, "Wells isn't in the lineup today because he has the flu",  instead of suggesting it was just a chance to give Vernon a rest?

I've been a very patient fan for many years, and I've been patient with Gibbons for years, but enough is enough.

Magpie - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 02:48 AM EDT (#183444) #
In fairness to Richard Griffin, everybody - that's not his job. He's not a reporter, he's not expected to be. He's a columnist, he's supposed to provide his take on what's happening. You may not think much of it, but that's his role. He's not in the news gathering business.
Magpie - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 03:05 AM EDT (#183445) #
The other main question was about Bonds, and JP did say they were thinking about it

Wilner on his blog takes him at face value - he says he thinks Ricciardi would actually like to get Bonds in the lineup. Me, I'm wondering if a memo came down from the comissioner's office saying no one should definitively say they have no interest in Bonds, and rule him out completely. There's a lawsuit we don't need. But hey - Wilner's the guy who was actually talking to him, and you have to respect that.

I do like the way GM stood up for his manager - he said Gibbons was doing a fine job and if the offense doesn't improve, it's Ricciardi's fault for putting this group together if “they’re not the hitters we thought they were.”
scottt - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 07:34 AM EDT (#183448) #
As for Lind, it's been obvious since spring training that the team believes he needs more seasoning in the minors.  An early-season hot streak isn't enough to prove that he is ready for the majors.  The team's plan, probably, was to give him a full season at Syracuse this year.  (They promoted Coats and Inglett rather than Lind because they clearly believe that Lind needs more time in the minors -- why would their scouting report suddenly change on the basis of a few weeks of good numbers at Syracuse?)  Now they might adjust the plan to give him most of the season in Toronto, and that's still promoting him sooner than they probably believed was appropriate.

I don't buy that.  The way he's hitting, Lind isn't working on his offense. Longoria probably need more time at AAA, he's only played 31 game there hitting .269.

Lind started at AAA because Stairs was the regular left field and they thought Lind needed to play everyday. Simply put, he didn't make the team. Now, he's by far their best left fielder they have.

Last year's numbers would be a huge improvement over Stewart's.




robertdudek - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 07:49 AM EDT (#183449) #
About JP and Bonds:

It's really simple. It's (almost) impossible to deny that adding Bonds would increase the Jays win expectancy - likely more than any other team in baseball right now because of our great pitching and horrible hitting and (suddenly) vacant DH spot.

But with the legal troubles, the clubhouse issues and the cost, there is no way the Jays are going to sign him.

But no one in management can come out and say this because it would be a clear admission that there are factors other than trying to field the best possible team in play. Hence the dancing around the issue that we heard last night on the radio.

And Magpie, owners of other teams, when asked, have categorically stated they won't sign Bonds this season.

China fan - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 08:16 AM EDT (#183451) #

   So, since other clubs have categorically declared that they will NOT sign Bonds, why is Ricciardi not issuing the same categorical statement?   If the other clubs can do it -- without any worries about collusion charges -- then why isn't Ricciardi doing exactly the same thing?  

    The answer is:  he COULD categorically deny an interest in Bonds if he wanted to.  It's totally implausible to imagine that MLB has appointed Ricciardi as a decoy to distract attention from a plot to keep Bonds out of baseball.  Why Ricciardi?  You'd have to be extremely conspiracy-minded to imagine that scenario.

    So, we're back to the most obvious explanation:  Ricciardi is admitting that he might sign Bonds because there is, in fact, some possibility of signing Bonds.   Maybe he and Godfrey have signed onto the deal, and it's simply awaiting approval from Rogers and his battery of legal and public-relations advisors.

Ryan Day - Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 09:48 AM EDT (#183462) #
Overbay hurt his ankle on Tuesday night, and since he had X-rays done, one would assume the team was aware of the possibility he wouldn't be able to play on Wednesday, maybe even longer. And one would think that Rios didn't develop the flu at 6:30 on Wednesday evening. So how do you not call Adam Lind Wednesday morning and tell him to get on a plane/train/bus/horse?

Fielding a starting lineup with Barajas at first and Diaz at DH is pretty much inexcusable unless someone got injured twenty minutes before the game started.

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