Braves sale is approved

Liberty Media taking control of franchise from Time Warner
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The sale of the Atlanta Braves from Time Warner to Liberty Media was unanimously approved by Major League Baseball's owners at a special meeting on Wednesday.

The complicated stock-for-franchise deal had a deadline of midnight ET because of a change in the federal tax code affecting such transactions, that Commissioner Bud Selig said was far too complicated to explain. That change occurs on Friday.

The 30 owners met in a late-afternoon session to vote on the deal, which was in the process of being closed by the appointed hour. The ownership committee and the executive council had earlier in the day also cleared the deal. All the owners or their representatives are together this week for the second quarterly meeting of the year, one that has become a May staple at MLB's New York offices.

"There are a lot of reasons that I'm happy today, but one of the things I said right from the outset was we wanted to preserve what I thought was a great management structure," Selig said at a press conference almost immediately after the special vote. "They certainly have the record to prove that. A lot of (Braves) fans should be happy tonight because we've not only created great stability here, but it's in the best interest of the Braves and baseball."

The owners will still meet to take care of other business at their regularly scheduled joint meeting on Thursday morning.

Asked if he had any doubt that the deal would close by midnight, Selig said, "I would be stunned if it doesn't. I would say the chances are better than excellent. That was the reason we had the special meeting."

Under terms of the transaction, in which the franchise itself was valued at $450 million, Terry McGuirk will remain as president, John Schuerholz as general manager, Bobby Cox as manager and Hank Aaron, the Hall of Famer and current Major League Baseball home run leader with 755, will have an increased role in his position of senior vice president.

City-owned Turner Field will remain under the Braves control and the name will not change.

McGuirk said it was stipulated in writing that new ownership could not go below the team's current player payroll of $87.3 million, but was certainly encouraged to invest in the franchise. Under Ted Turner and Time Warner, the Braves won 14 division titles in a row -- a streak that ended last season -- captured five National League pennants and were victorious in the 1995 World Series over the Indians.

"Continuity seems to be the word that has triumphed here," McGuirk said during the press conference. "The championship level baseball that has been played here for the last 15 years, the management, all of that continues on unabated, thanks to the Commissioner and the owners and their confidence in this group. So we think it's a great day for the Braves. We're ready for the job and we're looking for many more championship seasons."

The approval effectively ends an era of Braves ownership, which began when the franchise was purchased in 1976 by Turner, who also had taken over the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. The cable television mogul used the ballclub as a national tool to bring attention to his burgeoning cable empire that eventually evolved into CNN, Turner South and TBS.

Originally the home of old movies, TBS has carried Braves games nationally for the last 31 years, a relationship that will expire at the conclusion of this season.

Turner remained associated with the ballclub and his cable product when Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner in 1995. He was vice chairman of the company, which eventually also merged with AOL, until his resignation in 2003. Three years later, Turner severed his relationship with the board of directors and hasn't been involved since.

Time Warner has been shedding itself of its sports properties, previously having sold the Hawks, the NHL's Thrashers, and Philips Arena, the downtown home of both indoor teams.

For a large block of Liberty stock, Time Warner is reportedly exchanging the Braves, a number of craft magazines and $1 billion. Liberty owns about four percent of Time Warner.

As has become a pattern in recent years, MLB was concerned about leaving the operational control of the team in familiar hands and wanted to make sure McGuirk remained with the club. The owners had previously been assured of that condition when the deal was formally announced in February.

"There are no changes," McGuirk said. "There will be a continuation of past practices."

Last year, as a condition of selling the Nationals to the Lerner family, MLB insisted in the last phases of the deal that Stan Kasten be brought in as part of the group. Kasten, at one time the president of all the Time Warner sports properties, was made a minority owner and was placed in charge of running the team.

Since late 1999, 18 MLB franchises have either been sold or have experienced a change in control of majority ownership, including the Expos/Nationals twice. The sale of the Cubs by the Tribune Co. is next on the table.

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cincinnati Reds' Struggling To Begin The Season

By David
Kaye

At 16 and 24, the Cincinnati Reds are dead last in the porous NL Central. Through forty games last season the Reds were 23-17 and two games behind the Cardinals for the division lead. Boy, what a difference a year makes.

Cincinnati possesses one of the best one-two punches in baseball with right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang guiding the pitching staff. After breakout season's last year, both pitchers have stumbled out of the gates. Despite a 5-1 record, Harang is sporting a 4.42 ERA in nine games this year.

Conversely, Arroyo has pitched well, but his offense has provided him with no run support. The 30-year old is 2-4 so far with a 2.64 ERA and one complete game thrown. The remaining three starters, Kyle Lohse, Matt Belisle and the injured Eric Milton have been ineffective to start this season.

All three starters have ERA's over four and have combined for eleven losses. The only bright spot in the Reds bullpen has been veteran closer David Weathers who has an impressive 1.89 ERA and seven saves through the first seven weeks of the season. The rest of the pen has been disappointing, ranking as one of the worst in the majors.

Offensively, only one hitter, 37-year old Ken Griffey Jr., has a batting average over .300. On the season the ten time all-star is hitting .311 with eight home runs and 25 runs batted in. Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion entered the season with a pool of high expectations, even being regarded by many analysts as a potential sleeper player who will have a breakout season, but he is now back in the minors after struggling with the bat. In thirty-one games he batted .218 with one dinger and 14 RBI's.

Although the Reds batters have not hit with great success, by no stretch of the imagination are they struggling. Five out of the eight hitters in their lineup have at least six home runs, but when they are called upon in the big situation they have all come up empty.

Cinci is 6-13 in games decided by two runs or less and are 4-12 in the month of May. They were 1-5 on their recent West Coast swing and have not won a series since the end of April when they took 2 out of three from the Pirates at PNC Park. To make matters worse, the Reds have not won a home series since they took two out of three from the Bucs during the first weekend of the season.

Remarkable Run By Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop J.J. Hardy

By David
Kaye

Thirty-seven games into the 2007 season, Brewers slugger J.J. Hardy is hitting .327 with 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in.

In the last two seasons combined [159 games] Hardy blasted 14 homers and drove in 64 runs, while batting .245. The question remains: where did the 24-year old acquire this much power and why did no one expect this entering the season?

It's not often that a shortstop who is primarily known for his defense is leading the NL in home runs mid-way through the month of May. Many analysts expected the Brew Crew to have a solid season, but they did think their man power source would come from a player who has never hit more than nine home runs in a season.

Entering today, the Tuscon, Arizona native is first in the NL with 12 home runs and 37 rbi's, tied for first with Rockies outfielder Matt Holiday with 98 total bases, fourth in total hits with 51 and fourth in slugging percentage at .628. The only major leaguer who has been more effective with the bat up until this point in the season has been Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

To his credit, A-Rod is expected to put up insane statistics, Hardy is not. He is more of the conventional shortstop who is great with the glove and manages to hit around .250. For whatever reason, James Jerry Hardy has broken that trend and is quickly securing a reservation to San Francisco for July's all-star game.

