Ex-Jay Derek Bell turned 38 earlier this week. On the same day, not an "ex-Jay" but really a Jay, that is, Jay Bell turned 41. Neither is the best major league player to have been born on Dec. 11 (okay, okay, this should have been posted earlier!), but they are two of the 36 MLB alumni to bear the last/family name "Bell" (or at least to have that as part of their last/family name -- hello Albert Belle, Mark Bellhorn and others); another three have had the middle name "Bell," and per Hall of Names standards, they will be referenced only if necessary.

That said, let's "ring in" a new Hall of Names team that may a-peal to many of you as we meet ...

It's decision day for arbitration eligibles. Who will be non-tendered? In other news, the Rangers signed Eric Gagne to a 1 year contract, while PECOTA likes Matsuzaka 4.01.

What you got?

As I combed through last year's photographic leftovers, this photo of John Gibbons chatting with Bengie Molina caught my eye:

John Sickels has been posting top 20 prospect lists over at his website. The Jays top 20 prospects list is his most recent one.  His summary:

The Blue Jays In One Sentence: Toronto has two outstanding bats, but the system drops off quickly after that, as the pitchers with the best stuff lack command, and the pitchers with the best command lack stuff.

Okay, it's official: the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays cannot lose. Why, you ask?

My new secret weapon:

The sandwich round of the 2007 draft is going to be a long one.

EDIT (4:45 Fri): The order of the sandwich round was incorrectly presented earlier. It is correct now (I think).

Gil Meche for 5 years at $11 million per annum to the Royals.  The Mariners send Rafael Soriano to the Braves for Horacio Ramirez. And all is quiet, so far today, on the home front. 

Today, we have a "you supply the punch-line" joke.  What do you call it when John Schuerholz and Bill Bavasi spend 20 minutes in a room together alone?  Please keep it G-rated.

Jeff Blair reports that the Jays have reached an agreement with Matt Stairs. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"I expect I'll be doing the same thing with Toronto that I've done most of my career: play a little first base, DH to spell off Frank (Thomas), and be a bat off the bench late in the game."

Ted Lilly apparently will not be pitching for the Blue Jays next season, narrowing his decision to the Cubs and Yankees.

Jason Schmidt cashes in today - 3 years, $47 million.


UPDATE (9:45 pm): Lilly to the Cubs is official now.  Four years, $40 million.

Chip Cannon was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Arizona Fall League today.  Cannon dominated the top 10 offensive lists in the league, and led the Phoenix Desert Dogs to the league championship.  Congratulations to a Box favourite.

The old thread has enough miles on it, so here's a new one.

those gentle voices I hear
explain it all with a sigh

Here's a new thread for discussing all the moves that are unfolding at the Winter Meetings.

The results are in.  Blue Jay fans considered John McDonald and Vernon Wells as the best defenders on the club.  Aaron Hill did very well on my ballot, but I probably sneaked in some consideration of his superior pivot on the double play into the "instincts" and "release" departments.  Surprises?

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger Frank Catalanotto fan than me.  You see the ball that's behind the Batter's Box logo at the top of this page?  That ball was autographed by the Cat.  Not only that -- he threw the ball to me during a game, and my wife got him to autograph it for me later.

This was back in 2003, when I made a giant banner that read VOTE CATALANOTTO in the same font and style as the VOTE DELGADO and VOTE WELLS banners on the outfield walls at the then-SkyDome, and brought it with me during All-Star voting.  One game a security fellow asked to see my rolled-up sign and got so excited by it that he directed me to sit in the left field corner and unveil the sign whenever possible.  I did, and that's when the Cat tossed me that ball.

Enjoy Texas, Frank.  I'll miss you, and I don't think I'm the only one.  And whenever someone loads up a page of Batter's Box, that ball you autographed for me will appear.

Here's Frank Catalanotto, one last time for your desktops:

We now take the final step through the process of building a Hall of Names roster for each of the 25 most-common male names in North America -- though one additional step in this process will be taken later.

For now, though, let's look at name #22, one of those rare names that has done significant triple duty as a given first name and middle name as well as a family/last name in the big leagues ... Anthony.

Sure, it's true that ...