Now lightning strikes in old New York
It may be dark but I wanna talk

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers,
trumpets, towers and tenements
wide oceans full of tears
flags, rags, ferryboats, scimitars and scarves
every precious dream and vision underneath the stars

New York is waiting for you and me, baby
Waiting to swallow us down
New York, we're coming to see what you're made of
Are you as great as you sound?

It's not often a team finds itself down by 15 runs....

I am starting to function
In the usual way
Everything is so provocative
Very, very temporary

A lot of big (or at least recognizable) names have reportedly cleared waivers.

Even if nothing ultimately comes of it, it's fun to think about who you'd target, what you'd be willing to give up (and, very differently, what the other club might expect you to give up!) ... hey, if it's time to quietly start up the 2005 Post-Season Blue Jay Bandwagon, it's time to think about who could help the most.

Here's a look ...

I might take a train
I might take a plane
But if I have to walk
I'm gonna get there just the same

All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it.
-- Babe Ruth

Aaron and I made a bet on the progress of catching prospects in 2003. He took Joe Mauer and Jeff Mathis. I took Dioner Navarro and Guillermo Quiroz. We bet on which two would have the most runs created during 2005-2008. 2004 was not kind to me; 2005 has been a little better, but still...

I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.
-- Willie Mays

Too many pitchers, that's all, there are just too many pitchers. Ten or twelve on a team. Don't see how any of them get enough work.
-- Cy Young

I've been away for several days, and so missed much of the fun surrounding Rafael Palmeiro. While creating a post on his Hall-of-Fame worthiness in the accompanying sidebar poll, I went into more detail than usual and ended up with something I thought I'd post as a short feature, to while away a few minutes of your day.

I am intense. No question about it.
-- Roger Clemens

A guy who cheats in a friendly game of cards is a cheater. A pro who throws a spitball to support his family is a competitor.
-- George Bamberger

Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa.
-- Casey Stengel