With a couple of minor moves today, the Blue Jays have finalized their roster to start the season:

BATTERS

Infielders

1B - Lyle Overbay

2B - Aaron Hill

3B - Troy Glaus

SS - Royce Clayton

C - Greg Zaun

Bench - Jason Phillips, Jason Smith, John MacDonald

Outfield

LF - Reed Johnson

CF - Vernon Wells

RF - Alex Rios

Bench - Matt Stairs

PITCHERS

Rotation:

1. Roy Halladay

2. A.J. Burnett

3. Gustavo Chacin

4. Toma Ohka

5. Josh Towers

Bullpen

Scott Downs

Casey Janssen

Shaun Marcum

Victor Zambrano

Jeremy Accardo

Jason Frasor

B.J. Ryan

Not surprisingly, I was essentially bang on with my post on Thursday with the exception of Brian Tallet being sent down in favour of Jeremy Accardo.  I'm saying this not because I think I know a lot, it is just that there were only a few roster spots up for grabs and late in the spring it was easy to see what the Jays were going to do.  The only question marks were the last spot in the rotation and a couple of the bullpen positions. I honestly thought the Jays were going to go with another lefty in the pen other than just Downs and Ryan. 

It looks like Francisco Rosario will be claimed by another team as he must pass through waivers before returning to Syracuse.  He just didn't show this spring that he has developed enough to be on a major league roster to start the season. Now let's get ready for Opening Day!

Towers named Jays' No. 5 Starter

Well it is official.  Despite J.P. Riccardi's hints that Victor Zambrano would fill the number five spot in the rotation, the Jays announced today that Josh Towers would break camp as the fifth starter with Zambrano moving to the bullpen.  I think this is definitely the right move.  Josh Towers has always stated he prefers starting than coming out of the bullpen and he has proven he can win ballgames in the past with last season being an exception.

Zambrano is defying all odds by breaking camp with the team after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery last season.  Starting the year off in the bullpen is the safe move for Zambrano and he will be able to step into the rotation in the event Towers faulters. 

So the Jays' pitching picture looks as follows:

ROTATION:

1. Roy Halladay

2. A.J. Burnett

3. Gustavo Chacin

4. Toma Ohka

5. Josh Towers

...just as I predicted in my post on Thursday

BULLPEN

Scott Downs

Victor Zambrano

Casey Janssen

Shaun Marcum

Jason Frasor

Jeremy Accardo or Francisco Rosario

B.J. Ryan

I had pegged Brian Tallet getting a spot in the bullpen simply because he was a lefty but he was sent to Syracuse the other day.  The final decision to be made is whether to keep Accardo or Rosario. Rosario is out of options so he would have to be exposed to waivers if sent down.  There are rumours the Jays are looking to trade him but no news on any trades as of yet.

As promised, I'm finally posting on my experience in Dunedin last Tuesday.  I must say this is something I've wanted to do for a long time and finally the opportunity presented itself.  Note that I have posted a photo album of the game entitled "Dunedin 2007" if you want to see all the pictures.

First I should give you a quick run-down of why I was down there.  Basically about a month ago, my wife was told she was going to be attending a training course in Orlando, Florida.  It was a perfect opportunity to take an unscheduled vacation so after checking out the logistics of it, finding a seat sale courtesy of West Jet and getting approval for the time off of work I was booked to go down.  I immediately checked the Jays' schedule and saw they were playing in Dunedin on the Tuesday that I would be in Florida and it just happened that my wife would be at her course that day and I'd have full access to the rental car and time to kill.  I ordered my ticket and received it in the mail a few days later.

We were staying at a hotel in downtown Orlando so the day of the game, I woke up around 8 a.m. and got ready, said goodbye to my wife and was on the road by 9.  Thankfully my hotel was literally next to the I-4 so it didn't take me long before I was on the interstate on the way to Tampa.  It took me just over two hours to get to Dunedin but would have been a lot quicker if my directions were a little better from Google maps.  I got a little lost for about ten minutes before I gave up on the directions and just started following road signs.

I got to Knology Park just after 11 a.m., parked my car and the elementary school beside the park and went through the gates.  After a quick stop at the souvenir shop, grabbing a bite to eat and a beer, I found my seat.  I couldn't believe where I was sitting.  I was directly behind home plate, four rows up from the field! 

