Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations:

- The Toronto Blue Jays are in first place. I wonder when was the last time you could say that?

- Carl Everett is off to another hot start. He's hitting .364 with 1 HR and 6 RBI. Is it me or does Everett always seem to get off to a hot start? He seems like a fantasy sleeper who should be dumped prior to the All-Star break.

- Shea Hillenbrand is tied for 2nd in runs scored in the AL. This is an indication of the strength of the Blue Jay line-up. There may not be a single All-Star in the line up but there also doesn't seem to be an easy out (except for the catcher).

- Pedro Martinez leads the NL in strikeouts with 21. With Randy Johnson now in the AL - Pedro could lead in this category from wire-to-wire. In the AL - Johan Santana leads with 17. I don't think the Big Unit is going to lead the AL this year. I think that Santana takes the strikeout crown for a second straight year.

- Nomar Garciaparra is off to a very slow start for the Cubbies. So far he is hitting just .143 (4 for 28) with no HR.