baseball Page 364 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

"No Sign Of Any Spirits" In This Milwaukee Hotel
"A player for the Dodgers has been known to sleep with a baseball bat for protection after hearing odd noises. And two pairs of Florida Marlins players reportedly demand to share a room... because they're afraid of ghosts." Sure, blame your losses to the Brewers on a haunted hotel. [WISN]...

Scientists: Barry Zito Is An Optical Illusion
Next time you whiff on a curveball, blame it on your brain. Visual scientists recently applied the functions of foveal and peripheral vision to baseball, proving the curveball's sudden and severe "break" is a trick of the eyes. The graphic will occupy you for hours. Plus, it's science. [Illusion Sci...

Sonia Sotomayor: Not A Squishy, Wild-Eyed Commie, After All
"Some say," Barack Obama offered this morning, by way of introducing his Supreme Court nominee, "Judge Sotomayor saved baseball." True, at least to the extent that Sonia Sotomayor saved baseball from itself. What Obama didn't say: Sotomayor totally screwed over Maurice Clarett....

Here's A Revolutionary Idea
It's the end of May, which means it's time for people to start talking about the absurdity of aluminum bats again. Instead of simply reverting to wood bats, more and more amateur players are shifting to the other end of the spectrum, and without repercussions....

Don't Call It A Comeback
He's baaaaacck. Dan Le Batard returned from his year-long sabbatical today, and if this profile of Jim Leyritz is any indication, his mind is sufficiently cleared. It's long, poignant and about Jim Leyritz, but still, take out a few minutes to read it. You're not doing anything better. [Miami Herald...

NYC Pitcher Throws No-No After Dad Dies Of Swine Flu
Throwing a no-hitter or four in high school baseball? Passe. Doing it the day after burying your father, New York City's first victim of swine flu? Now we're talking....

All Big East Baseball Games Now Decided By Dance Off
Connecticut and South Florida squared off in a classic Big East baseball tilt—or they tried to before a five-hour rain delay. So how do you kill time during the one thing more boring than Big East baseball? Simple: Worst community theater production of "West Side Story" ever....

Jack Kerouac's Fantasy Baseball Dorkdom
Jack Kerouac led a busy life boozing, writing, bee-bopping, and banging Neal Cassady's wife, but he was also quite the nerdsworth when it came to fantasy baseball. Heavy emphasis on the "fantasy."...

Top Draft Prospect About To Get Paid
Top draft prospect Stephen Strasburg pitched a 17 K, no hitter in his last home game at San Diego State. Expect the Nationals to draft him before getting anally raped by his agent, Scott Boras....

No One Shows Up To Watch Jose Canseco Do His 'I Told You So' Dance About Manny
Pity Jose Canseco....

You Could Be A Heartless Corporate Giant For One Day
The Peoria Chiefs want to sell naming rights for their stadium, but there are no companies left in America with the financial security to finance such a project. So do you have $6,000?...

Warm Your Butt In The Dice-K Memorial Bathrooms
The Boston Red Sox paid the Seibu Lions $51.1 million for the right to take Daisuke Matsuzaka off their hands. So what did they do with the money? New toilet seats for everyone!...

The Hideki Irabu Era Is Not Over Yet
When last we heard of Japanese pitching sensation Hideki Irabu, he was drinking beer by the barrel and slugging bartenders back in his homeland. That was apparently just the warmup for his stateside comeback....

Can This Kid Throw Five No-Hitters In A Row? (No Pressure!)
Florida high school pitcher Patrick Schuster goes for no-hitter No. 5 today in the state playoffs. But he already got his feature in the New York Times, so what's the point? [NY Times]...

Someone Got A Hit Off Of Stephen Strasburg? What?
The pitcher who's going to have major league teams tanking games by July gave up a three-run homer and threw 121 pitches on Friday, but don't worry folks, he still won....

The Atlantic League Is Where Baseball Careers Refuse To Die
Can't afford MLB tickets? Try the Atlantic League, where dozens of former all-stars/has-beens give you a near-Major League experience at a fraction of the cost. Don't get too close to Carl Everett. [Jorge Says No]...

High School Baseball Player Killed By Wild Pitch
Junior Patrick Clegg of Waynesville, Missouri, was struck in the head by a pitch during a game this week—it hit just below his batting helmet—and was pronounced brain dead on Thursday. Very sad. [FOXNews]...

Little Person, Big World: The Great Dave Flood Experiment Is Over
We all watched breathlessly when the Independent York Revolution employed 3-foot-2 batter Dave Flood this season during spring training. Would this mark a glorious new era in tiny strike zones? Um, no....

New Mouth Guard Is Effective, And Most Importantly, Stylish
Look closely the next time Eric Byrnes steps in the batter's box. Focus in on his face, examine his mouth. Do you see it? Um no, I refuse to do this. Next question?...

Girl, 12, Throws Perfect Game, Is Called Up By Mets
The taunting rings in your ears and burns like fire, and will for years. A girl pitched a perfect game against your Little League team, and you struck out three times. Nelson Muntz approves....