Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
Our final Pinch-Hit Game Report of the season comes from Blue Jay Way's Matthew E, a Bauxite who just about finally reached his breaking point following the Blue Jays' dispirited 3-1 loss in the opener of yesterday's doubleheader (the nightcap Game Report will follow later today). Join him in this Keats-inspired lament for another Blue Jays season mere days from departing into the history books.
[More] (846 words)
Two sacrifice flies in the last two innings made the difference, as the Jays managed a split with the BoSox. Chalk this one up to the bullpen, which bailed out Gustavo Chacin, and the bats, which never quit and continued to grind it out. Shaun Marcum is having himself quite the big-league debut.
Dave Bush overcame a very shaky start, and Dustin McGowan contributed two perfect innings of relief, but it was all for naught. The Jays could only push across one unearned run, and according to GameDay, made outs with 12 runners on base. Gustavo Chacin will try to salvage a split in the nightcap, going up against Curt Schilling.
Four big games in three days await the Jays, who go from raucuous Yankee Stadium to frenzied Fenway.

The Fighting Jays have played the Bosox awfully tough this year, and it would do wonders for the confidence of some of the younger players if the good guys could steal a couple of wins this week. The Red Sox are unlikely to overlook the Jays, though; they know that this is not the roll-over-and-die Orioles in town.

This week's Scout features a struggling veteran hurler, a locked-in MVP candidate and some empty hospital beds. After all, the Sox are on TV at home.

On to the Advance Scout!
[More] (964 words)
Haven't seen much of Pete Walker lately, so here he is:
[More] (89 words)
Yesterday's prospect list consisted mainly of players in the lower minors. By contrast, today's prospects, #20-#11 on our Top 30 list, are (with two notable exceptions) well on their way to The Show. Check out the Middle Ten.

[More] (2,250 words)
Here's a point for discussion ... what's the biggest surprise in MLB this season? As we wind down the entire season, we can start to draw some conclusions, rather than rely on projections, so speaking as an avowed fan of the interlocking NY and pinstripes, I would humbly suggest that the biggest surprise of 2005 ...
[More] (163 words)
The Yankees' late-inning comeback yesterday capped off the season series between Toronto and their rivals in the Bronx.

As a New York resident of over seven years, I've attended more games at Yankee Stadium than at any other big-league ballpark, save the Dome/Rogers Centre and Exhibition Stadium. In an attempt to be fair and balanced, Fox News-style, I've listed things to both like and dislike about The House That Ruth Built, in ten different categories. Notwithstanding the results, I'll be there again in 2006, cheering on the Jays in some rather hostile territory.

[More] (378 words)
Here he is, the Rodney Dangerfield of the Toronto Blue Jays:
[More] (89 words)
This year, the Blue Jays Top 30 Prospect List is a consensus effort from the minor-league crew. The statistical summaries are the work of Jonny German, while the analysis for each prospect was done by one of the crew (JF-Jordan Furlong; GM-Gerry McDonald; MG-Mike Green; JG-Jonny German; RP-Rob Pettapiece). Final Top 30 rankings were determined through a complex and sophisticated system: we added up all of our own personal rankings and averaged 'em out. Today, it's prospects #30 to #21.
[More] (1,961 words)
It's taken some time -- almost two full calendar years -- but we've actually completed every single viable All-Alphabet team for Baseball's Hall of Names -- 26 letters in the English alphabet, 25 complete teams. (Here's proof: A * B * C * D * E * F * G * H * I * J * K * L * M * N * O * P * Q * R * S * T * U * V * W * X * Y * Z)

What? I mean, sure 96.2 percent is still an "A" in most schools, and there is the little matter of the fact that no player in major league history has ever made it to The Show with a last/family name beginning with the letter "X." Besides, we can tell ourselves, 25 is a nice, round, "baseball number" -- the size of an unexpanded regular season roster. (And, be forewarned, that little factoid is going to lead to a Hall of Names Batter's Box challenge come this off-season.)

But no "All-X" team, especially in this era of X-treme sports? Preposterous! So what to do? Actually, that's quite easy ...

[More] (1,842 words)
The thing about the Yankees is that even if you keep the Jason Giambis and the Derek Jeters and the Alex Rodriguezes off the board, they can still send a stealth Robinson Cano out there to beat you with a long ball. The Yanks took the measure of the Jays this season, and it's apparent there's still a sizeable gulf between the two teams. Can the Jays make up that difference between now and next April?
Yankees lose, Red Sox win.

Both teams at 90-64 with 8 games to go!

[More] (755 words)

What's the ultimate goal in baseball? To get a whole bunch of W's strung together, of course. And that's what we've done here -- that is, strung together an entire team of players whose last/family name begins with the letter "W".
We have some help from previous All-Wilson and All-Wright and All-Williams (which was also an All-Kent) teams as well as the All-Black/White/Gray squad ... But for now, let's cut to the chase (no, not Hal) and meet ...
[More] (1,601 words)
Today it was the Yankees $21 million dollar man who could only record three outs. The Jays hit ten singles, three sac flies, and accepted with glee a couple of defensive miscues.

And Miguel Batista struck out Jason Giambi with the bases loaded in the eighth en route to his 30th save.