In The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers Bill James introduced a formula designed to pick the Cy Young award winner (not it should be noted necessarily the best pitcher in the league, but, the pitcher most likely to be thought the best by the Cy Young voters).

Where no one notices the contrast of white on white
And in between the moon and you the angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right
I walk in the air between the rain through myself and back again
Where? I don’t know

Carlos Tosca has been fired. First base coach John Gibbons will replace Tosca on an interim basis for the rest of the season.

Discuss.

TSN has the story. John Gibbons will take over on an interim basis.

The following summary is of transcribed material provided to Batter's Box by Ed Gonser (Contributing Writer, he covers the Syracuse SkyChiefs for the Associated Press and the Syracuse Post-standard as a freelance writer). Ed is fast becoming an invaluable source of information for our site (source photos also provided by Ed Gonser). Here's what members of the Skychiefs think of Gabe Gross's promotion to the majors and the acquisition of Eric Crozier from the Indians.

Some good pitching, not nearly enough good hitting, and 3 wins in 7 tries down on the farm on a night when "promotions" were the key word -- and not the kind where the first 500 fans get free passes to see Catwoman at the Plaza Theatre.

And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I’d got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet

Part 7: Current Score - Mercenaries 5, Blue Jays 1

Gustavo Chacin was outstanding again, a Jason Arnold sighting, and two home runs for Brian Hall

And the grass is green
Under the three feet of the snow, I mean
This is a day when it's hard to wear a frown

Unless you're Kerry Ligtenberg, of course, who wound up wearing the goat horns in yesterday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland. Ligtenberg, to his credit, refused to use the excuse that the handling of the bullpen, as well as the left-handed nature of the batters he was asked to face, represented questionable decision-making. Still, it would be nice not to have to hear stoic acceptances of responsibility for losses so often. Here are the game reports:

The Blue Jays traded Josh Phelps to the Indians for AAA 1B Eric Crozier (.297, 20 HR, 53 RBI).

Gabe Gross has been recalled to fill the roster spot.

Scott Carson has just reported that:

"Josh Phelps has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for AAA 1B Eric Crozier (.297, 20 HR, 53 RBI)...Gabe Gross has been recalled..."

More details will be added when they come in. This hasn't shown up anywhere else yet. Thanks for the heads up Scott!

Part 6. Current score: Mercenaries 4, Blue Jays 1

My road trip starts today! Hence, the abbreviated Scout. Stay tuned for pinch-hit columns for the Tribe and O's next week.

The Jays kick off a series against a team not only with A-Rod, but Tanyon Sturtze, Felix Heredia (now demoted) and E----n L----a! Finally, all elements have come together and we have an opponent we can truly dislike.

I'm off to nine games in ten days. Full report to follow!

Talent abounds in the Jay minor league system, from mostly raw talents drafted in 1999-2001 by the Ash/Wilken team to more finished products chosen in 2002-2004 by Ricciardi and his team. This is the first year of Rule 5 eligibility for the 2002 college drafts. Some of the earlier drafts have made big leaps this year. Keeping as much as possible of this talent through the Rule 5 draft is a challenge. Here's an early look at some of the decisions that will have to made by the team.