On April 25th 2006, Frank Thomas was batting .162.  He went on to hit .270 with 39 homeruns, 114 RBI's and was 4th in MVP voting while helping the Oakland A's get to the ALCS. 

On April 21, 2007, Frank Thomas was batting .197.  He went on to hit .277 with 26 homeruns and 95 RBI's, leading the team in both power categories.

Earlier today, the Toronto Blue Jays announced they released the future Hall of Famer after they said Thomas would see his playing time reduced.  This marks the second starting player to be released by the Blue Jays in a matter of weeks.  The other was Reed Johnson. 

For a team that ranks 4th last in the AL in homeruns, this move makes no sense.  The move also does not justify how a team would quit on the player who led their team in homeruns and RBI's the previous year.  It also makes you wonder why the team decided to announce Thomas' reduced playing time, yet continue to play Marco Scutaro everyday when he's batting .188 with 0 homeruns and 4 RBI's.  Unlike The Big Hurt, Scutaro does not have the track record of being a feared player offensively or defensively. 

Although the Blue Jays claim Thomas' reduced playing time was not about money, the real reason was money.  The release of Reed Johnson allowed the team to save over 2 million dollars in a cost-cutting move.  The team led people to believe Reed was not ready to play due to his previous back problems.  Reed sits with a .354 batting average for the 1st place Chicago Cubs and is becoming a fan-favorite in Chicago for his hustle, hard-work and ability to play all 3 outfield positions - the same way he was beloved in Toronto. 

What is also disheartening about this situation is how Thomas got to where he is now from 3 short years ago.  The consensus around baseball was that Thomas' injuries were too much to overcome and his career was deemed to be over.  He threw out the first pitch at Cellular Field in the 2005 World Series - which was won by the team he starred on for over a decade.  They won the title without the face of the franchise.  Then he gets one last opportunity to play when Oakland knocks on his door.  By mid-May the Athletics could have released him and nobody looking from the outside would have disagreed with the decision.  But they stuck with the man, and he delivered in a way none of us could have dreamed. 

In fact, someone asked me in May of 2006 if Frank was finished and I boldly said, "No, he's a hot streak away from having respectable numbers.  He has done this during his injury-riddled years." 

Frank proved me right, and without him Oakland would not have reached the playoffs.  He proved all his critics wrong and he showed that not only could he still perform, but that he also had a heart of a lion.  Although Toronto has lost sight of this.

You would think people would learn their lesson about doubting a man who has proved people wrong over and over again.  There is a very good chance that, if given the opportunity, he will turn it on again and prove Toronto wrong for letting him go.  Perhaps a team like Minnesota takes a chance on Frank the Tank and helps the team he use to destroy when he was in a White Sox uniform.  Or perhaps Frank realizes that he has nothing left to prove (which he has proved to be one of the greatest hitters of our generation), retires and begins working on his Hall of Fame speech early.  Regardless, he is a legend who deserved a better sendoff than this.

This should also stand as a wake-up call to Toronto Blue Jays fans and baseball fans in general that the Blue Jays organization needs a significant shake-up, starting from the top all the way down.   

On the field, off the field, it don't matter....

Like every baseball season there are changes and intriguing moments during this time of the year.  Of course this season is a little different as we approach this weekend with the ALCS still going.  Typically we would be preparing for the World Series tomorrow (Saturday), but instead we have a very interesting game 6 matchup in Boston with one of the best young arms in the Major Leagues in Fausto Carmona against arguably one of the best clutch pitchers over the last 15 years, Curt Schilling.

Boston did their job by beating the unsettled C.C. Sabathia, who hasn't pitched well once so far in these playoffs.  Casual observers of the game would scratch their heads watching his fastball sail outside the strike zone and wonder how he was so good in the regular season. 

Early Prediction: Game 6 will be a pitching duel with Schilling digging deep one more time.  Neither pitcher gets the win and Boston will finally chase the Indians bullpen during crunch time.  Game 7 will go to Cleveland and they will take on Colorado in the World Series.  How is that for Drama?

