Pitchers are an odd beast. They can have career years at age 20 (Dwight Gooden) or age 45 (Phil Niekro). OK, Phil's age 35 season might have been better.

There is a reason no one claims to predict pitchers with a high degree of accuracy, and why TINSTAAPP. Still, lets see how the Jays are doing vs their careers.

Just for fun, while we have a few days with fixed stats, lets see how various Jays have done vs their lifetime numbers. Also included are a few high level prospects who might be here in 2009.

I've got an idea! Let's create a pitcher!

And let's make him a monster. A dragon...

We now have Marcum and McGowan on the DL with AJ likely to be moving soon. So, who fills in those 3 open slots?

The Indians have apparently traded C.C. Sabathia. To the other league.

A special St. Jean Baptiste Day edition of the Advance Scout. The Fighting Jays take on the FIghting Reds in an epic battle between two middle eastern teams (in the context of North America). On to the Advance Scout!

It's been a bad 24 hours for people involved in running 100 million dollar teams, as the Mets have fired Willie Randolph overnight and the Mariners let GM Bill Bavasi go yesterday afternoon.

Let me give you a preview of something I'm working on, and call for suggestions!

It's happened before, it'll happen again.

That's what I always tell myself, anyway.

Does it make any sense to choose a high school pitcher in the first round?

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.... in this corner.... representing the Toronto Blue Jays... the 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner... a four-time All-Star.... from Denver Colorado... give it up for the Doc... ROY HALLDAY!!!

(frenzied cheering)

There is a terrific piece on the front of the Globe Sports sections today on the BCPBL by Mathew Sekeres. 

Well that was pretty neat and tidy. The Jays now sit at 30-26, their best record of the season, and are three back of Tampa for the division lead, two back of Boston for the wild card. Jesse Litsch was masterful and now hasn't allowed a run in 16 innings. Rod Barajas hit three doubles, Shannon Stewart was 3 for 5 with a homer and six Jays had multi-hit games as the good guys rapped out 17 hits and 13 runs, both season bests.

Ball players have been calling the official scorer to complain for... oh, more than a century. Still doesn't make it likeable.

Yesterday, in my e-mailbox, I found my daily Newberg Report (archived at NewbergReport.com here) from one of the deans of independent Internet baseball journalists, Dallas lawyer Jamey Newberg.

You may have encountered Jamey here on Batter's Box previously -- he is a registered member, mostly for the purpose of sharing his Ranger Expertise -- like team previews in '07 and '08 -- here for the benefit of the majority of Bauxites, living in a whole 'nother country far, far away from the Lone Star State.