VOLUME XVII, October 1, 2012

THE ESSAY

One summer back in 2008, when Ricky Romero was still struggling with his career at Double-A, away from the spotlight, in the backwoods at New Hampshire, the talented young left-hander from East L.A. read what his GM J.P. Ricciardi said in a Sports Illustrated interview that he second-guessed himself for choosing Romero ahead of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the first round of the ’05 June draft. In response, Romero tore out the SI page and tacked it up in his locker for inspiration.

Following the 2012 season, a year in which the Jays ace was physically strong, but mentally weak, maybe he should repeat that self-motivating trick. Perhaps he could find a photo of Rays’ manager Joe Maddon and a board with Vendetta Darts and hang those in his locker next spring to help him move forward with a new attitude. There is circumstantial evidence to argue that early-season comments by Maddon following a May 23 start, got into Romero’s head, contributing to his struggles.

It’s clear Romero has had well-documented struggles against left-handed hitters, a group he should dominate. Maddon suggested on May 23 that he would put more left-handers into his batting order if he had them. Romero, when asked about Maddon’s comments, did not react well. The fact is lefties for the year batted .310 with an OPS of .899 vs. Romero. Right-handers hit .268 with a .782 OPS.

Was he bothered? Consider that prior to May 23, Romero was 5-1, with a 3.84 ERA. After that game, dismissed as he was by Maddon, he went 4-13, with a 6.81 ERA. Sure there were signs that he was lucky to be 5-1, reaching a heady 8-1 before his world fell apart. They weren’t overpowering victories by any means, but he was contributing. Romero departed his final start on Saturday after just three innings and two runs, suffering his first real physical injury of the season. The minor physical issue on Saturday was probably for the best. He now has a win under his belt from his previous start against Baltimore, snapping his record-tying 13 game losing streak, with five months to move forward.

“For me, it’s relax, go home and enjoy my family, then get back to training,” Romero said following his final no-decision effort. “I talked to Omar (Vizquel) and he said take the wins as they come. Brandon (Morrow) said the same thing, just take the wins, no matter how they come. And they were right. I was 8-1 and I was being hard on myself, I was thinking I wasn’t pitching good enough. The wins were coming, and then (the season went bad). I’m sitting here hoping for a win. I was kind of hard on myself and I think all players go through that and they learn from those things.”

There is statistical evidence that even within his starts, Romero’s primary issues were mental, not physical. At moments when he should have stepped up to the challenge in his role as the staff ace, he seemed to shrink away, his performance anticipating the worst — which is of course what you get.

There are two sets of circumstances when you should step up if you’re a No. 1 starter. First is when your team scores runs for you. The shutdown inning is imperative to winning and to leading. Romero failed in those situations, miserably. The second is when you get to two strikes on a hitter. That’s when you need to be in charge and put hitters away. Romero failed miserably in those situations.

Consider these 2012 numbers. The Jays scored runs for Romero in 51 different innings. In the following frame, innings when Romero went to the hill immediately after runs were scored, a total of 51 times, Romero posted an 8.08 ERA, pitching 45 2/3 innings, allowing 41 runs (35 earned) on 55 hits, with 35 walks and 41 strikeouts. Six times he could not even complete the next inning after the offence provided him runs. Even worse stats, after the May 23 start vs. Maddon’s Rays, Romero’s ERA in shutdown innings was 9.77, with 46 hits and 22 walks in 29 1/3 innings. That’s a mental block.

Consider these other numbers. In 32 starts, there were seven games in which, after reaching two strikes against hitters, he proceeded to throw as many or more balls than he threw strikes. The lingering image is of Romero reaching two strikes, then maybe throwing a breaking ball in the dirt that the hitter didn’t offer at, then missing the zone, high or outside with a fastball, then a patient hitter laying off a changeup, with Romero either walking him or putting himself in a full count. Not every time, but there was bad body language and the look of a defeated athlete.