Seattle Mariners Find Success Against The New York Yankees

Usually, West Cost trips are favorable to the Yankees, but not this weekend against the upstart Seattle Mariners.

After exploding for seven runs Saturday night against right-hander Miguel Batista, New York looked to win back-to-back series for the first time this year by roughing up lefty Horacio Ramirez who entered the game with a 7.62 ERA.

Unfortunately, Ramirez continued his success at Safeco Field by pitching lights out against the powerful Yankees lineup. The 27-year old surrendered five hits and one run over 6.1 innings to secure his third victory of the season.

Fellow south paw Andy Pettitte came up the hard luck loser as he pitched 7.1 innings and only permitted two runners to score. In the two loses for New York over the weekend they combined to score one run and provide their pitchers with zero run support.

Friday night the Yankees had trouble with left-hander Jarrod Washburn who pitched eight scoreless innings to lower his ERA to an impressive 2.64 ERA.

One glaring weakness for the Bronx Bombers in their series against the M's was their lack of success against left-handers. While the best teams in the AL, the Red Sox, Tigers, Indians and Angels have predominantly right-handed starting rotations, New York's weakness was exposed this weekend against two quality lefties.

Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano, two integral parts of the offense, continue to struggle at the plate. Abreu, who is a career .301 hitter, is currently batting a dismal. 236, while Cano has his average at .237. If the Yankees are to win the division this season they will need both players to break out of their slumps quickly. Especially with the Yankees traveling to face the White Sox and cross town rival Mets in the next week.

As for Seattle, they continue to over achieve as they are now 1-game over .500 at 17-16. Predicted by many to finish dead last in the AL West manager Mike Hargrove has his guys playing exceptionally well through the first six weeks of the season. The longer the Mariners can continue playing well, the less likely it is for Hargrove to be fired. Still, if the M's start out struggling after the All-Star break, it wouldn't be surprising to see a change in the dugout.

LHP Ryan has Tommy John surgery, out for season

Ryan's season-ending injury adds to the struggles the Blue Jays are experiencing.

May 10, 2007

TORONTO (AP) -- Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will miss the season after having Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Thursday, a major blow to Toronto's hopes.

Ryan, who signed a $47 million, five-year contract before the 2006 season, is expected to ready for spring training next year.

Ryan was 0-2 with three saves and a 12.46 ERA in five games this season. Last year, he was 2-2 with a 1.37 ERA and 38 saves in his first season since leaving Baltimore as a free agent.

Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the Reds' team doctor, performed the ligament surgery in Cincinnati.
Ryan initially felt soreness in March during spring training. After two weeks of rest and rehabilitation, he resumed throwing.

Ryan felt worse after a game April 14 against Detroit. He was placed on the disabled list the next day for the first time in his nine-year career.

Later, Ryan flew to Birmingham, Ala., to see renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed there were no ligament tears in Ryan's left elbow. At the time, Ryan was expected to miss six weeks.


Updated on Thursday, May 10, 2007 3:30 pm EDT

Report: Mitchell probe seeking medical records of Sosa, Palmeiro

May 9, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- The medical records of Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro are being sought by investigators in baseball's steroids probe, The New York Times reported in Wednesday's editions.

The investigation, led by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, is seeking the files of dozens of other players, an unidentified baseball official with direct knowledge of the request told the Times.

Sosa and Palmeiro both played for Baltimore in 2005. The Times said investigators have also asked the Orioles to send medical records pertaining to Jason Grimsley, David Segui and Fernando Tatis to those players, hoping they will release them to Mitchell.

The Daily News reported in Wednesday's editions that Mitchell's panel wants information from former Orioles player Jerry Hairston Jr., along with Palmeiro, Segui and Tatis.

Major League Baseball and the players' union reached an agreement earlier this week that players will decide whether to release their medical records, unidentified baseball sources told the Daily News reported.

Under the compromise, when Mitchell asks for a player's history, the team will give it to the player. After that, the player will decide whether he wants to cooperate.

"We can't comment on any of that, the medical records," Mike Flanagan, the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Asked if he had been contacted by Mitchell's panel, Flanagan replied, "I have not."

Mitchell's staff has interviewed at least nine members of the Orioles' front office and training staff, and has checked at least six of their personal computers for evidence pertaining to performance-enhancing drugs, the Times said.

Mitchell told the Times on Tuesday: "While it is our practice not to comment on the investigation, any suggestion that the investigation is focused on any single team is incorrect."

Sosa, now with the Texas Rangers, declined to answer any questions after Tuesday night's game at Yankee Stadium.

Earlier Tuesday, Michael Weiner, general counsel for the players' union, told the AP there had not any developments in Mitchell's requests for interviews with active players or medical records.

Earlier this month, Mitchell said he expected interviews with active players to begin soon.

Mitchell, picked by commissioner Bud Selig last year to lead the investigation, does not have subpoena power and has faced resistance in his effort to interview players and get medical records.

Mitchell has not set a timetable for his report.

Updated on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 2:28 am EDT

Toronto Blue Jays Struggling To Find Their Stride

By David
Kaye

Thirty-one games into the 2007 season the Blue Jays find themselves 13-18 and in the cellar in the AL East.

I know what you're saying, how are the woeful Devil Rays not in last place? The answer is that through quality hitting and pitching by many of their young players Tampa is in third place in the division. Although that run of luck by the Rays will not continue, it is promising to see a team that has never won more than 70 games in a season experience minimal success.

Toronto's off season additions of Frank Thomas, Victor Zambrano and Tomo Ohka haven't exactly gone the way general manager J.P. Ricciardi envisioned it would when he signed all three veterans to mix in with a young core of players.

Injuries to players B.J. Ryan, Reed Johnson, Gustavo Chacin, John Thompson and Gregg Zaun have hampered the Jays ability to succeed. The left elbow sprain to all-star closer B.J. Ryan which has sidelined him since April 15th was the most crushing injury of them all.

Last season for Toronto Ryan saved 38 games and posted a 1.37 ERA. He had become a dependable arm for manager John Gibbons and without the left-hander Toronto's bullpen has spiraled into a complete mess.

After posting an impressive 87-75 record a season ago, Toronto was looking to add upon their success and reach the playoffs in the ardent American League. Although the 2007 season is long from being over, it doesn't appear as if the Blue Jays have the ability to compete in the AL East.

Yankees' Manager Joe Torre and Reliever Scott Proctor Suspended By MLB

By David
Kaye

New York Yankees skipper Joe Torre and right-handed reliever Scott Proctor were suspended by MLB Monday after Proctor purposely threw inside to Seattle shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

After the Proctor-Betancourt incident, both benches cleared and members from both bullpens began to run onto the field. Fortunately, no punches were thrown, but because the umpires had already warned both teams, it was expected that the 30-year old reliever would have to pay for his actions. Not only will he have to serve a four-game suspension, but he will be mandated to pay a $1,500 fine.

As a result of Torre serving his one-game suspension Monday night in the series finale against the Mariners, bench coach Don Mattingly will receive his first opportunity at managing. There has been many rumors swirling around New York that when Joe decides to leave the Bronx Bombers Mattingly will step in as the new manager.

