long climb

Drafted in the 50th round — the last round of the MLB draft — in 2006, Jarrod Dyson faced some long odds in getting to the big leagues. Consider them conquered. Dyson, a McComb native who played at Southwest Mississippi Community College, made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night as a pinch hitter. He drew a walk and scored a run in a 10-3 loss to Minnesota. Tonight, he pinch ran, this time in the ninth inning against the Twins. His best tool is speed — 131 minor league steals in 162 attempts — and he showed it by swiping second. He was stranded there as the tying run when the game ended. KC lost 4-3. Dyson, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound outfielder, moved through four levels of the minors to reach The Show this season. He hit .272 with 13 steals at Triple-A Omaha. The Royals figure to give him a long look.

spotlight on ...

Matt Tolbert is making the most of his opportunity to play for Minnesota as the Twins try to fend off Chicago in the American League Central. The former Ole Miss star, filling in at third base for injured Danny Valencia, had a career-high five RBIs and two triples on Saturday, drove in another run on Monday and rapped an RBI triple on Tuesday. The Twins won all those games. He also made a diving stop Tuesday that was included in the top plays of the day by both ESPN and MLB Network. Tolbert, born in McComb, is a product of little Centreville Academy in Woodville. He played four years at Ole Miss and was a 16th round pick by the Twins in 2004. It took him four years to reach the big leagues. He hasn't been a star, but the 6-foot, 185-pound switch-hitter has held his own, batting .249 in 147 career games. And with the Twins, September is meaningful, this year and almost every year it seems. As Tolbert told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "(E)verything counts out there, every play, situation, whatever it might be." Sounds like fun.

being there

He didn't get in Monday night's game at San Diego, but John Lindsey's official debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers is just a matter of time. The watch is on. It's hard to imagine how the Hattiesburg native will feel. After 16 years in the minor leagues, he is finally wearing a big league uniform. At age 33, he's in The Show. Lindsey hit .353 with 25 homers in Triple-A this season, but it didn't look like the Dodgers would make a spot for him. Until Sunday. "You reward people for the right reasons, including heart," LA general manager Ned Colletti told ESPN the Magazine. When Lindsey debuts, he'll be the oldest non-Asian player to make his first appearance since former Jackson Mets catcher Alan Zinter, who, at age 34, got the call from Houston in 2002.

flashback

Fans in the stands at Trustmark Park next April 7 might be a little confused. The Jackson Generals will be in Pearl to play the Mississippi Braves. No, not those Generals. Lance Berkman and Bobby Abreu and Billy Wagner aren't going to make a ghostly return. The old Texas League team is long gone. This will be the new Jackson Generals, the Southern League team formerly known as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Of all the nicknames they could have picked, they resurrect "Generals" for the club in Jackson, Tenn. Very strange. So don't expect to see the Rally Gator or General Trash at the TeePee next year. Just a team called the Generals. Try not to cheer.

on this date

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Bobby Thigpen's major league saves record. The former Mississippi State standout notched his 47th save of the year on Sept. 3, 1990, with the Chicago White Sox. He went on to post 57 saves that season, a record that stood until 2008 (Francisco Rodriguez broke it). Thigpen, whose major league career lasted from 1986-94, finished with 201 saves and a 3.43 ERA. Despite that relatively short tenure, his place in history is secure.
P.S. On the subject of former Bulldogs and saves, Jonathan Papelbon pitched into and out of trouble against Baltimore on Thursday night to record his 35th of the year. He is the first pitcher in major league history to have at least 35 saves in each of his first five seasons. Just when you think the Boston Red Sox closer is starting to sink, he rights his ship. He has made eight straight scoreless appearances and is 6-for-6 in save opportunities over that stretch. The Red Sox continue to count on him — as they should.

debut alert(s)

Within moments tonight, former Itawamba Community College star Desmond Jennings and ex-Mississippi Braves standout Freddie Freeman made their first major league plate appearances. Jennings, hitting second for Tampa Bay, grounded out to third. Freeman, batting sixth for Atlanta, smashed a ground ball up the middle, but New York had a shift on for the lefty swinger and the result was a routine 6-3. Freeman became the 47th M-Braves alumnus to reach The Show.

wild pitches

Former Mississippi Braves Freddie Freeman (no surprise) and J.C. Boscan (pleasant surprise) are among the Atlanta Braves' September call-ups. Freeman likely will take over first base next year. Boscan, who'll be the third catcher down the stretch, is getting a well-deserved courtesy call-up. He has logged 14 years in the minors. He was a key figure in the M-Braves' championship run in 2008. Remember the "I Smell Blood" t-shirts? He's a good defensive catcher and a good guy. His perseverance has been justly rewarded. ... The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2011 includes four baseball-connected figures: Former Mississippi State ace Jeff Brantley, Delta State coach Mike Kinnison, former Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer and Con Maloney, who some might think is an odd choice. Well, like him or not, the outspoken Maloney was an iconic figure in Jackson as the owner of the Texas League Mets and Generals in the 1980s and '90s. The franchise likely wouldn't have been here 25 years had he not stepped up to buy it. He also led the group that took ownership of the independent Senators, who would probably still be playing at Smith-Wills Stadium had the M-Braves not moved into Pearl. Maloney also launched the popular Maloney Trophy Series, in honor of his father, featuring small college powers Millsaps, Belhaven and Mississippi College. ... Louisville native and former East Central Community College star Marcus Thames had an awesome August for the New York Yankees. He hit six homers in a six-game stretch at the end of the month and is hitting .310 with 10 bombs overall. The Yankees signed him to a minor league deal in the off-season after he slumped with Detroit in 2009. Looking for a right-handed power bat, the Yankees found it. ... Former Meridian CC standout Cliff Lee has not been the difference-maker Texas was looking for. Lee, roughed up by Kansas City on Tuesday, is 0-3 with an 8.28 ERA in his last five starts for the Rangers and 2-5, 4.69 since they acquired him from Seattle. What's up with that? ... And former M-Brave Jeff Francoeur, apparently found wanting by the New York Mets, is on the move to Texas, where it's hard to figure how he fits in. Maybe there is real concern about Josh Hamilton's injuries. Still think that someday, somehow, Francoeur will make a return to his hometown Atlanta for a stretch drive. It may be a few years, but it could happen.