In seven games out of 32, Romero reached two strikes on a batter, followed by as many, or more, balls than strikes. In those seven games, Romero was 1-4, with a 9.48 ERA, pitching 31 1/3 innings, allowing 33 runs on 48 hits, with 29 walks and 24 strikeouts.

In the 25 starts where he threw more strikes than balls after reaching two strikes, he was 8-10, 4.99 ERA.

Was Romero affected by Maddon and his snide observations? Facing the Rays in 2012, in three starts, Romero was 1-1, with a 9.69 ERA. He allowed 11 walks in 13 innings against what is normally an aggressive-swinging team. The Rays vs. Romero batted .360 with a 1.064 OPS.

Romero needs to refer back to his year of mental struggles at Double-A, remember how he worked his way out of that to make it to the majors and become the Jays’ opening day starter two years in a row. Learn from it and get back to that plateau. In the meantime, until he regains his spot through improved results at the top of the rotation, Romero can no longer be considered the Jays’ ace.

Sept. 24: Hectic offseason ahead for Yan Gomes

Sept. 17: Orioles top A’s as most surprising team

BLUE JAYS WEEK (Sept. 24-30, 2012)

SEASON: The Jays did not play favourites last week between two AL East contenders, the Yankees and Orioles, splitting four game series with each team. The Jays started the week in Baltimore with a split and finished it at home against the Yankees, with another split. By the end of the weekend, the O’s and Yanks remained tied and the Jays were done for the season with both.

The Jays split a traditional doubleheader at Camden Yards on Monday, losing the first game 4-1 and winning the second 9-5. The highlight of the second game was Romero winning for the first time since June 22, meaning he can now go home for five months not burdened by still being on a long losing streak. The win did not come easy and he owes a huge debt of gratitude to left-fielder Anthony Gose who gunned down Taylor Teagarden as the tying run at the plate to complete a double play on a fly ball by Chris Davis. It was Romero’s run, with Brad Lincoln pitching in relief. But that made no difference, because any run would have given Romero a no-decision and kept the losing streak alive.

The Jays won Game 3 of the O’s series on a six-pitcher 6-hit shutout, with Aaron Laffey getting the win, beating the Birds 4-0 with a chance for a series win on Wednesday. But the O’s bounced back and cruised 12-2 on the basis of seven home runs, two each by Manny Machado and Chris Davis, who finished the year with nine homers off the Jays. Right-hander Carlos Villanueva damaged his potential chances for a big free-agent payday, failing to go five and looking fatigued as he did a year ago, when he had to be shut down as a starter in August. The O’s nicked the future free agent for four homers.

The Jays returned home with a chance to help the O’s out against the Yankees, but again they split. Morrow tossed a gem on Thursday in a 6-0 win over Ivan Nova. The Jays got homers from Brett Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia and three RBIs from team MVP Edwin Encarnacion. But on Friday, rookie Chad Jenkins struggled in an 11-4 defeat against a powerful Yankee lineup. However, the Atlanta native did manage to make every year-end highlight package. Curtis Granderson in the second inning ripped a rising line drive back through the middle. Jenkins shot his glove hand up in partial self defence, with the ball knocking the glove off his hand up into the air above his head. He looked up quickly and caught the glove with the ball still trapped in the pocket for the final out. Jenkins casually walked off the mound carrying his glove, found the ball and rolled it behind him onto the hill.

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The Jays once again as they had in Baltimore, took a two games to one lead in the series with a 3-2 Saturday win. Canadian Shawn Hill picked up the victory with three shutout innings in relief of Romero, who left after three innings with stiffness in his knee. It was Hill’s first win since Sept. 23, 2010 vs. the M’s. On Sunday, the Yankees showed why they are going to the post-season, coming back from a 5-0 deficit after five innings to win 9-6 and remain tied with the O’s.

