Morning Roundup

Ok, I slept in and this got posted in the afternoon. So sue me.

* Uncle Griff does a very sober Sunday piece that claims ex-Jay hero Carlos Delgado will not begin a political career in his native Puerto Rico after his retirement from baseball. It's worth a look; Delgado may well have been the finest human being to have ever donned a jersey of any sort in the city of Toronto. Griff writes:

Delgado, who left Toronto as a free agent after the 2004 season, is viewed at home as very political. He admits he has been recruited by local parties and officials looking to capitalize on his wealth, fame and social conscience. There are many who believe the sky would be the limit if politics were his desire.

And, in case you'd forgotten:

When the U.S. sent troops to Iraq, he silently protested the decision by refusing to be on the field for the playing of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. When quizzed by the Star's Geoff Baker, he called the decision to invade Iraq "the stupidest war ever." When The New York Times and others picked up on the story, he was roundly booed in appearances at Yankee Stadium. He stayed the course.

Nevertheless, Delgado says he'd much rather continue his charity/humanitarian work than run for office.

It's nice when Griff does this sort of piece where his talents as a writer shine through, reminding us that there was a reason he got hired by the Star so many eons ago. Take this grudging admiration for what it's worth, because I gaurantee you it will be back to business as usual (pandering to the lowest common denominator of the Jays fan base, propagating old baseball cliches that are clearly wrong, bashing JP, etc.) in tomorrow's paper.

* Bastian suggests that Shannon Stewart (the dude, not the scorching hot porno babe) may have been brought in as insurance for the Matt Stairs half of the Johnstairs platoon. Hrm, we just automatically assumed he was to put pressure on Sparky...

* Jesse Litsch has dropped 10-12 lbs over the winter. He's still ginger, though.

* The Ricciardi kids are a chip off the old block. Seriously, I think Marcum comes out of this looking the worst for not paying out on a $100 bet.

* Overbay's hand is apparently feelin' just fine. "Touch wood."

* The Japanese lead the world in robotic animal companion technology and pitches with silly names. Bosox lefty setup man Hideki Okajima, rock solid as he was in 2007, is working on a new pitch called the "doki doki", which apparently translates as "makes me nervous." Is this pitch a middle-aged man reading a pornographic manga comic on a crowded train? Only time will tell...

* Sandy Koufax is still alive!

ELSEWHERE:

Our second Southpaw poll has closed and you, the fans, have decided by a narrow margin that "Consequences be damned. Let the m'f'er run out" on the AJ Burnett Opt-Out Doomsday Clock. As usual, results will be forwarded to JP's blackberry.

Thanks for participating!

-- Johnny Was