Marty "I have sources" York says the Marlins are very interested in making a trade in which they would give up prospects for Cat and Zaun.

So that's how the Jays got 6 in the first! Jamie Meyers was pitching!

You seem to be confusing Australia with New Zealand (at least re Lord of the Rings and Wellington). Stone the crows!

I hate lefties. They all balk every time. That sure looked like one to me. Gomez wasn't even stealing. He was just taking a secondary lead.

BTW, the Mariners are 1-12 on Wednesdays. That's a pretty unlucky day.

Someone needs a geography lesson. ;-)

Willy, at least re everything! I don't get it Jordan....

Craig, please check your e-mail ASAP if you get this.

willy... stone the crows? What does that mean, anyway?

(To me, Stone the Crows is a very obscure band from the 70s.)

Intentional, guys. Intentionally mixing up Australia and New Zealand. Kiwis get steamed when people invariably refer to them as Australians, so this was a little reverse-confusion joke. Anyway, with five minutes to game time, I could've done worse.

I'd never thought I'd say this...but I miss Faulds & Cerutti!

Romanuk: "What other sport can you do something at a rate of .35 and still be doing a good job?"

Tabler: Or, what other sport can you fail 70% of the time and still be great?"

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for more brilliant dialogue.

They're singling Towers to death here.

Has anyone heard when Miller might come off the DL and finally put this "Towers Experiment" to an end?

Joshua makes the walls tumble down!

Who's this big kid that keep knocking it out?

Note to Tosca: See what happens when you allow a guy to regain his stroke by playing? It's probably killing the manager that Phelps is doing well because word has it he doesn't like Phelps, like he doesn't like Woodward, who lost his job despite getting injured while batting .300...

Did I hear correctly? Is it "Japanese Night" at the Dome?

Intentional, guys. Intentionally mixing up Australia and New Zealand. Kiwis get steamed

We're used to it from you up there in California....:-)

Australia are welcome to keep Russell Crowe, btw.

I believe the Blue Jays were trying to sign an Australian softball pitcher fairly recently. Not sure what came of that.

Kenneth, what is your agenda anyways?

It's been well documented: Phelps was benched because his swing has been severely out of whack. Rather than taking a shot at Tosca, why not say "Nice job by the coaching staff to get him turned around" and "Welcome back, Josh!".

Woodward? I like him, I really do, and he's on my BBFL team so it hurts my team that he's not playing. But benching him makes perfect sense. He got 50 at-bats in June and batted .200/.216/.320. Menechino got 75 at-bats in June and batted .320/.427/.507. With Delgado, Wells, and Catalanotto all out of the lineup, Woody's own brother wouldn't be playing him over Mighty Mouse right now.

Nolan only got "a share of a World Series ring." They didn't give him a whole ring?

I feel a little bad giving Romanuk a hard time - he's not a baseball guy, he does a good job on hockey broadcasts. It's like Dave Berg - he's being asked to fill a role he wasn't hired to fill.

But some of this stuff has just been irritating us here at the Magpie nest. The end of the 6th: "DELGADO!!! flies out deep to CF" while Winn is trotting towards the infield at least 130 feet shy of the wall...

See what happens when you allow a guy to regain his stroke by playing?

I think you mean see what happens when a lefty throws an 80 MPH fastball on the inside half of the plate. That's two straight nights that Phelps has turned on that pitch.

Phelps' true test will be if and when he gets to face righthanded pitching with any regularity. He's been hitting the lefties this year, just not the righties.

Blue Jays marketing dept., led by the brilliant Jim Bloome, have reached an all-time low. We thought William Hung's appearance a few weeks back was bad...The CN Tower vs Seattle Space Needle, done so brilliantly during Conan O'Brien's visit to Toronto during the winter, is replicated in front of the Japanese Night crowd. Then some guy comes out and fakes stripping...Ted Rogers should be very crowd, if he's still awake!

Make that "very proud"...

Oh My Lord, that was absolutely massive.

If Phelps doesn't play tomorrow............

