J.P. Ricciardi hits the bricks in Toronto, out as Blue Jays GM

What's that old line about giving a man enough rope to hang himself? Whatever it is, it officially now applies to our old friend from north of the border. Two months after treating ace pitcher Roy Halladay(notes) like fishing bait but then coming back to shore emptyhanded, J.P. Ricciardi is "leaving his position as senior vice president, baseball operations, and general manager" with the Blue Jays.That's according to a team statement that was just released, but go ahead and go ahead and feel free to assume that "leaving" translates to "fired." The Blue Jays say that assistant GM Alexander Anthopoulos will assume Ricciardi's duties.This is hardly a surprising move, of course. At the beginning of July, Ricciardi announced that he'd be willing to part ways with his ace pitcher a year early — Halladay is signed through 2010 — for the right price. But even though the Phillies and Red Sox reportedly came through with strong offers...