In watching a “Baseball Tonight” rerun this afternoon on ESPN, I learned that Jose Reyes has become the first non-outfielder since 1900 to record three straight seasons of 60+ stolen bases.  Reyes stole his 59th and 60th bases of the season Thursday night against Tony Armas and the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates.  I was initially floored by this statistic.  However, some of the awe was soon diminished because ESPN followed up “Baseball Tonight” with the World Sport Stacking Championships…now instead of being awe-inspired and motivated by Reyes, I’m depressed by kids who resort to stacking cups as a competitive hobby.  Still, if you manage to look past the Sport Stacking Championships and put Reyes’ record into context, the feat is damn-near unbelievable:

1. Reyes is the first infielder in 107 years to steal 60+ bases in three consecutive seasons.  Not even Hall of Famer/perpetual speedster Joe Morgan accomplished the feat.
2. The Mets had to all but teach Jose Reyes how to run differently after he strained his hamstring on three seperate occasions over the course of 2004. 
3. Rickey Henderson just recently joined the Mets coaching staff.  Think Reyes’ best years are behind him?  Umm, no. 

It’s hard to deny (trust me, I’ve tried) that Reyes is one of the most promising baseball talents in the league.  He has an arm like a canon and a frightening amount of power in a small frame.  And let us not forget, he can go first-to-home faster than a 12-year old can stack a bunch of cups. 

The sporting world is currently a mess. ESPN is reporting that former NBA referee Tim Donaghy plans to plead guilty to betting on games that he officiated. Later this week, Michael Vick will most likely plead guilty to a brutally descriptive dogfighting indictment.

Thank goodness Bobby Cox has given us a feel-good story in the world of baseball. Wait, is this a feel-good story? Cox set the major league record for ejections Tuesday night, getting tossed for the 132nd time in his career after arguing a called third strike on Chipper Jones in the fifth inning of the Giants-Braves game at Turner Field. The record caught few people by surprise - we here at Umpbump have been tracking Cox’s progress for a few months now. But, despite all the time to contemplate the meaning of this “accomplishment”, it’s still difficult to pinpoint how fans should feel. Right?

On one hand, just a few weeks ago, Cox himself admitted that approaching the record was downright “embarrassing”. On the other hand, the record signifies that Cox is a true player’s manager, a man that stands up for his players and their emotions. It’s a managerial approach that has garnered respect with ballplayers throughout the league, hence Cox’s reputable standing as one of the game’s all-time greats. In a post-game show on FSN SportSouth following Tuesday’s game, Chipper Jones suggested that he was “honored” to have been the player for whom Cox broke the record.

Perhaps the most notable characteristic of Cox’s record-breaking performance was what followed after he was ejected. In their next turn at bat, the Braves rallied to erase a 3-0 deficit on their way to a 5-4 victory. Many will claim that Cox’s shenanigans provided the Braves with the emotional spark to tally an important victory, keeping the team within arm’s reach of both the Mets and Phillies in the NL East. In a world where all that matters are wins and losses, shouldn’t this be the one thing that fans remember from Tuesday night?

Atleast one thing’s for sure - that’s how Bobby would have it.

After the Marlins dismissed manager Joe Girardi at the end of last season, they offered his job to Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton. When Pendleton passed, it was easy to guess why. Braves manager Bobby Cox is getting long in the tooth (whatever that means) and most everyone figured Pendleton had been promised Cox’s job. The safe bet was that Cox would step down at the end of the 2007 season and Pendleton would take over.

Then the Braves gave Cox an extension through 2008. Then they traded for stud 1B Mark Teixeira. Now there’s new life breathed into Turner Field. The Braves, after And one wouldn’t blame Cox if he decided to stick around another year. Or two. Or three.

Which leaves Pendleton…where exactly?

Of course, he could always continue waiting for Bobby to retire. But here’s a crazy idea about where Pendleton might end up — Kansas City.

Royals manager Buddy Bell announced just yesterday that he will step down at the end of the season, so KC GM Dayton Moore needs to find a new skipper. There are already names being bandied about. According to The Sports Network, bench coach Billy Doran is a top candidates, as well as former Royals players such as George Brett and Frank White. But what about Pendleton, who has a relationship with Moore dating back to the GM’s days as John Schuerholz’s protege?

The Royals have been a terrible team for a long while, but lately they’ve shown signs of improvement. Although the Royals remain at the bottom of the American League Central, they have notched wins in five of their last seven games heading into this weekend’s road series with the Yankees. And they’ve had a winning record in each of the last two months.

So there are less appealing organizations (see: Pirates, Nationals, Orioles). And if you’re Pendleton, you’ve got to be itching for the chance to manage. Sure, Atlanta might be your first choice, but the more you think about it, Kansas City sounds better and better.

TBS is reporting that the Braves inked Julio Franco to a contract for the rest of the season on Wednesday afternoon. Franco struggled with the Mets earlier this season, batting a mere .200 in 50 at-bats. Regardless, as a Braves fan, I’m ecstatic to have Julio back in Atlanta. He is a devoted athlete that brings a charismatic, positive personality to the clubhouse. He is a team-player and a professional hitter. Those are just some of the reasons that I’m happy to have Julio back. Here are a few of the more uncommon reasons:

5. It’s refreshing to have someone slower than Brian McCann back on the team.

4. It will be amusing to hear Bobby Cox yell “Come on kid!” to a 48 year-old.

3. There’s a chance that Julio will revert back to his ’80s doo, giving Chipper some fresh ideas for his unfortunate facial hair.

2. When the lights go out at Turner Field like they did Monday night, the Braves can simply put Franco’s birthday cake in center field and let the candles do the work.

1. Bobby will never have to use Chris Woodward as a pinch-hitter ever, ever again.

Welcome back Julio.

“Hit Bull, Win a Steak.  Hit Grass, Win a Salad.”

The Durham Bulls’ bull, justly glorified in the 1988 movie “Bull Durham”, may have met its match yesterday in the form of Mother Nature herself.  As the story goes, any Bull who hits a homerun off of the wooden structure perched in left field wins a steak.  And yes, you guessed it - if a player hits the grass, he wins a salad.  What isn’t clearly defined by the slogan is what happens when Mother Nature ferociously rips the bull’s head off altogether.  From the Durham Bulls Media Relations:

“High winds with gusts over 50 mph ripped the head off of the Bull early Monday morning, ending the run of the junior bovine…’It was a sad sight to see when I arrived this morning,’ Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling said, “Mother Nature did what some pretty strong ballplayers never could.”

 Does this sadden anyone?  My friend Henry and I drove well out of our way to visit The Bull during a baseball road trip a few years back and were completely satisfied with what we experienced.  The Bull, a staple of the new ballpark in Durham, came complete with red eyes, smoking nose and lifted tail whenever the hometeam hit a home run.  In my opinion, the Bull successfully symbolized the roots of American baseball cinema…if there is such a thing.   

While reflecting on the beheaded bovine, I will take solace in the fact that the team has already contacted a “veterinarian of sorts” to put the Famous Bull back together again.  In the meantime, I hope Mother Nature enjoys her steak.