Last point on Boston: I know Manny Ramirez rubbed people the wrong way with his comments and I wonder why people are surprised?  He's been playing in the Major Leagues for 15 years I would assume you would have accepted who he is by now.  That said, his comments weren't meant that he doesn't care about THIS SEASON.  Unlike a lot of Boston hitters, ManRam has showed up.  His statements had more to do with handling the agony of defeat.  You may think that sounds stupid but ask a guy like Manny Ramirez to elaborate on deep feelings and you won't get a great answer.  Why?  Because he's just not wired that way.

COACHES

Dusty Baker will now coach the Cincinnati Reds.  Why would he want to coach them?  I'm guessing he was bored this season being out of coaching. 

Why hire Baker?  Because he is a name.  That is the best answer I have.  People like to talk about how he hung Mark Prior and Kerry Wood out to dry on the mound but I would not blame Wood's injury problems on Dusty.  Kerry's problems began WAY before Dusty arrived in Chicago.  Mark Prior on the other hand is a maybe.  Lets remember that when Prior first went on the DL back in 2004 his problem was with his foot.  Perhaps he was overcompensating and then his arm gave out.  We don't know.  I am not here to say it was a great hire for Cincy but based on their track record they have gotten a guy you could consider as an upgrade.

Speaking of upgrading, the New York Yankees will not be upgrading the managerial position as Joe Torre is gone.  Love how the Yanks spun the whole situation by giving Torre the power to come back.  BULLCRAP!  The seed had been planted when reports of Torre being gone were leaked during the ALDS.  That, along with the drama that has unfolded since the 2004 playoffs, would it have been worth the trouble of coaching a team loaded with big bats and questionable arms and a front office that doesn't care if you are still there?  Torre didn't need to accept the deal from New York because he would have been slapped in the face again sooner or later.  New York will now either use the inexperienced Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi.  Girardi may have worked wonders in Florida but its not an upgrade.  Not when the previous manager still had his clubhouse and the respect from the players in that room - something that gets lost when you manager in the league for a significant period of time.

THE OTHER SIDE

If I am Colorado right now I would be studying tape of both teams as much as possible during this time.  There should be no excuse for them to be unprepared. 

Side note: does Orel Hersheiser and Jim Kelly look alike?

Have a great weekend

You may be wondering what in the world "Showcase Revue" is.  Well for those of you who plan on checking in to tomorrow's "What's The Deeley-O" for blog day on BTN (9-Noon at www.chevradioam.com), I have now given you some new material.

Showcase Revue: A movie shown on the channel "Showcase" in Canada which is guaranteed to feature nudity, sexuality, and maybe violence and coarse language.  These movies are played in the late hours.  Think borderline soft core porn.  

Examples of movies that would be played are: Basic Instinct, Crash (1990's version), Red Shoe Diaries, Shakespeare in Love, etc....you get the point, Canadians can be sick puds too.

With that said, we'll move on to the other "revues"...

Author Sam Moffie contacted me about 3 weeks ago about his sports/sex novel "SWAP".  When he contacted me he eluded to the time two New York Yankee players decided to swap wives back in the 1970's.  This book involved that kind of swap, but it really dug deep into the sex lives of two couples and the sex lives of those around them.  I ripped through the book in about 4 nights and this was the first fiction book I had read since High School.  I prefer to read books that are either autobiographical or non-fiction but I must say that I was thoroughly entertained by Sam's book.

If you are a big fan of baseball and love to read about sexual intercoarse then this is the book for you.  Check out Sam's website at: www.samsstories.com.  You will find the book to be interesting if you happen to take a look at it.  If Sam is reading this post, I thank you once again for sending me a copy of the book.

Staying away from sex but keeping with the swapping theme...

The Atlanta Braves were the runaway winners of the trade deadline deal this year.  Mark Teixeira is not only there to help the Braves reach the post-season but he could be the man that replaces Andruw Jones in the cleanup hole.  Tex is only 27 years old and he's proven to be a masher.  If they lock him up or trade him to another team they will get a lot.  Once Chipper is gone this team could have Tex, Jeff Francouer and Brian McCann as their stud hitters for many years to come.  Also, the pickup of Octavio Dotel was big.  They needed an extra guy in the bullpen that can dominate and Dotel can still bring it. 

Speaking of bullpens, Boston's pen is absolutely unreal with the addition of Eric Gagne.  Remember when they had a terrible bullpen back in 2003?  Well those days are long gone as they will shut down opponents anytime the pen is called upon.  Their main rival, New York, decided their bullpen was ok so they shipped Scott Proctor for the great Wilson Betemit.   Not exactly the marquee player you would expect the Yankees to get.   He can play about 5 different positions but does that help your bullpen?  No. 