UNLUCKY NO. 3: The Jays lost their 89th game of the season. The last time they lost 90 was in 2004, which was J.P. Ricciardi’s third season as GM. This is Alex Anthopoulos’s third season as GM. In Pat Gillick’s third season as GM, the Jays were 53-109 in 1979. In Gord Ash’s third season as GM in 1997, the Jays were 76-86. That’s all four GMs in Jays history. The combined third season record heading into the final series of 2012 on Monday is 266-378. The theory could be that the new GM inherits a team his first year, makes some changes that improve things the second year, then thinks he has it figured out the third year. Sorry. The exception to that would, of course, be Gillick who led an expansion team.

YUNEL ESCOBAR: Escobar returned to the Rogers Centre field greeted by a mixture of fan disapproval and apathy. It was simply following up on a promise made at the press conference in New York, that Escobar on Thursday afternoon sat down in a conference room in the Jays’ offices upstairs with Patrick Burke and a young middle distance runner from Boston College named Jose Estevez. The meeting seemed to go well and Escobar after listening to Estevez speak of the problems that gay athletes face in the pseudo-macho world of sports, agreed to participate in future You Can Play projects with Burke, whose brother Brendan came out and admitted his sexuality the year before he died in a car crash. Their father, Leafs’ GM Brian Burke has been a strong supporter of the gay rights issues, since.

OMAR AND THE BABE: Omar Vizqueltied and passed Babe Ruth in career hits in New York last week for 41st place. What else do they have in common. While Babe Ruth, at least as portrayed in one movie version of his life, famously held his manager Joe McCarthy off the back of a moving train by his ankles, Vizquel chose a different mode of transportation, throwing his manager John Farrell under the bus.

How upset has Farrell been about this week’s Vizquel criticism of the clubhouse and of discipline, considering that Vizquel is usually among the last guys to arrive for a game? Farrell, beginning in Boston, was making it a habit to ensure that Vizquel started the final game in every AL city because, he argued, his career body of work deserved it. It was a nice touch considering the Jays have been out of contention for a while. On Friday, a Spanish-language reporter in Farrell’s office for the pre-game session, asked the manager if he had anything special planned for Vizquel on Wednesday, his last day as a player. “I’ve had other things on my mind. I haven’t even thought about it.” ’Nuff said.

THE RANT

Where’s Jose Bautista? What happens to baseball players when they go home for the summer, with season-ending injuries. Do they cease being paid by the team, or are they still considered full-time employees. That question, of course, is rhetorical. They are still a part of the team.

I am asking that question because I am wondering why it would be so difficult for Bautista to think about, on his own, that maybe in the wake of the Yunel Escobar incident and of the Omar Vizquel criticism of his manager and coaching staff and of the general clubhouse environment reflecting on the GM, a man that he respects and who believed in him and made him wealthy, that maybe the acknowledged clubhouse leader would step up and fly back to join the team for the final homestand, for the final three days of the schedule. That would certainly serve to calm the raging waters and reinforce the fact that Bautista was sorely missed as a presence after he went home for wrist surgery.

I can’t come down too hard on Bautista, because I don’t know his personal circumstances at the moment. I hope there’s nothing wrong. There might be something going on in his personal life that prevents him from returning for a few days. But as part of his $14 million contract, one would think that Joey Bats could come to bat for him GM Alex Anthopoulos, his manager John Farrell and his teammates, especially Escobar who follows him around at spring training like a little brother.

If there’s something of which I’m not aware, I apologize. But I don’t think it’s necessary for the club to have to ask Bautista or to pay for his flight to suit up for the last series. Just saying.

