An Opening Day rainout, an uplifting three-game sweep of the world champs, and an equally disappointing sweep at the hands of the supposed-rebuilding A’s. The Blue Jays head into tonight’s game against the Texas Rangers with an even 5-5 record. Not bad, but certainly not great. Here’s a look at some notable numbers as the Jays get set for Game #11 tonight in Arlington …

10 — The number of walks Alex Rios has totaled through the first 10 games this year. For a player who struck out nearly twice as much (103) as he walked (55) last season, this has to be a great sign that the 27-year-old is improving his plate discipline. Rios’ 10 walks actually tie for the second-most in the AL heading into action today. And his on-base percentage? A club-leading .457.

.182 — Batting average for Frank Thomas through 10 games. You know what? We don’t care. His three homers, 10 RBI and multiple clutch hits have more than made up for this number. If the Big Hurt can provide this kind of pop, the Blue Jays are in business.

2.57 — ERA for right-hander Shaun Marcum through two starts. Depending on the day, Jays fans will either tell you that Marcum is an overrated #4 starter or that he is a major asset in Toronto’s rotation. With a team-best 2.57 ERA and 16 strikeouts (compared to just two walks), it’s hard right now to argue with the latter.

17 — Number of attempted steals (13 successful) by the Blue Jays in 10 games this year. There’s no way this keeps up …

.341 — The team-leading batting average of centre-fielder Vernon Wells. After a dismal 2007 campaign, Wells appears to have regained his all-star swing — at least in the early going. He’ll have to keep it up if the Jays hope to compete with the Sox and Yanks at the finish line.

Tonight’s contest with the Yankees marks just the second time in franchise history that the Blue Jays have opened the season against the Bronx Bombers. The first? It was back in 2003, as the Jays welcomed the Yankees to SkyDome for their 100th season opener — and first outside the United States. With Hideki Matsui making his Yankee debut, and aces Roy Halladay and Roger Clemens squaring off on the hill, it was a play in the third inning that became the storyline of the night.

Attempting to go from first to third on a comebacker by Jason Giambi, Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter suffered a dislocated left shoulder after diving into third. Catcher Ken Huckaby, who was covering the bag, fell on Jeter’s shoulder as the all-star attempted to dive in headfirst.

“I didn’t mean for things to go down the way they went down,” Huckaby said after the game. “By no means was I trying to hurt anybody on that play. It was one of those freak things.” In assessing the injury, Jeter said, “It hurts. I can’t really describe it. When it happened, I was kind of scared. I didn’t know what happened. The worst part is getting it back in.”

Jeter was on the ground for more than 10 minutes before being helped onto a cart and off the field. He was then taken to a hospital for X-rays. The Yankee shortstop would miss six weeks with the injury, returning to hit .324 (156-for-482) with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs in 119 games during the 2003 campaign.

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On this night, with a healthy Jeter in the lineup, the Yankees open their 105th season — and last at historic Yankee Stadium — with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Blue Jays. Halladay takes the loss, allowing three runs in 7.0 innings of work. In their first games in a Toronto uniform, David Eckstein and Marco Scutaro combine to go 0-for-7.

Hmm … two hours prior to the opening pitch of the Blue Jays’ 2008 campaign? Seems like as good a time as any to pick up the blog. As always, I’ll be bloggin Blue Jays history, as well as keeping tabs on the current squad. I might even fire up a live game blog every now and again. Stay tuned … 

The much-anticipated Mitchell Report came out Thursday, and it wasn’t pretty. In all, 75 players were named as abusers of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, including former Blue Jay Roger Clemens, who was easily the biggest name on the list.

Clemens, according to Mitchell, began taking steroids in 1998 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The report states that Brian McNamee, Clemens’s personal trainer, injected the pitcher with the steroid Winstrol during the ‘98 campaign. The injections took place in the SkyDome Hotel in Toronto, where the two shared an apartment.

“According to McNamee, from the time that McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol through the end of the 1998 season, Clemens’s performance showed remarkable improvement.”

