In a related press release to the recent spat of Blue Jays signings; Rogers announced that Blue Jays payroll will increase from $80M to $120M for the coming season. Combined with our joint investment in MLSE properties we realized the need to sell hope to a generation of Toronto Fans that have no idea what talent is; nor what the playoffs are all about. This campaign is consistent with our "future promises" in the Raptors, and TFC. In regards to the Maple Leafs we are unsure if anything will ever be promised.
The increase in payroll will be more than offset by (1) the stronger Canadian Dollar from the 6 Miami fans spending in Toronto, (2) the additional Bandwidth we sell on 3 years contracts for IPADs at the games - as baseball fans are generally of the older generation and can no longer see the field from any crappy seat in the Rogers Center. Finally with the cross ticket liscensing promotions (Leafs Raptors and TFC) and the increase of the average ticket price to $73.50, $12.00 for eight ounzes of beer, and $7.00 per hot dog - we expect to be fully cash flow positive in 3 weeks.
Finally we are mostly pleased to announce that we have more "biography content" for all our Sportnet channels - as there has largley been nothing new with the team for 3 years. We have now filled out an additional 368 hours of programing content on "get to know <insert here> player" with no additional TV programing overhead.
Hope hope that Toronto fans will continue to be bamboozled by these types of ploys for years to come.
TORONTO -- The Blue Jays turned back the clock Tuesday by hiring John Gibbons to be their new manager.
Gibbons spent parts of five seasons as Toronto's manager from 2004-08 and will once again assume that role, replacing John Farrell, who left last month for the Red Sox.
The Blue Jays, who did not reveal in their announcement the length of Gibbons' contract, have scheduled a news conference at Rogers Centre at 9:30 a.m. ET. The media availability previously had been announced because of the Blue Jays' recent 12-player trade with Miami and the free-agent signing of Melky Cabrera.
In some ways, the decision to hire the 50-year-old Gibbons came as a complete surprise. He hadn't been mentioned as a candidate during the month-long search and had been somewhat off the big league radar after spending the past season managing San Diego's Double-A affiliate in San Antonio.
But the secrecy surrounding the reported hiring of Gibbons is exactly how general manager Alex Anthopoulos prefers doing business -- away from the public eye. Anthopoulos managed to accomplish that by picking Gibbons out of the shadows and passing on the more than 10 candidates who had been reported as possibilities.
Gibbons will receive a second chance in Toronto. He compiled a 305-305 mark over his five seasons in Toronto with the best record coming in 2006 when his club went 87-75 and finished in second place in the American League East.
Toronto was forced to begin searching for a new manager after the season when Farrell asked the club for permission to go after his "dream job" in Boston. Farrell's decision appeared to catch the organization off-guard even though he made a similar request following the 2011 season but was ultimately denied a chance to leave.
Anthopoulos vowed at the time the search wouldn't drag on like it did in 2010 when Farrell was hired on Oct. 25. But the search for a manager did hit a bit of a road bump because of Anthopoulos' busy start to the offseason.
The 35-year-old Anthopoulos orchestrated a massive trade with Miami by which he acquired Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck. Anthopoulos also managed to put the finishing touches on a pair of multiyear contracts for infielder Maicer Izturis and left fielder Melky Cabrera, both free agents.
The series of moves means the Blue Jays essentially turned over almost a quarter of their 25-man roster in just over a week. The additions have provided the club with a noticeable veteran presence for what previously had been a relatively inexperienced squad while also drastically increasing the amount of speed in the lineup.
When Anthopoulos initially began his managerial search, there appeared to be a clear-cut group of finalists. Sandy Alomar Jr. and DeMarlo Hale were expected to be in the mix after finishing as runners-up in 2010, while the likes of Tim Wallach and Matt Williams were said to be considered after having not been available the last time around.
But as the days turned into weeks without a manager in place, the Blue Jays' real plan became a little more clear. Anthopoulos began to talk openly for the first time about the value of having a manager with previous experience because that individual would come with fewer question marks.
Hiring a manager who has been in that role before would provide a clear image of how he handles the bullpen while also learning from past mistakes. That eventually led to Toronto being linked to the likes of Jim Tracy, Jim Riggleman and Mike Hargrove.
The club also reportedly reached out to Bobby Cox, but the veteran manager had no intention of coming out of retirement.
Gibbons' first tenure in Toronto didn't result in a spot in the postseason, but he did garner rave reviews from the players inside his clubhouse. He's firm, yet fair, in his monitoring of affairs and received a lot of praise in the past for his ability to handle a bullpen.
