Miller Park beckons.

Well, Milwaukee's on the mind of most top players, John Burkett and Gary Sheffield notwithstanding. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming All-Star Game is tainted by a rash of players deciding to take out their anger at Bud Selig by spending three days with their families instead of autograph seekers, agents and agency reps looking for somebody to join Raffy Palmeiro in Viagra's ad campaign.

Ready or not, the midpoint of the season is approaching. It won't be long until players will be howling about being disrespected by the managers and others who put the All-Star teams together.

Here are 10 things to watch between now and then:

1. How long can Luis Castillo streak?
The Marlins' second baseman hit .263 a year ago, but he'll take a 31-game hitting streak into Tuesday's game against Cleveland.

	Luis Castillo Second Base Florida Marlins Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS AB HR RBI R SB AVG 261 2 16 40 23 .330

Castillo has already matched the longest streak in 15 seasons. His is the 37th streak of 30-plus games in the history of the majors and nobody has had a longer one since 1987, when Paul Molitor and Benito Santiago had hitting streaks of 39 and 34 games, respectively.

"It's too early to say Joe DiMaggio's [56-game] streak is in jeopardy," George Brett said. "It's too early. But in another three weeks, it might not be. Pretty soon it's going to be something that not only people in Florida are going to be concerned about, but people in a lot of places will be."

Castillo was hitting .262 on May 7. He's gone 54-for-139 since then, raising his average to .330.

"Right now I feel good," Castillo said. "I'm playing good defense, I'm running good, hitting. I have a lot of confidence. I can bunt, go the other way, do a lot of things to do my job. When you have everything going, you feel good." Ryan Dempster has seen it before.

"This is the Louie of 2000 here," said the Marlins' Dempster. "He's en fuego. When he's aggressive like he is now, he's dangerous. I would have no idea how to pitch him." Castillo's streak might be on fumes. He's had only one hit in nine of his last 12 games. But it's got to be fun while it lasts. It also should bring Castillo to the attention of teams looking to improve their lineup. He would be a good fit on the Dodgers, to name one contender.

2. Can Ken Griffey Jr. stay healthy?
Griffey has played in only 20 games so far. He missed 41 games when he tore a tendon in his right knee one week into the season and has been out since June 7 with a strained hamstring. He was limited to pinch-hitting duties over the weekend against Pittsburgh.

"I don't know what to say," Griffey said about the latest injury. "This is what I do, this is all I do. I don't think people know what it's like, what I've gone through the last two freaking years. I just want to play, that's all. Why can't I just play?"

It's typical Griffey luck that the Reds are hosting Seattle and Anaheim in interleague games this week. If those matchups were on the road, not in Cincinnati, he could use the DH rule to help work himself back into the lineup.

Bob Boone hopes Griffey will be able to play Tuesday but will see how he's moving in BP before committing himself.

The Reds need Griffey, who is hitting .211 with two homers in 57 at-bats. They are 6-7 in June and on Sunday fell into a tie for first with St. Louis. They had led by themselves since April 26, a stretch of 51 consecutive days.

3. Can the Twins finish strong?
Given their second-half fade a year ago (30-45 after the All-Star break), the Twins will take as big a cushion they can get over the White Sox and Indians. They're currently on a 92-win pace with a five-game lead over Chicago and Cleveland.

Minnesota plays road series against the Mets and Phillies before returning to the Metrodome for a four-game series against the White Sox. That could be a key series.

The Twins and White Sox haven't yet met. That means the game on June 24 is the first of 19 times they'll play. Minnesota owned the Sox a year ago, going 14-5. It may only be June, but such a head-to-head series will bring a feeling of urgency.

4. Who'll emerge as the Giants' first baseman, rookie Damon Minor or slumping veteran J.T. Snow?
With Snow hitting only .210, the 6-7 Minor is making a move to claim the position. He's hitting .304 with five homers in 56 at-bats, although Oakland held him to an 0-for-6 over the weekend in the Bay Bridge Series.

"It bothers you, yeah," Snow said. "The only thing you can do is come to the ballpark and try to get your work in, do extra hitting and try to turn it around. If you do that, you can look yourself in the mirror and say, 'I'm giving it everything I've got.'"

Snow has been here before, of course. The Giants added Andres Galarraga down the stretch last year. "If you've been through it before and you've got a track record, you've got to believe in yourself that you're going to turn it around," Snow said. "That's how I feel.''

5. Will Rafael Palmeiro still recognize ivy?
When Texas plays the Cubs this week, Palmeiro returns for the first time to the ballpark he once named his dog for. Along with Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez, it will be the largest collection of likely Hall of Famers at Wrigley since the 1990 All-Star Game.

Palmeiro, who was traded by the Cubs to Texas for Mitch Williams (among others), hasn't played at Wrigley Field since 1988. Jim Frey is believed to have chosen Mark Grace over Palmeiro as the Cubs' first baseman of the future, but Palmeiro says they could have played together for years. He was a left fielder back then.

"It would have worked out fine," Palmeiro said. "I don't think I would be any different as a player. Left field was no problem. I could have played left field."

Palmeiro, who has been bothered by a sprained left ankle and a straight right calf, would love to be in the lineup all three games at Wrigley. But his start on Saturday in Houston marked the first time he's started at first since May 11.

6. Do the White Sox still need Frank Thomas?
Jerry Manuel sat Thomas all weekend at Wrigley Field, keeping Paul Konerko at first base. Given that Thomas has as many RBIs as Sammy Sosa, it's a sign of the relative strengths of Chicago's two teams that the Big Hurt could be benched.

