Yes, I’ve had a few beers.

Yes, this is day four of a long weekend bender.

But I have reason to be angry, drunk or sober.

The Toronto Blue Jays were pathetic this afternoon.

A complete game shutout for James Shields?  Come on.

Every aspect of the offensive game was horrendous.  Ricky Romero pitched an unbelievable game and ended up with the loss because the Jays lost the ability to hit.

Adam Lind was 0-4 with a strikeout and weak flyballs – each one coming on what looked like a one-handed swing.

Yunel Escobar went 0-4 with four groundouts – three to the EXACT SAME SPOT!

Jose Bautista continued to show a good eye – but was picked off with one out in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run at the plate.

And the worst part?  The game was over in two hours and five minutes.  It was the shortest game of the season.

And it just so happened to be my first time sitting in the HSBC VIP seats – 200 Level behind home plate.

Seriously, if they were going to lose in such a terrible manner, the least the Jays could have done was stretch the game out to three hours and let me enjoy the seats.  I didn’t even have enough time to get drunk on beer that wasn’t Bud!  I would have welcomed striking out on three pitches over a pop out on the first pitch!

Dammit!!!

Over the past few weeks I have been asked several questions by different people, either through email (fivehundredlevelfan@gmail.com) or via twitter (@500LevelFan).

Instead of answering them all individually I thought I’d save them up and unleash the inaugural 500 Level Fan reader mailbag.  Most of these questions are about baseball in general, which is a nice change from talking strictly Blue Jays.

So read on!

@TheCraiger asks a variety of questions such as:

Q - If you could change any rule currently enforced in the MLB, what one would you change and why?

A – Interesting.  While it’s not really a rule affecting gameplay (more of a stat rule), I hate the save.  The pitcher who records the last out of a game that is within three runs earns a save, and those who do it regularly earn multi-million dollar contracts.  I hate it.  I think it’s stupid that pitchers who pitch the ninth inning are thought of differently than those who consistently get hitters out in the 7th or 8th.  The closer is an artificial position that far too often handcuffs managers into utilizing their bullpen in one way and one way only.  Get rid of it.

Q -  Would you do anything to the current format of the all-star game (i.e. the home field advantage for the world series)?

A – I would get rid of the world series aspect.  It’s been said by many writers smarter and better than I, but why should an at-bat in July between a Pittsburgh Pirate and a Kansas City Royal determine who gets home field in the World Series?  Doesn’t make sense.  I think the All-Star game has been permanently scarred by the advent of interleague play and free agency.  It used to be a highly competitive game between players who had loyalty to their leagues.  Now the AL and NL play each other each regular season, and players jump leagues all the time.  It’s lost its lustre and should be treated for what it is – a glorified exhibition game.

Q - Who is the most over rated player in the MLB?

A – As much as I’m tempted to annoy the asker and say A-Rod, I won’t.  But really, how can the answer not be Derek Jeter?  He still is paid like an elite shortstop.  He still bats at the top of the Yankee lineup.  He still is the most recognized name in baseball.  And he sucks.  He has been amazing his entire career, but the end has come apparently.  After a career worst season last year, he has fallen even harder to begin 2011 (.241 AVG, .571 OPS).  I also hate Nick Swisher, but that is neither here nor there.

Q - Who is the most underrated player in the MLB?

A – I’m taking the biased approach here, and will say Yunel Escobar of the Jays.  He plays great defense, he can hit, and he’s off to a great start.  Whatever happened in Atlanta last year is clearly behind him, and clearly was an off-field issue.  His reputation took a huge hit, to the point where he was considered a bad teammate and a lazy player, which in turn dropped his stock to the point of being underrated.  Honourable mention to Jose Bautista who is still looked upon as a fluke despite a .953 OPS and .443 OBP so far in 2011.

From @JSMART1982 comes a few thought provokers:

Q – What was the deal with the 11 AM game yesterday?

