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Sometimes I feel so clear
Just like the way we always were
So young and free from fear
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So who was that bright spark who was talking about a sweep of the Yankees just two days ago? Tonight, the Blue Jays will try to avoid being swept themselves, as veteran anchor Miguel Batista faces off against resuscitated ex-Cub Jon Lieber. But in truth, the Jays could have won both of these past games: a comeback and extra-inning squeaker that could've gone either way on Monday, and a combination of no RISP hits and poor relief pitching last night. Moral victories, unfortunately, don't register in the W column. Interesting note: Alex Rios leads off tonight, as Reed Johnson moves down to the 6th spot. Rios is not a good long-term bet to bat leadoff, but as a hot hitter with wheels, he makes as much sense as anyone right now.
With the MLB trading deadline just days away (midnight on July 31st), there's a wide range of players rumoured to be on the move, though the talent level thins rapidly past the top few. From the almost certain (Randy Johnson) to the highly unlikely (Carlos Delgado), there are enough rumours to keep the hardest of die-hard trade junkies close to their computers for the next few days. This thread will be the catch-all Batter's Box place to discuss rumours, report on deals, and calculate winners and losers.
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Oh God said to Abraham, “kill me a son”
Abe says, “man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “no.” Abe say, “what?”
God say, “you can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me coming you better run”
Well Abe says, “where do want this killin’
Done?”
God says, “out on Highway 61.”


-Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited

Well, for me it was the Interstate 95, rather than Highway 61, which was the route to my crisis of faith.

I must preface all of this by saying that I have always been a Toronto Blue Jays fan. I was first introduced to baseball as a young child in, say, 1986 or 1987, and the rabidity of my Jays fanship has never before wavered.
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And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know
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Game Two of the Yankees series sets up a rematch of last week's scoreless battle in New York, as Ted Lillly and Orlando Hernandez try to repeat their sterling performances. Here's betting that El Duque can't find another 10 Ks to hang on the Jays this time around. One hundred games into the season, Toronto is reduced to playing spoiler against the best teams; after last night's near-miss, they have a pretty good chance of succeeding in that role tonight.
I talked with many of the Auburn Doubledays last week in Auburn, most of them have been professional baseball players for little more a month, they are still getting used to their new lifestyle and the professional game.
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Wednesday, last week, I headed to Binghamton, New York to see the Blue Jays AA team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, play against the hometown Mets. The drive to Binghamton takes five hours, longer if you get a speeding ticket just outside Kingston.
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4 hits above Rookie ball? Believe it.
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Lots of hitting by the Blue Jays but only three wins and two losses.
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Okay, so I'm in some rough shape this week.
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To have you knock me back down again and again!
And when I ask you to explain, you say
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Yes, you read that right. No, Mick is not paying me to compose bulletin-board material for the New Yorkers. The Jays are fresh off a three-game sweep of the hated Devil Rays, while the Yankees were beaten up (literally and figuratively) in losing 2 of 3 in Fenway. The Jays are slowly but surely getting back into the good groove they were entering when the injury avalanche struck last month, while the Yankees are missing Jay-killer Jason Giambi (out, sadly, with a potentially life-threatening illness) and don't seem to be a team quite equal to their record. Toronto will be focused on this series to regain some face and enact revenge for last week's indignities in Yankee Stadium, while the pinstripers may still be thinking about the BoSox series. The time will never be righter.
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No time to assemble a Scout report this weekend, but please feel free to refer to last week's Yankees Scout for more player-by-player info. I've thrown in a couple of links with this week's lineup and pitching outlook.

Enjoy the Insurrection!
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No other GM faces a dilemma this week with the magnitude of the one Gerry Hunsicker faces.
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