gimme fever

Too early for pennant fever? Nah. It’s the All-Star break and temperatures are rising. Mississippians look to be at the center of several title chases, and a horde of ex-Mississippi Braves are contributing in Atlanta, which has the best record in the National League. But let’s start in Colorado, where the surging Rockies have joined the NL West race. Jackson’s own Seth Smith, the early leader for the second annual Cool Papa Bell Award (see previous posts), has helped fuel Colorado’s rise, hitting .287 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs. The Rockies like his pinch-hitting abilities, but they might be wise to give him more starts in the outfield. Also in the NL West race is former Delta State star Eli Whiteside, still getting plenty of at-bats as the backup to Buster Posey at catcher for San Francisco. In the NL Central, surprising, first-place Cincinnati recently called up Ole Miss alum Matt Maloney, who pitched well enough in his two starts (3.09 ERA) to merit sticking around in the second half. In the NL East, former Rebels star Chris Coghlan (.268) has overcome a slow start and is one of the reasons Florida has hung within shouting distance of Atlanta. The return of Vicksburg native Taylor Tankerlsey to the Marlins’ bullpen hasn’t hurt their cause. Texas has suddenly become the sexy team in the American League. Forget Cliff Lee’s ragged first start for the Rangers on Saturday; the Meridian Community College product will play a huge role down the stretch, as will Starkville native Julio Borbon (.280 after a slow star). Ole Miss alum Matt Tolbert should get another chance to contribute in Minnesota, with the Twins in a heated battle with Chicago and Detroit in the AL Central. In the AL East, Nettleton’s Bill Hall, now starting at second base, has begun to hit a little more for injury-ravaged Boston, and former Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon has been his usually reliable self with 20 saves for the Red Sox. Former Gulf Coast CC standout Fred Lewis (.276) has been a revelation as Toronto’s leadoff batter. And East Central CC product Marcus Thames homered and drove in two runs for the first-place New York Yankees on Sunday. If he can just avoid stepping on his own bat and stuff, Thames can provide the Bombers with power off the pine. And let’s not forget the wild card, Weir’s Roy Oswalt, who’ll impact a division race wherever he lands in the inevitable trade by Houston.
P.S. Ex-Itawamba CC star Desmond Jennings went 0-for-3 in Sunday’s All-Star Futures Game but managed to get on base three times and score three runs. He can make things happen. Former M-Brave Mike Minor threw a perfect inning for the victorious U.S. stars. … Ex-M-Brave Anthony Lerew played an unwitting part in a milestone on Sunday, serving up Andruw Jones’ 400th career home run as the White Sox shelled Kansas City.