Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

Comment

November 6

Toronto Star

columnist Dave Perkins

"Without actually hearing or seeing it, you can be sure Roy (Doc) Halladay was going at least a little crazy the past couple of weeks. Watching Cliff Lee star for the Phillies for a month, then seeing A.J. Burnett get a World Series ring with the Yankees, despite blowing up in two potential clinching post-season games, would make Halladay squirm: When does he get his chance to do this? That is what he lives for, the competition and chance to win. He hasn't had it with the Blue Jays and, at age 32, with one more big contract in front of him, it's not about the money. He has more than he'll ever need. It's strictly about the opportunity to go where Lee and Burnett, among many others, have ..."

Phillies should start building for next year, starting with acquiring Halladay

Comment

November 6

Philadelphia Daily News

columnist Rich Hofmann

"AFTER THE STING wears off and everybody gets a couple of nights' sleep, the quiet pride in the accomplishment of making it to a second consecutive World Series will envelop Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., and all of them. They should be given some time to enjoy it, too - especially the general manager who is just finishing his first season. Because it was Amaro who brought Raul Ibanez here and it was Amaro who brought Cliff Lee here. They were huge moves, winning moves, and the general manager deserves an opportunity to bask in the whole thing for a good little while. OK, time's up. What to do to this roster for the 2010 season is the subject that will consume Phillies fans for ..."

Blue Jays' Wells to undergo surgery

Comment

November 4

Toronto Sun

"Agent Brian Peters isn't sure exactly when Vernon Wells' wrist began to ache. But it still was bothering him two weeks ago, after the season had come to an end. "Vernon told me his left wrist was still barking at him," Wells' agent said from Houston yesterday. Wells underwent an MRI, was examined by a specialist Thursday and next week will fly from Dallas to Phoenix to have arthroscopic surgery performed by Dr. Donald Sheridan in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sheridan will repair cartilage damage in Wells' left wrist. "I've sent a couple of my guys, Carl Crawford and Orlando Hudson, there before ... We've been talking to George Poulos (the Jays trainer)," Peters said. "Vernon needs to go in and get ..."

Tenace content to leave game but will miss T.O.

Comment

November 1

Toronto Sun

"Gene Tenace? He retired and he says he wasn't pushed. Brad Arnsberg? Not the case. "My wife Linda is having a knee operation and may have to have another," Tenace said. Tenace and Arnsberg were not part of the Jays new coaching staff manager Cito Gaston and general manager Alex Anthopoulos announced yesterday. "I was thinking next year would be my last but we worked things out with the club. It was time," said Tenace, while raking leaves in Baker, Ore. Arnsberg joined the Houston Astros as their new pitching coach under manager Brad Mills. "There were some unresolved issues in Toronto," Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com, "and (Jays) gave him a chance to go out and look around. He ..."

Whose choice was Gaston?

Comment

November 1

Toronto Sun

"The first reason to wonder about Alex Anthopoulos: The new Blue Jays general manager is comfortable with the arrangement that Cito Gaston will manage the ball club for one final season. Even if it wasn't necessarily his doing. Upon being appointed, the majority of general managers would want to put their own stamp on a new club, naming their own manager, making their initial choice. If Gaston is Anthopoulos' choice, that's great. But if he is his choice, why is the choice not extending beyond one season? Anthopoulos has done some nice work in reconstructing the front office, setting up his senior advisers, and making some coaching changes that were likely necessary, but the Gaston ..."

Forget that lame-duck label for Cito Gaston

Comment

November 1

Toronto Star

"It didn't take long after it was confirmed that he'll be back as Jays manager next spring for Cito Gaston to be stuck with the lame-duck label. Why is it that coaches and managers on one-season deals (Gaston has an extension, but in an already agreed-to consultant's role) are perceived as hamstrung and emasculated while players in a similar end-of-contract situation are seen as being blessed with incentive and inspiration? A lot of it has to do with a manager's role as den father and disciplinarian."

Griffin: Jays shuffle won't end clubhouse crisis

Comment

November 1

Toronto Star

"There have been a couple of days to reflect on the Blue Jays' deck-shuffling coaching changes. There were several options for management in resolving the season-ending brouhaha in Baltimore. But for many fans, the Jays chose the wrong one. For an impatient Jays Nation it was more important to move forward with a winner than to bring Cito Gaston back for a farewell tour a la Bobby Cox in Atlanta."