I can't really compare Knology Park to any of the other Spring Training parks as I haven't been to any but I was very impressed with it.  It reminded me of Bernie Arbour Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario (where I grew up) except nicer.  Knology seats about 6,000 fans, natural grass field and is home to the Class-A Dunedin Blue Jays.

It was Roy Halladay's day to throw but as the Jays face Tampa Bay in the first week of the regular season, he threw in a minor league game that day instead of facing the Rays.  I was going to see a parade of relievers starting with Geremi Gonzalez. Casey Fossum took the hill for the Rays.

The game itself was pretty uneventful. The Rays edged the Jays 1-0. However, the Jays pretty much fielded their starting lineup with the exception of Greg Zaun.  Sal Fasano was behind the plate. 

The most amusing part of the afternoon was at the beginning of the game. The Jays had taken the field and everybody was ready to go but nothing was happening as nobody had given the umpire any baseballs.  A.J. Burnett came to the rescue by coming out of the dugout with a bag of baseballs for the ump.  It's good to know he's moonlighting as a ball boy on his off days.

Cito Gaston was in uniform taking in the action of the day.  Anytime he stood up from his seat he received a warm ovation.  How a guy who managed back-to-back World Series champions hasn't managed again in the Major Leagues is beyond me. People always say that he had a stacked roster and anybody could have won with those teams.  Meanwhile, Joe Torre has had a stacked roster for how long and he is considered one of the games best managers.  I don't disagree that Torre is a great manager, I just think Cito deserves another shot.

As for the game...

The crowd was a mix of Jays fans and D-Ray fans who had made the drive from Tampa. The gentleman sitting beside me was from Columbus, Ohio and was at the game just because he was vacationing nearby and hadn't seen a game a Knology Park yet.  He had been to the Phillies' complex in Clearwater and a few other parks.  He was a Reds fan and it we had a good time chatting about baseball in general and the Reds and Blue Jays.  I was able to tell him which guys were battling for roster spots, who was likely to make the team, who was just getting a longer look etc.

Gonzalez ended up pitching well and not yielding a run over three innings of work. Francisco Rosario pitched an inning but was struggling with his control.  Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Casey Janssen all pitched an inning before minor leaguers Wolf and Kemp finished out the game. Janssen was tagged with the loss after he gave up an unearned run as a result of a throwing error by second baseman Klosterman in the seventh.  Janssen, did however, look strong.

The Jays were pretty much anemic at the plate despite having pretty much their whole starting lineup in for most of the game scattering seven hits.  It was just a thrill to see guys like Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus up close.   

Overall, I must say I had a great time and I highly recommend anybody to go to a spring training game.  Sure you don't see major league players the whole game and guys aren't always giving it their all but during a regular season game you just don't get the same access to the players and see them play in such a small park.  I told my wife it is like seeing your favourite band play in a small venue.  The players are also very laid back, as are the umpires.

After the game, the batting screen was brought back out on the field and Jason PHillips and Royce Clayton took some extra BP.  I stuck around for awhile just watching them take their cuts. John Gibbons stuck around the cage and answered a few reporter's questions.  Let me just say, baseball writers are not very fashion conscious and are not the 'fittest' of gentlemen.  I think I recognized Bob Elliot from the Toronto Sun but that was about it.  No sightings of Jeff Blair or any of the other Toronto media.

Well that is my story.  Not that interesting but I just wanted to share my experience and encourage you all to make the trip down to Florida or Arizona for Spring Training next year.  I'm already trying to convince my wife we need to go down next year!

A self taken picture of me in my seat. This is prior to the bad sunburn. I'm not very photogenic as you can see!

Canada's own Matt Stairs in the on-deck Circle

Knology Park, home of the Dunedin Blue Jays and the spring training home of your Toronto Blue Jays.

The first pitch of the game taken from my seat. Geremi Gonzalez to Carl Crawford.

Scott Downs getting ready for his inning of work

Cito Gaston taking in the action with John Gibbons and Mickey Brantley looking on.

A two-time World Series champion, former Jays manager Cito Gaston. How this guy has not been given another managing job is a joke. I know he had a stacked roster but so has Joe Torre for the past ten years.

A shot of the Jays dugout from my seat. A.J. Burnett is seen looking on.

Utility infielder/outfielder Jason Smith chatting with Dustin Mohr of the D-Rays.