MLB POWER RANKINGS – (Last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Washington Nationals (1)

Been 26 years since Davey Johnson’s last WS and 11 yrs since last winning season

2. Texas Rangers (2)

Could play in Oakland final three games, then two more two days later in ALDS

3. Oakland A’s (4)

Could play Rangers in Oakland final three games, WC game on road then Rangers at home

4. Baltimore Orioles (7)

O’s just need to play for the tie in late innings cuz their bullpen rules in extras

5. New York Yankees (5)

This team has bludgeoned opponents with 10 players at 14+ HR

6. Cincinnati Reds (3)

Still would love to have No. 1 seed overall to play home field through WS

7. Atlanta Braves (8)

Chipper farewell tour has turned out better than most for retiring stars

8. Tampa Bay Rays (16)

Maddon loves dressup road trips with a theme. Maybe should have tried the ’27 Yankees

9. Detroit Tigers (9)

If they win division and Angels miss playoffs, will be very close Cabrera/Trout MVP race

10. San Francisco Giants (6)

Healthy 5-man rotation has started all but two games this season

11. St. Louis Cardinals (13)

There is not the same aura with this team as at same time last year

12. Los Angeles Angels (11)

Interesting lack of unity in front office including manager. Somebody goes

13. Chicago White Sox (10)

The Tigers are more talented so this should be no surprise

14. Los Angeles Dodgers (15)

Which is most disappointing L.A. area team? Discuss

15. Milwaukee Brewers (12)

The big comeback just ran out of gas despite Braun’s starry rebound

16. Arizona Diamondbacks (18)

The Aaron Hill numbers are nice for a good guy, but make trade look bad

17. Seattle Mariners (17)

Look out for the M’s in 2013. You gotta like some of their young hitters

18. Philadelphia Phillies (14)

Wonder what Halladay is thinking about his dreams of a WS ring now

19. Kansas City Royals (19)

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Look out for the Royals in 2013. You gotta like some of their young arms

20. San Diego Padres (20)

Just as Coors Field scares away FA pitchers, PETCO has same affect on hitters

21. New York Mets (23)

Great story this year on R.A. Dickey, deserves strong Cy consideration

22. Toronto Blue Jays (24)

Are Red Sox reconsidering Farrell. Only thing missing with Escobar? Chicken and beer

23. Boston Red Sox (22)

Red Sox have loaded up the rotation for Yankees. Bobby V’s post-season

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (21)

Bucs stumble once again. Clint Hurdle the Perdita Felicien of MLB managers

25. Minnesota Twins (25)

Mauer not happy with DH role. Could 1B be in his future with Morneau traded?

26. Miami Marlins (26)

Nice gesture by Marlins ownership signing Adam Greenberg for one day

27. Chicago Cubs (28)

Bad sign when club president Theo Epstein promises fans more of same

28. Cleveland Indians (27)

Horrible pitching cost Manny Acta his job. Could Tito be making comeback

29. Colorado Rockies (29)

Not much to say about this bunch

30. Houston Astros (30)

Kudos to Roger Clemens for resisting the plea of the Astros to pitch Sept. 22

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL HISTORY:

10/1/1903 The Pirates downed the Red Sox in the first World Series game ever played, with Deacon Phillippe beating Cy Young . . . 10/1/32 the iconic moment when the Yankees Babe Ruth allegedly pointed to a spot in deep centre field at Wrigley and hammered the next pitch by Cubs RH Charlie Root to that exact spot. We say allegedly because the moment passed without fanfare that day, but was revisited and immortalized later, becoming bigger with the passing of time. Ruth became emphatic that he actually did it, while Root continued to downplay it. Grainy video shows him pointing his bat somewhere and then hitting the pitch. It makes a great story, so we’ll say that he did call his shot . . . 10/1/61 Yankees slugger RF Roger Maris hit his 61st home run against Tracy Stallard of the Red Sox in a 1-0 victory, a feat that the commissioner disgracefully diminished by placing an asterisk next to the number because Maris did not do it in a 154-game season like the Babe. That asterisk was later removed . . . 10/1/70 The final game is played at Connie Mack Stadium with the Phillies beating the Expos 2-1. Fans storm the field and tear the place apart as they head to Veterans Stadium for the start of 1971 . . . 10/2/16Grover Cleveland Alexander blanks the Braves 2-0 for his 16th complete-game shutout of the season . . . 10/2/20 The only tripleheader in MLB history is played on the final day of the season. The Reds take the first two games, while the Pirates take the third decision, shortened to six innings because it got dark and they had not invented night games yet . . . 10/2/68 Cards’ RH Bob Gibson fans 18 Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series . . . 10/2/72 Bill Stoneman of the Expos tosses his second no-hitter, this one against the Mets in the first-game of a doubleheader. His other no-hitter was in ‘69. Coincidentally the diminutive curveballing right-hander walked seven in each gem . . . 10/2/78BuckyDent slammed the home run heard around New England against Mike Torrez leading the Yankees to a one-game playoff 5-4 win over the Red Sox at Fenway. The Curse became more famous on that day . . . 10/2/85 the Tigers Darrell Evans slammed his 40th HR joining an exclusive club with 40 homers in each league. The third baseman had 41 homers in 1973 with the Braves, joining teammates Hank Aaron and Davey Johnson as 40-plus guys on the same team, a MLB record . . . 10/2/91 The Jays reach 4-million fans in home attendance, the first pro sports team to reach that level . . . 10/3/51 the Shot Heard Round the World is fired by otherwise nondescript Bobby Thomson, a game-winning three-run blast against the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds. Did the Giants have their own man in a white shirt stealing signs? Who cares. It’s an iconic baseball moment . . . 10/3/74 Frank Robinson is named as the first black manager in MLB history to take over the reins of the Indians for the ’75 season . . . 10/3/81 The Expos clinch a post-season berth with a 5-4 win at Shea Stadium.The win is keyed by a triple by rookie Wallace Johnson. Among those spraying champagne in the Expos clubhouse was actor Donald Sutherland. Who the Nats got to match that, huh? . . . 10/4/55Johnny Podres beats the Yankees giving Brooklyn its first and only World Series championship. Toronto leads Brooklyn two to one in rings . . . 10/4/80 Mike Schmidt of the Phillies homers vs. Stan Bahnsen in the 11th at Olympic Stadium to give the Phillies the division title. Woodie Fryman had blown the save in the ninth on a Bob Boone single. The Expos were one game behind going in. Aarghhh! . . . 10/4/87 The Jays complete a monumental collapse losing their seventh straight game to blow the division to the Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Frank Tanana tosses a 6-hitter. Double-aarghhh! . . . 10/5/41 C Mickey Owen of the Dodgers drops strike three with two out in the ninth that would have tied the World Series 2-2 with the Yankees. Tommy Henrich reaches on the passed ball as the Yanks win 7-4 . . . 10/6/45 The Cubs eject a tavern owner named Billy Goat Sianis from WS G4 because he has a goat with him for which he had bought a ticket. Sianis places a curse on the Cubs, the Tigers tie the series 2-2 and the Cubs have not won a World Series since . . . 10/6/85 Yankees Phil Niekro beats the Jays 8-0 on a 4-hitter for his 300th career win on the final day of the season. At 46 he is the oldest to turn the trick.

