Ranger shortstop edges Jeter, Pujols for 12th annual honor

Hot of the e-mail "presses" of The Newberg Report ...

The Major League Baseball Players Association has announced that Michael Young is the winner of the 2008 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award,presented to "the player in either league whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement."  Among the off-field ventures ...

Knowing they had to win at least once in Florida in order to win the whole thing, the Philadelphia Phillies are up one game to nothing after a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays last night at Tropicana Field. 

The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays will face the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the World Series tonight.  First pitch is expected to fly just after 8:00 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

Long-time readers of Batter's Box may know that one of the semi-regular "sidebar" features we've provided to Baseball's Hall of Names is the occasional look at an all-birthday team of players born on the same day (in different years, of course). We've done most major dated holidays and a variety of others. So occasionally I'll glance at the greatness of BaseballReference.com to see if there is an interesting all-birthday team for that day -- and we've found some pretty good ones!

Given that we haven't done such a squad in some time, let's take an extra step and work through an entire weekend of teams, for Oct. 17, 18 and 19, respectively. The interesting thing about these teams is that one of the very first players born on each of those days to make the major leagues (Buck Ewing, born 10/17/1859; Candy Cummings, born 10/18/1848; and Mordecai Brown, born 10/19/1876) all made the Hall of Fame, but not a single player born Oct. 17-18-19 since then has so much as sniffed Cooperstown induction. and only a total of 11 have even made an All-Star team.

Let's take a look at these three sets of Mister Octobers ...

1/2 the World Series is set up with the Phillies returning for the first time since Joe touched them all. The Rays came oh so close to joining them last night but blew it like the Jays of the early 80's.

Yesterday's All-P.M. Hall of Names team calls to mind the fact that we have done a number of "all-initial" teams including every single double initial from AA through ZZ, as well as GM, PR, JR, MD, TO, BS, MO and JV, among others. Some of these rosters would be quite good -- some, well, not so much. But your challenge, Bauxites ... what initials would form the best possible team? Let us know your candidates ...

For instance, an All-AR squad could include Alex Rodriguez, Aramis Ramirez, Al Rosen, Aaron Rowand, Amos Rusie and Allie Reynolds. (Not to mention one Alexis Rios.)  Who can build a lineup, or even a full roster, to beat that one?

Just before the conversation in a recent thread could veer off into a wildly inappropriate non-basebally political wing-ding, the always-brilliant Mike Green defused it all with a simple comment, "The best PM in recent memory?  Hmm, I vote for this guy." Hard to argue.

But that did call to mind another burning question ... would would a whole team of PMs look like, er, "initially" speaking? We've done tons of all-initial teams previously, and one for Presidents of the United States name-alikes. But what about the erstwhile PMs? Let's find out as we meet ...

The Jays are  announcing this afternoon that they will be bringing back Paul Beeston on an interim basis, to lead the search for a new CEO of the club. Beeston was the club's first employee, and was team president during the glory years, from 1989-1996. From 1997-2002 he served as president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball. Thanks to various Bauxites for the heads up.

The happiest I've been all post-season was about an hour ago when Matt Stairs took a Jonathan Broxton fastball deep to give the Phillies a 7-5 lead and a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.

Although they were never actually worst that year.

Dick Scott, the Blue Jays Farm Director, joins us in Da Box for his annual post-season review of the farm system.  Last year's interview is here.

These players didn't crack the Batter's Box Top 30 Prospect List but are interesting players to keep an eye on nonetheless.

Anybody here remember Jeff Lahti? A fine RHRP for the Cardinals in the mid-1980s, he saved 19 games for the '85 Redbirds in a bullpen that also included one-time closers like Bill Campbell, Neil Allen, Todd Worrell and Doug Bair. Lahti turns 52 today -- he is the only major league alumnus born on Oct. 8, 1956.

So, um, you think, who cares? Well, it's as good an excuse as any to call to mind that today is also the 52nd anniversary of one of the most famous games ever pitched.

On Tuesday we delivered #30-#21, and yesterday #20-#11. Now, we are proud to present our selections as the top 10 Blue Jay prospects for 2008.

No intro - let's get to it!