In a move that was widely expected, the Jays have picked up the option on catcher Rod Barajas for next season. 

The [Fill in Team Name HERE]

Your challenge: write the headline and the first sentence or two of the story that appears in this spot next year. Be as serious or as tongue-in-cheek as you want. Can we write plausible (or at least amusing) headlines and scenarios for all 30 teams?

Like this one ...

Sources say the Milwaukee Brewers will hire former Oakland skipper and former Jay Ken Macha as their new manager.  In other news, rumoured Jays trade target Mike Jacobs has been dealt from Florida to Kansas City and  Detroit is not picking up the option on Edgar Renteria.

The Philadelphia Phillies ended their 28 year-old championship drought by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in Game 5 of the World Series Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.  Cole Hamels was named Series MVP.

"Game 5 - The Sequel" will basically have an overtime feel to it as it will pick up in the bottom of the sixth inning at 2-2 tonight around 8:30 p.m. EDT, weather permitting.  In a twist similiar to the tradition of the NHL playoffs, I'm asking you to choose who you think will score the winning run and who will be the winning pitcher in this one. 

Mother Nature decided Phillies fans will have wait for a chance to celebrate their first World Series title since 1980 as rain led to the suspension of Game 5. 

Update:  Game 5, Part 2 has been pushed back to Wednesday.  It will pick up in the bottom of the sixth inning, tied at 2-2.

The Philadelphia Phillies, the losingest franchise in all of pro sports, are just one win away from the World Series title after a 10-2 beatdown of the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 last night.

And it goes like this.  The 45 year-old lefty was able to work out the kinks in his "power finesse" repertoire and almost made history by becoming the oldest pitcher to win a World Series game.  Still, the Phillies southpaw and his teammates got to celebrate a wild and wacky 5-4 walkoff win over the Tampa Bay Rays to grab a 2-1 World Series lead.  Mad props to both teams who managed to stay awake after a 91 minute rain delay and give us a good ball game to watch, for those of us who managed to keep our eyes open!

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed former Orioles hurler Adam Loewen to a minor league deal.  The Surrey, B.C. native is trying to follow in the footsteps of Rick Ankiel by becoming a position player.  The Jays also claimed right-handed pitcher Bryan Bullington off waivers from Cleveland.  To make room on the roster, outfielder Kevin Mench has been designated for assignment.

The World Series is now a best-of-five affair after the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 at the Trop last night.

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.