J.P. Ricciardi

From Wiki Gonzalez

J.P. Ricciardi (born 1959) is the general manager of the Blue Jays, and according to one of his ex-players, a smooth-looking cat.

Ricciardi first came to prominence in the book Moneyball as Billy Beane's director of player personnel with the sabermetrics-crazy Athletics. Born in Worcester, MA, he came from a talent-scouting background, and was considered to have more traditional GM abilities than Beane's analytically-minded assistant GM, Paul DePodesta.

Ricciardi left the A's to take the Jays GM job in 2002, replacing the widely reviled Gord Ash, who had built a poor high-payroll team consisting of Homer Bush, Raul Mondesi, and other mediocrities. It was commonly assumed Ricciardi would apply Moneyball principles toward rebuilding the club.

Ricciardi has had a rough four years in Toronto, trying to compete in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees on minimal payroll budget. His club maxed out at 86 wins in 2003 before dipping below .500 in 2004 and 2005. Unlike DePodesta with the Dodgers, he has survived lean seasons, had his player budget increased for 2006, and his own contract was extended through 2010.

In the 2005-06 offseason, he promptly blew his newly allocated cash on closer B.J. Ryan and starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, then traded young players for third baseman Troy Glaus and first baseman Lyle Overbay.

Still, former Jays officials such as Ash and Buck Martinez, as well as Toronto Star columnist Richard Griffin, habitually criticize Ricciardi for his sabermetrically-minded moves. Griffin and his fellow journalists attempted to stir up the White Jays controversy in 2003, questioning his racial preferences in team construction.

Primates in general are more favorably inclined toward Ricciardi, as are Blue Jays bloggers, who vividly remember the bad old days before J.P. came along.

Also see: General managers