With series at Philadelphia and Atlanta before returning to the American League schedule, Manuel makes no promises about Thomas' playing time. "There are plans, but Paul Konerko has played first base well and he's one of the league leaders in RBIs," Manuel said. "He's a big part of our offense. Hopefully we'll find a matchup suitable to put Frank out there."

With Jerry Reinsdorf holding the right to defer all but $250,000 per season if Thomas formally falls from the ranks of elite hitters, you wonder if the weekend was a precursor to a future that finds him in another uniform.

The feeling here is he'll be with the Sox through 2006, whether they need him or not. Given the economic climate, Thomas (who can void his deal if Reinsdorf exercises the so-called revised payment right) isn't going to find a better deal than the one he has, even if he has to borrow against his deferred earnings.

7. Are those battle drums in the distance?
The Players Association continues to weigh whether to hold a meeting of player reps on July 8, the first day of the All-Star break. But since floating a trial balloon last month about possible strike dates, the union has kept a low profile.

After the latest round of talks, some on the management side are encouraged about negotiating a new agreement without a work stoppage, but the players are still expected to set a strike date. The stakes seem too high for players to actually walk but this bears watching -- unfortunately.

8. Will the Cubs have one too many closers?
Tom Gordon, who has been disabled since March with a torn muscle near his shoulder, is thrilled with the progress he's made in his rehabilitation. Don Baylor said he showed "outstanding" velocity during a recent workout, and Gordon says his curveball is the best it's been since 1998.

He's expected to spend the next two weeks working in game conditions and could join the Cubs in early July. Baylor says Gordon will join Kyle Farnsworth in a set-up role, with Antonio Alfonseca remaining the closer.

"It's his decision," Gordon said. "But I know what I'm capable of doing. As long as teams see that I'm back and healthy, somebody's going to want the best closer in baseball."

9. Is Chris Chambliss the answer for the Mets?
The Mets will use the next three weeks to determine if their pursuit of Atlanta is realistic. The best barometer will be run production.

Despite the addition of Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz in the offseason, the Mets are outscoring only San Diego, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, the Cubs and Milwaukee. That's hard to fathom.

Chambliss, who was hired last week to replace Dave Engle as hitting instructor, knows his No. 1 assignment is jump-starting Vaughn, who is batting .237, and the .203-hitting Burnitz. Roger Cedeno (.242) and Rey Ordonez (.240) also demand attention.

If the Mets don't get rolling after taking two of three from the Yankees, GM Steve Phillips is likely to get active in trying to trade salaries. Pitchers Shawn Estes and Steve Trachsel are among the commodities who might interest others.

10. Can the Cardinals pull away from the Reds?
The way Albert Pujols is swinging the bat, that's a real possibility. After a somewhat slow start, Pujols is hitting .312 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 48 June at-bats. He projects to finish with 34 homers and 111 RBIs -- both down from a year ago, but the recent trend shows those projections could rise.

St. Louis has gone 22-9 since being 16-20 on May 11. The Cardinals have won lately without closer Jason Isringhausen but he should be back this week. Keep an eye on St. Louis. Soon the Reds could be just trying to keep them within sight.

	Tanyon Sturtze Starting Pitcher Tampa Bay Devil Rays Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W-L IP H K ERA 14 0-7 92 111 56 4.79

Spotlight: Devil Rays right-hander Tanyon Sturtze
If persistence was measured in crawfish tails, Sturtze could feed everyone at New Orleans' jazz festival. Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter has made 14 starts without getting a victory but he's anything but a beaten man.

Sturtze, who has been supported by an average of 3.6 runs per start, has worked nine innings in both of his two most recent starts and five-plus in all 14. He held Florida to three hits and two runs last Friday, but it took the Devil Rays 14 innings to get the win. In the start before that, he held San Diego to seven hits and two runs in a game the Rays would win in 10 innings.

While Sturtze is 0-7, his 4.79 ERA is better than three pitchers who have won at least seven games -- Rick Helling (7-5, 4.80), Ryan Drese (7-4, 5.50) and Eric Milton (8-5, 5.50).

New face: Orioles right-hander Travis Driskill
For a team operating with financial restrictions, the Orioles have built a surprisingly good season around their resourcefulness. Driskill, a 30-year-old right-hander signed as a minor-league free agent, and Mexican import Rodrigo Lopez are outperforming Chan Ho Park and several others who were out of Syd Thrift's price range.

Driskill is a former fourth-round pick of the Indians who spent part of 1998 with the Yakult Swallows in Japan. He had been with Houston's Triple-A team for two years before signing with the Orioles.

In five starts since prospect Sean Douglass failed to hold onto his spot in the rotation, Driskill is 3-0 with a 3.62 ERA and Baltimore has won all five of his starts. His most impressive win was at Yankee Stadium on June 5, when he held the Yankees to three runs over 7 2/3 innings.

Team to watch: Atlanta Braves
Aren't the Braves even going to tease us this year? It looks like they're headed to their 11th straight division title without even a hint of the midseason concern they had in recent seasons.

Since May 21, they have gone 18-5 to climb to 41-28. During this stretch they have gone from third place, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets, to first place, 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Expos.

It's been a while since there has been a comfort zone this time of the year at Turner Field. In 2001, they finished June in second place, one game behind the Phillies. In 2000, they were in first, but only by two games. In 1999, they ended June with a three-game lead.

Atlanta is winning the way it always does. It has outscored the opposition 125-68 over the last 23 games, which translates to fewer than three runs per game allowed. The most impressive thing is the balance of the starting rotation. None of its starters have lost more than once since May 14.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.