Last night I took the folks, visiting from Ohio, to The Ballpark in Arl ... er, excuse, me, as of last night, Ameriquest Field in Arlington. At least we know that whenever the Rangers do decide to "mortgage" the future for a pennant race, they'll have the right sponsor in place.

The Ballpark -- and yes, everyone will continue to call it that -- is a wonderful place. And enough happened in last night's game to make me not sorry at all we opted not to go tonight to watch the reconstructed arm of R.A. Dickey; of course, now Dickey will throw a one-hit shutout or something.

Anyway, here are a few notes and observations ...

Two blowout wins and two extra-inning losses. Compared to two blowout losses and two extra-inning wins, this is good for Pythagoras but bad for the soul.

A repost of what I mentioned earlier. If you can make it, you really ought to come!

On September 27th, 2003, Will Carroll visited with about 50 or so of us a diehard seamheads. We had pizza, we had beverages, we saw Roy Halladay win his 22nd game, and everyone other than Jody Gerut and Brandon Phillips had a terrific time.

Now Mr. Carroll is coming back to Toronto!

In the absence of a Blue Jay game, the minor leagues were the focus last night. A revolving roster of Bauxites provided play by play on yesterday's minor league thread. The Daytona broadcast, through Jordan as scribe, provided a small town perspective on baseball. If any Bauxites are headed to Daytona we have the inside scoop on chicken wings and babes. What more do you need?

Is something everyone should see
Neon lights and the pretty pretty girls
All dressed so scantily

The Jays seem to have finally shaken their SkyDome jinx. Unfortunately, they face a curse that foiled them last weekend -- not once, but twice: The White Sox One-Run Magic.

One might think that a team that excels in one-run games to the tune of winning eleven of twelve might have a dominant closer. Instead, Damaso Marte has been shaky, and Billy Koch has converted more than his share of comfortable leads into one-run nailbiteers. One might also think that a firm, experienced skipper might be at the helm of a one-run juggernaut. But instead, it's rookie manager Ozzie Guillen, who has been haphazardly substituting and making pitching changes seemingly based entirely on instinct. To Guillen's credit, though, his Sox play hard, and the clubhouse is harmonious.

So what's my point? Point is, the bubble's bound to burst. Here's hoping the Jays break through against nemesis Jon Garland tonight for a close victory, followed by some big offence in the weekend games. Should be an entertaining series.

On to the Advance Scout!

It's true, we're easy to please here in Blue Jay Nation these days. Coming off two consecutive victories over Kansas City, the hometown Graybirds want to make it an unprecedented three wins in a row at home this year. To do that, the bats will have to continue their renaissance and the pitching will have to be solid against the White Sox. It's a holiday season matchup tonight, as Jon "Christmas" Garland takes on Ted "Easter" Lilly. The Blue Jays hope the end of the game will be cause for Thanksgiving! Okay, that's enough of that.

Rick Adair is the pitching coach for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. When some Bauxites visited the Cats in Erie recently we talked with Rick about The Blue Jays organization, Leo Mazzone, and some of the Blue Jay prospects.

One win, three fairly ugly losses and an injury to one of the organization’s best prospects; could we have a night where the big club and the little clubs all do well?

Sleeping dreaming such a simple thing
I think of things that I might be
I see my name go down in history

One of my all-time faves from listening to Blue Jays Baseball over the years was the Benjamin Moore Paints "Where are they Now" segment. Today, we take over from Tom and Jerry, with the story on Blue Jays 1982 First Round Draft Choice (2nd Overall) Augie Schmidt. But rather than telling you of Augie's travels and travails myself, I'll simply pass along the amazing journey, as told by Pete Jackel of the Racine, Wisconsin, Journal-Times. I'm sure I speak for many Bauxites in wishing Mr. Schmidt all the best (and a successful NCAA tournament to cap his impressive season!)

A year ago, Aaron Hill was leading Louisiana State's drive towards the College World Series. Now, he's in AA after only 65 professional games last season. One of a handful of highly-touted college hitting prospects in last year's draft, Hill was chosen 13th overall by the Blue Jays. Many expected Toronto to take a pitcher with their first selection, particularly since the Jays took another college shortstop in the first round the year before - Russ Adams. Despite the expectations carried by a first round draft choice and the competition within the organisation, Hill seems unperturbed by it all.

Stubby F***'N Clapp!!

In honour of Cinco de Mayo, but a propos of nothing in particular, I rated the current MLB managers this morning over on Primer in response to a question. Thought I'd share it with you all and invite your ripostes, comments and abuse.

With open arms to welcome you
Beware the masked pretender