I think Phelps is back!!! Wow!!! 5th decker!

Oh. My.

OK, looks like Josh has straightened things out...

It's been well documented: Phelps was benched because his swing has been severely out of whack.

Eric Hinske's swing was out of whack for nearly a whole year, but he hardly misses a game. Reed Johnson hit 245/306/336 in June, but he's still batting third every day.

Meanwhile, Phelps can't get a start at first because of Gomez & Clarke, while Woodward hasn't started back-to-back games for nearly a month.

http://me.woot.net
And off a right-hander, yet.

You were saying, Chuck...

Well, we now know that Phelps can hit a hanging breaking ball. Wow. Great googly moogly. Etc.

Kenneth, a.k.a. Colgo, formerly known as Statsboy666: Multiple names are not welcome. Pick a handle and stick to it. Thanks.

It's been saide a few times already, but WOW! That was massive and of a hard throwing righty (although it was a hanging breakig ball). Good for Josh, he's had it rough the last little while. I guess his asking price just went up with the last few games performance.

We need grammar and spell checkers. Sorry 'bout that.

You were saying, Chuck...

I was saying what I said, and I stick to it. I wasn't saying that Phelps hadn't turned things around, only that we'll know for sure against RHP. I hope he's back but I still want proof. Obviously that homerun is a nice start, but I'm not going to pronounce the slump over based solely on that.

Josh, by the way, is 2nd on the team in RBI and tied for the team lead in HRs.

Which seems really, really weird.

Tosca (and others) have to realize that if you are going to bench Phelps behind two career journeymen who provide zero to very marginal advantage to a struggling Phelps, and then Phelps starts tearing it up when he gets back....there is going to be criticism and second-guessing. The criticism is legitimate. You might disagree with it (you could argue their month-long hitting lessons are coming to fruition), but don't be so offended by it. In a season full of bad luck and disappointment, a 2-HR night by Phelps following his recent good starts is something to get excited about - I don't care if the pitches are coming in underhand against a left-hander.

I'm suprised to find out only 3 other Jays have more AB's than Phelps this season. It's like Phelps has been a backup for over a month now.

He lost playing time because Tosca would rather play Gomez and Clark instead of Phelps.

Well if Phelps is trade bait, hopefully scouts have been watching the past week. Phelps has been swining a real hot bat.

I find it embarassing we're more than half way into the season and the Jays don't have a guy with double digit dingers.

I'm hoping the York rumoured Cat and Zaun to the Marlins trade goes through because it would force JP/Tosca's hand to play Cash. There's no logical reason a slumping career backup catcher should be getting way more playing time than a young catcher who the GM speaks highly of unless the younger player isn't in the teams plans.

Josh Phelps' July OPS amuses me - 2.958

That RBI base hit gets Edgar Martinez back over .250 - he's 41 years old and one would think that this is probably going to be his final season. By all accounts he's one of the good people in the game, and I'd sure like to see him get rattle a few more doubles off the right centre wall (against somebody else for once) before he's done.

Is he a Hall of Famer? Its a strange career - he doesn't become a regular until age 27 because the Mariners were... well, really really dumb. Jim Presley was the 3B in 1988 and 1989 and hit a total of 26 HRs in those two seasons. And hitting HRs was ALL Presley could do.

Anyway, Edgar got in 3 years as the regular 3B, basically lost two seasons to injury and strike and has been a DH since 1995.

Because of the late start and the missed time, the counting stats aren't that eye-popping: 2119 hits, 297 Hrs, 1198 RBI. But his BAVG of .315 and he has a career OPS of .948 (25th best ever).

"Does he start the runner here to stay out of the double play, or does he gamble that Hinske can put the bat on the ball?"

10 cent beer night in the TSN box?

A 4 RBI triple?

Did he just call a 4 RBI triple???

Always fun to see something new on a ballfield - a 4-run triple! Way to go rookie!

A 4 RBI triple????? Stick to calling hockey.

Beat me too it...this is unreal.

I just got the word from upstairs. It's officially a shellacking.

