http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2012/0 ... thopoulos/One of these days Alex Anthopoulos will be initiated into the glorious world of running a professional sports franchise in Toronto.
Which is to say, at some point -- or at least until the Toronto Blue Jays can show evident signs of progress -- he will have his intelligence questioned, his character found lacking and his baseball acumen shredded.
And that will come from those who think he's doing a half-decent job.
Fortunately the Jays' general manager is aware of this, and unruffled at the prospect.
"It's just like being an athlete," he says of the scrutiny that comes with his role. "If you perform, everyone loves you and if don't perform, you get booed. It comes with the territory. It's not easy, but it's not personal, it's the position and it's about the result. If no one cared, you'd have a problem."
For all the talk about a farm system poised to churn out major league talent, the Jays are fourth in their division and are four games behind Tampa Bay for the second American League wild card, having lost five of their last six, and two starters -- Drabek and Brandon Morrow -- to injury.
The season is slipping away, arguably. And while the farm system is loaded, the best player in the organization is Jose Bautista who is 31 and wasting another massive season on a team struggling to play .500 baseball.
Is it time to act?
Anthopoulos swears he won'tbe swayed by popular opinion -- although at this stage there remains considerable patience for his approach. But should that change, don't expect that Anthopoulos will.
"We want to win, but we can't force it," he said. "I told myself I would never make a move that's a selfish move that will work in the short-term or soothe my ego. You're a steward of the club, so if you have to suffer some short-term pain for the good of the organization, you do."
