When the going gets tough, the tough get lucky. A week ago, objects in my rear-view mirror were too close for comfort. Yesterday, waiver pickup Scott Elarton tossed an unlikely 2-hit shutout at the White Sox, leading my BBFL club to a first-round playoff bye with a 10-1 trouncing of cellar-dwelling Jick’s Rays. It proves that even an old, blind Walrus occasionally stumbles over a tasty seal.

The other contenders for top spot weren't so fortunate. Mebion Glyndwr led 8-3 entering Sunday play, but hannibal’s cannibals got four solid pitching starts to pull out a 6-5 decision. AGF fell out of the running for the regular-season title as the Thunderbirds, desperate to avoid relegation, beat the third-place squad 10-2 to move from 17th to 15th in the standings.

The minor league system exists to develop players for the Blue Jays. Placing competitive teams at each level, moving players up the ladder, coaching, drafting: these are all -- at the end of the day -- designed to develop players to play for the Blue Jays or to trade away for someone who can. While Dick Scott and other members of his team focus on development, JP Ricciardi is probably more interested in what players will be ready to play at the major-league level.

Do you ever dream of getting a job in baseball? Maybe your dream is to be the general manager of a team, or would it be to replace Tom Cheek or Mike Wilner, or more likely Rob Faulds? If you have such a dream, and you want to make it a reality, you have to start somewhere and for many you have to start where the players start, in A ball. When I was in Auburn last month I spoke with Jason Smorol, the General Manager of the Auburn Doubledays, and Adam Kaufman, the Doubledays Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations.

You know it's been a bad season when you look to Howard Jones for inspiration. Yesterday brought a fifth straight loss for the Jays, the latest an 18-6 home-field humiliation at the bats of the dreaded Yankees. It seems that taking a 4-0 lead over the New Yorkers only serves to get their attention.

But the fact is, things really can't get worse for Toronto. At this point, the games are as much mental as they are played out on the field, and the mental games are winnable.

Did we give up?
But we always worked things out
And all my doubts and fears
Kept me wondering, yeah
If i'd always, always be in love

The Fisher Cats behind Rosario clinch, and Chacin does it again as the farm affiliates went 3-2 on Saturday.

Runs were few and far between in the minors last night, and the Fisher Cats suffered an ignominous doubleheader sweep at home that further delayed their chance to clinch a playoff berth. But those resurgent Skychiefs won yet again.

Then she slipped into my pocket
With my car keys
She said you've taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds

Ted Lilly, Toronto's best starting pitcher this season, opposes Kevin Brown. Vernon Wells DHs and bats third and Chris Woodward starts at shortstop. Gregg Zaun catches again, despite a day game after a night game; Kevin Cash hasn't gotten a start since August 22 and has a grand total of 23 at-bats this month.

Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take

A doubleheader sweep, a few late-inning losses, and another start from a 2004 first-round-draft-pick left-hander highlight last night's action down on the farm.

Éric Gagné made what might (or might not) be his last ever trip to Montreal this week, and pitched in a blowout win to give the hometown fans one final look at probably the best pitcher ever to emerge from la belle province (with apologies to Claude Raymond). Gagné's emotional return will not be topped by a Larry Walker cameo -- the Cardinals are done in Montreal for the year.

It's not really E______ L_____'s fault that Bauxites now regard him as a figure of Voldemortesque proportions. L_____'s tenure in Toronto may have ended poorly, with the Jays reportedly happy to clear him from the clubhouse, visions of Mike Young perhaps fresh in their minds. But L_____, winner of the inaugural Batter's Box Andujar Award, hasn't really said anything nasty about the franchise, and credited his Toronto pitching coach for teaching him (a little late) the cutter that made him a Cy Young candidate in Chicago last year. But 2004 has been another story for E______, whose Yankee ERA now stands at a sterling 7.08 and who is in danger of falling from the patchwork Yankee rotation. There would be few greater pleasures for the Blue Jays than to be the team that knocks L_____ into the bullpen; behind the stylings of The Illustrated Man, Justin Miller, they'll try to do that tonight. A pitcher's duel, this does not shape up to be; look for a lot of runs and a lot of bullpen activity tonight.

Okay, some of us already really dislike the Yankees. For those of you teetering on the edge, or even those of you who (gasp) like the Yankees, this might swing you into our camp:

Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, sometimes it rains. Four wins in five games for the minor league affiliates last night on this very special edition of Minor League Update. Homsar, this one's for you.