Amerikanischen Binary Options Blogspot

Aufrufen von gespeicherten Datenbankprozeduren aus Oracle Forms Mit V7 der Datenbank kam PLSQL V2, die die neue Funktionalität der gespeicherten Datenbankprozeduren hinzugefügt hat. Leider verwenden beide SQLForms V3.0 und Oracle Forms V4.0 noch PLSQL V1. Aus diesem Grund, wenn Oracle Forms über eine Datenbank gespeicherte Prozedur Aufruf in Ihrem Code stößt, weiß es nicht, wie es zu behandeln. Um diese Einschränkung zu umgehen, schrieb das PLSQL-Team eine Reihe von Prozeduren, die die Referenz auflösen. Wenn Oracle Forms auf eine Kennung stößt, prüft es, ob es eine Variable, Bindungsvariable, Tabellenansicht, Synonym, Sequenz usw. ist. Wenn es keines dieser Dinge ist, ruft der Compiler einen Stubgenerator auf, um festzustellen, ob er das Problem lösen kann Bezeichner als Datenbankfunktion oder Prozedur. In diesem Fall wird ein Stub für die syntaktische Überprüfung erzeugt und der Compiler setzt sich fort. Ein Stub ist eine PLSQL-Prozedur oder - Funktion, die denselben Header wie die eigentliche Prozedur oder Funktion hat, sodass Formulare syntaktische Prüfungen durchführen können. (Wenn der Bezeichner ein Paket ist, erzeugt der Stub-Generator einen Stub, der jede Programmeinheit in dem Paket referenziert.) Von da an wird der Stub verwendet, so daß die Stub-Erzeugungsprozeduren nur zur Kompilierzeit benötigt werden. (Die unten aufgeführten Ursachen werden in POTENTIAL PROBLEMS detailliert erklärt) PLS-103 Verwendung von SQLForms 3.0.16.11 oder früher PLS-201 Server falsch gesetzt Ungültiges Synonym PLS-302 Prozedur verwendet Typ arugment Zusätzliche Zeilen in der Tabelle PSTUBTBL Ungültiges Synonym PLS-303 Ungültig Synonym Verwenden von SQLForms 3.0.16.11 oder früher Versuchen, DBMSSTANDARD. RAISEAPPLICATIONERROR zu verwenden PLS-306 Fehlende Parameter falsche Argumente PLS-313 Ungültiges Synonym Prozedur verwendet Typargument Server falsch eingerichtet Ungültiger Datentyp in Prozedur PLS-363 Versuch, Konstante dem inout-Parameter PLS-903 zuzuweisen Gespeicherte Prozedur hat nur Argumenttypen ORA-4031 Der SGA ist zu voll, um die PSTUB-Prozedur zu laden FRM-40735 Typkonflikt beim Aufrufen der Datenbankprozedur CORE DUMP Übergeben von reellem Wert durch Integer Versuchen, variable Genauigkeit oder Länge zu deklarieren Die gespeicherte Prozedur hat nur OUT-Argumenttypen Der erste Schritt besteht darin, festzustellen, wo der Prozess fehlschlägt. Wir können dies tun, indem wir den Stubgenerator direkt aus SQLPlus aufrufen. Zuerst sollten Sie in der Lage sein, Ihre Prozedur von SQLPlus auszuführen. Wenn Sie dies nicht tun können, überprüfen Sie die Berechtigungen und Syntax Ihrer Prozedur. Wenn Sie wissen, dass es korrekt ausgeführt werden kann, geben Sie diese Zeilen ein: VARIABLE a VARCHAR2 (2000) VARIABLE b VARCHAR2 (2000) DELETE FROM sys. pstubtbl EXECUTE sys. pstub (, NULL, a. B) PRINT b DELETE FROM sys. pstubtbl (For Wenn die Prozedur in einem Paket ist, verwenden Sie stattdessen den Paketnamen.) Wenn PSTUB nicht ausgeführt wird oder wenn Sie eine Fehlermeldung erhalten, die auf ein anderes Paket verweist, wird Ihr Server möglicherweise nicht eingerichtet (Siehe Server falsch eingestellt in POTENTIAL PROBLEMS). Wenn Sie eine Nachricht über den gemeinsam genutzten Pool erhalten oder das Paket ungültig oder verworfen ist, kann es sein, dass das SGA fragmentiert oder voll ist, um die erforderlichen Stubgeneratoren zu laden (siehe Das SGA ist zu voll, um das DIUTIL-Paket zu laden POTENZIELLE PROBLEME). Wenn das Ergebnis des PRINT b snotv6Compat ist, können Sie versuchen, Typ-Argumente zu verwenden (siehe Prozedur verwendet Typ-Argument in POTENTIAL PROBLEMS). Wenn das Ergebnis ssubp nicht gefunden wird, besteht das Problem darin, dass der Stubgenerator die Prozedur nicht finden kann. Das liegt wohl daran, dass du kein Synonym eingerichtet hast. Eine Beschränkung der Stubgenerierung ist, dass sie nicht über Benutzer nach Prozeduren oder Paketen suchen kann. Sie können dies nicht umgehen, indem Sie das Paket oder den Prozedurnamen mit dem Namen des Benutzers (username. procedure) voranstellen. Sie müssen ein öffentliches Synonym deklarieren. Um dies zu tun, müssen Sie sowohl das Synonym erstellen, als auch eine grant execute auf proc zu public durchführen. Wenn das Ergebnis sother ist, bedeutet dies in der Regel, dass die Prozedur kann nicht in sqlplus unabhängig laufen. Die Aktion zu nehmen wäre, rufen RDBMS-Unterstützung. Wenn der Stub korrekt erzeugt wurde, wird PRINT b den Stub-Körper für Ihr Verfahren zurückgeben (PRINT a gibt Ihnen die Paket-Spezifikation, wenn Ihr Verfahren in einem Paket ist). Wenn dies der Fall ist, kann das Problem mit Ihrer Version von SQLForms sein oder ein Problem mit Ihrer Prozedur sein. Sie können die Liste der POTENTIAL PROBLEMS scannen, um festzustellen, ob Sie die Ursache des Problems finden können. Das folgende Beispiel ist ein Beispiel für einen erfolgreichen Aufruf des Stubgenerators: SQL create procedure donothing (var1 in number, var2 in out char) ist 2 begin 3 null 4 end 5 SQL execute sys. pstub (donothing, null, a. B) PLSQL-Prozedur erfolgreich abgeschlossen. B ------------------------------------------------- --------------------- Prozedur donothing (VAR1 NUMBER, VAR2 in out CHAR) beginnt stproc. in es (beginnen Sie donothing (: VAR1.VAR2) Ende) stproc. bindi (VAR1) stproc bindio (VAR2) stproc. execute stproc. retrieve (2, VAR2) end Server falsch eingerichtet Es gibt 13 Objekte, die auf dem Server sein müssen und VALID dafür, einen Stub zu erstellen. Sie können den Status dieser Objekte überprüfen, indem Sie das folgende Skript aus SQLPLUS ausführen, während es als SYS verbunden ist: COLUMN Objektname FORMAT A30 COLUMN Objekttyp FORMAT A12 SELECT Objektname, Objekttyp, Status FROM allobjects WHERE Objektname IN (PSTUBT, PSTUBTBL, PIDL, DIUTIL, DIANA, STANDARD, DBMSSTANDARD) ORDER BY 1,2 Das richtige Ergebnis dieser Abfrage lautet wie folgt: OBJECTNAME OBJECTTYPE STATUS ---------------------------- --------------------- DBMSSTANDARD PAKET GÜLTIG DBMSSTANDARD PACKAGE KÖRPER GÜLTIG DBMSSTANDARD SYNONYM GÜLTIG DIANA PACKAGE GÜLTIG DIANA PACKAGE KÖRPER GÜLTIG DIUTIL PAKET GÜLTIG DIUTIL PAKET KÖRPER GÜLTIG PIDL PAKET GÜLTIG PIDL PAKET BODY VALID PSTUBT VERFAHREN GÜLTIG PSTUBTBL TABELLE VALID STANDARD PACKAGE GÜLTIG STANDARD PACKAGE BODY VALID Wenn eines dieser Objekte fehlt oder ungültig ist, führen Sie DIUTIL. SQL als SYS aus (ORACLEHOMErdbmsadmin für Unix, ORAWINDBS für Windows) SYS von SQLDBA auf der Serverseite). Eine Version von DIUTIL. SQL ist in der Regel mit dem TOOLS ausgeliefert - es kann oder auch nicht neuer als die Server-Version (die einzige Möglichkeit zu sagen ist, die Kommentare in der Datei zu betrachten) - wenn es neuer ist, fühlen Sie sich frei um es zu benutzen. Wenn Sie weiterhin Probleme haben, können Sie die Objekte korrekt installieren, indem Sie diese Skripts in dieser Reihenfolge ausführen: STANDARD. SQL, PIPIDL. SQL, PIDIAN. SQL, DIUTIL. SQL und PISTUB. SQL. Ungültiger Datentyp in Prozedur Es werden nur vier Datentypen für die Verwendung in gespeicherten Prozeduren unterstützt, die von Oracle Forms aufgerufen werden oder von einer anderen Prozedur aufgerufen werden, die von Formularen wie VARCHAR2, NUMBER, DATE und BOOLEAN aufgerufen wird, wie in den Release Notes dokumentiert. Wenn ein Paket Prozeduren mit non-V6-kompatiblen Argumentenwiederherstellungstypen aufweist, wird es aus dem Stub entfernt. Ein Stub wird immer noch zurückgegeben werden, aber es wird diese Verfahren fehlen. Gespeicherte Prozedur hat nur OUT-Argumenttypen Der Workaround für dieses Problem besteht darin, stattdessen INOUT-Argumente zu verwenden. Zusätzliche Zeilen in der PSTUBTBL-Tabelle Die PSTUBTBL-Tabelle ist ein temporärer Speicher für Stubs, und nachdem ein Stub erstellt wurde, sollte diese Tabelle gelöscht werden. Wenn es in PSTUBTBL irgendwelche Zeilen gibt, kann dies dazu führen, dass der Stubgenerierungsprozess fehlschlägt. Wie werden Zeilen in PSTUBTBL übergeben 1) Ein Benutzer führt die Prozedur sys. pstub von SQLPlus aus und Nachwort, die sie festlegen. Wenn dies der Fall ist, ist die Lösung einfach: melden Sie sich in sqlplus an und geben Sie delete aus sys. pstubtbl ein. 2) Zwei verschiedene Version von Oracle Forms beziehen sich auf die gleiche Prozedur. Wenn dies der Fall ist, versuchen Sie, die ältere Version zu aktualisieren, und wenn Sie beide V3.0 amp V4.0 laufen lassen, stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie V4.0.12 verwenden. 3) Auf die gespeicherten Prozeduren wird durch eine ältere Version von Formularen verwiesen (älter als V3.0.16.12.7 auf UNIX-Systemen). Lösung: aktualisieren Sie Version von SQLForms. Der SGA ist zu voll, um das DIUTIL-Paket zu laden Das DIUTIL-Paket muss in das SGA geladen werden, damit ein Stub erzeugt werden kann. Dieses Paket nimmt 32K, und es ist nicht ungewöhnlich für stark belastete Systeme nicht so viel zusammenhängende SGA zur Verfügung. Sie haben ein paar Optionen in diesem Fall - können Sie warten, bis später und versuchen Sie es erneut, aber dies ist nur eine vorübergehende Lösung. Wenn dies ein häufiges Problem ist, können Sie Ihre SGA-Größe zu erhöhen, oder Sie können die PSTUB-Prozedur in die SGA, so dass es nicht aged out. 7.0.15 und spätere Versionen des RDBMS enthält ein Paket namens DBMSSHAREDPOOL, die es Ihnen ermöglichen, dies zu tun. Wenn dieses Paket nicht installiert ist, können Sie es installieren, indem Sie DBMSPOOL. SQL ausführen. Um sicherzustellen, dass Platz in der SGA zum Laden des Pakets, können Sie dies direkt nach dem Start, oder Sie können die SGA durch Anmelden in SQLPLUS als SYS löschen und eingeben: ALTER SYSTEM FLUSH SHAREDPOOL Tun Sie dies dreimal, um sicherzustellen, dass die SGA Wird gespült. Danach starten Sie PSTUB auf DIUTIL, oder generieren Sie Ihr Formular, da dies das DIUTIL-Paket in das SGA einfügt, dann (aus SQLPLUS als SYS): Ungültiges Synonym Überprüfen Sie, ob Ihr Synonym gültig ist und an public vergeben wird. Fehlende Parameter falsche Argumente Stellen Sie sicher, dass die in Oracle Forms angegebenen Parameter mit den in der Datenbankprozedur angegebenen Parametern übereinstimmen. Der Versuch, den inout-Parameter Inout-Parametern zuzuordnen, erwartet, dass ein Wert an Oracle Forms zurückgesendet wird. Sie können einer Konstante keinen Wert zuweisen. Referenzieren von Synonymen mit Zugriff über eine Rolle gewährt Zugriff muss explizit gewährt werden. Prozedur verwendet Typargument (Bug 190597) - Typ wird in neueren Versionen von DIUTIL. SQL unterstützt (aber Typ muss noch einen V6-kompatiblen Datentyp auswerten). Es ist ein Patch verfügbar für diesen Fehler für SQLForms V3.0.16.12 und höher und Oracle Forms V4.0.11 und höher. Verwenden von V3.0.16.11 oder früher Die Referenzierung gespeicherter Prozeduren funktioniert nur in V3.0.16.12 und höher. Typkonflikt beim Aufruf der Datenbankprozedur Überprüfen Sie, ob die Datentypen Ihrer Parameter mit dem übereinstimmen, was in der gespeicherten Datenbank gespeichert ist. Übergeben von reellem Wert durch Integer Dieser Typ Mismatch kann einen Core Dump verursachen. Versuchen, variable Genauigkeit oder Länge zu deklarieren Die Genauigkeit und Länge der Variablen werden durch Formulare bestimmt und sollten nicht in der Prozedur angegeben werden. Der Versuch, DBMSSTANDARD. RAISEAPPLICATIONERROR zu verwenden, verwendet einen binaryinteger-Datentyp, der nicht unterstützt wird. BESCHRÄNKUNGEN ----------- In Oracle Forms können Sie auf gespeicherte Datenbankprozeduren verweisen, aber Sie können sie nicht aus Formularen debuggen. Es gibt zwei Tabellen namens USERSOURCE und USERERRORS, die Informationen über PLSQL-Nutzung und Fehler speichern. Sie können nicht auf Datenbank gespeicherte Paketvariablen oder Cursor aus Formularen verweisen. Auf 7.0.13 und früher des RDBMS, liefern boolesche Werte nicht die korrekten Werte On 3.0.16.12 von Formularen und früher gibt es einige Probleme mit BOOLEAN-Werten - besser zu verwenden NUMBER und 0 und 1. Sie können nicht nachschlagen Einem entfernten Unterprogramm über ein Synonym bis RDBMS 7.1.1. Leistung: Eine Entwicklungsgruppe hatte diese Erfahrung - Die Leistungsfähigkeit der Leistung scheint sich im Laufe der Zeit in einem Mehrbenutzersystem zu verschlechtern, wenn viele Formulare erzeugt werden und sie alle über mehrere gespeicherte Prozedurverweise verfügen. Wir analysierten dies mit tkprof und es stellte sich heraus, dass es die Abfrage von SYS. PSTUBTBL war, die alles verlangsamt wurde. Die Trace-Datei Statistiken für die Abfrage waren riesig (100000 Block-Visisten). Alles, was ich denken konnte, war, dass