Carson: Where in the world is Brett Lawrie?

“The waiting is the hardest part” – Tom Petty

The great American rocker wrote that lyric back in 1981, nine years before Brett Lawrie was born in Langley, B.C., so I’m pretty sure that the Jays’ top prospect was not the object of this song.

But for Blue Jays followers that lyric is certainly apropos. That’s because you all have been waiting patiently, since the beginning of the regular season, for Lawrie to finally don the Toronto uniform. Your frustration has been felt and heard at the bottom of columns by myself and others on the world wide interweb. Except for foolishly allowing his hand to get hit by a fastball back in late May, mere days, perhaps hours, from finally making his maiden voyage to ‘The Show’, Lawrie has done nothing to warrant his extended stay in the land of the 99-cent breakfast.

The Blue Jays asked him to tighten up his defence as he learned a new position at third base. Did that. They wanted to see how he would respond after returning from the broken hand. No problem there: Lawrie has a .344 average, three home runs and 12 RBI in his 16 games in the PCL since returning to active duty. So what is it? Why hasn’t he been given a one-way ticket to the Majors?

I guess it has something to do with starting his MLB service time clock, which would ultimately get him arbitration and six years down the road, free agency. But if Lawrie is as good as we are led to believe then that point is moot. As manager John Farrell opined at Jose Bautista’s signing back in spring training, “if you perform, you will be rewarded”. Seems like a reasonable statement to me and not something Alex Anthopoulos will be forced to wring his hands over. Plus, the arrival of the first Canadian-born, high ceiling prospect will surely put extra butts in the seats at Rogers Centre. That will mean extra bucks in the coffers.

Many of you have reminded me in the comment box at the bottom of my columns this summer that Lawrie is only 21, to take a Ritalin and let this play out in good time. To that I say poppycock. Farrell reportedly wanted Lawrie to break camp with the team at the end of March but was denied that request. As his monster AAA unfolded, the aforementioned reasons also kept the young third baseman in AAA. But the time has come for Brett Lawrie to become a meaningful and contributing member of the Blue Jays.

The team is in a perfect spot of their 2011 schedule to ease him into the lineup. With Anthopoulos wishing for Lawrie to make his debut on the road to avoid the media circus at Rogers Centre, then why not in St. Petersburg or Baltimore against teams that are floundering in the standings. The month of August is ideal also because the Jays don’t have to face the beasts of the East – Yankees and Red Sox – until Labour Day weekend and the level of competition until then is not likely to overwhelm Lawrie. Everything points to their top prospect pulling on his No. 13 jersey and getting his MLB career started. So, I have to ask, again, where is he?

THE CODE AND A TIRED OLD ACT

Not sure if you caught the bean ball war that unfolded on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, but Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had his pitchers up to their old tricks … again. After star slugger Albert Pujols was hit on the back of his left hand by a pitch up and in from Brewers reliever Takashi Saito, Cardinals pitcher Jason Motte came up and in not once, but twice, to Brewers slugger Ryan Braun, with the second pitch hitting Braun in the shoulder. The intent, no matter how La Russa spun it in a testy post-game Q & A with the ink stained wretches, was clear, and how Motte wasn’t ejected, especially after warnings were issued, is ridiculous.

Angels’ starter Jered Weaver threw a pitcher over Tigers catcher Alex Avila’s head on Sunday, was ejected immediately and subsequently suspended for six games. That seemed just based upon Weaver’s intent after giving up a home run and the Tigers showboating their way around the bases.

Luckily, Blue Jays manager Farrell doesn’t subscribe to La Russa’s eye-for-an-eye style of retribution. During the July 26th games against the Orioles, Jose Bautista was hit in the ear flap by Jake Arrieta and forced to leave the game. Did the Jays respond by drilling Adam Jones? Of course not, there was no intent in the Bautista beaning and the game went on without incident.

That’s not likely to be the same reaction any time that a Cardinal hitter gets hit by a pitch. As Motte did Tuesday night without being told directly by his manager, there was a direct response. If he didn’t, he might not be wearing a uniform the next day. That doesn’t make it right, it’s just the way it is.