Baseball's replay central is an 18-by-24 foot room on the fifth floor of a former baking factory in Manhattan's Meatpacking District that's crammed with so many computers and television screens that it looks like NASA's Mission Control.
The Boston Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay from Atlanta for a minor leaguer Wednesday, adding depth to their outfield one day after J.D. Drew went on the disabled list.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The slumping Los Angeles Dodgers recalled infielder Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, making room on their 25-man roster by designating infielder Pablo Ozuna for assignment.
There are certain things you learn when you move to the Midwest. For instance, there doesn't have to be a technical reason (like, say, construction or an accident) for a long traffic jam. No matter how hot it may get -- and a Heartland July can melt Volkswagens -- people will still wonder if it's hot enough for you. Slow-moving tractors are always looking for a spot in front of you on two-lane highways.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Right-hander Craig Hansen, struggling with his control since being traded to Pittsburgh last month, was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
I don't think of myself as a sickly person. I've probably not missed three days of work in my entire life, and in some box in a spare room of my parents' home I should have a couple of perfect attendance certificates from school*, and the only nights I ever spent in a hospital were those nights after my two daughters were born.
There is really only one thing that drives me insane about color commentators on television. It isn't when the announcers say silly things because we all say silly things, especially when forced to talk non-stop for about three hours. It isn't when they get stuff wrong because we all make mistakes. It isn't when they constantly tell us about their own careers because, frankly, that's what they know best (If Leo Mazzone ISN'T talking about Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, then why is he talking?). It isn't when they say obvious stuff because, hey, despite what Tony La Russa might tell you the biggest part of sports is the obvious stuff.
ATLANTA -- The Braves pulled Mark Kotsay from their starting lineup before Tuesday night's game in Atlanta, increasing the buzz around Turner Field that the outfielder is about to be traded.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Braves pitcher Tom Glavine said he is just a little sore after having season-ending elbow surgery last week and is unsure whether he'll pitch next season.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball reversed its long-standing opposition to instant replay and will allow umpires to check video on home run calls in series that start Thursday.
Baseball's replay central is an 18-by-24 foot room on the fifth floor of a former baking factory in Manhattan's Meatpacking District that's crammed with so many computers and television screens that it looks like NASA's Mission Control.
The Boston Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay from Atlanta for a minor leaguer Wednesday, adding depth to their outfield one day after J.D. Drew went on the disabled list.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The slumping Los Angeles Dodgers recalled infielder Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, making room on their 25-man roster by designating infielder Pablo Ozuna for assignment.
There are certain things you learn when you move to the Midwest. For instance, there doesn't have to be a technical reason (like, say, construction or an accident) for a long traffic jam. No matter how hot it may get -- and a Heartland July can melt Volkswagens -- people will still wonder if it's hot enough for you. Slow-moving tractors are always looking for a spot in front of you on two-lane highways.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Right-hander Craig Hansen, struggling with his control since being traded to Pittsburgh last month, was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
I don't think of myself as a sickly person. I've probably not missed three days of work in my entire life, and in some box in a spare room of my parents' home I should have a couple of perfect attendance certificates from school*, and the only nights I ever spent in a hospital were those nights after my two daughters were born.
There is really only one thing that drives me insane about color commentators on television. It isn't when the announcers say silly things because we all say silly things, especially when forced to talk non-stop for about three hours. It isn't when they get stuff wrong because we all make mistakes. It isn't when they constantly tell us about their own careers because, frankly, that's what they know best (If Leo Mazzone ISN'T talking about Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, then why is he talking?). It isn't when they say obvious stuff because, hey, despite what Tony La Russa might tell you the biggest part of sports is the obvious stuff.
ATLANTA -- The Braves pulled Mark Kotsay from their starting lineup before Tuesday night's game in Atlanta, increasing the buzz around Turner Field that the outfielder is about to be traded.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Braves pitcher Tom Glavine said he is just a little sore after having season-ending elbow surgery last week and is unsure whether he'll pitch next season.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball reversed its long-standing opposition to instant replay and will allow umpires to check video on home run calls in series that start Thursday.
BOSTON (AP) -- Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski was released from a hospital Tuesday, one week after having triple bypass surgery.
Major League Baseball reversed its long-standing opposition to instant replay and will allow umpires to check video on home run calls in series that start Thursday
Had someone bothered to create and name Denton True (Cy) Young's award after him while he still was pitching, he might have won enough of them to make Roger Clemens feel like LaMarr Hoyt, Steve Bedrosian or another of the one-and-pretty-much-doners.
