Month   OPS
April   848
May     801
June    491
July    798

Going forward, Hudson, Adams, Koskie and Hillenbrand figure to play pretty much every day, rotating through the four infield positions and DH. That leaves Hill and Hinske fighting for time at 1B/3B/DH. I actually think a rough platoon might not be a bad approach to take until Hill gets his bearings back. I wouldn't do a strict L-R platoon, since Hill needs to see some righties as well. But if Hinske plays John McDonald to Hill's Russ Adams the rest of the way, that wouldn't be so bad.

In any event, I don't see Eric Hinske back with this club next season.

I have not much to add to what Jordan said, about the 3B/1B/DH situation except for this. Aaron Hill will be backing up Russ Adams at short, and will probably play 5-10 games there against lefties the rest of the way.

The Jays and Chisox have actually been fairly similar this season. THT's team stats contain a nice summary. The Jays have scored 2 more runs and allowed 23 more than Chicago, but both teams have been essentially average at scoring runs given their context and much above average at preventing them. The Jays have an OBP 10 points higher while the Sox have a slugging percentage 8 points higher. The major difference between the clubs has been their record in one-run games- Chicago 39-19; Toronto 17-25.

The Jays could definitely use another bat. But, frankly, I'd prefer that it not be a Joe Carter clone. The ability to get on base is the most important thing on offence.

OK, you asked for it.

The Ballad of Shoeless Joe. There are people who want to put this jerk in the Hall of Fame, which requires overlooking the confession and focusing on the .375 BAVG and 6 RBI in the 1919 World Series.

It is often forgotten that the Black Sox were double-crossed by the people with whom they were arranging the fix, and received nowhere near the money they had been promised. This put them in a fix - they had already lost four of the first five games. Nevertheless, the Black Sox attempted to double-cross the double-crossers, began playing to win, and took the next two games. Finally, according to the best information we have at this late date, someone leaned (very heavily indeed) on Game 8 starter Lefty Williams, who folded up like the 1978 Red Sox.

So what did Shoeless Joe do in the first 5 games, when the fix was in?

He went 6-19 (.316), which is OK. But he was hitless in his 5 AB with runners in scoring position, and just 1-7 with runners on base, period. He drove in 0 (zero) runs in the first five games.

In the final three games, he went 6-13 (.462), and went 4-7 with runners in scoring position, driving in 6 runs. Much of this damage came in the final game, of course. With the Sox trailing 5-0 after Williams' horrible start, Jackson hit a solo homer; later, trailing 10-1, he hit a two-run double.

This is without looking at his - erratic? - play in the outfield and running the bases.

Eight games is, of course, a tiny tiny sample size. And five games and three games are even tinier.

Not that I know of.

Jackson did appear to have been somewhat afraid that shortstop Swede Risberg was capable of something like that, though.

"Swede is a hard guy."