Hall(aday) of Names: People of the silent movies, kiss of the twilight cry

The B-Squad is a little better than the As (it has a bench!). Bullpen sucks, starters are okay, but I like the lineup. It was tempting to continue The Hives' lyrics, but this song's title should be an update on "Spahn and Sain" given the state of the pitching staff.

LINEUP
1B Jeff Burroughs
2B Homer Bush
RF Jesse Barfield
LF George Bell
SS Mike Bordick
3B Tony Batista
C Pat Borders
CF Bob Bailor

BENCH
C Rod Barajas
C Kevin L. Brown
IF Casey Blake
OF Rob Butler
OF Rick Bosetti
UT Dave Berg

ROTATION
RHSP David Bush
RHSP A.J. Burnett
LHSP Bud Black

BULLPEN
RHRP Tom Buskey
RHRP Brian Bowles
LHRP Denis Boucher
RHRP Miguel Batista, far away from high-leverage situations

Then again, nobody will be watching the Jays in September anyway

Lost in the Cito madness was the news that Welcome Back Veterans, a charity whose purpose is not meant to be denigrated by anything following this dependent clause, has an awareness-raising event or something during MLB games on the July 4 weekend and September 11. As far as I can tell, the American flag will be morphed to fit each team's cap logo and blue will feature prominently in the uniform.

Hat tip, so to speak, to Uni Watch, where Paul Lukas points out that the Blue Jays are included in this. Sort of.

Their "honouring" of an American charity consists of combining the Canadian flag (an excellent, simplistic symbol of our country that everyone not descended from Diefenbaker can be proud of) and the Fighting Jay (none of those things). Ugly evidence here. I'm sorry for linking to that. The Jays have worn the stars and stripes in the past, most of the team is American, these games will be in Chicago and Anaheim, and WBV is MLB-connected, so American flags would have been more appropriate than bringing in the maple leaf for an event partially tied to Iraq. But at the very least MLB recognizes that they have a team playing in another country. Nobody needs to be reminded what song preceded OK Blue Jays on March 31, 2003.

That recognition would be enough progress to declare "the slope is positive" and move on, except that Lukas--who comes across as a sharp guy and really should know better--openly wondered if Canadian soldiers were even in Afghanistan. In a post about an event honouring veterans. So many wars, hard to keep track...

Hall(aday) of Names: Exhibit A, on the tray, what you say?

It's an off-day, so we'll start the Alpha Jays series. Aside from Robbie, this defence will certainly throw the ball in your face, or at least nowhere near your glove.

LINEUP
2B Roberto Alomar
C Alan Ashby
1B Willie Aikens
RF Doug Ault
LF Butch Alberts
CF Russ Adams
3B Gary Allenson
SS Edgardo Alfonzo

ROTATION
RHSP Doyle Alexander
RHSP Luis Andujar
LHSP Clayton Andrews

BULLPEN
RHRP Jeremy Accardo
RHRP Juan Acevedo
RHRP Jim Acker
RHRP Terry Adams
RHRP Carlos Almanzar

Yeah, so that defence is awful, but it's the best option. Could Alberts could play the outfield? Let's hope every single batted ball is hit quickly enough to second base so that Alomar can run it over to first himself (or he has time to give a really soft toss to Aikens). Alfonzo might deserve to be higher, but not after 2006.

This team helpfully introduces the extreme case of the defensive positioning rules. A player is first used at his regular Toronto position (e.g., Alomar), then irregular Toronto position (Aikens), then any other positions with other teams (Alfonzo), then wherever the hell we need him (Thrillhouse). There's no bench, just these nine guys.

And the rotation! Sure, there's Doyle, but the Game 3 starter is Private Andrews. And if anyone can't go on short rest, Terry "Bridgekeeper" / "Patch" / "Back End" / "Whatever Else We Came Up With Back When Signing Him Sounded Like A Good Idea" Adams gets the ball.

The A-Team this ain't. Any ways to improve?

That Hurts, Part 5

"I don’t know if we have the luxury of waiting two to three months for someone to kick in because we can’t let this league or this division get away from us." -J.P. Riccardi

Days since Frank Thomas was released : 56

Blue Jays' record since Frank Thomas last appeared in their lineup : 27-25

Number of times Blue Jays have scored more than 5 runs : 11 in 51 games

Frank Thomas's batting line since his release : .319/.417/.516 (OPS+ 164), same as it was last update. Right quadriceps tendinitis has kept him out since May 28 and for at least a few more weeks.

Shannon Stewart's batting line since Thomas's release : .241/321/.305

Stew's on a 2-for-27 kick after his three hits in the 12-0 game. Wilkerson's OPS+ of 83 is the highest among himself, Mench, and Stewart. The Jays scored six runs in three games against the league's worst team.

Hall(aday) of Names: Initial Reactions

It's easier to put these together than it was for Mick to do them for all of baseball because it takes less time. It's harder, however, because there are some letters that just wouldn't cooperate. We'll start our journey through the all-time Alpha Jays teams with the incomplete squads, as a teaser for what's to come:


TEAM E

C Bobby Estalella
3B Tom Evans
SS David Eckstein
LF Jim Eppard
RF Sam Ewing

RHSP Kelvim Escobar
RHSP Nino Espinosa

RHRP Mark Eichhorn
LHRP Scott Eyre
RHRP Leo Estrella
RHRP Butch Edge

The alphabetically-first of our incomplete squads.


