[MikeS]

Actually mike, Timlin and Foulke helped him out (Boomer left the game in the sixth), but it doesn't change the fact two ex-Jays pitched one-hitters last night...ouch! If only the Jays had seen what the Cards (and my fantasy pool team :wink did in Carpenter...He and Halladay would have been a deadly 1-2 punch rivalling anything in the AL...

[cferneyh]

The Jays made an attempt to sign Carpenter. Remember that when he became a UFA, he was going to miss the entire next season due to surgery. If I remember correctly, he accepted less money to sign with the Cards because he didn't particularly enjoy his time as a Jay.

[MikeS]

Actually, he wanted to stay, but the Jays' (JP's) patience with his wonky wing wore thin...Here's Richard Griffin's article from yesterday's Star which outlines the story (apologies for the text, but it's a subscription site)...

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter picked up a newspaper prior to his last start and noticed his buddy Roy Halladay was pitching for the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field that day. Perhaps they might face each other when the Cards flew to Toronto for inter-league. They missed by a day.

"It would have been fun," Carpenter said of the possibility.

Maybe it's better for the revenge factor that Carpenter faces a stranger, Chad Gaudin, instead of an old friend. With no warm fuzzies to get in the way, he can channel his energies into showing Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi that he made a mistake letting him go, following '02.

It's hard to point fingers from a business standpoint. Carpenter was injured with a wonky right shoulder when the Jays released him. They wanted him to work his way back on a minor-league deal.

"I had an (arm) injury for the first time," Carpenter recalled. "I expected I was going to be healthy and come back and pitch. They decided to let me go. I didn't think there was going to be a whole lot of teams interested in a guy in a sling. Fortunately there was a bunch of teams, including St. Louis."

Clearly, this is an era in pro sports where loyalty takes a backseat to money. It's not just players. There had been clear indications since Ricciardi took over the Jays in November, '01 that Carpenter, heading for salary arbitration in the $5 million (all figures U.S.) range was not one of his favoured guys.

In the spring of '02, Ricciardi had objected vigorously to a column in which Carpenter was lumped with starters of similar age and experience, like Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood, when it came to estimating the proper salary arbitration offer. The GM claimed his own pitcher was not as good as those guys.

Then when Carpenter pitched hurt on Opening Day '02 at Fenway Park and forced onto the DL, Ricciardi seemed almost angry at his inherited ace. Six months later, that was it.

The first time Carpenter was aware he didn't fit into their plans was when they notified him they didn't want him back on a major-league deal for '03.

"I believed all the way up to the last day that I was going to be here," Carpenter said.

He turned the page, moving on to St. Louis, a horsehide Mecca for baseball purists. They have handled him for two years with consideration and patience.

"From the time spring training started (in '03), they welcomed me, believed in me, never pushed me," Carpenter said. "Their goal was to get me healthy, no matter if it was April or August. They knew what kind of pitcher I was when I was healthy. They took that risk."

In the late `90s, until 2002, three Jays pitching prospects, Carpenter, Halladay and Kelvim Escobar, now an Angel, formed a talented trio. Carpenter and Halladay dreamed of a lifetime as Jays.

"We definitely talked about being a part of the organization for a long time and hopefully going on and winning a world championship," Carpenter recalled. "But again, you're talking about three or four years ago. That's a lot of stuff to put on two young kids who don't have a lot of experience. We've seen where Doc's come back to."

Both men have attained some parts of those dreams that they shared. Halladay has a Cy, while Carpenter came within four wins of a World Series title, although he was on the DL.

"It was very frustrating," Carpenter admitted. "But everything happens for a reason. I tried to put it behind me and be the best cheerleader I could, knowing I'm going to do everything I can to get back."

Carpenter has done everything he can to get back. He stands at 8-4, with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts. And to think, at current prices, all three young Jays — Halladay, Carpenter and Escobar — could be in the same rotation for $18.75 million (U.S.), the same amount the Jays paid last year for Carlos Delgado.

Tomorrow, when neither man pitches, Carpenter and Halladay will likely get together for lunch and discuss old times ... what might have been.

[tragicallymike]

Actually mike, Timlin and Foulke helped him out (Boomer left the game in the sixth), but it doesn't change the fact two ex-Jays pitched one-hitters last night...ouch! If only the Jays had seen what the Cards (and my fantasy pool team :wink did in Carpenter...He and Halladay would have been a deadly 1-2 punch rivalling anything in the AL...

oh no shit, well good....its about time foulke stepped him game up a bit. On a side note, I havent watched the last 2 games because I've been out boozin. They are 2-0 in games I have not watched this week but my liver is hurting so I have to get back to watching them tonight.

[cferneyh]

Actually, he wanted to stay, but the Jays' (JP's) patience with his wonky wing wore thin...Here's Richard Giffin's article from yesterday's Star which outlines the story (apologies for the text, but it's a subscription site)...

Hmmm, interesting - though I'm not sure I totally believe it. First of all, Richard Griffin has a serious hate-on for JP, so I take anything he writes with a grain of salt (if JP ran over a rabbit on his way to work, Griffin would write about JP's long history of abusing animals). Secondly, pro athletes rarely admit to the media about wanting to leave a place - you don't want to burn any bridges.

I certainly don't remember his exit that way but I'm 33 now, so my memory is getting worse by the day! :lol:

[fingernailsonhull]

but I'm 33 now, so my memory is getting worse by the day! :lol:

Only 33? TDC has called you ancient so many times he had me thinking you had hit triple digits.
:thumb:

[cferneyh]

but I'm 33 now, so my memory is getting worse by the day! :lol:

Only 33? TDC has called you ancient so many times he had me thinking you had hit triple digits.
:thumb:

I'm fairly certain that when I was 19 I thought 33 was practically triple digits. :lol:

[The Horrible Esthete]

anyone see David Wells tonight? complete game 1 hitter.....YES!!!

Uh...that'd be a 'yes'.

After two games and two innings in Fenway, the Reds have scored 3 runs to the Sox' 17....... :oops:

[The Darkest Canuck]

how bout those Yankees!?!?! i guess they've been playing good, could just be that the Pirates suck though...all i ever know is if they win or lose, then i check Yankees.com for details, because they don't really show too many games here, mostly just against the Jays, and the odd weekend or weekday afternoon game and that's it.

[The Darkest Canuck]

now that's a comeback! down 10-2 and they win 20-11! how's that for dominating...

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story.asp?id=128568">http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story.asp?id=128568</a><!-- m -->

[j-monster]

Damn Tampa Bay Devil Rays! Why do you have to suck so much and blow a 10-2 lead to lose 20-11 to the Yank-mes and allow TDC to brag about his hopelessly overpaid and underachieving team?

Grrrrrr... :x :rambo: :rambo: :rambo:

[The Darkest Canuck]

underachieving?!?!?! they just hit a series worth of runs in one game! and about two games worth in an inning! NUCKING FUTS!

[cferneyh]

Way to spank those 24-47 Devil Rays!

Nice game by The Messiah. 7ER in 3IP? Against Tampa Bay?!?

[The Darkest Canuck]

doesn't matter, because WE FUCKING EXPLODED! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[thedarkcanuck]

i would agree that a 200 million dollar team sitting in 3rd place should be considered underachieving