Mo Money, Mo Problems

The LA Dodgers are rumored to have lost interest in free agent catcher Bengie Molina, leaving Toronto as Bengie's likely final destination. My how fast the man's stock has dropped. The day Paul Lo Duca was traded to the Mets was the day that Bengie's value dropped significantly. Bengie's been quoted as saying that he'll be happy to sit the year out if he doesn't get the cheddar he's looking for, which is rumored to be in the $6-7 million per year range. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, only time will tell. Now, I don't claim to be a rocket scientist, and my friends and family will certainly be the first people to tell you I'm not, but even I know that something is better than nothing. And how can Bengie, or his agent for that matter, think that taking the year off is going to get him that kind of money. Toronto has a "supposed" offer on the table for a 1 year deal worth $4 million. Bengie, what are you waiting for? Sign your name on the dotted line. It's not going to get any better.
If the Jays land Molina, they no doubt will be one of the most improved teams in 2006. JP Ricciardi has had an impressive offseason by adding Ryan, Overbay, Burnett and Glaus. The Jays are already a legitimate contender for the East crown though I don't think they have all the pieces to win the division. If Halladay remains healthy, the Jays could very easily place second. You can probably make an argument that the jays have what it takes to win the East, but I don't think they're quite there. If Ricciardi is committed to spending the cash as he says he is, they may be a year or two away from getting back to the postseason. The East is shaping up to be a hotly contested division. We can expect a lot of excitement.
i do have one gripe with the Jays. I guess you can say I'm a partial season ticket holder to the Jays as I have the 10 game flex pack, mainly to see the Jays take on the Yankees. One of the perks of being a season ticket holder was I had the ability to attend an exclusive autograph session up at the Rogers Centre. Being the autograph hound that I am, I was excited at this opportunity. I'm thinking they'll have their new acquisitions, maybe if were lucky Halladay would be there. So I leave work early, make the short 1.5 hour drive to Toronto. The drive was a breeze so I got there much earlier than expected. I stopped in to the Hard Rock Cafe, and dropped about $25 on a burger and 2 beers. I thought I'd need a second mortgage. Anyway, the session was being held in the Jays clubhouse. That was kind of cool to see. I get down there to find that the Jays have 4 people signing autographs. 4 people?? That's it? Wait, it gets better. Only 1 was a current Blue Jay, and that was Josh Towers (and I already had his autograph). Next up was Cito Gaston. That was kind of cool. He was the skipper of the 2 World Series teams. After Cito was the first Canadian inducted into the HOF, Fergie Jenkins. I would have been really excited to get an HOFers auto, but I already had 2 signed balls by him, so I got a 3rd. Now for the best part. Last but certainly by no means least...I take that back...by all means least....Kevin Elster??? Umm. Someone want to explain that one to me? You couldn't get any other Jays, so you dug up Kevin Elster?? Someone said he's related to a guy in marketing, but still, Kevin Elster? ***??? And to top it off, I already had his autograph. What a waste of time!! The US Custom Officer had a nice chuckle when I explained to him where I was and what it was like. If it weren't for the extra alcohol in Canadian beer, the trip would have been a total waste.
I did get a chance to ask Fergie what his feelings were about Bruce Sutter being the only one inducted into the Hall (the signing was the same day as the results). He said he was disappointed that only one guy made it in and he thought that others were Hall-worthy. We shared the same opinion. But I'll save that for another entry.
Thanks for reading. Or thanks for not reading...I have no idea if anyone reads any of this. But it's fun to write, and that's what I draw enjoyment from.
J
ps- What up Koob? We'll have to hit up Dunn Tire this summer so I can snag you some more balls.