My guess is that Dukes will be headed to the D'Rays complex to work out with the rookie league team, and he will probably never show up in Durham. Bulls' management made it clear after last season that they didn't want the problem children back - especially Dukes.

-- MWE

Holy Cal Mc Lish, John! What a name you are making for yourself.
Why start at Tommy John when there are so many Thomases, like Frank?
And Frank sounds like Franklin, one of whom is Ryan, which reminds me of Nolan, which reminds me of Gary...

Whoa, what the hell happened there? 85 OPS+? Am I reading that right?

John Clayton from ESPN is reporting the Cincinnati Bengals have placed a waiver claim for Dukes and have offered Chris Henry as compensation.

And Frank sounds like Franklin, one of whom is Ryan, which reminds me of Nolan, which reminds me of Gary...

Funny, but I was just working on a string like that. Found something interesting; Gary Nolan's middle name is Lynn, which is of course Nolan Ryan's first name. So, the traditional Gary Nolan Ryan sequence can be lengthened to Gary Lynn Nolan Ryan.

So far, I'm up to JimGarryLynnNolanRyanHowardJohnsonFry

If you turn Jim into James, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.

Be careful, you can get caught in the infinite JamesRodneyRichardLeeJamesRodneyRichardLeeJames loop

If you turn Jim into James, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.

D'Oh!

ClaudeRaymondCharlesJamesGarryLynnNolanRyanHowardJohnsonFry

John Clayton from ESPN is reporting the Cincinnati Bengals have placed a waiver claim for Dukes and have offered Chris Henry as compensation.


The Trailblazers must be devastated

I was sort of hoping the White Sox would pull off a trade for Dukes, give him a new organization, and see what happens. Now, I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole.

Could this kid possibly get his head screwed on straight? Can he do it with the Devil Rays? Will another team give up a bucket of baseballs for this psychopath?

Bulls' management made it clear after last season that they didn't want the problem children back - especially Dukes.

So the Bulls demoted them to Tampa Bay. Pretty cool.

The decision allows the Rays to have it both ways with a player they still see as a valuable commodity. They could have simply released the Hillsborough High product after the trades they were known to be pursuing didn't pan out. But taking this route allows the Rays to look after Dukes' personal well-being - a stated desire of owner Stuart Sternberg's - while also leaving open the possibility that Dukes might see the light.

Should that happen, the Rays could eventually welcome him back as a contributor in his hometown or have an easier time dealing him to a less hesitant major-league opponent.

The exact steps Dukes will have to take to get back into the Rays' good graces aren't clear. He will undergo counseling, and presumably will have to avoid any further revelations...

Tampa Tribune

TommyJohnnyDamonBerryHillyHathaWayneKirbyPucKettleWirts

If you wanted to go a bit further.

He will undergo counseling

Good. When has that ever not worked?

If you wanted to go a bit further.

I tried, I ran out of character space. I had:

JohnAndreDavidOtTommyJohnnyDamonBerryHillyHathaWayneKirbyPuckett

But when I tried to enter it, I ended up with an animated gif of Jim Furtado flipping me off.

I guess that's the way the site lets you know 'no can do.'

Come to think of it, that happens whenever I hit "Submit Your Comment."

I guess BTF has an editorial feature.

Best Regards

John