Boy Phelpsy breaks out of slumps in style. 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.

I thought I was hearing things ...

and you guys confirm it ..... "4 RBI triple"

This is priceless stuff!!!

Bring back ...... (gulp) Rod Black!!!!!

Oh yeah congrats to Rios for more than doubling his RBI total

Maybe if these guys weren't so obsessed with Japanese night, we could avoid comments about 4 run triples.

How much you want to bet we'll soon be reading about how Delgado's presence makes everyone else in the lineup better?

There's probably a bit of truth to it, in that it helps return other guys to their proper offensive roles. But Phelps is up there by himself swinging at the ball...

I wonder why Johnson is still batting 3rd? He's really struggled in that spot and I would rather have Johnson leading off than Gomez.

With the way Hinske is playing I would have the top 4 be Johnson, Hudson, Hinske, Delgado

Wasn't Phelps benched in order to work out his problems with the hitting coach, or did I just imagine reading that? That sounds like a logical reason, if true. If you can't send him to the minors, bench him and let him take extra advice from Barnett. Whatever it was, it seems to be working.

Phelps' OPS is now .704. Hinske's OPS is up to .740. Just waiting for Rios to top .700, he's currently at .692.

Maybe this season will be worth while afterall, as we get to see the development of Hinske, Phelps, Rios, Bush, and probably Adams within a month or so.

BTW, I can't believe it's already July. Time goes fast.

That line about the east is least and west is best was used verbatim last night...

Ok personal pet peeve of mine. I hate that the TSN graphic doesn't display what inning it is. I flip channels on the commercial or run to the store or something, and when I come back I have absolutely no idea what inning we're in. I much prefer the games on Sportsnet where I can just look at the bottom of the screen and go "oh good, I only missed half an inning".

Scratch that, Im just dumb.

Alright, not even J Spy can blow an 8 run lead!

Right?

Maybe this was discussed elsewhere, but Marty York is reporting that considering canning Tosca...interesting. If only York could be correct for once...

Seriously, folks, what exactly has Tosca done that has annoyed you guys so much?

I was just noticing (Pat Tabler as well) that Phelp's stance is much more open. I'm no hitting expert but it does seem to give hitters more time to see the ball.

Yay! We beat the worst Road team in the AL! Oh well, a good win is still a good win.

"Seriously, folks, what exactly has Tosca done that has annoyed you guys so much?"

He made half of our roster get injured. His bullpen use has single handedly destroyed our win total......what?...The veteran relievers doing bad?...well, that's Tosca's fault too. He benches Phelps, even though Josh's OPS would make a mediocre field goal percentage in basketball, which was also Tosca's fault. Johnson regressing? Tosca. Hinske's horrible first two months? Tosca. Batista's control issues? Tosca. The War in Iraq? Tosca. AIDS in Africa? Tosca. The reason I returned a DVD one day too late last week? Tosca again.

Is that enough reasons, Moffatt?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1835967
Bobby Abreu is an All-Star. COMN

From a pitching standpoint, he seems to frequently bring guys out for one inning too long. This drives me nuts. He hasn't done it as much this year, but last year's gonger with switching pitchers for every batter was simply absurd. As someone else noted on here, a struggling Josh Phelps is still a better option than most of the scrubs on the bench. I hate the fact that Zaun is not only still catching, but still batting fifth, despite the fact that the hot streak is clearly over. Ask me after most games, and I can point to at least one move that I dislike. I'm sure he's a wonderful, and his friends and family love him, but I want him gone.

I don't suspect they'll dump him halfway through the season, because who replaces him? John Gibbons? Still, I'd be surprised to see him back next year. (Unless the Jays win every remaining game, and the bullpen ERA drops to fraction numbers)

"Seriously, folks, what exactly has Tosca done that has annoyed you guys so much?"

He makes the same mistakes over and over again when managing the bullpen. Instead of actually watching the game and riding the hot hand, he constantly manages on paper.

