St. Louis, MO: Hey Joe. I was wondering what you thought about Bo Hart. Is this a mirage or is the kid this good. I know he won't stay hitting .500, but could he stay around .300. How good is he really?

No one knows. A lot of guys are late bloomers. He could be one of those guys who took some time in the minors to really find himself. I am happy for him and pulling for him to do well. I'm fond of second basemen ; )

[Mike: Ah, Mo St. Louis, the greatest sports fan in the country. It's a pleasure.

Look Hart isn't Jim Morris for goodness sake. He's 26. That's certainly not young, but it's far from old.

Hart was batting .301 in Memphis and Baseball Prospectus says that's equivalent to .285. If the Cards get that out of him until Cairo returns, they will be happy.

By the way, his full name according to ESPN is Bodhi J. Hart Hart. That's cool cool.]

Matt, Philadelphia, PA: Hi Mr. Morgan... What do you think of the Phillies chances in the East? Sure, I'm a biased fan, but I personally think the Phillies could win it. They have the best overall pitching in the division; if only their bats would wake up (I think they will, eventually). The Braves current method of winning (hit the tar off the ball) doesn't ensure long-term success, the Phillies have handled them well so far, and there's still a ton of the season left. Your thoughts? Thanks much!

I don't know if anyone can ever complain about the Braves. They are still the team to beat. The Phils problem is still on the offensive side. Burrell was a stud last year but isn't putting up the same numbers. You say they will hit .. but I'm not sure. It's a different story if you don't hit in April or May but it's almost July. They will have to deal with that problem quickly. If you don't score runs you will not win. You can't just rely on pitching everyday.

[Mike: The Phillies have a great chance to get the wild card. I thought that they would win the division, but they are not convincing me. I also thought the Braves were playing way over their heads but if they are, they are still playing over their heads.

"[T]he Phillies have handled them well so far": So if the Phillies get to play the Braves exclusively, the division is theirs!

Their biggest problems are on the left side: at third, short, left, and center. Jimmy Rollins is a crowd pleaser. David Bell and {at Burrell have hefty contracts. So Marlon Byrd will probably be replaced by Kenny Lofton or some such. They should package Rollins to the Marlins for Mike Lowell and shift Bell to second and Polanco to short, their original positions. But they won't, and everyone will say I'm off my byrd for suggesting it.

"I don't know if anyone can ever complain about the Braves"? Who's complaining? What does this mean?

"You can't just rely on pitching everyday." Isn't that how the Braves won the division for the last couple of seasons?

Also, Joe should have addressed the comment, "The Braves current method of winning (hit the tar off the ball) doesn't ensure long-term success." It sure worked for the Yankees in the Thirties.]

Brent (Arlington, VA): Joe: I just got married on Saturday so please post my message! What do you think about Lou Piniella getting mad at Ben Grieve for not arguing a strike call in yesterday's game against the Yankees? Don't you think that getting on a player for something like that can be counter-productive?

I saw Piniella on SportsCenter yelling at Grieve but I wasn't sure why. IF that is the case, then I think Lou is saying the team is not aggressive enough. That is something I do agree with it, but not necessarily the way he did it. You have to fight for everything. He was probably just trying to get them to be a little more aggressive against the Yankees.

[Mike: The MBBR players present a scene from Bull Durham:

Crash Davis: They're kids. Scare 'em.

Skip: You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!

Larry: Lollygaggers!

Skip: Lollygaggers. (shaking head in shame)

He's got a young ballclub that he wants to keep focused. Lou has never been a reserved man. That has served him well so far. Why stop now?

And now here's a chain of foolishness.]

Justin ( Oklahoma City): Joe, What can you say about Juan Gonzalez' potential veto of is trade to Montreal? It doesn't seem good for the game and may end up hurting him in the long run. Do you agree?

I don't understand what you mean about it not being good for the game. It would give Montreal a good chance to get to the playoffs. But I'm interested in who they would have to give up. My understanding is they can't take on a lot of salary. I think it would be good for Montreal and Juan and good for the game. Texas is not going to the playoffs but the Expos could with Juan.

[Mike: The MBBR players now present a scene from Cheers:

[Phone rings]
Coach: [Answering phone] Cheers! Ok, wait a minute, I'll check.

[To bar]Is there an Ernie Pantusso here?

Sam: That's you, Coach.

Coach [into phone]: Speaking.

Good Coach impersonation, Joe.

The proposed trade would have been for prospects (if there are any left) and Texas would eat his salary. Of course, Gonzalez would have been airlifted out of Montreal, a la Cliff Floyd, by the trade deadline anyway.]

To be continued...