die Natur der Transaktion, um gespeicherte Prozedur Stub Text zu erhalten (dh laufen die PSTUB-Generator, der in PSTUBTBL, wählen Sie aus PSTUBTBL, Rollback) forderte große Mengen von Lese konsistente Daten pro Sitzung, und es gab einige (Nicht identifiziertes) Problem auf dem Server. Wir reparierten es, indem wir die Tabelle SYS. PSUBTBL fallen ließen und neu erzeugten, und die Statistik fiel nach unten und die Generationsleistung nahm zu. Referenzen: Es gibt mehr Informationen zum Aufrufen von gespeicherten Prozeduren von Oracle Forms in den Oracle Forms-Versionshinweisen. Gelegentlich bin ich von der Anzahl der Pageviews, die diese eher düstere und statische Website empfängt, schockiert. Und nicht nur die von mir selbst versuchen, sich daran zu erinnern, wie es war, als ich Zeug schrieb, das voller Leidenschaft und Vitalität und Punk-Rock-Mic Stand Kicks war. Wenn ich es lese, denke ich: Das Kind hatte Potential. Sowieso, wenn youre, das nach mir sucht, youll finden alle meine neuen scribblings über an der Sportsnet Aufstellungsort. Heres die Verbindung: sportsnet. caauthortao-of-stieb (ich eingeschlossen die volle Verbindung, weil ich die Weise mag, die Im als Autoren bezeichnet.) Auch vermutlich vermutlich post eine kurze Sache oder zwei hier gelegentlich. Nur um das Gamm aus dem Motor zu verbrennen. Vielleicht in meiner Introspektion in den Prozess des Seins ein anonymer bloggercontent creatorauthorguruSolid Gold Tänzer verwöhnen. Ich schätze weiterhin Ihre Schirmherrschaft, und bitte geben Sie der Sportsnet-Website Ihre Klicks. Sie waren sehr gut zu mir, und es ist immer schön zu hören, wenn ein Post geht gut über ihre Website. Außerdem: Ich habe wirklich lieber R. E.M. In der Warner Bros. Tage über ihre IRS-Datensätze. Ich weiß, Sie denken, Sie lieben Lifes Rich Pageant. Aber wir können ehrlich sein. Neue Abenteuer in Hi-Fi bläst alle jangly College-Rock-Scheiße aus dem Wasser. Als ich erfuhr, dass die Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Saison in Buchform dokumentiert worden war, erkannte Ill meine erste Reaktion War irgendwo zwischen Übelkeit und Angst. In diesem Augenblick konnte ich mir nicht vorstellen, die Saison, die gerade vergangen war, wieder zu erleben, und es war mir auch nicht wichtig, sie weiter zu zerlegen. Irgendwann müssen Sie weitermachen. Es half nicht, Fragen, die zum Zeitpunkt der Bücher bevorstehende Veröffentlichung angekündigt wurde, John Farrell und die Boston Red Sox wurden Barreling ihren Weg durch die Playoffs in Richtung, was schien ein zunehmend wahrscheinlich und schrecklich Capper, was war die Franchise am meisten elend Saison der Vergangenen drei Jahrzehnten. Mit einem Tag oder so der Behaglichkeit nach dem Ende der World Series, und mit einem klaffenden Loch in Bezug auf Baseball-Inhalte in meinem Leben, bekam mein krankhaftes Gefühl der Neugier die bessere von mir und ich zurückgelassen. Fein. Ich lese das Buch. Ill gehen durch die gesamte hässliche Chaos wieder. Wenn ich mich einer solchen Prüfung unterwerfen sollte, dann hilft es sicher, zu wissen, dass große Erwartungen: Die verlorene Toronto Blue Jays Season wurde von Sportsnets Shi Davidi und die National Posts John Lott, die beiden Beat-Schriftsteller, deren Arbeit ich am meisten gelesen täglich. Also las ich es. Und ich lebte, um die Geschichte zu erzählen. Ich glaube, ich hätte ein bisschen gelernt. Hier sind meine Gedanken. In einer Zeit, in der der Begriff der Erzählung so rücksichtslos unter der zensoriöseren und persnickety der Baseball-Analytiker verschmäht wird, ist es für die Kredite der Autoren, dass sie meist von einer geraden chronologischen Nacherzählung der Saison gelenkt. Im sicher, dass theres eine Versuchung, sequentiell durch den Zeitplan zu bauen, die Schaffung einer Geschichte mit einer zentralen Erklärung für den Untergang der 2013 Blue Jays, aber eine solche Ausübung wahrscheinlich dient dazu, die Wahrheit zu verdunkeln, anstatt aufzudecken. Lott und Davidi verwenden intelligent einen Stil des Schreibens Lese-Leser hin und her in der Zeit, durch einen Umweg Weg Persönlichkeiten und Ereignisse, die letztlich die Saison beeinflussen. Sie markieren einige der bemerkenswertesten Blue Jays - oder zumindest die gesprächigsten -, die in ihre Ursprungsgeschichten graben, wie sie ihren Weg nach Toronto gemacht haben und schließlich durch, was ihre Auswirkungen auf die unglückliche Saison 2013 war. Zwischen diesen Geschichten klopfen sie in Aspekte der Art und Weise, in der die Saison rollte, vor allem auf die Ereignisse, die Sie erwarten würden: Die Kawasaki Walkoff, Jos Reyes unglückliche Rutsche in Kansas City, Bret Lawries Freakout nach Adam Lind nicht punkten Auf seiner flachen Fliegenkugel. Theres einige nette contextualization, die um diese Fälle geschieht, in bezug auf, wie sie geschehen, sowie einige Hinweise auf den Schlag zurück hinter verschlossenen Türen. Aber jenseits dieser Momente, es ist klar aus der Erzählung, dass die Saison war sehr viel ein Leviathan, viel größer als die Summe der Aktionen der Mangers oder Spieler. In der Nacherzählung scheint es fast so, als ob die Saison 2013 etwas war, das dem Team passierte, als ob sie zuweilen ihre Saison aus der Ferne ansahen, auch wenn sie mitten drin waren. Zu diesem Punkt ist das Buch von seiner besten Seite, wenn es untersucht, wie die Mannschaft in der Offseason versammelt wurde, und wie was könnte etwas wie ein Plan aussah, war tatsächlich mehr eine Reihe von glücklichen Unfällen und verpasste Verbindungen. Es fährt nach Hause den Punkt, dass die Blue Jays sicherlich sussed out andere Möglichkeiten, einschließlich der Bewegungen, die möglicherweise ratsam, im Hinblick auf die Vorteile der Nachsicht. Aber wie die Teile des Buches zu zeigen, sind die Jays nur ein Spieler unter vielen, und manchmal mit unterschiedlichen Zeitlinien und Ebenen der Dringlichkeit als ihre Handelspartner oder freie Agent Ziele konfrontiert. Rufen Sie mich noch einmal an, aber das Buch lässt den Eindruck entstehen, dass die scharfsinnigste, bewusste und strategische Vorausschau beim Aufbau eines Teams letztendlich so anfällig ist, dass es von dummem Glück und Verletzungen wie jeder zufälligen Sammlung von Spielern untergraben wird. Das ist seltsam beruhigend, aber auch beunruhigend, wenn Sie irgendeine Vorstellung haben, dass youre Ihre Seele optimistisch zurück in andere wenige Jahrzehnte Schicksalsindifferenten Geistschleifer stürzen wird. Zwei letzte Gedanken über das Buch. Zuerst fand ich eine Menge meiner Wut und Antipathie - erinnere mich an diesen Beitrag. Geschrieben in einem Anfall von Pique - schmelzen, wie ich arbeitete meinen Weg durch das Buch. Insbesondere fühlte ich mich eine größere Anerkennung für R. A. Dickey, die ich während der Saison für die ausführlichen Streicher der Entschuldigungen, die jedem Anfang folgten, gewachsen war. In dem Buch, theres ein größeres Gefühl der Demutheit von Dickey im Besonderen, und theres eine philosophische gebogen, um einige der Kommentare von einigen anderen wichtigen Spielern. In gewisser Weise fühlte ich mich gespannt darauf, sie wieder in Aktion zu sehen. Zweitens, und verwandt, fand ich, dass es ein paar Lücken in Bezug auf die Spieler, die bedeckt waren. Es gibt genügend Zeit für die meisten der wichtigsten Spieler, und man kann sicher sehen, welche Spieler sind die meisten verfügbaren und gesprächig der Haufen. (Fräulein Sie bereits, Mark DeRosa.) Es gibt etwas von einer Lücke, aber, hinsichtlich der Einblicke auf den Jahreszeiten von Adam Lind und von J. P. Arencibia. Ich kann die Gründe dafür verstehen, warum die Lücken bestehen, da der erste nicht ein sehr gutes Interview zu sein scheint, und dieser hat sich für einen bedeutenden Teil der Saison von den Medien abgeschnitten. Dennoch waren ihre zwei der interessanteren Geschichten, zum von der Jahreszeit 2013 aufzutauchen, und das Buch würde eine reicherere Erfahrung gewesen sein, wenn es irgendein größeres Verständnis gab, wie man einen Anschein von Ansehen fand, während der andere nur ungefähr so ​​weit fiel denkbar. Aber das sind kleine Quibbles. Angesichts seiner schnellen Turnaround-Zeit und engen Fokus, ist Great Expectations eine reichliche und aufmerksamkeitsstarke Rekapitulation der vergangenen Saison, mit genügend Einblick, um Ihre Baseball-Liebe durch die Offseason zu erhalten, und genug Weisheit, um Ihre Aussichten durch die Liste aktualisieren, die sicher ist, zu kommen diesen Winter. Es gab glückliche Zeiten. Wirklich. Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Flickr Stream von jamesinto. Niemand weiß nichts. Vielleicht ist das nicht wie das tiefste Gefühl, und es wahrscheinlich besser klingen, wenn Sokrates sagte etwas wie es in seinem Tag. Ich bin paraphrasieren, kümmern Sie sich, und meine Version ist sicherlich grammatisch fehlt. Dennoch ist es das erste, was mir in den Kopf springt, wenn ich auf die Saison 2013 der Toronto Blue Jays blicke. Im Laufe der Jahre war es etwas von einem Mantra, das durch meine Gedanken fast immer wieder hört, wenn ich höre, wie Leute sprechen in kühnen Absoluten über Baseball. Aber nie mehr als in dieser Saison. Dies sollte ein neues, erfrischt und revitalisiert Blue Jays Team sein. Dies war ein Team, das im Spiel spielen würde, anstatt auf eine Zukunft zu träumen. Ein Team, das Geld ausgegeben und ihre Top-Aussichten auf bewährte Veteranen mit Pedigrees gehandelt, die erwartet, dass das Team helfen, jetzt zu gewinnen. Die Dringlichkeit zu gewinnen wurde teilweise durch eine der katastrophalsten Jahreszeiten in der Jays Geschichte angeheizt, mit einer Parade von Verletzungen Haufen oben auf homophobem eyeblack und beendet mit einem Manager, der von der Organisation zu einem verabscheuten Rivalen verriegelte. Die Jays wurden gelassen, um die Stücke aufzuheben und den Glauben in Eile wiederherzustellen. Und das, wenn es schien, als ob die gemessene Strategie des Gebäudes von innen wurde zugunsten der Taktik Echo von den billigen Sitzen aufgegeben. Verbringen Sie zu kämpfen, sagte sie. Mit dem Roten Sox, das aus den Schluchten und den Yankees auftauchte, die alt aussahen und zerfallen, wurden die Jays mit Fenster versehen. Das war ihre Zeit. Es war kein Jahr, um in der zweiten Jahreshälfte auf Fünfjahrespläne oder bedeutungslose Spiele zu verweilen. Es war Zeit, groß zu werden, und ein Ende zu setzen zwei Jahrzehnte der Vergeblichkeit. Und wenn Sie in diesem ganzen Töpfchen gekauft, ist es schwer zu begreifen, wie diese Saison hätte viel mehr enttäuschen können. Auch wenn Sie die Saison mit etwas Zögern, die Akquisition eines spannenden Spielers wie Jose Reyes oder einem amtierenden Cy Young Sieger in R. A. Dickey war genug, um die Führung bis zur Saison eine schwindelerregende Freude der Erwartung und Hoffnung zu machen. Aber von der Eröffnung der Saison, war diese neu erfundene Kader nie ernsthaft in der Mischung, noch hat es überhaupt wirklich richtig aussehen. Ohne die Erzählungen im Nachhinein bauen zu wollen, gab es am Eröffnungstag etwas Unnervsames über die Dickeys-Reaktion auf einen fünfte Inning-Asdrubal-Cabrera-Fliegenball, der über den Zaun führte und Cleveland eine 4: 1-Führung in einem Spiel gab, das bei dieser Punktzahl enden würde. Dickeys sofortige Reaktion war, seine Hände in die Luft zu werfen, als ob vorzuschlagen, dass er es über den Glauben, dass ein Ball wie das würde den Park verlassen würde. Ich bemühe mich nicht, meine emotionalen Reaktionen auf diese Art von Moment mit Stimme zu geben, wenn auch nur so, dass ich nicht versuchen werde, sie zu legitimieren. Diese Emotionen sind reaktionäre und amorphe Vibes, die havent mit Logik behandelt wurden oder enthalten und durch Vernunft definiert. Aber in diesem Moment war mein rohes Gefühl eine der Angst. Die Blue Jays hatten zwei ihrer Top-3-Perspektiven verpfändet, um ein mutmaßliches Ass sofort zu gewinnen, aber es stellte sich heraus, dass er ein Flyballkrug war, der vermindert wurde, wenn er aus den großzügigen Grenzen des Citi Field entfernt wurde. Und es würde nicht funktionieren. Sorry über Ihr Glück. Nicht, dass Sie alle Hoffnung nach einem Spielfeld im ersten Spiel verlassen, denken Sie daran. Diese Anekdote würde wahrscheinlich in Erinnerung verblasst haben, wenn die Blue Jays mit einem gewissen Erfolg früh zurückgesprungen wäre. Aber diese ersten Wochen mit dem neu erdachten Spielplan waren ein hässlicher und schrecklicher Slog. Die Jays sahen schrecklich auf dem Feld aus, wobei die Newcomer Emilio Bonifacio und Maicer Izturis beide im Innenfeld krank aussahen. Josh Johnson sah miesen, Kommissionierung und knabberte mit Offspeed und Brechen Stellplätze früh in zählt