Clemens went on to win his second straight Cy Young Award at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, it was announced a week ago that current Blue Jay third baseman Troy Glaus managed to avoid discipline from the Commissioner’s Office due to ‘insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question’. Glaus is said to have purchased nandrolone and testosterone from an online pharmacy.

The other current Blue Jay named in the Mitchell report was catcher Gregg Zaun. On page 179 of the report, Mitchell states that former pitcher Jason Grimsley referred Zaun to former New York Mets clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski, when the two played together on the Kansas City Royals in 2001.

“Although Radomski never spoke to Zaun about the transaction, Radomski received a check from Zaun for the steroids. Radomski produced that check, a copy of which is included in the Appendix [of the report].

“Radomski confirmed the payment was for Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol. He also stated that he sent the drugs to Zaun at the Kansas City Royals clubhouse.”

The Mitchell report also states that Zaun was one of seven players that was supplied with steroids by Luis Perez, a former bullpen catcher for the Montreal Expos. That was said to have occurred in 2002.

“In order to provide Zaun with information about these allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.”

In a move that is sure to please lifelong Blue Jay fans, Toronto announced today that it will bring back the retro powder blue jerseys from the ’80’s for every Friday night home game in 2008. The powder blues, which were originally worn during road games from 1980-88, will surely be a hit among Blue Jay faithful.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether the ‘new’ old uniforms will bring the team success on the field. Here’s hoping that the powder blues have some of this magic left in them …

Oct. 12, 1985 — In Game 4 of their first ever ALCS, the Blue Jays defeat the Royals, 3-1, to take a three games to one lead in the series. We’ll leave it at that.

April 4, 1988 — At Royals Stadium, George Bell becomes the first Major Leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day, doing so against Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen during a 5-3 Toronto win.

Sept. 24, 1988 — Pitching against the Cleveland Indians, Toronto ace Dave Stieb falls just one out shy from recording the first no-hitter in franchise history. The ageless wonder, Julio Franco, manages a two-out single to break up the no-no in what turns out to be a 1-0 Toronto victory. Stieb would become just the sixth Major League pitcher to record two consecutive one-hitters on Sept. 30, though this time he would be wearing his home uniform.

and …

July 26, 1982 — Facing Hall-of-Famer Dennis Eckersley, Alfredo Griffin ends the longest home run drought in franchise history, launching(?) a solo shot off the right-hander in the fifth inning of a 3-2 Boston victory. Prior to that homer, Griffin had gone 255 straight games (956 at-bats) without going yard.

The annual Baseball Winter Meetings will take place in Nashville this week, giving J.P. Ricciardi and the Blue Jays’ front office the chance to meet face-to-face with the league’s other general managers. Toronto won’t be looking to make a big splash at this year’s event, but will instead attempt to plug a few holes in the roster; namely, at backup catcher.

Aside from the usual ‘wheelings and dealings’, the winter meetings also feature the Rule 5 Draft. In 2006, the Blue Jays selected infielder Jason Smith, who managed to hit just .212 in 27 games before being released by the Blue Jays in May. Though Smith didn’t pan out, the Blue Jays — historically speaking — have had great success in the Rule 5 Draft. Here’s a look at some of those success stories …

Willie Upshaw — The first ever Rule 5 pick by the Blue Jays, Upshaw made his Toronto debut as a 20-year-old in 1978, batting .237 in 95 games. Upshaw, who played nine seasons in Toronto, had his greatest success in 1983, batting .306 (.373 OBP) with a career-high 27 home runs and 104 RBIs.

George Bell — Plucked from the Phillies in the 1980 Rule 5 Draft, Bell earned a starting role in the Blue Jay outfield in 1984, finishing with a .292 average, 26 home runs and 87 RBIs. In 1987, Bell compiled 47 homers and 134 RBIs en route to becoming the first Toronto player to win the American League MVP Award.

Kelly Gruber — The Blue Jays nabbed Gruber from the Indians in 1983. After spending two straight seasons on the bench, Gruber managed to enjoy seven productive years with the Blue Jays, including a career-best 1990 campaign in which he hit 31 homers and drove in 118 runs. The third baseman also earned a World Series ring in 1992.

