Sports in General

Baseball… *The Cincinnati Reds thought Ken Griffey Jr. would take them back to baseball’s Mecca. Instead, the outfielder has spent a majority of his time on the sidelines rooting for his team. However, this season the Reds have not needed Griffey Jr. In fact, Cincinnati has led the National League Central Division most of the year until this week when the St. Louis Cardinals finally caught them. Griffey Jr. has been a non-factor since dislocating his right kneecap in April. His return was halted again when he strained his right hamstring. Last season he missed 111 games after tearing his other hamstring. To stay on good terms with Reds fans, maybe Griffey Jr. should return some of his 8-year $116.5 million dollar contract. It’s a good thing his money is guaranteed, just think if he was paid to play. *The Minnesota Twins baseball franchise was rumored to be one of the teams slated for elimination by MLB. I guess this upset the Twins players as they now lead the American League Central by five games. I enjoy seeing pride. *Florida Marlin Luis Castillo extended his hitting streak to 31 games, matching the longest in the majors since 1987. It’s the 27th time a player has hit in 31 consecutive games. The feat has been accomplished just eight times in the major leagues since 1949, most recently by Vladimir Guerrero of Montreal, who had a 31-game streak in 1999. I wonder if he is using steroids? *A meeting July 8, 2002 between players and the players union could result in the players setting a strike date. If baseball strikes again, the fans should never forgive them. Baseball’s payroll is already more than a billion dollars. What more do these guys want… someone to play the game for them? *The Atlanta Braves bullpen might be their strongest link. The ERA of the Braves’ starters is 3.35. As ever, that’s really good. It’s not nearly as good as the ERA of their bullpen, which is an astonishing 2.47. The Braves won 10 division titles by overmatching the opponent for the first six innings. They’ve thrown a hammerlock on No. 11 by winning the battle of Innings No. 7-9. As we know, this hasn’t been the local norm. Some years the Braves have had a good closer, and in the really good years they’ve found a set-up man to boot, but over the course of the Decade-plus of Excellence they’ve never had such a reservoir of relief.The formula on how to beat the Braves has been the same since 1991: Approximate their starting pitching, then beat their bullpen. This bullpen has been a bear to beat. These relievers don’t blow leads — the Braves are 31-1 when ahead after seven innings — and that doesn’t offer the full measure. What’s significant is that these Braves have already won seven games that were tied after seven innings.