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The Dodgers are diving into the middle of a lot of trade talks, but skepticism remains steep about whether they'll actually pull anything off. "They're a mess,'' one NL executive says, flatly.
Umpires ejected 15 players and the two managers following a bench-clearing brawl during a tense game between the Midwest League's Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs.
Barry Bonds in pinstripes? If nothing else, the New York Yankees talked about it.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Tribune Co. is inviting at least three potential buyers who each submitted bids for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field near or above $1 billion to participate in a second round of proposals, according to a person involved in the process.
The word is that the asking price for Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady has "loosened'' a tad, and that Pittsburgh seems more interested than before in trading him.
There comes a time in every baseball season when surprises are no longer surprises. If something caught you off guard in April or in May, and what was going on way back then is still going on now ... well, you need to drop the whole wide-eyed-in-shock spiel. It's not very becoming.
You may want to consider adding Mike Marshall's 1974 Cy Young year to your list. While not strictly a "closer", entering 106 games and pitching 208 innings in relief (with 21 saves) is as mind-boggling now as it was then. Back when relievers were given the Firemen of the Year Award, he did the work of two whole firehouses and a squad of pumper trucks. -- Mike, Rye, N.Y.
Baseball Prospectus is throwing the doors open! From July 21 through 27, all of their articles, like the one below, are free to non-subscribers. Check out BaseballProspectus.com for the best in baseball analysis.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman agreed to terms Tuesday on a $16 million, two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2010 season.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros, believing their season can still be saved, acquired pitcher Randy Wolf from San Diego on Tuesday in exchange for minor leaguer Chad Reineke.
The Dodgers are diving into the middle of a lot of trade talks, but skepticism remains steep about whether they'll actually pull anything off. "They're a mess,'' one NL executive says, flatly.
Umpires ejected 15 players and the two managers following a bench-clearing brawl during a tense game between the Midwest League's Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs.
Barry Bonds in pinstripes? If nothing else, the New York Yankees talked about it.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Tribune Co. is inviting at least three potential buyers who each submitted bids for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field near or above $1 billion to participate in a second round of proposals, according to a person involved in the process.
The word is that the asking price for Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady has "loosened'' a tad, and that Pittsburgh seems more interested than before in trading him.
There comes a time in every baseball season when surprises are no longer surprises. If something caught you off guard in April or in May, and what was going on way back then is still going on now ... well, you need to drop the whole wide-eyed-in-shock spiel. It's not very becoming.
You may want to consider adding Mike Marshall's 1974 Cy Young year to your list. While not strictly a "closer", entering 106 games and pitching 208 innings in relief (with 21 saves) is as mind-boggling now as it was then. Back when relievers were given the Firemen of the Year Award, he did the work of two whole firehouses and a squad of pumper trucks. -- Mike, Rye, N.Y.
Baseball Prospectus is throwing the doors open! From July 21 through 27, all of their articles, like the one below, are free to non-subscribers. Check out BaseballProspectus.com for the best in baseball analysis.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman agreed to terms Tuesday on a $16 million, two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2010 season.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros, believing their season can still be saved, acquired pitcher Randy Wolf from San Diego on Tuesday in exchange for minor leaguer Chad Reineke.
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks made a major move to shore up their ailing bullpen on Tuesday, acquiring reliever Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals for top infield prospect Emilio Bonifacio.
The Cubs' fine for violations related to the June draft of first-year players was a whopping $500,000, SI.com has learned.
CC Sabathia, who hails from Northern California and currently lives there, is building a home in Southern California. So it's obvious his heart is on the West Coast.
Baseball Prospectus is throwing the doors open! From July 21 through 27, all of their articles, like the one below, are free to non-subscribers. Check out Baseball Prospectus for the best in baseball analysis.
The Brewers and White Sox are two of the teams to have inquired about A's closer Huston Street, SI.com has learned.
As we enter the dog days of summer we see an old dog up to his old tricks, a greyhound reliever not only catching the rabbit but blowing by it, and a power streaking NL Central squad with its sights set on best in show.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Go ahead, Yankees fans. Slather on that SPF 45 -- sunscreen is now legal in Yankee Stadium.
The Kansas City Royals activated reliever Leo Nunez from the 15-day disabled list on Monday.
Troy Tulowitzki will think twice about slamming his bat in frustration again.
If Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira are traded, the deals probably won't go down until hours, minutes or even seconds before the 4 p.m. July 31 trade deadline.
