Rarely does the best player on the best team in baseball not even come close to making the All-Star team, and rarer still would be a case where such a snub was deserved. But when that player in question is just coming off a mandatory and lengthy suspension for violating the game's drug policy, the only true reaction to his absence must be: thank goodness.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Albert Pujols will be in a familiar spot when St. Louis hosts the 80th All-Star game. Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is headed for a brand new situation.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Eric Wedge's job is safe for the rest of the season.
Derek Jeter helped Major League Baseball commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's luckiest man speech Saturday, reading the famous line from the icon's stirring words during a video tribute before the New York Yankees' game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Cleveland Indians have activated recently acquired right-hander Winston Abreu and designated Matt Herges for assignment.
Target Field has a target date.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Struggling Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with right wrist tendinitis.
Indians higher-ups say they aren't likely to trade hitting star Victor Martinez. Not only is Martinez one of the better hitters in baseball, with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and .313 batting average, but the Indians hold a bargain 2010 club option on Martinez for $7 million.
LOS ANGELES -- Like every other Hollywood diva who has been in trouble -- Winona, Paris, Lindsay, Nicole -- Manny Ramirez got his own T-shirt. It is white with royal blue script, the words "Free Manny" spelled in large block letters. Ramirez was so taken with the shirt he brought one into the Dodgers' clubhouse weeks ago and hung it in shortstop Rafael Furcal's locker. "I never moved it," Furcal said. "I never touched it." While Ramirez served his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, the T-shirt became a constant reminder of his presence, greeting teammates as they shuffled in and out of the showers.
"They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand." -- The Old Man and the Sea
Rarely does the best player on the best team in baseball not even come close to making the All-Star team, and rarer still would be a case where such a snub was deserved. But when that player in question is just coming off a mandatory and lengthy suspension for violating the game's drug policy, the only true reaction to his absence must be: thank goodness.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Albert Pujols will be in a familiar spot when St. Louis hosts the 80th All-Star game. Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is headed for a brand new situation.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Eric Wedge's job is safe for the rest of the season.
Derek Jeter helped Major League Baseball commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's luckiest man speech Saturday, reading the famous line from the icon's stirring words during a video tribute before the New York Yankees' game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Cleveland Indians have activated recently acquired right-hander Winston Abreu and designated Matt Herges for assignment.
Target Field has a target date.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Struggling Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with right wrist tendinitis.
Indians higher-ups say they aren't likely to trade hitting star Victor Martinez. Not only is Martinez one of the better hitters in baseball, with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and .313 batting average, but the Indians hold a bargain 2010 club option on Martinez for $7 million.
LOS ANGELES -- Like every other Hollywood diva who has been in trouble -- Winona, Paris, Lindsay, Nicole -- Manny Ramirez got his own T-shirt. It is white with royal blue script, the words "Free Manny" spelled in large block letters. Ramirez was so taken with the shirt he brought one into the Dodgers' clubhouse weeks ago and hung it in shortstop Rafael Furcal's locker. "I never moved it," Furcal said. "I never touched it." While Ramirez served his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, the T-shirt became a constant reminder of his presence, greeting teammates as they shuffled in and out of the showers.
"They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand." -- The Old Man and the Sea
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Right-hander Winton Abreu has been acquired by the Cleveland Indians from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league right-hander John Meloan.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals gave a $3.1 million signing bonus to 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, considered to be among the top amateur free agents from Latin America.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs have acquired infielder Jeff Baker from the Colorado Rockies for minor league right-handed pitcher Al Alburquerque and designated infielder Ryan Freel for assignment.
BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay married an American, has two American daughters and makes his living playing America's pastime.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Manny Ramirez will be back in big leagues on Friday night after a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. His return should be nothing short of a spectacle.
SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC -- Glance through the list of important dates that Major League Baseball issues every year. There's Mother's Day in May, Father's Day in June and don't forget the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game on July 12. What the calendar omits, however, is a date that has become the focal point in the procurement of Latin American amateur free-agents: July 2, the first day that MLB teams can sign 16-year-old international free-agent prospects who will be 17 years old by Sept. 1 of the following year is as unnoticed in the U.S. as it is front-page news in places such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
The other day someone I know pointed out that not so long ago, an All-Star voter's work was easy. He would punch his or her ballot for the most famous player at each position and be done with it. Today, though, perhaps because fantasy baseball is so popular and makes fans so much more aware of which players are having good years, people seem to take the whole thing more seriously and put some effort into actually voting for the "right" players. And this is, indeed, a shame.