A – Patriot’s Day in Boston.  They do it every year.  But because the game starts before noon, the results do not count for the visiting team.  So the 9-1 loss will not count in the standings for the Blue Jays.  You have to be a terrible team to schedule early games, so that will hopefully teach the Red Sox a lesson. (That is a joke, sadly.)

Q – At what point does a rebuilding team become just a bad team?

A – I would say a rebuilding team becomes a bad team if no measurable improvements can be seen at the end of three years into the general manager’s regime.  Rebuilding can’t be done over night.  The first year is usually spent cleaning up the last guy’s mess, and the second year is spent implementing your own philosophy.  The third year should start showing at least moderate results.  If not, the team is bad.  This means that the Blue Jays should start to show signs of serious improvement by the end of 2012 to fit my definition, as I 100% expect them to.

@TOSocialEvents asks:

Q – Who do you think is the greatest Blue Jays broadcaster of all time?

A – I am biased towards TV here, or else I would have said Tom and Jerry in a heartbeat.  But to me, the glory days were in the mid 90′s, and the combo of Dan Shulman on play-by-play and Buck Martinez on colour.  That was the best there was in my opinion.  Having a Canadian team with a former Jay gave two very diverse yet very relevant viewpoints on each and every game.  Plus Shulman has the best voice in the business.  Shulman is now, of course, the play-by-play man on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, and Buck is Toronto’s play-by-play man.  I’ve always thought Buck is a much better colour commentator.  Honourable mention to Jim Hughson when he called the games in the early ’90′s, but he’s found his calling in the NHL.

Finally, some more light-hearted questions from long-time reader @altrendy:

Q – When will the Jays win the World Series next?

A – 2013.  Book it.

Q – Will Charl Schwartzel win another major?

A – Yes.  Any man who helps me win $200 in a Masters pool has much more in store for them in the future.  In fact, he will win two more majors.  At least.

Q – What tastes better, a vodka martini or a gin martini?

A – Tough one.  I like them both.  I think a gin martini has more flavour, but I prefer a vodka martini.  Dirty.  With extra olives.

There you have it.  Thanks to the those who asked questions.  Feel free to ask more, about anything, at anytime.  Use the email address, or contact me on twitter. 

‘Til next time…

If you’re like me and you love gambling, drinking, and paying homage to respectful, distinguished, and beautiful retired gentlemen, then this is the day for you!

Yes friends, it is a triple threat day!

First, one of the most exciting sporting events of the year kicks off today – March Madness.  I don’t really like basketball, I’m not a big fan of US college sports, but I love this tournament.  Why?  Because I love betting on it.  Filling out brackets, buying countless pro-line tickets, and then ripping them all up when my “surprise team” bows out meekly in the first round.  Does it get any better than that?

Well, actually, yes it does.  Because this year the kick-off day of the NCAA tournament just happens to fall on March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day.  Today is the day when everybody is Irish, when green beer, Guinness, and Irish Car Bombs flow like honey from a golden spoon.

But baseball fans should do more than just get violently drunk today – we should take a minute to remember the impact the Irish had on the game we love.  According to Baseball-Almanac there have been 42 Irish-born players in major league history, pure Irish names like Collins, Doyle, McManus, Muldoon, O’Connor, and O’Neill.  Sure most of them played at a time when baseball was in its infancy (pre-1900) but without them the game might not be the same as it is today.  So tilt a glass for Paddy O’Connor and Jimmy Walsh this afternoon.

There is also an Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame, founded in 2008, in Foley’s NY Pub in New York  City.  Some of the great names in baseball are honoured here, including Connie Mack, Tug McGraw, Mark McGwire, Vin Scully, and new this year, Yankees GM Brian Cashman.  Might be a good place to enjoy a Guinness in the future.

But perhaps the biggest reason to celebrate today has nothing to do with the Irish, for despite being born on the most Irish of days, this man is not from Ireland.  On this day in 1944, the most iconic, successful, respected, and beloved manager in Blue Jays history (in my opinion at least) was born in San Antonio.

