According to this press release the Blue Jays have given manager John Gibbons a two year contract extension.

Consequently, I’ve a tendency to be unhappy
You see the thoughts in my head
All the words that were said
All the blues and the reds get to me

When I visited the Fisher Cats in Binghamton recently I had a chance to talk with Canadian pitcher Vince Perkins, as well as some of the other pitchers.

From Bauxite Kevin Pataky, we have another great pinch-hit Photo of the Day. Says Kevin:

"We went to the Jays Welcome Home Luncheon on Friday. I got some good pictures of the guys in there too. My favorite is of Gus Chacin holding up his fist with his EL Championship ring on. When I commented on the ring's size, he took it off and flipped it to me. Upon review, the thing looks like a Super Bowl Ring. The top is all encrusted in diamonds wrapped around a Fisher Cat head. His Name and number were carved on the side. It was really well done."

The Blue Jays rode a six-run sixth inning and a key error by The Prettier Alex Gonzalez to a 7-5 win over the Devil Rays. Ted Lilly got the win thanks to six innings of solid work, despite an ugly start to the seventh that saw him depart after giving up a three-run homer to rookie Jonny Gomes. The bullpen put in solid work to see him home.

For this session, I will be paying particular attention to Jason Frasor and Brandon League. Your comments on how they look, and any other bullpen topic, would be welcome here.

In a reverse of yesterday's report, the Jay's affiliates won 4 out of 5 games.

For whatever reason -- or in some cases, lack of viable reason -- various Bauxites have clamored for the head of the GM over the past several months. Well, finally, it's happened ... the Jays released the only GM on the active roster, and you all are invited pay your respects to Crash as we ponder the immutable baseball question hinted at in the immortal All-Steinbrenner Yankees sketch when the Boss hosted Saturday Night Live.

What would a team entirely made up of GMs look like, anyway? Well, it's certainly stuffed with Gregs and Georges ...

When Greg Myers came back to the Jays after a decade wandering the majors, I concluded my welcome with the words "Greg Myers, it's great to have you back."

Let me begin this farewell by saying Crash, it's sad to see you go.

Ted Lilly is winless this year, but he has a great chance to change that against the Devil Rays.

"Astrology used to be the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of all sciences. Not so very good."
--Professor Frick, The Simpsons

The D-Rays, long the butt of jokes of varying quality, have once again become joke-worthy after a somewhat surprising '04 campaign. (Another example: David Letterman suggested that a stiff punishment for Alex Sanchez, rather than a ten-game suspension, would be to make him play those games as a Devil Ray.) Nevertheless, they come into town after a rousing display of walk-off heroics and bench-clearing fireworks against the Red Sox.

The D-Rays have some pesky hitters in their lineup, but they haven't gotten anything approaching steady pitching this season. Will Mickey's men get well against Tampa pitching, or will the hometown slump continue? The Jays are unlucky to draw the organization's bright light among moundsmen -- Scott Kazmir -- tomorrow night.

This week's Scout features a Shea Hillenbrand doppelganger, more ex-Jays than you can shake a stick at and the first Advance Scout Trivia Challenge.

On to the Advance Scout!

Welcome to your new post as hitting coach for the Jays, Mickey Brantley. And also, welcome to photo of the day.

Here he is taking Vernon Wells' helmet, batting gloves and the remainder of his shattered bat as Wells prepares to take the field after grounding out:

The Jays were off on Monday literally, their farm system figuratively, as the minor leaguers were beaten 4 out of 5.

Watching Kevin Brown struggle in pinstripes again this past weekend raised the question -- at least in my mind -- is he the greatest Brown ever to play major league baseball? Raise three fingers in the air if you know the answer to that right off, as we prepare for another exciting rendition of Baseball's Hall of Names ... Woohoo!

TSN reports that the Jays have dismissed hitting coach Mike Barnett.

His replacement will be current first base coach Mickey Brantley, who did such a fine job as interim hitting coach when Barney was unable to join the team in the season's early going.

Can the enthusiastic, passionate Brantley coax more power and more production out of the Jays' currently slap-happy lineup? What do you think?