A 2 for 4 night on the farm. The Skychiefs (3-3) and the Lugnuts (4-1) lose, but the Fisher Cats (3-3) and D'Jays (4-2) win.

Paul Beeston gained a degree of baseball immortality when he famously (or infamously, depending on your point of view) said: "Under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, I can turn a $4 million profit into a $2 million loss, and I can get every accounting firm in the country to agree with me."

Which is to say, and the MLBPA would certainly agree, we oughtn't put a lot of faith in major-league baseball's financial statements. That said, here are some interesting figures from the current online edition of Forbes magazine.

The Jays moved 2.5 games in front of Boston and New York, and stayed 1.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles, with a solid 5-2 win in Oakland. The key blow was once again struck by The Dude Himself, Eric Hinske, whose fourth-inning homer off Dan Haren capped a two-out rally and plated three runs.

Springtime in Oakland
Josh Towers, Danny Haren
A 10:05 start

Roster member Craig B is going to be talking on Dave Weekley's show tonight before the Reds-Cards game on 580 WCHS-AM in Charleston, West Virginia. If you're within transmitter range, don't miss it - I'll be on the air around 7:30.

As a special early season treat, every day at lunchtime I'll be posting a new photograph.

Day two of Photo of the Day brings us Eric Hinske's new and obviously improved batting stance:

The season has started, and we need your input on the Jay bullpen during the game. Who looks fresh and who looks tired, who warmed up 3 innings in a row before coming in, and who was left in a batter too long.

To get us started, here's a question: will Schoeneweis be a true LOOGY, or will he go at least an inning most of the time?

The Jays farmhands find themselves on the right end of a blowout in Buffalo, the wrong end of a close one in Norwich, and beat soundly in Sarasota. Lansing enjoys a well-deserved day off.

With a surprisingly busy schedule last night (and the overwhelming desire for sleep dictating my every move for the last two days) it looked as if I wasn't going to be able to watch and report on a game that would probably go until well after midnight.

So here's a pinch-hit Game Report, from a fella most of you are familiar with. Take it away, Jobu:

Part Two: Inside the Clubhouse

Previously: 1. Paper Blue Jay

During the time Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Tom Verducci was flying down Blue Jay Way in Spring Training, the mainstream media was essentially ignoring the games on the field -- no big deal, it was Spring Training, after all -- to focus on games being played off the field.

In their first roadtrip to the West Coast of the season the Jays debut against the Oakland A's, looking to extend their division lead.

The Jays' kindred spirits by the Bay play host to Toronto for tonight's home opener at the re-renamed McAfee Coliseum, and two subsequent games at 10 pm EDT.

Both teams will send three young (or youngish) hurlers to the hill this series. The A's have enjoyed superb pitching from everyone who has not yet won a Cy Young Award this season, but they've struggled to make contact. If the Jays' staff continues to pound the strike zone, they have a real chance at success.

The A's enter play having split their six-game road trip through Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The first-place Jays, meanwhile, kick off a nine-game road trip through Oakland, Arlington and Boston before returning home to play the Yankees. Hey, you didn't think that being a surprise team in 2005 would be easy, did you?

On to the Advance Scout!

For die-hard baseball fans, the typical 10-team, 5x5-scored fantasy league leaves much to be desired. The BBFL improves on this format by demanding knowledge of practically every player in baseball and awareness of advanced statistical categories. For interested parties and new owners, I present a brief history of the BBFL and the kind of information you’ll see every Monday during the season.

A special treat for you Bauxites this week: a new picture every day at lunchtime.

First up, from Saturday's game at the Rogers Centre, we have the lone Canuck on the 2005 Blue Jays:

In the rubber match of the Jays opening homestand Ted Lilly returned from the disabled list to face Matt Clement.