Weak Bulletin Board Fodder

"What we can't do now is let down. We have to go to Toronto and try to finish off this road trip strong." -- Orioles left fielder Larry Bigbie

Dear Nomar,

You are at a great baseball crossroads right now. No doubt you will spend this winter trying to decide what path to take, and there will be a lot of people trying to influence your decision. I'd like to ask you to consider a path that may not even be on your radar screen right now: Toronto.

I swear that I don't enjoy torturing baseball fans. Rehashing Kerry's year might seem like that to you, but for me, it's a simple quest for understanding what went wrong.

Today's Minor League Update, like a great piece of conceptual art, will be a continuous work in progress. Check it out and see how far I've gotten!

The minor league affiliates destroyed everything in their path, winning six out of six and suffering one rainout.

Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show

I posted this in an old Minor League Roundup, but actually it goes better as an article, even if it's a jumbled bunch of notes and scribblings.

When the Indians were in town for Simcoe Day last week, Cliff Lee threw his glove into the stands after being removed. On that occasion, two bad innings did him in - he allowed 4 runs in the first and 2 in the fifth. Some thought that a demotion to AAA was imminent.

Lee stayed in the rotation and started very well against the White Sox, posting 5 straight zeroes before allowing 5 runs in the 6th. The Indians rallied from a 5-3 deficit by scoring 3 in the 9th inning to take Lee off the hook.

Ted Lilly takes the hill for the Jays. He's looking for his 7th consecutive start of 6+ innings. He started the year by failing to pitch at least 6 full innings in 8 of 9 starts.

Our own Mike D. will be in the Jake tonight, wearing a white Blue Jays shirt and sitting near third base. 10,000,000 points to the first poster who spots Mike.

You'll be ok follow your heart
You're in harms way
I'm right behind

Only one win as the Jays affiliates struggled to score runs. Auburn was rained out and Charleston had the night off.

Justin Miller makes his long-awaited return to the starting rotation. Coming off a zero run effort last night, the Jays offence will have to deal with staff ace C.C. Sabathia. Carlos Delgado is the lone lefthanded batter in the lineup, with Frank (Mighty Mouse) Menechino subbing for Hinske (who's mechanics seem out of whack) and Chris Woodward taking the departed Josh Phelps's spot as DH. Kevin Cash bats ninth to give Gregg Zaun a needed night off.

This column examines young Orioles pitcher Danny Cabrera. What can we expect from him in the future, and is this a name the Jays will be haunted by for years to come?

Today, the incomparable Lee Sinins posted several lists showing the recently-announced-his-retirement Edgar Martinez's place in baseball history.

Don't get too caught up in the actual statistics; look at the list of names. Then answer the question: is the Hall of Fame becoming too picky? And this isn't just about Edgar, it's also about a certain hurt player ... a Big Hurt player.

I've got four walls around me
The sun in the sky, the water surrounds me
I'll win now, but sometimes I'll lose
I've been battered, but I'll never bruise
I's not so bad

John Gibbons is smiling today, improving his franchise-best record to 4-0 as manager of the Blue Jays (1-0 as officialy grand poobah). Jason Frasor and Hideki Matsui made it close, but Josh Towers, pitching for next season's contract, and Gabe Gross with his first big-league home run, led the way. Read all about it:

4 wins and 1 loss for the Blue Jay farm, with New Hampshire taking the night off.

Welcome to game 2 of the John Gibbons era. The lineup Gibby produced yesterday was eminently sensible; let's hope that continues.

I don't know if it makes a shade of difference, but I find it comforting that Gibbons was a member of the 1986 NY Mets - one of the most beautifully constructed offensive teams in National League history. They had on-base guys like Dykstra and Backman, a great overall hitter in Keith Hernandez and a super slugger in Darryl Strawberry. The supporting cast of Mookie, Gary (the Kid) Carter, Ray Knight, Kevin Mitchell and Tim Teufel gave them enormous depth and pinch-hitting possibilities Not to mention guys like George Foster, Danny Heep, Lee Mazzilli and Howard Johnson. The only offensive liability was shortstop Rafael Santana.

The Indians have an impressive bunch of hitters, don't they? They've scored 44 runs in their last six games, winning 5 of 6 and pushing themselves ahead of the White Sox for second place in the AL Central, 5 games behind the Twins. They almost blew an 8-0 lead against the Pale Hose last night (winning 13-11). It's a good thing they scored those 4 insurance runs in the 9th.