Sports Superstar of the Week- Rory McIlroy

In honour of Rory McIlroy's history-making, record-setting, critic-silencing, storybook fodder comeback performance at Sunday's US Open, we're naming him My Sports Stadium's first ever "Sports Superstar of the Week". Sure he's only in his early twenties, a gracious player and consistently in contention (and now a winner) at the majors, but so are a few other up and comers in the current golf landscape (23-year-old Jason Day has placed 2nd in the last 2 majors). There's something that sets Rory apart, something that makes him just a little more superstar-y than the others. It's not his brilliant swing, consistent putting or steadfast determination; it's not the way he seems to love the game, his confident approach or his mature ease with the press- it's not as calculable as that. But you just know even the non-golf lovers of the world are gonna know this kid's name; and that's something golf hasn't seen since a fateful Masters Tournament in 1997.

What Have We Learned?

by Michael Bedard

In baseball, it is often said that you really don’t know what you've got as a baseball team until at least 60 games into the season. Well, the Toronto Blue Jays have now played 66 games so it seems like a good time to see what they've got (or, as their .485 record -32 wins and 34 losses- would suggest, don’t have).

Looking Back at The Masters

Two months ago one of the most exciting afternoons of golf ever unfolded at Augusta National in the final round of the 75th Masters Tournament. Looking back, the narrative value of that afternoon is not lost. The triumphs and failures of some of golf's greatest superstars and underdogs look all the more dramatic in hindsight. Here's the rundown of the year's biggest tournament's biggest stories:

Baseball's Back!

The baseball season is officially under way, you can just feel the world getting a little bit brighter (except for the snow, that's just unacceptable). In preparation for tonight's game here's a video featuring Toronto's starting roster. Ricky, Aaron, Travis, JP, Jose and all the boys- welcome back!

What’s Wrong with NASCAR?

by Michael Bedard

NASCAR held its biggest race of the season last weekend, the Dayton 500. Did anybody watch? Their biggest star, Jimmie Johnson, (Jimmie who?) has won the last 5 NASCAR season championships, known as the Sprint Cup. Would anybody recognize his picture on a cover of a magazine?

Ten years ago NASCAR icon, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was tragically killed at the end of the Dayton 500. At the time of his death, Earnhardt was a seven-time cup champion and had a record $42 million in career earnings. Following his death, NASCAR was on the lips of most sport enthusiasts and a must-watch event on Sundays. Watching the “Good old Boys” (or, as some would affectingly call them, “crash test dummies") bump each other around and, often, off the oval track captured our imagination. It was exciting to see them drive only inches apart at over 200 mph. So what happened? Besides the die-hard redneck fans in the southern United States does anybody follow the sport? Why did people lose interest, stop caring and, more importantly, stop watching.

The answer is easy: the average sports fan wants to be entertained, not confused. To use an analogy- the number one reason people use as an excuse not to watch football (arguably the most popular sport in the United Sates) is that they don’t understand the game, they say that it is “too confusing”. The same holds true for NASCAR. The sport has gotten away from one race driver trying to go faster than the other and if he can’t go faster he will push, bump and sometimes grind his opponents out of the way to win. Today, team “strategy” is the key ingredient to winning. Sure you need a fast car but you also need help from a teammate or buddy to carry you around the track. When you listen to the racing commentary, they talk more about what the “team” has to do to win than what the driver has to do. It's like bicycle racing, where the team protects its best rider for 3/4 of the race, and, lets face it, who watches bicycle racing?

Another confusing aspect of NASCAR is its scoring system to determine an overall season champion. Under the NASCAR point system you get points for winning but you can accumulate more points by leading the greatest number of laps during the race. What?? I always thought that the reason you competed was to win and “to the victor goes the spoils” Isn’t that the American way? How strange would it be to win the Superbowl then not be declared the champion because you didn’t hold the lead the longest during the game? How can you win the most races during the season and not win the overall championship?

