I guess it's about time that I do a Hall of Names team based on my own name -- no, not "Doherty," as we'd be limited to only a couple of Johns who flashed through the AL in the mid-1970s and early 1990s, respectively. Nor will I limit this squad to a repeat of the All-Mickey team a while back.

No, here we will be looking at the literally hundreds of players who have been able to offer a positive answer to the claim in the first line of that 1973 hit single "Playground in My Mind" that Clint Holmes unleashed on the world, beginning "My name is Michael ..."

Of course, there are some rules ...

It's time to have another look at Edmonds. Here is what I thought last year.

So are the White Sox the team to imitate now?

Back in 1991, the then-still California Angels headed into Spring Training with a couple of very big bats scheduled to be in the middle of their lineup. Future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield had come over the previous season from the Yankees for Mike Witt, while former NL MVP Dave Parker had arrived in the off-season from the Brewers for Dante Bichette.

It didn't work out as planned, as Parker was released in September to hook on with eventual AL East champion Blue Jays for one last fling while the Angels finished 81-81 but still seventh and dead last in the AL West. Winfield also fled to Toronto the following year to win a World Series ring (Parker had retired by that point) while the Angels "improved" to sixth place while falling to 70-92, and the Halos as an organization were Dave-free (unless you count homerless 1B Alvin Davis who was released before the end of June).

Still, in Spring Training of '91, hopes were high and grins were wide as Parker unveiled the tee-shirt he wore under his uniform, bearing the slogan "Mama Said There'd Be Daves Like These." Indeed, two of the top three or four Davids ever to play major league baseball converged briefly that summer and like sands through the hourglass, they will undoubtedly anchor ...

Hudson, Hill and Adams. How do you fit them all in?

Backup catcher. What backup catcher?

Koskie: Bad year or albatross?

Rios: Will he ever get it together?

All this and more in Part II of the Roundtable discussion.

Vernon Wells and Orlando Hudson were awarded Gold Gloves today. For Wells it is his second Gold Glove while Orlando Hudson wins for the first time.

There's lots of speculation on what free agents will go where and for how much. Here's your chance to put what you think in writing so you can say 'I told you so'.

Hi gang! What's new?

Baseball is done for 2005. Before we shed too many tears or get too embroiled in the off-season machinations, let's get sidetracked. Yes, it's time for Hall Watch 2005.

I was planning to start with the pitchers, but the retirement of Larry Walker has forced a change of plans. How can a website which promises "baseball from a Canadian perspective" not address the question of Walker's Hall fitness and chances? Easily, I suppose, but I cannot resist.

The first installment of this three part series focuses on pitching.

Recently, after we toured a Hall of Names gallery for each of the 25 most common North American surnames, we also took a dive into the It Makes Census pool, which had a 25-man roster composed of one player each from the candidates with those 25 surnames.

Well, first things ... uh, second, as it turns out ... as we now undertake the same process with the 25 most common first/given names. But there is a bit of a twist ...

Lots of action in the offices lately.

Tim McCleary's contract which expires in December, will not be renewed, according to the Toronto Sun. Thanks to Brent S for the heads-up.

It's never too early to look at the draft!

"Roy" has always been an important name in Toronto Blue Jay terms. Roy Hartsfield, of course, was the team's first manager, compiling a career 166-318 mark in three seasons from 1977-79. Roy Howell made the 1978 All-Star team as a Blue Jay (.270/8/61 as the team's starting 3B). Roy Lee Jackson had four solid years (1981-85) as a RH setup guy for the Jays after being acquired from the Mets in exchange for the team's very first expansion draft pick, Bob Bailor. And it appears that Jackson is the primary "Roy" in team's history not to bear a family name beginning with "H."

Oh, yes, you all know Mr. Halladay, right?

Well, with perhaps some competition from a fellow down in Houston who has been pretty good this post-season, Halladay is likely to be at or near the top of this Hall of Names team's rotation; that's right, it's time to meet ...