TORONTO, CANADA – I was Massapequa Craig for a few days last week (many thanks to Angry Ward for taking one for the team). Got picked up from LaGuardia by a driver named Rocco, who was a former NYPD Detective back in the 70s and 80s – until Rodney King scared everyone off the force. That’s when he got out. Listening to his stories was like a Scorsese movie and I thought, ‘Man it was good to be back in the region, even if only for a day sandwiched between two travel days.’ Two days in which the Knicks could beat both the new cross-town Nets and old cross-country Lakers. Looking back, last week was a simpler time when the Jets were still mathematically alive for the playoffs, the Giants were showing signs of waking up from their usual season-long hibernation, and Kevin Youklis’ Van Dyke still had a chance to remain on his face for the upcoming season.
It was also a time when Mets fans were still optimistic about signing their celebrated Cy Young winner, R.A. Dickey. However, with one familiar fan favorite in Wright already locked up, the team decided extending a 38-year-old pitcher – even one coming off a magical season – for two years & tens of millions of dollars was not a prudent move. Kudos to Sandy Alderson for a rare bit of restraint and though 2013 is now officially another rebuilding year for the Mets, the good news is the team has gotten some blue chip prospects to perhaps make it an enjoyable experience, including potential mainstay catcher Travis D’Arnaud. Applications are now being accepted for a nickname catchier than “D-Arn.” That D’Arn Cat? D’Arn the Torpedos? D’Arnton Abbey?
Forgive the production value; we didn’t know about mic or iris settings yet.
For the Toronto Blue Jays, Dickey is now a major root vegetable in what is turning out to be quite the free agent stew. GM Alex Anthopoulos has gone Dodger with some Magic of his own, completely revamping Les Jays. At this writing their line to win the AL Pennant is now +600, behind only the Tigers and Angels and even with? The Yankees… Not bad for a team that didn’t even sniff .500 last season.
Frankly, it smells like week-old 2012 Marlins to me; pretty fishy. And not just because many of the new players came from Miami, where they were already losers.
Canada should know better. They were part three deals involving a pitcher coming off a Cy Young season.
1) In 1995 the Jays picked up David Cone (for the 2nd time) from the Kansas City Royals, a deal that worked out okay but didn’t pay any dividends…
2) In 1999 Toronto traded the lovable Roger Clemens for David Wells and Graham Lloyd, another dud…
3) La troisième fois, it was Pedro Martinez abandoning the sinking Expos for Boston.
P.s… D’Arnaud came to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade a couple years ago. So, does that make Dickey as valuable as Roy Halladay? Who else did they get? A juice-less – and thus brittle – Melky Cabrera? Anthropoulis and the Jays may be the darlings of this particularly slow Hot Stove Season but frankly? I don’t see them going too much higher than .500 again this year – if they even make it that far.
All that Dickey needs to know is in this:
Angry Ward tomorrow.