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled John Van Benschoten from Triple-A Indianapolis to start the series opener against the Houston Astros on Monday night.
This could be a season-defining week in the still-undecided National League East. Right now, the Phillies are staggering. The Mets are playing their best ball of the year. The Marlins are sticking around. The Braves, the one-time king of the division, are ... I don't know. What the heck are the Braves doing?
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Reds will hold one more spring training in Sarasota, Fla., before moving their camp to Arizona.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The San Francisco Giants traded second baseman Ray Durham to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor leaguers after the teams played Sunday.
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Mariners activated closer J.J. Putz from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday.
The San Francisco Giants were close Sunday to trading Ray Durham to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor leaguers.
The Philadelphia Phillies won't see Pedro Martinez.
Barry Larkin left open the possibility of returning to the Cincinnati Reds in some capacity Saturday, shortly before his induction with three others into the team's Hall of Fame.
Right-hander Brett Myers rejoined the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday after starting four games in the minor leagues trying to shake a season-long slump.
The Mariners have made talk of Erik Bedard and the trading deadline simple.
Richie Sexson finalized his contract with the New York Yankees on Friday and was immediately plugged into the starting lineup against Oakland left-hander Greg Smith.
The Oakland Athletics activated shortstop Bobby Crosby from the disabled list Friday and moved left-hander Dallas Braden into their rotation.
Nationals outfielder Wily Mo Pena went on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of an injured left shoulder that will require surgery.
The Tampa Bay Rays activated reliever Al Reyes from the 15-day disabled list on Friday.
After spending nearly two weeks honeymooning on the world's most isolated archipelago, we return to Diamond Digits to catch up on the best numbers from the end of the first half of the year and the midseason classic festivities.
Richie Sexson and his .218 batting average are on the way to the Bronx as a part-time player. But the New York Yankees are also canvassing the majors for an everyday player now that Hideki Matsui is all but assured of missing the rest of the year.
CC Sabathia, Rich Harden and Joe Blanton have already been dealt in a flurry of early activity, leaving many contenders playing from behind in the race to improve their team by the trade deadline. With three top arms off the market, the list of trade targets, aside from Seattle's Erik Bedard, is hitter-heavy. Then again, the A's have dealt away two of their starting pitchers in the last 10 days, so maybe they'll move a third.
The three best teams in the National League, by record if not by popular opinion, resided in the Central division at the All-Star break. It's a race that turned infinitely more interesting in a mega-deal for mega-deal, punch-counterpunch just before the break, when the third-place Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia from the Indians and the first-place Cubs responded by trading for Oakland's Rich Harden. Meanwhile, the surprising Cardinals continue to lurk in second place, just four games back of their archrivals from Chicago.
It took Evan Longoria five years to travel roughly 80 feet.
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired first baseman Tony Clark from the San Diego Padres on Thursday for minor league pitcher Evan Scribner.
The crowd began chanting "Papi!" and David Ortiz responded, slamming a 1-2 pitch into the visitors' bullpen in his rehab debut in Pawtucket on Thursday night as he tries to work his way back from a wrist injury that has kept him out of the lineup since May 31.
After watching his client dominate Triple-A hitters for the past month, the agent for Minnesota pitcher Francisco Liriano wants to know why the Twins have not called him up to the big leagues.
NEW YORK -- Superstar Matt Holliday and the Rockies are still in the midst of a love affair. But there's a question now about how long it will last.
NEW YORK -- A farce was about to break out in the almost endless All-Star Game.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Second-round draft pick Destin Hood agreed to terms on a contract with the Washington Nationals on Thursday, bypassing playing college football at Alabama.
Raise your hand if you had this in your preseason picks.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Frosty baseball games have long been a fixture at Wrigley Field, where a stiff wind off Lake Michigan can chill fans, players and managers alike.
NEW YORK -- Had the All-Star Game gone even deeper into the night and managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle made a desperate call for arms, there were a pair of dandies sitting in left field's upper tier box 662, row F.
NEW YORK -- By the time baseball's annual All-Star extravaganza blew its way past Tuesday evening and into Wednesday, the "Who" of the matter quickly gave way to the "If." As the managers reached into the recesses of their bullpens and exhausted their exhausted benches, as big plays were made and big opportunities continually squandered, the question on everybody's mind at Yankee Stadium no longer was whether the American League would win again. It was if anyone would.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees does not take a day off for the All-Star game.