Cito Gaston turns 67 years old today, and even though my Blue Jays excitement level is at its all-time highest this year, things do seem a bit weird without him.  He has pretty much been a part of the Blue Jays since 1982 when he was hired as the hitting coach.  His success in tutoring young hitters like George Bell, Lloyd Moseby, and Jesse Barfield helped lead him to the managers chair in 1989, where he won two World Series.  He was fired in ’97 but returned as the hitting coach again from 1999 – 2001, then as a special assistant to the CEO from 2002 until his return as manager in ’08.  Helping to morph Jose Bautista from a journeyman wanderer to a 50 HR hitter might be his greatest ever accomplishment.

Cito has been criticized by many over the years for his managerial decisions.  Yes he has made mistakes, and yes he may have been stubborn at times, but to many he WAS the Toronto Blue Jays.  Always full of grace, class, and dignity, Cito was a great leader.

So today I will drink a Guinness to honour the birthday of the man, the myth, the moustache, Cito Gaston.  Happy birthday Cito!

Now – let the gambling and drinking begin!

So it’s Tuesday.  It’s supposed to snow heavily later on.  The day is dragging.  And to top it off, there isn’t much happening in the world of baseball right now (unless you are currently watching Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon pull on Tampa Bay Rays jerseys).

Alex Anthopoulos hasn’t made any crazy trades for a few days.  We still don’t know who will play third, or close, or be the fifth starter.  Speculation abounds.

But instead of writing yet another “Projected Lineup” p0st that I’m sure people are tired of reading about, I’m going to switch it up a bit.

I’m going to talk All-Star games.

On Sunday both the NHL and NFL held their annual All-Star games.  Both are essentially unwatchable – extremely loose and watered down versions of the games that fans love.  Hitting is reduced to a bare minimum, and intensity is virtually non-existent.  I don’t know why these games still exist.

But if there is one thing that the NHL does do well it’s the concept of “All-Star Weekend”, especially the Saturday evening skills competition.  It’s something different, allowing fans to interact with players, and enabling players to show off parts of their game that might not be possible during the season.  Seriously, how often does a player like Zdeno Chara get a chance to skate 35 feet to a still puck and blast a slapshot?

Now, the MLB All-Star game is (in my opinion) the best of the four major sports, and not just because home field advantage in the World Series rides on the outcome.  By its nature, baseball is a sport that can always be intense and competitive – even in an exhibition format.  There is no violence, no hitting, no fighting.  Sure the competitive nature and meaning of the game has been reduced over the years due to free agency and interleague play, but these guys still want to win (though they won’t go as far as Pete Rose went in 1970 when he bowled over Ray Fosse).

Even though it is the best game, I think it can learn a lesson from the NHL and NBA weekends.  That lesson is this: MLB should institute a skills competition.

I know it has the Home Run Derby, but come on – that event has lost its lustre and is too long and monotonous for its own good.  All you need to know about how long-winded and inconsequential the HR Derby is, is that Josh Hamilton put on the single greatest performance in its history…..and lost.  Plus the derby is only for home run hitters.  Hockey has something for the passers, the accuracy shooters, the skaters, they heavy shooters, the goalies, etc…

So here is what I would do to the MLB All-Star festivities to spice it up for the fans and to make it more fun for the players:  One night, five events, everybody participates.

Event 1 – HR Derby

I’m not backpedalling here.  Yes the current HR Derby is boring, but only in its current form.  Instead of having it last three rounds – where let’s face it, the players are equally as tired as the fans by the end – it’s a “one shot and you’re done” deal.  Three players per league, 10 outs, most homers wins.  Simple as that.

Event 2 – Target Hitting

This could be one for the Ichiro’s of the league.  Five targets on the field (one against the outfield fence, one over the fence in HR territory, a circle in RF, a circle in deep LF, and an upright target in the infield).  10 pitches.  Targets are worth a different amount of points depending on difficulty, with bonus points awarded for hitting all five.  Three players per league, most points wins.

