Getting back to Atkins, I'm growing impatient with some of the voices on Toronto's sports radio shows, whining over how these offseason moves have "ruined" the Jays, or that they're somehow worse now that two of the main architects from the Cleveland Indians are running the show. Like, "oh, what have they accomplished there, what could they possibly do to improve our awesome team? this is terrible news"
Ok, look.
Before this year, Toronto had 22 consecutive seasons of mediocrity. 22 years of craptastic baseball that left them the laughingstock of Toronto sports for many years. Anthopoulos, before him Ricciardi, before him Gord Ash, all with zero playoff games with the Jays until 2015.
They have one good season (or, half-season, really, being a .500 team for the first 100 games), make a strong go of it in the playoffs, lose an ace starting pitcher after some issues with mismanagement and a desire to look elsewhere, and now all of a sudden the sky is falling?
I have no problem whatsoever with what Mark Shapiro is doing, or with the new guy he's tabbed as GM of the team. I'm optimistic, actually, for the first time in a loooooong time. I've already accepted the fact that tickets will cost more.....that's just Rogers taking advantage of what is finally an enticing product, and I don't blame them for it.
But for some radio shock jocks to just bash the Indians as a wasteland that has somehow tainted their beloved Blue Jays, whom they crapped on for years prior to this one? It's getting tiresome. Give 'em a chance and see how they can build off of that one successful season.
