MLB Page 1135 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The D Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore: Farewell, Dontrelle Willis, Crazy-Armed Everyman
The pitchers who wow us these days don't remind us of anything familiar. Most of MLB's sharpest aces—Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver, Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw, and C.C. Sabathia—were first-round picks, blessed with a freakish ability to throw much harder than their competitors, and groomed for m...

The Mets' Owners Have Reached A Settlement With The Bernie Madoff Bankruptcy Trustee
The federal trial was supposed to begin this morning, but Richard Sandomir of The New York Times tweeted that the Wilpons and Saul Katz have instead reached a settlement that will cost them $162 million. Irving Picard, the trustee representing the victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, had been se...

The Baltimore Orioles Are Not Welcome In Korea
Back in February, the Orioles pissed off an entire baseballing nation with their pursuit of a South Korean high school pitcher. Flaunting Flouting the rules and risking an international incident is probably worth it for a young lefty with great control. Except it didn't go that way. The Korean Baseb...

Unravelling The Con Man Who Wanted To Own The Dodgers
Josh Macciello came out of nowhere with a renegade bid to buy the Dodgers, his fortune supposedly based on owning gold mines, producing movies, importing rare earth minerals, and partnering with a mysterious Korean billionaire. Then, he made the single biggest mistake any fraud who doesn't want his ...

A Reminder That You Are Not Allowed To Blow A Ball Foul
Apparently, everything happened in that Dodgers-Royals game yesterday. With a KC bunt slowly rolling down the line and stubbornly refusing to go foul, Jerry Hairston dropped to all fours and blew....

Andy Pettitte Is Un-Retiring To Join The Yankees, Because Why The Hell Not
YES Network man Jack Curry tweets that the Yanks signed Pettitte to a one-year, $2.5-million minor league contract (which is really something that only the Yankees could do). Pettitte, who retired after the 2010 season, apparently had dreamed of a comeback in recent weeks....

It's True: Two Royals Pitchers Can Fit Into One Pair Of Jonathan Broxton's Pants
Jonathan Broxton last pitched on May 3, and he had to have elbow surgery in September. After spending seven seasons with the Dodgers, he signed on with Kansas City during the offseason. It already looks like he fits right in. Fellow pitchers Everett Teaford and Tim Collins prove it. [Twitter]...

Dee Gordon Walks, Keeps On Going To Second
Dodgers speedster Dee Gordon takes advantage of a Royals' lapse in concentration, and after drawing a walk, takes off for second before the next batter steps in. On one hand, that move relies on the element of surprise and can only be pulled off once in a blue moon, so why waste it in spring train...

Roy Halladay Accuses Ken Rosenthal Of Throwing Some Shit Against The Wall
It's one thing when an intern indulges a little skepticism about Ken Rosenthal's rumor-mongering. Now, though, it's Phillies ace Roy Halladay. Yesterday, after Halladay was roughed up in his latest spring outing, Rosenthal cited the observations of two scouts who "expressed concern" about Halladay:...

We Will Never Be Rid Of Tony La Russa
La Russa "retired" after winning another World Series in St. Louis, but he may not be done. Like many retirees, he's seeking the warm weather and easygoing lifestyle of Southern California: La Russa could be a big part of the new Dodgers regime, if that team ever gets sold....

Octavio Dotel Could Have Rejoined The Defending Champions, Or Signed With An MLB-Record 13th Team. Guess Which He Chose.
Octavio Dotel is on his 13th different MLB team, and he's not even a crafty lefty. It's a record of longevity and effectiveness, if not irreplaceability, but it's a record nonetheless. Dotel is very aware of his own milestone, and has been for some time—putting it highest on his list of personal goa...

Fat Chipper Jones May Or May Not Be Fat, But He Reportedly "Looks Terrible"
The good news is that Chipper Jones is officially seven pounds lighter than his 2011 playing weight. Now comes the rest of the news. His knee hurts. He's hitless in eight at-bats and has missed five games this spring. A scout told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports he "looks terrible" and that he seems to be ...

Mets Bullpen Catcher Flips His Car, Tries To Flee On Foot, Is Charged With DUI
Every Sunday night during camp, the Mets have team bowling outings. Seems like fun. Bowling, unlike baseball, is a game at which the Mets could conceivably succeed....

Sure, Jonathan Papelbon Would Have Talked To The Yankees If They Were Interested
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Paps reminds you that rivalries exist in the minds of fans alone....

Why Is The Country's Largest Auction House Selling A "Ty Cobb Signed" Baseball That Wasn't Made Until 15 Years After Ty Cobb Died?
Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas is currently offering a "miracle ball": a "1959 Exceptional Ty Cobb single signed baseball." (UPDATE, 6:40 EST: They pulled the auction. Screengrab is here.) The auction house listing describes the official Little League ball as, "Perhaps the finest we've ever en...

David Price Has Now Hurt His Neck Three Times By Wiping His Head With A Towel
Rays lefty David Price had to leave yesterday's split-squad start after just two innings, but he later owned up to what had happened:...

Since Robin Ventura's Back In Baseball, The Rangers Will Stop Showing That Video Of Nolan Ryan Beating Him Up
Last year, Texas showed the famous 1993 brawl between the Rangers and White Sox before every single game. Maybe you think it's weird for a team to air highlights of their president and CEO, but then again your team's president and CEO has probably never pummeled a man. (Unless you're a Marlins fan...

The Pirates Are Considering Adding The Sid Bream Nightmare To Fans' Daily Listening Experience
Having to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates play baseball every night just isn't enough punishment, apparently. Now Pirates fans might get a nightly reminder of the one moment most of them can't bring themselves to discuss without staring off into the distance and cursing incoherently about somebody name...

Cardio And Pooping: A Chart Of Every MLB Player Who Reportedly Lost Or Gained Weight This Offseason (And Why)
Every spring training, seemingly every other ballplayer shows up to camp and declares himself "in the best shape of my life." Our pal Craig Calcaterra over at HardballTalk has done yeoman's work on this phenomenon over the years, but we wanted to know more: Who gained weight? Who lost weight? How mu...

Pitcher/Author Dirk Hayhurst Is In The Comments Right Now. Ask Him Stuff.
Dirk Hayhurst is a journeyman pitcher and the author of Out of My League, about the year he broke into the majors with the Padres. It is also partly about porn, trannies, and failure, so in a way it's a story about all of us. Dirk is taking your questions down below. Be nice, read up on the dude if...