FrankTheRabbit

Jedimaster: if ur in the downtown Toronto area, Amsterdam Brewhouse might have something that you're looking for, especially some of their seasonal beers. They have 4 different beer flights for $8 (4 x 5oz tasters) available. Such a great idea and considering it's right in the DT core, $8 is def not heavy on the wallet. There are quite a few craft breweries located near the Toronto area that it's hard to keep track. I'm sure it took lots of trial and error to find that beer in BC, but think of the adventure trying the many different beers to sample some very terrific brews. It's certainly all part of the adventure. GL!

Totally shaking my head still...It's been two months, but the more we hear what happened behind closed doors, the more I don't like what Ed Rogers and Shapiro are doing to the team. They're really not trying their best to build a contender and instead, they're building something on the cheap. Cheap doesn't get you to the playoffs and this probably will resonate into the locker room.

Indeed, the money they make is pretty unreal, compared to the majority of us. But the lucrative sports contracts will always be that way. NBA players, NFL players, professional race car drivers (Michael Schumacher raked in nearly $100mil per season during his World Champion days, which included salary and endorsement money...Tiger Woods made that amount as well), etc all make crazy amounts of money. HH is spot on...all those endorsements, ticket sales, etc...there's a big piece of pie to be had that many entities are involved in. But despite all of the huge money contracts, they've also set time aside for their own charities. David Price has his Project 14 (community support programs for youths) and Jose Bautista has his Bautista Family Education Fund (assist and support young amateur athletes). They may not be life saving surgeons, but at least they've shown that they still have a human side.

Metrics said that we were favoured to head to the WS. 2015 was a great season to be a Jays fan. Boston was no where to being competitive and NY just didn't have enough steam near the end. My $10 says that Boston and NY won't be sitting pretty come 2016 and with Boston picking up Price, that's what contenders do. Teams that try to penny pinch their way to the playoffs...well, we've experienced that for the past 22 years. Sure, Tampa has done it in the past, but this team ain't Tampa. Not even making a genuine offer to Price is not convincing me that Rogers is committed to building a competitive team. Stroman, Bautista, Encarnacion, Donaldson, Tulo, Martin, Pillar, Goins, Revere...these guys are ready to win now...not in a couple of years when everyone else is getting older and Bautista & Encarnacion's contracts are up. What scares me a little more is how Rogers is going to handle the contracts of Bautista and Encarnacion. I'd hate to think it should they walk away from the Jays if the suits don't want to pony up and feel signing Colby Rasmus as a "better value player" to a contract.

The Jays didn't even bother putting out an offer to Price. The signing of Happ, a guy who we traded away, just says it all. Ed Rogers and Shapiro are nothing but suits. It's so disappointing with the momentum that was built in 2015 only to be brought back to mediocrity.

So, is the team being renamed to the Cleveland Blue Jays or does the Toronto Blue Indians sound more intimidating? I wonder who else are we plucking from Cleveland to join us...a team that hasn't been in the playoffs since 2013?

Jays probably couldn't match the offer, but at least, in good faith, make an attempt to keep Price. If what I'm hearing is correct and the Jays didn't even bother pitching an honest offer, that really is troubling going forward. I don't think we'll ever hear the truth and certainly can't expect Rogers to tell it like it is. Seeing how the Jays lineup currently stands, the players are ready NOW...not in a few years. Comparing to KC, their 2014 lineup was not much different than their WS winning 2015 lineup. They got some key pieces and were able to repeat the success of WS contenders and actually winning it all. They were moving in a forward momentum. Compared to the Jays, it feels like we're moving backwards. I'm sure it's been mentioned before and I totally agree that we still need a bonafide ace and deeper relief pitching, provided our aging HR producers stay healthy. Bautista is turning 36, Encarnacion is turning 33, and Donaldson will be 30 less than a week.

I'd like to be optimistic with the Jays playoff hopes for 2016, but I don't think Boston & NY will sit on the sidelines and let the Jays get into the playoffs again. Spring training is only a few months away.

Dunno what's the hate on David Price for. He did an outstanding job during his short tenure with the Jays. The fact is, had we not got Price to come to Toronto, the Jays would have played another October of meaningless baseball and looking forward to 2016. He was 9-1 while he was with us and not to mention the games he pitched against division rivals. Sure, we would have liked to have seen him flourish in the playoffs, but I feel Gibby's decision to rest him for 11 days and have him pitch in the bullpen had some influence on that. Plus the impression he's made with the Jays will be everlasting, especially with our own pitchers. Anyhow, I think it says more about Rogers and their so-called "commitment" to win as being pretenders and not contenders in the super competitive AL East. Signing JA Happ doesn't exactly make me feel excited for the 2016 season for the Jays.