Cubs deny Bradley-for-Wells trade talks

Comment

November 1

ESPN.com

"Although the Cubs have had discussions with Toronto about different scenarios, Cubs sources on Saturday vehemently denied that there is any type of a trade for Milton Bradley for Vernon Wells being discussed. Bradley had two years left on his contract at $21.5 million. Wells has five years left at $98 million, including $23 million each in the last two years of the contract."

Wells swap 'has legs'

Comment

October 31

Toronto Sun

columnist Bob Elliott

"It's not a match made in heaven. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Chicago Cubs would like to -- have to -- deal disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley. And one player they are eyeing as a target destination is the Blue Jays, with centre fielder Vernon Wells going to the Cubs in return. "It's early on, but we think this one has some legs," said one Cubs official. "But they aren't the only team we are talking with." Bradley, 31, who was suspended for the remainder of the season by the Cubs on Sept. 20, has two years and $21 million US remaining on his contract. Wells has six years left on his contract extension, $107 million remaining, including the $8.5-million final instalment of his ..."

Gaston to manage Blue Jays one more year

Comment

October 31

Toronto Star

"The Toronto Blue Jays say manager Cito Gaston will fulfil the last year of his contract in 2010 and then serve as a consultant for the next four years. As of 2011, Gaston will advise and consult in all areas of baseball operations, spring training, minor league operations and scouting. The 65-year-old Gaston was the source of controversy a the end of the season with players complaining about the way he treated them."

Jays get much-needed shakeup

Comment

October 31

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"Following a controversial and rancorous ending to the Jays '09 season, with player accusations of negativism, lack of communication and dysfunction within the clubhouse, the team named its revamped coaching staff for 2010 on Friday. Even though none of the four returning coaches comes back in the same role, only pitching coach Brad Arnsberg and hitting coach Gene Tenace are gone. The revised lineup is as follows: Cito Gaston will manage the final year of his $2.5 million (U.S.) contract, then retire into a four-year deal as a senior advisor. Brian Butterfield is the third-base coach, Bruce Walton the pitching coach, Dwayne Murphy the hitting coach. Nick Leyva is the bench coach, with Rick ..."

Gaston is back

Comment

October 31

Toronto Sun

"About midway through Alex Anthopoulos conference call yesterday I had a vision. Ever watch Family Feud? We saw the Blue Jays general manager playing Richard Dawson (we liked the original best) as he explained once again how he phoned every player for their own personal reviews of what led up to the "near-mutiny" final weekend of the season in Baltimore. We could picture Anthopoulos/Dawson once he was finished with his in-house poll of players: "Should manager Cito Gaston return? Survey says? "Yes!" "Does Gene Tenace return as bench coach? Survey says?" "No!" "Should Brad Arnsberg be back as pitching coach? Survey says?" BAR IS STUCK Oh, oh, the bar is stuck. Oh, never mind, ..."

Jays GM selects lefty reliever

Comment

October 30

Toronto Sun

"The Alex Anthopoulos era began yesterday. The first player move by the Blue Jays rookie general manager was to claim lefty Sean Henn from the Baltimore Orioles. Henn, 28, was with Minnesota and the Orioles this season, with an 0-3 record and a 7.53 earned run average in 26 games. "He throws 94-95 m.p.h. and his slider has depth," Anthopoulos said. "He's never been able to put it all together. In all likelihood he might not be a guy in our bullpen, but our coaches have had success with reclamation projects." Anthopoulos pointed out how the Jays signed Scott Downs, Shawn Camp and Jesse Carlson as minor-league free agents. All contributed to the bullpen. Henn impressed Anthopoulos with ..."

Blue Jays to talk to three for Canadian scouting job

Comment

October 23

Toronto Sun

"The Blue Jays have asked for and received permission to talk to a member of the Philadelphia Phillies front office. Pat Gillick, the Phillies' senior advisor? Nope. The Jays will add a Canadian scout leading into the 2010 draft and one of the three scouts new Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish will interview is Montrealer Alex Agostino. Agostino scouted and signed Georgetown right-hander Shawn Hill when he worked for the Montreal Expos. Hill was a sixth-round choice in 2000. Agostino worked for the Florida Marlins after the Expos. Another candidate is former Jays left-hander Denis Boucher, of Lachine, Que. who scouted for the Washington Nationals until recently."