The last confusing factor that has hurt the branding of NASCAR is, simply, its cars. It used to be a battle of the “Big Three”- you were a Chevy, a Ford or a Chrysler fan and you cheered for whomever was racing that brand of car. Nowadays it just isn’t the same to cheer for a driver racing a Toyota or Honda. Also, over the last ten years, NASCAR has fiddled with the cars. In 2007 they introduced the "Car of Tomorrow", whatever that is, and some racing teams are still trying to figure how to be competitive in them.

NASCAR has some major repairs to do to regain its former glory in the general sports fan's eye. If the average sport fan was not interested in the Daytona 500- the “Great American Race” and the Superbowl of the NASCAR racing season- then why would they be interested in following any of the other races during the season? Hopefully, it will not require the death of another NASCAR champion to rekindle interest in the sport.

Mario Lemieux Speaks Out... alone.

by Michael Bedard

This past Sunday, former NHL superstar Mario Lemieux spoke up about the growing violence that has gripped the National Hockey League. An NHL Hall of Famer who now owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lemieux used the team's website to respond to the NHL disciplinary action (or, as he sees it, lack of disciplinary action) following a fight-filled game between the Penguins and the New York Islanders two days earlier.

He wrote:

“Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that.
.. The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed.
.. We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players.  We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.
.. If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it.”

These are strong words from a very influential member of the hockey community. Apart from Wayne Gretsky, Mario Lemieux is probably the most respected hockey player of the last 35 years. So why isn’t anybody listening to what he has to say? Why did his comments fall on deaf ears? Why hasn't there been a flood of current and former hockey players, owners and members of the media speaking out as he did? Is it because of the “code”?

It is widely known that the police have what is referred to as the “Blue Code”. It's not written down anywhere in black and white but it exists, essentially stating that police officers don’t speak out publicly against fellow police officers. Unfortunately, here in Canada, we have seen the “blue code’ in action too frequently in the recent past. The 4 RCMP officers in Vancouver, for example, who coordinated their stories about the death of a “violent” (read: scared) passenger in the airport.  A second incident was in Toronto this past summer at the G20 Summit when a peaceful protester was assaulted by the police. Even though many police officers were videotaped in the area and witnessing the assault not one came forward to testify. It was not until after a huge media and public outcry that the investigating unit looking into this case reopened its investigation and finally brought charges against “one” officer.

There is little doubt that the same type of “code” exists in the National Hockey League. Most of the talk after Lemieux’s comments was not about the content of what he said (that there is too much violence in the game and that the punishment for this violence is not substantial enough) but rather focused on the speaker himself. He was called a hypocrite for denouncing violence in the game when the team he owns has a “goon” of its own whom has been a “serial violent offender” on the ice. They said that as a former player he should not speak so negatively about the game that gave him so much fame and fortune. These, of course, are ridiculous counterarguments and completely ignore the problem. Lemieux is not the problem. The problem is the detrimental mindset of the players, management and owners. It's the attitude that fighting has always been “part of the game” and it's "what the fans want to see”. The problem is the idea that hockey insiders can't speak out about the violence that's turned the sport into little more than UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) on ice.

This year, head shots and fighting resulted in countless injuries and suspensions and even threatened the careers of two of the NHL's star players, Sidney Crosby and Marc Savard. But no one is speaking out, except Lemieux. It's difficult to change attitudes and go against the “old boys club”, but change is just plain necessary. If top management and ownership were on board, the culture of hockey would change easily, but they're not. There's no fighting in Olympic hockey, the rules won’t allow it. Even the NFL (the best run sports organization in the world in my opinion) changed their rules this year mid-season to diminish violent head hits.  Where there's a will for change, change will happen.

It's my feeling that hockey, when played fast and aggressively (without illegal head shots, checking and holding) is the most beautifully played game in the world. It doesn't need fighting to draw fans, it needs leadership that allows the game to be played the way it was meant to be played. It took courage for Mario Lemieux to speak out. He knew he'd become the target of ridicule, and as a result he's spoken out alone. Unfortunately his singular voice and message was too faint to be heard.