Roger Clemens might have signed with the Yankees at the perfect time because two current starters, Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano are both experiencing there own difficulties. Igawa, who was brought over in the off season from Japan for $46 million, was sent to the minors after going 2-1 with a 7.63 ERA in six games.

Pavano, who was the Yankees opening day starter at home, is once again injured and will now visit a fourth doctor this week to decide if he needs Tommy John surgery. He signed a four-year, $39.95 million contract before the '05 season and has been a bust so far in pinstripes.

While New York knew that they couldn't rely on Pavano in a big game situation, it was not expected that he would re-injure himself and possibly be sidelined for the next 12-18 months.

ESPN2 to televise MLB's 2007 First-Year Player Draft-mlb.com

With the NFL, NBA and now MLB drafts on television, the NHL must follow up by having their draft on t.v. Also, it would be great for the NFL to institute baseball's rule by permitting each team five minutes decide on their first-round selection.

If this happened the first-round of the football draft wouldn't last six hours and eight minutes.

05/07/2007 1:58 PM ET
ESPN2 to televise MLB's 2007 First-Year Player Draft

Major League Baseball's 2007 First-Year Player Draft will be carried live by ESPN2 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, June 7th, marking the first time that the Draft will be telecast. The Draft will be held at The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

ESPN2 will air each Club's first round choice. Clubs will have a maximum of five minutes to make their picks during the first round. Following the pick-by-pick coverage of the first round, ESPN2's telecast will continue as the Draft is ongoing until 6:00 p.m. (EDT). After the completion of ESPN2's coverage, the first day of the Draft will proceed until approximately 8:30 p.m. (EDT). On Friday, June 8th, the Draft will resume at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) and then will continue to its conclusion.

"Major League Baseball is delighted that ESPN2 will provide live coverage of our Draft," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "I am glad that this agreement will give fans access to see this critical function of an organization's development. This is an idea whose time has come."

The selection order is determined by the reverse order of finish at the close of the previous championship season. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will have the first selection of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. The San Francisco Giants will have three selections in the first round, while the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers will each have two first round choices. Supplementary selections are given as compensation to those Clubs that lost Type A or B free agents.

The Draft will have 50 rounds and will conclude after all 30 teams have passed on a selection or after the final selection of the 50th round, whichever comes first.

MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, will offer comprehensive coverage of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, highlighted by two days of live multimedia coverage from Orlando on The Baseball Channel and live interactive pick-by-pick results via the exclusive Draft Caster.

Please see the accompanying file for the complete order of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

Best NL Pitchers In The Month Of April

By David
Kaye

John Maine, Tim Hudson, Brad Penny and Rich Hill top the list of best pitchers in the month of April for the National League.

The criteria I use to determine the elite pitchers each month includes wins, ERA, K/BB ratio, hits allowed and quality outings. All four pitchers exemplified great skill in most categories and while some pitchers did not accumulate the most victories, they had the best quality performances.

New York Mets right-hander John Maine entered the 2007 season as the third starter in the rotation, but ended the month of April as the Mets' ace. In 33.1 innings pitched Maine surrendered a mere five earned runs and 18 hits against some of the leagues top offenses. The 25-year old ended the month 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA and captured the award as the NL's pitcher of the month. On top of that Maine is arguably baseball's best performing pitcher through the first five weeks of the season.

After a disappointing 2006 campaign where he went 13-12 with a 4.86 ERA, Atlanta Braves right-hander Tim Hudson is 3-0 on the season with a immaculate 1.40 earned run average. In 45 innings pitched this season Hudson has allowed seven earned runs, 29 hits and one long ball.

His most impressive stat might be that he has 32 strikeouts compared to 12 walks in the month of April. With a shaky starting rotation the Braves need stability and they have found that in the 9-year veteran who has gone at least seven innings in all five outings and has yet to permit more than three runners to score.

Dodgers hurler Brad Penny has continued the success that landed him as the starter in last years All-Star Game by going 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA. In give games started he has yet to allow more than three earned runs and in each outing has lasted at least six innings.

While the 28-year old's walk and hit count were high, he has been lethal at keeping opposing offenses at bay. With Jason Schmidt injured L.A. will need to rely on Penny for quality outings and so far the Oklahoma native has proven he's up for the test.

Lastly, Chicago Cubs youngster Rich Hill has been nothing but unhittable this season. He enters the month of May 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA and in four out of his five outings he has permitted two runs or less.

A bright spot for the left-hander has been that he's kept his hit total low and his K/BB ratio at nearly 3:1. In only his second full major league season the 26-year old is transforming into one of the elite left-handed pitchers in the NL. It might be the start of May, but there can be a serious case made for Hill to be an All-Star come the middle of July.

While the four starting pitchers mentioned had excellent first months of the season, there are several other hurlers that deserve credit for pitching outstanding. That list includes Brewers starter Chris Capuano, Padres ace Jake Peavy, Cubs right-hander Jason Marquis and Brew Crew closer Francisco Cordero.

Milwaukee Brewers Off To A Red Hot Start

By David
Kaye


At 16-9, the Brewers are a top the NL Central. They have won seven out of their last ten games and are 3.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh for the Central division title.



Entering the 2007 season it was expected for the Brew Crew to be competitive, but not to lead the division at the end of April. While they are off to a tremendous start it will be key for the Brewers to continue to play well for the duration of the season. If they can acquire key players at the trade deadline there is a real possibility that Milwaukee could win the division.

With a young nucleus of hitters and a quality pitching staff the Brewers present serious problems for opposing teams. Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy headline an offense that is one of the most entertaining to watch on a consistent basis.



Milwaukee has sixteen players on their team that are 30-years of age or younger, as well as a nice compliment of veterans. They are lead by one of the superior managers in all of baseball in Ned Yost who has stayed patient with his young Brewers club and is now starting to see the dividends.



The Brewers present opposing offenses nightmares when they are able to come at you with a starting rotation that includes Jeff Suppan, Chris Capuano, Ben Sheets, Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas. Each pitcher has the ability to win at least twelve games on the season and Capuano and Suppan have already piled up four wins each through the month of April.



If you ask someone who the best closer through the first month of the season has been you will receive replies such as Joe Nathan or Francisco Rodriguez. Surprisingly, the Brewers' Francisco Cordero has been the best closer of 2007 as he is 10 for 10 on save opportunities and in 11.1 innings pitched this season he has permitted only two hits and zero runs. In my book that is amazing and his accomplishment must be recognized.





I have been a fan of the Brew Crew for several years now and I would love nothing more than for them to win the NL Central this season.

Steinbrenner backs Torre and Cashman, but says results `clearly not acceptable'

April 30, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- George Steinbrenner has spoken: For now, Joe Torre has his backing to turn around the Yankees following a start the owner termed "clearly not acceptable."

Torre was joined by general manager Brian Cashman on the team's charter flight to Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers that starts Tuesday night. Steinbrenner challenged players and staff "to show me and the fans what they are made of" and said of his $195 million team: "I believe in them."