The Central divisions take center stage in this week's edition of Diamond Digits as we examine the Cardinals small-ball, big-run win, the active home run hitter on the hill, and a calming influence for the troubled Tribe bullpen.
The idea is to have some insurance. Every good team has to have insurance. Because when it gets to this time of the season, if somebody important on the roster is hurt and you don't have insurance? Well, you end up like the Padres last year, coughing and sputtering toward the finish line with key players injured and no capable replacements to fill in. And you don't want to end up like the '07 Padres.
It is now time, whether all those playoff-privileged East Coast fans want to admit it or not, to face up to the very tangible possibility that both the Yankees and the defending World Series champion Red Sox might be on the outside looking in this postseason.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Frank Francisco does not have a career save and is 0-for-6 in save opportunities this season, but he will be the Texas Rangers closer for the remainder of this season.
NEW YORK (AP) -- John Maine was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a bone spur in his right shoulder Monday, leaving the Mets without a key starter as they head into September looking to erase the memory of last year's disastrous stretch run.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox activated All-Star Joe Crede from the disabled list Monday, and he took over at third base for the completion of a suspended April 28 game against the Baltimore Orioles.
TORONTO (AP) -- The Blue Jays optioned outfielder Kevin Mench to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday and sent minor league catcher Robinzon Diaz to Pittsburgh to complete last week's trade for utilityman Jose Bautista.
The Twins have acquired reliever Eddie Guardado in a deal with the Rangers after claiming the lefty on waivers, SI.com has confirmed.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar is out for the season with a bruised right rib cage.
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled left-hander Tom Gorzelanny from Triple-A Indianapolis and was given the start against the Brewers on Saturday night.
Joba Chamberlain threw 35 pitches off the mound Saturday, giving the New York Yankees hope the right-hander will soon recover from the rotator cuff tendinitis that put him on the 15-day disabled list earlier this month.
The Royals placed third baseman Alex Gordon on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a torn muscle in his right quadriceps.
TORONTO (AP) -- Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett won't face the New York Yankees on Tuesday after skipping a bullpen session Saturday because of continued numbness and tingling in his pitching arm.
The Kansas City Royals placed reliever Ron Mahay on the disabled list Friday, with injured third baseman Alex Gordon almost certain to join him soon.
Welcome to the third annual Baseball Prospectus Ultimate Fantasy Draft. We will attempt to answer this question: If you were starting a baseball team from scratch, which players would you want to build your team around? That is, which players would you take -- and in what order would you take them -- if your goal was to win as many championships as possible over the medium-to-long-term?
Embattled Nationals general manager Jim Bowden still appears to have the support of his bosses, who blame others for problems that have beset Bowden and the club in recent days, according to people who have spoken to the leadership of the last-place club.
As if major league games aren't long enough already, now there will be replay delays.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine underwent surgery on his left elbow and shoulder Thursday and is expected be ready for spring training.
Utilityman Jose Bautista was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday for a player to be named.
Carl Pavano, written off by New York Yankees fans, will return and start for the team on Saturday at Baltimore.
One big part of the Red Sox championship teams has already moved from Boston to the Dodgers. Could another be on the way?
For Jason Bay, it's been one wild ride. Traded from the cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates at the deadline and thrust into the middle of a heated playoff race has been exciting and energizing at the same time. The Red Sox left fielder is playing for the most popular team in baseball and that might not even be the biggest thrill in his life. He and his wife are expecting their second child in September -- just in time for the playoffs.
After huffing and puffing uphill past luminous Aspen groves and delicate wildflowers for more than an hour, we expected a big reward: a sweeping view of Steamboat Springs, an imposing waterfall, a cold beer -- something.
Baseball umpires and management signed an agreement Wednesday that will allow the sport to start using instant replay to help determine calls on the field.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Dear fans: Please be patient.
Tom Glavine's teammates want him back next season. Now, it's up to the Atlanta Braves front office to decide whether he'll get that chance.
MINNEAPOLIS -- If the quality of play in Olympic baseball competition was consistently more suited to a beer league than to Beijing, if the value of an entire sport depended solely on the names in that day's lineup, if someone was trying to pass off the worst-of-the-worst as the best-of-the-best, then dropping baseball beginning with the 2012 London Games might make some sense.
Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who apparently doesn't mind giving away Adam Dunn's innermost financial goals and is himself way overpaid, recently told the Cincinnati media that Dunn will seek $100-120 million as a free agent. So we now have an idea what one top free agent will seek, anyway.
