ball Page 1863 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Padres Very Much Value Your Patronage
You know those annoying updates you get from MLB.com all the time, which pretty much come without mercy anytime you buy a ticket online, like, ever. (We're still getting Phillies emails once a week because we went to a game there three years ago.) We always assumed those emails were sent out by prog...

The Wrong Way To Impersonate A Blue Jay
Last night, after the A's victory over the Blue Jays, a fan ran on the field. This will happen from time to time, of course, particularly at the end of a game, after a few Molsons. But see, this fan, he had a special trick in mind: He would be wearing a Blue Jays jersey....

Minor Enterprise: An Interview With Mr. Celery
Welcome to Minor Enterprise, where each Wednesday we preview, and occasionally review, the great events and promotions of minor league baseball. If you have a tip about a minor league promotion, or perhaps you've been arrested for public drunkeness while wearing a mascot beaver costume, contact us...

What About The Children (And Their Wallets)?
At first the idea sounds nuts, like barbecuing in the nude, or a Madonna concert. But then when you think about it ... why shouldn't kids get paid for playing in the Little League World Series? In a column on MSNBC's sports site today by Bob Cook, our man claims, only somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that ...

Hacking Bernie
We recognize that, unless you're Curt Schilling, it can be pretty difficult for a Major League Baseball player to keep up with this Internet usage on the road. And when someone has a site of their own to manage, it can be doubly difficult....

Clinton Spends His One Night A Year With His Brother At Shea
We didn't notice this from our seat about three miles overhead, but former President Bill Clinton was at Shea Stadium last night, saying the fact that the Cardinals were the visiting team was at least part of the reason he came by....

The Closer: Markakis For President
Notes from a day in baseball:...

It's Always Better To Stay On The Couch
Ugh. Remind us why we go to games in person again?...

Today's Ohio Moment
Last night in Columbus, the Ohio State football team held an open practice for fans to witness and then ask for autographs, handshakes and reacharounds afterwards. It's a nice fan-friendly move, and it's a positive way to start off a season that requires a trip to Austin just two weeks into the se...

How Are Those Steroid Guys Doing, Anyway?
During the whole steroid frenzy of last year, baseball caught a bunch of guys you'd never heard of and didn't think much about: Jorge Piedra, Mike Morse, Rafael Betancourt, so on. No one cared much about these guys, but hey, baseball was GETTING TOUGH....

Kornheiser's Second Evening Of Fun
Lovable Grumpy Gus Tony Kornheiser broadcasted his second "Monday Night Football" game last night, and it has created decidedly less conversation — "buzz," if you will — than his debut did a week ago. We only watched a few minutes of the game, so we don't feel qualified enough to make much judgment....

Little League President Will Hold Breath Until Yankees Give Him More Cash
We knew it would be fun having Staten Island as a representative in the Little League World Series, and indeed, they haven't disappointed. First, the team had a, um, colorful game in pool play on Sunday, which ended with a slap. Then today we learn that Staten Island Little League president Bob Jo...

Younger Barfield Tells His Story (On MySpace, Of Course)
Yesterday, we told you about an incident in which the son of former Blue Jays slugger Jesse Barfield pushed his dad down the stairs. We haven't had any official followup to that story, except in the one place athletes actually speak anymore: Their MySpace page!...

The Closer: "It Was Mayhem Down In The Tunnel"
Notes on a day in baseball:...

Not To Pile On The Red Sox Here, But ...
We know that often American celebrities will do advertisements in other countries — or their home countries — that they might not necessarily want to be seen doing here. But that doesn't change the bewilderment of seeing David Ortiz ... doing a boner commercial? Really? Can anybody translate?...

A Tortured Tour Through Red Sox Land
After the brutality of the last few days, it seems almost cruel to make the Red Sox and their fans go through one more game this afternoon. At this point, what's one more loss and humilation? Even the famous Boston Massacre was only four games....

Jesse Barfield's Sons Are Getting A Bit Big For Their Britches
San Diego Padres second baseman Josh Barfield is the son of Jesse Barfield, whom many of you will remember as a pseudo-slugger with the Toronto Blue Jays back in the day. (By the way, we greatly prefer the old Blue Jays uniforms to the new ones.) Well, Jesse has another son, Jeremy, who was drafted ...

The Closer: "Those Guys Are Not Playing Around"
Notes from a day in baseball:...