Frank Thomas standing on deck with his giant piece of re-bar he uses to warm up with. The poor bat boy, who was about six years old, had to drag the re-bar from the on-deck circle to the dugout between innings.

Former Jays catcher and current bench coach, Leo Ernest Whitt (Ernie) shaking hands with the umpires prior to the game.

A picture of the the field from my seat.

Reed Johnson in the on-deck circle

A plaque honouring the late great Tom Cheek. "Touch 'em all Joe, you'll never hit a bigger homerun in your life." I really miss listening to Tom in the broadcast booth. It's not the same without him.

Pictures from the spring training game I attended on March 27, 2007. The Blue Jays were hosting the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Knology Park in Dunedin, Florida.

Well it seems Victor Zambrano has passed today's test by throwing six innings in today's game against Cleveland. He faced 21 batters (3 over the minimum) gave up two hits (doubles to Barfield and Mike Rouse), two runs, walked four and struck out four.  This performance may be enough to give him the nod for the fifth spot in the rotation edging out Josh Towers who will find his way into the bullpen. 

I'm hoping the Jays announce their final 25 man roster today as I think they are now clear on who they'll be bringing to Toronto.

I came across this article today in the Toronto Star.  It is not baseball related but is related to the Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre.  Rogers Communications, owners of the Rogers Centre and Blue Jays, have embarked on a three year mission to cut overall power use at the Rogers Centre by a third to 21 million kilowatt-hours annually from 32 million kilowatt-hours today.

If successful, the projected savings will be more that $1 million a year and would be enough to supply electricity to 1,000 homes per year.

They have already installed a new automated lighting system which, when complete, will result in up to $300,000 a year in electricity savings.

I think Rogers should be applauded for their efforts.  Sure the financial incentive is there for them to do this but it still requires an estimated up front investment of $3 million.

To read the full article click on the link below:

Energy hog on a diet

Probable starters for the opening series vs. Detroit courtesy of Jays beat reporter and fellow mlblogger Jordan Bastian:

DETROIT PROBABLES:

Monday, April 2: Toronto's Roy Halladay vs. Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman
Wednesday, April 4: Toronto's A.J. Burnett vs. Detroit's Nate Robertson
Thursday, April 5: Toronto's Gustavo Chacin vs. Detroit's Justin Verlander

I really think the Jays have the edge in the pitching match-up for the first two games of the series but you can almost say that for any series where Halladay and Burnett are pitching.  The Chacin/Verlander match-up should be an edge for the Tigers but Verlander has struggled this spring from what I've heard and Gus has been known to pitch well against the better lineups in the league.  We'll see what happens next week!

The Jays announced yesterday that Brian Tallet has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple A Syracuse.  I had pegged Tallet for one of the spots in the Jays rotation (see my 25 man roster post) as he was the only other lefty in camp with a shot at making the team.  Geremi Gonzalez was also sent to Syracuse yesterday.

The fifth spot in the rotation appears to be Victor Zambrano's to lose.  He has one more spring start on Friday and if he can show he can go six innings he will likely be named the fifth starter.  Where does this leave Josh Towers? He would still make the team and find his way into the bullpen in a long relief role.

With this information the starting rotation looks to be shaping up like this:

1. Roy Halladay

2. A.J. Burnett

3. Gustavo Chacin

4. Toma Ohka

5. Victor Zambrano

The Bullpen appears to be shaping up like this:

Scott Downs, LHP

Josh Towers, RHP

Casey Janssen, RHP

Shaun Marcum, RHP

Jeremy Accardo, RHP

Jason Frasor, RHP

B.J. Ryan, LHP

The Jays will have only two lefties in the pen so it may be the case that Scott Downs will fill the situational lefty role given that long relief duties can be filled by Towers, Marcum and Janssen who all have experience as starters.  Jason Frasor will be the set-up man but I wonder if Jays' brass are hoping Accardo might surprise them and be able to fill that role on occasion if Frasor is struggling or can not pitch on a given day.

I'm going to post a new poll today on who you think should be the Jays fifth starter.  Please take the time to vote!

