Let's start at the end.
For the end of the season is, indeed, the end.
The Blue Jays have had messy years during their 33-year history. They've had three 100-loss seasons, five in which they fired their manager, one year when part of the SkyDome roof collapsed and 1987, when they ended the schedule with seven defeats in a row -- including 1-0 on the final day the Detroit Tigers -- to miss the playoffs.
Yet, never before have they had a finish like this.
Interim CEO named Paul Beeston could hire a new president ... or he could hire himself on Monday.
General manager J.P. Ricciardi was fired yesterday morning in Baltimore, with a year remaining on his contract.
Assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos takes over ... but a new president could hire his own GM.
Manager Cito Gaston could be pressured into moving upstairs ... or he could stay.
Let's start at the end:
GAME 160
CAMDEN YARDS, BALTIMORE
Gaston awakes to news that he has lost his clubhouse and a "mutiny" is underway.
Gaston manages, hand on the tiller, as deckhands get their pre-game grumbling out of the way and play as if they are more worried about getting their complaint list in alphabetical order than throwing strikes, hitting or catching the ball.
"It was a day like none other before," said Gaston on the phone from the visiting manager's office at Camden Yards after the loss.
Worse than the afternoon at Fenway Park in 1997 when GM Gord Ash showed up to inform baseball lifer Gaston that he had to be "more pro-active" -- a term Gaston had never heard before?
"Worse than that day," Gaston said. "I was blindsided. It was like no other day."
In his first life as Jays manager, Gaston had trouble relating to younger players.
"Years later, Shawn Green would say: 'Now I understand what you were trying to do,' and Alex Gonzalez came up a few years ago saying: 'I know now what you were talking about.' "
Has Gaston changed since 1997? Pre-game and post-game player evaluations are more straightforward than 10 years ago. Players could see it as being critical.
The worst injury in baseball is not a torn labrum or a torn ACL, but hurt feelings.
If Gaston's constant negativity was a problem throughout the season, why didn't anyone tell Beeston?
Why did he have to hear about it on the radio?
GAME 154
ROGERS CENTRE, TORONTO
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Ricciardi touches 'em all, insulting Rogers Communications ownership, Beeston, the old Jays regime and fans saying:
"It doesn't matter if J.P. Ricciardi is the GM, or Joe Blow is the GM, the reality we face in Toronto is that the division is not going to change ... People forget when Toronto won the World Series, they had the highest payroll. If we're going to play in the big men's division and we're not going to spend that money, it's going to be really hard to compete."
This from the man who assured president Paul Godfrey he could "do more for less."
New York and Boston. Boston and New York for the 1,001st time.
Did Ricciardi think fans did not see who played the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series last year?
The Tampa Bay Rays.
The Jays outspent the Yanks by $2.976 million US in 1993 as top-spenders, were second in AL payroll in '92 when they won, fifth in '91 when they won the division and fourth in '85 when they won the division.
It's as if the GM forgot who ran those teams and filled the SkyDome to watch an exciting product: Pat Gillick, now of the Philadelphia Phillies, along with Beeston and Gaston.
GAME 146
YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK
Is it Beeston's fault or Gaston's fault that the Jays do not have an everyday catcher or a shortstop from their farm system for next season?
Both shortstop Marco Scutaro and catcher Rod Barajas are free agents.
Before a Jays-Yankees game, a major-league scout explained how his duties had changed this season. His club has gone to an organizational scouting format, like others. Rather than concentrating on only the big-league club and have other scouts check on minor-leaguers, scouts cover organizations from class-A to the big-leagues.
"I've got the AL East and I rank the prospects this way: No. 1. Baltimore, 2. Tampa Bay, 3. Boston, 4. New York and 5. the Blue Jays," said the scout.
A week later another scout's list ranks prospects in the AL East in the same order.
In the spring, the Jays had J.P. Arencibia and Brian Jeroloman as can't-miss blue-chippers. Both took steps backwards this summer. How bad were they? The Jays knocked their own prospects on their own broadcast.
What was it Ricciardi said when he took over from Ash about the minor-league system? "The cupboard is bare."
GAME 117
ROGERS CENTRE, TORONTO
The Aug. 17 deadline for signing drafted players comes and goes.
