It's almost as fun as this game show.  I assure you, this is the last Monty Python reference.  No, it isn't!  Yes it is!  I could be arguing in my spare time!   Anyways, the Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering silmite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that the man known as J.M. was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why he is the MVP.  Sure, you can argue strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of MVP selection and that supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.  However, that's how MLB rolls these days.

Compare and contrast the two images below, if you will!

Okay, I should start by admitting that this piece has absolutely zero research support; everything here is strictly from memory. That's an invitation for you all to interject, disagree, expand -- whatever feels right.

Basically, I started wondering about a question and figured to myself, "Self, this would be a great arguing point for Da Box." So here we go. The question? What team has had the most consistent greatness at a single position in baseball history?

Some examples ...

To nobody's surprise (one hopes), Minnesota backstop Joe Mauer is your 2009 AL MVP. Yankee teammates Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter split the Bronx vote to finish second and third, respectively. Tiger Miguel Cabrera, who finished fourth, received one first-place vote, with all the others going to Joltin' Joe of the Twin Cities. 

This was the first or second book on the Jays that I ever got.

Recent 40-man roster addition Reidier Gonzalez pitched a shutout inning but his Phoenix Desert Dogs lost to the Peoria Javelinas 5-4 in the Arizona Fall League championship game.

The Blue Jays have added right-handed pitcher Reidier Gonzalez to their 40-man roster.  That means the 24 year-old Cuban is protected from being selected by another club in the Rule 5 draft on December 10th.

Tim Linceum wins a very close vote to take home his second Cy Young Award.

I'm disappointed this club will not be wearing this sharp road uniform anymore but you can take a look at it here through the "ventana of visuality" known as the Batter's Box POTD.

As a "reward" for loyal fans and season ticket holders for a 75 win campaign, the Blue Jays organization is considering jacking up the price of single game tickets for next season according to the Globe & Mail.  In addition, the team is cutting back benefits for season ticket holders such as free plane trips to Dunedin next spring.  What's next?  Inviting dead players to try out before crossing them off the list?

He polled no votes at all. Not a sausage. Bugger all.

He didn't get a whole lot of love from the Baseball Writers Association of America but he gets some here in another installment of the Batter's Box POTD.

A hat tip to KaneCoKeith who alerted me that Dimaond Futures had begun ranking the farm systems of the major league teams with the Blue Jays.  Chad Jenkins is the top rated prospect.  In case you were wondering they didn't pick the Jays out of interest, Toronto is their 30th ranked minor league system.

And in other news Dick Scott has a new home.

To the surprise of (hopefully) no one, Zack Greinke has won the AL Cy Young.

The guys who are free agents who don't cost a draft pick, or more than the ML minimum, is out with over 500 names to choose from.  Can any help the Jays?

Congratulations to Andrew Bailey, winner of the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year award -- he probably shouldn't have won it, frankly, but the voters seem inclined to live by the mantra "when in doubt, give it to an Oakland Athletic" --he's the seventh Oaklander to win it since 1986. (The Jays have one in that time, the immortal Eric Hinske, and just one-and-a-half all-time total, to include 1979 co-winner Alfredo Griffin.)

That niffiness aside, I found myself thinking, "Bailey is a pretty common surname. I bet we could build a pretty good historical Hall of Names team of Baileys -- you know, call them the Irish Creams, the whole deal."

Boy, was I wrong ...

Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins may be pouring a cocktail or two today as he wins the National League Rookie of the Year award.