Manuel Lee — In 1984, Toronto picked Manny Lee in the Rule 5 Draft from the Astros organization. Lee spent eight seasons with the Blue Jays, splitting time between second base and shortstop. He was the everyday shortstop in 1992, posting a career-high .343 on-base percentage during Toronto’s first World Series-winning campaign.

The 2008 Hall of Fame ballot that was released Monday included a pair of former Blue Jay pitchers — a returnee, Jack Morris, and a newcomer, Todd Stottlemyre.

Though it’s unlikely that Stottlemyre will receive enough votes (5%) to stay on next year’s ballot, the former right-hander enjoyed a great deal of success during his 14-year big-league career. Seven of those seasons came as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that drafted him third overall in the secondary phase of the free-agent draft in 1985.

Stottlemyre made his Major League debut in 1988, finishing with a 4-8 record and a 5.69 ERA in 28 games — 16 starts — that season. In July of 1989, the right-hander earned a full-time spot in the Blue Jays’ starting rotation. In 1991, Stottlemyre enjoyed his best season yet as a Blue Jay, posting a career-high 15 wins and a 3.78 ERA.

He provided Toronto with a big boost in 1992, the year in which the Blue Jays made history by becoming the first Canadian team to win the World Series. With the Jays having lost six of seven, and clinging to a two-game division lead, Stottlemyre hurled a gem against the Chicago White Sox on August 26. The right-hander went the distance, losing a no-hitter in the eighth inning during a 9-0 Toronto victory. The Blue Jays would finish 24-11 over their final 35 games, and Stottlemyre would soon land his first of two World Series rings.

Unfortunately, his time with the Blue Jays came to an end following the strike-shortened 1994 season. “The Jays had been trying to sign Stottlemyre to a long-term deal before the strike, and both sides seemed willing, simply dickering over the price,” noted Stephen Brunt in his book ‘Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball’. However, things changed when Toronto GM Gord Ash acquired veteran pitcher David Cone. “With Cone and his salary on board, Todd Stottlemyre became an afterthought,” said Brunt, adding that, essentially, whatever offer had been on the table was now rescinded.

“Stottlemyre felt a tremendous loyalty to the organization, which had suffered through his ups and downs,” Brunt stated. “He wanted very much to remain a Toronto Blue Jay.”

Blue Jays bigwig Paul Beeston knew the club had treated the Stottlemyre situation poorly, and he felt bad about it. “The only two guys that I think we ever screwed here were Todd and George Bell,” said Beeston “And they’re the two guys who were more loyal to the Blue Jay colours than any Dodger was loyal to the Dodger colours. We know that Todd felt betrayed at the time and I now know why Todd felt that way. And I apologized to him.”

The moral of the story, I suppose, is that mistakes are made and that nobody is perfect. As it turned out, Stottlemyre went on to enjoy a number of strong seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks prior to his retirement in 2002. In a statement to his character, the former Blue Jay pitcher earned both the Branch Rickey award and the Lou Gehrig award in 2000. And in another statement of his character, Stottlemyre now serves as the Board Chair for ‘Caring for Kids Inc.‘, a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘fighting child abuse, abandonment and neglect’.

Fresh off an impressive stint in the Arizona Fall League, left-hander David Purcey was added to the Jays’ 40-man roster on Tuesday. In six starts for the Scottsdale Scorpions, the 25-year-old posted a 1.23 ERA and struck out 25 batters in 22.0 innings of work.

As MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian noted in his weekly mailbag, Toronto is likely to roll out five righties in the starting rotation to begin the season. Gustavo Chacin is in the mix for the No. 5 spot, but that will likely go to either Jesse Litsch or Casey Janssen.

Five right-handers is certainly not ideal in the majors, meaning there would be no better time than the present for Purcey to finally realize his potential and make the jump to the big leagues.

