The inaugural Batter's Box Group Interview, with baseball historian and sports journalist Alan Schwarz, concluded nearly five minutes ago ... and here's what was said:

Since it's an off day, here's another picture of Nick Johnson for Jonny German. It also features everyone's favourite backup catcher:

A reminder to all Batter's Box readers: our chat with Alan Schwarz, author of The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics, is tonight, June 9, at 7:30 PM Eastern. You can continue to post questions to at the Alan Schwarz chat thread through 8:15 Eastern as the chat is scheduled to end around 8:30.

The easiest way to get to the live chat is to use Batter's Box's own Java applet. It will automatically use your Batter's Box account name -- if you have one and you're logged in, but a Batter's Box account isn't required to chat. Tonight's chat is in a slightly different format than the usual game chat in that it will be moderated by our own Joe Drew. Read on for details.

While J.P's first two first-rounders were in the lineup at Wrigley Field yesterday afternoon, his first two second-rounders were in Syracuse and Akron. And one of them did well, while the other...did not. Those were the only two games last night in a 1-1 evening for the affiliates.

On May 29, Roy Halladay took the mound against the Minnesota Twins in the Rogers Centre. Two hours and eight minutes later, Matt LeCroy swung and missed at Halladay's 99th pitch, completing the two-hit shutout. Halladay's game score that game was 93, the highest game score to date this season. Halladay is also in a tie for second-highest game score this season (with Brad Radke), from his complete-game 3-hit shutout of the Yankees on April 29.

Well, that Halladay didn't show up yesterday. Just like his last game, Roy struggled to shut out his opponent. Unlike in Oakland, though, Roy received no run support from his 7 batters and Huckaby, and he get saddled with the loss.

According to Lee Sinins' ATM Reports (BBRRS: titanium), the Phillies have traded 2B Placido Polanco to the Tigers for RHRP Ugueth Urbina and INF Ramon Martinez.

In a wholly unrelated incident, and as I posted earlier in another thread, Jamey Newberg (BBRRS: diamond) reports that the Rangers have designated their 2005 Opening Day starter, Ryan Drese, for assignment. Late Add: The Dallas Morning News has confirmed this move.

News comes in threes, right? So what's the next transaction to hit the wire? And what do you think of these two?

Noted Baseball Author/Journalist to Highlight
Inaugural Box Live Chat Group Interview

As announced here last week, noted baseball statistician/author/historian Alan Schwarz will be appearing in Toronto shortly to talk about his new book, The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics. Also appearing on the bill with Schwarz will be a journeyman outfielder named Vernon something-or-other.

And as speculated during that announcement, Schwarz will be featured in the first-ever Batter's Box Live Chat group interview, this Thursday at 7:30 PM Eastern time; there is no game Thursday, so we will use the regular IRC channel and process, though it is likely that this chat will be moderated in some way; additional instructions, if necessary, will be posted to the site closer to the time of the actual chat.

To prepare for the group interview, let's use this thread to brainstorm topics and specific questions ... here are some starter points:

You kicked and cried like a bullied child
A grown man of twenty-five
Oh, he said he’d cure your ills
But he didn’t and he never will

My mind dances with the possibilities for a "who's on first" sketch involving someone who doesn't know Mr. Halladay's nickname.

Oh, and for some conspiratorial intrigue, click "More."

The draft concludes today with rounds 19-50. At this point everyone is a long shot to ever make it to Toronto, but youneverknow.

When I watch a pitcher throw a ball, the motion doesn't bother me. But if you freeze that motion, it makes me a little queasy. My shoulders and elbows and wrists and fingers and feet and legs and neck all feel sore.

Pitching a ball is a strange, unnatural movement, if you ask me. So here's Roy Halladay, frozen in mid-pitch:

He let his pitching do all the talking, but Zach Jackson let it be known that there's more than one lefty first rounder to keep your eye on.

This afternoon, the baseball world paid rapt attention as Day One of the draft unfolded. Where would Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, and all the other Highly Touted prospects wind up? Who would fall from first round glory, through the cracks, to be snapped up in the second round? And so on and so forth.

As we head into the vowel homestretch of our All-Letter teams, having completed E, I, U and even sometimes Y, we turn our attention to the formation of an O-squad. But let's try something a bit different and start with a little essay trivia question.

Since you can get the answer just by clicking "More," you're on your honour here, but how many of the Top 10 home run hitters among "O" players can you name?

Now, if you're into reading headlines, you surely have the only "O" member of the 500 homer club already, and likely one of the other nine as well. Here's a hint or two: three of the 10 (#3, #8 and #10, actually) are still active. Two of them made significant contributions to Canadian baseball -- one (#3) as a Blue Jay and one (#6) as an Expo.

But seriously, these are hard!

Josh Towers (15th round, 1996) started for the Jays, and Jeromy Burnitz was one irritating S.O.B.