Stress Relieving Reader Questions Answered



This week has a been a little stressful for me. I have a half completed post about the Josh Donaldson arbitration brouhaha (is it a thing? Is it not a thing?) and then the news that the gold standard in Jays coverage is no longer covering the Jays day to day (something I will address soon. My response to this news is really well represented in the above picture. My mood is mirrored in Josh's face. Cutting the best guy in day to day coverage now that Jays are a story again as well as cutting the basketball guy right before the NBA All Star Game is being hosted in Toronto, not to mention basketball blossoming in Toronto right now, seems....short sighted. But what do I know?)

I solicited reader questions as a stress reliever. Here we go.

Should we be worried that Stroman appears to be more concerned about his brand than his craft? ie. Rick Vaughan going into Major League 2..... Steve H. via Facebook

 I don't get the sense that Stroman is going to call his offspeed pitches "eliminator" and "humiliator."

You, my friend, seem to have a short memory. This is the same Marcus Stroman who experienced a devastating injury, went through intense and likely extremely painful rehab to come back and pitch in the playoffs. All while completing his university degree from one of America's most highly respected universities.

He is nothing if not focused and driven. And his brand is to be a bad ass on and off the mound.


If the team stays exactly as is, how many wins do you think they'll get? Ruth Kapelus via Facebook

89. I have no idea why I picked that number, but I did.


What happens next, contract-wise, for Bautista, Encarnación, and Donaldson? Jonathan Y via Facebook

The focus on contracts is something I'm a little worried about. If this is it with JBEE, I want to enjoy them while I can without thinking "is this the last bat flip? Good bye, parrot!" etc. 

Donaldson was supposed to be insurance against the loss of JBEE, should that loss occur, so not negotiating something with the first MVP in 28 years would be counter-intuitive.   

In general, I will say this. Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado and Roy Halladay were all beloved and vital parts of the Toronto Blue Jays. They all moved on and played for other teams. It hurt but the team survived.

I want all three for as long as possible, though.

Maybe this is beating a dead horse. How different would the roster be if AA had continued as GM? Jonathan Y.

 Not that different. Perhaps an offer might have been made to Price. Not a 217 million dollar offer, but an offer. But the more I read about that, the more it seems like it was a higher up decision. And the higher up is still the same.

But quite honestly, the moves made (Happ and Chavez, Revere for Storen) are all very AA type moves.

Which Jay will be next year's AL mvp? Eric S.

 Josh Donaldson is a stud. Will still be my MVP in 2016.

Any notable difference you can perceive from the way AA built a front office and Atkins? Roles/structure stuff? Andre P.

 I find it interesting that you phrased as AA vs Atkins. No one does that. Atkins has barely spoken, so this feels a lot like a Shapiro vs AA.

 One of the silly things about the whole "Shapiro is the devil" narrative in the Jays fandom is that it is way, way too premature to know how exactly the whole thing is going to look. Some changes already made?


Gil Kim will be highly involved in player development with an emphasis on "the commitment of player development leaders and staff to include each player in the process of creating and realizing their physical, mental and fundamental goals."


Angus Mugford was hired as the Blue Jays first ever director of "high performance", a team which will focus on the player's whole person- nutrition, mental health, strength and conditioning.

The other big change has been developing the analytics department. Per Shapiro, "We need to hire more analysts, we need to get more programmers and data architects, things we don’t have now."

Things are going to change. But that might not be a bad thing.
Will Hutch win the cy young by playing only home games? Andrew S. 

No, it'll be the opposite this year. He'll dominate on the road.

What's the over/under on bat flips for next year? Eric S.

Bautista has set a precedent. So he might try to outdo himself or he might understand that that his flip in October 2015 is the greatest flip in history and he needs never flip again.

I don't play the odds.


Who would be the best counterpart to muni in a revamp of the rush hour series, now that price is gone? SH on Facebook

I'm answering this with Photoshop. New ace for old ace.



ETA- now Mune is gone, too. Aaron Sanchez is the Jackie Chan part. Book it. 


I would love very much for Josh Donaldson to fulfill his promise of getting his when he faces Price for the first time in April, but the honest truth is that David Price owns the Blue Jays. It was one of the perks of him pitching for them down the stretch because they didn't have to face him. He owned them as a Ray and he owned them as a Tiger.

Honestly, the whole situation pisses me off. Still. Did it really have to be Boston? Why couldn't it have been the Dodgers?