Jays GM laying foundation for better communication

Comment

October 21

Toronto Star

"Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent the first two weeks of his tenure pulling together a scouting staff he believed in and, this week, they'll embark on their first excursion together. From Thursday until next Monday, Anthopoulos and his staff will be in Jupiter, Fla., scouting the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association World Championships, an 85-team tournament for elite teenagers from across the continent."

Anthopoulos keeping tabs on Scutaro and Barajas

Comment

October 19

Toronto Sun

"Whither goest free agents Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas? Well, nowhere yet. Not until 15 days after the final pitch of the World Series. "We like both players," said Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "We'd like to bring them both back." Can the Jays afford to bring them both back? Antopoulous won't know his team budget until later this month. "Like I said, we like both players and they are both important positions, but we can't make a bad deal," the rookie GM said from Toronto. The free agents list at both positions is not deep. At short, there are the likes of Orlando Cabrera, Alex Cora, Bobby Crosby, Adam Everett, Alex Gonzalez, Khalil Greene, Miguel Tejada, Jack Wilson and the ..."

If Jays GM looking to make a splash, how about Bay?

Comment

October 15

Toronto Star

columnist Dave Perkins

"Alex Anthopoulos is quickly putting his own stamp on the Blue Jays, reassembling the scouting and development staff, and good for him. That's the best way to build for the long term. Plus, it also enhances his own job security. If and when Paul Beeston ever gets around to finding his own replacement, it will be difficult for the new man – or woman, because with Beeston you never know – to replace the head chef after he has restaffed the kitchen. That said, the new GM also is in charge of shopping for the groceries now. So how about Jason Bay for a main course? Shouldn't Anthopoulos be entitled to make one big free-agent splash when the market opens next month? He has Roy Halladay to deal ..."

Leafs playing in fear

Comment

October 14

Toronto Sun

"Joey MacDonald's regular-season debut in goal for the Maple Leafs was a microcosm of the team's early season struggles. The Leafs call-up from the Marlies couldn't reverse Toronto's sagging fortunes as visiting Colorado escaped the ACC with a 4-1 win. (Greg Henkenhaf/Sun Media) They've tried benchings, bag skates and callups, while burning through three goaltenders in two weeks. But the Maple Leafs can't get in the W column except the one marked woes. Those are piling up quickly on general manager Brian Burke's plate as he ponders what's wrong on the ice, in the dressing room and behind the bench. His 0-5-1 club was booed off the ice at the Air Canada Centre again last night. Whatever ..."

Nationals' Dana Brown hired by Blue Jays' new GM

Comment

October 13

Toronto Star

"Alex Anthopoulos continued his makeover of the Toronto Blue Jays' front office by luring Dana Brown from the Washington Nationals to serve as a special assistant to the general manager. The hiring, which is expected to be announced Tuesday, was confirmed Monday by a source requesting anonymity to The Canadian Press. Brown mentored Anthopoulos while both were with the Montreal Expos at the start of the decade and he remained with the club when it moved to Washington, serving as the Nationals' director of amateur scouting."

Jays GM hires help

Comment

October 12

Toronto Sun

"Dana Brown hired Alex Anthopoulos and taught him to scout with the Montreal Expos. Today the Blue Jays new general manager will hire Brown, the Washington Nationals scouting director, as his special assistant. The Jays received permission from the Nationals to talk to Brown last week. "Alex was an energetic kid at the time, working in baseball operations as an intern," the 42-year-old Brown said recently. "I worked with him three or four days and told (GM) Omar Minaya we needed to hire Alex full time.""

Blue Jays fire directorof player development

Comment

October 10

Toronto Sun

"Dick Scott, one of J.P. Ricciardi's most trusted advisers, has been fired by the Blue Jays. Besides Scott, who had been the Jays' director of player development, Cambridge's Rob Ducey, a pro scout whose coverage included the Pacific Rim, also was let go. Scott was hired Nov. 28, 2001 and was based in Dunedin, Fla., where the Jays have spring training as well as their class-A Florida State and rookie-class Gulf Coast affiliates, extended spring and instructional league teams. There was more than one report a year ago that Scott would be fired at the end of 2008. Ricciardi's eight-year run as general manager came to an end a week ago today. Assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos was named to ..."

