Mike Wilmer (Host): Welcome back to The FAN590, I’m your host Mike Wilmer. Another tough loss for the Blue Jays tonight, as they fall 8-7 to the Milwaukee Brewers here in Milwaukee. A.J. Burnett was roughed up for eight runs, former Jay David Bush carried a no-hitter into the seventh, but the Blue Jays came storming back with six in the ninth only for the comeback to fall just short, with Saloman Torres closing it out for the save in the 9th. We’re going to talk about that and a whole lot more in our postgame show on a special Thursday edition of our usual “Wednesdays with J.P.” call-in show. Welcome to the studio, J.P.

Toronto Blue Jays General Manager J. P. Ricciardi: Hi, Mike, thanks for having me as always.

Host: Let’s go straight to the phones, how about it J.P.?

J. P. Ricciardi: Sounds great.

Host: Here’s Mike in Newmarket, Mike, you’re live with J.P.

Mike in Newmarket: How’s it going J.P?

J. P. Ricciardi: I’m good, Mike.

Mike in Newmarket: My question is about A.J. Burnett. Right now, the team has plenty of strong young pitching, and not enough bats. So in retrospect, that eleven million per year could have been better spent on a couple of big bats. What’s your feeling about Burnett’s contract now, I mean, do you think he’s been worth the money, and do you think he’ll opt out and play somewhere else next year?

J. P. Ricciardi: Well first of all, Mike, you can never have enough pitching. That’s a saying in baseball that goes way back. Now, I heard some criticism when we signed Burnett to that deal, but we carefully weighed our options and took into consideration what we needed to do to contend in a very tough division, and so we made that deal. And if you look at what happened with the free agent pitching market one year later, the cost of free agent pitching went way up. You had guys like Gil Meche and Jeff Suppan who were getting signed for the same kind of money that we gave to Burnett. No offense to those guys because they’re quality performers, but they’re simply nowhere near the talent level of A.J. Burnett. I mean, neither Suppan or Meche is fit to carry Burnett’s jock, or even to lick the sweat of his jock, or even to be in the same division with A.J.’s jocksweat. Now we’re all professionals, and I don’t want to put those guys down, but those are the facts, plain and simple.

Host: And what about Mike’s question regarding Burnett’s future? Does he have a future with the Blue Jays beyond 2008?

J. P. Ricciardi: The thing is, I’m not A.J. Burnett, and you’re not A.J .Burnett, and the only person who can answer that question is A.J. Burnett. A.J. knows how his contract is structured, and he knows what his options are, and he knows that in 2008 we expect nothing less than his full commitment to the team and to competing for a championship. And I’m confident that we have that commitment from him, even if he’s talking about playing for the Cubs. Next year is next year, and I don’t want to speculate on what A.J. Burnett is feeling about 2009 and beyond, but if he wants to take his ball and go home or sign with another club, then he can do that, even though it would make him a giant money-grubbing pussy traitor as far as I’m concerned.

Host: All right, let’s take another call, we have Steve from Orangeville on line 2, Steve, you’re on with J.P.

Steve in Orangeville: Hey J.P., I’m sure you’ve been following Carlos Delgado’s career since he left Toronto, and considering how quickly his skills have deteriorated, are you happy with your decision to not resign him in 2005?

J. P. Ricciardi: Well, that’s a terrific question. Yes, I have been following Carlos’ career quite closely, not only because it’s my job to keep on top of how everyone in baseball is performing, but because Carlos was a great player for us and he’ll always be part of the Blue Jay family. But at the time, we were considering our options and were looking to take the team in a different direction with some fresh talent, and that’s what we ended up doing. It was partly a money issue, where we thought that Carlos wasn’t worth thirteen million in that market. However, we also felt that we needed to part ways with the pinkos on our club, and take the team in a non-pinko direction with players who support America, not bash it. After all, even if we’re a Canadian team, we’re playing an American sport, and we’re responsible for supporting the country that created this game, and that means not signing paychecks for unpatriotic foreigners who won’t stand up for America’s national anthem. That’s what Toronto baseball fans expect from Blue Jay management, and we listen to what our fans want.

Host: OK, next we’ve got —

J. P. Ricciardi: No pinkos, Mike!

Host: Fantastic. Craig from Ajax, Ontario, you’re on with J.P. Ricciardi.

Craig in Ajax: How’s it going, J.P.?

J. P. Ricciardi: Pretty awesome, Craig, how the hell are you?

Craig in Ajax: I’m … great. Listen, I have two very short questions for you J.P. Frank Thomas has hit pretty well since joining the A’s. My first question is, did the Blue Jays give up on him too soon? And my second question is, were the team’s problems with Thomas more business or personal?

J. P. Ricciardi: Wow, that’s a new one. Haven’t been asked about that yet [laughs]. Actually, if you check the newspapers right now Craig, you’ll find that Thomas isn’t hitting very well at all right now, because he’s on the DL [laughs]. That’s one instance, in dealing with players on the DL, where you’re more than happy to let other teams deal with that problem instead of you. But regardless, you need to understand that Frank Thomas is a tremendous talent. On the other hand, it’s no secret that there were some philosophical differences between him and Blue Jays management regarding the most appropriate way to utilize that talent. And when we couldn’t come to an agreement on that issue, it was mutually decided that it was best for Frank Thomas to pursue other options. Now about your second question, making personnel decisions based on personal biases is not an effective way to run a baseball club. The main focus must always be on putting a competitive product on the field, and that means assembling the best possible talent. But I won’t lie to you and say that team chemistry isn’t a factor in all this. Essentially, we’re not the only club that has cut ties with Thomas during his career because it’s fairly well known throughout baseball that he’s an asshole. And by that I mean a round, hairy 230-pound shit-caked asshole with a cherry on top, and most clubs would rather pay him to not be around. So no, I don’t think our problems with Frank Thomas were of a personal nature, considering that our experiences with him were obviously the norm, not the exception. Do you see what I mean?

