Jays Lose But Then the Interesting Stuff is Happening Off the Field

Blue Jays 3 Orioles 6

For the second day in a row a long interesting day for the Jays ends with an uninteresting loss, but let's waste a few words talking about it. 

For the first time in a while we didn't hit a homer. We had 8 hits on the day, Travis Snider, batting 9th behind John McDonald and Kevin Millar, among others, was the only player with more than 1 hit and the only Jay to hit for extra bases with a double. Everyone else had 1 hit except for Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, but the way those too have been going lately the can be allowed an off day.

Scott Richmond had another crappy start to finish off his season with a 5.52 ERA, a season that started so well for him, being named Rookie Pitcher of the Month for April in the AL. He is going to have to have a great spring to start next year in the majors. Jeremy Accardo gave up a run in his 2 innings of work. Casey Janssen and Brandon League had a shut out inning each to end the game. 

No Jays of the Day today. Rod Barajas deserves honorable mention. Suckage Jay was Richmond.

Tomorrow we close out the season with Ricky Romero (13-9, 4.26) going against Jeremy Guthrie (10-7, 5.05). The good news? Guthrie is a righty so we should have seen the end of Kevin Millar's time in a Jay uniform. Please, please.

Odds and Ends:

Paul Beeston on Alex Anthopoulos:

Anthopoulos said he plans to lean heavily on Blue Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava, who has been considered for general manager roles with other teams in recent years. Beeston noted that Anthopoulos is not serving as the GM on an interim basis, though there is always the possibility that the new team president might want to hire his own staff.

"Alex is the general manager," Beeston said. "Having said that, there will be a CEO, and when that CEO comes in -- and I've told Alex this so that everybody knows -- he will have a blank canvas. ... Alex is a special person with a huge upside, and he'll be my recommendation to be the general manager."

So Alex is not an interim GM, but if/when we get a new team president he might pick is own guy. I have been hoping that the new man has been chosen and I'd imagine that he has signed off on Alex. I gotta hope that we aren't spending another season looking him. 

Roy Halladay on JP Riccardi:

"He is probably the biggest reason I was here for the last eight years," added Halladay.

Aaron Hill:

"It's unfortunate," Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill said. "But it's something that I think everyone, not knew was coming, but it was just one of those things. Bad timing, I guess. He's done a lot of things. He drafted me. He gave me a job, so I'll never say anything bad about him. He's been great to me and he definitely wants to win."

And on the team mutiny over Cito's managing:

"The players being on the ledge was kind of brought up by people who aren't associated with the situation," Halladay said. "I think it's a lot different than how it was brought up. I think things were obviously handled very professionally and I think Paul's done a great job of that. Again, I feel good about a lot of the things I've heard today, and things that have happened."

It sounds like everyone is blaming the reporters in general and Ken Rosenthal in particular for taking comments made by some players and making the leap too there being a revolt. Every one sees to be falling behind that view. It seems to be the easiest spin to put on the comments. Is it true? Well, I'd guess that the reports were exaggerated, it makes for a better story if all the players want Cito fired. Richard Griffin said:

No, some significant discontent is definitely there towards Gaston, but it is far from as rampant as Rosenthal insists it is.

And I'd expect that is likely right. 

After months of having little to talk about, at least it looks like the off season will be interesting. 'May you live in interesting times' might be a Chinese curse, but for us bloggers, it's a very good thing.