AL ROUNDUP

After blowing the save in a loss to the Angels in Game 1 on Sunday, manager Ron Washington showed faith in CL Joe Nathan in Game 2, bringing him in for the save again. The G1 loss broke a Rangers streak of 74 straight wins in games they led after seven innings. It was Nathan’s third blown save of the year. Rangers’ rookie RH Yu Darvish ended the year with 221 strikeouts in 191-2/3 innings. He deserves Top 3 consideration in rookie voting, although Angels OF Mike Trout is a lock . . . Rays’ LH David Price says he would vote for himself as Cy Young winner. You never know whether he’s serious, but his numbers are. His win over the White Sox on Sunday raised him to 20-5, 2.56 ERA, the first 20-game winner in franchise history. Another Rays pitcher CL Fernando Rodney has an argument for Cy. With three games left, his earned runs and ijnnings match Dennis Eckersley’s ’90 numbers with the A’s, five earned runs in 73 1/3 innings, with a 0.61 ERA. That would be the lowest of any pitcher with 50 or more innings in MLB history . . . CF B.J. Upton needs two homers to become the first 30-30 player in Rays history . . . As an example of why it’s not out of the question that the Jays do not extend the contract of MGR John Farrell before next season is that the Tigers are battling for the division crown under MGR Jim Leyland whose contract expires at the end of ’12. An excited 1B Prince Fielder reached 30 HR for the sixth consecutive season, with a game winning blast vs. the Twins in the eighth inning Sunday . . . A’s rookie OF Yoenis Cespedes has compiled the third highest HR total by a rookie in club history, with 23, trailing just Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. There are reasons the A’s and O’s are surprising the baseball world this year. The A’s lead the majors with 14 walk-off victories, while the O’s have that astounding streak of extra-inning wins . . . O’s RH Jim Johnson recorded his 50th save on Sunday in sweeping the Red Sox. It's only the 10th 50-save season in MLB history.

NL ROUNDUP

Heading into the final series, the Cardinals magic number was two for securing the second wild-card, but SS Rafael Furcal, with torn ligaments in his right elbow is getting to the point where he considers himself out for the post-season. Maybe RH Lance Lynn would be better off in the AL. The Cards’ all-star has 18 wins, but is hitless in his last 43 at-bats . . . Giants RH Tim Lincecum was 7-5, with a 3.83 ERA in the second half after there was sage thinking he may be done after his horrific first half. But the improved record does not guarantee him a spot at the front end of the post-season rotation. Very quietly, OF Hunter Pence has been contributing to the Giants offence in the absence of Melky Cabrera. Pence has 45 RBIs in his 56 games in a Giants uniform . . . It seems like Nats’ RH Drew Storen has regained his closing role. Injured earlier and replaced quite ably by RH Tyler Clippard, Storen allowed his first run since Sept. 1 on Saturday, but the Nats gave him the win in extra innings. Heading to the playoffs, Clippard will be the eighth inning man . . . CF Matt Kemp is bouncing back after his injury crashing into the wall and 1B Adrian Gonzalez has a 12-game hitting streak, but it may be to late to save the Dodgers’ season. But heading in to next year, the Dodgers, if LF Carl Crawford returns to health, they will have to be among the NL preseason favourites. LH Clayton Kershaw has been told that his hip impingement will not get any worse by starting, so he is insistent that he go on Wednesday in the season finale. If the Dodgers are still alive, he may be allowed to pitch, but if they are eliminated (magic No. 2), then he will be shut down . . . Reds MGR Dusty Baker was set to return to the dugout Monday after being sidelined with an irrgeular heartbeat for a couple of weeks. In the interim, Chris Speier has handled the reins of the NL Central champs. 1B Joey Votto has reached base safely in all 22 games since coming off the DL . . . How do you bet against the Braves in the wild-card game on Friday? The Braves have won the last 23 starts by RH Kris Medlen who is slated for Friday. Sorry Cards. Sorry Dodgers. It seems it will be a long flight for nothing. In fact Medlen’s weekend start pushed him to a major-league record passing the 22 straight of Whitey Ford and Carl Hubbell . . . Brewers LF Ryan Braun is finishing strong with a 10-game hitting streak but has exactly no chance of being NL MVP after last winter’s brush with performance-enhancing drugs. Not saying that voters are holding that against him, but even though his numbers are similar, the Brewers have not made the playoffs, which points to maybe Prince Fielder being the key to last year’s division-winning effort. Plus — I changed my mind — voters will hold it against him.

