Re. the Phillies

My latest article from TheGoodPoint.com asks the following question:

Are the Philadelphia Phillies really a safe bet?

Enjoy.

ER

Re. Blue Jays vs. Phillies

From BlueJays.com:


Major League Baseball announced today that the venue of the scheduled June 25-27 three-game Philadelphia Phillies-Toronto Blue Jays series has been relocated from Toronto's Rogers Centre to Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park because of the scheduled events of the G20 Summit in Toronto. The rescheduled games will still be considered home games of the Blue Jays, who will bat last, and the Designated Hitter will be used.

Major League Baseball announced the decision following consultations with the Blue Jays, the Phillies, the G20 Summit Management, the Integrated Security Unit and the City of Toronto.

Said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig: "After considering all of the options with the parties, Major League Baseball has determined that the best course of action is to play the series in Philadelphia. Major League Baseball appreciates the cooperation of the Blue Jays, the Phillies and all of the parties who have helped resolve this challenging situation."

Rogers Sports Entertainment President and CEO Paul Beeston said: "This was an extremely difficult decision and one which we did not take lightly. By moving our games to Philadelphia, we are acting in the best interests of our fans, our employees, the players and the game of baseball. We did not want to move the games but in looking at the realities of this situation, we felt that relocation was the most prudent course of action."

The Friday, June 25 game will be scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (ET) and the Sunday, June 27 game will be scheduled for 1:35 p.m. (ET). The time of the Saturday, June 26 game is not yet finalized.


Smart move by MLB. Public safety is more important than turnstyle clicks.

- ER

One Last Thing About Roy Halladay

I'm off for a few days. But I'd like to leave you with some parting words from Roy Halladay.

Doc took out a full page ad in the Toronto Sun to thank the Blue Jays, the city and the fans. Here's what the future hall-of-famer wrote (courtesy of TSN.ca):

My wife Brandy, sons Braden and Ryan, and I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Toronto Blue Jays organization, its incredible fans, and the City of Toronto.

I feel blessed to have been part of the Blue Jays since 1995 and am extremely grateful for the opportunities it has provided. Throughout this past 15 years, there have been so many people within the organization that have made a wonderful and significant impact in my life, it would be impossible to name them all.

I am sincerely grateful for the incredible support and compassion the Blue Jays fans have always shown me. I am in awe of your overwhelming passion and devotion.

Toronto will forever have a special place in my heart.

The memories will last a lifetime and so will my gratitude.

Best regards, Roy.

An absolute class act. As I've said before, he will be sorely missed.

On that note, Happy Holidays!

- ER

Halladay Trade Vital for Everyone Involved

Well, it's official.

Roy Halladay has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

I feel nauseous seeing "Doc" in a different uniform. But I'm happy for him as well. He finally has the chance to be part of a winning ball club. It's something he absolutely deserves.

This trade needed to happen. The Blue Jays are nowhere close to being a playoff- contending team. Having someone as good as Halladay on a rebuilding team is a waste of talent. Doc's stock is at its highest point and many teams were offering as many young prospects as they could afford. It would have been sheer idiocy if Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos ignored these viable offers.

Philadelphia gets a solid veteran who adds strength to their rotation, while the Jays get some strong prospects; building blocks for any rebuilding team.

In addition, Halladay needed a change of scenery.

Despite leaving Toronto on "good terms," there's no doubt that Doc has some bitter feelings after what transpired last season. Former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi took advantage of Halladay and dangled him like an unwanted piece of meat as the MLB trade deadline neared. The constant rumours wrecked Halladay's mindset and caused him to fall into a mini-slump during the second half of the regular season. Ricciardi's actions were simply disrespectful and someone as special as Roy Halladay didn't deserve that type of treatment.

I hope the people of Philadelphia appreciate what they're getting. Halladay is a model athlete. He works hard, lives a healthy lifestyle and puts his team's needs ahead of his own. He's very charitable and understands the role of being a star player. More importantly, Halladay was a great mentor to many Blue Jay rookies and he will no doubt continue his tutoring with Philadelphia's young talent.

As for me, a long suffering Jays fan, I feel honoured to have watched the greatest pitcher in Blue Jays history on several occasions. It's too bad he didn't win a World Series title with Toronto. I really hope he can accomplish that with the Phillies.

Halladay has given so much to this sport. It's a crime he's never won the ultimate prize. Sure, there is the 2003 Cy Young award, as well as various other accolades, including an informal tip of the cap from George W. Bush, but a World Series championship is the only item Halladay wants.

