Welcome to Five Things I think I think, a new (if stolen) segment here at Covering all the Bases. Let's jump right in.



1. George Kontos deserves to be promoted to Triple-A

Since his arrival last season, all Kontos has done has impress. He led the organization in strikeouts last season (152 in as many innings pitched) and at times showed the ability to dominate.

In four starts this season Kontos has fanned 24 in 20 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just six earned runs in the process.

With at least two rotation spots open at Scranton on Friday and Saturday, Kontos is most certainly due to join former rotation-mate Eric Hacker in Northern Pennsylvania in the coming days.

2. ESPN needs to keep its agendas to itself

I hate to finally jump on the ESPN-is-biased bandwagon, but the network sure seems to hate Joba Chamberlain.

During last night's start against the Tigers, Dave O'Brien and Rick Sutcliffe began the telecast by saying that in order for Joba to avoid going back to the bullpen, he needs to start consistently hitting 95 miles per hour.

He did that.

Then, not surprisingly, the standard changed.

Once it was clear that Joba's velocity had improved, Sutcliffe suddenly said that even that wasn't good enough, and that he needed to hit the 98-99 that he was at when in the bullpen.

Clearly ESPN has made up its mind (wrongly, I might add) that Joba belongs in the pen, and it is willing to go to any lengths to make its "point."

3. A-Rod is crazy:
We all knew about the steroid charges leveled against Alex Rodriguez, but the claims that he tipped pitches to opposing hitters with whom he was friendly is what bothers me the most.

He says he only did it in blowouts, and I believe him. He might be a crazy, self-absorbed weirdo, but I really don't think he wants to sabotage the team. That said, I hope he never pitch-tipped during a game where the Yankees made a crazy comeback try, only to fall one or two runs shorts.

If investigations can prove that he did that even once, then Rodriguez deserves to be suspended. If he did it on a regular basis, then he deserves the Pete Rose treatment.

4. Scranton is going to be the jumping this weekend:

Not only are the SWB Yanks 17-3, but this weekend they get to face ... wait for it ... the Norfolk Tides!!!

That's right, those Norfolk Tides, the Orioles' Triple-A affiiate -- the team that includes the should-be-in-the-majors-right-now Matt Wieters and the should-be-in-the-majors-by-the-All-Star-break Chris Tillman, who pitches tonight against Jason Stephens.

If you want to see two of the game's top prospects before the get really famous (or in Wieters' case, REALLY famous), then you should make the drive to PNC Field.

5. Weird stat of the day: The Yankees have been caught stealing just twice this season -- and both times the victim has been a center fielder (Gardner once and Cabrera once).