Everyone has a favorite Matt LaPorta home run story. There's the one about the dented baseball, the one about clutch bomb in the College World Series and the one that inspired the pitcher to offer his services as LaPorta's batting-practice pitcher. But none are as compelling as his performance in a high school home run derby five years ago.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Reds have finalized an agreement to move their spring training facility from Florida to Arizona in 2010.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fired up about his first trip to Yankee Stadium, Ben Sheets had it all planned out. Arrive early and visit Monument Park, gaze up at that famous facade, drink in the entire experience the same way any fan would.
NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball's ever-popular Home Run Derby comes to the House That Ruth Built tonight, to the same place where the Babe brought the longball into national prominence and Roger Maris broke Ruth's single-season record, and where perhaps the greatest power hitter of all-time currently toils at third base.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Nationals outfielder Wily Mo Pena will have surgery on his left shoulder.
A day at the ballpark doesn't have to empty your wallet.
There are about a half-dozen easily reparable problems with the Futures Game, not least of which is that it's scheduled against a full slate of games on a Sunday afternoon. What should be a showcase of the next generation of All-Stars -- "This year, they play on Sunday. Soon, they'll play on Tuesday!" -- ends up as something of an afterthought, as baseball fans around the country are much more likely to be watching their hometown favorites do battle on the last day before the break.
When Brewers owner Mark Attanasio's car got stuck in traffic on I-94 on the way to a game the other day (yes, there is heavy traffic in Milwaukee on game days now), he hopped out of his vehicle and scaled a four-foot fence in hopes of seeing every last pitch. Luckily, a security guard recognized the Los Angeles interloper who's done everything he can to become beloved in down-to-Earth Milwaukee. So the guard approved Attanasio's illegal fence-hopping and ushered him in to see his team, the best Brewers team in decades.
The Diamondbacks and Cardinals are among the most ardent pursuers of Pirates star outfielder Jason Bay, SI.com has learned.
I hate to complain, but it's nearly impossible to say who the league MVPs are as we head into the All-Star break. It seems like all the best players are on teams that are about .500, or well below that.
Although the FBI and Major League Baseball's investigation into whether Washington Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden and associates, including Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo, skimmed money from bonuses to Latin American prospects is still in its early stages, the team's signing of shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez in 2006 is a focus of the probe, according to sources close to the investigation.
Bobby Murcer succeeded Mickey Mantle, played in pinstripes with Don Mattingly and watched proudly from the broadcast booth when the New York Yankees returned to power.
Che-Hsuan Lin was still sitting at his locker long after the Futures Game ended, having a bite to eat and grinning with teammates from all over the globe.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Longtime St. Louis Cardinals coach Dave Ricketts, who played on their 1967 World Series championship team, died early Sunday. He was 73.
Catcher -- Joe Mauer, Minnesota
The Washington Nationals held a moment of silence Sunday for two fans who died on a team-promoted shuttle bus on the way to a game.
Brandon Webb was in an early jam. In the second inning of his most recent start last Tuesday night, Arizona's ace stared in at his catcher, Robby Hammock, for a 3-1 pitch with Nationals at first and second, no outs and Jesus Flores batting.
Every year as February turns to March, he settles back into familiar rhythms. He packs his bags and leaves for spring training, because that is what a ballplayer does. At the parks he visits, people ask him what he misses most about the game, but before long they are telling him what they miss most about him -- the basket catches in centerfield, at once nonchalant and daring, or the sight of his cap flying off, as it always seemed to when he sped around second base, or the whiplash swing full of power and precision. He remembers all that, of course, but miss it? Not so much. As the years go by and the difference grows between his body then and his body now, it becomes easier to accept those images as scenes from an earlier life.
A few years ago, Paul Konerko found out exactly how much it meant to win the All-Star Game.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Finally, the perfect answer for a team that has been killing its fans for 100 years: A place to put their remains.
In 2005, the San Diego Padres won the National League West with a record of 82-80, the kind of accomplishment a division never lives down. It was the worst record ever for a division champion, and it was embarrassing, but it was also not likely to be repeated. The NL West was about to unveil a crop of new players who would make it impossible for anyone to win the division at 82-80 again.
On a busy day in the Pirates' minor league system, the team traded former starting outfielder Craig Wilson to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named on Thursday.
On a busy day in the Pirates' minor league system, the team traded former starting outfielder Craig Wilson to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named on Thursday.
Fans who root, root, root for the home team are leaving ballparks a lot happier this year.
