MLB Page 1200 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Jay Bruce Apologizes For Gesture That Offended Precisely No One
Oh, come on. Really? "It's not a laughing matter, obviously. It's one of the more stupid things I had ever done. It was an honest mistake. ... I want to apologize to the fans, my team, ownership, everyone who supports me." [MLB]...

Rays Fans Demand Less Cowbell
The big debate in the Tampa Bay area: could the cowbell fad, still going strong at Rays games, actually be keeping fans away? Or could it be a horrible stadium, stingy management, and lovely weather? Nah, cowbells. [St. Pete Times]...

Has Anyone Seen Bill Murray?
The Cubs had to pull a random family out of the stands to toss out the first pitch, after Bill Murray was a no-show. I'll tell you where he wasn't: filming Ghostbusters 3. Get on it, Bill! [Daily Herald]...

Mysterious Laugher Does Not Sympathize With Chan Ho Park's Stomach Ailments (UPDATE)
Chan Ho Park recently gave his reason for being slightly worse than usual: a bout of diarrhea. This admission (repeated several times) drew gales of laughter (also repeated) from an unseen source. Who is this secret gut-bustee? A Parenthood fan? [ZonerSports.com]...

People At Marlins Games Still Punching Each Other In The Vicinity Of Video Cameras
While lacking the sweep and drama of last year's brawl, this Paul Greengrass-ian fight from Saturday's Dodgers-Marlins game had the virtue of being sparked by inebriated legume tossers. Topic: Hasn't the use of Steam's classic jam become stale? H/T David....

Lou Piniella Bawls Out With His Balls Out
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Loneliness, Thy Name Is Pirates Fandom
Reader Chris sends along this picture of The Omega Man of Pirates fans. Why stay in the second row? Does PNC Park employ totalitarian ushers? Is he afraid of looking the fool should a foul ball approach? Fascinating to ponder....

Yankees Logo On Boston Landmark? Well...
It certainly looked like the interlocking NY was writ large on the side of the Prudential Center last night....

Chiefs Without Briefs
Thanks to Christoph and Andrew for sending in this photo evidence that crack kills. I can't believe there are two of you watching the Royals game....

Sausage Race Nearly Ends In Vehicular Manslaughter
Milwaukee's annual Opening Day Beef Tube Relay Race took a hilarious, nearly tragic turn when the Italian sausage was almost run over by its police escort. When did Randall Simon become a cop? [Last Angry Fan; video via]...

The Apotheosis Of Jason Heyward
This is Jason Heyward. He is 6'9", and 385 pounds of pure muscle. His middle name is "Adenolith." Shards of his bat can cure cancer. And he will save baseball. Definitely one, maybe two of these things are actually true....

Giants' Giant Coke Bottle Is A Death Trap
Yet another person is suing the Giants and Coca-Cola after being injured on the slide in the outfield. Let's take a ride through the belly of the beast....

Baseball Will Save Us Now: Opening Day, Opening Thread (Video Updates)
Today should be a national holiday, but most American workers are left attempting to follow the Real Opening Day from their sad, sad cubicles. Commiserate with your fellow wage slaves here. Afternoon baseball schedule below. (Update: Heyward/Buerhle highlights.)...

Joe DiMaggio Was A Wuss, And Other Things We Don't Tell Our Kids
Slate compares children's books about ballplayers ("Like many ballplayers, Joe enlisted to fight for his country in 1942") to the biographies written for adults ("[W]hen he concluded that he'd have to enlist … he started to cry"). [Slate]...

Welcome To Baseball Season!
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Everybody Aboard The Royals Express
Now you can own the bus that spent the last 20 years shuttling literally tens of Royals fans to Kauffman Stadium. They've steam-cleaned the interior, but they can't quite get rid of the smell of failure. [eBay]...

Kansas City Royals: Small-Town Dreams, Small-Town Problems
Will Leitch will be previewing/musing on every baseball team each weekday until the start of the season. You can pre-order his book and follow him on Twitter. Today: The Kansas City Royals....

On The Block: Thurman Munson's Pilot License
Okay, forget Thomas Hearns's baby spoon; this might be the saddest auction item out there....

Philadelphia Phillies: 10,000 Losses
Will Leitch will be previewing/musing on every baseball team each weekday until the start of the season. You can pre-order his book and follow him on Twitter. Today: The Philadelphia Phillies....

PETA Capitalizes On Clemens's Failure To Launch
PETA suggests that Roger Clemens's rumored performance issues are due to his carnivorous diet. Wonder if the grand jury will buy that one. [PETA via copyranter]...