Oh Kenny,

So, I was watching some of the footage on Sportsnet in which excruciatingly annoying reporter Barry Davis asks perpetual fly-on-the-wall Ken Rosenthal about what he thought about the Jays' chance this season. And here is what was said:

BARRY DAVIS: "Should the expectations be this high?"

KEN ROSENTHAL: "The expectations absolutely are justified. This is a very good team, a team that if it stays healthy, if its under-achieving players from last year perform better; I think could be a force in the American League East, perhaps even past the Yankees. I had an American League general manager tell me yesterday that he thinks the Blue Jays are not getting enough credit. They're a better team than most people think right now."

BARRY DAVIS: "Well, you know... The Blue Jays didn't go out and make a splash in the free agent market this offseason, but what they have added seems to be a pretty significant significant move if a guy like Rolen can stay healthy."

KEN ROSENTHAL: "Absolutely. And, they did most of their work the last few offseasons with free agents; they really bulked up their team that way. And remember Roy Halladay last season said there was a lack of urgency. I think when you bring in two championship players, Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, that problem is eliminated. Stairs also is a guy who's been there and is a tough-minded individual. And even Marco Scutaro played in some playoff games with the Oakland A's. So I really like what they've done, they've improved their depth dramatically, and Eckstein and Rolen will form a very good left side of the infield."

And blah, blah, blah. Also, the team wants to win, the pitching is good, etc. If you want to see the rest, check out the media section on Sportsnet. Catching the Yankees won't be that difficult, IMO (unless they throw money at their woes, then again... They can and will). Like Rosenthal said, I think the Jays aren't being credited for what is a strong team... When healthy. And I think that's the reason they're not getting credit for a good team. No one believes that these guys are going to stay healthy. And I'm going to admit it right now... Lump me in with that crowd, because sadly, I don't buy it either. Watching the clips from the 2006 offense helps to clear that up a tad (I feel better about everything when I can watch them mash like they once did), but I still think it's going to take nothing short of a miracle to keep all of these guys healthy. Yes, there's significant depth to compensate for when someone goes down, but I just don't think it's going to be enough.

I seriously hope I'm wrong. In any case, I'm going to enjoy the baseball season. Maybe I'm just bitter today for some reason. I love this team and have no doubt about what they can do when healthy.

Speaking of significant depth, the Jays are apparently close to a minor league deal with former Jay Shannon Stewart. Cool. I don't see where he fits into the plans, but I guess depth is depth... And that is good depth. To me, this looks like protection in case Wells, Stairs, Johnson, or Overbay go down... It's a good move. I know Lind is in the minors waiting, but if you think about it... The kid might benefit from a full year in AAA without being bounced back and forth four times. That might be part of the justification for the whole thing.

Also, searching for the above picture of Shannon Stewart showed me that not only is Shannon Stewart a major league ball-player, but also a contestant on America's Next Top Model and a Playboy Playmate! Wow, that's a man on the go.