und hart getroffen, wenn er in die Zone kam. Melky Cabrera bewegte sich wie ein Mann zweimal in seinem Alter, stolperte auf dem Feld und zog lahm auf den Basispfaden. Es war kaum ein günstiger Start für einen der Neulinge, außer für Reyes, die in seine Rolle an der Spitze der Jays Lineup über seine ersten zehn Spiele mit dem Verein zerrissen, Posting ein .991 OPS. Aber in diesem zehnten Spiel hielt Reyes eine ungeschickte, halb abgebrochene Rutsche, die ihn sofort auf den Boden fallen sah, in Schmerzen und in Tränen mit einer schweren Knöchelverstauchung. Ich erinnere mich, starrte starr auf den Fernseher in dieser Nacht, gefangen unter einer Welle der Verzweiflung. Nicht einmal zwei Wochen in die Saison, und es schien, als ob 2013 bereits eine verlorene Sache war. Es nur verdreht das Messer tiefer zu wissen, dass dies geschah mit einem Mann sollte gut versiert in der Fähigkeit des Gleitens, eine Basis zu stehlen. Die Saison war nicht vorbei, offensichtlich. In den nächsten 25 Wochen gab es noch 152 Spiele. Aber mit so wenig Spielraum für Fehler in einem harten American League, war es schwer zu begreifen, wie ein Team, das so lausig aussehen könnte alles umdrehen. Es gab hohe Punkte für die Saison, natürlich. Die unerwartete Entstehung von Munenori Kawasaki - so viel wie ein Entertainer als Ballspieler - half, die Lücke zu füllen, während Reyes rekonvaleszierte. Kawasaki war der Höhepunkt der denkwürdigsten positiven Moment der Saison, als seine zwei-Lauf-Walkoff doppelte Orioles näher Jim Johnson eine vierfache neunten abgedeckt. Kawasaki würde auch eine Schlüsselrolle spielen in der Jays 11-Spiel-Siegesserie, Post ein 1.018 OPS (.393 OBP, 625 SLG) an der Spitze der Lineup über diese Spiele. Und für einen kurzen Moment im Juni schien es, als könnten die Jays wieder auf dem richtigen Weg sein. Am Ende ihrer Siegesserie waren sie zwei Spiele über .500 (38-36) und aus dem AL-Ostkeller um Prozentpunkte über die Tampa Bay Rays. Aber von dort bis heute, schrieb die Jays eine 34-51 Platte, stolperte zusammen mit einer behelfsmäßigen Rotation, die nie genug tun konnte, um die meistens-okayish Vergehen zu unterstützen. Im vergangenen Jahr zu dieser Zeit, ich zuckte die Saison fast gänzlich. Es war nichts Wertvolles daraus zu lesen. Es war eine Reihe von Unglücksfällen und Verletzungen und Unglücksfällen, von denen es wahrscheinlich unwahrscheinlich war, dass sie auf irgendeinem Team wieder besucht wurden. Theres keine Lektion dort gelernt werden, abgesehen von der Tatsache, dass es Tausende von Möglichkeiten für die Pläne in die Irre gehen. Heute, nach einer ganzen neuen Reihe von Trübsalen und Enttäuschungen, Im wahrscheinlich bereit zu sagen, dass ich nicht weiß, ob Sie wirklich wirklich etwas monumental einsichtig, wie eine Saison ausspielen kann wirklich lernen. Manchmal spielen Sachen heraus, wie Sie hoffen, und manchmal tun sie nicht. Der Unterschied zwischen einem Lachen und dem Sein in der Wild Card Mischung für die Jays war ein lausiger Verlust alle zwei Wochen. Im links nach diesen vergangenen zwei Jahreszeiten zu denken, dass es keinen einzigen Weg, dass Teams zum Erfolg gehen sollte. Ich denke, es gibt so viele Wege zum Erfolg, wie es Erfolgsgeschichten gibt. Manchmal bedeutet das, das Laden auf Veteranen, und manchmal bedeutet es, halten Sie Ihre Perspektiven, bis sie blühen und bieten Ihnen Tiefe. Die Jays waren ein fehlerhaftes Team, aber jedes Team hat Fehler. Nächste Woche, wann waren alle hunkering unten, um Playoff-Baseball zu sehen, die Teams, die talentiert und glücklich genug waren, um diese schwer fassbaren sinnvolle Spiele spielen haben mehr Fehler, als Sie sich vorstellen würden. Als Jays-Fans, auch auf die Fehler behoben werden, wie wir versuchen zu verstehen, was schief gelaufen ist, und wo diese Extra-Gewinne in der nächsten Saison zu finden. Aber an diesem Punkt konnte ich die Jays sehen die Matt Garza und Howie Kendrick und Brian McCann und immer noch kurz kommen nächste Saison. Ich weiß nicht, was die Antwort ist. Aber ich weiß, dass ich nicht weiß. Und wissen, dass bedeutet, dass ich meine Erwartungen für 2014, ungeachtet dessen, was passiert in diesem Winter. Briefe. Wir bekommen Briefe. Ill bekennen, dass ein Teil des Grundes, dass ich begann, diese Postsack-Stil-Posts - die ich gestehen kann eine Berührung hackig - ist, dass es gab mir eine Chance, den Puls der Fans zu nehmen, und sehen, was sie beschäftigt. Und wenn youll ein wenig Schmeichelei gegenüber meinen Twitter-Anhängern hingeben, finde ich, dass das Übergewicht der Noten, die ich empfange, durchdacht, betrachtet und vielleicht sogar ein wenig optimistisch sind, trotz mehrerer enttäuschender Jahreszeiten in Folge. Es hebt meine Stimmung. In dieser Runde der angefragten Fragen, was scheint in erster Linie nagen weg an der Seele der Blue Jays Fans ist das Schicksal eines Herrn Jonathan Paul Arencibia. Ich bezweifle, dass diese Fragen seine Geister auslösen würden. Lasst uns graben. TaoofTestBen Wenn JPA nicht dieses unglaubliche Debütspiel hat, ist er auf den blauen Jays gerade jetzt TaoTweetBag 8212 Dave-Kirche (davechurch) 12. September 2013 Nein, ich glaube nicht, dass der Fall überhaupt ist. Arencibia war ein First-Round-Draft-Pick, ein Top-50-Prognose nach Baseball America, und ein Pacific Coast League MVP. Der Kerl hatte Zeugnisse, die in seine Major League Karriere kommen. Es ist auch leicht zu vergessen, nach dieser schrecklichen Saison für die Jays Fänger - sowohl auf und außerhalb des Feldes -, dass es eine Zeit, als Fans wurden aufgerufen, um das Team zu schieben Veteran John Buck aus dem Weg, um Platz für den Fänger Die Zukunft, auch nach seinem bemerkenswerten Debüt. Wenn die Jays geparkt JPA für Wochen nach seinem Debüt, theres wenig zu deuten darauf hin, dass ein Spiel hätte irgendeinen Einfluss auf die Entscheidung, ihn in der Startrolle durch zwei weniger als stellaren Jahreszeiten zu halten. TaoofBug hat eine andere Ebene auf seine Schrecklichkeit oder ist dies sein Boden TaoTweetBag 8212 C. Hill (hillchris) 12. September 2013 Sein schwer vorstellbar, dass es viel schlimmer für Arencibia gehen könnte. Hart, aber nicht unmöglich. Dennoch, theres Beweise aus seinen ersten beiden Jahreszeiten, dass hes nicht annähernd so schlecht wie ein Offensivspieler. In den ersten beiden Jahreszeiten als Starter verzeichnete die JPA einen .716 OPS (.279 OBP 437 SLG). Diese Zahlen sind außergewöhnlich, aber der Durchschnitt in der Liga für Fänger in dieser Saison ist ein .706 OPS (.313.393), die Arencibia als etwas unter dem Durchschnitt für die Position platzieren würde. Wenn Sie davon ausgehen, dass eine ganze Saison nicht einmal eine Stichprobengröße, die ausreicht, um eine Entscheidung über einen Spieler wert ist, dann die Leistung in der vorherigen Saison sollte etwas Pause geben. Es könnte sein, dass es etwas gibt, das Arencibia in dieser Saison krank macht - körperlich, geistig, spirituell - was dazu führt, dass das vergangene Jahr ein seltsamer und gewagter Fluke ist. Vielleicht ist die Hölle wieder zu einem durchschnittlichen Spieler für seine Position in den kommenden Jahren. Aber rollen Sie all seine Leistung bis heute zusammen, und er beginnt, wie eine fringey MLB-Backup, mit einigen Pop in seiner Fledermaus aussehen. TaoofStieb warum cant JP Arencibia einen Pitch oder zwei Taotweetbag 8212 Alex Henriquez (AlexHenriquez) 12. September 2013 Einige Leute sehen, einen Platz als ein passiver Ansatz. Wenn Sie mich bitten, Amateur-Psychologen spielen, denke ich, dass Arencibia ist die Art von Person, die die Dinge geschehen will, nicht warten, bis die Dinge sich selbst in eine Situation, die für ihn vorteilhafter sein könnte. Als Arencibia trotzig seinen Ruf gegen die Schlingen und Pfeile der Baseball-Analytiker verteidigte, zeigte er auf die Arbeit, die er für das Team geleistet hatte, wie die Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltungen und die Wintertour. Es war im Wesentlichen: Schauen Sie, was ich für Sie tun. Machen Dinge geschehen. Vielleicht ist diese Art von Mentalität doesn l l l t eignet sich für die Beobachtung einer Borderline Tonhöhe gehen früh in der Zählung, um eine vorhersehbare und hittable Tonhöhe später zu entlocken. TaoofStieb können Sie sehen, AJ Jimenez ersetzt JP nächste Saison TaoTweetBag 8212 MrMITB (Pookeo9) 12. September 2013 Nicht wirklich. Mit den anfänglichen Pitching-Schmerzen, die die Jays in dieser Saison konfrontiert haben, ist es schwer, sich vorzustellen, dass sie die Vollzeit-Start-Job an einen Rookie im nächsten Jahr übergeben. Darüber hinaus glaube ich, dass die Jays begonnen haben, sich bewusst zu zeigen, wie sie Spieler durch das System fördern und ihnen erlauben, eine Ebene zu beherrschen, bevor sie zum nächsten aufsteigen. Ich denke, Jimenez hat noch ein Jahr Arbeit in Buffalo zu tun, bevor er gefördert wird, obwohl ich sehen konnte, wie er in die Fangdrehung gegen Ende der nächsten Saison gemischt wurde. TaoofStieb Machen Sie einen Fall für JPA als Startfänger im nächsten Jahr. TaoTweetBag. 8212 Matt Vee (MattVee) 12. September 2013 Hes hier. Hes steuerbar. Er könnte nicht so schlimm sein. Er könnte ein Geschäft sein, wenn seine Zahlen 2011-2012 zurückkehren, und er bekommt weniger als 2 Million durch Schiedsgerichtsverfahren oder Pre-Arb Verhandlungen. TaoofStieb Given expected cost and his skills, I think Carlos Ruiz is a great fit for the Jays next year. What do you think Mr. Tao 8212 BVH (BVHJays) September 17, 2013 I think Chooch might be expensive, and while hes just 34 years old, a multi-year deal at more than 6 Million per season might end up being a poor investment. Still, theres Ruizs decent reputation for handling pitchers - though who wouldnt look good with that pitching staff - and a very solid OBP. Hes posting a .342 this season. 361 for his career, and a peak of .400 in 2010 followed by a .394 mark last season. If youre talking about a two-year deal, sure. Sign him up. If hes looking for more than 7 million and four years or more, I think you have to consider other options. TaoofStieb Will the Jays target Brian McCann this off season. Should the Jays target him TaoTweetBag 8212 The Brave North (TheBraveNorth) September 17, 2013 McCann might be one of the more sought-after pieces in this years free agent market, as scant as the pickings are. He is younger than Ruiz, but has a long injury history with nary a body part left unscathed. He had shoulder surgery last offseason, suffered through hamstring tightness, knee contusions, intercostal and oblique strains, not to mention laser eye surgery that didnt quite take for the first few months afterwards. McCanns .824 OPS (.350 OBP.473 SLG) plays very well as a catcher, though his defense isnt exactly revered. The big question youre left with if youre investing a significant portion of your payroll over the next six or seven seasons in a player like that is how much surplus value does he bring if you need to shift him to first base or DH. Could he play left field if required Beyond all that, I still envision McCann in a Yankee uniform. Im not sure Id want to see the Jays attempting to outbid them for his services. TaoofStieb TaoTweetBag Did the jays had a problem with depth this year I think they were deep enough at the start, but it all got eaten. 