ON THE MARK.

DOES DELGADO DESERVE TO BE ON JAYS "LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE?"

When you list the greatest Bluejays of all time, does Carlos Delgado come to mind?  I know he played 12 years in Toronto and is the franchise leader in homeruns, ribbies and other offensive categories, but does that make him one of the best?   The team will honour him next summer by putting his name on the "Level of Excellence" alongside Tony Fernandez, Dave Stieb, Roberto Alomar, George Bell, Joe Carter, Cito Gaston, Pat Gillick, Paul Beeston, and the late Tom Cheek.  Where would I rank Delgado alltime?  6th behind Stieb, Alomar, Fernandez, Bell and Carter.   Surprised?  Don't be.  Let's look at the numbers.

Stieb was the best pitcher in franchise history, went to 7 all-star games, won 175  games and threw a no-hitter and a bunch of one and two-hitters.  He was also an outstanding fielder.  Alomar is a Hall of Famer and the greatest second baseman in the history of the game.  Two World Series titles, near flawless defense and even though he only played here five years, he made a huge impact.  Fernandez won 4 Gold Gloves, went to five all star games, hit .297 as a Jay and is the 9th greatest fielding shortstop in the history of the game.  Bell, who won the 1987 A.L. MVP was also a three time All Star who hit .286 as a Bluejay and won two division titles.  He was also a very durable player.  Carter was a 5 time all-star with the Jays, finished 3rd in the MVP voting one year and, of course, was on two World Series teams.    There's your top five.  Let's include Roy Halladay and even Tom Henke, and maybe Delgado is the 8th best Bluejay of all time.

Delgado supporters may argue that his power numbers and his on-base percentage were outstanding, even though he played for a mediocre team.  He was only named to the all-star game twice, hit .282 as a Bluejay, was a poor fielder and regularly struck out over 100 times a season.  Yes, he walked a lot, but during a four year stretch where he had over 100 walks per season, the numbers are skewed.  Pitchers would regularly pitch around him and put him on base because the guy hitting behind him was a much easier out.  Consider these players who hit in the #5 hole behind Delgado:  Geronimo Berroa, Jacob Brumfield, Darrin Fletcher, Brad Fullmer, Tony Bautista, Jose Cruz Jr., Alex Gonzalez, Raul Mondesi, Chris Woodward, Josh Phelps, Tom Wilson, Greg Myers, Gregg Zaun, Eric Hinske and Alex Rios.  Wouldn't you have rather pitched to those guys than Delgado?  Me too.   Does he deserve to be on the Jays "Level of Excellence"?  Sure, but not until they put Halladay and Henke up there first.

My friend Howard Bloom from Sportsbusinessnews.com still insists that we WILL see NHL hockey by January 15th, despite yesterdays apparent setback.   What bothers both of us is the way Gary Bettman is being treated in the media.  To suggest, as some have, that Bettman doesn't want hockey this year is ludicrous and misguided.  Nobody wants hockey MORE than Bettman.   I know that sounds hard to believe, especially since he gives the appearance of being the devil incarnate, but look at how visibly upset and angry he was during yesterday's announcement.   That wasn't theatre, as many suggest, but rather consternation and utter frustration.   Name calling by prominent media members who are upset that there's no hockey shows a lack of professionalism and a lack of respect for the process.   You can blame Don Fehr and the players for announcing that progress was being made and getting our hopes up.   Bettman was the one who had to clean up the mess, as always.   The height jokes, the lawyer jokes, the "anti Canadian" comments are misplaced and unfair.  If anything, it's Fehr who doesn't want hockey.  For all we know, he doesn't care about hockey at all.  At least Bettman does.