My friend just informed me that si.com have a poll as part of their 2007 Season preview in which my blog is featured. I guess the vote is for the best Blue Jays blog or fansite has the best bluejays info.  To find this poll go to:

www.si.com/bluejaysvote/

I just looked at the results and my blog is in dead last! :)  It could be because prior to today, I hadn't posted in over a week and my site doesn't contain a ton of information about the Jays in comparison to some of the other sites.  Oh well, if you have the time and appreciate my blog, please go and vote.  Either way, it is kind of neat to be linked to Sports Illustrated's website.

The Jays are hoping to announce who they will be bringing north by the end of this week.  J.P. Riccardi said that Thursday (today) may be the day they announce their opening day roster.  I figured this would be a good time to give my thoughts on who will make the squad. 

The team was pretty much set going into spring training so I doubt there will be many surprises.  In terms of the positions players here is who I figure to make the team:

Starting Line-up:

C - Greg Zaun

1B - Lyle Overbay

2B - Aaron Hill

3B - Troy Glaus

SS - Royce Clayton

LF - Reed Johnson

CF - Vernon Wells

RF - Alex Rios

DH - Frank Thomas

...no surprises there of course

BENCH

John MacDonald

Matt Stairs

Jason Phillips

Jason Smith

STARTING ROTATION

1. Roy Halladay RHP

2. A.J. Burnett RHP

3. Gustavo Chacin LHP

4. Toma Ohka RHP

5. Josh Towers RHP

The only surprise here from the start of spring training would be the presence of Josh Towers and the absence of John Thompson.  I think the Jays will likely release Thompson to give him a chance to catch on with another club.  Towers performance this spring has earned him a spot in the rotation I think.  Victor Zambrano is the wild card in all of this.  He wasn't supposed to be ready for the start of the season as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, he seems to be almost there and the Jays have yet to rule him out for a rotation spot.  My thinking is that Josh Towers has proven himself enough this spring to award him the spot and to allow Zambrano to start the year in the pen and build up his arm strength.  If Towers faulters at all, the Jays will not afford him the luxury of ten starts to straighten things out like last season,  and will replace him with Zambrano if he remains healthy.

BULLPEN

This is tricky as most of the competition in camp has been for the remaining spots in the bullpen.  Guys who I think are guaranteed a spot in the pen are:

B.J. Ryan (obviously)

Jason Frasor

Scott Downs

After those three it is a bit of a **** shoot.  Casey Janssen, Geremi Gonzalez, Victor Zambrano, Francisco Rosario, Brian Tallet, Jeremy Accardo and John Thompson are all in the running for a spot.  The Jays have pretty much said Thompson will not be in the bullpen so that rules him out.  Janssen has pitched well in camp.  I saw him pitch on Tuesday against Tampa and he looks like a different guy this year.  You can tell he put some work in and has a lot more confidence than last year.  I think he has earned a ticket to Toronto.

That leaves three more bullpen positions.  Francisco Rosario also pitched on Tuesday but his control was all over the place. The Jays have run out of options on Rosario so sending him down to Syracuse would require him to clear waivers and that may not happen.  Shaun Marcum pitched well in the rotation last year but so far has had a mediocre spring.  Victor Zambrano may still be in the running for a starting rotation spot and seems to have successfully recovered from Tommy John surgery.  I just can't see the Jays risking him in the starting rotation to start the year when they don't have to.

Tallet and Accardo were both with the team last year.  Accardo pitched well when he first arrived as part of the deal that sent Hillenbrand and Chulk to San Francisco but struggled late in the season and will be hard pressed to make the team this year.  Tallet was acquired from Cleveland and turned out to be a nice surprise last year spending most of the year with the big club. 

My thinking is that Zambrano will start the year in the bullpen and will most likely find his way into the starting rotation in May unless Josh Towers has an exceptional April.  That leaves two more spots.

Conventional thinking is that Francisco Rosario will make the squad as the Jays will not want to risk losing him on waivers.  I don't think Rosario has impressed Jays management enough this spring and given that he has had a few years to prove himself and hasn't done it, will find his way either to Syracuse or another organzation.

Geremi Gonzalez has pitched well but will likely start the year in Syracuse as he has signed a minor league contract.  He provides the organization some depth and will likely be the first call-up in the event of an injury or if a member of the bullpen is struggling.

Brian Tallet is left-handed and besides B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs is the only other left-handed pitcher in the bullpen.  Downs is more suited to long relief so I think Tallet will make the team as the left-handed specialist being called on to get out those tough lefties late in a game. 