If Juan Rivera does not come back this year, the Angels of Anaheim will have made a mistake not grabbing someone.  Having Bartolo Colon dinged and Ervin Santana dropped to AAA did not help their trading leverage either.

If Johan Santana was completely lights out in the playoffs during his career then I would agree with his statements.  He hasn't, so the next time he wants to get out of round 1 I suggest he pitch better than 1-3 and a 3.97 post-season era.  But we know what that outburst was all about: getting paid and looking like the victim while laughing straight to the bank.

Kenny Lofton is nice and we expected him to be traded eventually but doesn't Cleveland have a pitching problem?  They just sent Cliff Lee to the minor leagues and Jeremy Sowers is looking more like Josh Towers than Jeremy Bonderman.  Jake Westbrook also might want to pitch as if he deserved a fat contract.

Has Kyle Lohse ever met expectations?  Or has he turned into the next Jason Bere?  Sorry, that was a low blow to Bere who was a legitimate All-Star once.

Where's Prior and Wood?

Nevermind.

***Tomorrow is YOUR DAY Bloggers so tune in between 9AM-Noon EST at www.chevradioam.com.  What's The Deeley-O will be at 11:05 AM so check in with an e-mail at chevradionoise@gmail.com.  Would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, Frank Irizarry's foxsports.com blogger show begins in about 3 hours.   Get in and get it.

This week has been slack for yours truly so I want to take the time frame I have today to talk about some random events occuring everywhere in sports...

- Last Sunday: Chicago v. Chicago had an interesting play which exposed baseball and it's commentators who know nothing about the game.  When you watch basketball or football games you generally hear a color commentator know exactly what's going on with a random play and why a call was made.  Well in this baseball game the commentators didn't know and neither did the sports guy on the desk in Toronto knew either.  That also means nobody in that network knew it either.  Because I still umpire, I can clear that play up easily:

The runner collided with the shortstop at second base in an attempt to go to third, which is interference.  A defensive player cannot make contact with a runner as he/she is still running, whether they are running from one base to another or going back to a base when the fielder is not attempting a play. 

The White Sox got the runner on 3rd base in a rundown and got him out, as well as the guy between first and second.  So instead of 2 outs, all runners were sent back because of Juan Uribe's stupidity around the bag at second base.  But here is where the commentators and Toronto sports network dropped the ball...

The desk #### said the play should have been called dead which is absolutely false.  The play must play out because if there was an overthrow and a runner scores on that play, the play stands.  Best example I can give you is this: When a defensive player is offside in football, do they give the offense a free play?  Yes.  So if Peyton Manning throws a TD does it count?  Yes.  If they call the play dead while Marvin Harrison is wide open I would bet the Colts would be really ticked right?  Well, the same rings true with baseball as that kind of play warrants the teams to finish the play before making the call.  If the team committing the foul benefits, the umpires will not let them.  But if the team being hindered benefits with the play continuing, the play will stand and the call would be null and void. 

The Chicago commentators we're yelling about the game being played under protest.  "Hell yeah this game will be played under protest!".  Great, too bad your team will lose the protest.  As for the network in my neck of the woods, not having one person in that building sure about this call means they are not taking their sports not named hockey serious enough.

- Frank Thomas is a hall of famer regardless of playing more games at DH than First Base.  His statistics at first base were incredible during his time.  Ken Griffey may have been a better homerun hitter and Barry Bonds may have been the best all around player during Thomas's prime, but was there a more dangerous hitter than Frank?  He was one of the first in our time to personify the importance of challenging for the Triple Crown.  He was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols, and Big Hurt's On-Base Percentage was always high.  He would have played more first base had the DH rule not existed and probably would have ended his career a few years back.  And even then I thought he was a Hall of Famer because of the dominance he had during the prime of his career.

