Simmons Says – the usual collections of thoughts, dots and shots

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Where is there evidence that Mark Shapiro and, by extension, Ross Atkins can build anything resembling a World Series champion?

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Where is the proof of that?

This is Shapiro’s 24th year in senior roles in Major League Baseball. He talks a better game than he plays. He sounds almost presidential, specializing in buzzwords when he talks. He knows the World Series the way we do — from watching on television.

He was close to getting there only once.

In the final three games of the American League Championship Series of 2007, his then Cleveland Indians lost to the Boston Red Sox by a combined score of 30-5. The scores in the final two games at Fenway Park — 11-2 and 12-2.

Shapiro’s teams haven’t won a playoff game since. Not in Cleveland. Not in Toronto. Not in the past 17 years.

It’s easier to make the playoffs in baseball right now than it has ever been. When the Jays won their only two World Series in 1992 and ’93, only two American League teams made the playoffs. Today, six make it and Shapiro’s teams, when they’ve qualified, snuck into sixth place each time.

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With no playoff games won to date the Blue Jays have been outscored 30-13 in wild card games.

This season, it’s all gotten worse. In a sport that has become all about the long ball, the Jays are 12th in homers hit and first in home runs given up.
The bullpen has been close to atrocious. Its earned run average is 14th in the league, ahead of only the pathetic White Sox. The bullpen also leads baseball in home runs relinquished.

The starting pitching is supposed to be the staple of the Jays. It is ninth in earned run average in the league, third in home runs given up and 11th in runs allowed.

Offensively, the Jays are also ninth in slugging, eighth in runs scored, seventh in OPS and batting average. The improvement coming only because of a brilliant second half from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Where do you start to unravel this mess? They need between three and five new everyday players. They need a revamped bullpen. They need more starting pitching depth. They need power bats and power arms.

Most of all, they need ownership to step up and stop hiding and realize the time for serious change is now: The people in charge can’t fix the problems they’ve created.

There is no proof of any kind that Shapiro, the club president, and Atkins, the general manager, can win anything with the Blue Jays.

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THIS AND THAT

Shapiro all but bullied Alex Anthopoulos out as general manager of the Jays at the end of 2015 season. Since arriving in Atlanta in 2018, after leaving behind playoff teams of 2015 and 2016, Anthopoulos’ teams have won 34 playoff games, a World Series and lost 31. Sixty five post-season games in six seasons. The Jays playoff record in that time: 0-and-6 … I do not put the 2016 Jays playoff record on Shapiro. That was the team Anthopoulos left behind. He left behind that present and a prospect named Guerrero. What have Shapiro and Atkins built — not bought — since? … When Canadian Rob Thomson arrived in Toronto for the first time as a big league manager in July 2022, his Philadelphia Phillies had the same record as the Jays. The Jays were in sixth in the AL. The Phillies were seventh in the National League. Since then, they have played for a World Series, lost in a National League Championship Series, are World Series contenders this year and have played 30 playoff games in all, winning 19 of them. The Jays are 0-and-4 in playoffs in games since then … Shapiro was particularly critical of Anthopoulos’ farm system and contended he would draft and develop a team in the proper way. ESPN does an annual ranking of teams by the core of their talent. The Jays were ranked 24th in baseball, ahead of only the White Sox, A’s and Angels in the AL. Second overall on the list, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, Anthopoulos’ Braves, who are struggling with injuries to make the playoffs this year. The only real playoff race left is the NL East where the Braves and Mets will fight it out for the last spot.

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HEAR AND THERE

The impact the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau have had on the real world and the hockey world doesn’t seem to be lessening. The recent vigil held by the Calgary Flames had everyone in tears … The visitation for the Gaudreau brothers will be held Sunday — not far from Philadelphia — and the funeral to follow the next day … Johnny Hockey’s last trip to Toronto was for Andrew Mangiapane’s wedding earlier this summer. He texted photos of him dancing to friends who weren’t able to be there …What kind of year will Mitch Marner have with the Maple Leafs? Some players handle the final year on their contract with panache. Some, like Ed Belfour for example, couldn’t stand not knowing what next year would bring. Belfour had the worst NHL seasons of his Hall of Fame career in the years he was heading to free agency … The idea of Sidney Crosby as a rookie living with Mario Lemieux made sense. Then and now. The idea of Macklin Celebrini, first pick in the draft, living with Joe Thornton in San Jose — that one I can argue against … If Leon Draisaitl is going to be paid $14 million a year, what will Connor McDavid’s salary be a year from now in Edmonton? If the salary cap goes to $92 million by then, will McDavid be paid in the $18-million range? … Marner is the 12th highest paid player in the NHL heading into this season. The Leafs are paying four of the top 12 salaries in hockey. The other eight players come from eight different teams … Marner fans like to argue he’s a top-10 NHL player: But I wonder, who is he better than? McDavid? Draisaitl? Nathan MacKinnon? Cale Makar? Auston Matthews? Sasha Barkov? Nikita Kucherov? Quinn Hughes? Artemi Panarin? David Pastrnak? And that’s not mentioning any goaltenders or William Nylander, Matthew Tkachuk, Victor Hedman, Adam Fox, Brayden Point or Jack Hughes? … The players have arrived in almost every NHL city, ready to start training camp. But camps are about 10 days away. Don’t know why the NHL doesn’t start training camp just after Labour Day, begin the season three weeks earlier and wrap it all up by the end of May. I know American owners don’t want to go head-to-head with football at any level, but that’s happening whether you start in September or October. The players are ready to go now … All eyes are going to be on Leafs prospect Easton Cowan in training camp. But understand this: He’s going to be going at full speed the minute camp begins. Veterans are going to go at their get-ready-for-season speed. How Cowan progresses in camp is somewhat meaningless. How he plays when the season begins — if he’s still with the team — that’s what matters.

