We watched this week, somewhat with dismay, as the Toronto Blue Jays decided to allow young phenom Brandon Morrow one more start before shutting him down for the season.

 Morrow had far exceeded expectations this year, stepping into the Jays' rotation and giving indications that not only will he be one of their arms to count on for years to come, but that he also may have the stuff to be an ace, a top-flight major-league starter - the likes which the Blue Jays will need at least a fistful of to compete in the American League East in the next two years.

 So well had Morrow performed that he was on the cusp of eclipsing the predetermined maximum number of innings the club was willing to let him pitch this season.

 Too many innings could mean too much strain on a young arm and, given the issues experienced by Dustin McGowan (still recovering) and Shaun Marcum (misses more than a season), protecting Morrow from pointless wear and tear is the smart thing to do.

 It's the kind of decision that makes rookie general manager Alex Anthopolus look wise and calculating beyond his years.

 Yes, had the Jays been in a race for their divisional pennant, or even the wild card, you can bet that Morrow would've kept on tossing.

 But rather than holding out false hope, with roughly a month to go in the season, the realistic choice was to shut Morrow down following one final start against the New York Yankees and let him begin resting and focusing in preparation for next season.

 And finally, oh finally, there is every reason to believe that the 2011 season may hold true and real promise for the Jays.

 When Anthopolus took over the muddied mess from J.P. Ricciardi last fall, Canada's lone major-league ball club seemed to be in disarray - a ship with its rudder broken, bobbing against the wind.

 Vernon Wells was coming off yet another underachieving season. Having pushed himself to play through injury, Wells had not healed properly, nor had he contributed to the tune of the $126 million contract he had signed. Conventional thought was, if there was a sucker to be had, the Jays would trade him in a heartbeat.

 The Roy Halladay saga was about to hit full steam, with the Jays being put in the unenviable position of having to deal the game's best pitcher before he left as a free agent.

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 Marcum was a question mark, so too the rest of the starting staff, while the lineup appeared to lack power outside of Adam Lind and Aaron Hill.

 A fifth-place finish in the East and a possible 100-loss season was widely predicted in all corners.

 Evidently, however, this team had notions of proving the old adage - that the game is not played on paper - to be true.

 They stormed out of the gate, with great contributions from the bullpen and starting staff, keeping pace in the East with the leading Yankees and Rays for the first two months of the season.

 When the pitching failed, the offensive support was surprisingly strong, with the mystifying Jose Bautista coming from seemingly nowhere to lead a punishing offensive attack, capable of belting out a wealth of home runs.

 The only glaring weakness has been in the closer's role, where Kevin Gregg has struggled at times, but to Gregg's credit, despite a handful of blown saves, he still has converted 30 of 35 opportunities.

 Eventually, Toronto did fall back of the leaders, but this is a team that is still going to finish above .500 - an accomplishment that, surely, is monumental, considering the perceived quagmire the team was in.

 And it's only going to get better, if the tried and tested motto that pitching wins baseball games holds water in the years to come.

 A staff that includes Marcum, Morrow, Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil is solid, one through four, and could benefit further from the return of a healthy Jesse Litsch or McGowan midway through 2011 or the emergence of another young arm - perhaps Kyle Drabek, the centrepiece of the Halladay deal, will pitch his way onto the club next spring in the fashion that Morrow did this year.

 It's becoming clear that the pieces are in place for the Toronto Blue Jays to once again be a power in the American League in the immediate future, possibly as early as next season - and for baseball fans across this great country, that's something to be excited about.

posted on 09/07/10