mlb Page 552 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Behold The Power Of The Joe Beimel Bobblehead
Dodger fans were mocked relentlessly earlier this season when they voted to have a Joe Beimel Bobblehead Night; passing over players such as Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney and even Andruw Jones, who do not yet have a bobble likeness. But clearly they knew what they were doing: the force is...

Epic Squander: Red Sox, Rangers Entertain The Masses
I propose uninstalling this scoreboard now and preserving it in a museum. People of the future are going to want to study it, and it has to be the real thing; no one is going to believe the photos. Future kid: "Dad, how did this one team almost blow a 10-run, first inning lead?" Future Dad: "It's th...

Manny Ramirez Fails To Notice That In The National League, Games Are Nine Innings
First of all, this is not the Manny Meltdown that we've all been expecting. Repeat: Meltdown still pending. But it's comical nonetheless. Manny Ramirez, playing in the outfield for the Dodgers vs. the Phillies on Monday, suddenly disappeared between the eighth and ninth innings. No one noticed until...

Who Killed The Cincinnati Reds?
Despite assurances from CEO Bob Castellini that he is not rebuilding the team from scratch, it can't be denied that the Cincinnati Reds are very, very sick. Almost dead, as Miracle Max would say. It all began, in my opinion, when their jovial mascot, Mr. Redlegs, lost his head in a tragic ballpark A...

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...

Contreras Injury a Blow To Chicago
It was the Sox Bowl Part II as the Red ones took on the White ones. And you know what happens when you put Red Sox in the mix with White Sox (besides all your shit turning pink). You get some pretty good baseball. Big Papi busted his slump with a three-rub double off the wall in Boston's 6-2 win ove...

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...