Hum and Chuck: Nothing Will Come of Nothing

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Nothing Will Come of Nothing

Brunt sums some stuff up. "But here’s the problem. When it comes to professional sport, to the bond that keeps people coming back game after game, year after year, there is an emotional, irrational component – as there is with any relationship. And there are times when that link can be irrevocably broken even with the best of intentions, even when moves are made that, on paper, seem sound."

It most certainly makes sense business wise to part ways with franchise face/spirit Roy Halladay. Why is it we can offer a king's ransom to our centre fielder or offer the biggest contract ever to a relief pitcher, but can't pony up for this guy? Lack of foresight? Lack of planning?

Do we watch this team because they are fiscally sound? Because the GM makes good business moves? Because they break even?

Or do we watch it because we love the team and want them to win? Is it because the third basemen throws rockets across the diamond and busts it around the bases after home runs? Is it because we watched a young guy blossom into a player that rivals and matches the lofty legacy of his predecessors at his position? Or is it because we like watching a guy who works hard, is an absolute beast of a competitor and throws a baseball as good as anyone in today's game?

Perhaps if the ownership is unable or unwilling to build a team around arguably the franchise greatest player ever, than maybe they should sell. If the GM is unable or unwilling to build a team around the same player, maybe he should resign.

Because what is the damn point if this team isn't built to win?

7 comments:

Drew - LtB said...: Nice work miss.; July 10, 2009 12:03 AM
bkblades said...: I was about to feel horrified on your ominous "I write all serious". But you're bang on with this one.; July 10, 2009 12:37 AM
eyebleaf said...: Well said, well said...; July 10, 2009 2:15 AM
Mattt said...: Unfortunately whatever will be will be. I just hope whatever happens/doesn't happen, happens/doesn't happen soon. This is too painful to constantly think about...; July 10, 2009 9:54 AM
MK Piatkowski said...: I walked away after the strike, despite being a fan from the very beginning. Roy Halladay brought me back. Honestly, if they get rid of them, I don't know if Aaron and Adam will be enough to keep me. Brunt is absolutely right.

It's breaking my heart hearing trade talk about Rolen. What happened to this being a rebuilding year heading to 2010?; July 10, 2009 11:53 AM
Mattt said...: that's a very good question...; July 10, 2009 4:03 PM
Dan Grant said...: Losing a franchise player, especially one that a team raises from their own system, and ESPECIALLY a baseball player, who take so long to develop, is devastating for a fanbase... It's even more devastating when the reason you're losing the player isnt because the player wants to leave or because the player isnt good anymore... it's a dollars and cents transaction. It's kind of like a bruise on the sport. I've seen it before and always thought.. 'wow that must suck for them'.. or thought 'well they couldnt justify matching that, smart move'. But it just feels like a punch in the gut...

Has any one player meant so much to one mediocre team, for so long? If Pujols walked away from St Louis, they'd be heart broken.. but they got their World Series. Same with Chipper in Atlanta. Jeter in New York. The Red Sox were sad when Manny left, but they didnt raise him.

I can't think of another great pitcher who was on such a consistently bad team, who left under a circumstance such as this. Usually great pitchers either bolt the first chance they get and wind up changing teams a bunch of times (Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux) or are lifers (Bob Feller, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax) or change roles entirely (Dennis Eckersley) or depart in the twilight of their career because they cant admit that theyre done (John Smoltz). It's never like this. This doesnt make sense.

There is a great line in a song that this entire situation reminds me of... the song is about wasted youth and the loss of innocence. and the line goes 'they dreamed of nothing and got nothing in return'

The worst part about this is that we had a hall of fame talent like Doc and we never surrounded him with the team that he deserved. It's sad for us and for him because odds are, we won't see anyone like him again.

