Major League Musings

Jason Michael Barker

It's been a wild week in Major League Baseball, eh friends? Sit down, put your feet up and grab a cold tasty beverage as we embark on a journey of mystery, deceit and intrigue around Mr. Selig's world.

Our journey begins in Cincinnati, where one Ken Griffey Jr. is up to his old tricks. The year started off innocently enough for Junior, as he tried to guilt Hall of Famer Tony Perez into giving up uniform number 24. After settling for number 30, his dad's old number, Griffey got off to a slow start at the plate. After a particularly poor game, he allegedly stormed into the clubhouse demanding his old number back.

Later in the year, Junior had a bat fly out of his hands and into the stands. Happens to almost every player, right? Sure, except the bat happened to hit the daughter of Reds' owner Carl Linder. This wasn't Griffey's fault, of course, but it was a sign of things to come.

As Griffey's struggles continued -- we're talking about a career .300 hitter batting well below .250 -- he got into a shouting match with Griffey Sr. in the dugout on national television and the two had to be separated.

The saga continued this week, as Griffey Jr. mixed it up with Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman. Griffey took offense at the announcer's assessment that the centerfielder had failed to run hard on a single, which Brennaman felt could have been a double but for a wee bit o' hustle. Onlookers said the argument grew heated and even -- gasp! -- included profanity.

For his part, Griffey said he was suffering from a sore hammy. Brennaman, who has that "I don't take no crap from nobody" air about him, said he'd continue to point out when Griffey doesn't hustle.

This isn't the first time Griffey has been involved in something like this, either. Back in his early Seattle days, there was a similar incident with then-Mariners broadcaster Ken Levine.

What's this guy going to get himself into next? What would be best for everyone involved -- Junior, the Reds, and MLB -- is somebody telling him to shut his mouth and play baseball (it looks like Senior tried, didn't it?). Nobody will, though, because he's Ken Griffey Jr. Not that he'd listen anyway.

Next up is Minnesota, where the Twins agreed to a four-year contract extension with Christian Guzman. When I saw the headline, my first thought was "isn't he the shortstop who hits like Rey Ordonez?" Well, yes and no. Guzman's numbers last season -- .226/.267/.276 with only 22 walks -- conjure up images of St. Rey.

He's up to .263/.318/.426 this season, and while those numbers don't exactly rival those of Alex Rodriguez or Nomar Garciaparra, there is reason for optimism.

For one, Guzman is just 22 and has only been playing baseball since he was 16. Second, he's dramatically improved his walk rate, from a pathetic one walk per 19 at-bats to a nearly acceptable one per 12, and has cut down on his strikeouts as well. Third, he's upped his power production this season, adding 150 points to his slugging percentage. He'll likely hit double digits in homers (after hitting just one last season), and he has ridiculous 19 triples to go along with 20 doubles (after hitting just 12 last season). Finally, he's improved his stolen base percentage from 56% to 73%.

He's certainly no star, but given his age and improvement this season, it isn't unreasonable to think he might blossom into a productive player in the next couple of seasons. And now the Twins have him locked up for four seasons at what's presumably (terms were not disclosed) a reasonable price.

Have you noticed the tear Glenallen Hill has been on since joining the Yankees? In 20 games in pinstripes, Hill has torn the cover off the ball to the tune of .429/.459/1.000 with 12 homers and four doubles. It's not just him, however -- the four outfielders the Yankees acquired (Hill, Jose Canseco, David Justice and Luis Polonia) have all hit well since joining the club.

Justice, who has had the biggest impact, is hitting .331/.410/.631 in 160 at-bats. Canseco checks in at .333/.478/.576 in 33 at-bats, while Polonia has hit .344/.417/.500 in his time in New York. No matter how you slice it that's one heck of an OF/DH platoon.

Finally, there's the sad story of Tony Saunders. Saunders, if you recall, suffered a broken arm while pitching last season, and has since been working his way back to the majors. Everything had gone well through four minor league rehabilitation starts until his fifth start Thursday night, when he suffered yet another broken arm, in what doctors are calling "the same general area."

You have to feel bad for the guy. All he wanted to do is get back to doing what he loves, playing baseball, and after the horrible injury and he had worked for 18 months to get back. Now, doctors say any chance he had of pitching again is lone gone.

Fortunately, they also said he should regain normal use of his arm and a normal life. Unfortunately, that life won't include Major League Baseball.

Hang in there, Tony.

about the author

Never one to loaf around the office, Jason Michael Barker sometimes wonders whether Ken Griffey Junior has enough loaves for a whole bakery. If you know, why not tell him at drdjp@strikethree.com.

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