The Players are Revoting

He has his faults for sure…and whether or not he should be the manager next season is up for debate but stories like this I find useless.

Like Tom says, some guys are going to be unhappy with how they were treated because they either feel they deserve better treatment because of their past resume (Vernon Wells?) and others because they feel they should have been given a better shot (Ruiz?) but I’d bet that if you asked Aaron Hill or Adam Lind they wouldn’t find too much to complain about…

Ah, the convoluted world of clubhouse politics.

I don’t know if I’d be that surprised if you’ve got a decent sized core of guys with an issue with Gaston. Limited playing time, questionable lineups, overuse of underperforming players at the expense of performing ones; there are a lot of questions that can be raised. Potential issues with the coaches is even more worrying in my mind, because usually when it is some kind of clubhouse issue, it boils down to a couple of ringleaders or one disgruntled coach. According to Wilner, it’s got multiple people at both levels.

If Gaston stays next year, goes, either I’m not especially worried with. I am worried that a Gaston firing and yet another acrimonious departure from Toronto will have a much more disastrous effect on the ball club than Millar in the four hole. With a fanbase ready to bolt, Gaston’s popularity is still high amoungst the casual fans, and him leaving with the expected bitter post-firing media conference following would blow the knees off of 2010 coming out of the gate.

My hope is that Gaston gets that front office job offer sooner than later. Gaston has made some questionable decisions, but he’s also made some effective ones too. He is a very good asset in terms of the public face of the team. Something he could be more effective with as a baseball emeritus in the organization as he could on the field.

If throughout the season the Toronto sports press had not been writing stuff that was often complete BS, poorly researched, unsubstantiated and clearly penned solely to generate controversy, than reading this article would be much easier to interpret. In that case, we could read through the story, rely on it and draw the conclusion that Cito’s departure should be expedited, since he is planning to leave next year anyway.

However, because the Toronto sports press, IMHO, has been so unprofessional throughout the season, I have to take this article with a large grain of salt. As Dakers points out, this could be one or two disgruntled players with everyone else satisfied or it could be a whole bunch of disgruntled players. In the first case, we can ignore the article, in the second case, moves should be made.

There are other pieces of evidence to suggest it might be true. Rolen’s request for a trade, perhaps masqueraded as a desire to address “personal matters” may have been Cito-related. Maybe Halladay’s desire to “test” free agency is due to discomfort with Cito. After all, this would not be the first disagreement Cito had with a star pitcher. These ARE ALL PURE SPECULATIONS on my part.

In any case, I still think Cito has some organizational value. If he is not working out as Manager, which this article might indicate, than perhaps he needs to be removed, but if so, I hope in a smooth enough manner that there are no ill-feelings as Cito has a long and storied career with the organization. Again, a transitional role would be nice – same with Tenace, whom the team may want to keep around as hitting coach with or without Cito.

The greatest concern this article highlights, I think, is a lack of succession plan. Who do the Jays have in mind for a new manager if Cito departs? No idea. Who is running the ship? No idea. What is the strategy to build a winner here? No idea. What is the strategy to make the Jays a viable business? No idea. What is the strategy to ensure a continued pattern of success both on and off the field? No idea. I mean really, what the heck is going on with this org? Maybe this is more than a Blue Jays issue. Perhaps this speaks to Rogers as a corporate entity. Now that the leader Ted is gone, this corporation may be out of control. It would not be the first time that the departure of a dynamic leader created a huge leadership vacuum in an organization. I hope this is not the case for the Jays or Rogers.

We need some press conferences folks. Come on. Get your act together, please.

perhaps they are re-voting too. LOL

Fans have been screaming for the firing of J.P Riccardi for six years and counting and nothing was done. Draft picks went unsigned, players signed elsewhere that had value and we were stuck with retreads and geriatric players that are past their prime. Riccardi is too blame for inflated contracts, meaning players like Halladay, who is the franchise face, Rios, etc will be playing for other teams. Wells was given a contract that he has never lived up too, hoping that next year will be better.
What we have seen in Toronto is an instant replay of Cleveland and Wedge was fired for committing the same mistakes every game. Toronto has a good nucleus of players from Scutero, Hill, Lind, Snyder, Ruiz, jury out of Encarnacion, Barrajas, etc and they should be regulars next year until they play their way onto the bench.
The team has five starting pitchers that can challenge anyone and spring training should see the best five heading north, not the guys that might earn the most. The bullpen was horrific this year and the same players were marched to the mound game after game and games were lost through stupidity. If a rookie is getting outs, that is the pitcher in the pen, not a name player that sucks. A stint in the minors never hurt anyone, even if it means they have to clear waivers. The name of the game is to win with the best lineup you can field every game. Its time egotistical players stopped being coddled and started earning the respect of fans to justify their million plus contracts through performance, not playing because they once had a good year ten years ago.
Fans and players aren’t stupid. We recognize the facts and if management should be fired for incompetence from the front office down, players will continue to go through the motions, knowing that a championship is only a dream.

I still believe that the 92/93 Jays won in spite of him. His treatment of the batting order, the bullpen, and late-inning substitutions (read: the biggest things managers are responsible for) have been maddeningly stupid. Then, and even more so, now.

Many have responded to this story with “well, the players should be quiet and play better”. That’s true, to a point. But the manager’s role is to facilitate winning conditions. I think we can all agree that Cito has not delivered here. For instance… Did it help Wells to be batting cleanup earlier in the season when he was struggling? Did it help certain bullpen vets to be pulled in on little rest in situations where they had poor odds of succeeding? I could go on.

If we can just get rid of Welles, the Jays have a shot at the AL East. The Jays 35 games this year because Welles can not hit anymore. Add in another 10 for RIOS lack of productive hitting. Guess what — we have the wild card.

We will have lots of young starting pitchng for next year, so maybe we package up a couple and get a veteran to go with Doc. Move a couple starters into the Bullpen until someone gets injured on the starting staff because injuries are a part of the game. Tell League to go to the instructional league to work on control because he is the new closer. Let Frasor and Downs do the set-up innings.

We need to keep Ruiz. RBI’s are important, and while Hill, Lind, and Snyder will drive in a bunch ~~ consistent power from the right side of the plate does not hurt.

Until someone else wins a World Series managing the Jays, Cito is the man. He just needs a little consistent talent.