ALEX RIOS MAKES BLOOPER REEL; WHERE'S LONNIE SMITH WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

In 22 years of watching Blue Jays baseball, that was a first, and considering that span has included watching George Bell and Jose Canseco have the outfield play them, that's saying something.

Sure, the Red Sox were due for their luck to change, but this was ridiculous. Right-fielder Alex Rios turned a warning-track fly ball into the game-winning home run in Boston's 6-4 win, by dropping Alex Cora's deep fly, then slapping it over the fence when he tried to recover by bare-handing the ball. It was Cora's first homer since Aug. 15, 2005. So not only did Alex Rios commit the biggest fielding gaffe in Jays history, but the guy who got the gift homer hadn't hit one since people still had confidence in FEMA.

There's an item for J.P. Ricciardi's to-do list: Find Lonnie (Skates) Smith, wherever he is, and bring him in to teach Rios "Defensive Recovery and Cost Containment." (Hat tip to Bill James.)

Can't remember who Rob Neyer picked as the right-fielder on the Jays' "Iron Glove" team in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups, but if he's revising it, Rios probably earned the spot.

Oh, well. At least Rios' goof-up took attention away from the fact that even with ace Roy Halladay pitching, the Jays beat themselves (three double plays grounded into) against a team that trotted out a spring training-esque lineup and was so enthused about their scheduled starting pitcher that they traded him 3,000 miles away before the game. (David Wells was sent to San Diego, to be exact.)

Just another day in the life of the Blue Jays, eh. That's baseball. There's always a game the next day, but if the remnants of tropical storm Ernesto could move up the Eastern seaboard quickly and cause a rainout at Fenway tonight, it would be much appreciated.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.