Dukes is an obsession, he's my obsession

Read about his suspension from the Rays last June. Read about his trade to the Nationals in December. About his opening day start in left field, his hamstring injury that night, his rehab assignments in the minors. His return to the big leagues, his incredible .038 batting average after 11 games, and then his ascension to stardom. Since that 1-for-26 start, Dukes went into Saturday night's game at Cincinnati hitting .300 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases in 40 games. He was slugging .500. He had thrown out six base runners from the outfield. He had five tools, all right, and they were all sharp.

So I girded myself to see him. Went to Great American Ball Park on Saturday to meet Elijah Dukes for the first time, and to speak with him for the first time since 2002.

He wouldn't talk to me.

"I don't talk before my game," he said.

After?

"I don't talk after."

During?

"Basically I'm not talking until we start winning."

OK then. There were other people to talk to, anyway.

Manager Manny Acta told me, "He's been our best player for over a month."

Infielder Aaron Boone told me, "He's a very talented guy -- more polished than I expected. The perception when he got here was that he had all that ability, but you didn't know that he really knows the strike zone. He has a plan, an approach at the plate."

General manager Jim Bowden told me he didn't like the Bo Jackson comparison.

"He's in between Kevin Mitchell and Eric Davis -- Mitchell's power and strength, but a two-way guy like Davis. ... You can win a pennant with (Dukes) in right, center or left."

Bowden also told me, "I know he has a good heart and is a good person. He's made some bad choices in the past, but I believe he'll make good choices in the future because his heart's in the right place."

And finally Bowden told me, "I wish him luck, as you do."

And I do. I do wish Dukes well. I've invested too much time, too much personal attention, for him to fail. That's why I was so excited Saturday. Excited to watch this supposedly scary guy interact with teammates before the game, playing cards with some, video games with others, playing catch with Dmitri Young's kids. Excited to watch his concussive, all-field power in batting practice. Excited to watch him double in the first. So excited that I left the press box after one inning to go study him in left.

And then horrified in the seventh when Dukes ran down a ball in the gap, twisted awkwardly and left the game on the back of a maintenance cart. Afterward it was discovered that he had injured cartilage and a tendon. He'll miss a month, maybe more.

This was my first look at Elijah Dukes, and it was a disaster.

Obsessions usually are.