That leaves one spot for either Jeremy Accardo or Shaun Marcum.  On Tuesday, Casey Janssen pitched one inning and he is set to pitch again tonight against the Yankees.  My thinking is that the Jays will have Zambrano will fill the role of long relief with Scott Downs.  I think Marcum has been pegged to make the team this year given his performance last year so he will get the edge over Accardo.  In fact, I think Marcum's spot in the bullpen has been secure and Janssen has been the surprise this spring.  So my bullpen predictions are complete.  To summarize:

BULLPEN

Scott Downs LHP

Shaun Marcum RHP

Casey Janssen RHP

Victor Zambrano RHP

Brian Tallet LHP

Jason Frasor RHP

B.J. Ryan LHP 

Now I'll just have to wait to compare my predictions to the actual roster when it is announced either later today or in the coming days.

I got back from Florida yesterday. The weather was fantastic!  I'll post about my experience in Dunedin with pictures tonight.  Can't wait for Opening Day!

How things can change in a hurry with respect to the Blue Jays' starting rotation.  Last week, the reports from Dunedin were that all of the pitchers vying for the fourth and fifth spots in Toronto's rotation were all pitching well and that John Gibbons had some tough decisions to make.  This week we've seen Toma Ohka continue to pitch well, John Thompson pitch horribly and go for an MRI and Josh Towers give up five runs in his most recent start on Wednesday.  Thompson's MRI on his throwing shoulder showed no damage but simply put the guy is not pitching well and looks to be the odd man out. Rumours are swirling that the Jays are trying to trade him and if they're not successful, the will likely release him. 

So who does this leave in the rotation?  Obviously the Jays will go with Halladay, Burnett and Chacin.  Ohka is looking like the front runner for the fourth spot (and possibly the third spot in the rotation) with Josh Towers likely returning to the fifth spot in the rotation.  If Towers faulters, he will likely find his way back to Syracuse with Shawn Marcum taking his spot early in the season and Victor Zambrano filling the spot around mid-season once he has built up his arm strength following the Tommy John surgery he had last year.

I leave for Florida on Saturday and can't wait to get there.  I'll be in Dunedin next Tuesday to see the Jays square off against the Rays.  I'm not sure who I'll see pitch but I'll just be happy to be outdoors and watching baseball again.

Just some random thoughts this morning...

1. Pete Rose -  So he admitted he bet on the Reds every night to win.  Not sure if he is lying or not but it is hard to trust a guy who first said that he didn't bet on baseball, than admitted he did but never on the Reds and now he is admitting he bet on the Reds.  All things aside, he should be in the Hall of Fame.  Should he ever be allowed to manage again? No, but he should be in the Hall of Fame. It is ridiculuous that he isn't.

2. Jays bats - Anyone notice that the team is not scoring any runs of late? The pitching has been decent but not many runs are coming.  Hopefully this all gets sorted out by the end of spring training!

3. Dunedin here I come! - Less than two weeks away from heading down to Florida and my first spring training game.  My wife is taking a course for work in Orlando so I'm going to tag along and take a side trip to Dunedin to catch the Jays/Rays on the 27th.  I can't wait

4. Rick Ankiel - I can't believe this guy is having some success in the outfield.  There is even talk that he may be a mid-season call up for the Cardinals.  The one question I have is how is it that he can hit a cut-off man from 100+ feet away but can't hit a catcher's mitt from sixty feet, six inches away?

5. Mike Timlin - Apparantly the Red Sox have slated Timlin to be their closer this season once he is recovered from a muscle strain.  What do you think the over/under will be on the number of blown saves by Timlin before the Red Sox try somebody else?  Julian Tavarez may be in the closer role to start the season.  Now there is a guy known for his stability! :) 

6. Other ballgames this year - I'm heading to a conference in Chicago in May and have already purchased a ticket to a White Sox/Yankees game. It is too bad the Cubs aren't in town when I'm there as I'd love to go to Wrigley again.  In July my friends and I are going to Boston to see the Jays take on the Red Sox.  It will be my first trip to Fenway and I can't wait to see that historic park and the city of Boston. I've heard nothing but great things.  Now that I'm in Ottawa, I won't be able to attend as many Jays games as in the past.  I really want to go to the home opener on April 9th but just need to work out the logistics as to how I'm going to go to a Monday night game in Toronto and be at work for Tuesday morning.  Flying is probably the only possibility but then cost becomes a factor.