Very interesting I say. I didn't mind him but I thought there were better choices. But at the same time, it could have been a LOT worse.
Based on what I remember off him Gibson certainly shouldn't be bad enough that the revamped, roster is wasted on him. I honestly wasn't following the team as much during his era so I can't say much beyond that. I like that he's more of a disciplinarian, and he didn't COMPLETELY rule out throwing down with any idiots in the back should the need arise like it did in the past.
Strategically, Gibbons held true to one sabermetric principle: He didn't like the sacrifice bunt, although he was a little more willing to issue intentional walks. The Jays' ranking in his three seasons in those categories:
There's the info I wanted. The lack of bunting is encouraging but hopefully he stops putting people on base at that kind of a rate.
With regards to the IBBs, during his time in TO, the Jays staff ERA was always top 5 or 6, suggesting he puts his pitchers in position to succeed. Tactically, he's very good with pitching match-ups, and handling a BP.
Rumours are flying around that John Gibbons might be coming back. That would be uhh interesting.
I remember liking Gibby's use of platoons. I can't really remember how he managed the bullpen or what his stance on pointless "small ball" was. I do remember not hating him as the Jays manager like Buck Martinez or Cito 2.0 or being as totally irrelevant as Carlos Tosca.
Gibby was an excellent x's and o's coach. He usually made the right decisions and was very good at managing the bullpen and starting rotation.
His weak point was with player personality management. I like that he doesn't take crap from these guys but he was in a lot of confrontations. I hope he learnt from that experience (and it was near the end of his time on the team so maybe he was just at a frustration point).
Gibby was an excellent x's and o's coach. He usually made the right decisions and was very good at managing the bullpen and starting rotation.
His weak point was with player personality management. I like that he doesn't take crap from these guys but he was in a lot of confrontations. I hope he learnt from that experience (and it was near the end of his time on the team so maybe he was just at a frustration point).
Hillenbrand and Lilly were both douches, so there that.
Hillenbrand and Lilly were both douches, so there that.
Yeah, apparently Gibby was loved by the players overall. Zaun was on Tim and Side saying that he was actually about as lade back as you can be and Arencibia recalls being given super encouraging words from him back in his first spring training when he was a nobody. I'm cool with douches getting roughed up now and then.
Interesting piece on the Lilly situation (my bold for emphasis):
Quote:
Even at the time, few people read between the lines to understand that assaulting Ted Lilly on his way back to the clubhouse was actually a pretty reasonable course of action under the circumstances. Let’s go back for some context:
It was a sad time during a pretty good season: the Jays were in the hunt through the first half and then lost 9 out of 10 to start July against terrible Oakland and Seattle squads and the need-to-beat Yankees. 9 games back with a month to go, the playoffs were realistically out of reach, but there was a lot to be said for finishing strong with a young, improving team in anticipation of an even better 2007 (which was a complete, unmitigated disaster — but that’s another story).
Lilly had been struggling along with the Jays’ bats, which exploded for a eight-run lead against pesky Oakland through two innings. And then Lilly responded by taking the mound in the third and ****ing around. There is no other way to put it: he walked Erik Chavez to start the inning on a ‘aren’t-I-clever’ 3-2 curveball nowhere near the plate; then later dropped down and threw the first sidearm pitch of his career, which made Bobby Kielty do a triple take before he hammered it 422 feet. Sadly pitch f/x wasn’t recording details back then, but I remember hearing that he threw a knuckleball he had always tinkered with in the ‘pen and wanted to try out in a game. It was one of the most unprofessional, selfish, idiotic performances I have ever seen on the mound. (Bengie Molina might agree by the way he is glaring at Lilly in the video before things even get started).
Of course, none of this was touched with a ten-foot pole after the fact, but it’s clear as day that when Gibby got out there he was more than just frustrated at a pitcher having a bad day. Lilly can be seen aggressively repeating “I’m trying to win the game”, which is only a response to something along the lines of “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
And then, despite having allowed back to jacks and frittering away five out of the eight-run lead with two more on base and one out, Lilly had the gall not just to protest, but “say something he shouldn’t have said” to his manager on the mound. Again, I’ve never seen anything like it — guys are usually highly apologetic when they mutter under their breath and don’t make eye contact as they hand over the ball. Lilly looks at Gibbons with utter distain and then starts dressing him down on national TV.
I’ve always thought that Gibby understood the bigger picture — everyone knew that Lilly was on his way out of Toronto at the end of the year. He had mentally cashed out on the season and was acting like a primadonna despite not pitching like one, as if the team’s desperate need to re-sign him placed him above criticism. Faced with a ridiculous performance and then a intolerable undermining of his authority, Gibby decided to draw a line in the sand. Throwing a punch and risking injuring one of your stars would be insane. Eating one (yes, you can see his bloody nose if mlb.tv ever gets those games archived) shocked the hell out of everyone and showed how deadly serious he was beneath the southern charm.
