Though it's a Monday off for those of us south of the border (or north, if you live in Windsor or certain places in the Yukon), there is no rest for this Canadian, as we had our day of holi on Friday.

A 3-3 record for the affiliates last night and yesterday afternoon. Why isn't it "last afternoon"?

The surprise team of the season is threatening to run away and hide.

I know, it's not really fair -- Rob went and put together that awfully nice effort of an All-Canada Day team by using the names of the delegates at the Québec Conference of 1864, and thusly found himself stuck with source names like Chapais, Tache and Haviland -- not exactly the kinds of names you find littered throughout major league baseball history.

So it's not really a fair fight against a July 4th U.S. Independence Day squad where we find signers of the Declaration of Independence named Morris, Johnson, Clark, Lee and Williams. One suspects the American July holiday team may be a bit deeper than those "Canada Day Trippers" Rob came up with.

But before we skip to the inevitable shellacking, let's find out for sure ...

Roy Halladay and Shea Hillenbrand will represent the Blue Jays at the All Star game next week.

Roy Halladay showed Terry Francona who should be starting the All-Star Game. Nothing wrong with taking 2 of 3 from the defending champs in their own house, even if the ninth inning got a little tense there. A little?

Welcome to a new kind of tension
All across the idiot nation
Everything isn't meant to be OK

Time for the audit
The gathering trial
A collectors dilemma
Repositioned and filed

The farm affiliates received shutout starts from Chris Baker, Jamie Vermilyea and Jesse Litsch as they went 4-2 on the evening. All three made it look easy.

Today's game concluded the first half of the season, and the Jays 41-40 record has them halfway to an 82-80 season. That's quite a bit better than last year, and a little bit better than my 79-83 forecast.

Still, it's always disappointing when you can't hold a 4-0 lead. Even if it is in Fenway.

Floating in the river with a saturated liver
And I wish I could forgive her but I do believe she meant it
When she told me to forget it
But I bet she will regret it
When they find me in the morning wet and drowned

Very short on time today -- holidays, and all -- so you'll have to be contact with the following minor-league report, written entirely in senyru/haiku. Happy Canada Weekend.

I'm not the kind of person who likes to gloat when... what the hell am I saying? I am exactly the kind of person who likes to gloat when Our Boys beat the reigning world champions senseless, and leave them dazed and bleeding in a ditch by the side of the highway...

Saw a few things tonight I don't see nearly often enough. Ted the Tease pitched with heart and courage and smarts. He really did. Russ Adams had a couple of big RBI hits to the opposite field. Eric Hinske hit an RBI double, off a breaking ball.

Jamie Campbell and Tom Candiotti, otherwise in good form, were inexplicably attributing Reed Johnson's recent struggles to a lack of playing time - too much playing time lately seems a much more likely explanation - but everybody loves a pinch-hit grand slam.

Yes, lots and lots of stuff to like tonight.

The Jays face a mighty challenge this weekend -- but it's also an opportunity.

With no chance to gain head-to-head ground on the Bosox after this series until September 12, this series is as big as it gets if the Jays believe themselves worthy of contention. Any series that features a Doc start is a series the Jays have a chance to win -- can Ted Lilly keep up his recent success against the Beantowners?

This week's Scout features a bevy of bats, an old but dear friend, and an embattled closer looking for answers.

On to the Advance Scout!

I lift my glass to the Awful Truth
Which you can't reveal to the ears of youth
Except to say it isn't worth a damn