Every once in a while, you see a story that reminds you -- while the Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers certainly would be nice-to-haves, sometimes the face of the franchise finds itself staring into the soulful eyes of a child. From today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram ...

Vernon Wells hits home run with camp for homeless kids

This Victoria, B.C. native hopes to make baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest fond of him.  This outfield prospect is featured in today's super-charged, Super Bowl Sunday edition of the POTD.  Go Saints!!

The Blue Jays have acquired pitcher Dana Eveland from the Oakland A’s for cash considerations. Eveland was recently designated for assignment by the A’s.

The best of "New West" in the True North strong and free is highlighted in another "spine-tingling" episode of the POTD!

This dynamo from Etobicoke, Ontario is no ordinary Joe.  He's the focus of our latest "Made in Canada" episode in the POTD!

Baseball America reports that former Orioles and Rays first round pick Wade "Pete" Townsend has agreed to a minor league contract with Toronto and so has organizational soldier Howie Clark.

Former Marlins and Cubs closer Kevin Gregg has agreed to a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays according to SI.com's Jon Heyman.  The $2.75-million dollar deal includes two option years that could pay as much as $12-million dollars total.  Gregg is expected to compete with Jason Frasor and lefty Scott Downs for the closer's role but the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott speculates Downs could be on his way out.  A tip of the Jays 1989 road cap to Bauxite "The Original Ryan" for letting us know.

As we get closer to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, the Batter's Box POTD is getting into the spirit of things by focusing on some of the Canadian baseball players who made it front of the camera lens during the 2009 season.  Today, we follow the trail of one player who has moved from the American League East to the National League East.

Former Jay favourite Reed Johnson has signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a.k.a. Evil Empire West. The California native and Cal State Fullerton ex spent the past two years with the Chicago Cubs and hit .255 as a spare part in Second City last season.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

And what else is happening in this dry post-Winter-Meeting, pre-Spring-Training time of year?

Tom Cheek didn't win the Ford Frick...again.   Miller edges Cheek, Van Horne and Doucet for Frick Award‎

With all the news about Cliff Lee recently -- he was involved in a series of trades that Blue Jay fans paid some attention to, as I recall -- I found myself wondering if we could build a full roster of MLB "Cliffs."

The short answer is "yes." The longer answer is "wow, this team is a lot better than I expected it to be." The disorientingly long final roster-driven answer follows if you just click through ...

 

I actually don't have a lot of these left to do.

The American Cooperstown said no to Jays great Roberto Alomar but the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, like the Juice Man from Del Monte, said "Affirmative!"   Former Jays All-Star and Port Hope-raised Paul Quantrill will join Alomar in St. Marys, Ontario for the 2010 induction ceremony June 19th.  Elected posthumously were former Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins owner Calvin Griffith and Brooklyn Dodgers statistician Allan Roth, a key figure in Alan Schwartz's book, "The Numbers Game".

Dig that sound and shake it around you're mine , mine , mine

MLB.com released its Top 50 list of the best minor league prospects and two members of the Jays not only made the top 50 but the top 17.  See, I'll never lead you astray!

Chicks dig the long ball. That's always been good enough for me.

Here's part two of the update.