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springâ€"training battle with Willie Upshaw for the firstâ€"base job on the Toronto Blue Jays. He‘d rather let his bat and glove do the talking for him. "I just(!\ave to go down there (Dunedin) and worry about Fred McGriff. I can‘t be looking over my shoulder to see what Willie or Cecil (Fielder) is doing. If I want the job I‘ll have to earn it," said McGriff Tuesday afternoon at Kitchener‘s Valhalla Inn. 4 â€" McGriff â€" along with third baseman Kelly Gruber, bullpen coach John Sullivan and batting guru Cito, Gaston â€" was taking part in the Labatt‘s Blue Jay Caravan, an annual winter journey through southern Ontario and western New York that allows local media the opportunity to review the byâ€"gone baseball season and the one upcoming. _ At 24, * McGriff feels he‘s ready to step into the first base job on a dayâ€"toâ€"day basis, but realizes if it‘s to happen this year it will be in a platoon situation. with Fielder. ____ _ ' "If T get400 atâ€"bats this year, I‘m going to hit 25 to 30 homers. If Cecil gets 250 atâ€"bats, he‘s going to hit 15â€"20," said the 6‘3" native of Tampa, Florida. |__ _ o Not bad when you consider that Upshaw hit a mere 15 homers last year to go along with a slim .244 batting average after 512 plate appearances. And we all remember how many of those homers came in April. -â€"T;Héâ€"éofi:é;;)fen power hitter is also quick to defend his defensive skills, which many claim are a few years away from big league calibre.. _ S â€" "Both Cec and I have played first base in AAA, AA and A ball so it‘s really not a problem, a ground ball is a ground ball. The only difference between the minors and the majors is the field conditions. In the minors you‘ve got rocks and bumps to deal with," said McGriff. Then there‘s Gruber, who had a very disappointing 1987 campaign, hitting a slender .235 to go along with 12 home runs. For the past six months he‘s had to listen to all the trade talk involving third basemen from other teams coming in to take his spot, which he plans to share in a platoon situation with Rance Mulliniks this season. "I really don‘t think I ever believed the job was given to me. I know I have to earn it," said Gruber, who suffered through a number of nagging injuries throughout the course of last season. ‘"‘The way I see it, the position is there to be taken away." McGriff had an upâ€"andâ€"down rookie campaign last season which was perhaps highlighted in June by a toweringâ€"shot hit into the farthest corner of Yankee Stadium off Rick Rhoden. ‘‘Maybe if I had been a Yankee they might of measured it," deadpanned McGriff. o e Then there was the evening that belonged to Ernie Whitt. At least it appeared to belong to Whitt. McGriff cracked the 10th Blue Jay homer off Baltimore pitching during a rout at Exhibition Stadjum and had his bat taken to the Baseball Hall of Fame in memory of the occasion. All Whitt did during the game was hit three homers, including the recordâ€"breakâ€" ing ninth. "Ernie wasn‘t real happy about that one," he laughed. But the season did have its down side, particularly McGriff‘s batting slump through August and September. As for predictions on the 1988 season, McGriff believes the American League East will once again be the toughest in baseball, but says come October, the Blue Jays will be in the thick of things. "I wasn‘t picki‘;\g up the ball and I was struggling with my swing," he recalled. "But I really learned a lot from that." "Whoever has the best pitching will take it this year and I think we have it. The Yankees may have Jack Clark now, but they still don‘t have the pitching." _ â€" o McGriff says it will take 99 to 100 victories to win the division this year and mentioned all teams with the exception of Baltimore as possible contenders. _ "I still feel we had the best team last year but we didn‘t win," he said. 0 _ Like anyone else associated with major league ball, he only hopes that Sports Illustrated doesn‘t pick the Jays to win it. Remember Cleveland? Fred MtGriff doesn‘t tak much about his impending Fred McGriff with Mark Bryson McGriff was one of three rookies to spend the entire 1987 season with the Jays, setting a club rookie homeâ€" run record of 20 along the way. He had a .247 batting average. In what someday may amount to one the greatâ€" est steals in baseball history, McGriff was acquired by the Jays along with outfielder Dave Collins, pitcher Mike Morgan and cash in exchange for rightâ€"handed pitcher Dale Murray and minor league outfielder Tom Dodd. Same holds true on the ice â€" with one major exception â€" both Waterloo Siskins‘ goaltenders are there to block pucks in any way they can. Just look at the facts. MacDonald, 19, is as softâ€"spoken as they come. While the rest of the Waterloo Siskins are going through their various preâ€"game rituals, the babyâ€" faced MacDonald is always quietly contemplating the task ahead. Mark Bryson Chronicle Staff Away from the rink, Garry Robins and Scott MacDonald have very little in common. Robins, 20, does exactly the opposite. Rather than sitting quietly, Robins likes to "talkâ€"itâ€"up"‘ before the game and continues his chatter whether between the pipes or on the bench. They also have glaringly different styles. Robins is a little more cocky than his partner and likes to challenge opposition shooters. MacDonald, meanâ€" while, is what you call your "stay at home goalie." As earlier suggested, the same holds true away from the team. When Robins is not hard at the books studying his social work material from York University, the Guelph resident likes to spend a quiet evening with his family and girlfriend. An ideal evening would also consist of authentic Italian food and some country and western music in the background. MacDonald, a recent selection to the Midwestern Junior B allâ€"star team, is in his third season with Waterloo and to date has had â€" by his own Then there‘s MacDonald. Although quiet by nature, the Grade 13 Kitchener collegiate student and graduate of the Waterloo minor hockey system likes to get together with friends and party to the sounds of "anything but country and western‘‘. A burger and fries cap off the evening. Siskins‘ dynamic duo The puck stops here Scott MacDonald (left) and Garry Robins hope to turn in strong performances during the Siskins‘ stretch drive. Mark Bryson photo admission â€" an upâ€"andâ€"down season that has seen him play like a world beater one night and the Invisible Man the next. â€" _"Before Christmas I wasn‘t into the game for some reason. But the Christmas break really helped," said MacDonald. _ _ Playing behind the league‘s top team is also tough on its goaltenders because, on a team that is not supposed to lose, the netminder can often take the brunt of criticism if the team falters. "It‘s often unfair, but it happens and it‘s part of the game. I sometimes myself wonder how good a goalie I‘d be if I wasn‘t with the Siskins," said MacDonald. "And it‘s the same thing with my individual statistics (18 wins, two losses and a tie after 21 games with a 2.92 goals against average and one shutout). Is it me or the guys in front of me?" Robins was acquired from Guelph Bs earlier this season for future considerations. The most recent stats on him display a 10â€"7 wonâ€"lost mark ang a 5.70 average. These figures include his days in Guelph. Like MacDonald, Robins has had his problems this year, especially against the league‘s weaker teams. But asked whether it‘s tougher to play in Guelph or Waterloo, he quickly chose the'former. "It has been a big change in workload for me. In Guelph I was trying to cover two positions â€" coaching the defence and goaltending. But over here I don‘t have to worry about the defencemen because they‘re usually in the right position,"‘ said Robins. lt_)'ego:;;lt;;ll the apparent differences, both Robins and MacDonald believe the Siskins is a good enough team to capture the t_il|~0nmio crown. . If and when that day comes, it might be a wise idea for Siskins‘ management to have a wide assortment of food afi music at the victory celebration.