A pair of photographs for you today. First up, the guys in 518 making a big impression:

And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing
Until I pay my bill

You argue with the umpire because there is nothing else you can do about it.
- Leo Durocher

The come-back kids ensured a minor league sweep as the affiliates went 5-0. Dunedin won in the bottom of the ninth, Lansing scored two to win in the bottom of the tenth, and Pulaski scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, another in the bottom of the eighth, a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie, and a run in the bottom of the tenth to win. Syracuse pitching did not blow the lead and Auburn won from the front.

Well, that is how you hope everything is going to work out when Josh Towers starts.

If you're paying attention, you know that one of the Hall of Names stories that ran earlier this week was an All-Mickey team; as we follow it here with what is essentially an all-Willie team, you can guess the next logical step, right? If you know anything about New York City baseball in the 1950s, it should be obvious, especially with the added clue that it's all leading up to a very special musical rendition of Baseball's Hall of Names soon to follow.

But we're not just giving this team the Willies, as it were ...

Every game day, 162 times a year, Will Hill and the Blue Jays PR staff prepare pre-game notes for the media. I am sharing them with you, because... because we won't have a Game Report appearing until tomorrow? Nah - I just thought you might like to see them.

And this is part two...

Towers and Hillenbrand deliver the punches, as the Jays finish off the sweep.

Your observations?

Magpie made a comment yesterday that made me think.

More new material from this past weekend against the D-Rays for photo of the day. Today's photograph features Russ Adams, watching the game unfold from the dugout:

There's only one cure for what's wrong with all of us pitchers, and that's to take a year off. Then, after you've gone a year without throwing, quit altogether.
--- Jim Palmer

Chip Cannon hit a homer. New Hampshire had little on the way of offense at home. A last-place team from the St. Petersburg area beat up on the Blue Jays. No wins for you!

The Jays really throttled the Mariners last night, exploding for three home runs off beleaguered Mariner starter Ryan Franklin (5.2 IP, 8 R, 5 SO, 0 BB). But that's not what everybody cares about. We want to know whether the Jays will sweep Seattle, whether the Jays will make any moves before the waiver deadline, whether the Jays have a chance at the post-season this go-round, and whether Eric Hinske really has it figured out, magically turning back into the beautiful carriage we all thought we were getting in to in 2002.

Well, I've consulted my Magic 8 ball, and I'm afraid the answer to all those questions is the same: Outlook not so good.

As you all learned in your perusal of Batter's Box over the past 24 hours, yesterday was my birthday, and we tried something new in the Hall of Names arena, with a piecemeal all-July 20 team. And as promised, we continue this narcissistic trend with a followup ... the all-Mick(ey) team.

Now, there have only been 45 Mickeys (or Micks) to play major league ball, but three of those have made it to the Hall of Fame, including of course a particular Yankee CF you've all certainly thought up already. What it doesn't include ...