The 2004 amateur draft did not go as planned for the Toronto Blue Jays. Under the watchful eye of then general manager J.P. Ricciardi, the club followed a college-player-heavy approach (47 of the 52 picks came from a four-year or community college). The club had two first round picks that season, as well as an extra third-round selection. With its first two choices, the organization nabbed two college left-handed starting pitchers: David Purcey out of the University of Oklahoma and Zach Jackson out of Texas A&M University. Purcey was traded today to the Oakland Athletics for former Jays prospect and triple-A reliever Danny Farquhar.

The Jays wrap up the season's first road trip with a morning game against the Bostons, who you knew weren't going to persist in emulating the 1962 Mets...

The Jays affiliates won two games and lost three. The Lansing Lugnuts split a double-header with the Dayton Dragons and the two teams combined for 29 runs.

A pitching exhibition by Mike MacDonald leads the 51s to glory over Fresno, and the Baby Jays’ bats bring it on for Dunedin over cross bay rival Tampa.

The good guys on the farm turned in a 2 win and 2 loss evening.

Interesting game in the Bronx tonight, as the hometowned pinstriped lads dropped another game to the defending AL champion Rangers. [Box Score]  You might recall the Rangers won that AL flag last year partly in New Yankee Stadium.

What was so interesting about the game? Was it Adrian Beltre starting to hit a little bit? Was it Mike Young passing Pudge Rodriguez for most doubles (353) in Rangers' franchise history? Was it Yankee rookie Lance Pendleton making a stunning nine-Rangers-up, nine-Rangers-down MLB debut? Was it the fact that six Ranger hiiters each faced at least 18 pitches, while only one Yankee saw as many as 16?

All those things were nice. But the headline in New York was the pitcher's (3-0 lefty Matty Harrison's) best friend, as ...

Today is Jackie Robinson Day throughout MLB, marking the 64th anniversary of the day baseball's color barrier was broken.

A tip of the Box's cap to Jackie R., not the greatest player in the game's history (though certainly a  great), but  almost inarguably the most important.

MLB is encouraging everyone to visit IAM42.com to watch video tributes from current players and legends as we honor Robinson's barrier-busting legacy.

You are invited to post your tributes to, and  for our  veterans, memories of the great man here,  as well.

Lansing won a squeaker, New Hampshire did too.  Las Vegas went down despite 10 hits, scoring only once.  Dunedin Jays managed 6 hits, but were shut out.

My buddy Eddie Michels in Dunedin, who reports for a number of news services, says that Outfielder Scott Podsednik is recovering from his bout with Plantar Facialis, a painful foot malady.  

There were a few story lines around yesterday's win that I could have featured in the headline.  I went with the Jays win despite the "future of the franchise" riding the pine.  Adam Lind; Aaron Hill and Travis Snider have all been struggling and John Farrell elected to give them some down time.  I could have gone with how the West Coast trip has been the ruin of many a young teams dream but I didn't.  These west coast trips are tough and a 2-4 record shows that.  There is also a redemption angle, after blowing a lead on Monday the Jays capitalize on Seattle blowing a lead yesterday.  Chris Ray, really, in a one run game? 

It was (more than) 20 years ago today ....

(That Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play? No, no, different tune ...)

Two decades plus one year ago, Cal Ripken Jr. started a streak. Not The Streak, mind you -- that was already underway -- but  in April, 1990, Iron Cal began an unprecedented 95-game streak in which he was Errorless Cal. Another  streak,  for  consecutive totalerrorless chances (431) by a shortstop., ran parallell, so it was no fluke.

Bet you didn't know that. Which leads to two related Question(s) of the Day ...

The affiliates went 2-2 in about the least exciting way possible. Lansing was actually able to play, but apparently didn't get the memo until it was too late.

Arguably the greatest Blue Jay of them all has called it a career.

In the NCAA basketball tournament, whenever an underdog gets down 8 points in a semi-away game and the crowd starts to stir, the commentators always say in ominous tones, "They're into the danger zone now." That's how I feel about today's matchup, with Toronto 5-6 and facing Boston and New York next. The Jays try to avoid an embarrassing sweep in the getaway game as Kyle Drabek takes on Jason Vargas.

It was a .500 night on Junior's Farm.   A strong pitching performance was not fully rewarded but it all worked out in the end and you should have seen the poker men in the form of the third baseman and center fielder of the future.  The winning affiliates put together ninth inning rallies while the other two battled back to tie their contests only to lose, with one game being decided in overtime.  Let's go down to take a look at what happened Tuesday night.