I supply special mud for Major League Baseball. The story goes back to when pro baseball teams began using new balls for each game. They wanted to remove the factory gloss and make the balls easier to grip. The umpires tried in-field dirt, shoe polish, and tobacco juice, but everything damaged the ball.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Billy Wagner has more pain and swelling in his pitching elbow, and the New York Mets' All-Star closer is out indefinitely.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Umpires want baseball to take another look at instant replay.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The balloons went up and the confetti came down, sparking a celebration that was 17 years in the making.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Greg Maddux is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers for another stretch drive following a 120-mile trip up the California coast.
BOSTON (AP) -- Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, the last player to hit for the Triple Crown, was resting comfortably Tuesday night after having triple bypass heart surgery.
TORONTO (AP) -- The New York Yankees activated outfielder Hideki Matsui off the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A on Tuesday.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Josh Beckett's next start has been pushed back a few days while the Boston Red Sox try to determine the cause of lingering numbness in the his right hand.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kip Wells, who started on opening day for Colorado before getting demoted and later cut, signed Tuesday with the Kansas City Royals.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-acquired Cooperstown-bound righthander Greg Maddux in a trade with the Padres, SI.com has confirmed.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Braves pitcher Tom Glavine is scheduled to be examined Wednesday by Dr. James Andrews in Alabama, a visit that is expected to determine whether the pitcher's stellar career is over.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Rangers All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a sports hernia, and could be headed for season-ending surgery.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Belittled by New York tabloids that call him "American Idle," disparaged by some teammates for his lack of durability, Carl Pavano could return to the Yankees this weekend.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels were holding out hope that their game scheduled for Tuesday night at Tropicana Field will not be postponed because of Tropical Storm Fay.
MIAMI -- Apparently, Cubs manager Lou Piniella doesn't believe in the powers of a black cat. Or Steve Bartman. "And that goat I don't believe in, either,'' Piniella said.
Baseball, being a team game and all, is never supposed to come down to just one guy deciding a team's fate. Nevertheless, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers are banking on one guy to awaken their long-sleepy lineups and push them to the top of the National League West and beyond. And you know what? In the short time that Manny Ramirez has been swinging for the Dodgers, and the shorter time that Adam Dunn has played for the D'backs, the one-guy theory seems to be working.
Thousands come out in Chicago to honor the late comedian
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The New York Mets found help for their struggling bullpen, acquiring durable right-hander Luis Ayala from the Washington Nationals on Sunday for a player to be named.
The Detroit Tigers have placed reliever Todd Jones on the 15-day disabled list because of a sore right shoulder.
Braves pitcher Tom Glavine is out for the season, and his illustrious career could be over if he needs major surgery on his injured left elbow.
Slumping center fielder Melky Cabrera was demoted to the minors Friday, the biggest move in a mini shake-up by the struggling New York Yankees as they tried to regroup for a playoff push.
No. 2 pick Pedro Alvarez agreed to a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that included a $6 million signing bonus. It was one of six agreements reached among the top 11 players in this year's draft in the hours before Friday's midnight deadline.
First baseman Yonder Alonso from Miami, the seventh overall pick in the amateur draft, agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Reds shortly before baseball's midnight deadline on Friday.
Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival was put on the disabled list Friday with a cartilage injury to his right knee, his third stint on the DL this season.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Yankees have fired two scouts under investigation in a probe of possible skimming from contracts with Latin American players, The Associated Press has learned.
As the schedule shrinks, the wild card dangles tantalizingly just beyond their fingertips, and Hank Steinbrenner utters the dreaded words "next year," one gets the sense that the fork is poised above the New York Yankees. Of course, a sudden unexpected surge a la Eli Manning's Giants or a collapse by the suddenly injury-prone Rays and Red Sox (remember the '07 Mets), could extend the Yankees' streak of 13 consecutive playoff appearances. But with a full M.A.S.H. tent and decimated pitching staff in the Bronx, it sure smells like an early offseason for these two-steps-forward, two-steps-back Bombers.
Mark your calendars for the grand openings: The Yankees and Mets will inaugurate their new stadiums just two days apart next spring.
Time expired on Thursday afternoon on waiver claims made on two Mariners, left fielder Raul Ibanez and left-hander Jarrod Washburn. Both players will be remaining with Seattle.
With seven weeks left in the season, roughly half of the teams in the majors can reasonably consider themselves a shot to play into October. If you're a fan of one of the teams in the other half, well . . . while all the attention from here on out will be paid to the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Mets and the Phillies, and even the upstart Rays and Marlins, there are actually good reasons for many of you to send in your ticket deposits for 2009. Here are five of them:
Major League Baseball is working out technical issues to start instant replay for boundary calls such as home runs, hoping to institute the system later this year.