Steinbrenner previously had refused comment on the last-place Yankees, who went 1-5 against the Boston Red Sox the past two weekends. New York has lost eight of nine and is last in the AL East at 9-14. Entering Monday night's games, only Kansas City and Washington (both 8-17) had poorer winning percentages.

"The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans," Steinbrenner said in a statement. "However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly.

"I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of.

"Let's get going. Let's go out and win and bring a world championship back to New York. That's what I want."

Cashman, who spoke with Steinbrenner on Monday, canceled a scouting trip to the Dominican Republic and traveled with the team.

"I appreciate his support and look forward to finding the solutions to these problems," Cashman said just before the plane took off. "We intend to find a way to get back on track sooner rather than later."

Yankees general partner Steve Swindal said the fault for the start doesn't lie with Torre.
"My feeling is Joe doesn't play on the field. He has to do the best he can with the players available to him on any given day. Because we've had so many recent injuries, I just don't feel it's fair to blame him," said Swindal, who is in divorce proceedings with the owner's daughter, Jennifer.

"I believe a manager is important to get players motivated to play, and Joe has historically done that," Swindal added. "You've got to judge a guy by his record, and he's been successful. There's no reason why he can't be with this team as well, especially if they get healthy."

After the Yankees' 4-8 start two years ago, Steinbrenner made a similar statement.

"Enough is enough. I am bitterly disappointed, as I'm sure all Yankee fans are, by the lack of performance by our team," he said then. "It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around."

New York fell as low as 11-19 that year, then rebounded and won the AL East title on the final weekend of the regular season.

Injuries, especially to Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano, have caused this year's poor beginning. The Yankees have a 5.02 ERA, 27th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of only Florida (5.13), Texas (5.37) and Tampa Bay (6.01). New York is the first major league team ever to use five or more pitchers in 10 straight games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Two clubs had done it nine in a row: Boston (2004-05) and Tampa Bay last September.
Wang returned from a hamstring injury but is 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA. Mussina is due back from a hamstring injury on Thursday night.

Yankees players have backed Torre, saying the blame should be directed at them. Captain Derek Jeter called criticism of the manager "unfair" and said "it should stop."

"You go back 100 years: pitching and defense," Alex Rodriguez said. "The team with the best pitching wins. It's as simple as that."

Updated on Monday, Apr 30, 2007 5:39 pm EDT

Cardinals Pitcher Josh Hancock Killed At The Age Of 29

By David
Kaye

Two months ago I had the opportunity to meet St.Louis relief pitcher Josh Hancock and my first impression was that he was an exceptionally gracious individual who took nothing for granted.

I am deeply saddened to learn that he was killed in a car accident early Sunday morning and that I will not have the distinguished honor of meeting him again. I might have known him for five minutes, but he will forever leave me with a positive lasting impression.

On a picture perfect day in Jupiter, Florida Josh pulled up to the railing where the fans wait for autographs and spoke to us for several minutes. I distinctly remember him driving the same vehicle, a 2007 Ford Explorer, that was involved in his fatal crash Sunday when he smacked in to a tow truck on the highway. Now, I will value my signature from him with much greater significance.

The fact that Hancock was a member of the Cardinals brings back memories to when former Cards pitcher Darryl Kyle died just less than five-years ago in a hotel room before a game against the Cubs. Additionally, Hancock is the second baseball player and pitcher for that matter to pass away in the last six and a half months. Former Yankee Cory Lidle passed away last October in a plane crash.

I'm curious to wonder if it's just pure luck that two current and healthy players passed away recently or is something not being done by MLB to fully protect their players. I hope that this is not a trend that will continue to occur.

This incident really puts the value of a persons life in perspective because we realize how precious every moment we spend with them is. It also demonstrates that a sports figure such as Hancock is not super human and is like every other person in the world. His family and teammates will now enter a long grieving process and they will unfortunately never be able to see their good friend again.

Cardinals principal owner Bill Dewitt Jr. put it best when he said ''the pain our organization feels today is unspeakable.''

Schilling criticizes media, offers $1 million blood bet on his blog

April 27, 2007

BOSTON (AP) -- Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling offered $1 million to anyone who could prove it was not blood that blotted his famous sock in the 2004 playoffs, and criticized members of the media in a blog on his personal Web site Friday.

The controversy over what stained Schilling's sock was reignited this week when Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne said Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli had told him it was paint, not blood, and that it was done for a publicity stunt.

Mirabelli called that a lie, and Thorne said Thursday he had misreported what Mirabelli said.

Still, Schilling blasted Thorne and the media in general Friday in his first public statement since Thorne's on-air comments.

Schilling was injured in Game 1 of the 2004 AL championship series against New York. Team doctors stitched a tendon in his right ankle to keep it from flopping around, and he returned to lead the Red Sox to a remarkable win in Game 6 to tie the series at 3-3. The Red Sox went on to win that series, and won the World Series for their first title since 1918.

"If you have ... the guts, grab an orthopedic surgeon, have them suture your ankle skin down to the tissue covering the bone in your ankle joint, then walk around for 4 hours," Schilling wrote on his Web site www.38pitches.com. "After that go find a mound, throw a hundred or so pitches, run over, cover first a few times. When you're done check that ankle and see if it bleeds."
Thorne did not immediately return a message Friday left with his employer, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Schilling offered $1 million to anyone who could prove the blood on his sock was not authentic. But it's unclear where the sock is. Schilling has said he put it in the laundry; on Friday he wrote that he suspects a Yankees clubhouse employee still has it. The pitcher donated another bloodstained sock worn in Game 2 of the World Series to the Hall of Fame.

"If the blood on the sock is fake, I'll donate a million dollars to that person's charity, if not they donate that amount to (Schilling's charities for ALS research)," he wrote. "Any takers?"

Schilling also ripped several members of the national sports media for exaggerating stories based on their own insecurities and for "rolling their eyes" when he talks about his faith in God. His recommendation: "Put them all on an island somewhere.

"If you haven't figured it out by now, working in the media is a pretty nice gig," the pitcher wrote. "Barring outright plagiarism or committing a crime, you don't have to be accountable if you don't want to."

Use what you learned in this article to dominate at Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball '07

Updated on Friday, Apr 27, 2007 12:37 pm EDT

Baseball's Best Pitchers Are Sidelined With Injuries

By David
Kaye

Every year the injury bug hits teams hard, but through the first month of the season the elite pitchers around MLB are getting injured at drastic rates.

Chris Carpenter, Felix Hernandez, Jason Schmidt, B.J. Ryan, Kenny Rogers and Mike Mussina highlight the list of pitchers who are on the disabled list instead of on the field trying to help their club win.

The best example of how injuries have affected a pitching staff's performance is to look at the current state of the Yankees rotation. Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano are currently on the DL and staff ace Chien-Mien Wang returned Tuesday night and surrendered four runs over 6 and 1/3 innings of work.

New York has been forced to throw out inexperienced pitchers such as Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner and Chase Wright. It has been a struggle to get any Yankees starter to survive past five innings and this has taken a considerable toll on the bullpen. If Wang, Mussina and Pavano do not return to pitch effectively it could be a long Summer in the Bronx.