Spring Training is Fun and A Time for Important Questions to be Answered

by Michael Bedard

The Toronto Blue Jays begin spring training on Monday in preparation for what hopes to be a “successful” 2011 baseball season.

Success for the Jays this year can be defined in many ways. The season will be a success if they simply win more games than they lose or can make it through September without losing any of their fine young pitchers to career-threatening injuries. Success would be finding out that Kyle Drabek is the real deal and can become a close substitute for pitching ace Roy Holiday (who left in the trade that brought Drabek to the Jays). Success would be proving that 2010 was an aberration for Aaron Hill and Adam Lind, who really can hit major league pitching consistently, and wasn't an aberration for Jose Bautista, who hopefully was not a one-season-wonder and can be a consistent power threat who hits over .270 in years to come. Success is Travis Snyder fulfilling his potential and playing an above-average left field, hitting with power/average and staying injury-free. Success would be if J.P. Arencibia can hit major league pitching but, more importantly, can catch and handle a pitching staff at the major league level. If Yunel Escobar can shred the “hot dog” label, utilize his athletic potential and become one of the top fielding and hitting shortstops in the majors. If they can have a top-end bullpen without having “the man” as a closer. If John Farrell can manage an entire ball club as effectively as he coached a pitching staff in Boston. Any and all of these things could make the Blue Jays' 2011 season a true success.

None of these “success” benchmarks will or can be achieved in spring training, that determination begins when they start to play baseball games for real on April 1st. Spring training does, however, begin the process that lays the foundation for their accomplishment. So, what are the key questions, the things we should look for when the Blue Jays spring training camp opens and heats up?

First and foremost is who is in the trainer’s room. The Blue Jays played last year relatively injury-free, especially with respect to their pitching staff. Manager Cito Gaston and pitching coach Bruce Walton went to great lengths to protect their young pitchers from throwing too many pitches during a game or throwing too many innings during the season. Hopefully their efforts will pay off and as the pitchers loosen up, lengthen and strengthen their arms, they are not sidelined with any significant tenderness indicating tendinitis or worse.

Second, can Adam Lind move his feet well enough to play first base? A big part of a pitcher's game is how well the team plays defence behind them. If Adam Lind makes the conversion from DH to 1st base effortlessly that will allow him to focus better at the plate. If he slumps at the plate, as he did last year, that, in turn, could affect his fielding and we could see a lot more of Edwin Encarnacion playing first base, a position that he has not played before on the major league level.

Third, which of the three newly acquired, “back of the bull pen” relievers will take charge and try to become “the man”? Jon Rouch, Octavio Dotel and Frank Francisco will all be given a chance to show that they can fulfill this role. If they don’t, then it could be closer-by-committee, which often leads to inconsistency and blown games. This would not be good for the emotional confidence and stability of the young starting pitching.

Fourth, can “small ball” replace “long ball” effectively so the Jays have a more consistent offense? Replacing the 72 homers produced by Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and John Buck collectively last year will not be easy, even if acquired-centre-fielder Rajai Davis steals 50 bases like he did last year. To be productive, the team will have to acquire a new offensive mindset and polish up on the fundamental skills of bunting, hitting behind the runner and taking the extra base. These are the skills that they haven't shown to be very proficient at in the last few years.

Fifth, who will become the new “in the club house” leader? For the most part, baseball players govern and manage themselves. Usually one or two veteran players will step up and set the tone and atmosphere in the club house. They lead by example on how the players will prepare and handle themselves as the season unfolds. By trading away Shawn Marcum and Vernon Wells, a huge leadership void has been created, and over the course of 162 games that void can swallow up and destroy an entire ball club. Aaron Hill and Ricky Romero are the two obvious choices to fill these leadership roles, but that just adds additional stress/responsibility to a player who is trying to rebound from a sub par offensive season and another who is beginning only his third full season as a major league pitcher.