Which Blue Jay will make a much bigger impact than expected? Jonathan Y. via Facebook

 My long held dream of Aaron Sanchez living up to his potential as a starter and the Jays being able fill the Price sized hole in the rotation. So I'm going with Sanchez.


When will John Gibbons be replaced as Manager by Ruth Kapelus? Ruth Kapelus, via Facebook

Tomorrow.

Best guess on where the boys here for the Winter Tour are partying tonight? Ruth Kapelus

The Dufferin Mall. Really.

After Bull Durham, what's the best baseball movie? Max V. via Facebook

A League of Their Own, obviously. For many reasons: women playing baseball, the 40s costumes, the humour, Dottie and Kit meeting at the HOF. But especially this:

Jimmy Dugan: Rogers Hornsby was my manager, and he called me a talking pile of pigshit. And that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan to see me play the game. And did I cry?
Evelyn Gardner: No, no, no.
Jimmy Dugan: Yeah! NO. And do you know why?
Evelyn Gardner: No...
Jimmy Dugan: Because there's no crying in baseball. THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL! No crying!

My favourite bit is actually "And that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan to see me play the game."

This is Rogers Hornsby:



That man would totally call one of his players a "talking pile of pig shit."

Tom Hanks is hilarious and rather debauched. And had insane chemistry with Geena Davis. When her husband shows up, I was disappointed. 


SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON PRODUCTION WANTED JIMMY AND DOTTIE TO END UP TOGETHER, AND WHEN THAT IDEA WAS SCRAPPED, SO WERE THE KEY SCENES OF ROMANTIC TENSION.

Their conversation on the bus that stayed in the film may have seemed to hint at something more than friendship, but it's nothing compared to a cut scene in which Dottie watches Jimmy hit batting practice late at night. Jimmy tells Dottie how much he loves watching her play, claiming that she rivals Ty Cobb and Ted Williams. After Dottie admits how much she loves baseball, he kisses her. She runs into the clubhouse and, originally, this is where she starts packing her things and tells Ira Lowenstein, the AAGPBL general manager, that she has to go home.

Bull Durham is also great. My baseball persona is a mix of Dottie Hinson and Annie Savoy. I'm both Thelma and Louise.

 Not baseball related but how old is too old for one of those plastic fitted sheets on somebodies bed? Asking for a friend. Simon H. via Facebook

 It seems to me that plastic fitted sheets are something you grow out of and then grow back into. So you can never be too old.



No, a hotdog is not a sandwich. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council declared that the term "sandwich"  is too limiting to describe the awesomeness of the hot dog. So, it's not a sandwich, but an entity that stands alone.

So, if the hot dog people can't have the final say, who can?

Related question:

Which current jay could eat the most hot dogs in one sitting? Simon H via Facebook

Justin Smoak. He's a big dude. And likely feels like he has something to prove.
What's the over/under on post game interviews with Gibby in "the chair" with that mischievous grin on his face? Eric S via Facebook 
Again, no odds. But I hope it happens often. Even his disappointments are entertaining. 

 Which other-sport athlete would be the best Baseball player? And which baseball player would be the best at another sport? André D. via Facebook

Carmelo Anthony's first sport love was baseball. So let's go with that.  Mike Trout, giving the proper equipment, training and time, could probably play hockey. Mike Trout could probably do a lot of things well. We're just lucky he chose baseball. 

 What kind of drink/cocktail would you attribute to each of the 25 man roster? André D. via Facebook

 I don't have this kind of time. 

 But Jose Bautista is Bermudez 1852 Aniversario. Neat.


How will Estrada perform now that he doesn't have Navarro catching him? Laura H via Facebook

 I know Estrada developed some sort of rapport with Navarro. I'm a firm believer in chemistry between pitcher and catcher, but I also know that baseball players are creatures of habit. Martin knows what he's doing and has worked with a lot of different pitchers. I'm not worried.

How will Navarro perform now that he doesn't have the hot dog guy feeding him? Jonathan Y. via Facebook

 Navarro moved to Chicago. They have hot dogs there. They also have deep dish pizza. I'm not worried.

  How soon do we expect Alford to force Pillar off this team? Nicholas C. via Facebook

 I'm going to guess pretty darn soon. If Pillar is anywhere as interesting as he was in 2015 and Alford progresses in the minors, I could see Pillar being flipped for pitching or something and Alford being the guy. This kid could be a big star. Plus he chose baseball over football, which earns him big points in my book.

 Which jay would make the best big spoon? Simon H. via Facebook

Brett Cecil.   Edwin Encarnacion.