Alomar Division: A new leader, plus relationship advice.
Barfield Division: Pohnpei Papayas use 25 pitchers, throw 900 innings in one week.
Carter Division: Sox defeat Underpants in Battle Of The Garments.

Don't forget to write in Rios on your All-Star ballots!

Here's the man himself, the red hot Alex Rios:

The Alfonzo Watch is over. Russ Adams is back from Syracuse and John McDonald is back from the disabled list. Luis Figueroa has also been sent back to Syracuse, lowering the number of Gibby's Boys on the active roster by two.

Today is Hideki Matsui's 32nd birthday. Is it just me, or does that seem awfully young for Godzilla, arguably the greatest Japan-born position player in Major League Baseball history? (You like Ichiro better? That's fine.)

But it comes down to just those two and Padre speedster Dave Roberts (born in Okinawa) and any other "best of" candidate was or is a pitcher. But Matsui and Ichiro flanking Roberts? That's a fine starting OF. Now, can we fill out a complete roster of MLB players born in Japan?

Let's see ...

Three wins in four games.  Dustin McGowan pitched well for the Chiefs and was supported by lots of runs.  Chip Cannon and David Smith drove in four runs each as the Fisher Cats won, Cannon had two dingers.  Both Dunedin and Lansing have fallen out of first place in their divisions as the first half of the season is coming close to its end.  AJ Burnett starts tonight for the Chiefs.

The draft picks have been made, and assignments to the short-season clubs are being planned. It is a good time for a prospect poll, or, in our case, two polls, one for position players and one for pitchers. We will start with the position players. 2006 draftees, including Travis Snider, are ineligible. If you'd like to check statistics, career statistics are available here, and splits can be reviewed here.

Why do I hate the Tigers so much?

Fresh from Sunday's Jays - Tigers tilt, here's a photograph of Aaron Hill diving back to second base to avoid the pickoff.

Note that his gloves are in his back pocket. I hope the Rogers Centre dirt is soft on hands.

Just another maddening start from Mr. Lilly.

Wrong kind of funk.  That's what happens when you stay at home on a Saturday night.  The farm affiliates went 1-3 for the second straight night, with only Lansing ending up on the winning end.

The farm affiliates went 1-3 on the evening.

Following a fantastic win the Blue Jays announced late last night that they signed 25 players from the 2006 amateur draft. Read on to see the list of names.

Hey, how about those Blue Jays! Just when you were all ready to give up...

It's been said that baseball is a game of numbers, which is pretty silly when you actually think about it.

A few days ago, we ran the Hall of Names All-Birthday June 6 (6/6/6) edition, appropriately entitled Aw, Hell. The only Hall of Fame player born on that day was noted Yankee backstop Bill Dickey.

Oddly, though, then starts an unlikely run of four straight days, June 7-10, on the calendar on which NO Hall of Famer has ever been born. (Someone want to calculate the odds of that?) That's right, the very best players born on those dates are, in this writer's view, Thurman Munson (June 7), Van Lingle Mungo (June 8), Dave Parker (June 9) and Ken Singleton (June 10). Fine players, all -- but not a Cooperstown denizen among them.

Which leads us to this reader's challenge ...