Junior looking for a change of scenery

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ken Griffey Junior wouldn't mind a new clubhouse to hang out in for the second half of the season, preferably one with a few championship trophies laying around.

Short of that, a team with a chance to play in October would be just fine, too.

According to the Enquirer:

Griffey, who enters tonight's game hitting .229 with four home runs and 15 RBI, says he expects the Reds to approach him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seeking his approval for a trade.

My situation is different only because I can tell them where I want to go. I want to be in position to win a championship. I'm not strong-arming anybody, but that's the way it is."

(Image from: HomerDerby.com)

Feel good comebacks 2-for-2 this year

With the sudden - and some will say completely unexpected resurgence of Rick Ankiel - this week, baseball has seen two of its hard-luck cases find their feet when you add Josh Hamilton to the mix.

Ankiel, the newest outfielder for the Cardinals and Deadspin man-crush, and Hamilton, a recovering addict who has spoken openly and honestly about his past and the safeguards in place to try and keep a relapse at bay, have both announced their return to the major leagues with flashy stats once they hit the field again.

Hamilton has put up impressive power numbers, despite injuries this year - 14 HR, 30 RBI in 65 games - and seems to be on the straight and narrow with the eyes of baseball fans everywhere on him.

Ankiel is the feel good story following the All-Star Break, seemingly backing up his potential and talent with a stellar week. He has three homers in only four games and is poised to be the darling of the national media until the playoff hunt heats up in earnest.

While all of this could be moot tomorrow, it's nice to see two players come back in the same season and at least clear the first hurdle on long trips back to becoming everyday players in majors.

Elijah Dukes, take notes. And maybe a few free counseling sessions from Dr. Marvin Monroe or something.

(Image from Partners.NYTimes.com)

Your National League fantasy tip of the day

Two words - Edwin Encarnacion.

His numbers for the year - with time off for a stint in AAA because of a reported run-in with his manager and sub-par fielding in the bigs - read pretty well.

He's 43 for 149 (batting .290/slugging .352) with 3 homers, 19 runs and 23 RBI. Nothing to write home about, until you see that in the past month he's batting .338 with an OBP of .419 and slugging .508 (9 runs, 2 HR, 9 RBI).

You could do worse for a third baseman in the NL if you're in a pinch.

I only mention this because he went 4-for-4 tonight with a homer a run and 3 RBI. I look forward to seeing him on SportsCenter in the morning.

(Photo from: Cincinnati.Reds.MLB.com)

Everyone's a winner on Opening Day

Opening Day - It's like Christmas, only I don't have to put up with my family... I think it's pretty cool that you say "Opening Day" and it's pretty apparent what sport you're talking about. I'm not really sure what the NFL's Week One is known as, other than Week One.

Aside from that, who cares what you call basketball or hockey.It usually takes a few weeks for anyone to really notice those sports have started.

* The big question I have when I see pictures of Pete Rose at Opening Day is whether or not he has to watch his mouth around the ballpark - well, in public, really - when using the word "bet."

Like, let's say Adam Dunn comes up with two homers already and some know-it-all in the section chimes in with, "Dunn is automatic! Here comes the third homer, baby! Woo!"

Can Rose still say, "Wanna bet?" without serious repercussions?

I bet he can't... Damn, I would make a sub-par Pete Rose.

*One of the common refrains that I'm seeing in league previews is that the top two guys in most rotations are solid starters and the three through five guys are where you separate the men from the boys.

This is pretty self-evident as you look at the top-tier teams and work your way down to the Mariners and Royals of the world. Hell, just look at the cash commanded for very average pitchers in the offseason.

The capper might have been on-air speculation tonight about what Dennys Reyes would command on the open market. It was done in all seriousness.

My gut tells me that as we get into the three, four, five guys in every team's rotation, you'll be able to see which teams are in for a long season and which ones are ahead of the pack by virtue of having normal pitching depth.

* All told, from the highlights I'm seeing and the bits of games I caught live, it was a pretty predictable day around the league, with the top-shelf starters performing the way they're paid to and competition being pretty equal for Opening Day. The exception is the fluke blowout by Cleveland over the White Sox, which had more to do with the first game than talent levels.

I refuse to believe that the Sox are that bad or the Indians are that good, but I could be wrong.

