The Daylight Savings edition.
* Gagliano Notes - Where's Fordin these days? Anyway, Hentgen pitched better yesterday and other various Jays notes.
* Here's the game summary for the Jays 7-5 loss to the Rays.
* Final Spring Training stats. A few surprises - on the positive side, Cash & Pond, on the negative side Vernon Wells.
* A look at the contenders for closer this spring (sorry for the poor formatting):
Pitcher..........K/9..BB/9..HR/9..ERA
A Lopez.........8.8...4.8...1.6...10.03
K Ligtenberg.11.5..0.8...0.8...2.45
T Adams.......7.1....8.0...0.0...11.32
J Speier........7.2....0.9...0.9... 2.70
I realize all of the 'it's only spring training' caveats, but right now Lopez and Adams have control issues and Speier and Ligtenberg have been highly effective. Ligtenberg has closed before, and Speier has had good success with runners on base. So if Ligtenberg pitches the 9th, Speier comes into the game in the 8th or when there's a trouble spot, and the rest of your pen is mixed and matched according to strengths I think you have your best bullpen setup at this time.
* Simon Pond wasn't assured of a roster spot at the beginning of spring, but he was the camp's biggest surprise. Geoff Baker covers the other best & worst moments of Jays camp.
* Sun Notes - Includes the opening day lineup & other notes. No real surprises in the lineup:
Johnson - 9
Catalanotto - 7
Wells - 8 (any other team have their OF in the first 3 spots in the order?)
Delgado - 3
Phelps - DH
Hinske - 5
Woodward - 6
Hudson - 4
Cash - 2
As usual, Tosca sets his lineup alternating RHB and LHBs.
* Time To Play For Real - Can the Jays beat the Yanks and/or Sox? Halladay thinks so.
* Sun 2004 Preview - Thumbnail sketches of each team are provided. If you want in depth analysis of each team head to the Batter's Box Previews.
* Heavy Cys - A look at the similarities of Hentgen and Halladay.
* A look at Carlos Tosca from the Boston Herald.
* It wouldn't be a Jays game without Tom Cheek calling the game. This will be his 28th year in the both, having already called over 4000 games.
* Various previews of the Blue Jays &/or AL East from other cities:
NY Times
NY Times AL Preview
MN Star Tribune
Newark Star Legard
St Pete Times
* Tomorrow's the big day - Halladay takes the mound against Johnson and the Tigers at 1:05 pm; the first game of the day.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040404102657999