8212 Matthew E (MatthewElmslie) September 12, 2013 One of the aspects of the Jays roster that I was dead wrong about this year was the flexibility, and to a slightly lesser extent, the depth. With multi-positional switch-hitters throughout the roster on Opening Day, I figured that the Jays would rarely find themselves in a pinch when it came to filling the lineup card. And for all of the misery this year, I think that the number of awful and inexplicable lineups were far less than the past two seasons. Still, the Jays probably came into the season with too many bench players on the active roster and not enough legitimate starters, especially at second base. Moreover, the depth just beneath the Major League level was pretty suspect and comprised of veteran castoffs - Andy LaRoche, Mauro Gomez, Ryan Langerhans - who might have given you a good week or two when filling in for a DLed starter, but werent really an option that anyone would want to rely on. I suppose the emergence of Munenori Kawasaki was a fun spectacle to observe, but you certainly wouldnt want the Jays to look towards 2014 with off-field entertainment value as a priority for the club. Ultimately, I think that organizational depth is something that you develop from within, and unfortunately, the Jays had - and will continue to have - a gap year or two between their available bench spots and their better positional prospects. Do the Jays have a legit No. 1 starter on the roster Dickey struggled this year and Morrow cant stay healthy. TaoTweetBag TaoofStieb 8212 Michael Fullan (mrfullan) September 17, 2013 No, they dont. Dickey might have a Cy Young Award glistening on his mantle, but he probably profiles as a number three. A decent, innings-eating starter who takes the ball and gives you something between a 3.70 and 4.20 ERA. If he has a good, healthy season as a 39 year-old, Dickey might emerge as a decent number two pitcher, but as a suffering Blue Jays fan, would you want to bank on the likelihood of that eventuality And would you also want to bank on the health of Brandon Morrow I love watching Morrow pitch, and when hes healthy and available to take the ball, he has the ability to be a number two starter, and maybe something more. But players dont tend to get more healthy and less fragile as years go by, so again, I wouldnt want to plan on Morrow being more than 150 innings of number three starter quality. TaoofStieb What is more likely: a signing of a pitcher that would be 3 or higher in Jays rotation, or a trade for same type of pitcher 8212 Narkus Maslund (NarkusMaslund) September 17, 2013 Id make a terrible clairvoyant. I can barely guess what Im going to have for lunch, and I have infinitely more data points at my disposal to make such a postulation. But if I just balance this out to guess at what is more likely, I would be left to wonder how much payroll the Jays front office will be playing with this offseason. With big money commitments and raises being added onto next years books - including Mark Buehrles 7 million bump to become the Jays highest paid player at 19 million next year - theres a lot of 2014 fiscal capacity thats already been eaten away. And make no mistake, number threes are still valuable commodities around baseball. Ricky Nolasco is probably a number three, and hell be looking to improve on the 11.5 million he made this season when he enters the free agent market. On the other hand, who do the Jays have to dangle in order to bring a number three pitcher into the fold Do they send one of their offensive core - Reyes, Bautista, Encarnacion, Rasmus or Lawrie - out the door to bring back an Edwin Jackson-type Do they again attempt to speed up their contention clock by moving Aaron Sanchez or D. J. Davis or Marcus Stroman out the door What do I think is the most likely of those scenarios Ugh. Id rather not think of it. TaoofStieb Whats the chance J-Bau gets dealt before his current deal is finished taotweetbag 8212 G. L. Fishey (GilFisher) September 12, 2013 Jos Bautista has two years at 14 million per season left on his current deal, with a 16 million option for 2016. That might make him a fairly attractive commodity, either in this offseason or next. The existential question for the Jays at this point is: Do you move Bautista now, and possibly take yet another step back away from contention in 2014 And towards what end And while Im not typically one to place emphasis on the intanglibles, I think that Bautista plays an important clubhouse role for the Jays that they might not be eager to part with in the short term. But if the Jays get off to a bad start in 2014 and are in the bottom half of the American League in July, I think hed be a prime candidate to move out in order to begin the rebuild. Can you quantify the impact of losing Butterfield Luvelo and having rookie hittingpitching coaches on the 2013 BlueJays TaoTweetBag . 8212 Matt Crichley (mcrichley) September 12, 2013 No, I cant. I suppose someone smarter than me or with more immediate access to advanced data sets could look at defensive metrics and the use of shifts in both the oufield and the infield and figure out how many runs the Jays are giving back by not adapting their positions before pitches are thrown. I really dont have an answer for this, but I include it here because its a question that bothers me occasionally as well. While I like John Gibbons lineup construction and bullpen management - the two most evident aspects of what a manager does - I have an odd feeling that theres a level of preparation for the season and for games that isnt in place this year. I could be dead wrong on that, but it seemed to me that they Jays came out of the gate flat, after a Spring Training that was acknowledged by those who observed these things annually as relaxed. For years, Brian Butterfield was the field marshal in Dunedin, running camp and prepping the team for the forthcoming season. And his work with infielders was held in significant regard. Torey Lovullo was omnipresent on the top of the dugout steps in his tenure with the Jays, directing the outfielders on where they should play batters and often being the first face that a fielder saw on his down the dugout steps after an inning, presumably looking for a clarification on why a player made the choice he did, and suggesting the correction. Im not close enough to the team to see whats happening this year with the coaching staff. But I think its a question worth raising. TaoofStieb goins future 2b No need for a 2B in the offseason taotweetbag 8212 9918Mohammed9918 (35mohammed) September 12, 2013 I really like Goins. I think hes a ballplayer. But I also dont see him evolving into much more than a decent bench player or a marginal starter. He might surprise beyond that, and I love the level of athleticism that he demonstrates, but again, I wouldnt want to bet part of my 2014 success on his ability to post a .700 OPS in the Majors. My preferred course for him would be on the bench to spell Jos Reyes in the field on occasion, and to get some starts at second or third if needed. I might even want to see if he could handle some games in the outfield. Maybe Im wrong about this, but I could see his best role in the big leagues as a Hairston Brothers style supersub. TaoofStieb With all the misery of this season, are we overlooking the fact that the Jays seeming to be widely popular again is a big deal 8212 Colin Olford (TorontoColin) September 17, 2013 I agree that the Jays became a big deal (BIG DEAL) this offseason, crossing over into the mainstream culture and news, and expanded their reach into some audiences that had been away for years or that hadnt yet engaged in the sport. Attendance figures for 2013 are promising, with the Jays showing the most year-over-year growth at the turnstiles this season. I havent seen the ratings in a while, but I dont think theyd be terribly disappointing, given the circumstances. Of course, Toronto being Toronto, you can almost write the stories and talking points now that will come out next season, when Blue Jays attendance goes down by 1, or 2 or even 5. Theres a smug cynicism about the sports scene in the Centre of the Universe, and it feasts of this sort of failure. But those sorts of declines shouldnt be surprising, nor should they be alarming. Moreover, I have a hunch that the younger cohort of new fans will appreciate the experience of diving into baseball, and wont necessarily run away at the first sign of failure. Im sure that Blue Jays Talk host Mike Wilner will hear many declarations from fans who will state that theyre finished with this team, but I get a sense that there has been enough goodwill engendered with a new generation of baseball fans. It might be shocking to hear an old fart say this about kids in their twenties, but I dont get the sense that those new fans feel as entitled to a winning team every year. I think they might have enough patience to stick around for a few seasons and see how it all plays out. Heres hoping they are rewarded. Darin Erstad - Short-lived record holder Late in the 2000 season, Darin Erstad made a valiant run at the all-time single season hits record in Major League Baseball. Every night, fans hoped that their local broadcast would break into the Anaheim Angels game with news of Erstads pursuit of Wade Boggs 15 year-old record of 240 hits. In his first at bat on the final day of the 2000 season, Erstad ripped a double to left field, tying Boggs. He ended up going 1-for-5 on the day, leaving him in that tie, and he would only share the record with Boggs for a year until Ichiro Suziki reached 242 base hits one season later. Are you scratching your head, wondering why it is that you dont remember those momentous nights 13 seasons ago You shouldnt, because they didnt actually play out that way. Unfortunately, baseballs record book is larded up with irrelevant and inflated stats and numbers from bygone eras where the game was profoundly different, and certainly of far inferior quality. To be a baseball fan, is to be indoctrinated with a reverence for the most cherished numbers from the history of the game. Part of the romance of those statistics is to imagine that the game was so perfect and the rules so similar across the decades that you could place Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth on a field with Ken Griffey and Cal Ripken Jr. and their skills would play right alongside one another. That they could walk shoulder to shoulder as the very greatest of the game. Its this affection for the misty memories of a past that came well before most of our time that leads to people defending the sanctity of the record book, and creating some of the more poisonous instincts in baseballs traditionalists. People long for the days of Joltin Joe DiMaggio, and his 56-game hit streak. Or Ted Williams .406 batting average. Or Babe Ruths 60-homer season. At the same time, the more recent single-season achievements - especially when it comes to home runs - are discounted or dismissed entirely because the entire steroid era is under suspicion by self-appointed arbiters of history. As those types increasingly use - or withhold - their Hall of Fame votes to make the case that baseball has lost something of its purity and sportsmanship, it increasingly bothers me that baseballs record book and highest honours are being overrepresented by those who played in the most shameful era in the games history, the Segregated Era. (And lets not forget that there are many executives who were either actively or tacitly involved in keeping baseball segregated who have plaques in Cooperstown.) Major League Baseball goes to some lengths to celebrate Jackie Robinson, and the eventual integration of the game. But it also glosses over the fact that some of the bygone greats piled up their achievements in leagues that were systematically racist, creating less competition for the players in that era. Does DiMaggios hitting streak reach 56 games if the American League was integrated at the time Well never know, but we should never forget that pre-1947 numbers should always be regarded with a healthy dose of suspicion. You can have as many Jackie Robinson nights as you want, and you can retire his jersey number across the game, but all of that comes off as empty sentiment when you allow the records set in a game that was unbalanced and unfair because of systematic and deliberate racism to stand. I suppose its possible to defend the individual players from that era, and say that they werent actively racist and that their records still deserve recognition. But in doing that, it actively obscures the historical nature of the achievements of players from the more modern era. When Ichiro eventually broke the single season hits record in 2004, it would have been nice to recognize the players he passed on the list who had posted incredible seasons in their own right. Boggs and Erstad and Carew, as well as Don Mattinglys 238 hits in 1986, or Kirby Pucketts 234 in 1988, or even Stan Musials 230 in 1948, a year after the start of baseball integration. Instead, those achievements took a backseat to totals from George Sisler or Lefty ODoul. And while Im sure that there are some who would step forth to defend their legacies, the preservation of the records from that era creates a record book which is less meaningful to current fans. And its not as though this is without precedent. The pitching stats and records from the dead-ball era are still preserved in so much as we can still locate them if we need to, but they are generally set aside from those in the live-ball era, which began in 1920. And one could argue that the distinction between those two eras is not as notable as the one between segregated baseball and integrated baseball. Currently, the single season records for runs, doubles, runs batted in, and total bases all rest in the hands of segregated era players. But