Josh Towers brought it today pitching three scoreless innings and making the Blue Jays management take a good hard look at Towers who had a disasterous 2006 season.  He'll need a few more good starts in Grapefruit League action before the Jays consider bringing him north to Toronto with them.  Towers has come into spring training with the attitude that a spot in the rotation is his to lose which is good.  He worked out in the offseason with Reed Johnson in Nevada so hopefully Reed Johnson's tenacity will rub off on Josh and he can come through with a solid season.

I'm hoping all the pitchers competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation all have strong springs making it a very tough decision for John Gibbons.

Peter Gammons has posted an interesting article on ESPN.com regarding the number of teams searching for pitching help.  The Blue Jays, of course, are one of those teams and Gammons touches on the Rios for Lieber rumours.  Some of the comments on the site in response to this article is that Gammons forgets to mention that the Jays finished ahead of Boston in the standings last season.  Yankee fans are quick to point this out. Red Sox fans blame Boston's third place finish on injuries.  My response is that the Jays were better than Boston last year and had to deal with injuries to Burnett, Chacin and Halladay last year so the late season injury argument doesn't wash with me.   Either way, the Red Sox and Blue Jays didn't make the playoffs so it really doesn't matter where each team finished in relation to each other.  To Blue Jays fans, finishing second was just a re-affirmation that current ownership is again committed to taking the steps to make this team a contender after many years of the team being an afterthought to a multi-national corporation that was more interested in acquiring Labatt's than they were a Major League Baseball team.

Last season is over and the Red Sox have done a lot to improve their team for 2007.  The Jays will be hard pressed to finish ahead of the Red Sox this year.  Enough yammering, here is the article...

posted: Thursday, March 8, 2007  |  Print Entry

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- They know more than anyone. J.P. Ricciardi and John Gibbons know if they are going to beat the empires of The Bronx and The Fens, they have to find two more starting pitchers, just as Pat Gillick and Charlie Manuel know the Phillies need another reliever or two for all those 8-7 games in Philadelphia. And Roger Clemens knows Brian Cashman, Joe Torre and The Boss know the Yankees would prefer him in the four hole, allowing Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano to finish the end of the rotation.

So this is the search period of spring training, although Clemens is still two months from deciding if and where he is going to pitch. "Rocket's just enjoying being The Rocket," said one Yankee. "I don't blame him." Hence the visit to Legends Field Tuesday to watch Andy Pettitte pitch after playing a round of golf with Arnold Palmer.

"We still don't know what we have in Pavano or Igawa," says one Yankee coach. "This team is really good, but you don't expect to have answers the first week of March."

They have seen that Philip Hughes has a chance to be very good, although his outing in Winter Haven Tuesday showed him a ways away -- throwing 91-92 without the curveball he showed in the Eastern League. Ross Ohlendorf, the Princetonian acquired from Arizona in the Randy Johnson deal, looked better, sitting at 94-95 with filthy breaking stuff that will beg questions about him as a viable bullpen alternative early in the season.

One cannot help but love the swagger the Phillies are beginning to demonstrate, a confidence verbalized by Jimmy Rollins. They are going to score runs. Their rotation is six deep, with Brett Myers and Cole Hamels capable of moving to the front of the line, immediately.

"But," says Manuel, "we have to find some answers in the bullpen. I really don't want to have to pitch Flash (Gordon) in the eighth inning any more. He's still really good, but at his age (39) he needs to be one of those one-inning guys." Gordon did have a 3.34 ERA with 34 saves in 39 opportunities, and everyone in the game knows the enormous size of his heart. But the fact remains that his ERA was 2.17 before the All-Star break, and 5.32 after.

Right now Geoff Geary (7-1, 2.96), Antonio Alfonseca, Ryan Madson and Matt Smith comprise Gordon's supporting cast. No, says Manuel, Myers is not going to the bullpen, but they have been looking at other relievers, including San Diego's Scott Linebrink. One rumor in the scouts' section would have sent Jon Lieber to Toronto, Alex Rios to the Padres and Linebrink to Philadelphia, but the Toronto folks shot that down. They say when they were approached about Rios, they asked for Myers, and have no interest in swapping a potential All-Star outfielder for Lieber.

