Toronto Star
A beantown bashing
By Allan Ryan
Dustin McGowan, so promising for a run of five outings through mid-June, now seems to have fallen into a pattern of bad start, good start, bad start, good start ...
Last night's start wasn't one of the good ones.
Back at the scene of his first major-league win (for an inning's relief a year ago May), McGowan was touched for six runs over five-plus innings as the Red Sox thumped out a 9-4 triumph for a 2-1 lead in the series that concludes with today's matinee.
Rios a feel good story for fans
By Richard Griffin
I recall back in March of 2004, covering a spring game at Sarasota, Fla. My retired father, then 80 years old, was in attendance. I went to visit during the seventh-inning stretch. With no prior knowledge, all he would talk about was the tall, skinny Jays outfielder that had captured his eye and his imagination. At the time, Rios had not played above Double-A, but as a ball fan his entire life, the old man knew.
Fast forward three years. In the moments after Tuesday's all-star game, as Rios walked into the AL clubhouse, his eyes were aglow. Though there was no outward smile, one sensed the grin within. Rios had entered the game with two out in the ninth and a one-run AL lead. He was called on in a double switch, replacing Torii Hunter in the lineup, with Grady Sizemore moving to centre.
Blue Jays mailbag
By Richard Griffin
Q: Hey Richard,
I just wanted to ask your opinion on Reed Johnson and whether or not you think it would be worth signing the guy long-term soon. Coming back from the DL, Johnson has made significant contributions in two Jays wins right before the break, and I think it's fair to call him an impact player. That being said, I think we should sign him up for as long as possible, as soon as possible. The guy can throw, hit, (get hit), run, walk and make incredible diving catches at the track with two on in the ninth. What else could you possibly want from a left fielder?
Nick K., Toronto
Toronto Sun
McGowan pays for leaving behind half his arsenal
By Mike Rutsy
"Even when I was warming up in the bullpen, it wasn't good," McGowan said of his curve. "Then I tried to throw a couple (in the game) and it just wasn't there. Now that I look back, I should have thrown a couple more just to show that I had it. Maybe I could have got a feel for it."
And the slider?
"It wasn't real sharp (last night). It was kind of spinning," he said. "I kept throwing it and was throwing it for strikes but there wasn't any real bite to it or anything."
Minor disaster
By Adam Wazny
There are more Canadians playing Major League Baseball than ever before, but the game at the highest minor league levels in this country is shrinking. In the last decade, nearly all of the Triple-A professional baseball clubs in the country have flown south for the summer, with the last one (the Ottawa Lynx) scheduled to depart at the end of this season. Sun Media baseball writer Adam Wazny set out to find out what happened to this once-popular specatator sport. Here's his look at minor league baseball in Canada -- where it stands, what the future holds, and why there's one lonesome success story smack dab in the middle of the country.
Globe & Mail
[url=http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070710.wsptblairchat/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/home]Baseball