"Whenever a general manager is hired, a figurative collar is attached to his neck and a length of rope is strung out behind him.

Eventually, the slack in that rope gets used up — by losses and bad contracts and missed deals and the simple passage of time. Then the collar begins to tighten.

For the first time in his nearly 2 ½ years as GM of the Blue Jays, Alex Anthopoulos has begun to feel the tugging."