Host: That’s some straight talk from J.P. Ricciardi, right here on the FAN 590 —

J. P. Ricciardi: That’s for damned sure, Mike. I mean, I don’t waste an hour of my precious time every week to come on your show and pussyfoot around with devoted Blue Jay fans who spend their hard earned money to tune into this radio station. They want answers, and I supply them. And on that note, I’d just like to thank all the many fans that have supported me throughout this slow, but steady, rebuilding process, and I look forward to your support going forward. It’s going to be Toronto’s year to shine soon enough. Go ahead, Mike.

Host: Thanks, J.P. Let’s take one more call. Here’s Bill from Thornhill, Bill, you’re on with current Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.

Bill in Thornhill: Hi J.P., thanks for taking my call.

J. P. Ricciardi: My pleasure, Bill. Thanks for being taken. [laughs]

Bill in Thornhill: Yeah, funny. So you probably heard that Adam Dunn responded to the comments that you made during last week’s show. Do you have anything to say about Dunn’s remarks?

J. P. Ricciardi: Well, not really, but I got a bit carried away on yesterday’s show and have called the Reds to offer my apologies for the things I said. I spoke with Reds GM Walt Jocketty, and he understands that my outburst was completely out of character and that no harm was intended toward his players or his baseball club. I also wanted to extend my apologies to Adam Dunn personally, but my calls into him and his agent were never returned. I can understand why he doesn’t wish to speak to me, but him not manning up to accept my apology more or less confirms that he’s a one-trick pony without any heart or passion, and not a player that we consider to be a good fit for our baseball club. I considered this issue to be closed a long time ago, but if Adam Dunn wants to milk this a little more, then that’s his business. And if he wants to throw down with me, then I have no problem with that either. I’ll wipe his ass with his lips in ten seconds flat if that’s what it comes to. But other than that, Bill, no, I don’t have any specific comments about Dunn’s chickenshit remarks.

Host: Hang on, we have a special report for our listeners at home — we have just received breaking news here in the studio, in regards to an unconfirmed report, I repeat, an unconfirmed report that the Toronto Blue Jays have fired manager John Gibbons and have replaced him with former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. This is surprising news to say the least, but let’s get the answer straight from the horse’s mouth — J.P., is there any truth to what we’re hearing?

J. P. Ricciardi: Well, let me just say this: John Gibbons is a close personal friend of mine. We were roommates down in the minors when we were kids. So I’ve known John Gibbons for a long long time, and I’m as proud to call him a colleague as I am to call him a friend. Now, as an organization, we had to closely examine how the club was faring relative to the expectations we set for ourselves. We want to be competitive in the present and to have a strong foundation for the future, and both of those things are well within our organization’s reach in 2008. And I think that we can do that with the on-field leadership currently in place. Let’s not forget that we were in the wildcard hunt not 2 years — wait a minute. You said that Gibby was FIRED?

Host: That’s right, J.P. John Gibbons out, 2 time World Series champion manager Cito Gaston in.

J. P. Ricciardi: Cito Gaston? Really? This isn’t some wacky radio show prank?

Host: That’s right, J.P.

J. P. Ricciardi: Holy shit. I thought they were kidding. [laughs] Those cocksmocking bastards.

Host: Is it safe to say that you’re surprised by this news, J.P.?

J. P. Ricciardi: Surprised? Yeah, you could say that. You could also say that the Blue Jays ownership wouldn’t know how to run a dishwasher, let alone a fucking sports franchise. Let me tell all you folks out there wondering why Cito Gaston never got another shot at managing a major league club, it’s not because of the color of his skin. Stupidity is color blind, and boy oh boy Cito Gaston was his own goddamn Rainbow Coalition of Stupid. “Hey, look, I’m Cito Gaston, and I won the World Series with one of the best teams in baseball! Watch me play the same nine stiffs every damn day! Joe Carter past his prime is awesome! Orlando Merced is awesome! Ed Sprague is awesome! Otis Nixon is awesome! I’m awesome! Ruining Pet Hengten’s arm by working him like a ancient Egyptian slave — that was so so so awesome. Or that time I let Hentgen cough up eleven runs in eight innings against Boston because I thought I “owed it to him” — truly the plateau of awesome! Scolding Shawn Green and benching him to give a washed-up Ruben Sierra another chance — 31 flavours of awesome!” I could go on, but why not just bring Gord Ash’s fat ass back in if you really want to take a ride on the Fudgepack Express. Yeah, Gordo, I’m talking to you — look at the piece of crap team you left me with when you were shitcanned, you Jabba-looking sweaty bitch. Why don’t you come on over from your bratwurst plate and try to take a bite out of J.P.? Come on, I dare ya!

Host: And that’s all the time we have today. Thanks, J.P.

J. P. Ricciardi: Come and get me, you fucking hosers! Come on! I got your home and native land right fucking here!

“Wednesdays with J.P.” airs every week on the FAN590 at the conclusion of that night’s game.