Right now, the Jays hope they can get 65 starts out of Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, with Gustavo Chacin in the third spot. After that, they are looking at Victor Zambrano, John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, Shaun Marcum and Josh Towers for the last two spots, with Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen as in-season possibilities.

The Jays are going to score a lot of runs. They might have the best defensive outfield in the game. "Three years in a row Halladay has been leading the league in wins when he's gotten hurt, so we know how great he is," says Gibbons. Burnett can be dominant. Then, they have to figure out the bottom half of the rotation.

"Every team has holes to fill," says Ricciardi. That's what they're here for.

I did another scan of Toronto media for any articles on the Blue Jays.  Here is a list of some of today's more interesting articles:

JAYS IN THE MEDIA - Friday March 9, 2007

Sun Media’s Bob Elliott has a fascinating article on Roy Halladay today detailing of how he gets ready for games and some of the peculiar exercises he does to improve his focus on the mound.

Dabbling in Mind Games

Richard Griffin comments on Toma Ohka’s performance in yesterday’s game in today’s edition of the Toronto Star.  Ohka shut the Red Sox down in three innings of work, a stark contrast from his first outing against Tampa last week.  Griffin also lets readers in on some interesting information about Ohka’s relationship with the Japanese media.

Ohka regains his footing

The Toronto Star’s Cathal Kelly writes about the Jays’ ‘B’ game against the Phillies yesterday where Frank Thomas made his Blue Jays debut.  Kelly points out the differences between a ‘B’ game and a regular spring training game.

Jays bring 'A' team to 'B' Game

Jeff Blair, probably the best baseball writer in Canada, also has a story on the ‘B’ game yesterday in the Globe and Mail.

Thomas makes debut in Jays uniform

I did a quick scan of the Toronto media for articles on the Blue Jays.  I've posted links to the more interesting articles below:

BLUE JAYS IN THE TORONTO MEDIA:

Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star focuses on Toronto’s second baseman (at least for now) Aaron Hill.  Kelly describes Hill’s personality, how he is meshing with his new infield partner, Royce Clayton, and what this season and the future will hold for Aaron.

For Hill Life's Awesome

Rule 5 draft pick, Jason Smith is the focus of the Toronto Star’s columnist, Richard Griffin’s column today.  Smith is slowly developing into a ‘super-sub’ meaning he can play five positions and this may result in him getting a roster spot with the Blue Jays.  The fact that he bats left-handed won’t hurt him!

Smith steps up to 'supersub' status

Robert MacLeod and Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail have a Spring Training Baseball blog which gives quick summaries of the Jays fortunes in Grapefruit League action as well as other tidbits of information regarding your beloved Blue Jays.

Globe and Mail Jays Blog

Robert MacLeod writes on Frank Thomas in today’s Globe and Mail.  MacLeod explains how the Jays are letting the Big Hurt call the shots in terms of his spring training preparation in efforts to preserve the big man’s health for the season.  Thomas will play in a ‘B’ game against the Phillies today marking his first game action of the spring.

Thomas ready to make swings count

Ken Fidlin of Sun Media has an article of the rumoured Alex Rios trade. The rumour has Jon Lieber and Aaron Rowand heading to the Jays for Rios.  I’m not sure who comes up with these rumours but the Jays would be crazy to agree to this deal given Lieber’s age, Rowand’s lack of offense not to mention that both of these players will be free agents after the 2007 season.

Phillies-Jays trade whispers linger

Jordan Bastian, fellow blogger, and mlb.com's beat reporter for the Toronto Blue Jays writes about Gustavo Chacin's performance in yesterday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.  The Jays are trying to get Chacin to speed up his tempo in an effort for him to become more efficient with his pitches so that he can pitch deeper into games.  Bastian also comments on Jason Smith's mammoth homerun from yesterday's game.  Check out his column on bluejays.com:

Notes: Faster is better for Chacin

In a concerted effort to remain healthy throughout the 2007 season and avoid problems with the forearm fatigue problems he encountered last year, Roy Halladay will not be throwing as many cut-fasballs or 'cutters' as in the past.  In fact, at this point of Spring Training, Halladay is limiting his arsenal to his two-seam fastball (sinker) and his changeup and avoiding any use of his cutter and curveball which put the most stress on his right forearm.