wouldnt it be more meaningful for current day fans to recognize Jeff Bagwells integrated era record of 152 runs scored Or Manny Ramirezs RBI record of 165 As Blue Jays fans, we would remember Carlos Delgados 2000 season especially fondly if we were to recall the summer in which he and Todd Helton made their run at the MLB record for doubles, with Heltons 59 still topping Delgados 57 as the two top marks in that offensive category. Its nice to think of baseballs vast history, and to acknowledge how the game has changed or evolved over the years. But some of the truly great performances of the past 30 years are not given their proper due when they are buried among the numbers of the segregated era. Last year around this time, there was a notion that no matter what happened in 2013, it couldnt possibly be worse than what transpired in 2012. Which just goes to show you that there are a thousand shades of misery. As the season concluded last year, there was significant discussion about the crisis of consumer confidence, and the impending doom for the franchise unless something dramatic occurred to provide the fans with something resembling hope for the future. And then it all happened within the space of a few weeks, and there was tangible excitement and newfound aspirations. And ticket sales. And press conferences. Proven players and veteran presence and spending to be contending. Everything you could want and more. But as wed soon find out, it doesnt take much time for plans to go wrong. And were chasing another ghost of a chance. The dilemma we as fans now face is understanding how you take a dramatically remodeled franchise with designs on perpetual contention that has been an abject failure, and tweak around the edges to regain that footing. Without question, the biggest disappointment this year has been the starting pitching. Injuries and ineffectiveness have essentially led to two of the top three starters - Josh Johnson and Brandon Morrow - being below replacement level and required much support from understudies who were on no ones radar before the season. (If you figured that Todd Redmond would provide significantly more value than Morrow, then Id like to borrow your crystal ball.) Moreover, R. A. Dickey has looked like a back of the rotation starter for much of the season, and given his age and nagging injuries that have seeming affected his ability to throw the knuckleball as he did in his 2012 career year, one can hardly pencil him in as a number one or two starter for 2014. The Jays 2014 rotation will likely include Dickey, Morrow and Mark Buerhle, who has had a season which was as good as you could expect. But to seriously contend in 2014 or 2015, one would imagine that youd be looking for at least one if not two pitchers who would slot ahead of them in the pecking order. Theres precious little frontline help for hire among free agent starting pitching. The top options among pitchers under the age of 32 would be Matt Garza, Tim Lincecum, Ricky Nolasco, or Edinson Volquez, and while none of them scream out staff ace, it is likely theyll look to be paid as such. Which means that the Jays would likely have to overpay wildly in order to land a pitcher who might be a number two starter if all goes well, or possibly a three or four in most scenarios. Which doesnt really address the crux of the problem. We can cast our nets out into an ocean of dreams filled with unlikely trade scenarios, but considering the number of prospects that were sent out the door in order to land the mid-to-back-of-rotation starters that we now have, its hard to imagine the package that could be constructed to tempt a team into trading Cliff Lee, or someone like him. (Note to file: Theres no one like Cliff Lee.) We can also hope that Marcus Stroman and Sean Nolin are ready to step into a prime time role next season, but thats a lot to ask of any rookie pitcher. While both of them have shown promise in the minors this season, were not exactly talking about the next Dwight Gooden or Steve Carlton stepping into the big leagues. Beyond them, Aaron Sanchez is probably still a year away, and Roberto Osuna might be two years away, given his recent injuries. There are two starters returning from a year of injuries in Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison, but if you presume a certain level of ineffectiveness coming off a UCL replacement surgery and rehab, they might slot in at the back of the rotation if not the bullpen or in Buffalo. And what about one-time staff ace Ricky Romero Id be surprised to see him in a Jays uniform next year. So what does that leave in terms of options There are some older free agents who will be on the market, including former Jays Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter and A. J. Burnett. (And how odd is it that the last guy on that list would seem to be the more desirable option) Maybe its overly cynical or self-critical to say this, but I would imagine that none of those three would be clamouring to return to Toronto. Another intriguing option would be Johan Santana, who hasnt pitched since August 17th of 2012, but who is still just 34 years old and has the pitching smarts to be a top starter if his body can keep up its side of the bargain. Im also a bit intrigued by the impressive performances of the Rockies Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin in what are typically inhospitable conditions for pitchers, but again, were talking about players who would need to be acquired and who might not be much better than a number three. Beyond the personnel on the mound next year, there are two other essential pieces worth considering: The pitching coach and the starting catcher. Its hard to know how much of this seasons poor outcomes can be pinned on Pete Walker, especially when it would seem that none of the issues with Dickey or Morrow could be coached away. While Im not advocating it, firing the pitching coach might not be out of the question after this season, especially after this weeks announcement that manager John Gibbons will be back for 2014. It seems unlikely that the entirety of the coaching staff would return intact after a season like this. And while Ill admit to be a bit dim and unclear on where Walkers responsibilities end and where those of Pat Hentgen begin, the success of some unheralded bullpen arms at least raises the notion that maybe theres a qualified and popular successor on the staff now. Its also unfair and a bit presumptuous to say that the starting catcher had a negative impact on the rotation this year, even as unpopular as the incumbent in that position has become. But J. P. Arencibias bat might not be good enough to keep him in that role going forward. We could dream on bringing Jos Molina back to Toronto to frame pitches and steal strikes like a masked bandit, though at 38 years of age with that body, it seems hard to imagine getting 100 starts from him in 2014. On the younger side of the equation, were all anxious to see what A. J. Jimenez can bring to the table, and seeing him up close might be a highlight of the final weeks of the season. But can we presume that he can be an above-average game-caller in his first year in the bigs, supposing he even makes the team out of spring training Seems like a tall order. There are no simple answers when it comes to improving the Jays rotation for 2014. But its hard to conceive of a 90-win team in Toronto unless something notable happens to change the makeup of those five roster spots. ----- Thats a paraphrased lyric from Calexicos Service and Repair. Ive listened to that song a lot lately. Fellow Jays fans, I feel your pain. If I have spent much of the last seven seasons looking on the sunny side of things, and finding the lightness where most saw dark, and providing my optimistic sense of the rationale behind the Blue Jays long term plans, then maybe my current state of mind will catch you off guard. But man. I really dont like this team. I dont like the starting pitching. I dont like the defense. I dont like the approach to at bats. I dont like the lack of progress shown by some, and the regression from all-star calibre to replacement level by others. I dont like that many of the most flawed elements of the current roster are not the result of a long term erosion in talent, but rather the result of bringing in players with skills that are either in decline or were never that great from the outset. I dont like J. P. Arencibias oblivious griping about the media, and his wish that there would be more cheerleaders helping to teach fans about the game, which I suppose means enthusiastically telling the unwashed masses across Canada who have never been exposed to baseball that they dont understand how valuable a sub-.260 on-base percentage can be. I dont like Brett Lawries hands at the plate. I dont like that as the ball is being released, Lawrie gives a final energetic jerk of the bat, which he then has to pull back towards himself in order to begin moving the bat through the hitting zone, zapping all the strength out of his swing. I dont like that a player who was positioned as a face of the franchise has the same flaws in his swing as a dude on my softball team from ten years ago. I dont like that Brandon Morrow has never been healthy for a full season since he came to the Jays, and that I dont ever believe that he will be. I dont like that the team traded too many top prospects for a starting pitcher who was a good story, and had a very fine year in 2012, but who realistically wouldnt be one of the top 20 pitchers in the game in spite of his Cy Young Award. I dont like listening to R. A. Dickey talk. I dont like how Josh Johnson picks and nibbles around the zone, trying to elicit swings at junk that Frank Tanana would be ashamed to serve to hitters. I dont like Jos Reyes defense, or the fact that it makes me nostalgic for Yunel Escobar. Moreover, I dont like that the cost of acquiring Reyes included sending more prospects and big leaguers plus taking on Mark Buehrles stupid contract. I dont like that the starters have pitched poorly enough that the relievers have faced work loads that are too taxing, and that the result of this might be that the lone bright spot in the first half of the season might erode quickly from here. I dont like Melky Cabreras approach at the plate, which is essentially to swing at everything, and hope that he can foul off enough pitches to stay in the at bat until the pitcher makes a mistake. And I really dont like that this approach has been plunked into the number two spot in the lineup, because of the need to shake things up. Mostly, I dont like that nearly everything that Alex Anthopoulos has touched in the last three years seemingly has turned to dust. And I dont like that I dont feel as though I can trust his judgment. Mostly, though, I dont like what I see when I look ahead to 2014, or beyond. I dont like that the team will likely have to ride it out with Dickey, Morrow, Ricky Romero, and perhaps Johnson slated to be part of the rotation picture next year, accompanied by players like Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison who have yet to establish themselves as big leaguers. Every team has flaws, so it probably doesnt do a whole lot of good to enumerate every last one that our side has. In the process of building a winner, there are always bumps in the road, and the hope is that the good elements of the team are enough to navigate past them. But as good as a few players have been, they certainly havent been enough to help get past this years obstacles. What I like the least about the past few months is this nagging suspicion that the bumps in the road are actually sinkholes, and that the Jays are on the precipice of falling into oblivion. Photo courtesy the revelatory Flickr stream of jamesinto . Maybe its a touch harsh to say that the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays suck. The team itself is not so awful as to be unwatchable, and has actually been rather entertaining at various points of the season. (Ill pause here while you instinctively summon up an argument about the teams consistency. And Ill silently judge you for doing so, though I am sympathetic and realize that it is not your fault seeing as though youve spent your whole life being fed the load of hooey about consistency by people in the business of creating noise about sports. But really, you should stop complaining about foolish consistency. Its the hobgoblin of small minds.) The 2013 Blue Jays are not nearly the omnishambolic