The Blue Jays signed a pair of players to minor-league contracts today, agreeing to terms with outfielder Jason Lane and infielder Brandon Fahey. Both will receive invites to spring training, but will probably spend the majority of the year in Las Vegas. However, Lane provides some cover if Snider demonstrates he isn’t ready for the big leagues and Fahey is a better option than Jorge Velandia as the team’s top middle infielder at Triple-A.

The astute greatness of longtime Bauxite Mike Green recently wrote in another thread, "Somewhere between Rob Deer and Adam Dunn lies Jack Cust (as a hitter). Is it a coincidence that all have four-letter last names? I think not."

This, of course, set me thinking -- is it really unusual for great players to have four-letter last names? Immediately, I thought Babe, Ty, Willie, Whitey and Nolan would protest. But as it turns out, only 19 of the more than 250 players inducted currently in Baseball's Hall of Fame -- yes, that's including the coming class of '09 -- have/had a last/family name of exactly four letters.

Still, if we twist and turn a little, make a projection and an exception, we can fill out a pretty fine All-Hall-of-Famer roster we can only dub ...

The Jays signed Brandon League for $640k (minimum is $400k), Jeremy Accardo for $900k, Jason Frasor for $1.45 million, Jose Bautista for $2.4 million.  Arbitration figures are being passed along, and a batch of Jays are going to the Classic along with a Canadian team.

The top offensive prospect in the Texas Rangers minor league system -- I guess you'd call him a "hot" prospect -- is 1B Justin Smoak. Okay, okay, get it overwith -- yes, the power-hitting youngster can really "Smoak" the ball. He's "Smoak"-ing hot. But the Hall of Names question arises -- is it true that where there's Smoak, there's Fire?

Coming up with a team of players with heat-related names -- one that could "Smoak" the opposition -- might prove a hot proposition, as the owner of the one name we've punned on forty-six times already, young Smoak, hasn't even reached the major leagues yet. So anyway ...

Gregg Zaun just signed with the Baltimore Orioles.  A 1 year with an option deal ($1.5 year one, $2 million year 2, $500k buyout for year 2).

This was supposed to be written and posted in December. I can explain why it wasn't in one word: Oops.

Technically there's a decent chance that somebody reading this has read this book before. But I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't.

And the winners are... Rickey Henderson (94.8%) and Jim Rice (76.4%).

You'll be able to read an article I wrote about the second base depth in the Toronto Blue Jays system at the Toronto Sun online today (Friday, Jan. 9)... The article was originally supposed to be the first in an ongoing, weekly series that would focus on the Jays minor league system and prospects, but the sports department at the paper was recently hit by downsizing so the column has been put on hold for now. Hopefully, I will get the go-ahead by the time the season starts. I should give a big thank you to Sun columnist Bob Elliott, as well as Sun sports editor Dave Fuller, for helping me get it published.

Gosh, it's been another four days since we had a new thread? Again, apologies for our suckitude. And a lot has happened!

• John Smoltz to the Red Sox? Really? That seems wrong.
• Trevor Hoffman is a Brewer? That seems even wronger!
• Jason Giambi is back in Oakland. There's something right about that, anyway.
• Carl Pavano to the Indians? Why?
  
• The Red Sox also signed Rocco Baldelli -- good for him (and them)!
• What else is in the news? (Provide links, please!)
  

Question of the Day: With the latest HOF class being announced on Monday, ESPN.com has hosted recent chats debating the Hall of Fame worthiness of both Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven. I say yes to both, but I'm a "big Hall" guy. What say you?

Okay, as I write this, we are mere minutes away from it being Jan. 5 in Toronto, and your faithful Batter's Box roster has yet to post a new thread this entire (four-day-old!) new year. We suck. Yeah, we get that. So, um, here's one. And a few discussion starters ...

1. The "big news" on the hot stove lately has been Mark DeRosa being traded from the Cubs to the Indians and the Angels "replacing" Francisco Rodriguez with Brian Fuentes. What else are we missing? Provide links!
2. You'll note that the headline above is cleverly and mysteriously void of actual content. Travel back in time, oh, two minutes and tell us ... what headline would you most hope to see here upon coming to Da Box for the first time today? What headline would, alternatively, horrify you the most?
3. Manager Pool '09 ... who will be the first manager fired in 2009? How long will it take?
4. That poll there to the left, the Teixeira poll -- it's getting kinda old and hasn't generated much interest. And we haven't changed it in a week (as noted, we suck). So, suggest a poll topic including a question and at least four options to choose from as answers. Be prepared -- we might actually use your idea! (And we might not. See the Complaints department if you must. Oh, we don't have one? Another thing to complain about!)
5. Yes, the grand old default -- it's open mike time (and not just for those named Michael, like I am) ... what's on your mind? What should be on everyone else's mind?
6. And finally, what is the answer to life, the universe and everything? (Warning: there is a correct answer to this question, as fans of British comedy will assure you.)

That's enough for now. Over to you, Bauxites!

The Jays have signed three more players to add depth at AAA or to battle for backup roles in the major leagues.  These three players will join Matt Clement and Michael Barrett on the "taxi squad".  The three players are catcher Raul Chavez, pitcher Mike Maroth and and infielder Randy Ruiz.

Every ... okay, most ... well, all right, some ... New Year's Eves here on Da Box, we talk resolutions. (Near as I can tell, we've done it twice -- in 2004-05 and last year, 2007-08). But let's make this not-exactly-annual trek into New Year's fortitude and see if we can show some "resolve" ...
 
Now's your chance to share either your own baseball-related resolution, posted in public where you'll have no choice but to own up to it a year from now, or -- if you want to go for the cheap laugh, to post a resolution "on behalf of" someone in MLB.

That said, a few pointers ...

On another slow, nearly-baseball-free December's day. I found myself wandering the greatness of BaseballReference.com and landed on this page, which outlines the 43 men who have been the first overall picks in the June Amateur Draft.

Of course, this led me to the standard Hall of Names question ... what kind of roster would this group of names comprise?

Every year here on Batter's Box, we gather on Christmas Day to recount our blessings of the past year and to share ....

Oh hell, no we don't. We come to brag about what baseball-related gifts we found under the tree left by that irascible never-aging prospect, Kris Kringle (DH, North Pole U.) ... so, Bauxites, what did YOU get (or give) that relates the Winter Holidays to the Summer Pastime? Don't hold back! Best gift story gets, you guessed it, a Yuletide No-Prize!

 

This sharing is usually led by our own Mick Doherty, I am pinch hitting this year.  Oh .. . and before I completely forget ... Merry Christmas and all that sort of thing, to you and yours from us and ours!

 

Each year around this time, we take a musical tour through Baseball's Hall of Names to ring in the new year -- and in fact, these tours have more commonly been New Year-themed (see Auld Lang Syne and Just Another New Year's Eve from years past). But before we completely run out of New Year's songs -- or have we already? -- let's back up a week and try our lyrical hand at Christmas. (We sort of did this a few years ago, but this is the first real attempt at a carol).

So with a nod to Gus, Buddy, David, Cool Papa and George (among others) -- or had you figured that out for the headline already? -- let's join together in a chorus of ...