Since we’re talking about left-handers, how about a look at the Top 5 southpaw starters (in terms of wins) in Blue Jays franchise history …

1. Jimmy Key, 116 (1984-92)
2. David Wells, 84 (1987-92, 1999-2000)
3. John Cerutti, 46 (1985-90)
4. Ted Lilly, 37 (2004-06)
5. Mike Flanagan, 26 (1987-90)

The Blue Jays made a deal with the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, acquiring utilityman Marco Scutaro in exchange for minor-leaguers Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell. The addition of Scutaro provides Toronto with a quality utility option who can play shortstop, second, third and the outfield.

It isn’t out of the question that Scutaro could share a platoon with John McDonald at shortstop in 2008. Though he played second base primarily from 2002-04, Scutaro has spent more time at shortstop than any other position over the last three seasons. Stepping in for the oft-injured Bobby Crosby, Scutaro played 81 games at short in 2005, 69 in 2006 and 43 last year.

McDonald has a definite edge on Scutaro defensively, but the latter offers more on offense. In his four full seasons in the majors, Scutaro has batted .262 with 88 doubles, 28 home runs and 162 RBIs. He also has better plate discipline than McDonald, drawing 85 walks compared to 106 strikeouts over the last two seasons. In 2006, he posted a very solid .350 on-base percentage.

McDonald, meanwhile, owns a career .240 average. Over the last two years, the shortstop has drawn just 27 walks compared to 89 strikeouts. He’s also managed just eight career home runs in 1,376 at-bats.

Baseball certainly has a broad range of personalities. At one end of the spectrum — of course — is Barry Bonds, the rude and ill-tempered slugger that was indicted this week for perjury and obstruction of justice. Now, a man doesn’t become known as the ‘most hated’ player in baseball overnight. Bonds has earned that reputation through years of surliness and general disrespect for those around him.

What will happen to Barry? Sports Illustrated’s John Donovan had this to say today: “We have seen, you have to think, the last of Barry Bonds on a baseball field. Who would touch him now? Who would hire a tainted slugger mired in legal quicksand, facing a high-profile trial with a chance of a decent-sized prison term at the end of it? Who would fork over millions of dollars for an aging and bitter pariah who, even if he clears all those legal hurdles, may yet get stomped on by the big boot of baseball’s commissioner?”

I’ll tell you who: Somebody. As long as Bonds has the talent to make a team better, somebody — unfortunately — will offer him a spot. That’s just the reality of the business.

Luckily, however, Baseball also has some great individuals. Guys that have (and show) the utmost respect for the game, its players, and even the media. I’m talking about guys like Sal Fasano, the 36-year-old former Blue Jay. I say former, but with the hopes that Toronto re-signs the veteran backstop for the 2008 campaign.

Sal Fasano is a career journeyman — there’s no other way to put it. Since entering pro ball in 1993, the man with the Fu-Manchu has played in the following cities: Eugene, Rockford, Wilmington, Wichita, Omaha, Kansas City, Oakland, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Durham, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, Anaheim, Columbus, Ottawa, Baltimore, Clearwater, Reading, New York, Philadelphia, Syracuse and Toronto. That’s 22 cities.

I got a firsthand glimpse of Sal in one of those cities. As a media relations intern with the Ottawa Lynx in 2005, one of my tasks was to ‘fetch’ certain players after games for an interview with the local press. During Ottawa’s first homestand, one of the writers wanted to talk to Fasano about his pitcher’s performance. Without hesitation, Sal left his dinner and came into the corridor for the interview. Without sounding patronizing, Fasano walked the interviewer through the approach that he and the starter had used against the opposing lineup, and talked about key pitches and situations that helped lead to the win. Fresh on the job, I was extremely impressed with Fasano’s courteousness and professionalism.

So, what will happen to Sal? Hopefully, he’ll get another chance with a big-league club. “You try to be a good person and you try to be a good player, and usually those two things combined can usually get you a job,” said Fasano in an interview last year. “Nobody wants to hire a jerk.”

They don’t want to, perhaps, but they will. Take Barry, for example. Let’s just hope that there’s still room in the game for one of the greats, as defined by ESPN’s Jeff Pearlman …

“When I think of Sal Fasano, I think of greatness. Not of Willie Mays or Ted Williams greatness, but of a uniquely excellent human being who, were class and decency the most valued standards of a career, would be the easiest Hall of Fame inductee of all time.”