- I don't care about his career batting average being 12 points better than the average second basemen or the fact that he just got to 3000 hits, Craig Biggio is no better than Barry Larkin who will not go to the Hall of Fame.  Biggio has to be credited for his longevity in the game of baseball, but the Hall of Fame is a bit extreme.  Look, he is a guy you'd have on your team in a second and would love to have him without a doubt.  He has been a very good player and second baseman, but the Hall of Fame?  I realize he's as solid as they come and his consistency is incredible but when I think of solid players at their position I think of Biggio as a Barry Larkin.  I also think if Biggio gets into the Hall of Fame then an argument can be made for Jeff Bagwell, who's impact for Houston was felt just as much as Biggio's. if not more.  If solid is another way to get in, then the Fred McGriff hype-train should start now.  And let's also remember that the best second basemen during Biggio's time were Roberto Alomar and Jeff Kent.

- The Boston Celtics got one of the best pure shooters of our time, Ray Allen.  The guy can absolutely stroke the rock and despite his ankle surgery he should still be more effective than the next option Boston has.  Only problem I saw with the trade involving them and Seattle is this: What will Seattle do with 3 point guards who are neither great or bad, and which ideal shooting guard will Boston move to play the point.  Each candidate are better suited at the 2 but they feel one of them can play the point.  Otherwise they would not have traded Delonte West. 

- Great move by Charlotte to get Jason Richardson.  The guy is very underrated and he's the best dunker I've ever seen.  Vince Carter may get all the hype but remember that J-Rich did all of Vince's dunks with greater difficulty and without a helper in the 2003 and 2004 slam-dunk contests.  And before last season J-Rich had improved his game every single year until injuries derailed his season last year.  If he's healthy he should thrive in the East.

- If Rashard Lewis goes to the Miami Heat you can pencil them in as the favourites to win the East Conference (keywords: East Conference).

- Good morning KG and Kobe.  How are you gentlemen feeling this morning?

- To anyone that is from or currently resides in Kansas City: Can you guys and gals honestly support an NHL franchise.  I'm really curious as to why the NHL would like to have a team in that market.

...If I don't get the chance to say this tomorrow, I wish Canada a happy 140th birthday on July 1.  Have a great long weekend my fellow Canadians! 

"Not only will Josh Towers lose the baseball game, he will give up a bomb to Barry Bonds...if he gets within a foot of the plate Bonds will put it in the lake." - The Dan, on his show yesterday morning.

Now, I was not correct with the part of the lake but when you get to watch the great Josh Towers as much as I do you become graced with the knowledge that allows you to make easy predictions like that one.  It still feels good to be right on the money sometimes, with the lake exception.  There I got extra cocky.  Oh well.

- Ichiro's quote that he'd rather punch himself than go to Cleveland was absolutely hysterical.  Has this guy always been a total comedian or is this something he picked up while he was learning the angles in Center Field?  All I know is that was one funny line and he should come up with more gems for us to read.

- The fight woke Carlos Zambrano up.  That was something I called last week on my show as well.  Sometimes when guys are underacheiving they need to blow off some steam and do something like that.  Remember in 2002 when Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent got into a scrap in the dugout?  Well after that incident Kent started to catch fire and started hitting like the best player in the game.  I'm not suggesting that players who are underperforming should fight a teammate but sometimes guys need to do something to wake themselves up.  Randy Johnson did that in 1998 just before he was traded to Houston.  He was high and tight to Kenny Lofton, who still loves to #### about pitches not even close to hitting him.  Unit was yelling that it was a slider (and it was), then was high and tight again which got him ejected, benches cleared and he was angry.  Right after that start Johnson was a machine and had an incredible second half.  I expect to see the same thing go down for a Zambrano who's chasing a fat contract and wants to prove that he can keep himself together when the chips are down.

- The US Open is wide open this year in my mind.  With Phil's wrist and Tiger's lack of unquestionable dominance opens doors for the rest of the field to walk through.  I know I've talked about this already but the closer we approach the more I think there could be a US Open champion not named Phil or Eldrick.  As for Tiger, I wonder how the process of fatherhood has changed him?  Not to say that it has prohibited him from being focused on golf but this is a new thing for him and now he does not have his father to lean on for advice.  Then again, he could win the US Open and all the questions can be thrown out.

- Asante Samuel must be locked up by the New England Patriots in order to be the favourite to win the Super Bowl.  They have always had question marks on their secondary dating back to when Ty Law got injured during their 3rd and final championship title run of their dynasty.  Without Samuel, an injury to Rodney Harrison this season will prove costly.  This is not the wide receiver position where they can let a guy walk, this is defense where you can't rely on others to step up and replace what Samuel brings to the table.  He's also very young with a very bright future ahead of him which makes me think New England would be nuts not to sign him.