Funny thing is it also set a fire under Lilly’s ass — he pitched like a man possessed in September and then completely predictably signed with the Cubs for less money that the Jays offered.
Full 9th inning from game 6. I was only 10 when it happened but still remember watching that game and going insane at the end, waking up my dad. Also, bonus point for the cheesy Jays-tailored Coca Cola commercial at the end.
John Gibbons' staff is taking shape as the Toronto Blue Jays filled five of its coaching positions on Monday.
DeMarlo Hale joins the Blue Jays as bench coach, Chad Mottola will serve as hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy will act as first base and outfield coach, Luis Rivera will move to third-base coach and Pete Walker moves from the bullpen to serve as pitching coach.
The Blue Jays still need to find a bullpen coach to replace Walker
An attempt to be funny that seems to hit like a lead balloon... oh well take it or leave it.
Bottom line.
Jansen in surgury now. 2 Pitchers from the NL that are "good or above average" but one whos injury picture is still a bit of a mystery. Both pitchers from the NL with pitcher friendly parks and no DH. Not many pitchers make a 100% improvement switching leagues. A couple more signings ; one of a player who was an all star on juice but we dont know what we have.
There is just no guarentee of winning the division (injuries) or wild card with this roster. Baltimore may have had a blip season but equally could rebound with another quality season. The Rays are still good. I suspect the Yankees and Sox will do what it takes to stay competative.
Did the Blue Jays have to make a move - yes possibly. It means the franchise is competative and out of long term building.
Did they make the move to win now... maybe. Likely the fans would have stepped away in drives if another "Leaf like season comes".
The move looks right in terms of selling tickets but frankly its far from proving anything.
Would adding Zack Grenke and Evan Longoria make this team much better... probably by just as much or more. Perhaps adding one of those two guys to the moves already made would have really got me drinking the kool aid or "World Series or bust".
Toronto seems to have kept some depth in its minor league system which is great news.
It all sounds suspiciously "Toronto-like" to me. The fans desperate for any success overweight the impact of player like Burhle .... or Dion Phaneuff (spelling i.e. in hockey) and project the much craved championship.
I could be very wrong but lets see. I still project the Jays life and death to make the (expanded) wild card.
Less than a month after being suspended from the team following an on-campus arrest – and just one day after the introduction of a new head coach – Southern Miss quarterback Anthony Alford has been released from his scholarship, freeing him to transfer to another school. Alford's release is the first official move by Todd Monken, who arrived in Hattiesburg on Tuesday after two years as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.
According to Hattiesburg police, Alford, an 18-year-old freshman, was one of at least four people involved in an altercation on the Southern Miss campus on Nov. 28, one of whom (a fellow student) reportedly brandished a gun. Though he was not accused of possessing a weapon, Alford was initially charged with aggravated assault, a felony, before charges were reduced to conspiracy to possess a weapon on school property and hindering prosecution. He and another student were suspended by the university and barred from campus.
Alford, a two-sport star at nearby Petal High, arrived on campus in August as one of the most touted recruits in school history, having been selected as an Army All-American in football and a third-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB Draft. (He signed a contract with the Blue Jays in June, played in five games with a minor league affiliate prior to football season and remains a member of the organization.) As a true freshman, Alford was the closest USM came to a familiar face under center, starting five games and appearing in four more with two touchdown passes, four interceptions and a team-high 993 yards of total offense. He also suffered through multiple knee and ankle injuries that kept him out of three games and limited him in several others.
A rash of injuries at the position eventually forced the Golden Eagles to field four different starting quarterbacks over the course of the season, with predictable results: The offense ranked dead last in Conference USA and among the worst in the nation in scoring, passing efficiency and turnover margin en route to an 0-12 finish, the worst in school history. Head coach Ellis Johnson was fired after just one year on the job, along with his staff, which included Alford's high school coach at Petal, Steve Buckley.
In October, Alford's mother was escorted from the stadium and charged with two misdemeanors following an altercation with fans who were reportedly heckling her son during a 59-24 loss to Marshall.
Pending his academic status, Alford may transfer to another school with three years of eligibility remaining, not including a redshirt season to burn if he's forced to sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules. He may also give up football in favor of the diamond, where he's considered to have a brighter future. But as far as Southern Miss is concerned, he is already the big one that got away.
Re: Toronto Blue Jays Offseason Thread
