Blue jays, like most corvids, are renowned for their intelligence—
Jeff Sullivan (@LookoutLanding) July 27, 2011

The above tweet? Truth.

There’s a lot of talk about how Alex Anthopoulos is a ninja. I don’t like it. Why apply an overused term to a man of his genius, especially when there’s a much easier explanation for how he does what he does?

Watch Betty the crow:

Betty accomplishes her goal by using a spare part and fashioning it into a useful tool to get what she really wants: The food in the damn tube.

Anthopoulos accomplishes his goal by using spare parts and fashioning them into a useful tool (trade bait) to get what he really wants: Colby Rasmus from the damn Cardinals.

Betty is a crow. Crows are corvids. Blue jays are corvids.

Alex Anthopoulos is not a ninja.

Alex Anthopoulos is a Blue Jay.