For instance (just one example), how many times have you seen a right-handed reliever get two outs and then Tosca replaces him with another right-hander who would promptly give up a hit and an inherited run (and this is back when they had lefties in the pen). He's got to learn that the game is playing on the field, not on paper. It would be forgiveable if it happened occasionally, but he does it all the time.

Playing Gomez, Clark and Zaun over Phelps and Cash is dumb as well. I thought he'd learned a lesson after Phelps performed great in the second half last season -- he needs a full season of playing. If anything, the time he spent languishing on the bench last season while Greg Myers DHed set Phelps back. Same mistakes again this year... another year that's going nowhere.

Great news already from JP after the game on the FAN. To recap:

- Catalanatto will be back 1st game after the All-Star break.
- Thigpen is now signed
- The top 3 draft picks will be signed, they're close but just not quite there yet
- Clubs have called asking about Phelps
- JP hasnt spoken to the Marlins about Zaun
- Barring anything unforseen, Bush is here for the rest of the year. They may ease him off in September just because he's never pitched that many innings before.
- JP *again* stating that Batista and Lilly are not going to be dealt. He seemed rather upset that he keeps having to answer the same question especially when there's no truth to it.

We know that the Jays were working on Phelps' swing. Why do we automatically assume benching him was Tosca's decision and not JP's?

Doesn't JP know he's already got a Mighty Mouse on his roster?

I'll pass along your request. If you want to talk to someone high on the food chain, I'm not your guy.

How is Crash coming along?

When is Wells coming back?

Will Carroll reported this week that Wells probably wouldn't be back before August.

Anyone else not want to trade Phelps? I mean, unless he stays hot for a little while and really boosts his numbers, it seems like the Jays would be selling low. I don't like that. What are their needs right now? A power hitter for either DH, 1B or LF beyond '04 (fire away, but I'm still not sold on Johnson beyond a platoon role- maybe Gross can be the LH half if he can play the field, but niether have the power Phelps does). If Phelps can come back, he fits one of those needs. They've got enough pitching coming up that they don't more unless it is a true #2 type.

You guys that think Adams is ready- why? At this point, he seems to be barely holding his own. Is he playing better than his stats indicate? Little power, drawing some walks, not hitting for average, and hasn't run at all. Still don't see why people are so high on him, especially given his age. I want to see a lot more at AAA before they bring him up- right now, those numbers don't translate well.

Frank, I responded to your e-mail. Forgive the time lag, I was busy with other matters and didn't see the e-mail or your post until a little while ago.

Seriously, what is the market value for Mister Phelps at this stage in his development?? A Grade B/C prospect???

I replied back to you Craig.

Thigpen signing is good news. The two big guys in the first round still have to be tied up.

It's always interesting to look at rumours and speculation about who will and will not be traded. That said, both the Marlins and the Indians especially seem fairly savy about young players. If they are looking for rentals (though Batista and Lilly would not be rentals) then I doubt they are going to consider dealing frontline players or prospects. In which case there is no incentive for the Jays to deal with them. They don't need another mid-range prospect.

And if they deal Phelps, they'll get someone back with a similar ceiling. As up and down as he's been they know he has 5th deck power and is a streak hitter. And if they forgot what kind of power he has then tonight was a reminder. Given the absolute dearth of power that's anywhere near ready in the system, I doubt they're going to be that hasty about trading Josh. They might try to find a pitcher or a player that can produce some defensive value as well though.

http://journals.jevon.org/users/keith_talent
Hey folks, just got back from SkyDome, what a game! 18K there but it felt like a lot more, high energy. I sat down by Ichiro with a huge contingent of Japanese and Brazilian students. The drum sounded powerful. I have never been to a game with the Dome closed and the drum there, quite the effect. The first inning I was thinking, what is that creepy swirling sound? I kinda like it. It took me until the third inning to realize it was the O-Drum! Tower races again. And Bulldog Towers was a real man. Phelps: can we please play him everyday now? His swing seems to be fixed. Hinske's rolling. Carlos looked pretty shaky at the plate.