JAYS MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

The Blue Jays’ eight farm teams combined for a 427-395 record.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: The Blue Jays have sent eight prospects and one coach to the Salt River Rafters of the AFL, a team that Toronto shares in the Fall League with the Diamondbacks, Nationals, White Sox and Rockies. The manager is former all-star third baseman Matt Williams of the Debarks. The Jays have sent hitting coach Jon Nunn ally to the staff. The players are OF Jake Marisnick, SS Ryan Goings, OF Kevin Pillar (taxi squad), C Sean Ochinko, RH Ryan Tempera, RH Sam Dyson, RH Deck McGuire and RH John Stilton. Opening Day for the AFL is Oct. 9, with the Championship Game taking place on Nov. 17 at Scottsdale Stadium. This is the AFL’s 20th season.

R. HOWARD WEBSTER AWARDS : This week the Jays announced the Webster Award winners, the team MVPs at each level of the organization. The winners are: SS Aden Hechavarria, 23 (AAA-Las Vegas...312, 20 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 63 RBI, .788 OPS); SS Ryan Goins, 24 (AA-New Hampshire....289, 33 2B, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 15 SB, .745 OPS); RH Daniel Barnes, 22 (A-Dunedin...1-2, 1.40 ERA, 34 SV); LH Justin Nicolino, 20 (A-Lansing...10-4, 2.46 ERA, 124.1 IP, 112 H, 21 BB, 119 K); RH Javier Avendano, 22 (A-Vancouver...10-4, 1.33 ERA, 108.1 IP, 73 H, 43 BB, 130 K ); SS Christian Lopes, 19 (Rk-Bluefield....278, 17 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR & 33 RBI, .801 OPS ); RH Alberto Tirado, 17 (Rk-Gulf Coast Blue Jays...3-2, 2.63 ERA, 48.0 IP, 32 H, 17 BB, 39 K ) and SS Rolando Segovia, 17 (Rk-Dominican Summer League....299, 12 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 18 SB, .813 OPS).

Former Webster winners on Toronto’s current 40-man roster include 1BAdam Lind (3, Auburn - 2004, Dunedin - 2005, New Hampshire - 2006), LH Brett Cecil (Auburn - 2007), RF Moises Sierra (Dunedin – 2009) and C J.P. Arencibia (Las Vegas – 2010).

OTHER ORGANIZATION AWARDS: The Jays recognized Blake Crosby, Jim Skaalen, Chad Mottola and Daniel Barnes with awards for excellence in Amateur Scouting, Professional Scouting, Player Development and Community Service, respectively.

*Crosby is the 2012 recipient of the AL LAMACCHIA AWARD given annually to the amateur scout that exemplifies the work ethic and perseverance best demonstrated by the longtime Blue Jays executive for whom the award was named. A native of Los Alamitos, Calif., Blake played in the Oakland Athletics farm system before joining the Blue Jays scouting department in 2010. In his three years with the Blue Jays, Crosby drafted and signed Aaron Sanchez, Mitch Nay, Andy Burns, Jorge Flores, Art Charles, Taylor Cole and Kramer Champlin.

*Skaalen is the Jays 2012 PRO SCOUT OF THE YEAR. Born in Michigan and raised in Coronado, Calif., Skaalen joined the Jays scouting department in 2011. After four seasons as a player in the minors with the Orioles, he began his professional coaching career with the Astros in 1981. Jim has had a successful record as a minor league manager and hitting instructor, including three seasons as Farm Director for San Diego. The former 1B/3B joined the Brewers as Minor League Hitting Coordinator 2000-2006, and as the Brewers’ Hitting Coach 2007-2008. He was also the Major League Hitting Coach with the A’s in 2009-2010.

*Mottola is recipient of the BOBBY MATTICK AWARD for excellence in Player Development. Mottola has spent the last three seasons as the Hitting Coach at Las Vegas (AAA). The former first round pick (5th overall) of the 1992 draft played in parts of five seasons with Cincinnati, Florida, Baltimore and Toronto, where he appeared in 13 games for the Jays. The University of Central Florida product began his coaching career in 2007 assisting with the Blue Jays Extended Spring Training program before serving as the Hitting Coach for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in 2007-2008. Mottola served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the 2009 season before his move to Las Vegas.