Jays struck by winds of change

Comment

October 10

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"Citing the need for renewed emphasis on pro scouting and player development, new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos acted quickly to reshape the organization's front office just six days after taking over. Assistant GM Tony LaCava will now oversee the running of the player development department. Anthopoulos also promoted Andrew Tinnish to the role of director, amateur scouting; Charlie Wilson to director, minor league operations, and Doug Davis to minor league field coordinator. Perry Minasian becomes the Jays director of pro scouting. "This area was No. 1 on my list," Anthopoulos said via conference call from the team's Florida offices."

Jays fire Ricciardi's right-hand man

Comment

October 9

Toronto Sun

"Dick Scott, one of J.P. Ricciardi's most trusted advisors and first hires in 2001, has been fired by the Blue Jays. Besides Scott, the Jays director of player development, Cambridge's Rob Ducey, a pro scout whose coverage included the Pacific Rim was also let go. Scott was hired Nov. 28, 2001 and was based in Dunedin, Fla. where the Jays have spring training as well as their class-A Florida State, rookie-class Gulf Coast affiliates, extended spring and instructional league teams. There was more than one report a year ago that Scott would be fired at the end of 2008. Ricciardi's eight-year run as general manager came to an end a week ago today. Interim CEO Paul Beeston joined the Jays in ..."

New Jays GM says he'll deal with clubhouse communication issues

Comment

October 8

Toronto Star

"New Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos acknowledges there was a breakdown in communication on the team and plans on doing something about it. He said the situation, at the very least, needs some tweaking. "It's fair to say that when you have a change in the leadership of the organization, there could be changes in thought process, the way we do things," he said. "I have certain beliefs and thoughts that I'd like to implement, and it will all tie into a philosophy of what we're trying to build here.""

Crystal clear for Hill now here

Comment

October 6

Toronto Sun

"In the end it was a no-brainer -- the award, not Aaron Hill. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Hill, the Blue Jays all-star second baseman, was winner of the American League comeback player of the year award. Hill, 27, was literally knocked out of the Jays lineup last year on May 29 after colliding with shortstop David Eckstein. He suffered a concussion as a result of the play and lingering post-concussion syndrome kept him out of the game for the remainder of the season. This season, Hill just wanted to prove to one and all that he was healthy and could contribute on a full-time basis. He ended up with a career season as he was the chief sparkplug of the offence, belting a team ..."

Hill caps recovery from concussion with award

Comment

October 6

Toronto Star

"Of all the obstacles Aaron Hill faced in coming back from the concussion that cost him most of the 2008 season, he says uncertainty was the toughest. His symptoms lingered for weeks and doctors couldn't tell him when they would stop. The largest challenge? His belly, which he says expanded exponentially following the injury."

Jays should look at Twins' formula for success

Comment

October 6

Toronto Star

"Why is it the decidedly small-market Twins are playing their 163rd game of the season Tuesday with a chance to meet the Yankees in the division series while the Jays are at home preparing to watch? The flawed premise is that the Jays, if in the AL Central, would have been to the post-season at least once in the recently ended, unlamented J.P. Ricciardi era. The premise is that going into every season it's impossible for anyone else to compete in the East except the Yankees and Red Sox."

Hill named AL Comeback Player of Year

Comment

October 5

MLB.com

"The Blue Jays simply did not know what to expect from Aaron Hill this year. The concussion that the second baseman suffered last season was serious enough that the team admittedly had its doubts about his ability to return to the diamond. "Sometimes people don't come back from concussions," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said earlier this year. "That certainly was a worry on our part -- his, too." As it turned out, Hill returned in a big way for Toronto. After one of the most prolific offensive showings in club history, Hill has been named the American League's Comeback Player of the Year in voting by 30 MLB.com beat reporters. Hill received 14 first-place votes, five second-place votes and ..."

Pickin' up the pieces

Comment

October 5

Toronto Sun

columnist Ken Fidlin

"The sun was bright, the air was crisp and clear, both literally and figuratively. The drama that had enveloped the Blue Jays the previous two days had receded, replaced by a reflective atmosphere. Whether it's a false calm in the wake of the dismissal of general manager J.P. Ricciardi and revelations of unrest among the players, only time will tell. Both the players and the manager have conveniently decided dark forces from outside their own family were the architects of misunderstanding that threatened the peace of the clubhouse. Oh, the players still have some outstanding issues with manager Cito Gaston but the urgency of Friday has been replaced by a spirit of collaboration, soothed ..."

