Okay, blindsided may be a stretch as it was expected by most whom have followed this case, but it was a gutless move any way you slice it. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that someone as classless as Bertuzzi would attempt to drag his former coach under the bus with him, with a 38 million dollar lawsuit behind the wheel of said bus. It’s incredible how quickly the “all for one, one for all” attitude that athletes and teams pride themselves in goes flying out the window when money is on the line.

It may be worthwhile to point out that although Crawford is now officially a defendant in the lawsuit alongside Bertuzzi (and thus on the hook for a percentage of a potential settlement) it’s quite possible that the judge hearing the case could deem that Crawford bears no responsibility for what happened while Bertuzzi does — and I hope that’s how this unfolds.

At what point is a player solely responsible for his own actions? This analogous to the mantra of “If someone tells you to jump off a bridge, would you?”, excecpt in much more vague terms. Crawford’s defense to this claim is simple — “pay the price” does not mean blindside him and drive his face into the ice. It’s too ambiguous. Bertizzi’s claim? If he didn’t listen to his coach, he is hurting his chances of future employment as he will be labeled as a player who doesn’t follow orders from his superiors. What about Moore’s chances for future employment, you self-centered pompous asshole? I’m sure the entire 2007-2008 Los Angeles Kings roster can provide enough proof that nobody listens to Crawford anyway.

The sad part is I think Bertuzzi knows he’s streching with this move, but will roll the dice regardless because at the very least it slows the entire judicial process down. Instead of determining if Bertuzzi is in fact guilty (which is pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point, due to the criminal conviction) and subsequently determining a monetary value to be payed to Moore, the court must now first determine if Crawford is to bear some of the responsibility. As if this case hasn’t been dragged out long enough.

There are no real winners in this case. Just a bunch of shady characters throwing the blame at each other like a drug dealer cutting a deal with prosecutors, folding like a pup-tent on his partners in crime for a reduced sentence. Okay, I may have watched “Blow” recently — but that’s exactly what this is. It’s pathetic and disgusting, and it’s no surprise that the only person who’s acted like an adult through all of this is Moore.

 Pitching Rotation

Roy Halladay

Halladay had a better 2007 than his 16-7 record suggests. Halladay only recieved the decision in 23 of his 31 starts, and it seemed that every night he toed the rubber the Jays offense was invisible. He lacked run support for the majority of his starts, and I distinctly remember a stretch of starts mid-season where he wasn’t in position to receive the win as he left the game in 7th or 8th inning in a low score tie. If the off-season changes provide the result that JP hopes, he could easily return with a 20-win season.

AJ Burnett

This could be Burnett’s last season in a Jays uniform. Rumor has it that he is considering his opt-out clause for the 2009 season — and I can’t blame him. When he came to Toronto he was a career .500 pitcher well known for injury problems. What has he been in Toronto? A career .500 pitcher with injury problems. He’s been exactly what he always has been, nothing less, nothing more, yet the media has been highly critical of his inability to stay healthy. Recently, the media had a field-day when he tore his finger nail on his car door, preventing him from using his curve-ball in Spring Training. I’m not saying the media and fans don’t have the right to be critical of him, especially with his salary, but to expect him to make 32 starts a season with 20 wins is unfair when his career numbers show otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, when he’s hot — he’s hot. His curve ball is nasty, and he’s nearly un-hittable. When he’s not hot, it almost as if he’s telling the batter what pitch is coming next. It’s like he has some sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona. That being said, you need to expect more than a 10-8 record over 25 starts from your number 2 pitcher if you are to compete in the AL East. He may very well turn out to be the weakest link out of this year’s starting 5.

Dustin McGowan

One of the few bright spots of 2007. With 27 starts and a 12-10 record, he is a very solid pitcher at the 3-spot. My only concern is that because he has solidified his place on the pitching staff, he won’t pitch with the same intensity as he did last year, when he was pitching with that mentality that each game could be his last. Jays fans are all too familiar with Josh Towers going down that road, when in the 2005 and 2006 seasons Towers dropped from 13-12 to 2-10.

Shaun Marcum

Much like McGowan, he had an outstanding rookie season as a starting pitcher with a 12-6 record and 25 starts. He will need to repeat last season’s performance if the Jays wish to compete with the two super-powers of the AL East.

Jesse Litsch

Although he had an up and down rookie season, he finished with a respectable 7-9 record over 20 starts. If he can continue to improve his game and become a .500 pitcher or better he will complete what could possibly be the most dominant starting rotation in the entire American League.

 Bullpen / Relief Pitching

I don’t feel the need to dissect each pitcher, as the Jays’ bullpen is, for the most part, unchanged from last year. The bullpen took a hit with the season ending injury to Janssen in Spring Training, but the return of closer BJ Ryan will shift Accardo back to the set-up role, which should provide a dominant 1-2 punch in the 8th and 9th innings. Downs, Frasor, League, Tallet and Wolfe round out the bullpen. 

Infield

1st base – Lile Overbay

2007 is a year Overbay would like to forget. He spent a good chunk of the season on the DL with a broken hand which greatly hampered his offensive abilities. His average dropped from .312 in 2006 to .240 in 2007. He is the first of several Jays who fall into the category of players who need to return to their 2006 form if the Blue Jays are to see post-season action.

2nd base – Aaron Hill

Hill had an outstanding year, both offensively and defensively. He improved his power game dramatically, hitting 17 home-runs, up from 6 in 2006 and 3 in 2005. Look for more of the same from Hill this year.

Short Stop – David Eckstein

I had a tough time swallowing the Eckstein signing. McDonald is absolutely incredible defensively, and JP subsequently rewarded him with a 3.8 million, 2-year contract extension. Yes, Eckstein is a tangible improvement at the plate, but on pure entertainment value I would prefer to watch McDonald at shortstop every night. Eckstein may turn out to be the overall better choice, but as a fan it’s disheartening to see a player like McDonald lose his starting roster spot. He’s constantly battled to remain in the line-up, and outplayed everybody that JP threw in-front of him. He was finally rewarded for his efforts, only to have it taken away by a desperate GM looking to save face.

 3rd base – Scott Rolen

Traded straight up in the off-season for Troy Glaus. Both players have been known for their inability to stay healthy, so it was a roll of the dice for both the Jays and Cardinals. Unfortunately for the Jays, Rolen couldn’t even survive Spring Training. He is expected to miss Opening Day and the first 1-2 weeks of the season due to a broken finger and torn fingernail he sustained during fielding practice. He doesn’t have the same pop in his bat that Glaus has, but he’s a defensive improvement and provides a more consistent plate presence. His numbers dropped tangibly from 2006 to 2007, so you can safely plunk Rolen into the category of players who need to return to their 2006 form.

Catcher – Gregg Zaun / Rod Barajas

Once again the Jays do not have a solid, number 1 catcher — instead fans are left watching a 1a-1b tandem, although I am tempted to call this a 2a-2b rotation. Zaun; combined with the starting rotation’s inability to hold runners close to the bag amounts to nothing short of a defensive disaster. He has 0 ability to throw out even the slowest of base-stealers, and teams with speed will continue to be the bane of the Blue Jays existence. Zaun’s biggest asset is his baseball ‘smarts’, and his ability to call games effectively. He also works well with Halladay and the young 3-5 starters. That being said, a pitching staff of the Jays quality deserves a true #1 catcher. I would have preferred that JP went out and addressed the team’s primary need, but alas, addressing minor needs and ignoring major flaws has been a recurring theme with JP.

Outfield

Right Field – Alex Rios

Not much needs to be said about Rios. Expectations are that Rios will repeat his performance from last year and hit close to .300 with 90+ RBIs and 25HRs.

Center Field – Vernon Wells

Expectations are high for the gold glove outfielder. He played most of 2007 through shoulder problems, and it showed. He posted career worsts in nearly every statistic imaginable. He needs to return to form, and a half-baked improvement over last season won’t cut it. He needs to return with numbers similar to his 2006 campaign, or better yet, bounce back with a career season.

Right Field – Shannon Stewart

I have mixed feelings on the decision to let Johnson walk in favour of Stewart. My biggest concern is that Stewart had no desire to initially return to Toronto – he only chose to when he realized no other teams were interested in his services. Although Stewart is a career .300 batter, he is on the downside of his career and I am not convinced he can put up those kinds of offensive numbers anymore. He is a serious defensive liability, and I cringe at the thought of speedy teams testing his flimsy arm. That being said, he adds some much needed speed to a team that has few runners capable of stealing bases in a game of small-ball.

Bench Players

DH - Frank Thomas

Although he had respectable numbers in 2007, he saw a reduction in RBIs and HRs from his 2006 season despite making it to the plate 65 more times. He was inconsistent, and went through several slumps which hurt the team. Age is starting to take it’s toll on the big slugger, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how effective he will be.

1st base / LF – Matt Stairs

Matt Stairs will likely see the majority of his time at RF, splitting time with Stewart provided that Overbay stays healthy at 1st base. He was a pleasant surprise off the bench last year, playing much more than initially expected due to the lengthy injuries to Johnson and Overbay. Not only did he play much more than expected, but he played well, hitting .289 with 64 RBIs and 21HRs in only 357 plate appearances. He became a very patient hitter, walking 44 times, partially due to pitchers’ unwilingness to throw anything close to the plate. I think Jays fans fell head over heels for their fellow Canadian, but I can’t help but question if he will be able to repeat his 2007 performance as he approaches the age of 40.