Evan Longoria had big plans for next week's All-Star break -- a trip to Las Vegas with some friends.
Slugger Richie Sexson was finally released Thursday by the Mariners after a slump that lasted for most of two seasons and made him a target of constant booing from frustrated Seattle fans.
Desperately looking to upgrade their rotation, the Phillies are talking to the Blue Jays about right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett.
It wasn't that long ago that Nomar Garciaparra was one of baseball's premier players at the most important position on the field, a mega-star on and off the diamond, and the biggest fan favorite at Fenway Park for Red Sox teams that regularly advanced to October.
The singers are part of the All-Star events, which also include a Bon Jovi concert
Rich Harden's baseball career took a major detour, and when he arrived at Wrigley Field a bit sleep deprived Wednesday he felt several emotions.
Don Mattingly will resume his duties as Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach after the All-Star break.
CC Sabathia was a great deal for the Brewers, and a big deal, as well. And Rich Harden looks like a pretty good response from the rival Cubs (although one scout said he's noticed Harden's velocity dipping from 93-97 to 89-91 his last two outings, raising concern about whether he's unsound again).
It is rare in baseball to talk about team cohesion. In contrast to the other major sports, there are relatively few interactions between players on the same club. The pitcher stands out on the mound all there by himself and throws the ball; the hitter stands there in the batters' box all there by himself and hopes to hit it. There is no baseball equivalent of John Stockton passing to Karl Malone, or Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hal Steinbrenner emerged from a closed-door meeting in manager Joe Girardi's office Wednesday to say he was disappointed in the New York Yankees' performance this year yet reluctant to trade prospects for veterans in hopes of a spark.
CHICAGO (AP) -- One day after the Milwaukee Brewers landed an ace, the Chicago Cubs answered.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Unable to fully recover from his second concussion this year, Mets right fielder Ryan Church was placed on the 15-day disabled list again Tuesday before New York's game against the San Francisco Giants.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt is on track to start Friday's game against the Washington Nationals after having his previous turn in the rotation skipped because of a nerve problem in his lower back.
BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox slugger David Ortiz reported no pain Tuesday, a day after he took his first on-field batting practice since injuring a tendon in his left wrist almost six weeks ago.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jemile Weeks, the brother of Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks, agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics that includes a $1.91 million signing bonus.
DETROIT (AP) -- Dontrelle Willis and the Detroit Tigers got good news Tuesday when a MRI revealed he has tendinitis in his right knee.
Everybody has a gripe about All-Star rosters. Jermaine Dye got snubbed. The American League has too many relievers. Miguel Tejada and Jason Varitek aren't deserving All-Stars. The fans' vote is a popularity vote. The players vote on reputation. OK, fine, but when was the last time you heard people raise any kind of stink about the All-Star equivalent rosters for the NFL, NBA or NHL? People care about the baseball All-Star Game like no other, and the addition of putting World Series homefield advantage on the line has given it a booster shot of relevance. So let the carping continue.
The Milwaukee Brewers have all but guaranteed themselves their first playoff berth since 1982. After slipping past the St. Louis Cardinals to grab the second-best record in the National League with their win over the Pirates on Sunday, the Brewers added CC Sabathia, the defending American League Cy Young award winner to their starting rotation without surrendering a single member of their major league roster.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Write an e-mail and cc it all around baseball: New Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia no longer wants periods after the initials he uses for his first name.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- With one XXL-sized move, the Milwaukee Brewers hope to transform themselves from scrappy underdogs to a big, bad pitching powerhouse intent on chasing down the Chicago Cubs and making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.
BOSTON (AP) -- The Red Sox optioned starting pitcher Justin Masterson to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, with plans to convert him into a relief pitcher.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Jeff Francoeur's stay in the minor leagues barely lasted a weekend.
You can comb over the rosters for next week's All-Star Game and pick out the surprises and the snubs, but the truth is, with 32 players on each team, there shouldn't be a lot of one or the other. And with all the fingers in this thing -- the fans, the players, the managers, their coaches, their next-door neighbors, the lady at the dry cleaners, the guy behind the fast-food counter -- it's hard to find someone to blame/credit anyway, even if you have beefs/praise.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez had surgery on his left knee Monday, ending his season before he got to play a single game.
The Milwaukee Brewers greatly enhanced their postseason chances by completing a blockbuster trade for star left-hander C.C. Sabathia in a deal that will be announced Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Maybe Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and the rest of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs should just play their own All-Star game.
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