Scott Carson

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

Chris Carpenter.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

The old saying is that "hindsight is 20/20". And looking at who will be toeing the rubber against the Blue Jays this week, you can't help but wonder what could have been if they had been able to keep the whole gang together.

This Wednesday at Rogers Centre and then on Friday in Philadelphia, Blue Jays hitters will dig in against two of the best pitchers ever drafted and developed in their farm system in Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter and Phillies' number one Roy Halladay. It still takes some getting used to seeing these two in red uniforms. But that is the way that things go when patience runs out.

I use the word 'patience' because it means two different things in regards to these two top shelf starters. For Carpenter, it was the Blue Jays who ran out of patience. Waiting for the big right-hander to come back from a myriad of arm ailments that held him to just 13 starts in 2002 and then sidelined him for the entire '03 season. After the 2002 season, the Blue Jays tried to free up a spot on the 40-man roster by assigning Carpenter to AAA while he rehabbed his ailing shoulder. Carpenter, through his agent, refused the minor league assignment and declared free agency, which was his right. The Cardinals, seeing an opportunity to pick up a 27-year old arm (albeit injured), jumped at the chance even though he wouldn't make his St. Louis debut until April of 2004. Since swapping Blue Jays' blue for Cardinals' red, all Carpenter has done is win, his .752 (76-26) winning percentage as a Card ranks first in the National League among pitchers with at least 140 starts over that time span. His crowning glory was being named the 2005 N.L. Cy Young award winner.

Now, that's not to say that Carpenter has been free of injuries since leaving Toronto. During the 2007-08 seasons, he only appeared in 5 games total due to 'Tommy John' surgery. And he's also had a reoccurrence of shoulder soreness and battled through a rib cage muscle ailment. When he's right, which he currently is with an 8-1 record and 2.83 ERA through 15 starts, Carpenter is one of the best in the business.

(This is why the Jays are taking a different tact with Dustin McGowan, who underwent another shoulder procedure this week after he had to shut down his rehab when he felt something pop. In a classic case of "once bitten, twice shy", the team doesn't want to let McGowan get away, only to rediscover his health).

Then there's the well documented case of 'Doc' Halladay. The lack of patience exhibited in this case came from the camp of their star pitcher. After pitching at a top level for eight straight seasons, under the promise that the team would contend, the sand finally emptied out the hour glass and he asked to be traded to a contender. No real malice from Halladay, just wanting a chance to compete for baseball's ultimate prize, something that wasn't going to happen in Toronto in the near future. So he was dealt to the Phillies for a parcel of prospects.

Careful what you wish for, though. The Phillies, who have represented the N.L. in the last two World Series, have had some troubles on the offensive side of the ball and their 35-32 record is three wins less than the rebuilding Jays. Not much blame falls at Halladay's feet for the Phillies sub-standard record. His 2.43 ERA is good for 7th best in the senior circuit where, as usual, he leads in innings pitched and complete games. Where 'Doc' has been stung is through lack of run support. In his last 8 starts, going 2-5, the Phillies have averaged just 1.83 runs in support. They sit 5.5 games behind the front-running Braves in the East Division, a half game further away from the playoffs than the Blue Jays. Go figure.

Never to dream of what could have been: a starting rotation of Halladay, Carpenter, Shaun Marcum, Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil. A lot wins in that five-some.