Chris Davis takes a pitch over the middle of the plate, then glances back at the umpire for the inevitable call of "Strike three!"
Since May 7, all Juan Pierre has done in 48 games back in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting lineup is bat .319 with 32 runs and 21 RBIs to go along with 17 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases. Those are stats that put him near the top of the National League leaderboards over that stretch, and numbers that have helped the Dodgers maintain the best record in the majors and a six-game lead in the NL West.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball is expanding All-Star rosters yet again.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas City catcher Miguel Olivo has been suspended for one game for an animated argument with an umpire in Pittsburgh last Saturday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Shortstop Mike Aviles, Kansas City's player of the year last season, will undergo Tommy John surgery and be sidlined for up to 12 months.
MIAMI (AP) -- Florida Marlins president David Samson pulled out his cell phone, eager to show the proof that the team's long-awaited ballpark was closer than ever to becoming reality.
It is fitting that Tim Wakefield throws the slowest pitch in baseball, because no major leaguer better represents the Tortoise. Slowly and surely, one knuckleball at a time, Wakefield has become, perhaps, the most unlikely legend in Red Sox history.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- All-Star center fielder Josh Hamilton expects to return to the Texas Rangers lineup this weekend after a trip to Iowa for at least one more rehab game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates, swapping outfielders at a rapid rate for the second successive season, sent starting left fielder Nyjer Morgan to the Washington Nationals in a four-player deal involving outfielder Lastings Milledge and also shipped backup Eric Hinske to the Yankees on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners put star third baseman Adrian Beltre on the 15-day disabled list after shoulder surgery Tuesday and added newly acquired outfielder Ryan Langerhans to the roster.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Jimmy Rollins is back in Philadelphia's lineup after sitting out four straight games.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained right hip.
We've reached the end of the third month of a six-month season and triples, round-trippers and a single RBI make up the meaty goodness of this end-of-June version of Diamond Digits.
With only three days left before polling closes, it's time to recognize the players who should be going to the All-Star Game, as if Ben Zobrist and Aaron Hill have any chance of catching Dustin Pedroia in the balloting. My All-Star team is based purely on merit, not on popularity or some archaic rule that every team must send a representative.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former AL Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske was acquired by the New York Yankees from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday for a pair of minor leaguers.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Oakland Athletics rookie left-hander Josh Outman will have surgery on his pitching elbow Tuesday.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Even when Khalil Greene homered in his first three games after going on the 15-day disabled list with social anxiety disorder, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa held off celebrating.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell had fluid drained from his ailing right hip Monday in Boston, and received an injection that might relieve inflammation in his surgically repaired joint.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jeremy Jeffress was suspended for 100 games Monday after his third violation of baseball's minor league program for a drug of abuse.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Infielder Josh Barfield has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus by the Cleveland Indians, clearing a roster spot for newly acquired right-hander Chris Perez.
After a one-week vacation, we are back with the continuing evolution of an experiment that last appeared two weeks ago: a combination column with Boston Red Sox senior advisor and baseball writer extraordinaire Bill James ...
"Starting in K.C. he just said, forget about it," Cardinals center fielder Rick Ankiel said of his teammate Albert Pujols last week in the visitors' clubhouse at Citi Field. The Friday before, against the Royals, Pujols had begun one of those stretches -- five games, three home runs, 12 RBIs and eight hits in 19 at-bats -- that lead people, his awestruck teammates included, to joke that there must be something not entirely hominid beneath his flesh.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Manny Ramirez dropped one spot to seventh place in All-Star voting among NL outfielders with four days remaining in balloting for starters.
Earlier this season, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was standing on third base at Fenway Park in the fifth inning of a nationally televised game against the Yankees. It was a relatively common occurrence in an otherwise common game, but the idea that entered the mind of the 25-year-old Ellsbury was a very uncommon one. It was a decidedly mischievous idea, one so rare and so daring Ellsbury had never seriously contemplated it before, and had certainly never acted on it. But in that moment, he resolved to do something dangerous. He would steal home.