Phelps hit that homerun in Jose Canseco territory. I knew it was gone right away, and I was watching the second deck and never saw the ball again *fireworks* until several minutes later when some kids found it way up 500. That has to be one of the biggest shots in SkyDome history.

Leslie Nielson was there!

Has anyone noticed whether Phelps's mechanics are any different? Perhaps he's finally made the adjustments he's needed to make.

The fifth-deck shot was majestic, but that was one ugly hanging breaking ball they threw him. It just sat there begging to be hit. (This isn't a knock on Josh.)

As for how well Tosca has handled the pitching staff: I think it's getting better. He's got defined roles for Chulk and Frasor (though I worry that Chulk may be overused). There are a lot of managers who just define their closer and setup man, and then throw the rest into games when needed. The Jays aren't allowing that many runs any more, so whatever he's doing is working.

My only concern with Tosca right now is whether he's getting the most out of Phelps and Woodward. Does he have a doghouse, or are they just not good enough? I'm not close enough to the action to know what's going on.

Phelps is a hard case to judge.

On one hand if he stays hot it will jack his trade value up but at the same time if continues to play well why trade him when the Jays need all the HR power they can get?

To my knowledge they're aren't any big bopper MLB prospects in either AAA (maybe Quiroz?) or AA, and this past draft JP went with pitchers in the first round.

I'm hoping Hinske finds his longball stroke soon!

http://journals.jevon.org/users/keith_talent
Someone above criticized the Jays marketing department, but I think everyone had fun there tonight. With all these Japanese students coming tonight, why not make them see that a Blue Jays game is a fun, affordable place to hang out this summer? The Tower races were a riot, loved the FedEx pope.

If somebody wants Zaun, take whatever you can get for him. His batting average has only gone one way since he was hitting .480. His market value will never be higher than it is now.

I'd still like to hang on to Catalanotto. We've sat thorugh so much injury time, I'd really like to see what he could put together for us. He's seeing the ball so well this year.

And if they deal Phelps, they'll get someone back with a similar ceiling. As up and down as he's been they know he has 5th deck power and is a streak hitter. And if they forgot what kind of power he has then tonight was a reminder. Given the absolute dearth of power that's anywhere near ready in the system, I doubt they're going to be that hasty about trading Josh. They might try to find a pitcher or a player that can produce some defensive value as well though.

Cleveland has their own streaky power hitter at AAA -- Russell Branyan.

Snap Poll:

Who will have a better major league career, Josh Phelps or Russell Branyan?

What are their needs right now? A power hitter for either DH, 1B or LF beyond '04 (fire away, but I'm still not sold on Johnson beyond a platoon role- maybe Gross can be the LH half if he can play the field, but niether have the power Phelps does). If Phelps can come back, he fits one of those needs.

I completely agree. Assuming Carlos is gone at the end of season, why would you trade Phelps? Despite all the times he's sat out Phelps will be 3rd in AB for the Jays after their next game, that just doesnt seem right.

Oh and I still can't believe Mighty Mouse's stats 132 AB, .440 OBP and a .993 OPS! I hate to imagine how much worse things would've been if he and Zaun hadn't done so well in their replacement roles.

A pretty vanilla day down on the farm. A few wins, a few losses, not a lot of standout performances though Marcum pitched well. One thing stood out though: Gabe Gross played left field. I guess his elbow may not need surgery after all. And if that's the case he might even be able to play outfield for the big club some time this year.

Sometimes the ballpark is the worst place to watch a ballgame closely... so, I don't remember the inning or the situation, but Josh Towers induced a bases-loaded inning-ending double play and as it was a TSN broadcast, I do believe that would be the storied TSN turning point. The game still could have gone anyway at that point, after that the shelling began.

I agree there isn't much point in dealing Phelps right now. Unless he's part of a package that can get the Jays an excellent young player(s) in return. (And I think it will take a package deal to acquire someone of this calibre. Phelps is just a big unknown; he might turn out to be awful, mediocre, decent, or very good. Who knows? But no team is going to give up a blue-chip prospect/young MLB player for Phelps alone.)

