Here's Frank Catalanotto, looking over into foul territory (or perhaps the dugout) with a pained expression on his face -- what's going through his mind?

In the most recent Advance Scout, Da Box's own Alex Obal pegged Minnesota's Jason Kubel "already one of the ten greatest position players to ever come out of South Dakota, and may even be in the top five after a full season." Is that so? Sounds like a Hall of (Place) Names challenge, the first we've undertaken since the All-Mexico squad back in mid-June.

But let's not limit ourselves to South Dakota, hmmm? After all ...

The three games with Baltimore provided an interesting perspective on the bullpen, for both the balance of this year as well as next.

Here's all you need to know:

Team A: 31-9
Team B: 36-37

The Jays have a four-game date with Team B; they dodge the dreaded Team A, and they have an opportunity to gain four games on wild-card leader Team A+B. This Scout will tell you who those "teams" are, along with a reference to Sparky Anderson, a stud pitcher (or two), and reliever walk rates in the chart that actually make sense.

On to the Advance Scout!

Jays win the businessman's special.

Don't need to discuss much.  Gustavo Chacin makes his way back to Toronto with a fine outing on a day when the affiliates went 4-1. 

A hearty welcome back to Alex Rios, who scored two runs in yesterday's lunchtime win over the Baltimore Orioles.  In today's photo, he's watching a ball sail foul:

And did I mention I moved out
I got my own place off of South
And I've been living hand to mouth
For going on a year by now
And yes I still see El around
It's different but I can't say how
She cut her hair it's back to brown
She's living with her boyfriend now

A bullpen implosion makes short work of a strong outing from a rookie starter.

Dustin Majewski's walk off home run was the highlight of the night in the minors. The affiliates went 2-5 on the night.

When I first saw "Charles Chulk" on a list of Southern League ERA leaders in 2002, my mental image was of a schoolteacher, or perhaps an explorer, on the mound. Not quite right. Vinnie was, and is, young, eager and straightforward, with his front teeth sometimes protruding in front of his pursed bottom lip on the mound as he delivers the ball.

Here's Troy Glaus chatting with Marty Pevey at first base:

The P-Jays rebound from an ugly 14-1 loss to put it in the win column with a standout performance from their top player, as the Toronto farm records 3 wins against 1 loss.

That's more like it

Wouldn't it be nice to be in a weak division, and have a young and talented team with a strong farm system? It can be yours for today. You are the General Manager of the Diamondbacks. The World Series of 2006 has just been completed (the Tigers blew away the Mets in 5 games in case you are interested), and you must plan for 2007 and beyond. Here's how Win Shares sees your club, and here are the financial details. You have just added Livan Hernandez and his $7 million salary for 2007. So, what would be your plan? Your team's 2006 payroll was $60 million, and with the success of the club, you can assume that the payroll budget for 2007 will be bumped to $70 million. If you feel the inclination to dip into the free agent pool, here is a list of possible free agents.