August 3, 2006

“WAITING FOR BURNETT” WILL CLOSE THIS SEASON AS A FAILED JAY PLAY

      Like Godot in the Samuel Becket play Burnett never actually arrived.  In his place came a stranger, an imitator, an apparition that took on his appearance, collected his paycheque, created illusions of grandeur and disappeared before he could be unmasked.  And like the play the two tramps waiting for him—in this case the tramps would be played by J.P. Ricciardi and the collective hopes of the ball club and its fans—would quarrel, make amends and in the end find disappointment.  This season’s Toronto Blue Jay play, a tragic-comedy, will close in short order. 

      Let me set the scene to show just how similar are the play and the baseball season.  In the play two tramps sit by a sickly tree and wait for Godot and, they hope, an answer to their confused and convoluted lives.  As two humans would do they converse, they quarrel, and they make up, but these two, while wondering about their places in the universe contemplate killing themselves while they wait.  Circumstances and situations abound as life continues around them.  Strangers come and go before a young boy (hope) comes by to let them know that Godot will not be here today, but he will be here tomorrow.  But as we all know by now, in the metaphysical, tomorrow never comes. 

      For the Jays the entire Blue Jay nation, having endured years of mediocrity and failure, anticipated a much better year after some off-season dealings—the main catch being a potentially dominant starter with a history of arm problems, disenchantment and failed promises.  The hopes of an entire franchise and its fans rested on the success of this flamethrower, but those hopes were made to wait as Burnett suffered an arm injury in spring training.  The injury did not seem severe and so the pitcher was back with the big club just a couple of weeks into the season.  It took only two starts for Burnett to walk off the mound complaining that the arm had not healed.  It would be two more months before he would return.  In the meantime the club managed to find a way to stay competitive.  They showed desire and an unwillingness to surrender and stayed with the large spending monsters from New York and Boston, all the while waiting patiently for their saviour to arrive.  Circumstances and situations abounded, strangers came and went, middle infielders swapped positions, another starter went down and the bullpen, outside of B.J. Ryan and Justin Speier were strikingly hittable.  But the club stayed in the hunt.

       Then Burnett finally arrived—or, should I say, the apparition that looked like Burnett (failed hope) arrived.  The first two starts merely accentuated those false illusions—the second of those starts produced a complete game shutout.  This was the saviour the club desired; the number two starter behind ace Roy Halladay that would enable the club to go on one of those winning streaks that separate pretenders from contenders.   But as with all imitators they are soon discovered.  This Burnett wannabe then went out and got pummeled by two inferior clubs, the first of which ended the longest winning streak of the season.  The pitcher that was supposed to ignite winning streaks extinguished the one and only streak the club managed to put together all year. 

      The all-star break arrived—ironically without Godot—and gave the Burnett apparition a chance to escape the spotlight.  Upon his return he looked like he could be the Burnett for whom everyone was waiting.  Two straight solid outings followed—the second of which was a consciousness-raising win over division rival New York.  Could we finally be seeing the real Burnett?

       No.  Unfortunately, life often takes a path similar to one traveled in tragic-comedies and this is where the story turns ugly.  The club expended a great amount of energy and determination in winning three out of four against those Yankees to establish themselves, again, as playoff contenders.  They then had to travel across the continent, without a day off to re-focus, and begin a long road trip.  This is where the line-up, having pounded the ball enough to keep the team in contention while the pitching staff found itself, would tire.  This is when that new starting staff, the one that beat the Yankees, would have to become the focal point of the team if the Jays wanted to stay competitive.  And this is when the starting pitching staff, outside of Halladay, proved to be as competitive as two tramps sitting under a sickly tree.

       The key game in the opening three game series in Seattle was the deciding contest that, of course, had Burnett scheduled to pitch.  Which Burnett would appear?  Four innings, ten hits and six runs would prove that the Jays would need to continue to wait for Burnett. 

       Game three in Oakland, after splitting the first two, saw the Jays score four in the first inning courtesy of a Troy Glaus grand slam.  It should have been enough, but with this pitching staff, outside of Halladay, four runs are never enough.  The club lost that game.  It needed to win game four to split the series and give it some momentum heading to New York for that crucial series against the Yankees.  The Jays had Halladay pitching and Oakland had a rookie making his first ever start.  It looked good, except that the Jays tiring offense made the rookie look good and the A’s took a lead into the ninth inning.  Somehow, a miracle happened.  The Jays came to life for one last fling and managed to score three runs and handed a two run lead to their dominant closer who merely needed to get three outs.  But when Milton Bradley’s three run homer left the yard it took with it the confidence, the desire, the determination, the energy and the hopes of the entire Blue Jay ball club.  There was still, however, that series in New York.

       If there was ever a time that the club needed the real Burnett to arrive this was the time.  The club was down and nearly out.  They needed a spark, and the only one who could provide that spark was Burnett.  Would the wait finally be rewarded?  Four innings and four runs later—well, the wait continues.

       The leaves on that sickly tree may change.  The sun may appear and those around that tree may feel life build inside of them once again.  But those two tramps are destined to lay in wait for Godot, just like the Jays and their fans lay in wait for Burnett.  Will he ever appear?  I don’t know—but the play continues.