These questions illustrate what spring training is all about: getting in shape but staying healthy; learning new skills; finding out who will step forward and fill in the gaps in the lineup; developing team cohesiveness offensively, defensively and, most importantly, in the club house. You don’t win the World Series in the spring, but you certainly can start putting the pieces together effectively so, when the “boys of summer” begin to play for real, they can make a legitimate run for the playoffs. For this reason alone, spring training is always fun and an important time to watch.

Green Bay Should Have a Super Bowl

by Michael Bedard

Green Bay should have a Super Bowl. I don't mean that they need to win a Super Bowl (they've done that already, 3 times), I'm saying they need to host one. That's right, the biggest spectacle in sports should be held in tiny Green Bay Wisconsin, population 98,476. This year, Super Bowl XLV is being held in Dallas, Texas (population 1,187,603), in the brand new 1.2 billion dollar Cowboy Stadium (capacity over 100,000). In comparison, Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers have made their home since 1957, has a seating capacity of only 73,128 (after its 2003 renovation). However, it's hard to ignore the significance of a #1 rating, something Lambeau Field earned in both 2008 and 2009 for best “Game Day” experience from both ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

Unfortunately, the Super Bowl isn’t about “the game” but more about “the event”. This means that the decision on where the Super Bowl is held is not based on stadium conditions or size or even weather conditions (the weather forecast for Green Bay on Super Bowl Sunday is 30ᵒ F with 20% chance of snow showers), but on infrastructure. Does the host city have enough hotel rooms? Are the airport and transit system (I am not even sure Green Bay has these) equipped to handle the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come, not to see the game in person, but to be part of the pre and post game festivities. Because of this, Green Bay, even with its rich NFL history (Green Bay played in and won the first two Super Bowls ever and the trophy is named after legendary Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi), will never host the Super Bowl.

This is a shame for not just the faithful Green Bay fans (of whom there are tons- all season tickets have been sold out since 1960 and there is a waiting list of 81, 000 with an estimated waiting time of 30 years) but to all die-hard, purist football fans. Lambeau Field is to football what Yankee Stadium is to baseball. It deserves to host a Super Bowl. Many of the infrastructure concerns could be accommodated by twining “the event” with the city of Milwaukee, which is only 186 Km away. Where there's a will there's a way to make it work, it's just a matter of putting “the game” ahead of “the event”. If the city of Green Bay is good enough to host the NFC title game, it's good enough to host the Super Bowl. The only difference is that you'll need your goose feathered winter parka rather than your golf shorts to enjoy it. But who cares, we're football fans.

The Chess Master Strikes Again

by Michael Bedard

Less than a week after the blockbuster trade of Vernon Wells, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos (whom I'm now dubbing "the chess master") was at it again. This time he flipped newly acquired Catcher/1st Basement/DH Mike Napoli to the Texas Rangers for relief pitcher Frank Francisco (6-4, 3.76 ERA, 2 saves in 56 relief appearances) and cash. This trade, though surprising, was not completely unexpected. A chess master is always looking a few moves ahead, something Anthopoulos proved yet again to be one of his strongpoints in his news conference this week after the Francisco trade. Knowing that there had been a number of clubs contacting the Angels about Napoli's availability before the Jays acquired him, Anthopoulos made the trade for Napoli with the possibility of another one never far from his mind.

Anthopoulos has made it his mission to protect his young starting rotation from physical burnout and emotional frustration. Last year, the Jays implemented two strategies to physically protect their starters. The first was a ceiling on pitchcount (a starter generally threw no more than 100-110 pitches a game). The second, was limiting the number of innings they would pitch for the season (that's why they shut down Brandon Morrow last September, he reached a pre-determined number of innings for the season).

This year, Anthopoulos has made moves to alleviate the stress of blown save opportunities: he's rebuilt his bull pen. First, he let closer Kevin Gregg and left hand specialist Scott Downs go as free agents to collect draft picks and save money (The Blue Jays now have 8 of the first 80 picks in this year’s entry draft). Next, he's traded for and signed a slew of veteran relievers with closing experience: Octavio Dotel (37, 3-4, 4.08 ERA, 22/28 saves, 75 Ks in 64 innings), Jon Rouch (32, 3-1 3.12 ERA, 21/25 saves, 46 Ks in 57 innings), as well as Francisco. Though none of them are “the closer” all true post-season contenders must have, they do give 1st year manager John Farrell some depth to play with in the pen.