catastrophe that we saw unfold painfully before us in 2012, befallen by injury miseries compounding underwhelming performance miseries compounding bullpen implosions compounding behavioural miseries compounding the general misery of Farrellball. This years edition of the team has hit better, fielded well enough and features one of the most reliable bullpens in recent memory. So its not all drudgery and burden to watch them play. Its just. they were supposed to be so much better than this, werent they After a winter in which they emptied out the system to go all in, acquiring veterans with track records and trophies on their mantles, even my relatively tempered expectations for the team werent this tepid. And to torture the poker analogy: How exactly do you go all in, bust out and then attempt to all in again the next year Next year Are we already talking about next year Yes. yes, we are. Its not an absolute impossibility that the Jays get some decent starting pitching and go on some sort of run that propels them into the crowded mix for an outside chance at a spot at a one-game playoff run. But the smart money is against it, so the question that youre left asking is: What the hell Whats the plan now The Blue Jays had a perfectly defensible plan up until this past season. Build through the draft and international signings, and develop the eventual contender through the Eternal Rebuilding Process. But the urgency of winning in the short term led them to empty out the system to bring in the likes of R. A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle to support Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero in the rotation. Needless to say, it hasnt exactly worked out as planned. The flummoxing question as a fan is not so much one of whether the Jays should be buying or selling - they should always be both, really - but rather, whats the new timetable for contention Are the Jays ready to start dealing from the shallow depths of their system in order to bring in more major league talent Does it make sense to take a shot at even more short-term veteran players like Jake Peavy with a view towards contending in 2014 On one level, it certainly makes sense to attempt to ride out this season with as much of the Major League roster intact as possible. The lineup has been fine, and could be much better if good health and reasonable expectations of progression come to pass. The bullpen is deep, promising and somewhat cost-controllable through the next several seasons, though one can rarely predict reliever performance from one year to the next, and the team will eventually have to make decisions between a few of the bullpen arms. All of that ponderous re-tweaking amounts to deck chair feng shui on the Titanic if the team cant figure out their rotation, which for 2014 looks to be cluttered with pitchers who might have profiled at some point as aces or number twos or threes, but have recent performance that makes them look more like fours or fives or minor league roster depth. Do Drew Hutchison or Kyle Drabek factor in as positives for the rotation next season What - if anything - can we expect out of Brandon Morrow at this point Is R. A. Dickeys surreal, magical moment over Does Josh Johnson return on a qualifying offer, and if so, do the Jays get enough out of him in another contract season to make him worth their while Even if a shard of positive light ekes in through the bottom of the door, whats to say that the bullpen doesnt implode or the lineup doesnt take a step backward The step forward into contention this season has been a bit of a bust. Those underwhelming results also augur poorly for next season. Which leaves me as a Jays fan asking this fundamental question: If not this year, and not next year. then when And for all the hoopla and fireworks of the offseason, are the Jays really any better off than they would have been by staying the course Are we getting closer yet Photo courtesy the outstanding Flickr stream of jamesinto . First off, let me cop to this: I never played the game. So yeah, I have a hard time telling a player what he should do when he steps into the batters box, and when a screaming line drive ticks off of a players glove, I have to admit that the whistling sound that a baseball makes as it approaches you scares me silly. But while I dont know that game, I can say that Ive been a communications professional for more than 15 years. Ive dealt with media and public relations and all manner of dark arts associated with influencing opinion. And over that time, Ive learned a thing or two about how the whole machinery of influence works, and how a single negative press cycle can resonate for years, whether if it is deserved or not. Im sure that J. P. Arencibia has had lots of rudimentary media training over the years. But seeing his rapid decline from telegenic media darling to multimedia whipping boy, I thought Id offer up my expertise and give the Jays catcher some media relations advice. I offer this up in a spirit of helpfulness. (And also, to fill some empty space on my blog. symbiosis) I doubt that JPA will ever see it, but if he does, I hope that he takes this as genuine. - Nobody wins in a knife fight: It was clear from your tweet last night that this was not spontaneous reaction. This is something that youd been thinking about and plotting out, and you were given your opportunity to get back at the media hecklers for the many injuries that youd borne over this season. So you got your licks in. It probably felt good, too. For a moment, at least. But when you take an angry or confrontational tone in the media - regardless of who your intended target is - it usually only serves to make you look as bad as they do. In fact, I read a lot of tweets this morning from people who were not inclined to side with Gregg Zaun or Dirk Hayhurst and somehow found themselves incredulous at the fact that they were taking the side of your tormentors over yours. The fact that you took some unwarranted and mean-spirited shots at their baseball careers probably didnt help your case. Remember, this isnt the Jerry Springer show: The loudest insult or most bruising chair shot doesnt win the argument. Frankly, everybody comes away from this incident looking bad. You smear Zaun with tenuous allegations about his use of PEDs, and undermine Hayhursts credibility, but you also make yourself look like a petty bully with thin skin who would use the opportunity of a promotional interview for a charity event() to show settle scores. It really wasnt pretty. And it definitely will change how people look at you. And not for the better. - Respect the media, even when you dont respect the media . There are moments when youll have to deal with members of the media that you dont care for. Maybe they dont ask pertinent questions, or maybe they torque stories up to make minor things seem worse than they are. But ultimately, thats what the media does. Their job is to make noise. Maybe there are times where they are not particularly sympathetic or appreciative of the nuance of the story. But thats because part of the function they serve is to deliver messages to an audience in a fast and efficient manner, which means that they dont always have time to fluff up your side of the story to the masses. When it comes to analysts like Hayhurst and Zaun, you have to understand that they are carnival barkers. They are there to promote the product, and bring people from their living rooms and into the baseball game. Sometimes that means speaking loudly without subtlety or shades of grey. But whatever the shortcomings are of the media, you have to understand how awesomely powerful they still are in creating your story. Even in this age of disintermediation, where you can work around the media to talk directly to the people, youll find that the average person is still heavily influenced by what they read or hear or see in the mainstream media. If youre a public figure, and youre concerned about how you come off, you have to at least respect the medias ability to significantly affect that image. Even if you think youre being treated unfairly, lobbing insults at the media will probably only serve to confirm to most people that they probably had you pegged right all along. - Only talk when it improves on the silence: One of the first things that people learn when they start to deal with the media is that they rarely come off as well as they think they should. An aspect of this comes from the fact that we as people dont know when to cut ourselves off. We offer too much information that is extraneous to the core of what we really care about, and media can end up focussing on the trivial rather than the pertinent. This is why awful PR people like me will tell you not to deviate from your message, or to offer no comment at all. You really dont have a lot of control over the finished product of a media story about you, so your goal is to control the outcome of the story as much as you possibly can. This can frustrate reporters, and can even even give them a bad impression of you. But ultimately, they cant print what you dont say on the record. (And if you want a master class in how to do this without looking like a jerk, you should watch John Gibbons interactions with the media. That dude is like Yoda when it comes to giving them nothing sharp with which they could later impale him.) On the other hand, when you use the media as a way of venting your frustrations, you open yourself up to all sorts of subsequent questions and follow up and probing. Trust me on this, J. P. By the time the cock crows tomorrow morning, youll have said that you just want to put this incident behind you and move on. But this story is going to keep following you. Youll be asked about it for as long as youre a Jay. And beyond. - Y ou are not your brand. Your brand is what you do . I would bet that there are 50 social media experts within a five minute walk of the Rogers Centre who would have highlighted you as a person who has developed a tremendous personal brand through social media. People know that J. P. Arencibia brand. Youre young and fun-loving. A bit of a joker. A dude from the south who loves hockey. Scruffily handsome. Youve got a dog named Yogi. Youre a sensitive guy, and you give your time an energy to noble charitable efforts. (Ahem.) Youve opened yourself up, and let people share parts of what makes you who you are. But all the personal stuff that you share is just scenery. Its background, and maybe it gives us some sense of depth so that we dont look at you like youre a circus animal. From a consumer point of view, though, you cant forget that the vast majority of your value to us as baseball fans is your output as a baseball player. Its cruel, and unfair. Its dehumanizing, even. But its also why you have to separate yourself from the baseball player. You can have pride in your work, but as someone who is a sort of mass market product, you cant chase down every negative review that someone clumsily hurls in your direction. So what Im saying is the best way to enhance your image is to just be excellent. And if you cant be excellent, at least be positive. - A final thought . Most everything that I write is supposed to be from the viewpoint of a fan, so let me close this off with some of that perspective. As a fan, I always dislike having players emphasize their otherness from me. The you never played the game line probably works well with your teammates in the clubhouse, because youre all wrapped up within this extraordinary experience of being professional athletes together. I will probably never understand how hard it is to play the game of baseball at the level you do. But you telling me that I dont understand such things just creates more distance between me as a fan and the players on the field. In spite of the fact that I am completely and irrationally immersed in this sport, its moments like this that remind me that Im a grown man, and should probably be spending my time and money in more productive ways. And if thats the feeling that a true believer and devoted follower of the Jays is taking away from this whole public relations fiasco, I cant imagine that was your intention when you cleared your throat and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes at 8:40 am this morning. Photo courtesy the outstanding jamesinto s Flickr stream. It would be redundant to re-hash all the super duper great things that have been happening during the Toronto Blue Jays current 11-game () winning streak. Theyve hit