Buck Martinez

ROBERT ASKS: Do you know why Cito Gaston is not playing Travis Snider more often while giving Fred Lewis more starts? This is a non-contending year and Snider is billed to be the player of the future yet he is not developing as a regular this year. Any insight on this? Thanks.

BUCK: Robert, Cito has talked about the challenges of getting Snider playing time with Fred Lewis, Adam Lind and Jose Bautista all in the mix. When Snider hurt his wrist in May he looked like the player the Jays hoped he would be, ready to take over every day in left. Travis hasn't had the playing time to get that stroke back and it is a tough decision for Cito. You need to find out what you have in Snider, no question, but with Lewis in the leadoff spot, Lind at DH, and Bautista in right there aren't as many opportunities as you would like. I believe Cito will play Snider more in September and play him in left as much as possible. Overbay should be back soon which will force Lind back to DH but with Encarnacion out Bautista can play 3B and Snider should get more time.

CRAIG ASKS: Hey Buck, can you explain how the fastball got the name "cheese"?

BUCK: Craig, this is an area of much debate. The modern player that gets the most credit for the term is my TBS partner Dennis Eckersley. He called himself "the cheese master" and spoke of having "some cheese for your kitchen" (kitchen being up and in). Lenny Dykstra spoke of Doc Gooden in the 80's as "blowing some big league cheddar". There may have been an earlier link unrelated to baseball that created the use of this phrase. The London Guide in 1818 defines "cheese" as the standing for the best of its kind. 19th century slang dictionaries also related it to anything that is "first rate".

JAY KIND ASKS: Hi Buck, what are the chances of J.P. Arencibia being the starter catcher in 2011? Do you think the Jays will stay with John Buck or Jose Molina?

BUCK: Jay I think the plan is to bring J.P. into the mix next year since he doesn't have much to accomplish in the minors. He has all the confidence in the world to be a good catcher and an exceptional hitter in the bigs. I am not ready to make a judgment as to his catching future because I haven't seen him catch much. If he can catch and become a leader behind the plate with the pop in his bat you would have something special. That being said, John Buck and Jose Molina have done a great job working with this staff bringing them along this year. I would like to see Buck stay with the team but it will probably take a two year deal at least since he is a free agent and many teams have noticed how much he has improved behind the plate. Jose Molina would be a super mentor for any young catcher. There are other catchers coming behind Arencibia as well. AJ Jimenez, Travis D'Arnaud, and Brian Jeroloman are all good looking catching prospects.

STEVE ASKS: Was there anything the Nationals could have done differently with Stephen Strasburg or is his injury just 'one of those things'? Thanks!

BUCK: Steve, there is no way to predict when a pitcher will "break". From what I have seen, the Nationals did everything they could to protect the kid. One pitch did him in. Here was a young man that really didn't begin to pitch with conviction until he got to San Diego State with Tony Gwynn so there wasn't the normal wear and tear of a pitcher through Little League, Babe Ruth and High School. He has a great delivery, he works his butt off and he is in great shape. The throwing motion is unnatural and the body will resist that motion over time. As we have seen in the past, Tommy John surgery isn't the end of the world for pitchers, it may be the beginning. Kyle Drabek, the top pitching prospect in the Jays organization has already had the surgery. Mariano Rivera, Chris Carpenter, David Wells and on and on have all come back from the operation, not to mention Tommy John himself who had the surgery in 1974.

NICK ASKS: Hi Buck, at this point in the season, who would you consider for your AL and NL managers of the year?

BUCK: I will not hesitate one moment when I say Ron Washington in the AL and Buddy Black in the NL. No one expected either of these teams to be leading their division on the 1st of September. Remember when the Jays opened up in Arlington to start the season? The question wasn't if Ron Washington would get fired, it was when will Ron Washington get fired. He had all of the controversy surrounding his admission to using drugs but the players rallied around him fromn day one and he has done a terrific job. Black has the foundation as a player, a pitching coach and a manager but the unusual aspect for him is that you don't see many pitchers becoming successful managers like Buddy. A great leader with a very even manner about him.

BEN ASKS: With Lou Piniella retiring last week, I'm wondering if you have a favourite 'Sweet Lou' story to share? Thanks.

BUCK: Ben I played with Lou Piniella in Kansas City in 1969 when he was the American League Rookie of the Year. If you think he was competitive as a manager you should have seen him as a player. Very intense, very competitive and one of the smartest hitters I ever had to get out.

One story that stands out (and that I can tell in this blog) is during a game in Anahiem against the Angels. Bob Lemon is the manager and Lou is in the lineup against Geoff Zaun, a soft tossing lefty that Lou had trouble with. Lou has a rough day hitting weak grounders to the left side all day. Finally after his fourth dribbler as he is jogging up the first base line he hits the bag and sprints into the dugout on the outfield side and runs down to the other end where Lemon is standing. Lou jumps to the top step and with his hands cupped around his mouth screams at Zaun, "you know I can't hit you, I know I can't hit you and he (Lemon) knows I can't hit you, I don't know why the hell I play against you." Of course that sent half of the team running to the tunnel with towels over their faces howling with laughter. Lou was the best. He played hard and had fun and he was fun to watch. There are so many wonderful stories about a real legend of the game I hope someone puts them together someday.

PETER ASKS: What the heck is going on with Joba Chamberlain? He seems so inconsistent. Did the 'Joba rules' mess him up? I'm wondering if the issue is similar to when Brandon Morrow was with the Mariners and the club kept changing his role?

BUCK: Peter, from the first day I saw Joba Chamberlain I thought he was a closer in waiting. He came out of the Yankee 'pen spittin' and snortin' while throwing 99. He was perfect for the reliever mentally of "as hard as you can for as long as you can." He was dominant. Then the Yankees made the decision to start him which I didn't agree with. To be a starting pitcher you have to have command of at least three pitches and have the temperament to make adjustments during the course of the game. Joba might be able to do that eventually but in an effort to "pace himself" for the starting role, his velocity dropped to the lower 90s and the explosive nature of his arsenal had disappeared. This year he has gotten back some of the velocity out of the pen and maybe he can become the closer when Mo decides to hang it up, but there was a time when it looked like the starting experiment would cost him and the Yankees a big time arm.