There has been a litany of other quality pitchers who are sidelined with injuries and as a result their teams have struggled out of the gate. The most notable players are Jaret Wright, Jason Jennings, Cliff Lee, Eric Gagne, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior[now out for the season, again], Ricky Nolasco and Micah Owings.

While I can't find a common theme as to why there's such a high propensity of top major league pitchers getting hurt so early in the season, I believe that this issue needs to bring awareness to how these players condition themselves and how the teams treat their injuries. Many ball clubs do not report the entire truth about an injury and many players will attempt to rush back to play before they are fully healed.

If Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan is not healthy by the middle of June and if ace pitchers Chris Carpenter and Felix Hernandez can not be effective upon return their teams chance of being successful is shattered. Carpenter is the leader of the St.Louis's pitching staff and is the reliable arm who can win 15-17 games and post an ERA under four. King Felix appeared unhitable in his first two starts of 2007 and looked as if he was quickly transforming into the majors most exciting and successful young star.

Baltimore Orioles Continue Red Hot Play

By David
Kaye

Five games into the 2007 season the O's were 1-4, but since then they have compiled a 10-3 record. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the division rival Blue Jays and have now catapult into second place in the AL East.

After watching the Orioles down at spring training in Ft.Lauderdale this year I got the sense that they were an improved team from last season, but were still missing that compliment pitcher to Erik Bedard and hitter to Miguel Tejada.

Through the first three weeks of the season manager Sam Perlozzo has his team playing exceptionally well, but the next two weeks of their schedule will lend be an indicator if they can contend with the elite teams in the American League. The O's open a three-game series at home tonight against the A's and then travel to Cleveland and Detroit.

Offensively this season Baltimore has seen strong play out of several hitters. Nick Markakis is a star in the making and is currently batting .284 with three long balls and 14 batted in. Third baseman Melvin Mora and team leader Miguel Tejada have started off the season hot, but it will be critical for them to continue their success throughout the duration of the season. A strong year out of Mora would be key to the O's contending.

Unfortunately, second baseman Brian Roberts and outfielders Jay Gibbons and Corey Patterson have not begun the season on high notes. Patterson needs to be more aggressive on the base pads and Gibbons must display his power if his team expects to improve on last season. Zero home runs in 56 at bats is unacceptable for a man with his potential.

New York Yankees' Struggle Against Boston Red Sox'

By David
Kaye

After a three-game sweep of the Indians at the stadium the Yankees were confident heading into their weekend series with the arch rival Red Sox'. Optimism would quickly transform into a state of panic as New York was outplayed brutally by Boston and was unable to salvage one victory in the series.

Many people can use the excuse that the Sox had their three best pitchers [Schilling, Beckett and Matsuzaka] lined up against Pettitte, Karstens and Wright, but despite who the Yankees throw out there they are expected to be victorious. The starting rotation was not aided by a poor performance by Mariano Rivera and the rest of the bullpen.

Rivera imploded in the bottom of the eighth Friday night as he surrendered two runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning. His ERA now stands at an inflated 8.44 and his record is 1-2 after his second blown save of the season. If Mo continues to struggle the Bronx Bombers have no chance of overtaking the Red Sox and winning the division. With the abundance of talent in the AL New York might possibly be on the outside looking in come playoff time. I still expect Rivera to rebound and for the Yankees to reach the playoffs and possibly return to the World Series.

Saturday afternoon Jeff Karstens made his season debut for the Yanks and allowed seven runs over 4.1 innings. David Ortiz lit up Karstens for a 2-run double and a 2-run home run. Surprisingly, the Yankees bullpen kept Boston's sluggers at bay for the rest of the evening as they pitched 3.2 innings of shut out baseball. In the end, the Yankees fell to Boston for the second straight game by the score of 7-5.

In an attempt to salvage the third game of the series the Yankees preserved their mark in the record books. Unfortunately, this is a record that Joe Torre and his players are not proud of. In his second career major league start, Chase Wright surrendered four consecutive home runs to the Red Sox' hitters. Manny Ramirez started the hit parade with a blast to left field and he was followed by J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek. In a span of 10 pitches Wright's pitching career was changed forever.

Entering Monday, the Yankees stand four games out of first place. New York has 147 games remaining on the schedule and while fans will begin to worry about their early season lack of success, I don't begin to get concerned until August when the games start to carry some merit.

Arizona Diamondbacks Unveil Brilliant Ticket Ideas

By David
Kaye

Being a student in college can put a real strain on your purchasing power. With tuition and miscellaneous expense you don't have the extra spending money to attend several baseball games a year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have attempted to resolve that issue with the ''Student Season Pass.'' If you are a student in the Phoenix area you will now have the opportunity to attend every D-Backs home game for ''as low as $29.99 per month.''

I find this marketing strategy by Arizona to be a real home run for students and D-Backs management. While the game can be affordable for students, it brings more fans to Chase Field and increases revenue for the team. This was a great idea and if I were a student in the Phoenix area I would attend as many games as possible to cheer on my Diamondbacks. Not to mention, Chase field is one of the premier stadiums in baseball with a swimming pool and retractable roof.

The team offers three ticket plans to students. There is the student season plan for $29.99 a month, the student school year plan for $39.99 a month and the student summer plan for $39.99 a month. If successful, I hope that this idea can be adopted by more major league clubs.

Baseball's Big Bucks- Forbes.com

Kurt Badenhausen, Michael K. Ozanian and Christina Settimi 04.19.07,
6:00 PM ET

Baseball games can turn quickly with one swing of the bat. Baseball's finances can change quickly too.

Three years ago, the 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams posted an operating loss (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $57 million. Last season, they earned a record $496 million. Despite its ongoing steroids scandal, baseball has made a big comeback thanks to labor peace, new ballparks, tight races to qualify for the postseason and improved marketing.

In 2006, a record 76 million fans poured through the turnstiles at big league parks. The New York Yankees led the league with attendance (the fourth consecutive year the Bronx Bombers have done so) with 4.2 million, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.8 million), New York Mets (3.4 million) and St. Louis Cardinals (3.4 million). With the average ticket price of a big league game increasing 5% last season, to $22, gate receipts (including premium club seating) came in at $1.9 billion, 8% above 2005.

Cable rights fees have also been a home run for baseball. Fox's regional cable sports networks, which are owned by News Corp. (nyse: NWS - news - people ), now have the rights to 19 teams and shelled out $257 million in fees last season. Among those teams that run their own sports channels, the Yankees raked in the most ,with $67 million in rights fees from their YES network. Their cross-town rivals, the Mets, pulled in $47 million during the first year of their SportsNet New York channel. Other teams with ownership ties to media properties also raked in lucrative fees. The Boston Red Sox, 80% owner of New England Sports Network, for example, pulled in $21 million in rights fees. The Chicago Cubs, owned by Tribune (nyse: TRB - news - people ), took home $20 million from its parent's local broadcaster, WGN, as well as $20 million from Comcast (nasdaq: CMCSA - news - people ) SportsNet, which Tribune also owns a piece of.

