On Frank Thomas and the Blue Jays

So, I spend quite a bit of time thinking about the Blue Jays, who just today released Frank Thomas, who started the season slowly with a .167 average. The Jays are going to justify his release as a baseball move, claiming that he wasn’t producing. While that’s true, he has always started slowly. He started slowly last year and that didn’t seem to be a big issue. Truthfully, if Thomas came to bat 376 times this season his contract would have renewed itself for next season. The Blue Jays rightfully didn’t want to pay a 42 year old something like $9 million for producing very little.

As a fan, I’m not at all happy that Shannon Stewart, Matt Stairs and Adam Lind are going to comprise our LF an DH positions. The first two always seem to be injured and Lind didn’t play well as a rookie last season. As Buck Martinez put it on MLB this morning on XM, that’s not a championship caliber outfield. I love Buck, but he does have an ax to grind with our GM. Who knows? Maybe this works itself out for the best, but I’m not holding my breath. Of course, I still think they should have kept Reed Johnson, who went 4-for-4 in a game for the Cubs this week.

Here’s what else I’m not happy about re: the Blue Jays:

- This is J.P.’s 7th season as GM and I’m starting to get the feeling that it will be wait til next year...again.

- I don’t like the fact that we have a roided out (OK, possibly) starting catcher you couldn’t throw me out.

- David Eckstein does all the little things right, and he’s scrappy, but he isn’t the answer long-term at SS. Can this organization develop a SS please!!!

- I still feel as though this team is very comfortable finishing in third place. It’s like they’re afraid to succeed. It starts at the top, with Ted Rogers, and works its way down to the players.

- I still think we have a minor-league manager who will never lead this team or any other to the post-season.

OK, that’s it for now...Jays play the Tigers this afternoon. Go BJ’s!