Event 3 – Accuracy Throwing

Three players per league – one OF (preferably RF), one IF (preferably 3B) and one P.  Eacb plays their position and tries to hit targets that simulate throwing a runner out third from the outfield, throwing a runner out at first from third, and hitting the strike zone.  Points are awarded based on hitting the more difficult targets.  Hardest thrower would be great (think Aroldis Chapman trying to break 106 mph) but would obviously be an injury risk.

Event 4 – Fastest Runner

Two events: one timing players from home to first (think speedsters like Crawford vs. Ichiro), and one timing players from first to third (smooth baserunners who take the turn well).

Event 5 – Relay

Similar to the NHL relay that combined one-timers, passing, accuracy shooting, and puck control.  This could be split into four parts, with AL and NL competing head on.

1. Bunting – AL sends a player to bat with the goal of reaching base via bunt.  The NL’s goal is to throw the player out at first.  Winner gets one point.

2. Base Stealing – AL elects a different player to stand on first and attempt to steal second off an NL selected P/C/2B combo.  Again, one point on the line.

3. Sac Fly – AL elects a third player to stand on second and attempt to tag up on a fly ball to an NL selected RF/3B combo. 

4. Wild Pitch Control – Finally, a fourth AL player stand on third and attempts to score on a wild pitch.  This would test an NL catcher’s ability to retrieve the ball and throw a strike to the pitcher covering home.

Would an event like this ever be introduced?  Absolutely not, not with insurance premiums and contract clauses in the way.

But would fans love it?  Yes.

Would players love it?  I would think so.

Would it add a lot of flair and excitement to the All-Star festivities?  100% yes.

And after watching the NHL All-Star weekend, more flair and excitement are always a good thing.

Back in December I wrote an “If Only” column (if only the Jays could sign Major League’s Roger Dorn to play 3B), meaning to make it a weekly series.

Well, it took six weeks but today I present a second column:

If only Reed Johnson remained a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Johnson re-joined the Cubs last week and seeing his name again brought back a lot of memories.

Don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t a huge Johnson supporter.  I thought he played well for the Jays and I loved watching him play.  He played hard, he got dirty, and he produced decent numbers (.281 average, 319 runs scored, .752 OPS in 5 seasons).  He played a pretty good left field, and he showed a lot of hustle and heart on the field (coincidentally the mantra of the 2010 club).

But Reed’s impact on the team went beyond numbers – he was a fan favourite.  I remember going to games in 2006 and night after night the loudest cheers were reserved for Johnson.  Fans loved his aggressive play.  He would dive for balls in the OF even if he was 70 feet away from them it seemed.  The crowd loved him.

At the end of the 2007 season the Jays were still being run by J.P. Ricciardi.  They had just completed a fairly successfuly campaign (83-79, 3rd in the AL East), and were gearing up to make a run at the Red Sox and Yankees.  Ricciardi had yet to deliver on the promises he had made to Blue Jays fans – namely a playoff spot.  His leash was getting shorter as fans were beginning to grow impatient, but most still trusted him to lead the team to salvation. He still had a chance.

That offseason started well enough for Toronto.  Ricciardi signed two Canadians (Scott Richmond and Matt Stairs), inked Shawn Camp and Rod Barajas to contracts, and picked up both Marco Scutaro and Scott Rolen in trades.  Sure he made a curious signing in David Eckstein (essentially screwing over fan favourite John McDonald) but that seemed a minor issue.

But on February 25, 2008 Ricciardi brought back former Jay Shannon Stewart.  Stewart had been a star with Toronto, and was incredible with Minnesota.  But after an injury plagued ’06, he signed with Oakland for the ’07 season and put up numbers that were respectable (.290 average, 12 HR, 79 R, .739 OPS) but down from his career norms. 

