And, I'm sorry, but I just can't kill the Mets for not getting Halladay. They didn't have the pieces, especially after adding Johan Santana. Now, of course, the farm system is a problem, and they need to hire a strong architect to get it up to be among
baseball's best. And even the Phillies couldn't do it after getting Lee last year -- without trading Lee as well. So, in the end, to get Halladay, the Phillies gave up three of their top four in the
year-end prospect rankings done by
Baseball America --
after giving up three of their top four and four of their top 10 prospects
at the time to get Lee. So between the start of the 2009 season and the end of the year, Philly dealt away seven top prospects for Halladay. Sure, Lee may have put them over the hump into the World Series, but everyone considered them a strong contender for the NL pennant before they got Lee. Adding him may have just made it easier to get there -- and to avoid a sweep by the Yankees. Had they just given the Blue Jays what they wanted for Halladay in July, they may have made out better, at least in terms of not giving up as much.
What really gets me is that the Blue Jays have to send any money to the Phillies. What the hell is that? The small-market team is giving the big-market team the cash? The are not hurting for revenue,
setting a club record for sellouts in 2009 and clearly not bowing out of the pennant race anytime soon. And then the Phillies go and sign him to a $20M per year extension? So they can pay him $2o million in 2011, '12 and '13, but not $16 million in 2010? How so?
And also count me in the
Blue Cap Army. I was always a member, even before it had a name or a movement. Here's hoping it picks up steam in the months leading to Opening Day.
I love what
Jose Reyes had to say on WFAN, especially the part about other teams taking offense to his celebrations on the field -- because those teams, players, executives, managers are all full of crap. They're hypocrites, because they or their players do it too. I've seen Hanley Ramirez whoop it up pulling into second base on an RBI double in the sixth inning even if the run didn't change the score or significantly close/open the gap. And Shane Victorino is worse than Reyes. Don't get me wrong -- I don't think Victorino should stop, and fans of opposing teams can and should take offense. But the fans can complain without being hypocritical, because we're not the ones who make a point to clap demonstratively on an infield single.