The Jays sign their first-round pick, righty Chad Jenkins (20th overall) for $1.359 million.
However, they fail to sign their next three picks: James Paxton of Ladner, B.C., from the University of Kentucky (37th), Newmarket lefty Jake Eliopoulos of the Canadian junior team (68th) and right-hander Jake Barrett, a Mesa, Ariz., high-schooler (99th). They overpay to sign outfielder Jake Marisnick a Riverside, Calif., high school outfielder (104th) for $1 million.
The Jays are pleased that they get replacement picks next June and may have as many as nine in the first three rounds if Scutaro and Barajas depart.
What good is it having extra selections if you won't sign them?
The Jays drafted nine Canadians and signed only one, Toronto-born Jonathan Fernandez, son of former Jays infielder Tony Fernandez.
GAME 111
YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK
The Jays allowed the Chicago White Sox to claim Alex Rios. It is a savings of $61,473,224 for Rogers Communications in the largest waiver claim in history.
A good job by the Jays?
Well, they allowed Rios to go the White Sox 17 months after evaluating the home-grown outfielder and deciding he was a franchise-type player.
Why not deal him to either the St. Louis Cardinals or the Boston Red Sox before the July 31 deadline? Both clubs were ready to assume his contract and give up prospects.
"We offered them half of what we did for Roy Halladay and that wasn't bad," said a Red Sox official.
GAME 85
TROPICANA FIELD, ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.
B.J. Ryan is released. The day before at Yankee Stadium, Ryan complained about a lack of use, while Gaston pointed out his former closer didn't throw enough strikes.
By cutting loose Ryan, the Jays are forced to eat $14.6 million. Add Scott Rolen's trade on July 31 (Game 103) to the Cincinnati Reds and look how much the Jays are paying people not the play at the Rogers Centre.
Cough as you try to digest this list of contracts that the Jays have eaten since the Ricciardi era began:
Ryan ($14.6 million), Corey Koskie ($7.1 million), Frank Thomas ($6.16 million), Rolen ($3.9 million), Shannon Stewart ($3.1 million), Eric Hinske ($2.8), Kerry Ligtenberg ($2 million) and Billy Koch ($950,000).
Those eight account for $40.61 million of wasted dough.
What could Joe Blow do with that payroll?
Well, the amount is $2.19 million less than the San Diego Padres spent on their entire team this year and $3.796 million more than the Florida Marlins spent.
GAME 83
YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK
Ricciardi approached Halladay at his locker and asked the right-hander his plans. Halladay said he'll play the remainder of the 2009 season and '10 with the Jays. Then, if he sees that the Jays are contenders in 2011, he'll discuss re-signing.
What followed was 26 days of a three-ring trade circus.
The Jays scout the Phillies. The Jays ask to be blown away with an offer.
The Phillies trade for lefty Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians.
Rather than asking Halladay where he'd approve a deal, the pitcher reads headlines like "Marlins Make Push for Halladay" and a lot of time is wasted.
Ricciardi has since told friends that he wanted to make the deal "and blow the team up, but Beeston would not let him."
Uh, can we get a quick look at the Jays flow chart again?
Yep, Beeston ranked higher than Ricciardi.
GAME 8
METRODOME, MINNEAPOLIS
Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg is putting peanut butter on a slice of bread when approached to ask about Ryan's difficulties the day before in Cleveland.
What followed is a 40-minute lecture to writers about asking too many negative questions, how no one asks about what Halladay is doing right (which was untrue), how no one asks about impressive rookies Brett Cecil or Brad Mills (untrue).
"What was all that about?" a player asks us after seeing Arnsberg in the hallway talking to five writers. "You know Cito and he have been knocking heads since last year."
Gaston brought bench coach Gene Tenace and third base coach Nick Leyva from the old regime, plus first base coach Dwayne Murphy when he replaced John Gibbons.
A built-in split on the coaching staff was immediately created.
Some players have complained about Tenace being negative.
Robbie Alomar complained about him once too, back in 1992.
How did that work out?
Or, how will this mess unfold?
One part of the equation has been answered.
BOB.ELLIOTT@SUNMEDIA.CA
