Baseball Page 1332 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Let Leo Pitch! Cubs Tempt Fate By Dissing Their Oldest Fan
Leo Hildebrand wants to throw out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game. And since the 104-year-old is one of the few living things old enough to have actually seen the Cubs win a World Series (the bristlecone pine and certain species of desert tortoise are the others), one would think that the tea...

Did The White Sox Just Win The Central?
So the White Sox lost Jose Contreras for the season on Saturday in a loss to Boston, falling out of first in the Central. That made Sunday's contest somewhat more than your run-of-the-mill game. And Chicago's 6-5, come-from-behind win over the Red Sox just may have put them back into first place for...

Jim Edmonds Jogs La Russa's Memory
Cubs outfielder Jim Edmonds has gotten past the drama of being traded from the Cardinals in the offseason. Or maybe not. After refusing to discuss his former manager, Tony La Russa, with the media, Edmonds proceeded to go two for four, both hits going yard in a 3-2 win over his ex-team. The game str...

Settle Down Everyone; There's No Manny Probe
The Boston Globe reported today that Bud Selig was ordering an investigation into the Manny Ramirez trade; specifically looking at allegations that agent Scott Boras orchestrated the whole thing. But no, gun-jumpers; no soup for you. Selig said that he just had a couple of follow-up questions, and t...

Reporter Doused By Blue-Painted Cubs Fan Outside Wrigley Field
Molly Dapier was doing freelance reporting for mouthpiece sports outside Wrigley Field. She's a tall, attractive blond reporter who appears to be minding her own business. Unbeknownst to her, however, a Chicago Cubs fan covered entirely in blue paint decided that he needed to dump a cooler full of w...

Manny Mania Grips Los Angeles
New item at the Dodgers Pro Shop beginning next week: Dodger hat with attached dreadlocks. (This is true). So much for Joe Torre's request that Manny Ramirez get a haircut; that's the last thing Frank McCourt wants to see happen now that his team is making scratch off of its big acquisition. Reason ...

The Rays Are Still Leading This Thing In August? What?
Carlos Pena was only halfway through explaining his game-winning, three-run homer during an FSN interview on Wednesday when an unidentified teammate doused him with a bucket of Gatorade. Such is the mood in Tampa Bay, where players are giddy, and people are actually beginning to show up for games. Y...

Joba Chamberlain's Aching Shoulder May Have Officially Killed The Yankees' Post-Season Hopes
The above photo was taken a few weeks ago when Yankees' ace Joba Chamberlain popped into random Dunkin' Donuts in Manhattan to serve cold coffee-like beverages to unsuspecting customers. Maybe that's how he tweaked his shoulder. The 22-year-old ace-in-training is getting it looked at by Birmingham, ...

New Battle Cry In The Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry: You Are Hereby Served
A feud that broke out at Yankee Stadium last year between a group of Yankees fans and a Red Sox fan is being resolved in old-school fashion; with the Red Sox fan taking the issue to court. Wait, what? You heard that right, you Bronx ruffians. Let that be a lesson to you. ...

Slip 'N Slide With The King
How can you have a giant, water-soaked tarp on the field during a rain delay at Wrigley and NOT expect a guy dressed as '70s Elvis to come running out to slide across it? It's just common sense. Have a good time filling out the paperwork on this one, security guy (video following the jump). Actually...

The Brewers Imploding Late In The Season? That's Odd
Well, it's the first week in August; time for the annual scuffle that marks the beginning of the end for the Milwaukee Brewers. Last year it was manager Ed Yost and catcher Johnny Estrada going at it. And one year later almost to the day, Prince Fielder pounces on pitcher Manny Parra in the dugout a...

Yankee Revenue To Immediately Double In New Stadium
Last year the Yankees brought in an estimated $327 million to lead all major league baseball teams. Not bad considering that in 1973 George Steinbrenner bought the entire team for $10 million. But if you think those revenue numbers are big, you ain't seen nothing yet. When the new stadium opens next...

Ozzie Guillen Forgets Sometimes That He's Talking Out Loud
Hold onto something because this is going to shock you: Ozzie Guillen admitted on Sunday that he sometimes instructs his pitchers to hit people. In related news, the Pope admits a fondness for large hats. But while this may be the world's worst-kept secret, it's a surprising bit of candor, even for ...

NL West: Worst. Division. Ever?
Like Charlie Weiss Weis passing a full length mirror, it's something I've always refused to look at; until now. The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea has provided an intervention, making me face the stark reality: As of today, the 2008 NL West is the worst division in baseball history. Yes, worse ...

Ken Griffey Jr. apologized for his throat-slash gesture (but not to the guy he actually aimed it at - Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley): "I would like to sincerely apologize to those fans offended by my wrongful actions last Saturday night. It was an overreaction on my part to what I felt was a series...

The Stupidest Catch
Rumor has it that the new Yankee Stadium will have suction tubes that will suck errant fans into the bowels of the stadium, like when Luke fell off the catwalk in Empire Strikes Back. Nets are so low-tech. Joseph Carullo, 54, was reaching for a foul ball on Tuesday night during the seventh inning o...

CC Sabathia Supports Print Media
That's quite an ad taken out by CC Sabathia in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, thanking Clevelandities "for 10 great years," for their love and support, etc., etc. Also I think there are some movie reviews in there, and today's Dilbert (newspaper space is at a premium these days). From Cleveland.com...

The AL East Race Just Became A Lot More Appetizing
Imagine the Yankees or the Red Sox as World Series champions. Meh ... it's been done. Now imagine the Rays with the trophy, and along with it, the promise of free pizza for everyone in the world. Yes, Lakewood, Colo., pizzeria owner John Keiley is at it again; promising free pizza to the masses if t...

Jeff Kent: A Good Jerk Is Hard To Find
The Manny Ramirez rumors and, you know, the earthquake are the top news in LA right now, but there's also an interesting article by the T.J. Simers in today's LA Times about Dodgers Dangle-stached second baseman Jeff Kent. The headline is "Appreciate Jeff Kent While You Still Can", which while overl...

Heidi Watney's Rear Under Close Security Surveillance At All Times
Never let it be said that Fenway Park security is not doing their job. Take this guy, for instance, who is keeping close watch on the backside of NESN-TV reporter Heidi Watney; in case, you know, terrorists try to move in. Or whatever. Actually, when you examine the people in the stands, he isn't th...