Long before he became GM of the Houston Astros — before he even worked in Major League Baseball — 45-year-old Jeff Luhnow performed several jobs that others would be satisfied to call careers. Engineer, management consultant, technology entrepreneur. Man of many hats, all of them fancy.

On Tuesday, after a little more than five months as the second-most powerful man in the organization behind new owner Jim Crane, Luhnow changed jobs again — to ticket-taking usher at Minute Maid Park for a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Sure, the Astros are outperforming most preseason expectations, but didn't Crane expect to have Luhnow running the show for at least a year or two? Actually, the job change isn't permanent, as Alyson Footer reports in her blog, it's part of a program the team is running called "Share the Experience." It's like "Undercover Boss" without the disguises and sneaking around. Luhnow even wore a name tag that said, "Jeff." (Along with a button that says, in English, "I speak Spanish." And he does. He was raised in Mexico City.)

You might be wondering: Was his entire experience like the 30-second video snippet? Did every fan passing through the south Home Plate Entrance on their way to their seat fail to recognize Luhnow during his two-hour shift?

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The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Three years in the making: Bryce Harper hit his third triple of the season already, and he drove in two runs against Roy Halladay to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory at Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The 19-year-old said in Mark Zuckerman's Nats Insider — in a post titled "Broad Street Beatdown" — that he's actually been scouting Halladay for three years and he couldn't wait to exploit a perceived weakness. Harper's two-run triple put the Nats ahead in the third inning and keyed their sixth straight victory at Citizens Bank Park.

"I've been watching him for about three years," Harper said. "He throws a first-pitch curveball to so many people, and they just let it get over the plate. So I was just really trying to get something up in that situation and get something going. We had two guys on, and you had to get them in."

Halladay, who came in with a dominating record against Washington, reflected on what's going wrong in Philly, which has lost four straight and is 21-23 overall.

Dodger time: The injury riddled Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 30-13 by picking up an unlikely 8-7 victory at Arizona. Ivan DeJesus muscled-up for a two-out, two-run, go-ahead double in the ninth against closer J.J. Putz, and shortstop Dee Gordon hung in there on defense to help turn an acrobatic game-ending double play with runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth. Arizona squandered a five-run lead in the seventh, and is 11 1/2 games out of first place. The Dodgers are 7-2 without Matt Kemp in the lineup.

Waino bueno once again: Adam Wainwright tossed his first shutout since August 2010, a 4-0 victory against San Diego, which gave the St. Louis Cardinals' top starter a big sense of relief. Wainwright said he told teammate Jake Westbrook this might be the best feeling he's ever had pitching — which is saying something given Wainwright's accomplishments. Waino missed the 2011 season because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery:

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The date has really snuck up on us, but the first round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft is set for June 4. The league will again try to make this a television spectacle on MLB Network with all 30 teams being represented in the league's Secaucus, N.J., studios by one or two notable players, coaches or front-office personnel.

You can find the full list here, but we've taken the liberty at listing 10 of our favorite men who've been enlisted to stand around for the cameras while the actual picks hide under their agents' desks until 10 minutes before the signing deadline on July 13. (Thank the good heavens that it's moved up this year.)

1. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees: He's the only active player enlisted for duty that night and you have to wonder how he drew the short straw from the Yankees, who have an off-day. Shouldn't Mark Teixeira be the one coming in for makeup work these days?

2. Ron Karkovice, Chicago White Sox: Some of you may suspect this post is just a poor excuse to get a picture of Ron Karkovice out on Big League Stew. Some of you are 100 percent right.

3. Roberto Hernandez, Tampa Bay Rays: One of Andrew Friedman's famed value bullpen pickups? Perhaps. But until then, he's just another member of the 1993 AL West-winning Chicago White Sox, who is apparently staying busy. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the Gene Lamont stories start flying in that green room!

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If the St. Louis Cardinals are to successfully defend their World Series title, they'll  have to do so without Lance Berkman.

That's the word from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss, who reports the first baseman believes he may have torn the ACL in his right knee during Saturday's game at Dodger Stadium. Berkman will undergo an MRI on Monday to see if the news is as bad as he expects it could be.

If Berkman's worst fears are indeed true, it obviously deals a serious blow to the Cardinals. Though St. Louis sustained Berkman's previous 21-game visit to the DL and got off to a 22-19 start — good enough for first place in the NL Central — losing the 36-year-old slugger for the entire year would be a much different story. Lose Berkman for the rest of 2012 and it suddenly becomes much more imperative for players like Rafael Furcal, Kyle Lohse and Lance Lynn to continue the hot starts that have allowed the Cardinals to earn a run-differential of +57, best in the National League and second in the majors to the Rangers.

