Elijah Dukes has turned it on lately, and could be on his way to realizing his considerable potential.

A belated Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there. I spent my Father's Day eating until I couldn't eat any more, which I then followed up by, naturally, eating more. We had a family barbecue, at which there was enough food to feed a small country. Between the burgers and hot dogs and steak and chicken, and a three-sport orgy that included a Mets doubleheader, a US-Barbados soccer massacre, and the final round of the US Open, I was sufficiently entertained for seven hours. Of course, I ended the night coming perilously close to paying homage to the porcelain gods, but thankfully, my stomach acted with the heart of a champion.

Now that we've all become better acquainted through a brief discussion of last night's stomach issues, we shall move on to more important business of the day: Willie Watch 2008. That's right, Mets fans, Willie Randolph may or may not last until the end of this road trip. Of course, Willie Randolph was questionable to last to the end of the last road trip, or the last home stand. I don't know what to expect at this point, although I wish Omar Minaya would simply make a definitive statement already, one way or another. My guess is that Rick Peterson takes the fall for the Mets current struggles, and gets canned by the end of the week. While Peterson has done some decent things, he will forever be remembered for his statement that he could fix Victor Zambrano in “five minutes” which led the Mets to acquire him at the expense of Scott Kazmir. It sickens me to this very day, and I don't think you would have found many Mets fans who would have been upset had Peterson been canned the day after that trade.

Keep an eye on Elijah Dukes. Over the last two weeks, he has put up a .333 batting average, with a .448 on base percentage, to go with 3 stolen bases, and one home run. In typical Dukes fashion, he also got into a “heated argument” with manager Manny Acta. Dukes has always had all-world potential, and this recent run of success could be a stepping stone to fulfilling that potential. For now, he appears to be getting the opportunity, so keep him on your radar.

Yesterday, my colleague Matt Murphy mentioned that Clayton Kershaw is not ready for the big leagues. My only surprise with that is that he chose to target Kershaw, rather than the steaming pile of something undesirable that Homer Bailey has been since his call-up to the majors. Bailey still has the potential to a be stud starting pitcher, but with an 8.78 earned run average and a 2.11 WHIP, and only THREE strikeouts in 12 innings, he is definitely not ready for The Show. Avoid for now.

Forgotten man Rich Hill update. Since being sent down to Triple A to work on his control, Hill has struggled immensely with getting the ball over the plate. When he does, he is tough to hit, as evidenced by his 31 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. But, the 24 walks over that span is extremely troubling. With the Cubs doing well at this point, Hill is not likely to see a call-up any time soon. However, he could just need a change of scenery, as Lou Piniella has not worked wonders on the kid's confidence. If he does get traded somewhere, he could be worth a flier, as he has struck out almost a batter an inning in his major league career.

Don't look now, but here come the Detroit Tigers. Although they are still 5 games below .500, and maddeningly inconsistent, they have won six games in a row headed into tonight's game against the woeful San Francisco Giants. Since there is nobody in the AL Central who has really run away with things, the Tigers find themselves only 6 games out of first. The lineup is starting to come around, batting well over .300 during the last week. Everyone has led the charge, although Placido Polanco (.519), Miguel Cabrera (.370), and Edgar Renteria (.348) have been the most impressive over the last week. I predicted the Tigers would win the AL Central at the beginning of the year, and although early on, that looked like a terrible pick, I still feel somewhat optimistic that they will pull through.

That will do it for this week. May all your mustaches be Keith Hernandez-esque.