CHICAGO -- Ron Santo came to Chicago as an awestruck 20-year-old rookie in 1960, so he's been part of this city's rich baseball scene -- for better, for worse, for a lot of just plain in-between -- for nearly 50 years. Not once in all the time that he played with the Cubs, or that year that he went down to the South Side to play for the White Sox, or in the many seasons since that he's broadcast Cubs' games to a loyal and adoring audience, has he seen his adopted hometown quite like this.
BOSTON (AP) -- World Series MVP Mike Lowell was put on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday because of a strained left oblique muscle, another blow to the middle of the Boston batting order.
The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder Nomar Garciaparra from the disabled list Tuesday and placed center fielder Andruw Jones on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Aug. 10.
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox acquired pitcher Paul Byrd from Cleveland on Tuesday, hoping to boost a rotation hurt by an injury to Tim Wakefield and the struggles of Clay Buchholz.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Hank Steinbrenner blames injuries for the New York Yankees' slide from contention.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Skip Caray, the voice of the Braves for more than three decades, was remembered Monday for simple contributions like cracking jokes to players in the clubhouse and his cries of "Braves won!" during the 1995 World Series.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Charlie Zink will replace fellow knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the Boston Red Sox rotation.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays placed rookie All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a right wrist fracture, the second major blow to the team's surprising first-place run in as many days.
Injuries in spring training are bad, injuries in June are worse, and injuries at this time of the year -- especially to teams that fancy themselves playoff contenders -- can be absolute season killers.
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired slugger Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds for a minor-league pitcher and two players to be named later.
TORONTO (AP) -- The Blue Jays released outfielder Shannon Stewart on Monday, bringing his second stint with the team to a disappointing finish.
TORONTO (AP) -- The Toronto Blue Jays got outfielder Vernon Wells back before Sunday's 4-0 loss to Cleveland, only to lose third baseman Scott Rolen after the game.
SEATTLE (AP) -- The surprising run of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays took a hit Sunday when the club placed outfielder Carl Crawford on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will miss at least two starts and go on the disabled list because of a stiff right shoulder, manager Terry Francona said Sunday.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox placed right-hander Jose Contreras on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a ruptured left Achilles' tendon, a season-ending injury.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Barry Bonds told Giants fans Saturday night during a pregame ceremony honoring the team's former outfielders that he's not retired.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Royals traded pitcher Horacio Ramirez to the Chicago White Sox for minor league outfielder Paulo Orlando on Saturday night.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Mets purchased the contract of Brian Stokes from Triple-A New Orleans to make an important start against the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Royals second baseman Mark Grudzielanek may be out for the season after a MRI revealed a torn deltoid ligament in his right ankle.
DENVER (AP) -- A possible trade to send Brian Giles from San Diego to Boston fell through Friday, and the Padres outfielder said he was upset that details of the talks became public.
SEATTLE (AP) -- One of the biggest among a truckload of criticisms of the Mariners this season -- from within and the outside -- is that the players are too indifferent.
Francisco Liriano is not here to be a savior. He, alone, is not going to grab the Twins by the scruff of their scrappy little necks and drag them into the postseason. Not by himself, he isn't.
It's hard to imagine that a team that plays just down the road from Disneyland and is one of the most fan-friendly in baseball could be scary, but the Los Angeles Angels have been frighteningly good this season. At 71-43 they have the best record in baseball, are on pace for the franchise's first 100-win season and lead the AL West by 10.5 games -- an advantage more than twice as big as that of any other first-place team -- and yet everyone associated with the Angels believes they can play even better.
A red "easy" button sits on a table below the players' mailbox in the Dodgers clubhouse, mere inches from Andruw Jones' slot, which is overflowing with fan letters he has yet to pick up. Judging from the reaction he gets at Dodger Stadium every time he steps into the batter's box these days, he probably isn't missing anything he hasn't already heard.
The first-place Tampa Bay Rays acquired reliever Chad Bradford from Baltimore on Thursday, bolstering their bullpen with a proven postseason pitcher.
Cito Gaston will return as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays next year.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Lefty reliever Scott Eyre was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday for a minor league pitcher.
Where in your opinion does Ryan Ludwick stand in any early NL MVP discussions? A couple of stories have pointed out how his offensive stats mirror those of first-half favorite Chase Utley, and the last two weeks have demonstrated that he has worked his way through a June swoon and come back swinging. And if you've seen many Cards games you know that he can play a little defense, too (witness that game-changing double play he turned in the finale of the last series with the Cubs). -- Greg Pils, Madison, Wisc.
Joba Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday by the New York Yankees due to rotator cuff tendinitis in his pitching shoulder.
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