Jays are playing now but since the game isn't on Gameday Audio a game thread wouldn't be that much fun. Just to note, Jays are down 1-0 4-0 (now in the 4th) to the Tigers but Scott Richmond struck out 2 in the first two innings. Looks like Cito is using what likely will be his everyday line up. I absolutely hate that he has Snider batting last in the order. I understood the idea of no putting pressure on him last year but the boy is hitting .389 this spring and yet Barajas at .111 is hitting in front of him. I hate to go off on Cito this early, especially since the Drunks already have, but come on man, lets not be stupid this year.
Speaking of what the Drunks said about Cito getting a free pass from everyone because he's the second coming of the sainted manager, I agree we shouldn't ignore the dumb things he does just because he's Cito. But then I wouldn't get on a manager for saying dumb things in spring. Writers ask all sorts of questions in the spring and managers don't want to tip their hands too soon. So sometimes they mislead. Or sometimes, when a young pitcher has a lousy spring start, managers will say good things about the pitcher, because he knows they will beat themselves up over the bad start anyway. So why have him read in the paper the manager saying he was awful too. What good would it do?
But then, there is a reason why Cito wasn't offered another manager job after the Jays fired him the first time. And it doesn't have anything to do with any subtle racism. It is that he won with a team of All-Stars but when the All-Stars aged and couldn't do the job any more, he showed no skill for judging talent. Now I'm hopeful that he has learned in the years since. There were encouraging signs last year when he insisted that Lind be called up instead of using Wilkerson/Mench as Gibby had been. And I felt he did a better job with the starting pitchers, judging when they were tiring last year than he had in the past. And he does seem to be a good hitting coach.
But they are right, let's not treat him with kids gloves because he's Saint Cito who can do no wrong. When he is wrong let's say so.
If you haven't noticed there is a link in the 'Fanshots' to a piece from 'Drive Line Mechanics' rating pitching staffs by WAR value. Other than suggesting we trade Doc, it is an interesting piece, with some nice words for JP.
And for those of you, like me, that are former Montreal Expo fans, 'The Good Point' has a article about how Montreal has 'coped' since the Expos left for Washington DC. One of the several things I will never forgive Bud Selig for is how hard he worked to ruin baseball in Montreal. Allowing that creep Jeffery Loria to take over controlling interest in the team for just $15 million and having him dismantle the team, getting rid of the promotional department, ending the team's radio and TV coverage (can you imagine a major league team not being on radio or TV), halting plans for a downtown ballpark then flipping the team to MLB for ownership of the Florida Marlins. Jeff Blair in the Globe has more on Loria.