My 2nd annual survey. I'd love it if you guys would participate.

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After the season the Batter's Box roster got together to discuss the season. Here's what was said in the first of the five part series:

Continuing the first installment of the year in review, here's the next chapter in the Batter's Box Roster roundtable:

You may have heard that Astros outfielder Lance Berkman will likey miss the start of next season s he need 5-6 months of rehabd after tearing his right ACL while playing flag football.

While perhaps this opens the door for Richard Hidalgo to return to Houston, it raises this question: what single player can any team out there least afford to lose to injury (i.e., without compensation)? Take into account their ability to replace the player (either with bankroll like the Yankees or with a ready-to-step-in player, perhaps even like Jason Lane in Houston). And don't only consider statistics ... intangibles matter, too. That's what makes this opinion rather than a simple measure of "Above Replacement Level" players.

Question of the Day: What single player's off-season, season-ending injury would most cause you to cringe, "Ouch, their 2005 is over"?

After McGriff and Palmeiro, Bagwell completes our 2nd matched set of first basemen with Frank Thomas. Like Frank, Bagwell just completed his age 36 season, had by far his best season in 1994, and is definitely on a Hall of Fame course.

Big Frank is headed to the Hall of Fame. That much we know. His standing among the great first basemen still is not known, after a .271/.434/.563 half-season in 2004 at age 36.

According to wire reports published on ESPN.com, a bat signed by Shoeless Joe Jackson sold for $137,500 Saturday at a memorabilia auction in Kentucky. At the same auction, a Cleveland Indians jersey worn by Satchel Paige was sold for $110,000. A letter handwritten by Babe Ruth, with six of his signatures at the bottom, and its original envelope went for $41,800. A baseball signed by Ruth and Lou Gehrig went for $31,900.

Question of the Day: Forget about price for a second; what piece of memorabilia from the entirety of baseball history would you most like to own?

Here is your weekly AFL spot. We'll get things rolling with yesterday's Saguaro boxscore. We will have some BBRadio of the game on Wednesday the 10th here.

Javelinas, by the way, look like small designer pigs, and are adept at eating cactus. Don't ask. They are not actually pigs but peccaries. Now you know.

Today is Justin Speier's 31st birthday. Yes, I remember when his daddy Chris was a young shortstop with the Giants. Do you? That is not today's Question of the Day.

Also having birthdays today: Trammell, Munson and D. Dean ... but in each case, not the one you're thinking of. Don't there seem to be lots of scrub-level ballplayers with Hall of Fame names? That is also not today's Question of the Day.

Finally, one last birthday wish ... he would have been 117 today ... the great right-hander, The Big Train, "Barney" ... Walter Johnson.

And that brings us to ...

Question of the Day: Who is the best pitcher you've ever seen in a live game? Try to give a non-Jay answer so we don't have 500 "Roy Halladay" and "Dave Steib" entries.

I'm writing to remind you all to vote early and often for Tom Cheek for the Ford C. Frick Award ...

Keeping on with old guys, we now turn our gaze to Fred McGriff. Crime Dog was always the strong, silent type, and that might eventually be what keeps him out of the Hall. It certainly won’t be the merits of his cause.

HOUSTON -- Houston Astros free agent center fielder Carlos Beltran is seeking a 10-year contract, his agent told a television station on Thursday, according to ESPN reports.

In other news, as you've surely heard by now, it slipped the minds of the Arizona Diamondbacks to perform a background check on new manager Wally Backman before introducing the former Met 2B as their skipper.

UPDATE: D-Back-man No More: Arizona Cans Wally

Question of the Day: It's a two-parter. What's the worst long-term signing of the free agent era? And what's the worst managerial choice of your lifetime?

Over the past two days we’ve presented our assessments of the men paid to throw, catch, and hit baseballs down at the SkyDome in 2004. What of those designated to collect and guide the on-field talent? We graded them too, and here’s what we thought of the job they did.

For those who discovered Batter's Box during the season, you're probably not familiar with Hijack Central. Its purpose is to be a clearing house of the latest links, news, and rumours from around baseball. Rather than "hijacking" another thread, feel free to post whatever your heart desires here. When Hijack Central gets too full to manage, or it falls off the main page, it'll be replaced with a shiny new thread.

Of course, in keeping with tradition, this thread has a contest associated with it. Read on for details.

Back in the "real world" of baseball politics, two managerial moves were made in the last 24 hours, as Charlie Manuel will run the Phils and at long last, finally, the Mets' new skipper, Willie Randolph gets to embark on his nascent Hall of Fame managerial career. It's the Joe Torre arc -- even starting with the same team Torre did, though let's hope he has better luck.

Question of the Day: Who doesn't have a job managing that should? Who would make a good manager among current players or recent retirees, regardless of what you've heard of their potential interest in the field?