Buster Olney reports the Jays are close to signing John McDonald to a 2 year extension for about $2 million/year.

EDIT:  Jeff Blair reports that it's 2 years at $1.9 million/year.

Here's a dumb and pointless exercise. But when it comes to dumb and pointless exercises, I'm your man.

How bad have J.P. Ricciardi's drafts been?

I just posted a piece where I suggested that Walt Jocketty trading Danny Haren and Daric Barton for Mark Mulder looks like one of the worst transactions perpetrated by a current general manager.

What are the other contenders?

Let us consider who should be taking home the Cy Young Award this year. In one league, it's a pretty easy choice. In the other, not so much.

There are prizes involved. Not for any of us, but the Rookie of the Year gets a shiny trophy. Who's it going to be?

Gus Chacin had shoulder surgery earlier this week.  There apparently was a small rotator cuff tear that was repaired and according to the article Ricciardi said he should be ready for spring training.

Vernon Wells also has a shoulder issue, but not enough of one to stop playing, or even have an MRI on it.  But he will have an MRI after the season.  This seems a little silly to me, no?

There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are a phenomenon far beyond the range of our poor instruments.

Rangers win tonight after putting up a *30* spot on the Orioles. When I first saw the score on ESPN I thought it was a preseason football score. WOW.

The Rangers 8th and 9th hitters each have 7 RBIs.

That can't help the O's pythaogoras!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it or is it not the Accepted Wisdom that if you want players with high upside you should be looking at high schoolers in the draft? At least with respect to position players.

When did this happen, anyway? Is it a new thing? Should we take it seriously?

One of these days - maybe tonight, who knows? - Scott Downs is going to come into a game with runners on base. And a graphic will go up on the screen, obliging Jamie and his amigo de soir (that's a mixed something) to make some sort of comment to the effect that Downs has allowed just 6 of 30 inherited runners to score this season.

I've had a few vague and disconnected thoughts this week about Aaron and Bonds - I'm not sure why - and I started looking over their careers a little...

I went and made a graphic, and ever since I've been deeply, deeply confused.

There is a line between a fan's hope that dies only when his club is mathematically eliminated and what we know to be realistic chances of actually winning. After Wednesday's satisfying thrashing of the Yankees, the Jays are straddling that line. Shall we look a little closer?

Three nights watching the Jays battle the Yankees. I have some random observations.

Some of you may wish he hadn't and some of you may not even care.

Some of you may even be waiting for Alex Rodriguez to take this record off his hands.

Free Anonymous Reliever!