The Cardinals, behind the tag team of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden, rank a surprising ninth in the NL in OPS at third — and David Freese, who is starting to hit at Class AAA, could reclaim the position soon.

Whenever I see your smiling face

Great practical joke by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. in response to new manager Don Wakamatsu's rule that the players must travel in coats and ties.

Griffey bought two sets of his ties for his teammates to wear — one that had his picture on them and one that had Wakamatsu's.

One scout says that Wakamatsu's tie rule is evidence that he has some of the same controlling tendencies as Buck Showalter, his former boss with the Rangers.

Mariners designated hitter Mike Sweeney, however, says that "everyone loves Wak, including Junior." Sweeney called Griffey's gesture "a sign of love and respect."

R. Ramirez: Sox's secret weapon

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell lavishes praise on right-handed reliever Ramon Ramirez, calling him "fearless" and raving about his work ethic.

"He's a dream," Farrell says. "He's low-maintenance, self-directed and he loves to compete."

Ramirez is nothing short of an elite reliever outside of Coors Field, where he pitched for the Rockies his first two seasons.

He owns a 6.62 ERA in 46 career appearances at Coors, a 1.93 ERA in 124 appearances everywhere else.