Okay, actuallly two questions. But they're so interrelated, they should count as one as the Cardinals (probably the least strong of the NL playoff teams) take on the Rangers (probably the stromgest of the AL playoff teams) in this year's Fall classic.

1. Which team has the least horrible starting pitching?
2. Which team has the better bullpen?

Let's give the Cardinals the edge in rotation ace and the Rangers the edge in closer. What say you all, noble Bauxites, about the other moundsmen of WS'11?

There are other matchups worth considering ...

Just Tuesday of this week, on this very site, inimitable Bauxite Thomas told the world,

Nelson Cruz continued his attempt to pry the “Mr. October” nickname away from Reggie Jackson with the first walk-off grand slam in postseason history.

While "Whoa" Nellie didn't "slam" anyone this evening, he did fire a three-run jack into the left field belachers in extra frames to propel his Texas teammates to a second-consecutive 7-3 overtime win in the ALCS. (Detroit is now Very Sad.)  And for the record, it is the first time in all of MLB history that one player has hit two extra-inning home runs in the same postseason series, so Cruz's pursuit of becoming Texas' own Senor Octubre is still very much fair game.

The Rangers, now up 3-1 in this series, look to return to the World Series this year (how preternaturally odd that sounds to anyone who's lived in North Texas for more than a year or two) -- they'd be the first AL team to do so, outside of the multi-ringed Yankees, since your 1992-93 Blue Jays.

Today's Question of the Day (essay format, no wrong answers ) ...

Behind the fearsome bat of Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals tied the NLCS at 1 game apiece. Earlier in the day, the Nelson Cruz continued his attempt to pry the “Mr. October” nickname away from Reggie Jackson with the first walk-off grand slam in postseason history. The Rangers now head to Detroit with a 2-0 lead in the ALCS.

First we'll play a little Snakes and Ladders, before looking at some matters relating to The Great Game Itself.

It has long been my custom to examine some odds and ends at the conclusion of the regular season, once the final game is in the books and I've had a chance to update my Big Honking Database.
Today we'll check in with Pythagoras, ancient Sage of Samos.

The Toronto Blue Jays weren't at their most memorable in 2002. I wouldn't even bring them up if it weren't for a few series they won in July. They lost the first game to the Red Sox in SkyDome on July 11th (10-3, with Pete Walker taking the loss), and then won the next three. On the 17th and 18th, Baltimore was in town, and the Jays took both games, and then beat the Orioles again in Baltimore on the 22nd and 24th. (What happened on the 23rd? Rainout?)

Here's why I bring that up.

Many are called but few are chosen. The Jays have approximately two hundred and fifty players under contract at the end of a season when the newly drafted players mix with the no longer rookies. Out of that number only thirty can be chosen to be on the Batters Box Top 30 list. There are many other worthy candidates who just didn't play enough to be recognized or who haven't really matured yet and as a result haven't shown their true potential. 

Last year Justin Nicolino didn't make our top 30, he was too new to the system.  Luis Perez looked to have topped out as a AAA reliever.  Both of those were able to shake-off the disappointment of not making the Batters Box top 30 to shine in 2011. Who will surprise with a break-out in 2012?  Most likely it will be one of the players listed below. If you doubt that, consider that two of the prospects included in last year's feature were Adonis Cardona and Michael Crouse. Following a list of the prospects to watch, this article will conclude with a brief blurb on every player to receive a vote on any of the eight Top 30 lists.

For the first time since 2001, there will be three Game 5’s in the LDS round of the MLB playoffs.

Welcome to the creme de la creme, the number one through ten prospects.  In case you missed it number 11 through 20 are here, and number 21 to 30 are here.

We hope you enjoyed this top 30 and the hope it brings to the future of the Blue Jays organization.   Check back tomorrow for a few who missed the top 30.

Today we look at the prospects rated 20 though 11. For prospects 30-21 click here.

Welcome to the Batters Box top 30 Blue Jay prospects for 2011. Eight of your trusted minor league correspondents pooled their votes to come up with the list. The same trusty eight shared the task of writing the prospect descriptions you see below.

In total, forty-two prospects received at least one vote.  Twenty of the top thirty were named on all eight ballots.  There can be plenty of debate as to who should have made it, particularly here, in the bottom 10.  We hope the wisdom of our crowd has delivered a great top thirty.

As usual we have split the top 30 into three installments, running Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday we will look at some prospects that did not make the list but are favourites of one of our writers.

We hope you enjoy the list and the discussion.

It's commonplace to say that the MVP will (or should) come from a contender. Are you wondering just how often it does?

Wonder no more.

Once again, we delve into the playoff milieu with a prediction contest. Fame! Glory! Fabulous Prizes!* All await should you correctly predict who will win a series of series!

*Warning: prize is not fabulous.

Maybe not the most exciting day in major league history, and both the Rays and Cardinals could be history by the time the LCS begins. But pretty cool anyway. 

And why did it happen? A tale of four teams...

The 2011 Toronto Blue Jays concluded their season with a 3-2 defeat of the Chicago White Sox this afternoon and finished the year at .500 on the nose. The White Sox held a 2-1 lead entering the ninth, but Chris Sale was unable to find the strike zone, allowing Mark Teahen and Adam Loewen to both draw walks with the bases loaded. Shawn Camp earned the win, as Brandon Morrow struggled with his control. Frank Francisco notched his 17th save, while Jose Bautista was held hitless, but drew his 132nd walk of the year.