The Legacy Continues...

And now...

absolutely. i couldn't agree more. well put!!! veteran presence is one of the things i think j.p. just doesn't understand fully. its what seperates him from the really good gm's like shapiro and beane in my opinion. i know we have a 1b/dh logjam but i still think eric karros would be a perfect fit for this team, if for nothing else than mentor/2nd hitting coach.

Oleg, to deride JP for not acquiring players of Karros' ilk is in my opinion absurd. Have you not seen what Karros did (or more appropriately) did not do for Beane and the A's in 2004? Wasting roster spots for "veteran leadership" is foolish if the players can no longer perform in any capacity. The players mentioned before hand were HOF's still performing at a very high level (with the possible exception of Morris).

I would also like to know what constitutes veteran presence in your opinion? The last time I looked, Troy Glaus had a World Series ring and MVP trophy, AJ Burnett (although injured at the time) has a WS ring from the Marlins, and Overbay and Ryan are hardly rookies?

Matsui doesn't belong on that list until he has a ring -- he does not. Sheffield got one in FLorida and Unit in Arizona (and Damon of course in Boston) but four of the eight players listed have not won a title with the Yankees ... and that's a different trick.

If that is the case then my apologies Oleg.

Exactly. The Jays should try and trade for Darcy Tucker. He has heart.

I remember hearing Jack interviewed before his 4th post season start that year, and he jokingly said that the Braves have a chance to win because he was pitching. I thought he was actually right on the money.

Vegas Line on World Series Winner (as of Jan 6)

NYY - 3.5/1
Bos - 7/1
Tor - 17/1
Bal - 80/1
Tam - 100/1

ChW - 4.5/1
Cle - 12/1
Min - 30/1
Det - 70/1
KC  - 300/1

LAA - 10/1
Oak - 15/1
Tex - 50/1
Sea - 70/1

In the 1992 post season, the Blue Jays played 12 games. Morris started 4 of them. In the 8 games that anybody but Morris started, the Blue Jays were 8-0. In the 4 games that Morris started, they were 0-4.

Try this column, where he says:

"The Jays as presently constructed would probably win, say, the NL West by 10 games or so."

Or there's this article, where Perry calls the BJ Ryan signing the most sensible of all the reliever signings. (This after his colleague Rosenthal ripped into the Jays for that contract.)

Here's another quote from Perry, where he called the Jays the second best winner of the winter meetings:

"On an entirely different level, team ownership and GM J.P.Ricciardi have sent a message to Jays fans that the organization once again has a vision that extends beyond "cut payroll." If the Red Sox and Yankees regress much in 2006, Toronto will be right there."

But yep, now that he's critising a Jays move he obviously "has it in" for the Jays and should thus be deemed an axe-grinder and disregarded like Richard Griffin.

I think that what is bothering people the most is that we fear that there may be some truth to what Perry is saying, certainly regarding Hudson's defence.

On the great fig debate:

Player     RC/27   PF   AdjRC/27
T. Glaus   6.60    104     6.47
C. Figgins 4.90     96     5.00
More Importantly:
C. Koskie  4.55    102     4.52

What I cannot use stats to demonstrate is the defensive difference between Koskie v2006 and Glaus v2006. And frankly, any person who tells you that he can authoritatively quantify that difference is either ill-informed or trying to pull a fast one on you. Unless it's Billy Beane.

Interestingly, Geoff Baker weighs in on the trade and is less critical of dumping Koskie than he is of signing him for so much in the first place.

Those are their listed heights. Short players, pitchers especially, tend to get stretched to 6 feet tall when their height is being documented. Back in the day, I remember seeing Buck Martinez listed at 6 feet tall somewhere. Maybe if you round to the nearest foot, yeah. Maybe.

While salary is always important to take into consideration, I do not see this as a particularly valid arguement in this case. Have you seen what Troy Glaus makes? A hell of a lot more than 6 million, I'll tell you that. Even if the WCS happened in Arbitration, there isn't a chance in hell Hudson would get anywhere close to what Glaus makes. So trading him for Glaus because of "salary considerations" doesn't make sense.

I sure hope you're not talking about me here. I implied no such thing, I merely pointed out that Perry used gross exaggeration in trying to talk Glaus down.

If I read an article that's unfairly positive about the Jays, I don't point out the faulty logic. My opinion of the value of the writer as an analyst may fall, but I'm a Jays fan - and not one of those who revel in the inadequacies of his team rather than what's good about it. On the other hand, if I read something that's unfairly negative about the Jays, I'm likely to point out the faulty logic. Again, to me this is just part of being a fan of the team.

It is Mick. The piece is here. Rosenthal also has Todd Walker having a lifetime .789 OBP. Must have been the copy editors night off.