Jackie Robinson's famous steal of home at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series is one of baseball's iconic moments, thanks in part to the enduring still and "new" moving images of the play, and Yogi Berra's continued insistence that Robinson was out (for the record, Jackie appeared to get his toe in ahead of the tag when I played it back frame-by-frame on my HDTV). The Dodgers went on to bring Brooklyn its only world championship in that Series, but they actually lost Game 1, 6-5, making Robinson's the only steal of home in World Series history to come in a losing effort. Robinson's daring play remains memorable, but here are 10 steals of home that were more significant, starting with another by the groundbreaking Dodger.
The Detroit Tigers placed left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with what they're calling "a mass" in his left elbow.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Minutes after walking into the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse, Mark DeRosa was already getting tips from Albert Pujols. Manager Tony La Russa had him batting cleanup behind Pujols and DeRosa was happy to be with an NL Central contender after a half-season in the American League.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays became the fastest team to reach 100 homers and 100 steals by the All-Star break when B.J. Upton homered in the third of inning of Sunday's game against Florida.
The Cardinals acquired coveted infielder-outfielder Mark DeRosa from the Indians for young pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later, the Indians announced.
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (AP) -- Manny Ramirez went about his baseball business Saturday night, going through pregame stretching, shagging balls in left field and taking batting practice.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Milton Bradley was in the Chicago Cubs' lineup Saturday, a day after he was sent home by manager Lou Piniella following an angry outburst in the dugout.
TORONTO (AP) -- The World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies confirmed one of their players was involved in a confrontation with a fan following Thursday's game at the Tampa Bay Rays.
So often, David Wright can seem unflappable. It comes from the confidence of youth, the arrogance of success and the competitiveness of all great athletes, who are always measuring their performance against not just what their peers do but what they think they should be doing.
A 34-year-old man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals played the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
Turns out umpires are still learning the rules for instant replay, too.
The championship trophy appeared behind the Rosenblatt Stadium backstop with LSU still needing three outs to claim it, but with a seven-run lead the bold Tigers fans in the first few rows starting snapping photos of the soon-to-be Baton Rouge-bound hardware.
While waiting to pitch for the first time this season, and the first time in his storied career for anyone other than the Atlanta Braves, time stood still for John Smoltz. He was done with his pregame warmup session early and all he could do now was wait. For the man who had already waited through more than a year of surgery, rehab and minor league tuneups to get back to this moment, the delay felt interminable. "Each minute seemed like 10 minutes," he would say later.
An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in a crowded stadium parking lot after a Colorado Rockies-Los Angeles Angels game, authorities said Thursday.
Major League Baseball is cooperating with a federal investigation into where Manny Ramirez got the performance-enhancing drug that resulted in his 50-game suspension.
The president of the worst team in baseball is going through his "village idiot phase."
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ian Snell, the Pittsburgh Pirates' No. 2 starter, has been demoted to the minors after winning only once in his last 12 starts.
New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia threw in the bullpen before Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves and said he'll be ready to start the opener of a weekend series against the New York Mets.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tyler Clippard has been promoted from Triple-A Syracuse and Kip Wells has been designated for assignment, the latest shuffle for the struggling Washington Nationals bullpen.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith and St. Louis third base coach Jose Oquendo will serve as managers for the All-Star Futures Game.
On Saturday afternoon a guy wearing a Red Sox cap walked down Main Street in Cooperstown, N.Y., with three children in tow. He did a double take.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians have traded minor league first baseman Michael Aubrey to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Reliever Jose Veras was traded by the New York Yankees to a Cleveland Indians team seeking to bolster an overworked and ineffective bullpen.
Folks always talk about how important it is to get off to a good start. These players, managers and executives can say they're off to spectacular starts ...
OMAHA, Neb. -- Wednesday night's finale of the College World Series pits two of the sport's most storied programs -- Texas has six championships, LSU has five -- against each other to cap an Omaha fortnight that has lived up to the hype as the "Greatest Show on Dirt."
