Some things you wouldn't expect to see in Syracuse, surprising offense from New Hampshire, a Frank Sinatra musical mention and two boxscore lines that will make you feel even older than you already do.

Yes. Even you, Magpie.

4 wins, 2 losses. Josh Banks was stellar again, while Davis Romero was not.

Lots of offence in Syracuse and Lansing nets wins for the Toronto farm; so does solid pitching in Dunedin, but in Auburn it’s not enough.

I had a chance to talk with Dick Scott for a few minutes last Friday. Scott was in New Hampshire with the Fisher Cats, getting ready to head for Dunedin and Orlando where the Farm Directors are meeting this week. Scott had seen Casey Janssen pitch for the Fisher Cats the night before and that is where we started the conversation.

Rob Cosby had a big day as the Fisher Cats won. Auburn came from behind to also win. Otherwise three losses made it a 2-3 day. With just over three weeks left in the season, three teams are in the playoff hunt.

The farm affiliates pulled out all the dramatic cliches en route to a 5-1 evening. Big leads almost blown in the nervous ninth. Walk-off homers. Walk-off baserunner kills. Let's hope the big boys were watching.

Baltimore loses 12-0. Bluefield loses 9-0. Oh well. At least David Newhan is out of Ottawa. A 4-2 Friday night for the affiliates.

Look here. The calendar tells me that it's August, which means that it's 3 months until Rule 5 draft. It was a non-event last year, with the exception of Kansas City's selection of Andy Sisco, but who knows what this year holds.

The farm affiliates went 3-3 on the evening with a 9th inning Doubleday uprising being the highlight.

Bad night for the pitchers, as both starters and relievers conspired to give up the go-ahead runs in 4 out of 5 games played. Only Auburn escaped with a victory last night. There were some sterling starting performances ruined when a starter went back to the mound once too often or the relievers couldn't get the job done. Some nights, both sides of the coin come up tails.

5 wins, 1 loss. Chad Mottola, Ryan Roberts, Adam Lind, Eugenio Velez, Nick Thomas, Leance Soto and Paul Franko all homered.

The Rookie level Pulaski Blue Jays kicked off their 2005 campaign with a loss to the Danville Braves on June 20. It’s been a tough season for a club that is accustomed to finding itself at or near the top of the standings. An 18-21 record through July 31 had Pulaski sitting in 3rd place, with the Princeton Devil Rays between themselves and the division leading Braves.

The Blue Jay farm takes 3 and drops 3, with more pitching than hitting.

Two wins and four losses, but two teams have moved into first place in their divisions. Zach Jackson had his best AAA start, as did Ricky Romero in high A, but Eric Fowler was better. Rob Cosby had a home run among his three hits.

Well, since Mike D's interview with these players gives more information about their character, potential and projectability than 178 plate appearances in a short-season league five steps below Toronto, there's not much I can say about this team that could improve on Mike's excellent work out on Coney Island. You're invited to read along, anyway.

As I write this, Auburn is off the pace of their previous Atlanta Braves-style seasons, as they are only 20-21. However, that is enough to top the Pinckney Division, even though the last place team is only 2.5 games worse. It will be an interesting stretch drive for Auburn -- their season ends September 8th, or about five weeks from now. But for now, let's take a look at how the Doubledays did in June and July. (This review includes the first three Blue Jay picks of the 2005 draft, if you're wondering.)