The Stewart signing was problematic for two reasons:

1. He was clearly on the downside of his career, and

2. He played left field.  Reed Johnson also played left field.

At first Jays fans, myself included, weren’t bothered by the signing.  Reed was coming off an injury plagued 2007 season of his own and was no sure thing to get back to his ’06 form.  Besides, Stewart was an ex-Jay, a former hero coming back home.  We could accept this.  Surely Johnson would win the job making Stewart an above-average bench player and 4th OF.  Reed was a much better defender, and much better on-base threat.

But to the shock of many, Stewart won the job.  To the extreme shock of everybody, Johnson wasn’t simply relegated to the bench.  He was given his outright release. 

I couldn’t believe it.  My friends couldn’t believe it.  Many Toronto sportswriters couldn’t believe it.  I think a large majority of Blue Jays fans couldn’t believe it.

And I strongly believe that March 23, 2008, the day Reed Johnson was released, was the day that Toronto Blue Jays fans turned on J.P. Ricciardi.

He had stabbed us in the back.  Gone was a versatile player and a fan favourite.  Sure he wasn’t an All-Star, but he was better than his replacement in pretty much every way possible.  It didn’t seem right.

Suddenly the lustre was off J.P.  People started looking at his previous moves more closely and found ways to criticize him where they might not have before.  What followed in the summer of ’08 was a complete disaster, and fans shifted the blame away from the players and manager and put it directly on Ricciardi’s shoulders.

Consider what happened:

- Eckstein didn’t do much and was traded away in August

- Frank Thomas was released after only 16 games making Ricciardi look like a fool

- Ricciardi’s hand-picked manager John Gibbons, not far removed from several physical confrontations with players, was axed, with fans blaming J.P. for hiring such a loose cannon in the first place

- Former MLB closer Armando Benitez, signed in the offseason to provide help to the back-end of the bullpen, was finally released after only 6.1 IP

- Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson, mid-season acquisitions meant to add pop to the lineup, were terrible, combining for 4 HR in 323 AB

- In June, J.P. further solidified his downfall with the Adam Dunn debacle, claiming the Cincinnati slugger (who Toronto could have desparately used) “doesn’t really like baseball” and “doesn’t have a passion to play the game.”  He was making a fool of himself and the organization.

Finally, on August 11, after hitting only .240 and playing in only 52 games, Shannon Stewart was released.

To make matters worse, the man who was cut to make room for Stewart, was thriving.  Reed Johnson signed with the Cubs five days after being released by Toronto, and put up very solid numbers in Chicago: .303 average, .358 OBP, .778 OPS.  Jays fans wept.

**************************

I’m not here to say that things would have been better if Johnson would have stayed.  Would the Jays have won a few more games?  Maybe, but they finished nine games back of the playoffs, so postseason baseball would never have happened.

But I think J.P. Ricciardi would have had more rope.  Fans would have tolerated his moves – good or bad – a bit more and wouldn’t have jumped all over him.  Maybe without such a public backlash against him, Ricciardi gets another chance to prove he can win here.  Maybe he isn’t fired in 2009.  Who knows…

In reality, the Johnson release was a good thing.  That was the spark that ignited the fan’s fire for J.P., and I believe started the road to his downfall.  Without it, maybe the above would have happened.  Maybe we wouldn’t have Alex Anthopoulos.  And does anybody out there truly believe the Jays aren’t in a better place now?

Whatever you believe, the moral of the story is clear:

Don’t screw with your fans.

Ricciardi did and he didn’t live to tell the tale.

As cliched as it may sound, I have decided to run a year in review series of columns on 500 Level Fan.  I figured it’s my blog so I can do what I please.

To kick it off, we have a very special guest columnist to discuss the past year in books.  This man is all of the below:

- a loyal reader of 500 Level Fan

- an emailer / requester for specific columns

- a creator of dynamic and controversial trivia questions

- the world’s biggest Frank Thomas fan

Funny story about the last point above.  He was the most excited person in the city when the Jays inked the Big Hurt to a contract in 2007, and the most gutted / heartbroken / disturbed / crushed man in the city when they released him in 2008.

