Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 18th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.

Brandon Morrow has the stuff to start, he just needs a bit more seasoning.

The control issues of Brandon Morrow will require patience as the young hurler adapts to a new role.

I think we are all going to have to show some patience every fifth day when Brandon Morrow takes his turn in the rotation. In the span of his two starts on the current road trip, Morrow has shown just how good, and how bad, he can be.

When the trip began in Cleveland, Morrow, the 25-year-old, former first round pick of the Mariners, struck out nine of the 27 Indians batters he faced during the final game of the series. During one stretch, when struck out five consecutive hitters, Morrow threw four pitches that hit 98 miles per hour on the radar gun, two that hit 99 and one that registered 100. As our replays showed on the telecast, Cleveland hitters took a bunch of hacks with the ball already past them and into the catcher's mitt. Even Buck Martinez, who has been around this game at the major league level since 1969, was impressed at how explosive Morrow's fastball was and how fee and easy his delivery was.

Now fast forward to the first game at Fenway Park on Monday night and an entirely different Morrow. In the span of just 14 hitters, Morrow was life and death to throw the ball into the strike zone. All told, he 67 pitches in just 1 2/3 innings - 35 of which were balls - walking six hitters and made a very early exit.

This is where the patience comes in to play. What we tend to forget is that Morrow is still learning to be a major league pitcher. During his three seasons with the Mariners, he bounced between the bullpen (middle reliever and closer) and starter. After being acquired this off-season in exchange for fireballing but inconsistent reliever Brandon League, Morrow was told by Jays G.M. Alex Anthopoulos and manager Cito Gaston that his days in the bullpen were over.

In the grand scheme of the Blue Jays' rebuild, Morrow is a key component: a stud starter that throws in the high 90's. And the same patience that you all are expected to exercise extends to the ball club as well. There are going to be games like Monday's where this team doesn't even look close to being a contender, just like Morrow doesn't look like a major league starter.

Neither statement could be further from the truth.

STADIUM HELD HOSTAGE

In an announcement that we all expected, the Blue Jays/Phillies series, set for June 25-27 at Rogers Centre, has been relocated to Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia due to the G-20 Summit. With the ballpark located next to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the whole area being cordoned off by a thick level of security that would have made it next to impossible for fans and workers to get to the stadium. Plus, did the Blue Jays really want its fans being forced to mingle with protesters going to and from the park?

Unfortunately, this also means that Roy Halladay's return to Toronto will have to wait for next year, with the Blue Jays having already making a request to the Commissioner's Office for the Phillies, who the Jays play annually during Interleague, play at Toronto in 2011. While I'm sure a great number of you are disappointed that you won't be able to come down and give your favourite ex-Jay a rousing ovation, in the grand scheme of things (see $$$$), the Blue Jays will probably profit better financially by having large crowds attend the games in Philadelphia, something that is no guarantee in Toronto.

I say this because, in the past, no matter who was returning, or pitching for the opposition, there has never been an appreciable rise in attendance. You may remember that in 1997 and '98, when Roger Clemens was winning back-to-back Cy Young awards, attendance virtually stayed the same whether 'The Rocket' was pitching or not. And the same held true during Halladay's tenure with the Jays. I've never quite understood that. As a ticket buyer, especially a fringe fan who might only go to a couple of games a year, the object is to go to see your team win, and with Clemens or Halladay on the hill, odds are the Jays had a very good chance of winning. But that never seemed to be the case. Just another mystery when trying to figure out exactly who and what a Toronto sports fan is.

What the shifting of the series to Philadelphia does do is force the Blue Jays onto yet another three-city road series, something that has become all too regular in 2010. I've been travelling with this team for 18 seasons now, and I can't remember there being as many three-city trips as this season. Now, the flip side, of course, is that the team will be home a lot more at some point, but it sure doesn't seem like it.

(At least that's what my wife keeps reminding me.)

THE END FOR JUNIOR?

News out of Seattle is that Ken Griffey Jr. is likely in his final days as a major league player. The story surfaced after Griffey was unavailable to pinch-hit on the weekend because he was purportedly asleep in the clubhouse. For one of the classiest and most beloved players of his generation, whose reputation impeccable during the steroid era, this may be a sign that it's time to hang 'em up. He's currently hitting just .208 with zero home runs and five RBI. Kind of reminds me of the final days of Willie Mays when he returned to New York to close out his career with the Mets and hit just .211 with six home runs...