Noted Baseball Author/Journalist to Highlight
Inaugural Box Live Chat Group Interview

As announced here last week, noted baseball statistician/author/historian Alan Schwarz will be appearing in Toronto shortly to talk about his new book, The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics. Also appearing on the bill with Schwarz will be a journeyman outfielder named Vernon something-or-other.

And as speculated during that announcement, Schwarz will be featured in the first-ever Batter's Box Live Chat group interview, this Thursday at 7:30 PM Eastern time; there is no game Thursday, so we will use the regular IRC channel and process, though it is likely that this chat will be moderated in some way; additional instructions, if necessary, will be posted to the site closer to the time of the actual chat.

To prepare for the group interview, let's use this thread to brainstorm topics and specific questions ... here are some starter points:

You kicked and cried like a bullied child
A grown man of twenty-five
Oh, he said he’d cure your ills
But he didn’t and he never will

My mind dances with the possibilities for a "who's on first" sketch involving someone who doesn't know Mr. Halladay's nickname.

Oh, and for some conspiratorial intrigue, click "More."

The draft concludes today with rounds 19-50. At this point everyone is a long shot to ever make it to Toronto, but youneverknow.

When I watch a pitcher throw a ball, the motion doesn't bother me. But if you freeze that motion, it makes me a little queasy. My shoulders and elbows and wrists and fingers and feet and legs and neck all feel sore.

Pitching a ball is a strange, unnatural movement, if you ask me. So here's Roy Halladay, frozen in mid-pitch:

He let his pitching do all the talking, but Zach Jackson let it be known that there's more than one lefty first rounder to keep your eye on.

This afternoon, the baseball world paid rapt attention as Day One of the draft unfolded. Where would Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, and all the other Highly Touted prospects wind up? Who would fall from first round glory, through the cracks, to be snapped up in the second round? And so on and so forth.

As we head into the vowel homestretch of our All-Letter teams, having completed E, I, U and even sometimes Y, we turn our attention to the formation of an O-squad. But let's try something a bit different and start with a little essay trivia question.

Since you can get the answer just by clicking "More," you're on your honour here, but how many of the Top 10 home run hitters among "O" players can you name?

Now, if you're into reading headlines, you surely have the only "O" member of the 500 homer club already, and likely one of the other nine as well. Here's a hint or two: three of the 10 (#3, #8 and #10, actually) are still active. Two of them made significant contributions to Canadian baseball -- one (#3) as a Blue Jay and one (#6) as an Expo.

But seriously, these are hard!

Josh Towers (15th round, 1996) started for the Jays, and Jeromy Burnitz was one irritating S.O.B.

The Blue Jays select Ricky Romero, LHP, Cal St Fullerton with the 6th overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Draft day is here. Have some news, spectualtion, or predictions to share? Let's hear it. Everything related to the draft today is open game.

After a strong victory, some celebration is deserved. So here you go:

The farm splits four with Dunedin splitting a pair, and it’s time for another Three-Star update.

Whenever Gustavo Chacin faces a team for the first time, he pitches well. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Let's see if it's true:

Wikipedia is, as always, right. 4-0 Toronto. So, how about that Reed Johnson? And how about that offense in innings 3 through 9?