It's safe to say that the Vernon Wells contract has turned into a millstone that will weigh the Jays down well into the next decade. However the situation would not be as dire if Vernon was still a solid, if unspectacular, major leaguer. However even that faint dream has become a nightmare, as Vernon has turned in an awful season so far. All of which begs the question - is Vernon Wells the least valuable regular in baseball?

I wrote a somewhat detailed analysis about this, and then my computer crashed and I lost everything. It made me angry. Hulk smash and all that. Anyway, I don't want to type it all out again, so here are the conclusions I came to.

What's the difference between these two teams anyway?

Everybody's got an opinion. I, however, have the Truth.

It's pretty obvious that the Blue Jays 2009 season so far breaks nicely into two quite distinct halves: that rollicking 27-14 start (good times!) and the alarming 17-32 run that took them to this week's Break in the Action.

Since that hot 27-14 getaway of blessed memory, by going 17-32 since the Blue Jays have given 15 games back to .500. By strange coincidence, they gave away exactly 15 games to .500 on those two Road Trips From Hell - the 0-9 trip in late May and the 2-8 run that just concluded the first half.

So what the hell happened there, anyway?

In this morning's typically excellent and detailed Newberg Report -- the best baseball e-newsletter on the Internets -- friend of Batter's Box Jamey Newberg checks in on the Halladay Question. Here's what he had to say -- warning, it's quite long -- so give it a read and respond.

(Keep in mind, Jamey is a registered Bauxite, so he may well see what you write!)

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There are issues involved with the hypothetical marriage between the Rangers and Roy Halladay that weren't factors when Texas traded Mark Teixeira two years ago, but there are a few things instructive about the 2007 trade that, in part, helped put the Rangers in the position that they're now in, able to compete with anyone in terms of loading up an impact package of young players to close a huge deal ...

Well, uh, a couple of days ago. Still, better late than never. We'll take a look at the two sides.

Once more, it's time - way past time, in fact - to check in with the ancient sage of the desert.

Note: this is NOT intended to be a political thread!

Four years ago, on the eve of John Kerry's regulation loss to George W. Bush (the previous Gore contest went extra innings, you may recall), we published a Hall of Names All-U.S.-Presidents Team. With the latest election behind us -- no, there has never been an "Obama" to play professional ball, much less in the majors (this guy is closest) -- we are left with, at least, a Question of the Day ...

There's no doubt that George W. Bush, formerly owner of the Texas Rangers, was one of the true "baseball guys" to ever inhabit the U.S. White House. What effect -- if any -- will his departure from office (and the impending Obama presidency) have on major league baseball?

Bauxite zeppelinkm has prepared a Data Table that examines this  year's work by Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, with particular focus on the Quality of the Opposition. I'm just the middle-man!

Travis Snider and Prince Fielder - take a look.  

I came home from Monday's game thinking I should have another son, just so I can name him after Roy Halladay. It was quickly clear to me that that wasn't gonna happen. So I turned my attention to the Internets, that mighty system of tubes, looking for diversion or entertainment or enlightenment.

And fortune smiled upon me. Over at the Southpaw, WillRain has assembled some interesting numbers, given them an intense scrute, and made some very pertinent observations. Let me urge everyone to check it out.

There was something very special about the 2007 season, and as far as I can tell, it went almost completely unnoticed. So let me tell you about it.

The Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, and Washington Nationals got no complete games from their starting pitchers. Not a one. Zero. Bugger-all. And until last year, no major league team had ever gone a season without someone going the distance. It just seems weird that three teams should suddenly break through this previously unbroken barrier together.

The totally peerless and awesome  baseball-reference.com has almost everything, but one thing it doesn't have is a list of league leaders in Relief Appearances for each season.

The Jays have now been around for 31 years. In those 31 years they have had players who started here, ended here, and even a few who were here for their entire big league careers. Now, a good question (at least in my mind) is which of those 3 groups is the strongest? Those who began their careers here, those who ended here, or those who were Jay lifers?