See today's Toronto Star article for more details:

Doc cuts back on spring work for fall operation

Well the Grapefruit League schedule is well underway and at this early juncture it is difficult to cast judgements on some of the pitchers vying for the final two spots in the Blue Jays' rotation.  John Thompson looked strong in his first outing, Toma Ohka had a rough outing in his first start and Josh Towers looked fine despite giving up a homerun.  Victor Zambrano is also in the running but he'll likely be in the bullpen on opening day as he continues to build his arm strength coming off Tommy John surgery last season.

Although, not thrilled with the Jays' offseason, I'm becoming more of fan of what J.P. did with the Jays pitching staff by adding veterans like Thompson, Ohka and Zambrano rather than overpaying for middle of the rotation pitchers like Ted Lilly and Gil Meche.  Injuries to the starters was the Jays' undoing last season so having more depth in the organization can help if injuries befall one of the starting five.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if a Roy Halladay or A.J. Burnett goes down, that the Jays will be able to replace them but when you have a Shawn Marcum or a Zambrano in your bullpen, they can easily deliver a number of quality spot starts in which the Jays can pull out a few wins instead of bringing in an inexperienced kid from double AA like they had to do last season. 

My main concerns with this edition of the Blue Jays will be the bullpen and their lack of speed.  The Jays got rid of the slowest man in baseball by not re-signing Bengie Molina  but we picked up another plug in Frank Thomas.  The thing with Frank Thomas, however, is that he can hit 30+ homeruns and drive in over 100 runs.  Accompanying Thomas in the middle of the line-up, the Blue Jays have Troy Glaus and his surgically repaired left knee which was obviously giving him problems towards the end of last season.  It was painful to watch him hobble around the bases last year.  'Small ball' will not work with this team this year but if balls are flying into the outfield bleachers on a consistent basis, the team's lack of speed shouldn't be too much of a problem.

As for the AL East this year, New York and Boston look strong again this season.  Boston, on paper, looks to be the strongest but you can't count out the Yankees from winning the Division again.  Boston's starting rotation looks really strong with Dice-K, Schilling, Beckett, Paplebon and Wakefield but will Schilling stay healthy? Can Beckett keep the ball in the park? How will Paplebon adjust to being a starter?  Will Daisuke Matsuzaka live up to the hype?  Can Boston's offense score more runs this year with a healthy Manny, and the additions of J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo?   I don't have answers to these questions but I think it is safe to say that given the depth of their starting rotation and improvements to their offense, the Red Sox should be considered the odds on favourite to win the division.

What about the Yankees? Well, you can dispute their talented offense with the likes of Jeter, Damon, A-Rod, Abreu, Giambi, Cano, Posada and the list goes on.  Their starting rotation is suspect however with the aging Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte leading the way.  Chien-Ming Wang had a breakout season in 2006 but can he repeat his success from a year ago or will hitters start to figure him out?  Who is going to fill the last two spots in the rotation? Proctor? Pavano? Igawa? The bullpen is always a question mark too but that is the case with most teams. Mariano Rivera is likely the best closer of all time but he isn't getting any younger.  Can Mo hold up for the entire season?

As always, the Yankees will be a force in the division.  As far as the rest of the division goes, I see the Orioles improving in 2007 as Leo Mazzone will continue to work his magic with the Orioles pitching staff. The D-Rays are going to finish last again this season but will cause teams some headaches with all that speed at the top of the order. If only they could pitch and field the ball!

As for the Jays? The team proved last year that they can compete with the Red Sox in the Yankees however did not improve (on paper at least) much from last year.  A lot of things have to go right for the Jays to come out on top this season but the key will be whether the team can pitch this year and that comes down to the health of their starting rotation and the effectiveness of the bullpen which at this point are very large question marks!

After taking a few months off of blogging I'm back.  I moved to Ottawa from Toronto in October and have been busy adjusting to a new city, a new job and getting my new place set up.

Now that Spring Training has started and Grapefruit League games are now underway, it is time to return to my blog.  This summer, I won't be in Toronto so won't be able to attend nearly as many games as I have in past summers. However, being located in Ottawa does have its advantages.  I'm closer to Boston and New York so I will be planning a couple of trips to those cities to catch a few ballgames and I can stay in Ottawa and watch some Triple A baseball with the Lynx in town.

This season I'm going to try not to rant and rave as much as last season and try to provide more of my input and opinions on the Blue Jays rather than just second guessing the manager and telling people how much I dislike the Yankees and Red Sox!