Sorry, I can't think of anything witty, topical or otherwise interesting to say about this late-season matchup of two also-rans. Miguel Batista starts for Toronto, and seriously needs to regain his command; August and September have been brutal for him. He'll pitch to Gregg Zaun, not Guillermo Quiroz, but Russ Adams and Gabe Gross get the nod against Orioles righty Rodrigo Lopez. And that's pretty much about it.

Our buddy Jim from Toronto Baseball Guys has another block of nice seats for the game on October 1st against the New York Yankees. Last time we had a ton of fun heckling Box fave Esteban Loiaza; who will it be this time?

Write your own headlines; Toronto stories to start with. You'll get the idea. Jump in! one rule: no nicknames, those are too easy. Proper names -- first or last -- only.

In a couple of relatively quiet transactions in the offseason two Japanese relievers were brought over to the majors. Each of them has been outstanding and merits a closer look. Additionally, I take a look at several other Japanese relievers, from Kazuhiro Sasaki to Masao Kida.

With the threat of a serious downpour looming in Altoona last night the game was delayed for three hours. Many rounds of sunflower seed spitting contests later, very little precipitation had fallen and the game finally began. Altoona could have used some serious rain right after the 5th inning but the weather held out.

Fisher Cats took game 1 of the best of 5 series in the Eastern League Championship Series.

I am just an imbecile
I will only complicate you
Trust in me and fall as well

What a great hockey game at the ACC last night, huh? Well, now that hockey season's officially over, it's time to turn our attention to the fresh new baseball season ahead of us. The Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles tonight, in a contest between two teams with high expectations for 2004. The Blue Jays will start lefty Ted Lilly, acquired in an off-season deal with Oakland for promising outfielder Bobby Kielty: who will get the better of that deal? The Orioles, who start young lefty Matt Riley, signed slugging free agents like Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez this past off-season and intend to be taken seriously in the AL East this year. Could one or both of these teams topple the Yankees or Red Sox? Key acquisitions for the two clubs: Baltimore is counting on recently re-signed Sidney Ponson to anchor their rotation, while the Jays hope veteran relievers like Kerry Ligtenberg and Terry Adams can help the bullpen maintain the many leads sure to be handed to them by Toronto's high-powered offence. If everything breaks right, these two teams could be playing some very meaningful games come September 15th!

Theoretically, there are 6 teams in the NL Wildcard race. What are each team's chances of winning the wildcard? In addressing the question, I'm going to ignore the fact that the Astros and Marlins are currently "hot" - momentum can chage on a dime. What I want to do is estimate, mathematically, the expected win total for each contender at the end of the season, given the schedule they have to play. Here is how the standings look at this moment:

Who killed that bird out on you window sill?
Are you the reason that he broke his back?
Did I see you laugh about that?

In today's roundup thread I asked:

Does anyone know of a list of players that are likely to be arbitration eligible this year? If there isn't one online, perhaps the Batter's Box should make one.

Since I cannot find such a list anywhere I've decided to work on making one. But I need your help.

Now he's running for the love of speed
When the child goes bad it's no cause for celebration
Like Jimmy Dean he don't talk back to me

OK, eight, counting the Consolation bracket. Actually 16 — I don't ever mean to slight the Barfield division, it's just that I don't have access to it. But I hope you know what I mean by the title, anyway. We've reached the Semi-Finals.

Congratulations to Lars of AGF and Brad of the Chatsworth Halos, who each won their Alomar championship quarter-final by a 9-2-1 margin, ending fine campaigns for the Red Mosquitos and Gashouse Gorillas, respectively. Neither matchup was as one-sided as the final score might suggest, with several categories narrowly decided. Spicol’s club played well earlier in the week, but couldn't sustain their momentum on the weekend, and Snellville Jones, trailing just 6-5 late Sunday afternoon, helplessly watched SV and ERA slip away during a rare John Smoltz meltdown. The two California-based winners now face Ontario teams that enjoyed first-round byes; it was the only week of the season where Gwyn and I truly couldn't lose. Not so any more; it's "sudden-death" for all of us, as Mebion Glyndwr takes on AGF, while my Toronto Walrus meets Chatsworth.

There aren't too many easy stops on the Blue Jays' schedule through the end of the season, but this could be one of them: a three-game homestand against a Baltimore team that has lost 5 of its last 7 games and lost 12 in a row last month. Coming off the best outing of his career last week in Anaheim, Justin Miller needs another strong start to win over his skeptics; Bruce Chen, cut by the Jays in spring training, goes for the O's. Guillermo Quiroz and Russ Adams again get the start for Toronto. Weird fact: these two teams have an off-day tomorrow, then finish the series Wednesday and Thursday. Anybody know why?

With a Tuesday off-day thoughtfully inserted to accommodate the World Cup of Hockey, the Orioles come into town with some struggling bats. After Justin Miller and Ted Lilly registered solid outings last week in Anaheim, they should each have an excellent opportunity to extend their personal winning streaks this week.

This week's Scout features a young closer on the trading block, a Canadian who unfortunately looks like yet another young arm headed for the surgeon's table, and a shortstop that's been worth the (ample) money for the O's. Also, check out (and please weigh in on) the controversy brewing with Rafael Palmeiro's contract. The O's are rumoured to be considering Palmeiro, Delgado or Richie Sexson to play first next season...but they may be starting a war with one while alienating the other two. Or is it "just business?"

On to the Advance Scout!

As reported on the FAN and TSN.ca, Frank Catalanotto was re-signed to a 2 year contract for $2.7 million per year. Will the power Frank showed in 2003 return? What will his role be in 2005? Will he stay healthier as a DH?

Thanks to Rob and Four Seamer for the news.