However, for those who think that Roy's leaving signifies an end to the Blue Jays... that's a joke. He's one guy. It's not like he singlehandedly kept us competitive because we havent even been competitive with him, for the most part. We can still build a winning team. This just fucking sucks right now. The negativity should be restricted to this situation, if it even happens, and should not extend to the Jays franchise as a whole.
But as for our chance with Roy, I fear that we'll always regret that
we dreamed of nothing and got nothing in return.; July 13, 2009 1:35 PM

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A Glossary of Terms

"God-damnit!"- What VDub says when he pops up, the exclamation caught crisply and clearly by the sportsnet mic near the field. One of the sounds of summer
A-Dog- sometimes, when Aaron Hill is particulary slick or awesome in the field, he is called A-Dog, in reference to O-Dog.
Acorn- BJ Ryan calls Accardo 'Acorn'. Why? I don't know. But if BJ calls him that, so do I.
Big Boy Pants- When a player, particularly a pitcher, doesn't let a bad call or walks or stupid plays effect him, but instead acts like an adult and rises above them towards awesomeness.
disgusted- how AJ Burnett looks when he is pitching, probably due to his filthiness
Eeyore- Ted Lilly often seemed sad. Was soft-spoken and had sad eyes. Much like Pooh Bear's donkey friend.
Ex-Jays in the playoffs- a fun game to play at home to drowned out Tim McCarver's ramblings. Try to pick out all the Ex-Jays who are playing in the playoffs, make a team out of them and decide whether the Ex-Jay team could beat the Current Jays team. Note that the number of Ex-Jays in the playoffs always outnumbers the current Jays in the playoffs.
Gloved-F-Bomb- When a pitcher will yell obsceneties into their glove after giving up a homerun or even just a stressful inning. An alternative is the elbow f-bomb, in which the pitcher will swear into their arm.
Hatchling- a baby Jay.
Intentional walk followed by unintentional walk- an example of total futility and uselessness. One of my dad's fav humiliation plays
J-Effin' Mac- John McDonald is so unassuming and workman-like in his awesomeness, sometimes it is necessary to add an expletive to emphasize his awesomeness
Lexi- Alex Rios
Lil' Scottie Downs- for some reason, my father calls Scott Downs this.
Motivational F-Bomb- If you watch closely, after a pitching coach or catcher has gone to talk to a pitcher,sometimes the pitcher will pump himself up by saying "fuck" to no one in particular
Peaches- Dustin McGowan's mutton chops are kind of fuzzy and he is from Georgia.
Pink, Round, Efficient- How I described Litsch's first big league start. The kid is very pink and very round.
Prance off homerun- What ARod does when he hits a walk-off.
Roy Halladay Fan Club- I wrote a piece once about the man-love that seemed to flow from the staff to their ace. Each pitcher had his own little way of expressing his love, for instance, Chacin stole one of Roy's shirts because it "smelled like victory".
Show Pony- Alex Rodriguez, incorporated into the repetoire from Stephen King's Red Sox book. So called for the ostentatious way he runs (and fields, and hits...)
Smoke salmon pink- Roy Halladay turns pink with rage when he pitches.
Sparrow- Josh Towers because he is slight and excitable.
Talented Bonehead- my dad and I had several conversations about AJ Burnett. His blowups, his inability to use a changeup, why he did the things he did. And I said "Dad, what is his problem?" and my dad sagely said, "Well, he's what one calls a talented bonehead. Million dollar arm, 10 cent head."
The Shit List- where much of the team, other than the pitching staff, has resided in 2007
unneighbourly- Fletcher once described an AJ pitch by saying "Well, that is just downright unneighbourly".

The moment I actually started liking Keith Law.

Jason (Denver): Even though you seem to be a Rockies hater, what do you think about Greg Reynolds?

Keith Law: (2:13 PM ET ) Jason, you must be new here. I hate EVERYBODY. I hate all 30 teams. I hate their GMs, managers, and clubhouse boys. I hate all prospects, I hate both sides of every trade ever made, I hate any contract signed for over the minimum. I hate fans of all thirty teams. And most of all, I hate YOU. Greg Reynolds is a 4th starter in the big leagues, but that's based on what I saw of him as an amateur and I'd like to see him healthy as a pro.