[ Y! Sports Fantasy Minute: Fantasy baseball's most valuable closer ]

That's not to say the Cardinals can't overcome such a big injury. If they won the 2011 World Series title without Adam Wainwright atop the rotation, they can win in 2012 without Berkman. But it's going to take Allen Craig getting (and staying) healthy so he can replicate at least some of the numbers that Berkman (and Albert Pujols before him) posted at first. It'll also take Carlos Beltran continuing to be the Lance Berkman of 2012 — the smart and value-laden free-agent pickup who posts a top-1o MVP finish.

Putting the Cardinals' chances aside, a more melancholy question might be whether the last image we'll see as Berkman the player will be of him being helped off the field at Dodger Stadium. He tore the same ACL in 2005 and isn't at the point of his career where such a rehab will be easy. Since he's always contended that he doesn't want to finish his career as a full-time DH, perhaps the broadcasting booth — where he's almost guaranteed to be a hit — will look a little more attractive.

Berkman talked about his future in the Post-Dispatch: 

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In case you were wondering where former major leaguer Andy Van Slyke had gone, he reportedly was sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night, watching his son Scott Van Slyke hit his first major-league home run.

And a timely blast it was: The 25-year-old Van Slyke took reliever Mark Rzepczynski deep in the seventh inning for a pinch-hit, go-ahead, three-run homer, the key moment in a 6-5 victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Having won four in a row, the Dodgers at 28-13 sport the best record in the majors. They're winning with MVP candidate Matt Kemp out because of an injury (one of many injuries) and they're doing it with six sons of former major leaguers on the roster.

[Related: Dodgers put Matt Kemp on DL after streak ends]

Van Slyke's homer definitely made St. Louis Cardinals nation shout "Son of a ... !" considering it led to getting swept by the Dodgers. It also came on a 3-0 count when Van Slyke got a green light to swing from the bench. A rookie with a green light on 3-0? A son of a former Cardinals player, no less. And he totally pulled a reverse Jack Clark against Tom Niedenfuer in the '85 NLCS, didn't he?! Son of a ... !

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Josh Hamilton won over baseball on a summer night in the Bronx four years ago, putting on an unbelievable show of power in the home run derby at old Yankee Stadium.

[Photos: Josh Hamilton's big night]

On Tuesday night in Baltimore, the Texas Rangers star captivated all of baseball with his home run prowess again — this time during a regular-season game — swatting four homers off Orioles pitchers in a 10-3 win at Camden Yards.

"I always wanted to get three [homers] and I never did that," Hamilton told reporters after the game "Just thanking the Lord up above."

We make big deals about perfect games, but 21 pitchers have recorded one throughout baseball history. Only 15 other players have hit four home runs in the same game with the last one before Hamilton being Carlos Delgado on Sept. 25, 2003. No one has ever hit five home runs in a single game.

A few other facts about Hamilton's four-homer effort:

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The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Pure Metstasy: Jordany Valdespin did not get cheated on his first major-league hit. After going 0 for 6 in scattered duty earlier in the season, Valdespin returned to the majors and killed a splitter by Jonathan Papelbon for a go-ahead, three-run home run in the ninth inning Monday night, sending the New York Mets to a 5-2 victory at Philadelphia. The look of joy on Valdespin's face as he circled the bases pumping his fist was pretty cool — unless you root for the Phillies, of course. They wasted a nice bounce-back performance by Roy Halladay, who was coming off his worst start ever. The Mets didn't get away unscathed, though, losing catcher Josh Thole after he hurt his head on a play at the plate with Ty Wigginton. He was being treated for concussion symptoms.

No double dipping!: The ghost of Johnny Vander Meer can rest easy for another night. Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels took it easy on the Minnesota Twins this time, allowing three hits over six innings in an 8-3 victory at Target Field. In his previous start, Weaver had thrown the 10th no-hitter in Angels history, and was trying — they all try — to become the first pitcher to throw a consecutive no-no since Vander Meer famously did it for the Reds in 1938. Weaver seemed gassed after throwing 121 pitches in his previous start, but it was the Twins lineup — so being gassed isn't the end of the world.

''To have it happen once is pretty special,'' Weaver said. ''But to do it twice in a row, I don't see it happening ever again.''

