RealGM

Personally I've had issues with Rogers for quite some time, not only because they refuse to spend the amount we expect them to, but also because Rogers' content is very frustrating, seemingly put together via focus group, forced, and lacking subtly and charm.

This article is particularly good, think everyone should give it a read:

http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2014/04/0 ... bad-faith/

Excellent article. Hopefully, if this season tanks, the paying customer won't be so slow in abandoning the team. The more obvious fan discontent, as measured at the gate and in the ratings, the better. Rogers can't use a salary cap as an excuse as the Jays are still well below any cap/tax concerns.

Article was right on the mark. Stoeten has certainly come a long way from the days I used to call him a Rogers apologist and debate these points with him.

It seems like the only thing that could break this cycle is a surprise successful season. Otherwise, we're looking at the same outcome of the JP era.

Right on the money, especially about "ownership directive". Rogers has dramatically increased payroll twice in the last 10 years; once after a 67 win season (plus Delgado leaving) and the other after a 73 win season (plus Farrell 'humiliating' the organization). Ricciardi spent a few years cutting payroll and drafting college talent, only for ownership to say "here's $210M over the next three years, spend it or lose it". Of course he's going to spend it, but that contradicted everything he had done previously. Same thing happened to AA. Spent three years building up the farm and hyping up the need to develop power arms, only to trade half his farm system for veterans; two of which are slow tossing starters (Dickey/Buehrle) and the other was losing velocity due to an untreated shoulder issue. This article also confirms a suspicion I had before, and that was AA's 2012 off-season was ownership-influenced rather than something he decided to do because of circumstances.

Any new GM hired will have to really hit a home run with trades and make the team a contender in two years. Otherwise it will lead to the same result (i.e. trade veterans, hype up young players for two years, and then suddenly boost the payroll by $40M in one off-season when team isn't ready for it).

I'm sure that Rogers has their money numbers down tight. But they're sleeping on fans like me. I'm not as hard core a baseball fan as many of you. After watching lots of basketball, some hockey, and a little football (NFL and CFL) I'm not that interested in sports come July and August. It's nice outside and I wouldn't mind giving my eyes a break. That said I grew up on baseball. I'm from BC but the Jays and Expos were huge. As big as the Canucks to me as a kids in ways. But if they are out of the playoffs by July I'm out. I'll watch casually but not nearly as much as if they are in the running. And we all love to watch a winner.

In short, I hope they get it together soon.

He is right, of course, but how can anyone read through any of his articles? His prose style is intolerable. All those little hipster cutesies of sarcasm and punctuation are a bit much.