Can someone please explain something to me? Why is Kris Benson in such high demand? And why do sportswriters keep calling him one of the best arms still available for trade? What has he ever done in the majors, other than pitching badly and being paid way more than he deserves for his "potential"? I just don't get it.

Fifth deck grand slam. Wow. I'm glad I cut work to get to this game pretty much on time.

The drum was fantastic. The crowd responded to it like you wouldn't believe. I'd say it was the best drum appearance ever.

The Carlos poster was met with some confusion -- initially a security guy came up to us and told us to put it down. When I asked why, he said, "Because it's not baseball related."

I looked at him. I looked at the sign. I read the sign to him. I pointed to Carlos Delgado. I said, "The sign is about Carlos Delgado coming off of the DL and returning to the team."

He shrugged and said, "They told me to tell you to take it down because it's not about baseball." I asked if he was sure they were talking about my sign, and he nodded.

I asked him how a sign about Carlos Delgado could not be about baseball, and he looked confused and said he'd double check. He left and came back a couple of minutes later, convulsing with laughter. He said, "Some guy downstairs can't read. He thought it said something about a family reunion." He gave me a big thumbs up and left.

The sign made the TV telecast briefly. Looked very good. I hope King Carlos saw it. Well done Hank and Cheer Club!

Thanks! It would have been better if Carlos hadn't gone 0-fer, but that's baseball for ya. Maybe Delgado is Phelps' red kryptonite?

I'd like to echo the comments about the King Carlos sign by Named For Hank, it looked really sharp! Best looking family reunion sign ever!! Kudos also to Bird Droppings for bringing back the O-Drum to add some life to the place, even though some people were getting upset with the noise in row 1 at 518. So we moved to 517 and the folks who were bitching in 518 decided to leave anyway. Even a Security guy, aka "Drum Nazi", came to warn us to tone it down. He even had a couple of cops with him at one point. I thought we were going to get arrested. Bunch of killjoys!!! I'm just concerned that all the bitching and complaining may be the final straw for the O-Drum at the Dome.

As for the game itself, I almost forgot the M's led 3-1 at one point and Bob File was on the verge of coming in for Towers, which probably would've led to Terry Adams!! Towers somehow gutted it out and pitched into the 7th. I was also glad to finally see a Blue Jay hit one into the upper deck. They should mark the seat where Phelps' shot landed because not a lot of balls go up there. I know they used to mark 500 level homers when those seats were covered by tarps. If I'm not mistaken, that ties Phelps for the lead for upper deck blasts with Jose Canseco as he did it once each for the A's and Jays. I think Joe Carter, $hawn Green, and Carlos Delgado have done it. And of course, Manny Ramirez and Mark McGwire. I'm probably missing someone but that shot by Phelps was awesome!!

The other thing not to be overlooked was the performance of Chris Gomez. I thought he had an excellent game in the field and also stroked a nice double as well. I just wanted to point that out because defence tends to get overlooked after a 12-4 game and a 7 RBI performance by Big Joshua. Let's hope Dave "the pitcher formerly known as David" Bush can keep it going tonight and make it a clean sweep.

Hey, could you guys see the guy holding the other end of the banner on TV? I was at the "King" end, and Brumfield was at the "Return" end. He's being modest by not mentioning it. ;)

Yep, they showed both of you for a couple seconds before zooming in a little to the sign.

http://me.woot.net
NFH, the sign's appearance on TV marked a confluence of events the likes of which I will never see again.

A couple of friends came over to drag me to see Spider-Man 2 for the second time. (It's worth it to see once; twice is overkill.) I was sitting in front of the game with my iBook on Da Box. They asked me what I was doing and I explained what Batter's Box is, and elaborated with, "A few of the guys go to games with a drum; they cheer, make a lot of noise, and generally have a great time. They call themselves the Blue Jays Cheer Club." At this very moment I looked over at the television to see you, another guy I didn't recognize, and the RETURN OF THE KING banner. "Those guys there, as a matter of fact. That's them."

That's downright awesome. :)