A month ago this was not looking like a road trip as much as last rites; and taunting last rites at that.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jim Tracy speaks in a cadence, slow and singsong, that has inspired imitations from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh to Colorado. He often starts sentences with a dramatic pause, then gets louder as he goes, like a speechmaker building toward a point that should not be missed. Whether it's the beginning of April or the end of September, he has a habit of reminding his audience exactly how many games remain in the season, perhaps because that number provides the context for almost everything he has to say.
OMAHA, Neb. -- At the time, Mikie Mahtook probably wished he had the Golden Sombrero.
OMAHA, Neb. -- Having just thrown his 126th pitch of the night, a 2-2 curveball to strike out LSU's Leon Landry for the 5-1 (RECAP) win and tie the College World Series final, Texas starter Taylor Jungmann excitedly pumped his fist before leaving the dirt of the Rosenblatt Stadium mound.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Former Chicago Cubs star Ryne Sandberg says Sammy Sosa doesn't belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Eric Wedge talked about center fielder Grady Sizemore's return from the disabled list. He commented on Tony Sipp's latest call-up to the Cleveland Indians' bullpen and Asdrubal Cabrera's rehabilitation assignment.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Phillies slugger Ryan Howard was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter for Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay after being hospitalized over the weekend with acute sinusitis.
SEATTLE (AP) -- Mariners pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith has been optioned by the Seattle to Triple-A Tacoma, after being activated from the 15-day disabled list.
NEW YORK (AP) -- President Barack Obama is being honored by baseball in one the sport's classic ways -- with a bobblehead night.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball president Bob DuPuy has denied the formal protest filed by the New York Yankees after a disputed loss to the Florida Marlins.
The week that was saw the game's longest active playing streak end, the Reds win in a way they hadn't in over three decades and evidence that a ticket to Fenway Park is the hardest to come by in all of professional sports.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Reds have activated first baseman Joey Votto from the disabled list in time for Tuesday night's game in his hometown of Toronto.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians have All-Star center fielder Grady Sizemore back.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phillies slugger Ryan Howard could return to the lineup Tuesday at Tampa Bay after being hospitalized over the weekend with flu symptoms.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Carlos Beltran was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, an enormous blow to a struggling New York Mets team already decimated by key injuries.
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura could be back playing sooner than expected after undergoing surgery for a knee injury that was not as severe as the Rays initially suspected.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Yankees filed an official protest with the commissioner's office after a disputed loss to the Florida Marlins.
DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers will call up right-hander Freddy Dolsi from Triple-A Toledo before Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- All-Star Grady Sizemore might be activated from the DL on Tuesday when the Indians open a three-game series in Pittsburgh. Sizemore has been out since May 31 with an inflamed left elbow.
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox are going from the diamond to the display case.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Los Angeles Angels set up an award in memory of pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died on April 9 after he was killed in a traffic collision by a suspected drunken driver.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ryan Howard was released from the hospital Sunday but did not play for the Philadelphia Phillies against Baltimore, ending his consecutive games streak at 343.
BOSTON (AP) -- Struggling Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and could be sidelined much longer.
BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will skip his next turn in the rotation with weakness in his right shoulder, and the Japanese phenom could be headed to the disabled list.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Tom Seaver brought a bottle of his wine label to congratulate Randy Johnson for his recent 300th win. Gaylord Perry and Nolan Ryan, two more Hall of Fame members of the elite 300 club, also showed up to celebrate the Big Unit's milestone victory.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The push for racial equality is far from over, in sports and in everyday life, former President Bill Clinton told a crowd at Major League Baseball's Beacon Awards on Saturday, part of its Civil Rights Game.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez went back on the disabled list Saturday with bone chips in his throwing elbow, the latest setback to a Cincinnati infield that has been in flux all season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kyle Davies' recent struggles have landed him back in the minors.
The Camping World Truck series race at the Milwaukee Mile has been postponed by rain on Friday and is rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.
SEATTLE (AP) -- Erik Bedard checked out fine in an MRI exam on his pitching shoulder and the Seattle Mariners expect the frequently injured left-hander back to their rotation in about two weeks.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fernando Martinez is about to get plenty of playing time -- in the minor leagues.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Star pitcher Tom Glavine plans to "hang out" for the rest of the summer but is not announcing his retirement.
DETROIT (AP) -- Jim Leyland will be sticking around in the Detroit dugout for awhile.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