By our count, nine teams have equity stakes in regional sports networks [RSNs], with more likely to follow. John A. Moag, chief executive of the sports banking firm Moag & Co., points out that the typical RSN can generate a rich cash flow margin (earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation as a percent of revenue) of 40% net of the fair market value of rights fees paid to the team that owns the network.

With business humming at ballparks and on television, MLB's revenues totaled $5.1 billion last season, 9% more than 2005. The combination of revenue growth and investments in new, revenue-rich ballparks (the St. Louis Cardinals moved into their new home last season, while the Mets, Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals should all be in new stadiums by 2010) fueled a 15% increase in team values, to an average of $431 million.

Three years ago, MLB, which owned the Montreal Expos, couldn't find a buyer for the team. Two years after the team moved to Washington, D.C., the Nationals, as the team is now known, were bought for $450 million by Theodore Lerner and his family. Buyers have been lining up to bid for the Cubs (the team will be put on the block after the pending sale of Tribune is finalized), who haven't won the World Series in a century and have not even played in one in three generations. Look for the buyer to be a Chicagoan that will pay around $600 million, or perhaps as much as $900 million if Tribune's interest in WGN and Comcast SportsNet are also part of the deal, surpassing the then-record $700 million John Henry's group paid for the Red Sox and 80% of NESN five years ago.

How quickly the game has changed.

The Demise Of The Philadelphia Phillies

By David
Kaye

High expectations, a vow by shortstop Jimmy Rollins that his Phils were the team to beat in the NL East, but a 4-10 record to begin the season is the only thing Phlily fans have to look forward to.

At the root of their problems, is a bullpen that has struggled greatly in 2007 and continues to blow game after game. It might be the third week of the season, but manager Charlie Manuel has already gone ballistic and the probability that he will stay a Philly becomes less and less likely as the losses start to mount.

In a sign that the team is in disarray, management has moved ace pitcher Brett Myers to the bullpen and veteran Jon Lieber to the starting rotation. Despite two poor starts, Philadelphia should have stayed with Myers as a starter because he can only do so much to turn around a deplorable bullpen.

Initially, there was vast excitement around the city of brotherly love, but players have underachieved and the fans have become extremely restless. The team continues to play poor defensively and appear lackadaisical on the base pads. They do not look like the team that many analysts[including myself] expected to win the Nl East and contend for the World Series.

Still, one can not make a fair assessment of a team after fourteen games into the season. Unfortunately, the Phillies have gotten off to slow starts the past few years and were unable to rebound to make the postseason. While many journalists and sports critics around Philadelphia want to come down harshly on the Phils, we must wait to see if they can resolve their pitching woes and return to a contending team.

Dellucci gives extra to Gulf Coast

Dellucci's Louisiana Lagniappe 22 bracelets can be purchased for $2 each on his website. He has done a tremendous job in trying to aid his home state and for that he must be applauded. I wish there could be more David Dellucci's around MLB.

Tribe outfielder determined to get aid to where it's needed most
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com


CLEVELAND -- The donations have been overwhelming, but the recovery has been slow for the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

And that's where Indians left fielder David Dellucci's frustration lies.

As a Major League ballplayer from Baton Rouge, La., Dellucci found himself in a position to do a tremendous amount of good for his home state and the other areas battered by the two storms in August and September of 2005.

Through his charity, the Catch 22 for Blue Foundation (www.catch22forblue.org), Dellucci helped raise nearly $100,000 for various charities and needy causes in the Gulf region.

But while driving through Louisiana this past offseason, Dellucci often found himself wondering whether the generosity shown toward the area is being used constructively.

"Some areas are really moving forward and really rebuilding," he said. "But some areas are moving very slowly. You would think they would be further along in the rebuilding process than they are. I think there's a block in between what is being donated from other citizens around the country and what is actually filtering into the needy people down there."

Dellucci has tried to do his part to ensure the money he raised is spent wisely.

"Nowadays, you don't know exactly where your money is headed," he said. "I wanted the people who donated money to feel confident that it was all going where I advertised it to be going."

For Dellucci, donations were not hard to come by.

In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, he wrote a check to the American Red Cross, and the Rangers -- his team at the time -- matched and doubled it.

Dellucci autographed some baseballs, and the team sold them during a home game for $22 a piece. They were gone by the first pitch.

And when Dellucci went on the field to stretch, fans and stadium workers were trying to hand him checks, on the spot.

"All game I'm thinking, 'I've got to do something,'" Dellucci recalled. "I called my agent that night and said, 'We need to put together a foundation to take this money and distribute it where I see fit.' Then I went out during the next game and was trying to think of ways to raise money. I was playing left field and coming up with ideas."

Dellucci's idea? Rubber bracelets, similar to Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" fundraiser. The 40,000 bracelets sold by Dellucci and the Rangers read "Louisiana Lagniappe," which is a south Louisiana term meaning "to give a little extra."

"In other words, if you go to Louisiana to a jazz or blues festival, you go down there and eat the food and love the food, so you leave with a little more than expected," Dellucci said. "If you go to a doughnut shop and ask for a dozen doughnuts and they give you 13, that's lagniappe."

Keeping with the spirit of the phrase, Dellucci and his newly formed charity kept giving. And while New Orleans got the majority of the national attention in the wake of the natural disasters, Dellucci knew the ripple effects of the storms lingered elsewhere.

Catch 22 for Blue teamed up with the Marines and the Toys for Tots program to donate 6,000 pounds of toys to children in Port Arthur, Texas, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Rita.
Dellucci bought 25 Thanksgiving meals for evacuees living in the Dallas area.
He made a donation to the Louisiana State Troopers Association, which saw many of its members unable to help repair their homes and help their families because they had to stand guard in New Orleans.

He bought new Braille books for the University of New Orleans' School for the Visually Impaired, which lost all its supplies in the floods.

He helped out an evacuee family in St. Louis with seven children, three of whom had Down Syndrome.

And when he read a story in People magazine about Sandra LaDay, who was taking care of 400 familes in Port Arthur, despite her own financial struggles, he cut a check for her charity, People Supporting People.

"She was living in a gas station," Dellucci said of LaDay. "Someone had given her a mattress. I knew I had to help this woman who helped people in her town."

Dellucci personally oversaw where each dollar raised by his charity went, because he knew, sadly, that charity money is not always appropriated properly.

"I wanted to make it a point where I wasn't giving money to people who just wanted handouts," he said. "I had to feel comfortable that they were doing their best to get by further down the line. I didn't want hard-earned money to be wasted."

Gauging the situation in Louisiana today, Dellucci is upset with the way some residents have resisted opportunities to get their lives back in order. He said many people in the region have developed a learned helplessness.

"There are job openings everywhere," he said. "That is a fact. There have been reports of construction companies going into shelters right after the storm and offering to take people out of those shelters and giving them jobs and getting them off on the right foot. And in many cases, only a few hands have gone up.