Pressing issues for new Jays GM

Comment

October 5

Toronto Star

"Less than 48 hours into his tenure as the Jays' new general manager, Alex Anthopoulos has more questions than answers. The 32-year-old Canadian will be keeping a low profile with the media until such time as he has formulated his own off-season game plan and trundled it up to the Rogers tower for discussion with ownership. It's the way it should be. And don't look for any sneak previews on ESPN.com or FoxSports. Here are some of the first issues the GM should address as he tries to prove to fans and the rest of the baseball world that he's not just Mini-Me to former GM J.P. Ricciardi's Dr. Evil:"

Baltimore Closes On 11-Inning High Note

Comment

October 5

Washington Post

"A walk-off win was the best possible way for the Baltimore Orioles to end an otherwise disappointing 2009 season. But in typical Orioles fashion, the circumstances made it hard to get overly excited about the victory. There was no game-ending home run or even a game-winning single. The Orioles' 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday was achieved when reliever Brandon League made back-to-back throwing errors on sacrifice bunt attempts in the 11th inning. "It was certainly a strange final day," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said. "You don't expect to play extra innings, and you certainly don't expect to end it on back-to-back bunt throwing errors. It's good for us to end ..."

Fired GMs have different philosophies

Comment

October 4

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist John Shea

"When Kevin Towers and J.P. Ricciardi were fired Saturday, it showed no method as a general manager is foolproof. Towers made his rise to the majors as a scout, Ricciardi as an assistant to Billy Beane. Both are good guys, accommodating and respected among their peers, and both had tall orders - positioned in divisions in which others spent much more. In San Diego, the Padres will always be the Dodgers' little brother, trying to outdo their northern rivals and sometimes one-upping them. Four of the Padres' five division titles came on Towers' watch, and this year's team, out of it early, did a nice job as spoilers while going 36-24 since late July. It wasn't Towers' fault that former owner ..."

Orioles avert 100-loss season

Comment

October 4

Baltimore Sun

"As the losses continued to mount, most of the Orioles said that dropping 100 games didn't matter. They contended that it would be no different had they lost 95 games or any other bloated total that got them sent home for the offseason rather than to the playoffs. Yet, when they beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3, before an announced 23,254 on Saturday night at Camden Yards and ensured that there would be no 100-loss season, a sense of relief permeated the Orioles' clubhouse. As it turns out, the current Orioles very much wanted to avoid becoming the third team in franchise history to lose 100 games. With their third-straight victory, the Orioles improved to 63-98 heading into this afternoon's ..."

'Tis a season to forget

Comment

October 4

Toronto Sun

"Let's start at the end. For the end of the season is, indeed, the end. The Blue Jays have had messy years during their 33-year history. They've had three 100-loss seasons, five in which they fired their manager, one year when part of the SkyDome roof collapsed and 1987, when they ended the schedule with seven defeats in a row -- including 1-0 on the final day the Detroit Tigers -- to miss the playoffs. Yet, never before have they had a finish like this. Interim CEO named Paul Beeston could hire a new president ... or he could hire himself on Monday. General manager J.P. Ricciardi was fired yesterday morning in Baltimore, with a year remaining on his contract."

Not many sad to see J.P. go

Comment

October 4

Toronto Sun

"By the end, it was hard to find anyone who could stomach J.P. Ricciardi. He had, in no particular order, made enemies in his own clubhouse, with his own coaches, with players on other teams, with a wide array of media members, and there are those who truly believe his last desperate act as Blue Jays general manager was an awkward attempt to get manager Cito Gaston fired, which is why interim president Paul Beeston acted so briskly yesterday in making a move that normally would come tomorrow. By the end, the man who said "it's not a lie if we know it isn't a lie" was all about deception and misdirection, eight years of false promises and, worse than that, an inability to peddle hope. ..."

Halladay says fired GM stood up for him

Comment

October 4

Toronto Sun

"Roy Halladay wanted to set the record straight. During those crazy days at the end of July when J.P. Ricciardi was testing the trade market for Halladay, it was presumed by many that the Blue Jays GM was unnecessarily embarrassing the franchise's crown jewel. Not true, says Halladay. "J.P. always looked out for my best interests," Halladay said yesterday. "That was lost in a lot of that. I think people blamed him for that. Knowing the situation, the team was in and my situation, he was looking out for my best interests. "He took a lot of flak for that and he shouldn't have. I'll always appreciate that he did stand up and defend me. I always thought that he was in my corner. He is a ..."

