Chinese Crested Dog and A.J. Pierzynski (Catcher, Chicago White Sox)

Since his ill-advised dye job a couple of weeks ago, A.J. has looked even more obnoxious. According to Wikipedia, Chinese Crested males "can become slightly aggressive as they age." A.J. has been slightly aggressive since he passed age seven, as Miguel Olivo of the Royals can attest. I'd love to link to video of the "fight," but MLB has shut down all of the YouTube links for copyright claims.

Before two gut-wrenching losses to the Boston Red Sox the past couple of evenings (thanks, bullpen!), the Minnesota Twins were the hottest team in baseball, having won 18 of their last 21 games dating back to June 13. The Twins' offense has been surprisingly good this season despite having only a couple of players (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) whose names would be recognized by more than a few people outside the Land of 10,000 Lakes. One of the keys to their offensive resurgence has been the play of two rookies, Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla. They have added speed on the basepaths and on defense, giving the team a dimension they lacked last year.

The Detroit Tigers finally are showing signs in the past week of emerging from their first-half malaise, and outfielder/DH Marcus Thames has been a big part of their resurgence. Thames has eight hits in the Tigers' last seven games, which wouldn't normally be that unusual, except for the fact that all of those hits have been home runs.

(Ed. Note: Marcus Thames actually hit his eighth home run in this streak as this article was being posted.)

At the beginning of this season, the Chicago White Sox thought they knew what to expect from the heart of their order. Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye have powered the lineup since Thome arrived in 2006. Joe Crede was expected to return from a back injury, which ruined his 2007 campaign. Two high-profile trades brought in center fielder Nick Swisher and shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who had built successful careers on the West Coast. But the player who has had the biggest impact on Chicago's offense — and cemented himself in the third spot in the batting order — in the first third of the season, was an afterthought as spring training began: left fielder Carlos Quentin.

During this past off-season, AL Central teams were involved in as many significant trades as any division in baseball. There are many new faces in the division, some of whom have performed better than those they replaced, and some who haven't. In honor of the one-third mark of the season, we're going to make the newcomers to the neighborhood welcome by providing them with between one and five tasty, home-baked casseroles, depending on their impact and performance thus far.

(Ed. Note: These casseroles are meant to be for your imagination. Author Joel Gillespie wanted to put clipart photos of digital casseroles into the post. No, he is not on drugs.)

It’s been almost two months since I kept a running diary of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox’ opening day tilt, so it’s about time to check back in with the clubs and see where they’re at. On Memorial Day, Paul Byrd squared off against Javier Vazquez, and Smile Politely was there (in front of the TV, with finger poised over the mute button as CSN‘s coverage began).

Coming into the 2008 season, Curtis Granderson’s Detroit Tigers were the odds-on pick to win the American League Central. With their addition of Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria and Jacque Jones, the Tigers were expected to pummel opponents into submission with an offense that some commentators predicted would score over 1,000 runs. Granderson was poised to propel that offense from his leadoff spot.