the ball well, theyve fielded it well, and theyve pitched well. They havent necessarily done all of those things at the same time in eleven straight games, mind you, but in instances where one of the legs of that precarious three-legged stool has wobbled a bit, the other two legs have been more than sturdy enough to keep things upright. Good lord, its been a blast, hasnt it I like to think Im generally a pleasant person regardless, and Ive learned over the years that loyal support of a baseball team that usually loses more than it wins is not a good reason to allow a sunny disposition to be disturbed. Still, over the last couple of weeks, even knowing a streak like this wont last, Ive gone from cheerful to being about two steps removed from skipping down the street like a giddy schoolgirl. If you wear your fandom on your sleeve, on your head, on your desk, on the bumper of your car and everywhere else, youve probably suffered through much of the same mix of mockery and sympathy that I have since the beginning of April. Whats wrong with your boys they asked. Worried yet they asked. You try to keep a brave face, you try to convince yourself its early and theyd at least make things interesting at some point. But when you were honest with yourself, you accepted what seemed to be staring you in the face -- the disappointment of a likely third or fourth place finish in the monstrous American League East, by virtue of a brutal start to the season from which the team was unable to recover. And now its all changed. On June 21, as the season turned officially to summer, the Jays won the first game of an eventual sweep of the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, their third consecutive such sweep to open what was anticipated to be an angst-ridden ten straight within the division. Theyve crept to within five games of the division lead (not just the Wild Card, mind you). There are nearly three full months ahead of us before the calendar tells us it will be fall, and the nip in the evening air reminds us playoff baseball is on its way. Three full months of streaks to begin and end, for the ebbs and flows of a long Major League Baseball season to separate the real talent from the pretenders of April and May. Injuries, substitutions, stars emerging, veterans fading away, brilliant plays and boneheaded mistakes -- all of the things that make every baseball season intriguingly unique. Its been a helluva long time since the Jays have well and truly been in the mix to emerge at the end of a long, hot summer with a chance to experience what the fall has to offer. Yet here we are, fans riding the euphoria of the the longest winning streak in franchise history (tied, yes, I know. come talk to me tomorrow night). The caps and jerseys are worn a little more proudly the water-cooler chatter is a little more confident. Its true that the Jays havent won anything yet, but it sure feels better to know they havent lost it all yet either. Photo courtesy jamesinto s peerless Flickr stream. Burning questions, idle thoughts and silly preoccupations as we ease into the first official weekend of summer. The Crowded Roster, Part 1 . As I waited for a ride yesterday afternoon, I offered up my downtime to answer whatever was on the minds of my Twitter followers. In a fairly predictable turn of events, the most commonly offered query had to do with the roster machinations that will be required once Jos Reyes returns from injury next week. (Sportsnets Ben Nicholson-Smith has a nice rundown of the possibilities here. if you hadnt already read it.) There really shouldnt be any angst or downside to the return of Reyes, who was by far the Jays best player in his 10 games at the start of the season. But given the unusual attachment that people have developed towards Munenori Kawasaki, the prospect of losing him from the 25-man roster seems to have created some distress. It also offers fans an opportunity to take a running start at booting Maicer Izturis, Emilio Bonifacio or even Mark DeRosa in the ribs. Theres certainly some argument for keeping Kawasaki around, mostly fueled by his team-best 13.4 per cent walk rate. He might not hit the ball hard or often, but a .337 OBP will certainly do for a player in a bench role or a part-time second baseman. His weighted on-base average (wOBA) has been slightly above league average for shortstops (.294 versus .289), so there is certainly some value to keeping him on the roster. While, both Izturis and Bonifacio have looked much better in the field over the past month, both continue to languish offensively, sitting at the bottom of the heap in wOBA over the past 30 days (.255 for Izturis. 242 for Bonifacio versus .289 for Kawasaki.) What keeps this from being an easy call is the three-year deal that the Jays signed with Izturis in the offseason. The Jays obviously cant demote Izturis without designating him for assignment. The most likely situation if that were to happen - and I still think it is highly unlikely - is that no other club would step up to acquire him, and Izturis would reject a minor league assignment. At that point, any other team could step in and sign Izturis for the MLB minimum without giving up so much as a bag of balls to the Jays in return. Meanwhile, the Jays would be stuck with paying out the remaining two-and-half years and 10 million to Izturis in the hopes that the two-month samples of both Kawasaki and Izturis portend their future value. Thats something of a gamble. If the Jays were to go the unpopular route of sending Kawasaki back to Buffalo, it would mean keeping all of their assets, and not having to worry about who the next infielder in their depth chart might be if they run into injury trouble again. The Crowded Roster, Part 2 . Theres another simple solution to the conundrum above, and thats to finally - FINALLY - do away with the 13-man pitching staff and send a reliever packing. After all, a week or two of decent starting pitching performances has meant that some of the relievers are having to shake of dust and cobwebs from under their arms when they go to warm up. And while lefty Juan Perez would seem to be the most likely candidate to be cast off, his performance has been good enough that you almost hate to lose him. Meanwhile, the Jays will soon find themselves in a position of finding roster spots - and rotation slots - for J. A. Happ and Brandon Morrow, should an extended period of good health ever find them. Moreover, the Jays will have to decide whether if Drew Hutchison or Kyle Drabek will get Major League innings as part of their recovery from their respective Tommy John surgeries in the later stages of the season. There is also Luis Perez, who suffered a set back last week but is likely to be the first of the TJed pitchers back on the big league roster. Having too many arms is a nice problem to have, and good lord, havent the Jays needed the extra help over the past two years. The simple solution with controllable players like Hutchison and Drabek would be to leave them in the minors until September 1st, then shut them down for the year. Perez - thats Luis, you understand - might pose a more difficult problem, as they may be put into a situation where his rehab time comes to an end and they need to find a way to wedge him back onto the roster. A week ago, I might have suggested that sending Darren Oliver to a contender might be a smart way to uncloud the picture. but who really wants to give him up now, with the Jays back in a place that sort of resembles contention A Big Week . I dont want to put too much stock in the results over the next week, with the Jays finally squaring off against AL East counterparts. But a good result - lets say 6-4, depending on how you slice up the wins and losses - could go a long way towards mixing up the playoff picture in the division. After years of hearing people moan longingly for meaningful games, I hope that fans realize that the incredibly tight state of this years AL East - coupled with the Jays lousy start - means that almost any divisional series becomes something akin to a three or four game playoff. If you only care about meaningful games in September, then fine. enjoy your summer off. But for those who are geared up, this could be as much fun as a Jays fan has seen in years. Just try to contain yourself. Photo courtesy jamesinto s incomparable Flickr stream. More Lindsanity . Last week, it was supposed in this space that Adam Linds torrid hitting pace was nice, though not sustainable at this level. And then over the weekend, he went 7-for-13 with two homers in three games, bumping his season-long OBPSLG slashline to .417.561. Whats more is that Lind has posted better numbers against the same lefties who once owned him. He still only has 25 plate appearances against southpaws, but he has managed a remarkable 13 hits in those matchups, including a homer and three doubles. Obviously, small sample size disclaimers apply, but it would be hard to think of a 25 plate appearance stretch against lefties in any of the last three seasons where Lind had anywhere near this kind of success. Perhaps the most impressive indicator in all of Adam Linds stat lines is the sharp decline in the percentage of infield fly balls he has surrendered. In the last two seasons, Lind has posted IFFB of 10.5 and 9.9. But this year, with a stronger swing and fewer painful flailings, Lind has dropped that number to 1.9, which will place him in the top 20 in baseball once he qualifies. Moreover, Lind has raised his line drive percentage by 6.7 over last year while dropping his ground ball rate 7.6. All of which points to the fact that he is hitting the ball harder and squaring it up more often. And you can have a lot of success that way. WAR Huh Good Lord . Im not particularly clever - nor wise - but as I understand it, Wins Above Replacement are probably best considered at the end of a season, when looking backwards to assess what happened in a year, or over the span of several seasons. But since they publish the running tab on these things, lets say we indulge in a bit of imprudent number regurgitation. Most winningly-winning Blue Jay thus far Jos Bautista, who has been such a bad example to the rest of the team through his unleaderly ways that hes posted 2.5 wins above scrub level, according to the Fangraphs tabulation. Second on the list Colby Rasmus, who crushed three home runs over the weekend in the Texas heat, and now sits at 1.9, just ahead of Adam Lind (1.8) and Edwin Encarnacion (1.7). In an odd and eminently notable coincidence, we find ten games of Jos Reyes from back in April and Muenenori Kawasakis 53 games of emergency replacement duty tied for fifth on that list with 0.6 wins. On the pitching side of the ledger, Brett Cecil leads all with a 0.9 mark, while Casey Janssen follows with a 0.8. Mark Buehrle has been the most valuable starting pitcher, tied for third Steve Delabar 0.6 wins. Meanwhile, putative staff ace R. A. Dickey is tied with Juan Perez at 0.5 wins. Im sure Dickeys philosophical about it. or at least has a good explanation. Unexpected roster flexibility . Edwin Encarnacion has looked kinda good at third base, hasnt he While past experience might lead one to have apprehensions about putting EE there on a regular basis, Jays manager John Gibbons has seemed to pick his spots well over the past few weeks, since a short bench in NL parks during interleague play pushed him to make the move. In 61.2 innings at the hot corner, Encarnacion has fielded well enough to make you think that he might be up to the task here and there while awaiting Brett Lawries return. It certainly enhances the strength of the offensive lineup should the Jays need to cycle some other bats through the DH slot through the summer months. Remember the 2013 pitching staff . It was hard to imagine the 2013 season being any worse that last year, when the Jays would require 34 pitchers to get through the schedule. Well, here we are: Not even half-way through the 2013 season and the Blue Jays have thus far employed 29 pitchers. Its probably fair at this point to say that this emanates in part from an organizational philosophy: The end of the rotation or bullpen slots are not so much jobs that are won as much as they are temp positions that are filled on an as-needed basis. Still, it adds up to a remarkably odd and eclectic list of names that you find filling out the seasons roster. David Bush, Aaron Laffey, Justin Germano, Todd Redmond, Edgar Gonzalez, Thad Weber, Mickey Storey. heck, Ramon Ortiz seems like an