Anyways, without further ado, here is a look back at the world of literature from Dr. Nudathan P. Smart.

After successfully completing my 2010 New Year’s resolution (reading 12 books in 2010), I thought I owed it to the loyal fans of 500LevelFan to give a thorough review of the books that I read in 2010.  Consider this a more robust, versatile, and non-bias review compared to that of “Heather’s Picks” and Oprah.  With that in mind, let’s get it started:

-          Open (The Andre Agassi Story) – I remember watching Sports Centre when this book was released.  There was a lot of controversy because of Agassi’s drug use described in the book.  Although it was an interesting book I learned two things.  One: Agassi lost to Pete Sampras A LOT   Two: Agassi did cocaine one time.

-          Where Men Win Glory  (The Pat Tillman Story) – This is one of my favorites of the year.  A heavy read for sure but I needed to educate myself on the Afghanistan situation and it is nice to get confirmation that all men are not chauvinists (see note below on The Devlin Diary)

-          The Golden Spruce – because of this book I am no longer on speaking terms with my brother.  He recommended this after reading 70 pages.  For the first 70 pages, I agreed with him but then it got terrible.  In my opinion, if you are going to read about the logging industry, it should be clearly stated on the cover.  I hope my brother calls to apologize soon.

-          Wolf Hall - I visited England a few months before reading this book and I really liked it.  The only issue was that there were 11 people named Thomas and 7 named Jane.  Hard to keep track of.

-          The Road – very descriptive. I liked it but most people I spoke to seemed to be annoyed by it.  I found easy to visualize myself in the setting. 

-          Pilgrim – a story about the great psychiatrist Carl Jung and his work a mysterious patient (Pilgrim).  The cover was misleading as is shows Pilgrim with a hand gesture mimicking oral sex on a female but Pilgrim is actually an asexual being.

-          Devlin Diary – feminist book.  I am in support of feminists that stand for reasonable demands but all the men in this book were pigs.  Not all men are pigs.  My friends Mark, Craig, Cooper, Brady. Pat Tillman and Dad are all good men.  We do not deserve this generalization.

-          Lost City of Z – another great read.  I now have tremendous respect for the Amazon.  A truly interesting Non-Fiction.  The only issue was that I felt like I had bugs crawling all over my body and I don’t do drugs other than love.

-          Pillars of the Earth – amazing.  Loved it.  Read it.  It’s long.

-          Bishop’s Man – I should have known  better when my mom told me this was a great book.  Horrendous choice on my part.

-          Five People You Meet in Heaven – I am not sure how I feel about this book.  I really liked it but I am starting to think that  I only liked it because it was thinner than the lace on Coco’s g-string.

-          The Tiger – too many Russian names.  You know how when you read a book and there is a tough name, sometimes you just connect the combination of letters as that characters name even though you never take the time to read the name properly? Usually this strategy is okay, however, in this book I got burned.  There were at least 50 names that I could not read and they all contained the same letters.  This made it difficult to read.   

Top 3 books of the year: Where Men Win Glory, Pillars of the Earth, Lost City of Z

Honorable Mention: Wolf Hall & The Tiger

Let’s be honest.  The 2010 offseason has been a bit depressing thus far.

Sure we can rejoice in the fact that Cliff Lee chose the Phillies over the Yankees, but what else is their to be happy about as a Jays fan?

Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez went to the Red Sox.  Detroit is much stronger after picking up Joaquin Benoit and Victor Martinez.  The White Sox added Adam Dunn.  The Yankees are still formidable.  The road to the Wild Card got a lot tougher.

So instead of focusing on the doom and gloom – as I admit that I have been guilty of doing – I thought I’d shake things up a bit here at 500 Level Fan.