Rouch and Francisco are especially interesting acquisitions. Last year Rouch started as the Minnesota Twins' closer after their premier closer Joe Nathan had season-ending elbow surgery. Rouch did pretty well and that experience should add to his effectiveness this year. Francisco is even more interesting. He was “the closer” for Texas in 2009 and posted 25 saves in 29 opportunities. Though he lost his closer position in 2010 to AL Rookie of the Year Alex Feliz, he is a proven major league closer. An added bonus is Francisco’s effectiveness against left handed batters. Last year, lefties only batted .205 against him and over the course of his career he has held them to a very respectable .215 average. This will complement and relieve some of the load on the Jays left handed specialist David Purcey.

Anthopoulos has also acquired a number of other proven middle inning relievers such as Carlos Villanuva (who had 67 K’s in 52 innings last year). There are holdovers from last year’s team; Casey Janssen, Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Josh Roenicke, and Jesse Carlson, as well, as lefty Jo Jo Reyes, (acquired in the Escarbar trade) and Chad Cordero (who is returning from shoulder surgery but posted 47 saves in 2005 with the Washington Nationals).

Though that most sought-after commodity “the closer” remains elusive, the chess master has strengthened and added depth to the Blue Jays bullpen,  something that will definitely serve the team well over the marathon 162-game season. The Francisco trade is just one more example of Anthopulos thinking ahead to fill a void and protect his most-prized asset, his young and talented starting pitching.

Looking ahead, I have to think that Anthopoulos is going to address the third base position next; I think he'd prefer to keep Jose Bautista in right field. Stay tuned, there is surely more to come from The Chess Master.

Thoughts on the Vernon Wells Trade

by Michael Bedard

Alex Anthopoulos did what many people considered impossible, he traded Vernon Wells. The centre fielder is very talented but very expensive ($86 million over the next 4 years), aging (32) but still productive (.273, 31 HR, 88 RBI in 2010) and a three-time All Star. Wells went to the Angels in exchange for 29-year-old Catcher/1st Baseman/DH Mike Napoli (.238, 26 HR, 68 RBI in 2010) and 32-year-old Outfielder Juan Rivera ( .252, 15 Hr, 52 RBI in 2010).

To be sure, this is a salary dump. Napoli and Rivera together will cost the Jays approximately $11 million this year versus $23 million for Wells. After that, Napoli will have one more season of arbitration eligibility which will result in a salary range of $6 to 8 million; Rivera will be a free agent and off the books. This results in a total salary savings of about $68 million over the course of Wells' contract.

Anthopoulos, in his post trade interviews, admitted that financial considerations where a major factor in making this trade. What this means is that he has more financial flexibility to sign two of his young pitchers, Brandon Morrow and Brent Cecil to long term contracts. If we use the contract negotiated with Ricky Romero last summer as a template ($30.1 million over the next 5 years) then theoretically he could sign both these promising pitchers for the amount saved by trading Wells. Smart?? It is if you're an accountant for Rogers Communications (who own the Jays). But, in my opinion, it's not so smart if you're trying to build a team to compete in 3-5 years, the very thing Antropoulos has been touting as his principal goal since he was named General Manager little over a year ago.

Napoli and Rivera are solid, but neither are All-Star-quality position players. They do give the Jays' manager John Farrell more lineup flexibility and depth, which is important... if you're trying to be a contender THIS year. But that's not Anthopoulos’ supposed goal; if it was, he wouldn't have traded Shaun Marcum for a prospect who's at least 1-2 years away from making the team. Anthopoulos compromised himself with this trade to meet budget constraints. In doing so, he's weakened his team this year AND lost an opportunity to continually build the Jays for the future.