- Game 3 tonight between San Antonio and Cleveland, and I made a prediction today that Cleveland would jump out to an early lead and barely hang on to win.  Pretty far out there huh?  Well if there was any game Cleveland would steal it would be this one.  They have the fan support plus if LeBron drops 30 they have a chance to win the game.  This game will all hinge on how they can stop the big 3 on San Antonio from scoring and the role players on Cleveland stepping their game up.  The way the series has gone so far, this may be their only win of the series because San Antonio looks as hungry as ever. 

I know I've cracked Larry Hughes a lot despite his injured foot.  However, he has been dissapointing the entire season and has gotten worse with the injury.  Clearly somewhere down the line he was healthy and playing like horseshit.  Well at least he's been consistent.

- Jerry Buss' kid needs to drink some shut up juice and stop ruining things for his dad.

- I don't care if JR Smith is 21, 16 or 40, you need to stop at the stop sign.  When you disobey the laws of the road you run the risk of doing serious damage to your car and whoever is inside of it.  Nobody knows what kind of automobile crash lies ahead of them but you are more likely safer in a vehicle when you obey the rules of the road.   You may blame it on youth, I blame it on irresponsibility and stupidity.  You don't have to be older to know better, otherwise the laws of a 16 year old being a licensed driver would change to 18, 19 or even 21.  That won't happen, so he should know better than to run a stop sign.

Now, because his friend is now dead there could be some problems down the road where he could be liable.  This reminds me of Dany Heatley of the Atlanta Thrashers.  Heatley was speeding along with his high performance car and hit a brick wall, killing his friend Dan Snyder.  The Snyder family pleaded to be lenient on Heatley and they were.  Will the law and the victim's family be so forgiving for Smith?  Maybe, but there was a debate amongst a few people I know regarding both incidences and some feel Smith will be worse off than Heatley and racism could be one of many reasons.  That's up to you to decide.

- Speaking of hockey, lots of people are throwing out the changes that need to be made for hockey to succeed.  Question is, if they get on a major TV network what will that do?  Will people all of a sudden start watching?  No, so why would a major network bother with the NHL when they know people won't watch?  It would not make any sense for a TV company to give hockey the time or day to give them reasons why they should be on TV over shows that people may actually watch.  Little changes like pushing the nets back closer to the backboards like they did years ago and ending the season before June is a start.  But there are a lot of tweaks that must be made before anyone can take the game serious again.

Tomorrow is "Mail it in" Wednesday so if you have e-mails just send to chevradionoise@gmail.com.  Also, we have phone lines which I've been told works toll-free.  What's The Deeley-O is back this Thursday so make sure you enter in.  Send your e-mail to the e-mail address above and ask all the wonderful questions you've always found odd, fascinating or confusing in regards to Canada or their relation with the US.  Cheers.

Up here in my neck of the woods we tend to have 2 for 1 Tuesday specials in several establishments.  Well I'm not writing 2 blogs but I will go outside the box and make this thing special.

Carlos Zambrano asks for 15.5 million in arbitration:

- And he should get that money.  The guy is a young stud who would arguably be a top 5 pitcher on your list of the best pitchers in Major League baseball today.  Mine has Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter, Roy Oswalt and Zambrano.  Plus Andy Pettitte is taking 16 million of the Yankees money, therefore Zambrano makes a case for 15 millon.

After 2 seasons, John Elway was the best and most clutch quarterback ever:

- And if he didn't win 2 Super Bowls how would we remember Elway?  A great quarterback who could not get it done.  Funny, that's the same thing we say about Peyton Manning.  Let's also not forget that Brett Favre's Packers could not get it done to help Elway get ring #1, and both championships were marred by Denver management's manipulating of the salary cap.  They violated the cap and nobody bothered to check.  Regardless, even if Peyton Manning does not win the Super Bowl this season that does not mean he can't turn his legacy around.  However...

