ON THE MARK.

ROMERO VS. FORD.  WHO HAD A TOUGHER WEEK?

Ricky Romero got sent to "A" ball yesterday.  Rob Ford may be on his way to "AA". (Thanks to the Star's Richard Griffin for that one).   Who has a better chance of bouncing back?  Take your pick.   The much-maligned mayor of Toronto has knocked everybody off the front pages with his antics and alleged transgressions (i.e. alcohol abuse, conflict of interest, bum grabbing).   Meanwhile, Romero has taken over front page news on the sports pages because of his problems (lack of control, shattered confidence, fear of failure).   The fact of the matter is, while Romero was sent all the way down to sunny Dunedin, Florida ("A" ball) instead of chilly Buffalo ("AAA" ball), he would be hard pressed to even make the starting rotation of the Bisons or the "AA" New Hampshire Fisher Cats.   Seriously, Romero's spring performance was so bad, he's now the 16th best starter in the Jays organization, down from number five, and before that, number ONE. 
     That's right.  Number ONE.   Rob Ford knows all about that as well.  When he was elected mayor of Toronto, he was on top of the world.  But not now.  He's being skewered by the Toronto Star and certain unnamed sources for his "drinking problems".   Romero is only being skewered by opposing batters.  How does a man who USED to be able to throw strikes and get batters out at the Major League level end up becoming lower on the Jays depth chart than Deck McGuire and Chad Jenkins?  Is this a repeat performance of Roy Halladay, who ended going all the way down to Dunedin after failing miserably in Toronto?   Let's hope so.  "Doc" was injured and had to re-learn the mechanics of pitching while dealing with confidence problems.  This was in 2001, when he was 24 years old and had two full seasons of MLB under his belt.  He pitched 13 games at Dunedin, all as a reliever.  He then started 5 games at AA and, finally two games at AAA before he was pronounced fit and ready to return to the Jays.   He finished the 2001 season brilliantly at Toronto, and then became the Doc Halladay we all remember.  In 2002 and 2003, he won 41 games, led the AL twice in innings pitched, and won the '03 Cy Young Award.
      If Ricky Romero is looking for inspiration, he need only look as far as Halladay.   No, his injury isn't nearly as seriously as Doc's was, but his mental state may be even more fragile.   When you're used to getting guys out and suddenly they start hitting you hard....that's a wake up call.  Can Romero bounce back after a re-hab stint that begins in the low minors?   Time will tell.    As for Rob Ford, there is no place for him to be demoted to.   It's not like he's going to get optioned to Sudbury and take over council there.   Instead, he'll have to go out there every day, not every fifth day, and prove he's capable of leading the city.  A far more daunting task than what Romero faces in sunny Florida.