WBCito

I haven’t written much about the WBC (except for last week’s SMSN column that I’ll provide a link for as soon as this week’s is up) but it isn’t from a lack of interest in the event.

For me, I haven’t gotten too worked up about Canada’s fortunes in all this--I’m too busy enjoying watching real live baseball and checking out the talent that is being developed around the world. There has been some tremendous play from faces both familiar and otherwise and some great storylines and upsets.

Speaking of which--I may be risking my hoser citizenship but I was appalled when Rogers Sportsnet switched away from the first Dominican/Netherlands game with the underdogs protecting a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth with none out and the speedy Willie Taveras on first to the Canada/US contest. I mean, here we’re watching an upset unfolding along the lines of the Miracle on Ice or Tyson/Douglas and instead of seeing the denouement of this remarkable game we get to see Jake Peavy pitch to the top of Team Canada’s batting order.

Look, I want the locals to win as much as the next guy but I prefer watching history being made. Nobody talks about what other program they were watching when Paul Henderson scored in the 1972 Summit Series and if in a few decades from now that game (as well as the rematch) becomes the stuff of legend nobody is going to give a rip about my telling folks how Peavy handled the top of the first inning against a team that was eliminated by the Italian jugger-not.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was nice enough to let me cry on his shoulder about this and he assured me that I wasn’t crazy (shaddap) for feeling that way.

But I digress.

While enjoying watching Pedro Martinez (hopefully for not the last time), Joey Votto and thinking that the first team that really goes bonkers (bonkers?) in international scouting will have a huge advantage until other teams catch up, my mind (such as it is) began mulling about how all this might impact the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009.

Granted, there might seem to be much correlation at the moment but I did witness something of which I think Cito Gaston could make good use this season. Obviously, the biggest blow to the Blue Jays in the offseason was the fact that 60% of their rotation is gone and with Dustin McGowan’s setback it could be a long time before we see any resemblance to the 2007-08 starting staff at the Rogers Centre.

As of right now--three rotation spots are set with Roy Halladay, Jesse Litsch and David Purcey with Matt Clement coming on strong; now what to do with the fifth spot or if one of the other quartet goes down with an injury?

Yes, perish the thought that a Jays’ pitcher might get hurt but it helps to deal with every possible scenario regardless of how far-fetched it may seem at the time.

Currently, there are a ton of available pitchers: Casey Janssen, Rickey and Davis Romero, Brett Cecil, Brad Mills, Scott Richmond and possibly Wade Miller but there are concerns about overworking the likes of Cecil, the Romeros, Janssen and the rehabbing Miller--how does Gaston make it all work?

How about doing it WBC style?

In the tournament, starting pitchers are limited to 70 pitches in round one although they can finish the plate appearance of the hitter to whom they’ve thrown pitch No. 70. Why not take a variation of that and have co-starters--one day you start the game and let Cecil toss 70 pitches (unless he’s ineffective) and follow that with Casey Janssen for 70? The next time open with Janssen and follow with Cecil (and mix and match accordingly)--that way, the kiddie corps gets experience without the risk of overuse while the creaky corps (the rehabbing vets that make the 25-man roster) gradually get to rebuild their arm strength without worrying about carrying a load they haven’t borne since the U.S. government was in the business of catching big criminals and not large cranials.

The best part of this is that the rooks (hopefully) get reinforcement about the importance of throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters--if they want to last long enough for a “W” they’d best not nibble and give the batters too much credit and attack the strike zone with their “A” material the same way they did in the minors.

A common stumbling lock for promising youngsters at the big league level for the first time is they stop doing what got them to that point in the first place; they sometimes give hitters too much credit and try to be too fine. One thing we’ve learned in watching the WBC is that a well thrown pitch in the strike zone is tough to hit--we’ve witnessed pitchers on Team Netherland that will likely never sniff a major league job get big league hitters--in some cases, elite bashers--out. Anything that drills into the heads of the youth movement that strike one and pitching ahead on the count is always a recipe for success--even at the major league level--is a good thing.

It probably won’t happen but I’m married with two teenaged daughters and I’m used to giving out advice that is completely ignored and made fun of--c’est la merde!

Thanks everyone…

I was genuinely touched with the show of support regarding my recent medical issues--thanks for the notes and mentions offering their best wishes. I met with the surgeon on Friday and says I should be in the O.R. in the next 2-4 weeks (although they haven’t given me a day and time yet). He seemed fairly confident that all I will need is an angioplasty but he can’t know that for a certainty until they get inside and have a look around.

Bottom line--I don’t expect to be down long; on the small chance that things to terribly awry I have made my wishes known that I want the surgeon to approach things “Mythbusters” style and do whatever it takes to blow me up. I’ve taken in a lot of nitro and don’t want it to go to waste.

If I gotta go…I wanna go out with a bang!

Best Regards

John