I am introducing a new series of columns entitled “If Only”.  They are meant to be nothing more than a fun, light-hearted, satirical look at players that would fit in perfectly on the Blue Jays…if only it was possible to sign them.  Why can’t we sign them?  Well…keep reading….

First up is third base.

With E5 gone, the Jays don’t have a third baseman on the roster.  There has been talk of shifting Jose Bautista from RF to 3B, or of moving Aaron Hill from 2B.  But how about this man, the perfect man, to take over the position?

If only we could sign Roger Dorn.

For those not familiar with Dorn, he was the everyday third baseman for the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League.  For those of you who know who he is, you are likely asking why?

He was overpaid – “I thought you didn’t have any high-priced talent”, “Forget about Dorn ’cause he’s only high-priced.”

He was a terrible defender – “Come on Dorn, get in front of the damn ball.  Don’t give me any of this ole bullsh*t.”

He refused to take instruction from management – “Lou, my contract say I don’t have to do any calisthenics that I deem unnecessary, so what do you think about that!”

Most of all he was a bad teammate – “What’s the matter rookie f*ck wad, can’t you take a joke?”

But if you look past that, two things stand out about Roger Dorn: he was constantly improving as the season moved forward (he ended up having a respectable year with numbers better than Encarnacion), and when the going got tough, Dorn got going.

Seriously.  With the Indians in contention near the end of the season, there was Dorn taking extra infield practice.  With the Indians down 2-0 in the 8th inning of a one game playoff against the Yankees, it was Dorn who started a rally with a two-out single.  When Vaughn came in to pitch in the ninth with the bases loaded and the score tied, it was Dorn who delivered the motivational speech that Ricky needed to get the final out (“Let’s cut through the crap Vaughn.  I’ve only got one thing to say to you.  Strike this mother f*cker out!”)

Toronto wouldn’t need him to be a leader.  They already have Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista to fill that role.  They don’t need him to be a 30 HR guy, not with Bau, Vern, Lind, and Hill on the team.  They don’t need gold glove defense, because anything would be an improvement over Encarnacion.  They just need a solid defender who can get on base – exactly what Roger Dorn can do.

As an added bonus, if Rogers fails as an owner, Dorn can simply buy the team, like he did with the Indians in Major League 2.

2011 would be a great season if it were possible to bring in Roger Dorn.

If only…

Actual work to do at the day job + an extremely busy weekend + a two day hangover = slow posting at good ol’ 500 Level Fan…

But I have had enough time to throw together a few random thoughts about a few random subjects.

1. Toronto’s own Joey Votto won the National League MVP award yesterday.  Congratulations are in order for Votto, who joins Ferguson Jenkins, Larry Walker, and Justin Morneau as the only Canadians to win MLB awards. 

Let’s be honest – Votto had an outstanding season in 2010, but to this date nothing touches Larry Walker’s 1997 MVP campaign.  Compare the two:

Walker 1997: 49 HR, 130 RBI, .366 avg, .452 OBP, 1.172 OPS

Votto 2010: 37 HR, 113 RBI, .324 avg, .424 OBP, 1.024 OPS

Before looking it up, I assumed that Walker’s numbers were heavily inflated from playing half his games in the thin air of Colorado, but he actually produced better numbers on the road than at home:

Home: 20 HR, 68 RBI, .384 avg, .460 OBP, 1.169 OPS

Road: 29 HR, 62 RBI, .346 avg, .443 OBP, 1.176 OPS

Throw in the fact that Walker stole 33 bases to Votto’s 16, and it’s hard to deny Larry.  Even after giving Votto bonus points for leading his team to the playoffs and for being from Toronto, he still falls a bit short.

2. I love looking at the voting results for all awards, but especially love the MVP because each voter chooses a ten-man ballot.  Choosing ten players almost always leads to some curious names, and 2010 didn’t dissapoint.  Carlos Ruiz (Philadelphia catcher) finished tied for 17th.  Corey Hart of Milwaukee was 25th.  But the most bizarre of all was Martin Prado of Atlanta finishing in the top-10. 