- ER

Re. The Blue Jays' 2009 Season

Thank God it's over.

I have watched the Blue Jays for many years. For the life of me, I can't recall a more painful season than 2009. The 1997 season comes close, but '09 was a complete nightmare/disaster/embarrassment.

What went wrong? Several things. They couldn't hit when it mattered. They taxed the bullpen. Injuries slightly played a role too. To be honest, I don't feel like making excuses or finding an explanation. Hell, I don't feel like writing about it anymore. Everything that needed to be said has been stated.

However, I will conclude with some "awards":

Team MVP - Aaron Hill

Hill had a horrible injury in 2008. It was a very serious concussion and it took him many weeks to regain his form. 2009 was retribution. Hill was fantastic! He's already been recognized for his effort by winning the American League Comeback Player of the year award. Honourable mention must be given to Adam Lind.

Best pitcher - Roy Halladay

Doc went 17-10 this season. However, the record should be at least 22-5. Half of those losses were because the offense simply couldn't score runs. The trade rumours didn't help either. Regardless, Doc is still the best pitcher on this staff.

Best rookie - Ricky Romero

Romero has good stuff. It'll be interesting to see what he can offer in his sophomore season. Honourable mentions to Marc Rzepczynski and Brett Cecil. At least the Jays are okay in the pitching department.

Best moment - Marco Scutaro stealing second right after earning a walk. The Phillies were wonderfully embarrassed that day.

Ugliest moment - Giving up a nine-run lead to Tampa Bay and ultimately losing the game.

- ER

Re. Last night's Blue Jays game

Only 11,159 people attended last night's baseball game. That is the lowest attendance mark in Blue Jays/Skydome history. And Roy Halladay was pitching.

WTF?

There are several excuses/reasons/explanations I can think of:

- It's the Minnesota Twins. Not exactly a sexy opponent.
- School has started.
- The recession. People don't have as much spending money as they use to. Therefore, you have to budget what you have. That means luxary items (Blue Jay tickets) become unnecessary purchases.
- The team's pathetic performance. People are pissed. Quite frankly, I don't blame them.

The 2009 Toronto Blue Jays: A season of nightmares.

- ER

Re. Roy Halladay

Something is not right with Doc. Between June 29 and Aug. 19, Halladay was 3-5 with two no-decisions. Last night, despite eight strikeouts, he gave up seven earned runs and eight hits. That's not like him.

Something is bothering him. Is it an injury (re-aggravated the pulled groin)? The trade rumours? The lack of offense? The direction of the club? All of the above?

It's concerning. Very, very concerning.

- ER

I'm a disgruntled Blue Jays and Habs fan, and here's why...

- BJ Ryan gave us one decent year and then fell apart. Of course, you can't predict Tommy John surgery, but you can't ignore all the money that was wasted on him either. Ryan's going to earn 5 million for the rest of the season and 10 million next season. If he signs with a new team, he'll get to earn a new salary, in addition to what the Blue Jays owe him.

- Brian Tallet can no longer remain in the starting rotation. He's barley made it through five innings during his last few starts. His arm is just not accustomed to a starter's throwing schedule. He's better suited as a reliever.

- If Roy Halladay is traded, I might burst into tears.

- J.P Richardi has got to go. The majority of his decisions have had a negative affect on the Jays. There needs to be a change.

- Oh yeah....the Habs. They let Koivu go to the Ducks (Montreal is losing a real class act BTW). They let Kovalev go to the Senators (a team with just as much drama as the Habs). They get some new faces who could be good; but we won't know how good (or bad) they are until the season gets underway. I've got a bad feeling about the 2009-2010 season. I fear the word "rebuilding" will soon rear its ugly head.

- ER

Re. The Disabled List

Oh dear. Roy Halladay, Casey Janssen and Scott Downs have been placed on Toronto's disabled list. Brutal, absolutely brutal.

If you're keeping score at home, you'll no doubt discover that the Blue Jays' 2008 rotation is completely out of the picture right now. Doc, Dustin McGowan, Sean Marcum and Jesse Litsch are all spending time on the DL, while A.J. Burnett left for New York.

Unbelievable.

Of course, Halladay will return shortly. However, it's going to be very interesting. Looks like the rotation will be Scott Richmond, Brad Mills, Brian Tallet, Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil. Jason Frasor will probably fill in for Downs. Speaking of Downs...

For the record, my recent article about him has no connection with his injury. It's just an unfortunate coincidence. Trust me, there's no such thing as a GoodPoint curse.

Meanwhile, I'm having this vision: Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine.....wearing Blue Jay uniforms....

- ER