I'm no J.P. Ricciardi fan, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Adam Dunn is a bit of a punk.
Yes, we get it. You don't know him. You're a big, important man and he's not. Got it. Uh-huh.
Ricciardi tried to get his phone number. Dunn refused to give it out when asked by Reds GM Walt Jockety. Now he says he's sick of answering questions about it.
Hey Adam: Get over yourself. Had you taken the phone call it would have been over. Now, we get another day of it because you couldn't resist slinging a bit more mud.
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Yeah! He should've just said he called JP Ricciardi even though it's now clear that JP was lying.
How dare he try and deny making phone calls he didn't make. What a punk thing to do.
Tyler,
He admitted to not giving his cell number to his GM when asked. Why would he refuse to do that. What purpose did it serve?
And how is is clear that it is JP that is lying?
Maybe I'm crazy for thinking this, but in my world it's a man's choice who he gives his phone number to.
And JP has lied before, hence people are naturally assuming it's him who's in the wrong here.
And on that genius comment that "Now, we get another day of it because you couldn't resist slinging a bit more mud."
Dunn actually said: "No, it didn't happen and I hope this is the last time I have to talk about it. I'm sick and tired of it."
So Dunn is the one prolonging this thing and "slinging a bit more mud"? First off - how is saying you didn't talk to someone on the phone "mud slinging", and secondly - it's the press asking HIM to comment further on it. He's not out there trying to keep it in the news.
Dunn's a douche.
Takes one to know one.
(Not you.)
First, nowhere in the story you linked to does Dunn sling mud. Although, he called J.P. "a clown" — LAST WEEK! And that was after J.P., who, to my knowledge, has never coached, played with been GM over Dunn said Dunn "doesn't care about the game." Two wrongs don't make a right, but I have no problem with Dunn's initial reaction.
Then, Dunn doesn't want to speak with him. Not for an explanation, apology or otherwise. Do you blame him?
Then, J.P. flat out lies about talking to Dunn and Dunn denies it. Media presses, Dunn asks them to stop. Where's the problem in this?
Dunn's done nothing wrong.
J.P.'s done nothing right since becoming Jays GM.
And, it's not the first time he lied. Remember when he told the press and the masses B.J. Ryan's injury last spring training was minor? And stuck to the story — until season ticket sales were brisk. Then — shocker! — Ryan's shelved and needs Tommy John.
And, furthermore, I'd rather be viewed as "a punk" — who just happens to have five 40-homer seasons and five 90-plus RBI seasons — than an arrogant, bold-faced lying, failure in the midst of the seventh rebuilding season of a five-year plan.
Judges People Ricciardi isn't the worst GM going, by any flight of fancy. He should get fired, but hell, all that means is people will talk about him in 5 years' time like they do now about Gord Ash.
The real problem is that Rogers won't spend the money on scouts, they won't go over slot to sign draft picks and they won't spend to sign up players from Japan or Latin America (the latter is particularly shameful when you consider how the Jays were pioneers in developing Dominican ballplayers in the '80s -- Griffin, Bell and Fernandez.
Under Ricciardi, the Jays have one of the best 5-man rotations in the game. It includes a third-rounder who was an infielder in college (Marcum) and a 24th-round draft choice (Litsch). They stuck with Scott Downs and he's become a solid middle reliever instead of fill-in fodder down in Syracuse.
Ricciardi does have weaknesses -- rash decisions, overpricing average talent (McGlovin) and maybe being a bit mouthy and thin-skinned. This isn't Cam Bonifay or Bill Bavasi we're talking about here; he's just an average GM in a city that expects every GM to be some combination of Pat Gillick and Stephen Hawking.
Ok, fair enough about the five-man rotation Neate. Except it includes an overpriced .500 pitcher in Burnett.
He also overpaid for a disgruntled and old Frank Thomas. He also gave us Tomo Ohka, Victor Zambrano, an injured BJ Ryan (and lied about it), overpaid an old and disgruntled Royce Clayton.
On the other side of the coin, he let Kelvim Escobar go and win 18 games for LAA, allowed Bengie Molina go hit .313 for SF, didn't re-sign Delgado, who could have helped in either of the past two seasons, before he imploded in NY. He also traded Orlando Hudson.
He hasn't made this team better by any means. And he's proven he can't. (Armando Benitez anyone?)
Oh, and he took FOREVER to fire his friend, teammate and roommate from the minors.
You're right, Rogers is the problem — in that he won't fire JP.
At least we agree Judges People (hat tip: Joe Posnanski) has gotta go!
Gut feeling is the people upstairs took the bat out of Ricciardi's hands on Escobar, Delgado and a couple others. That was also in the contest of a 70- or 75-cent Canadian dollar; very different from 2008.
Seriously, though, Molina? The Jays catchers are producing more with the stick -- they have an .803 OPS relying on two guys they're paying $4.15 million; the Giants catchers have a .775 OPS while paying Molina $6 million. Which team has better pitching?
That said, Hudson hurt, especially when there was an option to move Aaron Hill to third base.
Ricciardi gets blamed way too much because he can't be Pat Gillick. Even Gillick can't be Gillick (just ask a Mariners fan).
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