Yes, he was an All-Star.  But come on.  He hit 15 HR and had 66 RBI.  His batting average was .307.  His OPS was .809, lowest among any non-pitcher named on a ballot.  I could understand a few votes for him, but 51 points?  He was named on 17 ballots, as high as 5th place.  The 51 points meant that he was deemed to be more valuable than Ryan Howard, Buster Posey, Matt Holliday, Brian Wilson, Ryan Braun, Adam Wainwright, and two of his own teammates Jason Heyward and Brian McCann.  Stunning.

3. The AL MVP award will be announced in a few hours.  I expect the winner to be Josh Hamilton.  I would hope that Jose Bautista would finish second, but I expect to him finish 4th.  Maybe even lower.  My ballot would have Hamilton followed by Bautista, Cabrera, and Cano, but no way the Yankee finishes behind the Blue Jay.  No way.

4. I would love to see more than one Blue Jay earn MVP votes.  I think Vernon Wells might be good for at least one, and if Carlos Ruiz can get some votes, why not John Buck?

5. News out of Detroit this morning is that the Tigers have signed Victor Martinez.  If that is true, than congratulations to me for guessing that correctly in my “Where Will They Sign” column.

6. I like Justin Upton as much as the next guy.  I would love to have him roaming the outfield in a Jays powder blue next season.  But if getting him means losing one or more of J.P. Arencibia, Travis Snider, Kyle Drabek, Ricky Romero, or Brett Cecil, then no thanks.  I said it before and I’ll say it again:  pretty sure we just watched the San Francisco Giants win the World Series because they refused to part with a stud young catcher, and young power arms.  Don’t do it.

7. With all the talk about Movember these days, I started thinking about one man I would love for the Blue Jays to sign.  He would be a great fit on the team, providing veteran leadership and some additional power.  Unfortunately, signing him is impossible.  Not because he would ask for too much money, but because he is fictional.  That’s right – Jack Elliot, a.k.a. Mr. Baseball, played by Tom Selleck.  Imagine a batting order of Wells, Bautista, then Elliot?  If only it was possible…

In honour of Movember, which this writer is proud to be participating in, I thought I’d take a stab at naming the Blue Jays all-time, all-moustache team. 

The following roster of greats has nothing to do with talent, career statistics, or overall contribution to the team. 

It is based solely on the quality of the ‘stache (hence Otto Velez beating out Jesse Barfield for the coveted RF spot).

Feel free to let me know if I missed anybody, which I undoubtedly did…

C – Ernie Whitt

1B – Willie Upshaw

2B – Nelson Liriano

3B – Rance Mulliniks

SS – Manny Lee

RF – Otto Velez

CF – Barry Bonnell

LF – George Bell

DH – Cliff Johnson

SP – Dave Stieb

SP – Jim Gott

SP – Juan Guzman

SP – Jim Clancy

RP – Dennis Lamp

RP – Mark Eichhorn

Please use the comments section to let me know who I missed, and to let me know your favourite.  Personally I like Lamp, but would be willing to grow myself a nice little Eichhorn this month.

So a few friends and I went to a beer tasting event last night at the Berkeley Church (Queen Street East).  The Toronto Beer Experience.  Great beers.  Lots of beers.  Memory is hazy. 

We left the show around 11:30.

What happened next will go down in history.

In hindsight, was it wise to walk into a bar called The Blue Sea on Queen and Jarvis just before midnight, three guys, four sheets to the wind?  Maybe not.

But walk in we did.

Other than the “interesting” clientele, consisting mainly of a man with no teeth wearing a Detroit Tigers hat, and a man with thinning hair who begged us to insult him, one thing caught my eye hanging on the wall behind the bar.

A glorious sight:

Who said this was only a Leafs town?

Good on you Blue Sea.  Good on you.