Fans of the late, great Antonio Prohias will surely remember his classic Spy vs. Spy features in Mad Magazine, back when it was a great publication rather than a bad SNL ripoff. Although there won't be any trick missiles, hidden pistols or remote-controlled-dressed-up-as-a-lady explosive devices in tonight's game, this is still a classic matchup: Roy Halladay versus Pedro Martinez, the young gunslinger up against the old master. The pitching duel alone makes this one a must-see game. But there's more to it than that.

Let's be optimistic: This could be a defining series for the home side. The Jays, winless at home and having played a dispirited first dozen games of the season, catch a Boston club that might be poised for a letdown after their rousing four-game set with the hated Yankees. Obviously, the Jays need to simply perform better in all areas of the game if they want to get their season back on track. But from where I sit, I'd be encouraged if they rediscovered their mental edge this series -- a little Fighting Jays spirit could go a long way.

We have a special guest author for today's Advance Scout: Tim Daloiso of the Red Sox Times. His intelligent (and stylish) site is a must-read if you like your Red Sox updates served up with a bit of progressive politics for good measure. Thanks, Tim!

On to the Advance Scout!

The second week of head-to-head play in the BBFL Alomar Division was a good and lucky one for your not-so-humble correspondent. A Friday night free agent claim, dropping Kyle Farnsworth for Mike Maroth, helped secure the IP and wins categories for my Toronto Walrus, who defeated Jick’s Rays 12-0 to move into first place in the standings by the narrowest of margins.

Les glorieux sont de retour!

There will be three Canadian teams playing in the Stanley Cup "Quarter-Finals".

Josh Banks outpitched the Detroit Tigers #1 prospect as the lower levels continued their hot streaks while the AAA and AA teams cooled off. Dunedin and Charleston extended their win streaks to four games.

I’m on the hunt I’m after you
Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd

True enough, because with Seattle's 4-1 victory over the Rangers at Safeco last night, the struggling Blue Jays are now the only major-league team that has yet to win a home game this young season. Already the owners of a franchise-worst 0-5 mark to start the year in Toronto, the Blue Jays will try mightily to break that string today. Making that task a little dicier is that Pat Hentgen is starting today, against the Orioles' Eric DuBose. Pat has looked, well, bad, pretty much ever since he donned a Jays uniform back in March. I'm not privy to front-office machinations, but I'm pretty sure that if the Jays' record drops to 3-9 today, I would not want to be within several cubic metres of J.P. Ricciardi.

Take a moment to reflect that they're worse in Montreal.

The Expos have won just two games, dropped their last six and can't score runs. In six games in hitting friendly Hiram Bithorn stadium they managed just four, since then they have five in their last two games, but have conceded ten to the Phillies.

Three of the four games played yesterday went to the wire. Syrcacuse, Charleston, and Dunedin each won masterpieces (we used to call them dillies) in dramatic fashion, while the lone loser on the day, New Hampshire, prevented the Jays from collecting their third consecutive minor league sweep. There were about a hundred First Star candidates for today's soon-to-be controversial Three Star Selection, but I'm sure you'll all agree today's choice is a worthy one.

Yesterday it was a 2 run ninth for the Orioles that handed the Jays a 5-3 loss. The first run came on Justin Speier's first pitch in the 9th that Larry Bigbie hit out of the park.

OK, what does that headline mean? Well, you figure it out.

It's time to distract the nay-sayers and the speakers/writers of the umpteen iterations of "it's a small sample size and I know I shouldn't be concerned but ... " with another round of Anagramatics. The subject? The 2004 Blue Jays, of course.

We haven't visited this turf in quite some time, so quickly ... this is all about personal anagrams, which can tell you everything you need to know about a person in that same quirky way The Magic Eight Ball works in Washington, D.C.

The rules for personal anagrams are simple: start with the letters in a name as it is used every day and rearrange them to reveal true meaning. If nothing works very well ... cheat.

Batter's Box Rap

With the first ten games in the books and all
The Blue Jays are playing .300 ball
And because they're having such an awful time
Today's introduction will be written in rhyme.

Ho-hum. Another sweep for the Jays' minor-league affiliates. Two shutouts, a 7-1 blowout, and a five-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth capped by a one-out, bases-loaded, game-winning double by one of the Jays' best prospects. Oh, and Vito Chiaravalloti's up to .452/.561/.903 in 41 PA. Yawn.

Another ugly loss as the Jays lose 11-2 to the Orioles.

We're going to the Dome, and there is still one free ticket left. For a classic pitching matchup, no less.