We've all heard the expression "It ain't over until Milton Bradley breaks a bat over his knee".

Well, it's over:

In honor of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who won their first Pacific League pennant in 25 years last night (and now head to the Japan Series), I thought I would usurp Mick's usual gig and name an "All-Ham" Hall of Names team.

Do we really need special tools for evaulating career leadoff hitters? In one sense, we do not. Leadoff hitters do the same things that other batters do. They get on base or not. They steal bases or not. They advance from first to third on a single or not. They drive in runners on base or not. The difference is that they have a significantly different ratio of opportunites to do each of these things than hitters in other places in the batting order. That may justify the use of different tools to evaluate them. I will let the reader be the judge of that.

Yes, today is Friday the 13th. And yes, this is the "All-Jason" team. It's pure coincidence. No further movie references will be made herein.

Back when I was a wee lad (okay, actually, I was a fat kid, so probably just "back when I was a young boy" is more accurate), my best friend in the world was a little league teammate named Jason. We were both huge fans of The Great Game, somehow even forming the first and only Ohio-based Ralph Garr fan club; he was a better player than I was, but to be fair, that's a bit like claiming the title of "Slightly Less Likely to Strike Out in a Game Situation."

We're not often in touch any more, but I can't help but think back to our days with the Dorsey's Drugs junior league ball club, especially as I put together this Hall of Names team, next in the list of squads composed entirely of players with the most-common boy's names in the United States, which in this case, as you have surely guessed, brings us to "Jason."

So in a nod not to the old Homestead Grays of the Negro League but rather to my childhood pal's actual name, it is time to meet ...

So, is it bad luck to put up a team's manager as Photo of the Day on Friday the 13th? And then leave him up for the whole weekend? I guess we'll find out, because today's photograph is of Ken Macha, clapping his hands together and sayin' "Let's get this show on the road" or maybe "I hope you pitch better than that last guy". Or maybe something else -- captions, anyone?

...Phoenix or Tucson.  The Arizona Fall League season got underway on Tuesday.  This year, the Jays have sent players to the Phoenix Desert Dogs, including Dustin McGowan, Curtis Thigpen, Chip Cannon and Ryan Klosterman. McGowan got the start yesterday and threw 3 pretty good innings but took the loss as the Dogs were shut out.  Cannon is 3-7 with a walk to start the season, and Klosterman reached base 3 of his first 4 plate trips. 

In early returns, scoring seems to be down in Arizona.  We will see if this continues.

In a mournful nod to yesterday's sad events, here's a Hall of Names team featuring the men of Major League Baseball named "Cory" -- or since there have only been six (seven if you count the middle-named Christopher Cory Gomez), also "Corey" or in one case "Kory."

Partially in recognition of Cory Lidle's career bookend teams (Mets and Yankees), we can't help but name this squad ...

Jim Leyland's decision to bat Neifi Perez second in the lineup last night caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised. So, for today, pretend that you are Jim Leyland and you're going home with a 2-0 lead to face Rich Harden. What is your batting order for Game 3?

And, for bonus points and the Schizophrenic Manager (is there any other kind?) Award, pretend that you are Ken Macha and tell me your batting order to face Kenny Rogers in Game 3?

Sorry it's late, folks -- I just got in from the New Pornographers concert (which was fantastic, thanks for asking). Without further ado, heeeerrrrrrrrrre's Pudge:

According to reports I've been hearing on the FAN, the plane that hit an apartment building today in New York City was registered to ex-Jay and current Yankee Cory Lidle.

There has been a report that Lidle was the pilot of the plane. I'm going to look for links now, and will add them to the body of the article as I find them. Please contribute links to anything you can find out about this breaking story.

Maybe the game will still be going when this goes live -- did MLB extend the commercial breaks in the post-season last year?  Because they sure as hell have this year, and it's making the games unpleasantly long.

Anyways, on to today's featured playoff ballplayer, Eric Chavez:

Julio Lugo is interested in joining the Blue Jays according to a Blair article in the Globe.

For the next week or so, we'll alternate Athletics and Tigers for the PotD:PE.  Today's Tiger is Carlos Guillen -- make sure to keep track of his performance and continue to measure the Photo of the Day mojo.  I think the biggest indicatior of the sheer power of Photo of the Day is that I had no Yankees photographs, and the Yankees were unceremoniously ejected from the playoffs in the first round, despite having possibly the scariest lineup of bats in the history of scariness.

Today on ESPN.com, Jim Caple -- one of the top five baseball writers alive today -- has a story on "Page 2" that encourages the Yankees to trade, not Alex Rodriguez, but Derek Jeter. Of course, this will never happen, but as always, Caple makes good sense.

Anyway, here's the question ... don't be the manager, be the General Manager, of any team -- your choice! -- except the Yankees. Make an offer for Jeter, your (likely) 2006 American League MVP. And be for real -- who needs a shortstop, can afford Jeter's contract, and has enough to offer?

The Little League World Series (LLWS) was held this summer, as usual, in Williamsport Pennsylvania.  The LLWS gets full coverage on ESPN and ended happily for the network with a team from Georgia winning the title.  Charles Euchner’s new book  “Little League, Big Dreams, the Hope, the Hype and the Glory of the greatest World Series ever played” examines the LLWS from the perspective of the teams in the 2005 series, and provides an in depth look behind the scenes of the biggest show in kids baseball.