Truthfully, I haven’t had much time to watch baseball since a few days before the all star break. The summer is just too busy, the MLB season is just too long, and the Toronto Blue Jays just aren’t good enough.
In fact, I completely forgot that the Jays were playing the past week. The only clue I had was the highlights from Monday night’s game that I saw when I got home from baseball.
What did I see? Only another late game meltdown by the human gas can masquerading as the team’s closer, Kevin Gregg. My distaste from Gregg stems from his actions after a game a few weeks ago when he let loose with a typical Kevin Gregg performance: fastballs with no real purpose and no chance of threatening the strike zone, and off-speed pitches that drift lazily into batters’ wheelhouses.
For some reason, Gregg went after the umpire, complaining about balls and strikes, and got himself kicked out of the game. Here’s what I said about Gregg at the time:
There was no need for Gregg to go after the home plate umpire last night. Yes, he may have gotten squeezed on two calls. However, he walked FIVE in the inning and at least one of them was four straight balls. Gregg showed zero command of the strike zone. Why the hell should the umpire give him the benefit of the doubt? I saw at least four pitches that were saved from denting the backstop only by the athleticism of John Buck.
Great pitchers don’t whine to the umpires. They make adjustments. Great pitchers don’t walk five in one inning, blowing a great performance by your team. The honeymoon period with Kevin Gregg is now over. He’s done. Finished.
Then, last week, Cito came out of the dugout to pull Gregg from a game in which he walked three batters in a row to load the bases. Did Gregg sheepishly hand the ball to his manager, embarrassed at such a shoddy performance? No, he slapped the ball into Gaston’s hands and mouthed off to him on his way back to the dugout. He was actually pissed that Gaston was pulling him from the game.
Are you serious? How can a professional athlete have such little self-awareness?
What happened in Monday night’s game made me smile from ear to ear. Gregg entered the game and began pitching like shit as per usual. He gave up a couple of screaming line drives, threw a few balls everywhere but the strike zone, and blew the Jays one run lead.
Did Cito take him out? Absolutely not. He let Gregg hang himself out there to teach the arrogant piece of trash a lesson. Gaston basically told him, “You’re going to show me up on the field, then I’m going to let you blow another game for this team.”
It was fantastic to see an old school manager show an entitled millionaire how to properly conduct himself on the field. Unfortunately, the relationship is irreparably harmed. AA has to trade Gregg and get that bum out of town.
Long live Cito.
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1 comment:
Ok so we know what you think is wrong with the Jays as you freely shared your opinion on that on continually -in part to egg on your buddy and get a response out of him I’m sure.
For a change of pace say I had an in with the Rogers family and could put forward suggestions on possible changes to the organization what would you want me to say? Assume you were given carte blanche to do what you wanted what would you do?
Let’s hear at least 8 specific actions you would take to turn the team around and I mean specific. For example don’t just say change management. Change who in management specifically, when, who their replacement should be, etc.
AG
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