Peyton Manning and the Colts need this win for their psyche, Tom Brady and the Pats need this win to put a stamp on their dynasty:

- I have all but conceded an AFC Super Bowl victory, but we play the game to determine who the best is for one night and the NFC teams can pull of an upset.  What if Peyton goes 0-3 against the Patriots in the playoffs?  That would be a serious blow to the team because they have proven they can beat them in the regular season ON THE ROAD.  Wouldn't it be interesting if Adam Vinatieri misses the game winner and puts New England into the Super Bowl?  All this is why Indy v. New England is the game to watch this Sunday. 

American Idol is watched by about 40 million people:

- Its a craze that I cannot fathom.  Maybe this year Americans will vote in a hottie to win like they did with Carrie Underwood or a former Boston first basemen in Ruben Mo Vaughan.  Or they can pick Mark Cuban's older brother Taylor Hicks like they did last year.

24 is the best show on Television:

- And I'll do one better: 24 is the best show ever on traditional cable.  Better than Dallas.  Better than MASH.  Better than The Cosby Show.  Better than Seinfeld.  Better than I Love Lucy.  Even better than The A-Team.  24 is simply amazing.  Again, just one person's opinion.  I will say this: FOX programming has been sick with 24 and Married With Children just to name a few.

The Golden Globes were on last night:

- If you watched, you might have a problem. 

* This is a reminder for all my listeners who want to participate in this Thursday's "What's the Deeley-O" contest just e-mail me any question regarding Canada since you all want to know about the Great White North.  E-mail at: chevradionoise@gmail.com before Thursday Jan 18 at 11:05 EST.

The Toronto Blue Jays have failed at optaining their ultimate goal in the 2006-2007 offseason of getting a front-line starting pitcher to bolster the rotation.  Nobody is quite sure what Blue Jay management will do now that their 2 prime targets, Gil Meche and Ted Lilly, are out of their reach.  Looking at the situation from someone who is close to the city and has a deep connection with the franchise, I saw the biggest option being a blockbuster trade involving All-Star Centerfielder Vernon Wells.  But reports are suggesting that Toronto wants to have a brand new contract for Wells within the next month or so.

The first question posed in the article I read from www.tsn.ca was asking whether the Blue Jays have any money left to keep Wells long-term.  At this point they probably do unless they decide to back the brinks truck up for a Jeff Suppan or Jason Marquis or both.  Or better yet, though this is wishful thinking on several Blue Jay fans, they take a run at Barry Zito (yes, not happening).  The big contracts the Jays already have are Roy Halladay, Troy Glaus, AJ Burnett and BJ Ryan.  Signing Wells would potentially mean good-byes for Reed Johnson, Aaron Hill, Lyle Overbay and Gustavo Chacin when they are up for negotiations.

There are two significant problems with signing Vernon Wells: Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran.  $136-million/8 for Soriano and $119/7 for Beltran.  The Vernon Wells camp will say, 'I field better than Soriano and hit for a better average than Beltran.'  Then the Jays will come back with, 'They are threats on the base paths, they've stolen more bases than you.'  Wells will reply, 'You play moneyball JP, you hate stolen bases.  I can steal 30 bases if you asked me to.'  

Let's also not forget that Andruw Jones is a free agent after this year as well.  He wins a gold glove every year as well as hits 30+ bombs a year.  He should command Carlos Beltran money when he up for free agency.  If Andruw signs for, let's say $150 for 8, Wells will command higher.  'I'm younger, faster and better than Jones.  I at least hit .300.  Show me the money.'  The article I read suggested that Wells could command $20 million per season, Manny Ramirez money.  So the dilemma is on for the Blue Jays and their fans: Do you re-sign Vernon Wells or do you trade him away?

The consensus is they won't find another player like Wells to fill centerfield the way he has.  He may not be the best defensive CF the Jays have ever had but he is certainly the best all around CF in franchise history.  Devon White is still the best centerfielder I have ever since in my life but he never had Wells's bat.  At 28 years old he has a good 6-10 years to be a productive major league player for you.  He can also be the heart and soul of your team, something that has been lacking consistency since Carlos Delgado left after the 2004 season.  And looking at how the Blue Jays have done in the off-season, they really should have went after Delgado with at least a contract offer.

The other side of the argument sees Wells as great value to any team.  He could create other options for your team: Getting a top-flight pitcher as well as another bat in the middle infield maybe?  Who knows what you can get with Wells but the potential is there. 