Bitter end to Jays' season at hand

Comment

October 4

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"There was a certain feeling of finality regarding the Blue Jays' season. It felt as though it should be over. The general manager had been fired. The president and the owner had met with the players to thank them for their efforts. But at the conclusion of Saturday's sloppy 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles it turned out there was still one more game to be played, with only a chance to finish at a disappointing 76 wins with a victory. It brings to mind the age-old baseball axiom, "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." And, as with many marathon runners who hit a figurative wall somewhere near the end of the race, many among the Jays' rookie starting pitchers felt exhausted, including Scott ..."

'Boy genius' Ricciardi exits middle-aged bust

Comment

October 4

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"The J.P. Ricciardi era is over, ended by his firing Saturday in Baltimore. Heralded as one of the bright young minds in the game when he first arrived on the Jays scene on Nov. 14, 2001, Ricciardi celebrated his 50th birthday last week. That no longer qualifies as "boy genius" territory, especially when after eight seasons you're one of just eight teams to have failed to make the post-season in this century. Of the eight 21st-century non-qualifiers for the playoffs, the other seven – the Orioles, Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Expos/Nationals, Reds and Pirates – have changed general managers at least once."

When the inmates run the place, something has to give

Comment

October 4

Toronto Star

"With his seven-year, $126 million (U.S.) contract, Vernon Wells could buy just about anything his heart desires. But there have been times this year when he couldn't buy a hit. And, no matter how much he makes, he'll never be able to buy a veto over who manages him. Same with Lyle Overbay and the $7,925,000 (U.S.) he is knocking down. He doesn't get a vote, either. None of the Blue Jays do. Pro sports don't work that way. They are not democracies. They are not country clubs, either, where a bunch of rich guys vote one of their own into leadership and get to fire the bartender if he messes up the daiquiris."

Blue Jays try to talk out their troubles

Comment

October 4

Toronto Star

"The tsunami of dysfunction that swept over the Jays' clubhouse this weekend seemed almost inevitable from the moment Cito Gaston was hired to take over from John Gibbons in June of 2008. There were too many interims, lame ducks and flashback-Friday heroes in the clubhouse mix to work effectively. If the manager was not aware of the building mutiny within the walls of his clubhouse, it's likely because (1) some coaches in the know weren't reporting back to him; (2) other coaches didn't have their fingers on the pulse; (3) the GM didn't protect his back; (4) the president was interim. In this case, it was all of the above."

With Win, O's Avoid Ignominious Milestone

Comment

October 4

Washington Post

"Regardless of what the Orioles do in today's season finale, it still will go down as a bad baseball season in Baltimore. It just won't be remembered as a historically bad one. The 2009 Orioles ensured that they will not be the third 100-loss team in franchise history. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3, before an announced 23,254 Saturday night at Camden Yards, to improve to 63-98 with just one game to play. They also secured their first three-game winning streak since June 19-21 when they swept the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the highlights of their season. With losses Saturday night and in Sunday afternoon's series finale, the Orioles would have been the franchise's first team to ..."

Axe drops on GM J.P. Ricciardi

Comment

October 4

Toronto Sun

"The Toronto Blue Jays have fired general manager J.P. Ricciardi. The long-rumored dismissal occurred this morning just shortly after the team's interim CEO, Paul Beeston, arrived in Baltimore where the Jays are playing their season-ending series against the Orioles. Ricciardi was hired in December of 2001 as a replacement for Gord Ash who was dismissed following the 2001 season. Under Ricciardi's stewardship, the Blue Jays put together four winning seasons and four losing seasons. He leaves with a record of 642-651 record. "This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally as I have enjoyed J.P.'s friendship and his perspective on the game," said Beeston in a release. "J.P. ..."

Axe drops on Jays' GM Ricciardi

Comment

October 3

MLB.com

"Rogers today announced that J.P. Ricciardi will be leaving his position as Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays effective immediately. Mr. Ricciardi joined the Blue Jays in 2001. "This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally as I have enjoyed J.P.'s friendship and his perspective on the game," said Paul Beeston, acting President, and CEO. "J.P. has put an incredible amount of effort into improving the team and he has brought along a number of great young players. However, I feel that it is time for a change and accordingly we have decided to move on.""

