Nevermind what Carlos Delgado did last season, he is poised for a big second half for the Mets.

Where is the Batman?

If I didn’t know better, he was in Yankee Stadium, belting nearly 30 bombs in the first round of the Home Run Derby this week. I bring you this column nearly as the sun is rising, fresh out of a midnight showing of The Dark Knight.

I usually choose to use this space to add in a niche topic on fantasy baseball, but I feel like what director Christopher Nolan has done is worthy of going into this space while so fresh in my head. Much like checking a box score and looking for your fantasy players, the first thing many potential moviegoers are bound to ask is, “Is the Heath Ledger hype worthy?” I’m here to affirm that question, however steep that hype may be.

Furthermore, with confidence I can say that if you have not been in a movie theater yet in 2008, this is the one film worth paying an overpriced ticket for. In any other situation, Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, starring as Batman and Harvey Dent, respectively, would be show-stealers. Nolan portrays the masked hero with such a powerful, developing personality the likes of which we’ve never seen but perhaps in his first endeavor, Batman Begins. As for Dent, those who know the story well, see his full transformation come to light as well.

All in all, Ledger accomplishes what so many actors, directors and writers aspire to develop: a character everyone loves to hate (not quite the Yankees, but nevertheless). Only the posthumous actor can describe his role as the Joker best, as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.” Regardless, while Ledger steals the spotlight, each main character seizes the spotlight in their own right, alongside other solid supporting performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine and others. Still for sports fans, it may rank second after that other certain performance on Monday.

Meanwhile, as Francisco Liriano grieves, his old teammate Johan Santana surprisingly struggled against a team that typically gives right-handers trouble in the Reds. Santana’s control was off tonight in a short outing that raised his ERA on the season to 3.10, along with a 1.22 WHIP. The long ball is down from his pace in 2007, but as reliable as he is, it still reaffirms my belief that even someone a cool-handed as Santana should be nothing higher than a second-round draft pick.

In a related story, owners who cut Carlos Delgado fearing that last year was a sign of his decline are kicking themselves across the world. Look, April was a fluke. Delgado might not be the slugger of 2006 when he mashed 38 home runs and 114 RBIs, but he’s not quite as bad as last season suggested either. Knock on wood, Delgado will likely finish with more games played than the past two seasons, and is set to draw walks that are much more on pace with his previous years than the aberration that was his prior campaign.

Here in Detroit, optimism remains high that the playoffs are still in reach. Look, no one’s knocking the hitting. Gary Sheffield will be under meticulous watch over the next several weeks despite a two-run shot that helped power the Tigers to victory over Baltimore last night. Matt Joyce and Marcus Thames, who also added his eighteenth shot of the season, are great stories, but in a division with little room for error after a the team’s slow start, they don’t seem to be enough to put the Tigers over the top. Nothing suggests that Edgar Renteria is a buy-low candidate, and Pudge Rodriguez looks to be a free agent at season’s end. As great of a surprise as Armando Galarraga has been, a shallow rotation and a set of underachievers will doom Detroit this year.

Across the league divide, St. Louis has gotten a savior this year in Kyle Lohse. A pitcher who most expected to fill the back end of the rotation due to his career losing record, will undoubtedly top many career highs after improving his record to 12-2 against the Padres. Maybe the National League could have used this guy in the All-Star Game? Ask anyone who would have predicted Lohse would be sporting a 3.39 ERA during Spring Training and I would call them either a liar, or a fortuneteller. His numbers suggest a correction could be possible, but even an ERA in the upper-three range would make Lohse a good back of the rotation guy. The only number that sticks out are his decrease in home runs, which seems to be the result of improved composure on the mound; the ex-Philly hurler was a victim of big innings in years past and he seems to corrected that.

That’s it for the Grumble. I suggest everyone scope out some baseball Friday night; a number of great pitchers are on the mound, which should make for a number of good spot starts. Take a peek at my new column Extra Innings for that. And if you have some extra time and money, go see another bat while you’re at it.