‘The Kid’ not sleepless in Seattle

Baseball is going from the sport of Ks to the sport of zzzs.

Ken Griffey Jr., who at 40 still is called "The Kid," was sought to pinch hit for Seattle in a game Saturday, but he was asleep in the clubhouse, according to a report from the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune.

When pressed following the game as to why he had not used the left-handed slugger as a pinch hitter, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was evasive.

"He was asleep in the clubhouse," one player told the Tribune. "He'd gone back about the fifth inning to get a jacket and didn't come back. I went back in about the seventh inning, and he was in his chair, sound asleep."

Griffey said Tuesday he was available, or maybe he was dreaming he was available.

Adding to the wave of narcolepsy in Major League Baseball, New York Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez took a nap during Saturday's game while he was working as a TV analyst -- head on arms, face down in the announcers booth. The slumber was caught on camera and shown on MSNBC.com. But the former Mets first baseman deserves a break considering the game was in the 10th inning.

It's time amphetamines are allowed back into baseball.

■ NEW FOWL MASCOT -- Joe Mauer is losing his grip on being the most watched athlete in the Minnesota Twins' new ballpark, and it has nothing to do with missing a few games because of an injury.

The star of the night has been an American Kestrel, one of the smallest members of the hawk family. The bird tends to sit atop what has become known as the "fowl" pole in right field before swooping on large moths attracted by the stadium's lights.

The bird is similar in size to a robin. It preys on insects, small rodents and small birds.

It is eager for when the Blue Jays visit.

■ ENTREPRENEUR NEEDLES NFL -- Tim Tebow's No. 15 Denver Broncos jersey was a No. 1 seller last month, but one business has found a way for fans to get a cheap version.

NFLShop.com and FansEdge list "replica" Tebow jerseys for $80 on up; "authentic" jerseys run well over $200 on the Broncos' website, according to the Denver Business Journal.

A more thrifty version can be had by buying discounted jerseys bearing the name of the last Bronco to wear No. 15 -- wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who left the team recently for the Miami Dolphins -- and then having Tebow's name sewed on to replace Marshall's by embroiderer Daniella Grieve.

The discounted Marshall jerseys are going for less than $10 at some sports outlets in the Denver area. Grieve charges $20 for her work, which means Broncos fans can save more than $100 on their custom-embroidered Tebow jerseys.

In the four days after the Broncos drafted Tebow on April 22, he led all players in jersey sales, passing a draft-weekend mark set the previous year by rookie New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, Bloomberg News reported.

If Tebow's throwing motion doesn't improve, his jerseys might be on sale in time for Christmas shopping.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL