Jays Jots: Kelly Johnson, Octavio Dotel, Mike McDade, Josh Towers

There’s a lot of interesting tidbits to read about last night’s World Series Game 5, from Pujols calling a hit-and-run play at the plate to extra insight into Ron Washington’s decision to intentionally walk him three times.

As for Jays-related tidbits, the article on John Farrell on the Jays’ official site was updated this morning with a quote from Bautista, but here are a few more links to get you through the morning, with a 1985 McDonald’s Jays commercial featuring Bobby Cox embedded at the bottom for your viewing pleasure.

Q&A: Kelly Johnson, Sabermetrically Savvy FA | FanGraphs
Interesting interview with second baseman Kelly Johnson, who talks about the trade, working with Dwayne Murphy, and John Farrell. “He’d talk to you behind closed doors, versus challenging you in front of the other guys,” Johnson says in the chat.

Dotel touched by props from Jay protege | Toronto Star
Richard Griffin of The Star’s great article with former Jays reliever Octavio Dotel, who was flattered to have received praise from Henderson Alvarez about their encounters in spring training.

Historic Season for Rajai Davis | RotoGraphs
An interesting bit on how Rajai Davis led the Majors this season in terms of how often he decided to steal, and actually tied Otis Nixon for fourth in baseball since 1950.

Farrell quashing rumours as anniversary nears | CBCSports.ca
CBC’s reaction to the Farrell/Red Sox rumors, with a few quotes from Eric Thames and former second baseman Aaron Hill. I don’t know if a 39-42 road record could be considered an accomplishment, though.

John Farrell Rumored to Return to Boston | BoSox Injection
FanSided’s Red Sox site BoSox Injection conducted a poll about who should be Boston’s next manager and, interestingly enough, almost 50 percent voted for Farrell.

Interview with Mike McDade | Jays Prospects
April over at JaysProspects.com caught up with New Hampshire’s first baseman to chat about various tidbits, including the possibility of playing in his hometown of Las Vegas next season so his mother would be able to see him play.

Team Canada Lineup Speculation | Mop-Up Duty
Callum over at Mop-Up Duty breaks down what Canada’s lineup could look like for the upcoming World Baseball Classic in 2013, which will now be expanded to 28 teams. It’s a great list, and one has to like Canada’s chances in the upcoming competition.

The Blue Jays’ quirkiest lineup since 1994 | The Hardball Times
THT decides to create the one of the most mediocre lineups of Jays players since ’94.

Where has Josh Towers been? | Extra Base Hit
In case you were ever wondering what former Jays starter Josh Towers was up during the 2011 season, he played for the Camden Riversharks of the eight-team Atlantic League.

This day in history: Jays win their first World Series | Toronto Star
The Star reminds us that it was 19 years ago yesterday that the Jays won their first World Series. There’s a link in the article to download eight pages of what The Star wrote at the time, in .pdf format.

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Here’s an entertaining clip from the depths of the Jays’ past:

-JM

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