organizational mainstay compared to some on that list. Its almost enough to make you want to run a graceful, slow-motion, black-and-white In memoriam tribute over the strains of Sarah McLachlans I Will Remember You to some of these now-departed hurlers. Except that, you know. for the most part, we wont remember them. Only those among us who take unusual delight in the obscure would want to. Im being facetious about this. Sometimes, I assume that this is obvious. But some of you might be reading my scribblings for the first time. In which case: Welcome. Photo courtesy jamesinto s stupendous Flickr stream. A few whims, notions, impressions and sentiments on the state of the Jays, such as it is. Lindsanity . The funny thing about the great start to the 2013 that Adam Lind has had is the way that so few are prepared to believe it. I suppose it makes sense, given the long, slow turgid road that we followed in watching his decline three year death march through the wilderness following his Silver Slugger season of 2009. In the ensuing three years, Lind posted an OPS of .724, saw his effectiveness limited by back problems, and managed to find himself demoted and exposed to waivers. An ignominious fate, to be sure. Lind might not keep up his current pace - .418 OBP. 540 SLG - as his .391 BABIP seems unsustainably high. But his walk rate is up impressively to 12.2, over rates of 6.2, 5.9 and 8.2 over the past three seasons. Hes also dropped his strikeout rate down to 16.9, which is not bad for a power hitting And to the eye - well, my eye, anyways - Linds swing looks vastly improved over recent years, as he is back to uncoiling his body through the swing and getting torque from a decent rotation of his hips, rather than the vacant, all-arms swipes of recent memory. If nothing else, this seasons has certainly complicated the question of what the Jays do with Lind and his three club options for 2014 through 2016. Catcher Controversy . The two-guys-one-job discussion is ubiquitous among the sports-talk chattering class, and in large part, these so-called controversies make for easily digestible stories. There are winners and losers. Its binary, and you get to play both sides while urging fans to choose one or the other. So forgive me if I indulge for a moment in that which I hold in disdain. The Jays decision last week to bring Josh Thole to the Majors was swiftly followed by speculation as to when he might supplant the struggling J. P. Arencibia as the everyday catcher. And the contrast between the two couldnt be more stark. In his better moments, Thole is a patient hitter who will get on base (.330 career OBP), take walks (9.1 BB rate) and not strike out too much (12.3 K rate). Hell also not hit the ball very hard (.071 isolated power). Arencibia makes a lot of outs (.267 OBP), strikes out a ton (29 K rate) and walks only on special occasions (5.5 career walk rate, which has steadily declined from his 7.4 rate from his first full season.) Still, Arencibia can smack a tater. A .211 isolated power and .431 SLG are not to be dismissed out of hand. Toss all those numbers into a big pile, and you can understand how people would divide themselves into two camps. Fewer outs More dingers Less slap hitters More dingers Oddly, for the catching position, there isnt a lot of discussion around the relative levels of defensive acumen among these two. Maybe its because neither are particularly exceptional behind the plate, nor are they wholly awful. Up until the last game played in Chicago, I might have suggested that Arencibia is unlikely to lose much playing time to Thole given what I perceive to be an undying mancrush that John Gibbons seemed to have on J. P. All of those at bats in hitting third, fourth or fifth in the order must have come from some level of irrational affection, right But seeing JPA plugged into the seven-hole in the lineup - against a lefty, no less - makes me wonder if his last 20 games and 99 plate appearances have been bad enough to take the bloom off the rose. A .202 OBP with 29 strikeouts versus four walks will do that. Arencibia is likely to remain the incumbent in the coming months, but dont be surprised to see Thole get starters against right-handers with decent breaking balls. And if he succeeds Well, then we might have a real discussion on our hands for 2014. And one last note to ponder: Thole is signed to a two-year deal that pays him 1.25 million per year, while Arencibia makes 505,000 and hits arbitration after this season. Which might make this somewhat contrived controversy a little more real by the time we get to the trade deadline. Programming note . If you want to take me to task on either of todays whims, or just want to discuss the state of the Blue Jays, Ill be chatting on Sportsnet. ca tomorrow at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. Come on by and let me know about the bee in your ballcap. Photo courtesy the outstanding jamesinto s Flickr stream. If theres one aspect of being a baseball fan that has transformed most dramatically since this blog was launched seven seasons ago, its the way that young players are taken into consideration. I remember at various times in the not-so-distant past keeping a watchful eye on the stat lines of players such as John-Ford Griffin, or Robinson Diaz, or Brian Dopirak, or even Chad Mottola, with the full expectation that at some point they would translate their minor league excellence into a career as everyday players with the Jays. In more recent years, the mark of the more sophisticated baseball connoisseur was the ability to scoff at such middling organizational filler and rattle off the long list of more pertinent and exciting prospects within a system and throughout the game. A new surfeit of readily available resources that rate and rank and analyze ballplayers and teams allowed us to form opinions from our couches on athletes that we might not see at the top level for years. if at all. Actually, that last part is the one that increasingly preoccupies me. Having indulged in so-called prospect porn for the last few years, the one thing that increasingly impresses itself upon me is the high failure rate of prospects. And this isnt limited to your garden variety organizational filler. Im talking about the number of blue chip, cant miss prospects. The top five percentile that fill the top ends of those perpetual speculative top 100 lists based on the gaudy numbers they post against their peers in the lower, developmental levels. The players who make their way onto a Major League Baseball roster to all matter of hoopla and frantic fantasy baseball waiver wire activity. All this new information gives us some alleged sense of knowledge on players about whom we know very little beyond the blurbs. But what has been striking over the past couple of seasons are the number of top-flight young players who simply cannot make a go of it once they face real live big leaguers. Previously, there were players like Jeremy Hermida or Brandon Wood, who stood out because they seemed to be the exceptions as top 10 prospects who never were able to convert that promise into something more tangible. Lately, though, it seems like this list is getting longer in a hurry. This includes premier minor league players like Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Justin Smoak, Jesus Montero, Dustin Ackley, Gordon Beckham, and yes, Travis Snider. This failure rate for young players is quite unlike anything you see in the other major professional sports. Basketball, hockey, and football all draft impact players from the amateur ranks and have them producing at the highest level within a year or two. They slide into the professional game seemingly by sheer virtue of their athletic prowess. Which brings us to this months whipping boy, Brett Lawrie. Theres little question that Brett Lawrie is an exceptional athletic specimen, and that certainly helped him push his way into the major league lineup ahead of schedule, at 21 years of age. He made the leap into MLB after just 326 minor league games. Thats fewer games than it took for Roberto Alomar to make it to the big leagues. Its almost a full season less than it took for Tony Fernandez to make it and it is about half as many games as it took for Carlos Delgado to crack the premier lineup. It probably helped that the Jays needed to show some return from their trade of opening day starter Shaun Marcum while a mixed bag of third baseman barely held the spot warm for him. Meanwhile, Lawrie posted numbers in Las Vegas that were otherworldly, and beyond what hed ever posted before in his minor league career. Lawries debut with the team in the latter stages of 2011 was something of an astrological event. New-found plate discipline and a hell-for-leather approach to all other aspects of the game made him appear to be something more than an all-star. Lawrie appeared destined to become a transcendent sports figure in Toronto, and one who brought non-baseball fans into the fold. One needed only look at the names and numbers on the backs in the crowds at the Rogers Centre to see whose stardom shone above all others. But like those many other phenoms before him, Lawrie began to struggle as the league became more acquainted with him. In 162 games in the two seasons following his sparkling debut, Lawrie has posted a .710 OPS (.311 OBP) and an OPS of 91. While his defense has been sterling and continues to improve, the more difficult to master tool of hitting seemingly continues to slip away from him. Which brings me to my point, as much as Im talking concentric circles around it: Baseball is hard. Really hard. Its harder than we as fans realize. Even more so, harder than some players realize. And if there is an existential quandary that is leading Brett Lawrie to mow further down into his nail beds, throw equipment hither and yon, pout intensely and point fingers at his teammates, its might just fact that this game which he had mastered (well, somewhat) at most every level is suddenly beyond him at this point. Okay, lets slow down for a moment. Were moving into an area of speculative, long-distance psychology, and Ill cop to being on the shakiest of ground in proceeding down this train of thought. But given that Brett Lawries name has been often accompanied with a question mark in recent days, indulge me for a moment as I hypothesize on whats going on in his head, and where he needs to go to get through the other side. Heres the short form of how I think Brett Lawries mind works: I want something, and if I want it bad enough, Ive gotta go get it. Take it. Its mine if I want it. I base this on the Never Surrender tattoos, the times when hes been thrown out on the bases like a nincompoop, and often, the defiance in the post-game interviews when it all goes wrong. All of this adds up - in my mind, anyways - to a player who attacks the game. Takes no prisoners. Lays the smack down. But baseball is a game that doesn8217t cotton to being attacked. It requires a quiet, steady approach. A marksman8217s still hand and slow heart beat, not the furious anger of a shootist. It requires patience, not haste. An ability to let the game unfold as it will. A sense of perspective, and an ability to fail with grace. You gotta be chill, bro. The problem with this is that Brett Lawrie has been consistently rewarded for his unbridled enthusiasm. From the fans to the front office to his own father, Lawries single-minded competitiveness seems to be the attribute for which he is admired and rewarded. He became something close to a folk hero for throwing his body over barriers, regardless of the damage he caused to himself. People laugh at the notion that he pumps himself up with unhealthy amounts of caffeine in anticipation of a game, figuring that his jacked-up athletes body will insulate him mood-altering doses of substance that affect the neurological and nervous systems. And then we wonder hes jumping at pitches. It could be that the most recent onslaught of negativity could provide the impetus for Lawrie to reevaluate his approach. Maybe this is a learning experience, and somehow, he can learn from the bad times and adapt his game appropriately. It wouldnt surprise me if he does. In spite of his dude-bro exterior, Ive always suspected that there is a very clever and quick mind underneath it all. I think he can adapt, and I think he can transcend from the player that he has become to the player that he could very well be. But to get there, Lawrie has to want it. And you cant find stillness of mind with the bodys hustle.