Let me explain. First of all, the Jays are weaker this year without Wells in centre field and the middle of the lineup. Second, by trading him for 2 established-but-not-extraordinary major leaguers rather than for 1 of the Angels' top prospects, he lost an opportunity to strengthen his club in the long-term. Anthopoulos has stated that his goal is to build his team for the future, so that he has a potential All Star at each position. This trade does not accomplish that.

If it is true (and I suspect it is since Anthopoulos has been very honest in his interviews in the past) that the Angels and other teams pursued Wells “aggressively”, then it makes sense that the Angels, or another team, would have been willing to give up 1 of their top prospects to acquire him. This would have weakened the Blue Jays this year for sure, but it would have resulted in increased salary savings and a bigger upside in the future.

Alex Anthopoulos has built up a lot of goodwill with the Blue Jays fan base in the short time that he's been GM. He's made a lot of shrewd deals and, to his credit, seems to approach many of his trades and signings like a chess master thinking 3 or 4 moves ahead.

Unfortunately, I don’t see that potential with this trade. It's difficult to believe that any team, near the trade deadline, would be willing to give up a top minor league prospect for either Napoli or Rivera. However, let's cut the guy some slack, it's possible that Anthopoulos is considering his willingness to trade top catching prospect, J.P. Arencibia (who is major league ready) for a top-line minor league prospect who's 2-3 years away from the big leagues. He did this last year when he sent Brett Wallace to Houston in exchange for Anthony Gose, who's still 1-2 years away from being major league material. I've always suspected Anthopolos wasn't convinced Arencibia would be the Blues Jays' future catcher. The Jays are strong in the minors with catching prospects Travis d’Arnaud (double A) and Carlos Perez (high single A). Naploi gives him the flexibility to make this type of trade.

Anthopoulos has earned my respect so far, and you can never truly predict how any trade will work out.  But, until proven otherwise, I'm convinced this trade, was made solely to strengthen the organization's financial bottom line, rather than strengthening the actual team now or in the future.

Alex, prove me wrong!

Alomar Gets the Call

90% of voters in the Baseball Writers Association of America wanted Roberto Alomar in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. Every Toronto Blue Jays fan there ever was agrees. And on July 24th of this year, we'll be getting our wish.

In 17 years in the major leagues, Alomar was a 12x All Star and won 10 Golden Gloves, the record at second base (he's in second place for most second base Silver Sluggers with 4). In his 5 years with Toronto he won 2 World Series, maintained a batting average of .308, stole 206 bases and earned 447 runs.

Though he also played for the Padres, the Orioles, the Indians, the Mets, the White Sox and the Diamondbacks, Alomar considers himself a Toronto Blue Jay and that's the uniform he hopes to wear in the Hall of Fame. If that happens, he'll be the first Jay to make it there.

The Game Loses an All-Star Cub

It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Chicago Cub great Ron Santo. The 70-year-old former player and broadcaster died of cancer yesterday in Arizona. For 14 years Santo manned the hot corner, and if it wasn’t for Erin Banks, might be regarded as Mr. Cub. A 5-time Golden Glove winner, Santo hit 342 homeruns with 1,331 RBI in his career and was chosen for the All-Star team no fewer than 9 times. He was a great ball player and an even bigger ambassador for the great game of baseball. He will be missed.

Heating up the Hot Stove... but not without consequences

by Michael Bedard

The Major League winter meetings are next week in Lake Buena Vista Florida and the Hot Stove League has been heated up as they approach.

Detroit has been a major player so far, signing setup man Joaguin Benoit to a three year 16.5 million dollar contract, big bucks for a setup man. Next, they signed a top free agent in catcher/DH Victor Martinez- a 4 year/50 million dollar deal, more big bucks. Not to be outdone, yesterday the Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Adam Dunn to a  4 year/56 million deal. These are three big and expensive signings before the meetings even begin. And before the Yankees join in the fun.