* Ben Sheets got off to a hot start and as he goes, so goes Milwaukee - which should have been the case for years now, save for his injuries and under performing from year to year. A two-hitter out of the box certainly bodes well for the Brewers.

* Manny Ramirez apparently has a tough time getting things going every year according to the announced at the Royals/Red Sox game from Kansas City today. I'd never really noticed, I guess, but just add it to the list of Manny's quirks.

One player who has no such problems is Vlad Guerrero who until he just ripped a shot down the left-field line in his first at-bat had hit home runs off the first pitch he saw in 2005 and 2006.

OK, that's pretty cool.

* My new goal for this season is to try and get a more accurate read on which sleeper teams that start hot are for real and which ones will fall back to earth. Last year, I picked the Brewers and panned the Tigers after hot starts by both... yeah, that worked out well.

This year, I don't even need to pick the sleepers, I just want to be able to call it one way or another more quickly than I usually do.

By that, I mean before the second week of October.

(Photo from the Associated Press, via ChicagoTribune.com)

The quick rundown

Two off-the-field stories today - Dontrelle Willis was reportedly stopped for a DWI and Ken Griffey Jr. has a broken hand.

The 24-year-old Willis was stopped for allegedly urinating in the middle of the street while he left the Bently running. The kicker is that the police first started paying attention to him when he double-parked the car in Miami Beach.

Bummer, but not a huge deal, especially if he keeps his nose clean in the future, eight?

Griffey will be in a cast for three weeks after breaking is hrowing hand at home, but the team is staying quiet on the details until Junior gives them the OK to release those.

For now, I think Reds fans are just happy it's a hand and not another leg problem.

On a personal note, I hope there's some crazy story behind this.

Ballplayers never seem to be injured in any normal way. If I had to pick, I'd like to see a Wii-related injury.

(Photo from Encarta.MSN.com)

The Piranas of September

It's raining in New York today with the Twins up on the Yankees in the eighth inning (note: this is how the game ended when it was called) and it seemed as good a time as any to get some thoughts in about the upcoming stadium here in the Twin Cities.

After a trip to the state fair this morning, I saw new shirts from the Twins marketing department for this year's gimmick (the pirana bit) and the signs for the upcoming seasons in the sun.

Event staff shirts had slogans like "Take home a souvenir sunburn" and I think that's the thing that I'd be most excited for if I was a fan who had been sentenced to indoor ball for 20-plus years.

Where's the fun in sneaking out of work early for a day game if you have to go sit in a ball mall? Some of my favorite memories of ballgames involve being out in the sun and fresh air with the wind blowing out to or in from the lake or just outright inclement weather.

Those of us who grew up outside of domed stadiums can't really process how much games blend into each other when the scenery never changes, except for the tint of the roof. Day game or night? Was it summer or early fall? Was it so cold you ducked out in the seventh or such a nice night that you stayed until the ushers shooed you from the upper deck seats?

These are the things you miss out on until you get a fresh air and green grass stadium. (Speaking of which, have you seen the Arizona Cardinals new digs? I love the rolling turf idea, it seems so cool.)

So while a home of their own is exciting in and of itself, I hope that all of the trappings that come with the new park will be the real draw once the idea catches on.

Imagine a whole generation of fans who have never known games that can be impacted by the elements or even the simple pleasure of being able to come into work the morning after a day game with a nasty sunburn and a self-satisfied grin.

* Yes, I know it's been quiet here at the dumping ground, but in addition to life getting busy, it's tough to find the motivation to spend some time thinking about baseball when your soul is being ripped into ticker tape confetti by your team and the forces of nature.

In the last two weeks there was a five-game tanking againast the Yankees as the Red Sox fell from playoff contention faster than it takes corn to pass through my digestive tract.

On top of that, the two star sluggers are out with a heart problem and a mystery ailment, Wily Mo hopped the flight with Manny for the hell of it, Papelbon got hurt last night and Jon Lester has cancer.

No really, he has cancer.

These things never happen to the Mariners or the Reds, do they?

At least I should be able to watch the playoffs with a more critical eye this year, right?

* And finally, Jesus, what happened to the Braves this year?

Could one borderline autistic old man and his handling of a pitching staff make such a difference?
Huh, who knew?

(Image from: edenprairieweblogs.org)