"If you don't have a job and you're still waiting for handout money, then shame on you, because there are plenty of jobs -- if not in the New Orleans area, then in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas."

This past offseason, Dellucci shifted the focus of Catch 22 for Blue to Louisiana-bred troops overseas. With the money left over from the donations received in late 2005, he boxed up some homegrown care packages for the troops.

"There are soldiers from the Louisiana area whose houses were damaged, but yet they are not able to do anything because they are serving the country right now," he said. "My charity's focus is on helping them."

Dellucci knows people around the country might still be inclined to help the Gulf region get back on its feet, but he hopes they'll be as judicious with where their money goes as he has been. He recommends donating to charities whose efforts include boosting the area's recreational needs.

"The state has received a ton of federal money for rebuilding down there," he said. "The issue now is that there are some groups that have been slow in getting that money out."
And the ensuing slow recovery is disheartening for Dellucci and all those who hold Louisiana near and dear to their heart.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Freezing Weather Headlines Mets' Win Over Washington

By David

Kaye

It was Friday, the 13th of April and I was looking forward to attending my first baseball game of 2007. The Mets might have been facing the woeful Nationals, but it was still an opportunity to go to Shea Stadium with my best friend. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate temperatures in the low thirties and for the wind to be rapidly gusting in my face.

I felt like I was at the Meadowlands in mid- December attending a Giants game because at least then I can expect such fierce weather. Mother nature has played many tricks on New York and all of the Northeast in the past month. After a mild Winter, Spring has brought below average temperatures and snow to many cities.

While both teams played a competitive game with New York winning 3-2, the forecast overshadowed the events on the field. I was bundled up with four layers, a pair of gloves and a hat. That is extreme for me because I am the type of guy who'll walk outside in the middle of Winter wearing shorts or sandals. It was especially difficult Friday night because I was forced to sit stationary for three and a half hours watching the ball game. Not to mention, I was also keeping score with the five dollar program I purchased.

That expenditure might seem steep, but remember that a pretzel cost four dollars and a hot drink is $2.25. The prices at Shea and all ball parks are ridiculous and that is why I refuse to make any beverage or food purchase at a sporting event. The sad part is that as aggregate demand for the items go up, the price level will continue to rise. Unlike most ball parks, I witnessed that fans are permitted to bring food and beverages into the stadium, so it boggles my mind why more people don't do that.

At least, I was the smart consumer who bought his tickets for five dollars each online and did not fall into the trap of purchasing over priced seats. With ticket prices so high, I will only go to games when the Mets' have their five dollar deals. Not only do I get a great view[upper deck behind home plate], but I get to see the best team in the NL play. Now that equation is hard to beat.

Right idea, wrong solution

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports

April 12, 2007

Over the weekend, Major League Baseball will laud Jackie Robinson for his role in integrating the game and, ultimately, the country. At the same time, it will conveniently ignore another manner in which Robinson was far ahead of his time.

Given the choice, he probably would have chosen to play another sport professionally instead of baseball.

Thousands of African-American children are making that decision today, and no matter what it has tried to stop the trend, baseball has seen the number of black players in the major leagues decline precipitously. So for MLB to plan such a blowout for this Sunday, the 60th anniversary of Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, makes it seem like the sport is trying to hide the elephant in the room with Saran wrap.

As nice an idea as it was for Ken Griffey Jr. to propose that players be allowed to wear Robinson's retired No. 42 for one day, and as touching as the ceremony at Dodger Stadium with Robinson's widow, Rachel, surely will be, baseball devoting such attention to the past – no matter its place in history – is a misguided attempt to gussy up a problem with no obvious solution.

The antidote? Just keep celebrating Jackie.

"We think we're making great strides in overall diversity, but we're losing the African-American player," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations and the league's highest-ranking African-American. "And that's a shame. Because there was a time when baseball was at the forefront with African-American participation. We were at the forefront of the whole civil-rights movement. To let that decline to the point where we can't reverse it would be a travesty."

It is a tenuous balance, trying to honor the past without misrepresenting the present. Last season, 8.4 percent of big-league players were African-American, almost a 10 percent drop from 10 years earlier and nearly a 20 percent drop from the peak in the 1970s. The percentages taken through the years read almost like a bell curve, with the present creeping downward toward 1947.

Robinson debuted with the Dodgers that season, hand-picked by general manager Branch Rickey because of his fortitude and stubbornness. He was talented, sure, though at UCLA, Robinson made his name playing football, joining stars Kenny Washington and Woody Strode to form what would be coined the Gold Dust Trio. Washington and Strode, incidentally, were the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL, signed in 1948, after Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.

The year before he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, Robinson coached basketball at Sam Houston College in Austin, Texas, and, according to Jonathan Eig's brilliant new biography, "Opening Day," would insert himself into games when his team played poorly.

For Robinson, football and basketball had the allure of forbidden mistresses, and that was even prior to the NFL and NBA's maturation into baseball's legitimate competitors.

Lucky for baseball, it was willing to take the chance on Robinson and continues to ride Rickey's coattails – and Robinson's legacy – 60 years later.

"We had reduced him to this mythological figure who's the picture of cool composure and grace under pressure," said Eig, whose book chronicles Robinson's 1947 season. "He wasn't. He was a human being in lots of turmoil. We crave these myths. It's true with George Washington. It's true with Abraham Lincoln. Half these stories we learned about these legends are invented. It's because the myths help tell these stories, and we love simple stories."

Like the story of May 13, 1947, when Pee Wee Reese ambled up to Robinson at Crosley Field in Cincinnati and slung his arm around Robinson's shoulder. It's a moment cited as the turning point in baseball turning colorblind. And it's one that, according to Eig's research, never happened.

Such fables do give baseball justification for reminding younger generations of who, exactly, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was. And yet every time fans spin the turnstiles at a major-league park, they see the No. 42 alongside the rest of the team's retired numbers, a constant but subtle cue of his importance – a fair reminder, as opposed to a pound-over-the-head celebration that seems out of place on an anniversary like No. 60.

"A lot of players have lost sight of who Jackie was and what his legacy was and how important he was to our country, let alone baseball," Solomon said. "We've been pretty good over the last several years to make sure Jackie's legacy was obvious to everyone."

Whether it actually helps draw African-Americans to baseball is arguable.

Baseball, as Solomon admitted, made a decision about 20 years ago – based largely on economics – to spend money building academies in Latin American countries such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The players were teenagers, disposable if they didn't pan out, cheap to sign if they did. Even though the signing bonuses in Latin America have gone up exponentially, topping $2 million for the top talent, the best bargains still come from there. Nearly 30 percent of players in the major leagues last season were Latino, a number that has grown almost inversely proportionate to the number of African-Americans.

Meanwhile, in the United States, equipment prices rose and children in urban areas were priced out of the game. Baseball, slow to recognize the problem, failed to reach out. When the percentage of African-Americans dipped below 10 percent in 2004, the outcry among players began, and it continues today.

