You Forgot it In People: J.P. on the Fan

JP said a few interesting things this morning on the FAN. His comments are in bold, my opinions in regular type.

1. Still no word on Glaus - presumably, the x-rays were inconclusive because the swelling was too great.

2. Reed Johnson will be back with the team tomorrow night to face Cleveland. This is a bit interesting - normally players don't return right before the all-star break. I wonder if Lind will be the one sent down. I would assume he would be.

3. Burnett needs to learn to pitch through discomfort. JP thinks that AJ has been scarred by all the injuries and is afraid to pitch through pain. This makes no sense at all to me. What "discomfort" is JP talking about? There's clearly something wrong with AJ's shoulder - he skipped two starts and when he came back, he still couldn't pitch - his velocity was way down and now he has been shut down again - what was he supposed to be pitching through exactly? It's really not a question of "discomfort," and if AJ did try to pitch through it, there's a good chance that he may have sustained even a more serious injury. Pitching through pain sounds tough, but it has the potential to alter a pitcher's mechanics and cause a much more serious injury. Explain yourself, JP.

4. If Burnett keeps getting hurt, he'll be busted down to 4th starter and McGowan and Marcum will be moved up. This is silly too, and just sounds like a verbal cut-down of AJ, nothing more. Since when does a 4th starter make less starts than a 2nd starter, or throw less pitches per start (assuming they are equally effective)? In fact, JP went so far to say that he would not have signed AJ had he known how his young pitchers would develop. Talk about throwing your guy under the bus.

5. Hill can be a good defensive SS and that's still a possibility for this season. There's even a chance that Adams could be up to play 2nd Base this year. Now, I'm not really against this plan - I think Adams and Hill could better handle the middle of the infield than Hill and Clayton or Hill and McDonald. Clayton has been awful and McDonald hasn't been very effective either as an everyday man, despite a high batting average that's unlikely to continue. I think Hill should at least be tried at SS - if it doesn't work, he can always move back, it's not going to ruin him or anything, and if he can stick at SS, he will be much more valuable to the organization.

But if this is the plan, what are the Jays waiting for? Hill could've been playing SS all season if his future was there, and the Jays could've picked up a capable 2nd baseman for very little money on the market. It's not like there are any good SS on the free agent market coming up (unless A-Rod opts out, haha), so let's at least attempt to solve this problem now. Also, if Thigpen is going to be 2B, PLAY HIM THERE! At AAA if necessary. It is as if the Jays are destining Thigpen to be a utility player by not giving him a chance to establish himself at a position defensively. When Lyle comes back, I think Thigpen needs to be catching everday at AAA, or if the Jays have already ruled out catching for him, they should recall Adams and have Thigpen play everyday at 2nd base.

6. League has been okay, but isn't ready yet, and, in fact, may have to spend the entire season at AAA. This would be a big disappointment, but not entirely unexpected. What a frustrating season for Brandon. Still, with the bullpen as good as it has been, no reason to rush League if he's not ready, which he doesn't appear to be.

7. It's the opinion of the organization that Janssen's future is in the rotation. This was refreshing to read.

All in all, JP again shows that he has some mind for the game, although I don't necessarily agree with all his thoughts. But his interpersonal skills are pathetic.