Forget the strains of "Welcome Back" streaming from MLB loudspeakers next year ... muscle mag cover boy Gabe "Kotter" Kaplan has left the Red Sox and signed with the Giants ... the Yomiuri Giants, that is. We all know the story of former Jay farmhand Cecil Fielder, who left Toronto, ate up Japan, and returned to hit 51 homers for the Tigers in his inaugural season back in the states. That leads us to the multiple ...

Question(s) of the Day: What are the best U.S.-to-Japan and Japan-to-U.S. baseball stories? Does this topic interest you? Why or why not? Who's over there now that you want to see in a Jays uniform (U.S. expatriates and otherwise)? And most importantly, for Kapler anyway, how will the Gabe fare in the breaking-ball-first environment that awaits him?

As all three of the second base contenders for the Hall of Fame are into their late 30s, I decided to explore the question of which second baseman have been admitted to the Hall a bit before talking about each of them.

An annual tradition continues this year as we invite you (and all baseball fans) to vote on the Batter's Box Blue Jay Players of the Year.

Here is the place for Winter League news.

Battersbox regular Jabonoso brought to our attention good news on Ismael Ramirez. He's pitching very well in Venezuela- 23.1 innings, 14 hits, 1 homer, 3 earned runs, 5 walks and 22 strikeouts. He made front page news on the league's website. Check out the photo of him!

Okay, so former University of Michigan quarterback Drew Henson -- he started at UM ahead of a fellow named Tom Brady -- made his NFL debut yesterday and gave desperate Dallas Cowboy fans a glimmer of hope for the future. Henson, as most of you know, is the former New York Yankee "third baseman of the future," who concluded his career in pinstripes 1-for-9 with three strikeouts and a career OPS+ of -40. At the same time -- and in the same metropolitan area, no less -- 6'10" RHP Chris Young signed a multi-million dollar extension with the Texas Rangers, who had to outbid the Sacramento Kings for the former Princeton center. Which brings us to our ...

Question of the Day: Who is the most memorable multiple-sport athlete of the last century, and more importantly, why? (Note: "most memorable" doesn't always equate with "best" or even "most talented.") Who didn't play multiple sports who should have, or in retrospect, chose the wrong sport?

The prior Hijack thread is past its due date. So, a brand new shiny one for your posting pleasure is here.

It's been a slow baseball news day. The Expos were officially renamed the Washington Nationals. With their early free agent signings, the Nationals are not off to a stellar start. It makes one long for the Senators.

According to his agent, Matt Clement is the Blue Jays' top priority this offseason.

An open thread to talk basketball of all kinds. We're going to try this again and see how it goes.

The great philosopher Bum Phillips once said of legendary NFL coach Don Shula: "He can take his'ns and beat your'ns, or take your'ns and beat his'ns."

Given Wednesday's "draft" of all-time teams ended with Jack Bauer and Morris Buttermaker being chosen to lead the respective squads, we come to the current ...

Question of the Day: Who is the greatest tactical manager in the history of the game? Think of it this way ... you have your choice of two absolutely evenly-matched teams, any era, and get first choice of a manager for the seven-game series. Who do you pick and why?

Today is the deadline for finalizing the 40 man roster for Rule 5 purposes. The Jays currently have 32 men on their roster, including late-season and post-season additions Russ Adams, Gustavo Chacin and Seong Song. Here is the roster. Who will be added, and how many spots, if any, will be left open on the roster?

At last, something moderately useful in a Gammons column, the most recent of which he provides a running list of "players teams would love to unload to rid themselves of the salaries. They are, pure and simple, bad contracts" ...

Sammy Sosa. Preston Wilson. Kevin Brown. Jason Giambi. Kenny Lofton. Cliff Floyd. Mike Piazza. Tom Glavine. Byung-Hyun Kim. Ryan Klesko. Jason Kendall. Andruw Jones. Shawn Green. Darren Dreifort. Arthur Rhodes. Jose Vidro. Pat Burrell. Mike Lieberthal. Charles Johnson. Chan Ho Park. Matt Lawton. Paul Konerko. Eric Hinske. Edgardo Alfonzo. Ray Durham. Juan Encarnacion. Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Jay Payton. Jeff Bagwell. Jose Guillen. Tim Salmon. Bret Boone. Joe Mays. Kazuo Matsui ... the list goes on and on.

Note: This thread quickly morphed into "Jose Guillen: Underappreciated All-Star or Satanic Overpaid Clubhouse Monster?" Join the fun!

Okay, Percival signs for a hundred billion dollars, Cris Guzman is headed to the Hall of Fame, Tony Batista is no Vinny Castilla ... the Hot Stove has been all about free agents in recent years. So take a step back into your childhood and answer today's ...

Question of the Day: What's the first baseball trade that you remember really catching your attention? Nothing here about lopsidedness or results ... the one that made you go "whoa! that's interesting"?

Troy Percival signs a 2 year $12 million contract with the Tigers. So, who's next?

Okay, based on yesterday's QOTD thread, today we'll host a different kind of fantasy draft, following on the concept"You're picking an all-time All-Star team for one short series. You oppenent gets first pick of the pitchers. You get first pickof the position players. Who's your choice?"

The GMs are in place; the rules follow. So today's ...

Question of the Day: Who will Mike take first?

Blah blah blah Barry Bonds blah blah blah National League MVP blah blah seventh time overall. Blah-blah should've won at least two others. Blah. Let the great argument begin:

Question of the Day: Barry Bonds -- greatest player ever? This is not a yes/no question and is not a true/false quiz; the format is short answer essay.

Here's another way to look at it: You're picking an all-time All-Star team for one short series. You oppenent gets first pick of the pitchers. You get first pickof the position players. Who's your choice?