Shortstop / 3B – John McDonald

As mentioned, “Magic-Mac” appears to have been removed from his daily duties at shortstop in favour of Eckstein. He’s a solid left infielder that can also play 3rd base, giving Rolen and Eckstein rest as needed. He will also be used as a defensive substitution when the Jays need to hold onto a 1 or 2 run lead late in games.

That rounds out the key players on this years Jays roster. If the players in the ‘class of 2006′ can return to form and the team can avoid significant injury, the Jays could be a dark-horse contender for October baseball. Unfortunately, I don’t think everything will go as planned — there’s simply too many pieces that need to fall into place. There’s been an excuse for the team’s shortfalls each year, with a bunch of ‘ifs’ piled on, and this year is no different. JP has been serving up the same glass of kool-aid ever since he arrived, and I’m reluctant to buy it again.

The Jays were blessed with the emergence of McGowan, Marcum and Litsch when the likes of Towers, Chacin and Ohka fizzled last season. That same luxury isn’t present this year. If more than one of those 3 young starters falls to injury or fails to repeat last season’s performance, this team will be in serious trouble. JP sacrificed defense at SS and LF in order to add some consistancy at the plate, which may turn out to be a good thing if Eckstein and Stewart are able to play decent defensive games. Again, that’s another big ‘if’, especially in the case of Stewart. Last season the Jays offense was built for the ‘big inning’. They were built around power hitting. With less power in this year’s lineup I expect to see more small-ball, however this team doesn’t have the speed, or ability to throw out base-stealers to play that type of game each night.

Prediction: 88-74, 2nd in AL East, 2GB of WildCard

The Remparts were losing 7-1 during the second period of game two of their first round tilt. It’s not uncommon for shit to hit the fan in a one-sided game, especially in the CHL. On top of that, the rivalry between these two teams, both on and off the ice, is no secret to fans of the QMJHL. In January of 2007, Chicoutimi fans reportedly blocked Quebec players from boarding their bus after a game. While attempting to disperse the crowd, Patrick Roy threw a punch at one agitated fan. Charges were initially filed against Roy, but subsequently dropped after an apology.

With Saturday’s game out of hand late in the second period, a brawl broke out the in Remparts zone following a collision between two players. With all 10 skaters squaring off, I can only assume adrenaline and the desire to spark his team got the better of Jon Roy. Goalie fights are nothing new to hockey, with Patrick being involved in two legendary battles against the Red Wings in the midst of one of the greatest hockey rivalries in modern hockey history. Jon Roy proceeded to skate towards Chicoutimi goaltender Bobby Nadeau. A referee initially held him up around centre ice, but Roy broke free and removed his helmet, trapper, and blocker in preparation to fight. He skated the remaining distance of this ice and the following occured.

On several hockey forums I frequent people have been lambasting Jon for attacking an unwilling participant, and even going as far as to suggest permanently banning both Patrick and Jon from the QMJHL, because reportedly father Patrick ordered his son to attack the other goaltender. Ridiculous!

Put yourself in Nadeau’s crease. What was he thinking?! A full out line-brawl was occurring, and you’re going to sit in your crease, lean up against the net, and do nothing all while the opposing goaltender removes his equipment and proceeds to barrel down the length of the ice?! Did he think that Roy was coming over to talk politics? Did Nadeau think that he was a chameleon? Did he think that if he stood still long enough Roy wouldn’t be able to see him?  If you don’t want to fight, fine – at least make an attempt to defend yourself and hold on to the other fighter’s sweater in order to prevent him from unleashing a dozen or so clean punches.

Roy had no idea that Nadeau wasn’t going to fight back, much less refuse to even defend himself. The only thing that Roy did that was slightly reprehensible was to throw punches at Nadeau while he was on the ice, however cheap-shots like that happen all the time, especially throughout the CHL. That doesn’t justify Roy’s actions, but I’ve attended OHL games and witnessed two players attack one downed player in the midst of a brawl. I’ve seen players take 5 or more punches while on the ice – while the refs do nothing. I’ve seen non-fighters forced to fight after a teammate delivered a hard, but legitimate body-check.

People often forget that these are, for the most part, 16-18 year old kids. For most of them, junior hockey is the pinnacle of their hockey career. Others sit precariously on a fence, not knowing if they will strike it rich and live out their dream of playing in the NHL, or fizzle in the AHL and subsequently live a life of normalcy much like the rest of us. Most of these kids play on the edge, and the pressure they face from fans as well as each other is enormous, and every now and then these kids will crack under that pressure, leading them to cross the line.

More importantly, the only reason this incident has become such a hot topic amongst hockey fans is because of the name on the back of his sweater. Every other CHL brawl goes unnoticed to those not in the arena, yet this incident headlined the Sunday version of the Global National News. If it was any other CHL goalie fans wouldn’t even care, much less the media.