David Purcey was fantastic.

Entering the final week of the regular season, just three of the eighteen playoff spots have been secured.

Well, we actually took one from those pesky Rays...

Syracuse kept its slim hopes alive of staying over .500, Auburn snapped a nine game losing skid to get back to .500 and New Hampshire will remain well below .500 but at least they got a walk-off win to lessen the pain.  Dunedin and Lansing don't have much to play for these days as they get ready for the post-season and the GCL Jays got their breakfast, lunch and dinner handed to them in a .500 night for the affiliates.

Just one win down on the farm yesterday.  The affiliates were 1-4 on the night with NH getting the day off.

Last week I saw one Auburn game, against Williamsport.  I talked with Auburn's pitching coach Antonio Caceres, about some of the pitchers.  That interview and some observations, follow.

A fine, gripping ball game. Alas, a Tough Defeat.

I attended two New Hampshire games in Binghamton last week.  The starting pitchers were Brad Mills and Brandon Magee.  Here is a report on what I saw.

Five games produced a couple of nice performances including good starts from both a recent Blue Jay and a future hopeful.

3-3 on the night for the affiliates but the one you'll really care about was in Syracuse.  What are you waiting for?

In honor of ESPN asking fans to pick the best players in the history of all 30 franchises, ESPN.com's Page 2 is, as they put it, " honoring those who weren't so accomplished."

They're providing three candidates for each team and want readers to choose the worst (player) season for each franchise from the past 50 years. "We scoured the records beginning in 1959 and came up with what we believe are three viable candidates for each team," it says on Page 2. Ready to meet your Blue Jay candidates? Feel free to defend/criticize their choices, but provide alternatives ... here we go ...

Three wins and three losses, plus a hurricane-out.  Dunedin clinch a second half division title with a doubleheader split.  New Hampshire had a big come from behind win as JP Arencibia tied the game in the ninth with a home run and Ryan Patterson won it in the tenth with a triple.  Lansing also came from behind but earlier than the Fisher Cats.  Syracuse and Auburn lost.

Lost as quickly as I'm found
But soon enough it turns around

The Jays are 7-2 in their last 9, and on a roll. They trounced those dastardly Yankees last night, and tonight face the even dastardlier Red Soxs. Marcum takes the bump against Paul Byrd, followed by Litsch/Lester and AJ/Dice-K.

If the Jays can sweep, then things get sort of interesting.

The affiliates knew there was no way they could out shine the "blockbuster" trade the Jays organization made earlier in the day so the players simply mailed it in as the clubs managed just one win.