Kansas City headed into 2004 coming off of a surprising 83-79 record. Hopes were high that the team would improve and challenge for the AL Central crown. However, those hopes didn't materialize as the team managed just 58 wins and saw Carlos Beltran leave town.

Gil Hodges and Ron Santo were the leading vote-getters in yesterday's Veterans' Committee election, but fell 10% shy of the 75% required for admission.

The moment is finally here: the Jays are playing an actual baseball game! Gustavo Chacin is starting for the good guys, and personally I'm hoping that he displays a little more of that magic that we saw at the end of last season.

Start time is listed as 1:05pm. Last time I checked there wasn't a Jays broadcast of the game, but the Twins are running it on their radio network. Internet feeds are supposed to be blacked out, but maybe we'll get lucky and find one that works.

The Globe & Mail reports this morning that Jamie Campbell has been named the voice of the Blue Jays for Rogers Sportsnet.

Campbell told the G&M, "Because I am a hard-core baseball fan, I know how a lot of baseball fans are going to react to this announcement. Baseball fans are an interesting bunch. And, for the hard core, this might not be a popular choice."

Hey Jamie, here at Batter's Box, we're the people you're referring to. And you had us at "I am a hard-core baseball fan."

Congratulations, and welcome aboard!

Editor's Note: Campbell has tentatively agreed to an interview with Batter's Box. Details will be announced as they become available. Questions for Jamie? Ask'em here and we'll pass them along.

So, we’re not going to underestimate the Atlanta Braves again?

We’re not going to assume that this is the year they finally release their stranglehold on their division?

We’re not going to write them off until some other team actually beats them?

Good. Let’s proceed.

So as Mike Green ("Eggs and Ham") examines a Sosa candidacy for what seems inevitable enshrinement in the halls of Cooperstown, here we run a simple sidebar, Sam I am.

Will this team be more than So-so?
Is Juan Samuel a last-name no-no?
Will you all even give a damn?
For this Hall of Names is new ... All-Sam.

Sammy Sosa hit another 35 homers in 2004, but left Chicago on a sour note. He now has 574 career homers, and his Baseball Reference comparables read like a "who's who?" of inner-circle Hall of Famers- Mantle, Mays, Mathews, Frank Robinson.

Somehow, I doubt that history will see him this way, but is it possible that he could not be admitted to the Hall of Fame?

Spring training is the time of year where you hear a ton of projections on what will happen in the upcoming season. Will Bonds hit 50 home runs? Can the Red Sox repeat? Is this the year the Braves won't win the NL East? These projections are all over the place: In fantasy baseball magazines, websites such as ESPN.com and Baseball Prospectus, and newspapers such as USA Today. Often the most accurate predictions come from gambling lines. We look at over/under lines for 2005 team wins and discuss which teams we think Vegas is overrating, and which teams aren't getting enough credit from the gambling community.

As predicted by many, the 2004 San Diego Padres were much superior to the 2003 rendition of the franchise. They opened PETCO Park in style, jumping from 64 wins to 87 to stake claim to the title of Most Improved Team in the National League. While the Pads fell 5 games short of the playoffs in the end, they were in first place as late as July 7.

So spring training got under way yesterday, and in case you missed the thrilling news, the Washington Nationals won their “first game.” Never mind that the Expos, or the Team Formerly Known as The Expos, played a few thousand games. Real ones, even. Worse, I have actually seen the Nationals referred to as an “expansion team.” Granted, some of their players are expansion-esque, but that is another matter. On the other hand, are they really expansion-esque? Yes, they are.

Baseball, as they say, is a talkin' sport. That's how sites like this one become popular. Baseball is also, however, a countin' sport.

The "magic numbers," even as they change for era adjustments, are a familiar part of the rhythm of the game. You all know the value of "a 20-game winner," and more recently, "a 40-save guy." Our own recent Chasing 300 article and ensuing discussion demonatrates that the numbers reach to career plateaus -- 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, someday not far off, 500 saves.

And don't think it's all about pitching -- the hitting stats are even more familiar. A free Hall pass for 500 homers? Or is it 600 now? Then there's 3,000 hits, 500 steals, 1500 or perhaps coming soon, 2000 RBI.

It has not always been thus.

With the last Trivia Challenge thread now a cumbersome length, I thought it would be a sensible idea to start a new Trivia Challenge.

Baseball America’s 2005 Prospect Handbook has just been published and to coincide with its publication Jim Callis, Baseball America’s Executive Editor, agreed to step into Da Box for some prospect chat. Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook ranks the top 30 prospects for each major league team, 900 players in total, and is a “must-have” book for minor league fans. Subscribers to BA’s web site have been able to read scouting reports on the Blue Jays top ten prospects but you have to buy the book to read about numbers eleven through thirty.

The new season is almost upon us; the Jays played an inter-squad game yesterday and will play a full-blown Spring Training game against the Twins on Friday, and I am just itching to see and hear some baseball.

Blue Jay President and CEO Paul Godfrey will be the keynote speaker at the 2005 SABR Convention in Toronto August 4-7. Non-members of SABR are welcome to attend.