Evan Brunell joining NESN.com

I have some very exciting news, which you've probably already gleaned from the headline. I'll be joining NESN.com to write New England sports, primarily during nights. I'm very excited about this opportunity and hope you guys will read me over there. There is a direct link to my articles here. (What does this mean for Fire Brand? I'll be moving to once a week on Fridays. Troy and Lee will step up to fill the void, and I'm honored to have such capable writers in place.) Be sure to bookmark both Fire Brand and NESN!

AL East Sleepers: Toronto Blue Jays

Well folks, this one’s about to get ugly. Not just this season, mind you, but for a few years – though, if Anthopoulos is as good as advertised, there might just be a way out of this mess. It’s too bad, really, as the makeup of this pitching staff makes this team one of the most interesting clubs in all of baseball. Too bad they exist in the gauntlet of the AL East. There’s no mistaking it - Toronto is clearly the runt of the AL East litter for the forseeable future. While they have a few good full-timers and a number of interesting arms in the rotation, there’s just not a lot to build on here, barring the awakening of a number of sleepers on this team – a number of sleepers. Either way, this team is in serious trouble for 2010 and beyond. Then again, when third place is all you can ever look forward to, does the disappointment really matter?