JP Ricciardi has his hands full now that he has been caught asleep at the wheel.  That was evident when former Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick nabbed Freddy 'The Rock' Garcia for nothing that was going to hurt the Phillies.  A trade is the way the Jays will get pitching, and perhaps save money.  Though Wells poses the best option, they need to keep him.

I never thought I would say that.

Major League Baseball is back to driving the market crazy with their free spending for the simple reason that they need to.  Of course, there are teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City who have been quiet this off-season thanks to not having any veterans they need to dump for salary purposes.  On a side note, it seems unfortunate to see two proud franchises getting pounded into the ground in the cash game.  KC was a model franchise in the 1980's while Pittsburgh has been in the MLB forever.

But this off-season has resembled what we use to see a few years back when guys were obtaining gigantic contracts.  At least, for the most part, guys who were getting big contracts back then were justified (with the exception of Darren Dreifort).  We can debate that for days, but we can at least come to common ground in admitting the market has gotten out of hand over the last month.  Let's just throw out the names of Matthews, Pierre, Padilla, Baez, Bradford, Lee and Eaton to name a few.  Let's wait until the these guys sign: Lilly, Meche, Zito, Schmidt, Drew, Pettitte and Clemens all sign.  It shall be more public outcry who cannot understand why certain guys are taking in cheques that they haven't earned.  There are a few of you that even feel guilty about seeing a guy get signed for a huge contract, and that is human nature.

It is also human nature to be upset at baseball for this inflation of contracts.  Sometimes pointing the finger at the wrong culprits.  Remember the line from Booker T: Don't hate the player, hate the game.  Free Agency has seemingly made it certain that a player will change teams for the better dollar, especially if the player played well in a small or mid-market.

It all comes down to two parties: Owners and Agents.  Agents know the pressure points of a franchise, know what positions a team is desperate to fill, knows the franchises competitors and uses other players' contracts as leverage in negotiation.  That is why players have agents; they want to maximize their contract and know they can make a lot more money having a master talker in the room with all the strategies and statistics at his/her disposal. 

We just saw Jose Guillen sign for about 5.5 million dollars with Seattle and though that might look like a lot, Seattle could potentially get a bargain if Guillen is healthy.  However, he did not have leverage at the negotiating table.

However, adequate pitcher Vincente Padilla receives 33 million for 3 years.  Why?  Well not only does Texas need a pitcher, they we're not ready to let Padilla go knowing they did not have a stranglehold on Barry Zito.  What kind of leverage could Padilla get from that?  Tons.  But he could also measure himself to other players...

"A.J. Burnett got 55 for 5 from Toronto and he's a .500 pitcher." Or..."Jaret Wright got around 9 million a year from New York after he won 15 games with Atlanta."  Guess how many wins Padilla had this season?  15.

Another adequate pitcher, Ted Lilly, goes 15-13 and he has a career year.  A 15-13 career year does not toss any confidence in a typical baseball fan.  But there is a reason why he hasn't signed yet: Barry Zito.

Zito will command the most money out of any pitcher for so many reasons: He's durable, he's reliable, he's left handed, he has been an ace and he's a former Cy Young award winner.  Is he the best pitcher available?  He isn't the most dominating, that goes to either Clemens or Schmidt.  But teams want a lefty who can take the ball for 33 starts if necessary.  So Lilly will measure his contract up against the team who shells out tons of cash to Zito.  Lilly needs Zito for leverage at the negotiating table.  He becomes the best available lefty on the market. 

And Agents know that.  So they use every angle in the book to squeeze owners into paying them what his player wants and what their team needs.  The New York Mets will blow their wallet on a big name pitcher because they need an arm.   Just like Houston needed a bat and went after Carlos Lee and showed him the money.  Houston needed to get stronger to match Chicago and hoped to stay on pace with St. Louis.  Now if only Houston got another pitcher to compliment Roy Oswalt...

Hardball is being played in the business dealings this off-season.  Owners are vulnerable for help in spots and agents prey off the necessities of each team.  So even if you don't put up stud number like Gil Meche, you will get paid.  Eventually, however, the market should level off like it did for a couple of years during this decade.

Regardless, many fans don't understand how certain players are commanding huge money.  Even with the competition being so high on and off the field, some of these signings are mind-boggling.  So if you think all of this is ruining baseball, just remember it is a total team effort and not just one person or one facet in the baseball world.