Aubrey, O's lift Trembley

Comment

October 3

Baltimore Sun

"Orioles manager Dave Trembley was aware of what had happened the last two times he was given a vote of confidence by president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail: the worst loss in Orioles history in 2007 and one of the most embarrassing innings in recent memory in 2008. So, when MacPhail told Trembley on Friday afternoon that his option for 2010 was being picked up, the elephant in the room rumbled onto the field at Camden Yards. "When I was up in Andy's office, that topic was brought up," Trembley said. "'Make sure you don't repeat that performance tonight, Mr. Trembley.' But it wasn't said so gingerly by Andy." The fears were allayed as the Orioles bashed the Blue Jays, 13-7, thanks ..."

Charges of unfair treatment leave Cito hurt

Comment

October 3

Toronto Sun

"Manager Cito Gaston clearly was mystified and more than a little hurt to be blindsided by what amounts to a player mutiny within the Blue Jays clubhouse. "I think I've treated everybody fairly," he said. "I haven't misused anybody. Some guys haven't pitched as much as they'd like to, but everybody has gotten playing time. I've treated everybody with respect. I'm not sure what their bitch is. I would always hope they would come to me and not go to you guys. "I was a player and I had managers whom I didn't think treated me fairly. But I'm surprised that I can find any guy who thinks I haven't treated him fairly. I'm not sure what the problem is." Gaston has another year to run on the ..."

Coming to gripes

Comment

October 3

Toronto Sun

columnist Ken Fidlin

"If the players have their way, this Blue Jays season will not go out with a whimper, but a bang. Over the next couple of days, a player delegation, led by Vernon Wells, Rod Barajas and Aaron Hill, will present a laundry list of complaints about manager Cito Gaston to interim team president Paul Beeston. The players don't know where their complaints might lead them, but the obvious inference of such a revolt is that they would prefer to play for a new manager next season. The original intent was to quietly deliver their complaints to Beeston this weekend but FoxSports.com broke the story online overnight yesterday, citing anonymous sources. Yesterday, several Jays went on the record ..."

Jays unhappy? So is Gaston

Comment

October 3

Toronto Sun

columnist Bob Elliott

"The mutiny did not take place. The Blue Jays took to the field last night at Camden Yards in Baltimore and neither Raul Chavez nor Joe Inglett commandeered the lineup card. At 7:06, Jose Bautista stepped into the batter's box against Orioles right-hander Jason Berken. Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay did not take a limo down the road to Philadelphia to play for the Phillies. And not one Phillie cried: "Red Rover, Red Rover, let Vernon and Lyle come over." We didn't spot anyone wearing pirate eyepatches. Yet, when Paul Beeston arrives in Baltimore for his end-of-the-season thank you speech -- the way they used to do things when Beeston was president and Peter Hardy before him -- there ..."

Jays get bombed by O's

Comment

October 3

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"With dissension swirling through the Blue Jays clubhouse as they waited for a meeting this weekend with beleaguered manager Cito Gaston, there was one thing that everyone could agree upon after Friday night's 13-7 loss to the Orioles: David Purcey (1-3) was not very good in his final start of the season. The struggling left-hander, whose hat has been tossed gingerly into the ring as a possible starting candidate in 2010, managed just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since being recalled on Sept. 14. His final ERA rose to 6.19. "That's the furthest from how I wanted to end my season," Purcey said. "I was fighting myself all game in staying on top of the ball. I pitched well all season. ..."

Disgruntled players in no position to be yappy

Comment

October 3

Toronto Star

"Casey Stengel once said he understood that, on any baseball team, a number of players liked the manager, a number didn't like him and rest were undecided. Stengel said the most difficult part of managing was keeping the guys who hated him away from those who hadn't made up their minds. This is not Cito Gaston's problem right now. It's too late for that, apparently. When reports first surfaced of a clubhouse mutiny, he was slagged by the saddest of all sources: the reliable anonymous player, or players, too gutless to put their names on their comments. So now we know why the Jays played all season like candy-asses and got pushed around repeatedly. Too many guys don't have it inside them to ..."

Blue Jays News