Heart and soul players make winning teams go. Sure, it would be nice if the heart and souler happens to be a good ballplayer. But every successful team needs somebody the average joe in the stands can point to and say, "I could be that guy!"
The Toronto Blues Jays had one of those guys. Reed Johnson. The Jays released him on Sunday to save something less than a couple of million bucks. As the ways of karma would have had it, the Jays immediately suffered injury for the cavalier dismissal of the one Jay that never took a play off in his life. Ever.
Scott Rolen's finger injury can't POSSIBLY be related. Right?
It's not like the Blue Jays were cutting Johnson to roster a jerk, say a Barry Bonds. Shannon Stewart is doing the Toronto thing, taking a second tour of the fair city. He's a good dude and seems to accept that he won't be a full-time patroller of left field. He's also at the end of his career. And he's not as good as Johnson. Period.
The Jay mismanagement, led by GM-in-waiting (to be fired) J.P. Ricciardi, says that it was a question of offensive ability. Stewart MIGHT, I say MIGHT, beat Johnson by 10-20 batting points on his average this year. That's maybe two hits in one hundred at bats. Fourteen for a full-time regular over a full season. One every OTHER week. Stewart will certainly hit less homers and hasn't been a threat on the base-paths for years. He won't get hit as often. I mean by being struck by a pitch. His defence is sub-standard at best, and he HAS to play left field. That means Alex Rios' occasional rest will put Matt Stairs in right field. Gadzooks!
It's the economy, stupid! Stop trying to blow smoke up my pants. I know it. The Jays know it. The fans know it.
No Jay. Not even the two imported St. Louis Cardinals, will display the joie de vivre that was a Johnson staple. His back problems from last year have made Johnson damaged goods, not just in the Jays' minds. But he'll fool everybody. He'll land somewhere with a real contender and prove indispensable. He'll get the last laugh this year. And he'll have a nice big fat reward with a decent contract sometime late this Decemeber.
Good guys do finish first. I wish Reed Johnson well.
1 comment:
He's a good dude and seems to accept that he won't be a full-time patroller of left field. He's also at the end of his career. And he's not as good as Johnson. Sports Good
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