Am I referring to the fact that a bunch of Jay farmhands shut down the opposition? Or is it a topical reference to the "wicked bad storm" (to borrow a friend's phrase) that blew through here yesterday?

I was thinking about Josh Towers the other day, and I was wondering: how much of his decline was due to loss of command, and how much of it was due to being forced to perform in situations not suited to his skills?

Just can't get that third one, can they. Just can't get that Sweep Monkey off their backs. On the other hand....

It's an off-day.  No one can get injured on an off-day, right?  Right?

Here's Frank Catalanotto, focusing on the pitcher:

This thread contains all things related to the Toronto Bauxite Baseball League.

UPDATE: May 31 from Jobu: "Ladies and Gentleman, the wait is finally over! The votes have been tabulated, a field has been chosen and most importantly, a shiny new website has been created to detail the registration process for everyone. So read on TBBL players, and get ready to play ball!"

Say the headline out loud if you don't get the pun!

Normally, Batter's Box would not devote an entire thread to the news of ESPN hiring a new senior baseball writer. Ah, but when that new guy's name is Keith Law (pictured, left) that becomes an entirely different matter indeed.

Last year's edition of this article found two players that were selected by the Jays.

The affiliates went 2-1 with a rainout on Tuesday.

Seriously, who else could it be?

Today's photograph celebrates Vernon Wells, whose bat should have those wicked flames painted up it -- you know, the kind they put on cars to make them go faster. A friend of mine bought a PT Cruiser a few years back. He got a black one and had a custom paint job done with those flames. When I saw it I laughed so hard that I had to sit down. He was more than a little offended (I believe his exact words were "Dude, you're laughing at my car"), but I managed to convince him that my laughter was in appreciation of the sheer awesomeness of his new vehicle.

I hope he doesn't read Batter's Box.

updated with a silly flame decal version -- see the comments.

Today, Bob Klapisch pens (okay, probably "keyboards") a story for ESPN.com entitled Injuries make AL East a three-team race. It's a typically good read from the solid-if-unspectacular Klapisch, sort of the Michael Young of ESPN's roster of Web writers.

As the title might suggest, his major point of discussion is captured in the final sentence of the second graf: "Considering Josh Towers is 1-8, it's a semi-miracle that Toronto has stayed close to the Red Sox and Yankees, maybe because everyone else in the East has lost important chess pieces, as well."

Now, this isn't about Towers, of course. But it does raise an interesting question ...

Bored with Sudoku?  Crosswords too easy?  Then, how about a baseball puzzle over lunch.

Actually, the bottom of the eighth went pretty much like clockwork, didn't it?  But the budget only allows for one Photo of the Day, so today we'll showcase the man who drove in the winning run, Mr. Shea Hillenbrand:

Edgardo Alfonzo's contract was purchased this afternoon. He'll cover second base until Russ Adams pushes him out. To make room on the active roster, John McDonald was placed on the 15-day DL after pulling his groin in Saturday's loss. Aaron Hill will likely move to shortstop.