Dotel checks out: So that's what life is like for the Detroit Tigers without closer Jose Valverde. Manager Jim Leyland chose to give him the night off after he made three consecutive appearances, instead turning to Octavio Dotel to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners. Dotel didn't protect so well, as the M's pushed across three runs to win 3-2. John Jaso hit a sacrifice fly to score Munenori Kawasaki with the winning run after Jesus Montero tied the score with an RBI double. Dotel threw only four of 16 pitches for strikes. Leyland also decided not to use setup man Joaquin Benoit, and it looked like he wouldn't need to after Doug Fister returned to the rotation and tossed eight shutout innings. Mariners starter Blake Beavan was hit on the right elbow by a line drive, but he's hopeful to make his next start.

Five, count 'em, five homers:

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As all baseball fans know, Cinco de Mayo is the day we celebrate Mayo Smith, a former major league manager best known for being the skipper of the 1968 Detroit Tigers. That team — which included pitchers Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich, along with sluggers Norm Cash, Al Kaline, Bill Freehan and Willie Horton — won 103 games during the regular season and beat the St. Louis Cardinals of Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Steve Carlton in the World Series.

Though he reportedly was viewed at the time as kind of boring — colorless like mayonnaise, if you will — Smith led a fascinating life in baseball, which was detailed wonderfully in a SABR biography written by Dave Raglin.

My favorite personal nugget: His full name was Edward Mayo Smith, but he went by his middle name, which one of his grandmothers picked because she had been a patient at the Mayo Clinic. No kidding.

Probably his most crucial decision as manager was to start Mickey Stanley at shortstop during the '68 Series in order to get Kaline's bat in the lineup in the outfield. The thing was, Mickey Stanley wasn't a shortstop.

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When it comes to sports-centered fashion statements, basketball sneakers are king.

New Era baseball caps, however, can't be far behind when it comes to ubiquity. The 59/50 caps are a part of everyday life, whether it's for someone supporting their local nine or someone looking to complete an outfit.

Because people wear the hats for a variety of reasons, I had always wondered what the top 10 best-selling caps list looked like. After all, this isn't like the best-selling NFL jersey list, which is largely dominated by success on the field. A different set of factors including colors, street influence and pop culture references can shoot a hat into the best-selling category.

Our friends over at Cardboard Connection recently obtained a list of the 10 best-selling New Era caps in 2011, which we confirmed with the company. Before we get to the top 10, a couple of thoughts about the teams that aren't listed.

• The most conspicuous absences are two classics: The Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers didn't make the top 10. While it's easy to figure why Cubs sales have sagged, the Tigers won a division title in 2011 and still have that Kid Rock/Eminem/Ty Cobb street cred. Maybe the addition of Prince Fielder will push them into the field next year?

• On-field success also didn't translate to bigger sales for the Texas Rangers or Milwaukee Brewers. I've never been a big fan of the Rangers "T," but you would have figured that two straight World Series trips and playing in such a populated market would've made a difference. As for the Crew, they keep drawing 3 million to Miller Park every year and it seems like everyone's wearing the old ball-and-glove cap each time I visit.

• We don't have access to the least-selling hats, but that would be an interesting list to view. I'd also be interested in knowing how team merchandisers view a spot at the bottom. Does that translate into uniform and logo changes?

OK, on to the 10 best-selling New Era hats for 2011:

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The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

This kid: In the span of five major-league games, Bryce Harper has gone from curiosity to essential for the Washington Nationals. Manager Davey Johnson batted the 19-year-old rookie third in the order Thursday night and Harper came through with a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning of Washington's 2-1 victory against Arizona. Harper had batted seventh in his first four games. He's 6 for 16 with four doubles so far.

''He's a baseball player,'' teammate Jayson Werth said. ''When you're a baseball player, you can be 15 or you can be 50. If you know how to play the game you can play.''

Can't top this (du, du-du-du): Anything that Jered Weaver can do, Brandon Morrow can do ... almost as well. A day after Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins, Morrow tossed a three-hit shutout at the Los Angeles Angels. Also backed by J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer, the Toronto Blue Jays won 5-0. It was Morrow's second career shutout, his other coming in 2010 when he struck out 17 against the Rays. That day, in Dave Stieb-like fashion, Morrow had a no-no broken up by Evan Longoria with two outs in the ninth.

"I missed more bats that night, but I think I pitched better tonight,'' Morrow said. ''My fastball command was really what did it for me. That's probably the best I've ever been with that. I mean, I felt like I could have hit that down-and-away strike with my eyes closed. I probably could have thrown all fastballs the way I was locating.''

Damn: In case you missed it, Mariano Rivera tore the ACL in his right knee shagging a fly ball during batting practice. He's probably out for the season. Perhaps for good. Rivera's loss also overshadowed a 4-3 loss by the New York Yankees at Kansas City. Mike Moustakas homered and drove in three runs, and Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was a tad better than Yanks rookie David Phelps.

Miami: A sound machine after all?:

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