*Barnes wins the Jays’ minor-league COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD. The 22 year-old Dunedin closer was an integral part of the Jays “Bookin’ it to the Ballpark” initiative, making appearances at local schools to read to students and encourage them to read themselves, allowing the team to positively promote literacy throughout the community. He helped fans set up tents on the field after a game for a family sleepover and participated in Relay for Life night at the stadium to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.

ONE FOR THE ROAD:

This writing job is not as easy as it looks. You know what they say about the best laid plans. I flew home last Monday afternoon from Tampa after a series in which SS Yunel Escobar was welcomed back to the Jays’ field following his three-game club suspension for his homophobic slur. The team flew to Baltimore for four games in three days, with Brendan Kennedy covering for The Star.

It seemed it was going to be interesting to chronicle the reaction of fans in Toronto when Escobar was introduced and took the field for the first time at home. My idea on Thursday was to go to the ballpark for the usual pre-game as the Jays hosted the Yankees in the first of four, then take it to the heart of the Church-Wellesley village up near the old Gardens to talk to the demographic that was offended.

I went on the Internet to seek out a sports bar in the heart of the gay community where I could take a cab from the ballpark in time for the start of the game and gauge reaction, outrage or acceptance of Escobar’s punishment/return. This is the down side of the Internet. Sometimes facts are outdated.

I settled on a place called PM Toronto, on Carlton right next to the old Maple Leaf Gardens, now, of course, transformed into a huge Loblaws. One of the Star’s ace photographers, Rene Johnston was going to meet me at PM Toronto to document the interviews and lend faces to the voices.

I stayed at the ballpark in the Jays’ manager’s office and on the field for the usual pre-game stuff, with the addition of an on-field press conference with Patrick Burke, son of Brian, and head of the group You Can Play and a young Cuban-descent middle-distance runner from Boston College, Jose Estevez, who had come out and declared his sexual orientation to this coach and teammates. Estevez had sat down with Escobar to discuss and explain the implications and hurtfulness of the shortstop’s indiscretion. Both men came away satisfied that Escobar understood and would move forward.

In any case, as I was in a cab headed for Church and Carlton, Rene messaged me.

It seemed PM Toronto no longer existed. In its place did a bar called Zippers, didn’t seem at all to be a sports bar of any kind. As I continued through rush hour traffic, Rene went in and asked the bartender if there was a chance they would be watching the baseball game when it came on. The bartender laughed and pointed us north in the direction of a place called Pegasus on Church a few blocks away. He said his place hadn’t been PM Toronto for 17 years. Nice work Internet.

In any case, I met RJ on the corner and we headed up the street looking for Pegasus. Thinking we may have gone in the wrong direction, we strolled into the iconic Woody’s, where the Jays game was on one TV, with nobody really paying attention, but the bartender helpfully pointed us a few more doors north where we found the entrance to Pegasus. After ordering a beer and chatting with the bartender, Richard, he went over and cleared the cooperation for an interview with a table of three that ended up being my sounding board for the true reaction to the Escobar situation. After an in retesting back-and-forth conversation with opinions I would never have found at the Rogers Centre, RJ went back to file his photos at the Star while I set up my laptop at the bar, next to the register where Richard helpfully plugged me in. I cracked my knuckles and took off, focused totally on writing. All of a sudden, I looked up at around 9:45 p.m. and what had been 20 people when we arrived was suddenly 250 people, with a buzz and a vibrancy that caught me off guard. One guy asked me how it was possible to concentrate. I explained that I was used to writing with 40,000 screaming people really into a baseball game — or at the Rogers Centre. Another less friendly guy walked by on his way back from the washroom and snarled, “Why don’t you go home, you bleepety-bleep American.” The young guy standing next to me at the bar looked up, smiled and shrugged. Nobody said this job was easy. And if Star accounting is reading this, then yes, I did buy some beers for people . . . and it was all business.