Next week, the focus will be squarely on who will sign left hander Cliff Lee. Certainly the biggest pitching free agent,  Lee's deal will have a domino effect on the price paid to other free agents as well as trades made by teams that lose out in the bidding. The Yankees, of course, and the Texas Rangers are the front runners to land this big fish. It is reported that Lee is looking for something around $23 million per year for 5 years. OUCH! Once this signing is out of the way, other free agents will know what the market will bear and signing and trades will come fast and furious.

The Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletes and Detroit Tigers will all be active participants next week as they attempt to continually upgrade their teams at, what seems to be, any price. Third baseman Adrian Beltre, and outfielders Carl Crawford and Jason Werth will all be hotly and expensively pursued.

The Winter Meetings and the signing of free agents is exciting to read about and for teams that sign free agents it brings instant gratification and enthusiasm to their fan base. But, for teams that cannot afford this financial luxury such as the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals or even our beloved Toronto Blue Jays, it becomes a case of the haves and have not’s and more frustration for their fans as it becomes harder and harder for their these teams to compete.  This is the Achilles heal of Major League Baseball. Teams in smaller markets cannot compete consistently from year to year and as a consequence their fan bases shrink. This is not a sustainable business model and will have a significant impact on fan interest in years to come. If the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox or Philadelphia Phillies are not in the World Series nobody cares. Case in point: the dismal TV ratings for the World Series this year between the Texas Rangers and San Francesco Giants. Could anyone name three players on either team before the series began?

Baseball needs parity, financial parity, if it wants to regain its title from the NFL as America’s game. The Winter Meetings are heating up the Hot Stove, but maybe in the process it's destroying what in fact it is trying to build- enthusiasm for this great game.

2,500 Years of History in 42.2 Kilometers

by Ann Bedard

The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC. Legend says that a soldier named Pheidippiedes ran from the site of the battle to Athens to relay news of the victory of the Greeks over the invading Persians. This legendary run has since inspired millions all over the world to lace up their running shoes and train hard to conquer the classic and challenging distance. The modern race was revived in 1896 in Greece during the first modern Olympic Games, when athletes raced from the Marathon Town to the Panathenaikon Stadium. On October 31, 2010, the 2,500th anniversary of the first marathon run was celebrated with the "Athens Classic Marathon", and my husband and I were fortunate to be among the more than 15, 000 runners and power-walkers who participated.

The festivities began with a celebration of the history of the marathon race at the Zappeion Megaron, the site of the first Olympic Village in 1896. A dramatic telling of the marathon story was followed by awards to legendary marathon runners. On Saturday morning, the archaeological site of the Marathon Tomb was the site of the opening ceremonies and lighting of the marathon flame. The sense of history was palpable.

The race was dedicated to Gregoris Labrakis, a track-and-field champion who organized the first Peace Marathon from Marathon to Athens in 1963. As the 15,000 athletes gathered at the start of the race, this seemed most appropriate, feelings of camaraderie and goodwill permeating the international crowd. I saw several people in costumes, including a few centurions carrying large shields and wearing “armor” and helmets. There was no starting gun, but rather an enthusiastic man shouting “Go, Go, Go!” to notify each wave of runners it was time to start. As we began our long run or walk to the finish line, we were greeted by spectators lining the route, enthusiastically cheering and supporting us in a multilingual wave of positive energy. From the children offering us olive branches to the shouts of “Bravo” from the adults, the spectators were spectacular!

The course started innocuously enough, on a flat route from Marathon Town to the Marathon Tomb. However, by the 7 kilometer mark, we settled in to a steady uphill climb in the hot Greek sunshine. The water stations and medical support were plentiful, which was a good thing. Several participants were seen riding by us in the bus provided by the organizers to assist the people who could not finish. I saw one of the centurions struggle under the added challenge created by his costume. I don’t know if he finished the race. I was hot under a ventilated cap – a helmet would have been beyond me!