Richard, you always do a fantastic job! Everyone involved with your program has nothing but high praises for the work you do. I for one always look forward to seeing your updates! Thanks as always!

Regarding comments about Rogers, and I'm totally agreeing with you guys, but what has Rogers ever done that was in favour of the customer/fans/clients? If their storied past is of any indication, they're in the business to make money. The increase in cell plans/cable/internet/mobile data all providing less services for more money. I'll take a wild stab and say they're doing the same thing with the Jays. Tupelo is calling it and The Sun was also mentioning the same thing, but there won't be any surprises if Rogers reduced payroll going forward...they've always been trying to provide the least product to make the most money, which is so sad and makes it even more of a tough pill to swallow considering how many loyal Jays fans there are in Canada. The Jays deserve much better than what Rogers is providing and I'm hoping in the near future, the team is owned by someone who actually cares about the team and doesn't see them as just another "product" adding to their bottom line.

From the view of Mr José Bautista regarding the Game 5 homer vs Texas: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/jose-bautista-bat-flip/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-trudeau-cabinet-read-the-full-list-ofministers/article27095965/ A breakdown of Justin's cabinet ministers. Change is good, inclusion is better than division. Speaking of qualified people and bringing up Harjit Saijan, his predecessors were: Jason Kenney Rob Nicholson Peter MacKay Gordon O'Connor. From what I was able to find, all but one served in the military. Gordon O'Connor served for 30 years and retired as a Brigadier-General. The other three, were just a bunch of talking heads.

Thanks bud for the insight. Today's conference really sounded like damage control. I'm sure Shapiro & Rogers have heard an earful of complaints and he's probably walking on eggshells. I still don't like Shapiro...he reminds me of Paul Weller when he played Robocop, without the visor.

You do an awesome job Richard and I always enjoy including your updates into our newsletter. Thanks for doing so much and teaching the younger generation about them.

It might be a bit risky on a boat, but I've used SIMMs waders and a Goretex shell jacket and kept me completely dry in the summer. In the colder temps, just layer up with fleece and you can still stay warm. How about those Mustang survival suits?

I'm still in the mindset that all of this makes no sense at all and I'm struggling to find the reason why Rogers couldn't get AA to resign. AA delivered the goods and Rogers ownership should have given anything that AA was asking for and if the speculation in the media is true, you give AA the reigns for final player decisions. He's been through it all, from beginning to end. So, for Rogers to hand the success of AA to someone with no Canadian market experience, let alone he's not even Canadian, is such a perplexing concept. Why would any owner of a company do that? Maybe, this concept of thinking is the reason why Ed Rogers is not the CEO of Rogers Co. Again, not only was AA liked and respected by the players and staff, they trusted AA and with Shapiro coming in, he'll have to really dig deep and earn the trust of them. What was noted in the media, but I don't think it was mentioned here, was how AA, knowing that his future wasn't certain, secured the future jobs of the front office and staff through to 2016. He went out of his way to make sure they were taken care of, before his own security was in place. That is a true sign of leadership and from that, I have an even greater amount of respect for him, both as a person and as the proper GM for the club. Heck, if anything, AA should have been promoted to President after this season's immense success. Rogers made a boatload of cash with the leadership of Beeston and AA, and Rogers couldn't be bothered to give him a slam dunk offer to re-sign him. It really puts an enormous question mark an even bigger "what the hell" remark on Rogers.

A bit of humour regarding the AA negotiations. Lol. Although, I might be able to believe this to be true of what went down behind closed doors. lol. http://www.thebeaverton.com/sports/item/2193-anthopolous-rejects-rogers-contract-after-realizing-it-only-comes-with-150-long-distance-minutes

That's the ironic part...we were competitive and made it to the 2nd round and therre are still changes. That's how messed up Rogers is. No stability whatsoever. Whenever you have suits trying to manage an organization, this is what happens.

I think from here on out, whatever Rogers & Co. says is just lip service to get us trusting them with their baseball decisions. TRUST & ROGERS are certainly two words that don't go together. Imagine being a player on the team...reaching that incredible high of finishing their season and then hearing how AA isn't coming back next year...it must be a punch in the gut for them, even if they don't say anything publicly. Those six years that AA was on the team, he's built trust between the organization and the players. It's something that just isn't done overnight, but in one day, Rogers just tears that all apart...still can't believe it.