TEAM I

1B Garth Iorg
2B Alexis Infante
SS Cesar Izturis
3B Joe Inglett

We have infielders, but nothing else. Good fit for the I team.


Team N

C Steve Nicosia
SS Tim Nordbrook
LF Wayne Nordhagen
CF Otis Nixon
LHSP Phil Niekro
RHRP Jose Nunez
RHRP Mike Nakamura

If Niekro's knuckler is really nasty...no, never mind.


Team O

C Charlie O'Brien
1B Lyle Overbay, John Olerud
SS Rey Olmedo
3B Willie Otanez
CF Al Oliver

If it mattered, we could conceivably move one of L'Overbay and Olderdude to the outfield, but it doesn't so we won't.


TEAM Q

C Guillermo Quiroz
RHRP Paul Quantrill

Paging Eddie Feigner...


TEAM U

1B Willie Upshaw
LHSP Tom Underwood

At least the pickoffs will work.


TEAM V

C Ozzie Virgil
2B Jorge Velandia
RF Otto Velez
LHSP Frank Viola
RHSP Pete Vukovich
LHRP Ben Van Ryn

Man.


TEAM Z

C Gregg Zaun
SS Eddie Zosky

No comment needed.


--

That leaves us with 14 letters that can field a short series roster: A, B, C, D, F, G, H, K, L, M, P, R, S, W. I suspect the lineup will be quite good for the B team...

There's gotta be a better pun than "DePo Depot"

It comes as no surprise to anyone who read Moneyball (or T.J. Simers) to know that Paul DePodesta comes across as "big on process, small on outcome" but let me be the 1432nd guy who lives in his parents' basement one of a select few living in an expensive apartment in Paris on the St. Lawrence to praise his blog. Very few front office personnel publicly talk about concepts like that and even as a non-fan of the Padres, it's just plain cool to see, especially when most of what you read about FO personnel can be summarized by USS Mariner as "why we hate Bavasi."

Reasons, visible tonight, that the Mariners are not very good

In no particular order.

1. Forget the poor arms of most first basemen. Sexson three-hopped it from 100 feet away; didn't think that was possible for a big-leaguer.
   
2. Ibanez showing us why he should be considered the worst outfielder in the game: no range, no hands.
3. Reed, making (1) possible on his cutoff throw to Lop--er, Sexson.
4. Sexson's drop of the foul ball into the green seats (didn't cost them anything, but geez).
5. Reed again! I have never seen, in fifteen years of baseball-watching, a runner on second get thrown out after the batter fails to get the bunt down.
   
6. If you're going to make a defensive replacement, why leave Ibanez in the game?
   
7. Bringing in Miguel Batista, who has not entered a game with men on base this year, with the go-ahead run on second.
   
8. A starter pitching high-leverage relief two days after he was completely bombed.
9. The likely reality of a pinch-runner playing first in extra innings. (I wrote that one in the 8th.)
10. A lineup that allows the other team to intentionally walk the leadoff man.
    
11. Batista again, just because.
    
12. Johjima not bumping Inglett on his follow-through and missing the cheap but easy interference call.

Tonight's reasons the Jays suck are, of course: Jason Frasor, all the popups, those awfully lame BORN TO PLAY commercials (first time I've seen them), an even more useless way to waste McGlovin for the night, Jason Frasor, and losing to the Mariners.

God I hate Rod Black.

On the other hand, it gave Ernie Whitt something to do

"No doubt he injured himself"
- Rance Mulliniks

"He looks in considerable discomfort."
- Jim Hughson


Is this the wrong time to point out that I actually liked the decision to turf Reed for Stew?

"But there's, like, no way I'm rooting for Marco Scutaro"

Finally, a game on TSN

When you don't get Sportsnet, that adverb is appropriate. Random thoughts:

• Rod Black Moment of the Night: "Catching is Rod Barajas--there's A-Rod, but HOW ABOUT B-ROD?!?!"
• Only Shannon Stewart lets a Molina go first-to-third on a single to left.
• Pat Tabler, who barely played the field or threw a ball, is asked how misty rain affected his gameplay.
• Moose not happy with CB Bucknor. Moose's bad mood is justified for once.
  
• The first time Jesse Litsch retired the leadoff batter, three two-out runs scored.
  
• Rod Black Moment #2: "Derek Jeter: third-time [sic] all-time!"
• Felt bad turning off the game after Thigpen came in, because he'll probably never get to play again.
  
• Rod Black Moment #3: "Number two gets number three to pass number seven!"
  
• Pat Tabler, who only does like 128 Yankee games every year, says he can't think of anyone else who bends quite like Mussina does from the stretch, then after a pregnant pause says "except Ian Kennedy."
• Rios looks fine to me. Hooray for two plate appearances instead of 262!
  

There was also a game last night on whatever they call TBS now and it made me wonder what exactly a burke badenhop is. Still not sure.