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.

The Tribe have dismantled and rebuilt in surprisingly short order, competing for the postseason at least a year before most though possible. Cleveland won three of four against the rapidly declining White Sox, and the Indians now stand alone in second place for the first time in 2004 with a season-best record of 58-55. Last week, Cleveland split a four-game series with Toronto.

On to the Advance Scout!

SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, is 33 years old today.

When minor leaguers get the "call" up to the major leagues it can be a very emotional time. The "call" is the realization of a lifetime dream; their parents, friends and teammates are all delighted; and it is a thrill to walk into the clubhouse for the first time. But it is also a frightening time, the player might question their abilities, wonder if they really belong here, and wonder what will happen if they make a mistake or get off to a slow start. Are they here to stay, or will they be back to the minor leagues in short order? Alexis Rios appears to be here to stay, Adam Peterson went back down. I had a chance to talk with Adam when I was in Buffalo last week.

Part 9: Win totals - Mercenaries 7, Blue Jays 1

David Laurila of RedSoxNation.net recently sat down with Portland (now New Hampshire) slugger John Hattig. Originally signed by the Red Sox in 1998, the 24-year-old Hattig was acquired by Toronto in a trade last month for Terry Adams and has an on-base percentage over .400 in the Eastern League this season, with 15 home runs. A switch-hitting third baseman, he is trying to become the first native of Guam to play in the big leagues. Shortly before the trade, David caught up with John at Hadlock Field in Portland and talked about his dream of some day wearing a major league uniform... a dream that now will be happening in shades of blue rather than shades of red.

Thanks so much to David and to RedSoxNation.net for allowing Batter's Box to print this interview, to let our readers get a little closer to Toronto's new prospect.

Just a pointer for everyone to our interview last year with new Jays manager John Gibbons.

If anyone has any advice for Gibby, feel free to talk about it here. I have a feeling that most of you do... :)

I'm on my way, I'm making it
I've got to make it Show, yeah

Hello to John Gibbons, farewell to Carlos Tosca, turn the page on another chapter in Blue Jays history. The airwaves were filled with analysis and accusations after the firing of Carlos Tosca yesterday afternoon. So break out your reading glasses; there’s a lot of links to digest today: