Hey guys, I was just wondering if many baseball players who play Division III baseball get drafted into the MLB? Or if DII or DI colleges will notice you and want you to come to their school instead? How often/likely do those things happen? I'm asking this cause I have a friend who has a good shot at playing DIII baseball, and he was curious so I told him I'd ask it on here.

Thanks!

Pretty much an identical workout today compared to yesterday. We'll have to wait for pitchers and catchers to report to get a little bit more action.

Bryan: Thanks for the question. I wish I could say they look great, but I can't. Hill's struggling defensively, and Janssen isn't throwing quite as hard as I've seen him in the past. Although, there's still two months till the season, so we have lots of time for them to see them get better. Because it definitely will happen.

Andy Mc: Well, not quite. Although he's tearing up right now with the bat, he's still not hitting that many homers in BP. But then again, it is only BP...

Check back tomorrow guys, but on Friday I won't be around much. It's a very busy day for me with the pitchers and catchers reporting.

Just got back to the hotel from today's workout. Both Snider and Lind are here early as well as Hill, Janssen, and Scutaro. The boys took their hacks in the batting cage today, and then did some infield/outfield drills. Not much else to report. It wasn't a very exciting workout, and it was only about an hour and a little bit.

If you guys have any questions, feel free to let me know. Sorry for short post, I'm pretty tired today.

When I left for Florida this morning from my parents' house in Canada, it was cold beyond belief and snowy like crazy. In Dunedin, there's not a cloud to be seen. Some days I really do love my job.

I'm all checked in to my hotel room which will be my home for just under two months. For those of you who know that my off-season home is in Orlando, and are asking why I just don't stay in that, is because it's too far of a drive for me everyday, and my buddy who works at the hotel I'm staying at gives me a discount. So I'm pretty fortunate and I would like to thank my friend right now! Thanks, Josh!

By the time I arrived in Dunedin, the early-arrivals workout had ended. My first taste of baseball will be tomorrow morning at roughly 10:00 A.M. Check back for an update later in the afternoon!

If you ever have any questions, feel free to post a comment in any thread asking the question. If I can't answer it, I'm sure Hugo or Rince will be more then happy to. But if it's Spring Training related, I will do my best to answer.

Just one further thing. I'd like to remind you all that from March 4th-18th, I will be taking my last vacation of the year, except a couple days off here or there in the season. Nothing too major.

Hey guys, just checking up on the blog before my flight to Dunedin tomorrow morning. I wanted to post this morning because I know I'm going to busy packing/making preperations later today and early tomorrow morning. Are any of you guys going down to Spring Training this year? If you're on the fence about it, you should really consider going. There's no better atmosphere then down in Florida watching baseball and knowing there's a lot more baseball to come.

For Christmas, I recieved an iPod Touch and I decided to compile a Florida Playlist. Do you guys know any kind of songs that will put me in a vacation kind of mood, as well as a pump up mood for baseball? I listen to mostly hip-hop, but I also really enjoy any kind of rock, as well as alternative.

I just decided to post some random things that popped up in my head this morning. If I don't get a chance to post in this topic during some kind of discussion, my next post will be when I'm in Dunedin!

Spring Training is getting nearer and nearer. I'm back in Canada now, spending some time with family until Monday, which is when I hop on a flight to Dunedin and begin covering the Jays during Spring Training, and then the rest of the year. With that in mind, here are some important dates coming up:

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Cito Gaston meets with reporters: Thursday
Pitchers and catchers report: Friday
First workout: Feb. 14
First full-squad workout: Feb. 18
First exhibition game: Feb. 25 vs. New York Yankees at Dunedin
Last exhibition game: April 4 vs. Florida Marlins at Jupiter
Opening Day: April 6 vs. Detroit Tigers at Toronto

Right now, I would like to point out that starting March 4th, and ending March 18th, I will be on vacation with little to no internet access. I'll try my hardest to get on and post updates, but it could be very tough. From the 4th-11th I will be in Tampa for lots and lots of meetings with various people, and then the newspaper is giving me yet another vacation (not that I'm complaining) before the long grind of the regular season.

After missing all that time earlier in 2008, I just can't stay away from the blog. Here is my prediction for the 2009 Starting Lineup with a small prediction for what:

1) Aaron Hill, Second Base
Hill is looking for a bounce-back season after his post-concussion syndrome ended his 2008 season very early. Look for him to play at almost 100% of what we expect of him. Hill will have less errors in 2009 then what most people expect him to have after last years incident.

2) Travis Snider, Left Field
Snider was a great addition to the club in the games he played in September last year. Snider will struggle early on in the season, but I can see him fiishing with a very respectable .285 average in his rookie season.

3) Alex Rios, Right Field
2008 was a bit of a down year for Rios in 2008. He needs to hit more homeruns if the Jays are going to compete this year. Mark him down for 28 homers in 2009.

4) Vernon Wells, Center Field
Another key component in the Jays hopes for success had a rough season last year. He's another guy we need to hit more homeruns, and knock in those crucial runners in scoring position. 115 RBI for Wells in 2009.

5) Adam Lind, Designated Hitter
I see Lind as a guy who can hit 19 homeruns in 2009. Although that's not really what you expect of your DH, it should still do the job.

6) Scott Rolen, Third Base
I thought last year was a solid year for Rolen at the hot corner. In a division that is loaded with homerun hitting Third Basemen (Rodriguez, Longoria, Lowell), the Jays need Rolen to start putting the ball into the bleachers. 24 HR from Rolen in 2009.

7) Lyle Overbay, First Base
The King Of Doubles, baby! Overbay is always good for a clutch double late in the innings. He's also a very effecient First Basemen. Expect Overbay to be up near 44 doubles in 2009.

8) Rod Barajas, Catcher
When Cito Gaston stepped in as Manager for the Jays, Barajas was his catcher, replacing Gregg Zaun. I personally like Barajas as a defensive catcher. In 2009, he will help our inexperienced pitchers adapt to big-league hitters, as well as limit his pass-balls.

9) Marco Scutaro, Shortstop
Rounding out the lineup, Marco Scutaro comes in and provides the defensive assurance we need at Shortstop. Scutaro will hit .268 in the 2009 season.

NOTES:

• Lind and Snider are pretty much interchangeable in their positions (DH and LF), as well as the batting order.
• The only thing that I don't like about my lineup is the lack of speed/base-stealing threat at the top of the order. Do you guys have any suggestions?

I’m taking this week off before going to Dunedin for the start of Spring Training. I'll probably have a Spring Training preview post for you soon, looking at some roster battles, much like what Hugo and Rince have been doing recently.

I leave for Dunedin a week from today and then get a day off sometime in April. So this week is one final chance to relax before it’ll be baseball all day, every day for a long stretch. Not that I'm complaining!

See you all again on Saturday, more then likely!

Right now, we have Halladay, Janssen, Litsch, and Purcey in our rotation, by the soudns of things. Let's say that it stays that way through Spring Training and on to Opening Day. We're one starter short. Out of the following three, who do you pick to fill the last spot in the Jays Starting Rotation, and why?

• Matt Clement
• Mike Maroth
• Scott Richmond

Feel free to give predictions for each pitcher, as well. I'll post my pick/predictions later on.

With all of the big signings going around throughout the league, and the Jays being responsible for none of them, they have to consider axeing Riccardi, in my opinion. He seems content with watching all of the big names signing else where, and won't even make a play for a DH. It's extremely frustrating for a fan, not to mention a beat writer. Riccardi won't talk to anybody (but in all fairness, we haven't haven't had the initiative to talk to him, anyways). The Jays have to do something this off-season, or did JP forget they finished fourth in the division last year, with Wells leading the team with a mere 20 homeruns.

I can guarantee you one thing; as soon as I land in Dunedin in February, and I'm sure I speak for the rest of the beat writers here when I say JP's gonna be peppered with questions and second-guessings.

As Tom and Hugo pointed out earlier today, two of the options the Jays had for DH signed with other teams today, with Pat Burrell signing with the Rays for two years and $16 million, and Milton Bradley inking with the Cubs at three years and $30 million. In my personal opinion, DH is one of the most important pieces in the Jays lineup, especially if Wells can't hit 30 homeruns, or Rios can't hit 25+ HR. They need some offensive power to fill that spot in the middle of the lineup. It doesn't sound like Riccardi is willing to try and sign Manny Ramirez, so what would you guys do? To be honest, I would sign Manny. He may not be a Gold-Glove outfielder, but he wouldn't be playing in LF, he'd be DHing. Also, Manny is one of the more popular players in the MLB, which could fill some seats at the Rogers Center. And I'm pretty sure the Jays Manager Cito Gaston could control Manny. Joe Torre could control him, Terry Francona couldn't. Maybe Manny respects more seasoned managers. Who knows? You're never sure with Manny.

So post your thoughts here. What should the Jays do with their open DH position? Sign Manny? Sign another free agent? Promote someone within to DH? It's your call, guys.

What a surprise! I disappeared, again. I can't even believe what happened. You guys know how I'm positioned in Florida during the off-season because I write for a newspaper down there as the Beat Writer for the Jays. Well, nothing was wrong with that. However, I decided to sell my house in Florida so I could get a slightly bigger one, and that was just a nightmare. The people I was working with were just horrible. Luckily, after a long time, I found somebody to buy my old house, and I found a new house. So it's all good now, I'm back, permanently, barring anymore bad luck. Like you guys, I'm counting down the days for Spring Training to start.

If you guys wanted, I could try and get some pictures of my new house up on the blog soon. It really is an upgrade on my old house. Anyways, I hope to get caught up with all of the happenings here at the blog, and I'll have a post soon.

TORONTO -- When the ball left the bat, Cito Gaston thought it was a home run. From his seat in the dugout, he saw a familiar, encouraging sign.

"Usually you can see if it's a home run because the ball gets smaller, and that one started to get smaller real quick," the Toronto Blue Jays manager said. "Something knocked it down out there."

And just as it appeared it would turn into an out, something made the ball bounce off the glove of Johnny Damon when he leaped for it at the centre-field wall in the eighth inning. The man who hit it, Marco Scutaro, cruised into second base as Joe Inglett scored from first.

Turns out Scutaro's bolt was as good as a home run, for it lifted the Blue Jays to a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees in the first game of a critical series for both teams. The Jays have won six of their past seven games.

Damon said he failed to retreat quickly enough on Scutaro's double and had to accelerate at the last second.

"When you do that, your head shakes a bit," said the veteran outfielder. "I couldn't believe I didn't come down with it."

A.J. Burnett pitched eight innings and struck out 13, one short of his career high, to earn his 16th victory. The only run he surrendered came in the first inning, when Damon walked and scored on a double by Bobby Abreu.

That run held up until the seventh, when Adam Lind hit a solo homer off Yankee starter Darrell Rasner. The homer was Lind's ninth and third in three games.

B.J. Ryan earned his 24th save, with a big boost from first baseman Lyle Overbay. Alex Rodriguez singled softly over first to open the ninth and tried to stretch it into a double. Overbay chased down the ball, wheeled and fired a strike to John McDonald, who slapped the tag on an embarrassed A-Rod.

"That changed the whole inning," Ryan said, observing that a leadoff hit can be poison for a closer.

"I'm just trying to keep him off second," Overbay said. "You don't want to get a leadoff double. I ended up getting a good grip on the ball and putting a good throw on the ball and just kind of got lucky."

A crowd of approximately 37,000 watched a taut battle between Burnett, who has won six straight games, and Rasner, who has not won since July 12. Burnett trailed by the narrowest of margins until Lind connected.

"I was just really focused on executing my pitches after that first inning," Burnett said. "I wasn't going to allow another one."

It was the most dominating start of the season for Burnett, who can exercise his option to become a free agent after the season. Damon intimated he had a suggestion as to where Burnett might land next year.

"He's a real good pitcher," Damon said. "I hope he opts out of his deal."

Burnett leads the league in strikeouts with 178. Against the Yankees he had eight by the end of the fourth inning and finished the fifth, sixth and seventh innings with whiffs. He allowed five hits in eight innings.

"It's good to have a packed crowd that's cheering like that. It definitely makes you more amped up," he said.

The victory pulled the Jays to within one game of New York, the closest of three teams they are pursuing in the wild-card race.

This game began the season's most important week for the Jays, who buoyed their faint playoff hopes with a 5-1 road trip to Detroit and Boston. After playing three against the Yankees, they will meet Boston for a weekend series.

Toronto can afford precious few losses, as manager Cito Gaston acknowledged before the game. The Jays play 31 of their remaining 37 games against teams currently ahead of them in the standings.

"This week can make you or break you, and if it makes you, you've still got another week to make you or break you," he said. "It doesn't get any easier. You've got to play well. You can't afford to get swept. You've got to win some series. Otherwise you can start thinking about next year."

The odds suggest that mindset is imminent. Over the past five years, the American League wild-card winners have needed an average of 92 wins. To reach that total, Toronto would have to go 27-10 the rest of the way.

"If you do that, you've certainly earned it," Gaston said.

-----

Jays and Yankees tonight at the Rogers Center. The Jays need the win to come even with the Yankees. Sorry, but I won't be able to take questions tonight. Enjoy the game!

Your questions to some of the Jays have been replied to with the answers. The Jays, in case you were wondering, are great guys to talk to. Not one of them get pissed at you without very, very good reason.

The game starts in approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, so in the immortal word of Terrell Owens, "Getcha popcorn ready!" I'm just getting settled down in the press box with my laptop and watching the Yankees finish up their Batting Practice. By the looks of things, look for Jeter to have a nice night at the plate.

Well, I must go and talk with some of the other press, get myself aquainted and what-not, so that's all for now. Look for my newspaper article to be posted sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'll set-up the gamethread in about fifteen minutes time, unless it's already done so by the time I check back on the blog.

I'm heading over to the Roger's Center in a bit from my hotel, and I was wondering if you guys had any questions for any of the Jays I could ask before the game? I want to get this blog involved in my job as much as possible. Please, feel free to ask any questions, just none that will get me fired!

Also, don't feel like you have to rush just to get a question directed to one of the Jays. I will do this fairly often before games, as well as other things to get the blog involved.

Morning, all. I know I'm right in saying that there is alot of Bluebird Banter readers that follow and love the NFL. So I got to thinking, 'Why not start a fantasy football league for the community of Bluebird Banter?' So here it is. I will start the league as soon as I get enough interest so that we can have a decent size league. So please, post in this thread if you are interested in joining. There is no set date as to which the sign-ups will be closed, but there will only be a limited number of spaces available. So the sooner you sign-up in this thread, the more guaranteed of a spot you will have!

For those of you wondering, I still am not sure which site I am going to use to create the league, but I do have 2-3 sites in mind. I just have to whittle it down to one. I'll make sure to let everyone know what site I have chosen to host our league.

2008 Bluebird Banter Fantasy Football League Members:

1) Matty Gaul
2) Jevant
3) Hugo
4) Bunner
5) SuckaMD
6) Hopelessjaysfan

Some of the older Bluebird Banter readers might remember me. Before the SB Nation switch-over, I was Matt, doing a bit of blogging for Bluebird Banter. But after Spring Training, I got offered a job as a Beat Writer for the Boston Red Sox from a newspaper in Florida. I've spent the last year in Red Sox Nation, covering their team.

But recently, I got tired of blogging the Red Sox and not my life-long favorite team, the Jays. So I found someone else for the paper that could be the Beat Writer for the Sox, and in return, they offered me the job as the Beat Writer of the Toronto Blue Jays. Also, they are letting me blog my adventures as the Jays Beat Writer, on this blog. All I have to do is occasionally post some of my newspaper articles on the blog. So the readers now have an inside look at the Toronto Blue Jays from a Beat Writer's perspective.

I'm still getting used to covering the Jays, so my regular posting will probably start Tuesday, when the Jays are back in Toronto against the Yankees. Also, tomorrow I will be posting an idea Hugo, Tom, and I had for the blog. Be sure to check out Bluebird Banter tomorrow to check out that surprise idea!