Davis Romero has seen it happen before. Two prospects on the same team with the same last name. One of them shines just a little bit brighter than the other one. All of the sudden the latter is pegged with a new nickname on some website. People are calling him Felix "The Other" Romero. Things spiral so far out of control that he's forced out of the organization and is suspended for a drug violation. Davis is determined not to go the way of Felix now that there's a new Romero in town. (Though I'm happy to report that Felix is pitching very well in Advanced Class A Wilmington.)

24. Marianne Moore loved Christy Mathewson. No woman of quality has ever preferred football to baseball.
-- Thomas Boswell, "99 Reasons Why Baseball is So Much Better Than Football"

Walrus Usurps Throne.
Felix Still Wonderful, Not In Fix.
Papayas squash Gremlins, retake first.

Gustavo Chacin pitched possibly the finest game of his young career. Corey Koskie returned to the lineup, Shea Hillenbrand homered and drove in four, Russ Adams reached base four times...

I mean, what's not to like?

Updated!! Now it's a Game Report!!

In the comments to a recent Batter's Box poll about Hall of Fame nicknames, Box reader Jefftown observed, "I think 'Rube' could be the best common nickname in baseball," then asked, "Have you ever done an All-Rube Team? It'd have a few stars, with Waddell, Marquard, and Foster."

Well, no, we haven't ... until now. Sort of.

Only 4.5 games separate the Jays from the postseason, but seemingly the whole league blocks their path. They must surpass Boston, New York and Baltimore to win the East, or they must vanquish Oakland, Minnesota, and several others to gain a wildcard berth. Today, they play unwilling host to the West-leading Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). LA has the third-best record in baseball and a daunting 29-18 road record. LA features an unexceptional but aggressive and entertaining offense, a solid rotation, and an outstanding bullpen. Taking two of three from them would be quite an accomplishment.

Let the scouting commence!

A news release from Sean Forman, the man behind BaseballReference.com, the second-best baseball site on the Web.

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Baseball-Reference.com is pleased to announce some improvements and one big addition to the site: http://www.baseball-reference.com/

Yesterday, Justin Speier kicked his leg up really high; today, Scott Schoeneweis growls at a batter:

As a pitcher, I like to be — I don't want to say perfect, but I want to know what the ball is going to do.
- Mariano Rivera

Let's hope better days are ahead for the farm system, as wins have been hard to come by. 1-5 was yesterday's mark.

But the years went by and the rock just died
Suzie went and left us for some foreign guy
Long nights crying by the record machine
dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans

That's right, kids, photo of the day this week is going to be all-bullpen. Today features Justin Speier's giant leg kick. Any requests for tomorrow? If they pitched against Tampa Bay last weekend, I have 'em.

I had many years that I was not so successful as a ballplayer, as it is a game of skill. And then I was no doubt discharged by baseball in which I had to go back to the minor leagues as a manager, and after being in the minor leagues as a manager, I became a major league manager in several cities and was discharged, we call it "discharged," because there is no question I had to leave.
- Casey Stengel, testifying before the U.S. Senate Anti-Trust and Monopoly Subcommittee Hearing

I’d like to thank The_Game, who provided the comment in today’s Replay Thread that I have appropriated for the title of this piece.

Two wins and four losses. Pulaski's Jesse Litsch was outstanding, retiring 22 in a row while conceding only two hits over eight innings, Lansing held on for the win despite being outhit 15-7. Guillermo Quiroz is back in AAA and had a couple of hits, including a home run.