What we do know is, Paul Beeston officially announced his retirement Jan 26, 2015. Ed Rogers started asking around for a replacement in Nov 2014. If an organization had any real integrity, you certainly don't go asking around behind the back of Beeston and before he actually made an official decision. That's the bumbling of Rogers that's accentuated with not resigning AA. Beeston has been around in the league for a long time and you just don't do that to a guy like Beeston. And one of the first guys that Rogers contacts for a possible replacement is Reinsdorf, a good friend of Beeston. And to quote from Reinsdorf: "I'm not responding to a request from Edward Rogers a beneficiary. You have to follow baseball procedure. A request for permission to interview someone has to be put in writing." What kind of ball club owner does that, but only an idiot with zero knowledge of baseball and baseball etiquette? There's already a formula in place that works and has made them a lot of money. And then they bring in an American who doesn't have any Canadian market experience to replace a successful, home grown employee from Montreal...it just blows my mind the stupidity of Rogers.

Kinda contradicts what Rogers said in their news statement: “Alex has done a terrific job as GM of the Blue Jays over the past six seasons, and we would have loved it if he stayed with the club. Like the fans, we too are disappointed he has chosen not to accept our five-year contract offer, but we wish him the very best. Alex leaves behind an outstanding front office team and coaching staff that played a key role in shaping the team’s great run this season. They will continue to operate in leadership roles next year as we look to build upon the team’s success. We remain committed to putting a winning team on the field and look forward to many more exciting seasons for the Blue Jays.” So the last sentence, they say that they're "committed to putting a winning team on the field," yet they sign a guy who won exec of the year 8 and 10 years ago, while AA just won it recently. So now we have no GM with the likely chance of Gibby not returning, and also a likely scenario of Price & Estrada not returning either. Yup, Rogers sure knows how to EFF things up!

Was reading an article about KC and how they sent scouts to the last 45 games at the Skydome (I will NEVER call it R0gers Centre...they don't deserve that recognition) and picked up a lot of info regarding our pitchers and hitters. They recalled that the one hitter they were most concerned about. It wasn't EE, JB, or JD, but Pillar. The scouts felt that whenever Pillar got on base, Donaldson would bat the same inning. They felt that Pillar was the "ignitor" of the team. That's pretty amazing how they were able to analyze and neutralize the fact the Jays led the majors in HRs and runs scored. If we want to talk about other years of AA, let's not forget Shapiro. During the tenure of AA (2010-2015): 489-483 (0.503%). During the tenure of Shapiro (2010-2015): 475-496 (0.489%). Plus, AA won exec of the year and also Jays first trip to the playoffs in 22 years. And to do it in the most competitive division in the league. Get ready for a rough ride...so disappointing!

Is this confirmed? I'm curious. Regarding the trades, I'm definitely on AA's side with the trades...Bautista & Encarncion aren't getting any younger. Every time JB is on the field, he's always doing some sort of stretches. The guy is 35 and ain't getting any younger and you wonder if his HR output will be affected. Sure, he gambled away some prospects, but when those prospects mature into the majors, what kind of run production will we have in a few years from now? From my wild point of view, I'm guessing that Shapiro was brought in to make sure the Jays never make it to the playoffs in the near future. It was quite evident with Game 6 and the game changing lousy ump calls (yes, the Jays also didn't help themselves either...). Even from a numbers standpoint...the Jays brought in an extra 40% in profit...what is Ed Rogers thinking? Is he aiming to have the team bring in more than 40% to their coffers? To me, he seems like another rich privileged idiot.

Doesn't really matter how long the players are locked in for, it's more of if they care to play anymore. Having a good boss will help employees perform better...you have a bad boss, your heart just isn't in it anymore. Price and Estrada might see this as instability and they probably will move on...What a total buzz kill. All that positive build up and momentum, wiped out by Rogers. SO disappointed and Ed Rogers only persisted with his myopic "vision" to keep his ego intact. Personally, I think that the Jays Canadian market is different from the American market and I just don't believe Shapiro is the guy to understand and help the Jays succeed. Not 100% related, but look at Target...they came into Canada thinking that we would be wooed and swayed with their fancy flash and not-so-good prices and they ended up folding shop. Alex and Beeston know and understand the Canadian market and now both are not returning. You certainly need stability to build a championship team.