The course continued uphill, but afforded us glimpses of the Aegean Sea and gorgeous views of the countryside giving way to storefronts and the urban environment of Athens. At one point, I heard the sounds of a lively trumpet tune, and looked around to see a youngster of about 10 playing for the runners. At the 32 kilometer mark, we started going downhill, a welcome relief, and around 41 kilometers there was shade on the route for the first time. We passed gorgeous government buildings, and when I went by, the soldiers in traditional dress were engaged in the Changing of the Guard – a special treat.

And then, there was the beautiful marble Panathenaikon Stadium before me. Crossing the finish line in this historic site under the Olympic rings was emotional and thrilling, and the beautiful medal a grand reward for the completion of a challenging race.

More Questions than Answers for the Toronto Blue Jays

by Michael Bedard

Alex Anthopoulos, has shown a golden touch in his first year as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. The signing of John Buck as primary catcher was an excellent move; securing Alex Gonzales as shortstop and then flipping him over for a young potential-All Star shortstop in Yunel Escobar was another. However, heading into this off-season Anthopoulos faces much bigger challenges, none more pressing than the heightened expectations he's established for the fans.

As successful as the Blue Jays were in 2010, there are many big questions lingering over the team as they gear up for 2011. Three of the most glaring questions are:

1) Who will play third base? Encarnacion has been released and claimed on waivers by the Oakland A’s, leaving a hole at the hot corner.

2) John Buck has signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins. Who will take Buck's place as the everyday catcher?

3) Who will shore up the back of the bullpen with the departure of Greg, Downs and Frasor?

Anthopoulos has addressed the first question with yesterday's acquisition of Rajai Davis from Oakland. The 30-year-old speedster will bring a decent (if sometimes wild) arm to right field and solid stats to the plate, batting .285 with 50 stolen bases last year in over 150 games. On the surface this addresses two major concerns. First, it adds speed to a batting order dominated by power hitters, always a good thing. Second, it allows Jose Baustista to shift to third base, giving that position a much needed defensive upgrade, an important thing for a team built around solid pitching. The problem with this trade lies in Davis' sub-average OBP of .330, too low for a leadoff batter. To me, this reads as a stop-gap maneuver, a tie-over until highly touted centre field prospect Anthony Gose is major league ready.

The second question seems like an easy fix. JP Arencibia (the Pacific Coast Player-of-the-Year) could be the man for the job. However, Anthopoulos appears to have some reservations about whether he can handle the young pitching staff the Jays have at the major league level. The starting rotation is the team's strength, I don’t think Anthopoulos wants to jeopardize their development with an inexperienced catcher. But Arencibia had done all he can at the minor league level; it's time for him to show what he can do in the majors. The Jays will just have to bite the bullet as he matures into a proven major league catcher.

The third question is going to be more challenging to address. As mentioned, the starting rotation is solid and in my opinion has the potential to be the best in either league (yes, that includes World Series champions San Francisco Giants). Anthopoulos cannot allow a weak back-end bullpen to regularly jeopardize the quality starts that this group will deliver. As it stands right now, Anthopoulos has potentially two in-house pitchers to replace Downs and Frasor: lefty David Purcey, and righty Casey Janssen. Unfortunately, neither has much experience pitching in the 7th and 8th innings, but both showed enough promise in 2010 that they deserve an opportunity to pitch in more meaningful game situations. The real trick will be to find a reliable closer. Kevin Gregg's lack of consistency isn't ideal, but the market for premium closers is very thin. Anthopoulos has tried to pry young potential-closers from the Red Sox and Yankees over the last year, but these teams realize the value of having quality pitchers late in the game and were not interested in giving them up. Anthopoulos may be forced to re-sign Gregg for another year if he is unable to spring a trade for a top-end closer. Otherwise, the team will have to start the season with a closer-by-committee scenario, which, over the long haul, usually does not fare too well. The ability to shorten a game to 6 innings with a solid back-end bullpen is invaluable. This was key to the Yankees' success last year and will be a major hurdle for Anthopoulos to tackle in the off-season.

Alex Anthopoulos and the Jays have three big questions to answer, the hot stove league is just heating up. Stay tuned, everything can change in a moment.