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SCENE AND HEARD

Veteran Max Pacioretty has options and lots of interest in what may be left of his hockey talents. He could sign a low-level one-year deal with a number of NHL teams or accept PTO tryouts from others. So far, no answer on what he wants or which team he wants. Toronto is in the mix among those asking … What’s most impressive about the very impressive Zach Hyman: In his four years at Michigan, he went from two goals to four to seven to 22. In his five years with the Leafs, he went from 10 to 15 to 21 in his first three seasons and scored at 30-goal pace in his final season. Three years in Edmonton, he has grown from 27 goals to 36 to 54. That doesn’t happen by accident. Yes, he got an opportunity to play with Matthews and McDavid but it’s what he did with the opportunity that matters most … Tyson Barrie played for Colorado, Toronto and Edmonton, three teams desperate to win the Stanley Cup. Each time he was sent packing by a contender. Last year, Nashville found him wanting. Now he’s going to Calgary on a PTO and he might wind up looking better on a bad team than he would on a good one … Women’s tennis needs a superstar. It needs Aryna Sabalenka to be the face of the sport around the world. She’s a personality, she’s full of fun, she embraces social media. What more could you ask for if she can start knocking off majors wins … The PWHL will have names for its teams in the coming days. I love the name Toronto Six, but that was already taken by the league that proceeded the PWHL. Toronto Torch, yawn, seems to be the morning-line favourite for the franchise’s name … How to make it big in tennis: Be a billionaire’s kid. Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro are daughters of billionaires. Men’s finalist Taylor Fritz is from the family that founded Macy’s … At the other end is the fabulous story of Frances Tiafoe, son of an immigrant construction worker who got his tennis lessons as a kid paid for because his dad worked on the building of a local tennis club.

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AND ANOTHER THING

Is this the year for the Buffalo Bills? Answer: No. As great as Josh Allen may be, I can’t see a team coached by Sean McDermott beating a team coached by Andy Reid, John Harbaugh, DeMeco Ryans or Zac Taylor … One year after the Blue Jays signed George Springer for $25 million a season, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Kyle Schwarber for just more than $19 million. In the past three seasons, Schwarber has hit 125 home runs, Springer has hit 65. Schwarber hasn’t had an OPS below .817. Springer hasn’t had an OPS above .814. This year, Schwarber’s OPS is .851. Springer’s is .684. Springer turns 35 in a few days … Before the Raptors won the NBA title in 2019, they averaged 53 wins a season for the previous five seasons. That was Masai Ujiri at his best, trading for Kawhi Leonard and Mark Gasol. He didn’t sneak up on anyone winning the NBA championship. With all of that over, I wonder now, how many games will the Raptors win this season? Maybe 37. I miss those 50-win teams … What you should love about the CFL: Ted Wyman covers the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He’s in a serious fight with cancer these days. Before the Bombers game on Saturday, the team posted well-wishes to Wyman on social media, with almost half the squad taking the microphone and providing messages of love and hope. The post had a lot of us in tears, especially those who adore Teddy Ballgame … The new kickoff rules in the NFL are ridiculous. Either have kickoffs or don’t have them. This in- between stuff looks silly … It isn’t all that often that quarterbacks become head coaches in pro football. But in today’s CFL, the head coach in Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary are former CFL QBs. Dave Dickenson was the best player of the bunch as a player … Not sure what Nick Robertson is thinking as he remains unsigned with the Leafs. He plays left wing. The Leafs need help at left wing. He’s hasn’t proven much of anything in his time in Toronto. Isn’t this the time to prove something? … Boy, Team Canada could have used the rebounding of Tristan Thompson at the Olympics. Thompson just signed on for another year with the Cleveland Cavaliers … Forty years ago, TSN and MuchMusic were born in Canada. Forty-five years ago, ESPN started in the U.S. Is there anything at all today to give similar hope to young broadcasters in North America? … What an impressive first full season this has been for Ben Shulman doing Blue Jays games on radio. He sounds like a natural. And in a business in which the sons of Jack Buck, Marv Albert and Ian Eagle are among the best, why wouldn’t Dan Shulman’s son be headed that way too? … Happy birthday to Hank Ilesic (65), Rogie Vachon (79), Jacques Lemaire (79), Gerrit Cole (34), Shane Mosley (53), Bert Jones (73), Kevin Love (36), Donovan Mitchell (28), Joe Rudi (78), Jay McKee (47), Tony Tanti (61) and Alex Bilodeau (37) … And, hey, whatever became of Peter Horachek?

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