"Any publicity, anything Major League Baseball can do, is a good thing because it brings attention," said Cleveland Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia, one of only two African-American starters in the major leagues and an outspoken voice who earlier this spring deemed the decline a "crisis." "People need to understand, this isn't going away. It won't be over after Jackie Robinson Day. I won't stop saying what I'm saying. I hope the same can be said for others."

Sabathia grew up in Oakland watching Dave Stewart, Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson, among others. He has heard all of the arguments why the trend will only get worse.

Football and basketball offer immediate riches. They have a greater appeal among the teenage girls athletes want to impress. Division I football teams offer 85 scholarships as opposed to the 11.8 of baseball, considered at most universities a non-revenue sport. Basketball hoops are omnipresent in urban areas because they take up minimal space, need little maintenance and can be used by an entire neighborhood with just one ball.

MLB tries to combat the problem with programs like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), which has done an excellent job of introducing kids to baseball and providing proper equipment. Keeping them is another story. Though MLB likes to point out that more than 150 RBI players have been drafted since the program's inception in 1989, only four current major-leaguers – Jimmy Rollins, Carl Crawford, Dontrelle Willis and Coco Crisp – were graduates.

The newest attempt comes from the MLB-financed Urban Youth Academies, like the one that opened in Compton, Calif., last year and others planned for Atlanta and perhaps Houston and Washington, D.C. They have the same concept as RBI. Whether they can have greater long-term success is impossible to gauge.

"We're realistic: The numbers can drop even more," Solomon said. "We're working hard as we can to make sure they don't. It won't be for lack of effort from (MLB)."

With no obvious solutions to fixing the problem, baseball has opted for the temporary salve in hopes of buying itself some time. Baseball knows it's too big and important an institution to turn its back on what it helped foster.

"Eight percent," Sabathia said. "What would Jackie think?"

Certainly not about rejoicing. In fact, at Game 2 of the 1972 World Series, about a month before Robinson died, MLB honored him for the 25th anniversary of his debut. Robinson blanched at going. There still wasn't a black manager in baseball. Robinson extracted a promise from commissioner Bowie Kuhn that he would pressure teams to hire one.

Less than three years later, Frank Robinson was managing the Cleveland Indians.

What would Jackie Robinson ask for today? It's impossible to say.

One certainty: He wouldn't want baseball to just keep celebrating Jackie, to harp on its past while its present worsens.

It's too simple, too programmed, too easy.

Everything that Jackie Robinson – and what he still stands for – wasn't.

Jeff Passan is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jeff a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Friday, Apr 13, 2007 3:13 am EDT

Early ticket sales 'encouraging' for Angels-Indians series

If I lived in the vicinity of Milwaukee, I would have loved to attend all three games for $10 a pop. It also doesn't hurt to have two potential division winners squaring off against each other.

By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press Writer
April 9, 2007

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Get ready for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim against the Cleveland Indians of Milwaukee.

Hours after officials at Miller Park agreed to let the snowed-out Indians host the Angels at the Milwaukee Brewers' home stadium, fan interest was "encouraging" and ticket sales outpaced tempered expectations.

Brewers spokesman Tyler Barnes said nearly 10,000 tickets total were sold for all three games of the series within the first four hours of availability.

"We still don't have any idea of what to expect but so far we're encouraged," Barnes said Monday afternoon.

About 4,000 tickets were sold for each night game -- 7:05 p.m. EDT starts on Tuesday and Wednesday -- and about 2,000 tickets for Thursday's game scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT, Barnes said.

Chris Williams, a Cleveland native who studies finance at Milwaukee's Marquette University, said he felt lucky to have the Indians coming to town.

"I think it'll be really interesting," said Williams, 21, as he headed to Miller Park to buy tickets for Tuesday's game. "Any time I'm able to support my team, I always try to take advantage of it."
Tickets for all games and seats will be $10 each. The 9,000 field-level seats will be sold first and loge seats will be available if necessary.

A storm in Cleveland left several inches of snow on the Indians' open-air Jacobs Field.

As the news of the Miller Park series trickled out, local fans seemed intrigued by the idea of watching an Angels-Indians matchup on the Brewers' home turf.

Robin Meyer, a 21-year-old business major at Marquette, said he planned to attend at least one game.

"I'm just a fan of the sport," he said. "I'll be going for the fun of it, for the fun of baseball."

The Brewers went from the American League to the National League in 1998. The last AL game in Milwaukee was the Baltimore Orioles' 7-6 victory over the Brewers on Sept. 28, 1997, at County Stadium.

Michael Constantine, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student and passionate Brewers fan, planned to attend Wednesday's game.

"Being able to get tickets right behind home plate or right behind the dugout for $10, that's a unique opportunity," the 21-year-old Racine native said. "It's like getting courtside seats at a basketball game for $10."

It was unclear how revenue from the games would be distributed but Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers' executive vice president of business operations, said he was more concerned with getting the park's operations in order on short notice.

"Let's not worry about cost or the revenue aspect -- we'll figure that out after the fact," he said Monday. "At the end of the day we'll do what's appropriate."

Constantine said he'll root for a good game and low attendance.

"When I first heard about the series, my first thought was, 'Ooh, I'll be able to get a foul ball now,"' he said.

Use what you learned in this article to dominate at Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball '07

Updated on Monday, Apr 9, 2007 11:03 pm EDT

Padres' Young gets $14.5 million, four-year contract

April 10, 2007

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- At 6-foot-10 and Princeton-educated, Chris Young would stand out in any crowd.

The 27-year-old right-hander has impressed the San Diego Padres enough to earn a $14.5 million, four-year contract that would be worth $23 million if the team exercises a 2011 option.

The new deal was announced Tuesday, about 12 hours after Young beat Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants 1-0 at Petco Park.

Young seems to be a no-hitter waiting to happen, hasn't been beaten on the road in nearly two years and is the only Padres pitcher to win a playoff game since 1998.

"This is more than I could have asked for," Young said. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me and my family and I'm extremely grateful for everything they've done for me."

Young already was under contract for this season, with a club option for next year. He gets an immediate raise for this year, from $600,000 to $750,000, plus a signing bonus of $500,000.
He locks in a salary of $2.5 million for next year. Under his old deal, the 2008 option would have been between $1.8 million and $2.5 million, depending on innings this season.

He'll get $4.5 million in 2009 and $6.25 million in 2010. The club option for 2011 is worth $8.5 million and could go as high as $11 million, depending on accomplishments in the previous two seasons.

Young, who starred in baseball and basketball at Princeton, is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts this year. He allowed Bonds' only homer of the season so far last Wednesday in San Francisco, getting a no-decision in a 5-3 Padres win.

"It's pretty indicative of the type of pitcher that Chris is," general manager Kevin Towers said. "He's one of the bright young pitching stars in the National League as well as all of baseball. He's a fresh arm, someone who hasn't pitched a great deal but you wouldn't ever know that watching the way he approaches each and every game."

Young's deal came less than two weeks after first baseman Adrian Gonzalez got a $9.5 million, four-year deal that would be worth $15 million if the Padres exercise an option for $5.5 million in 2011.

Young, Gonzalez and left fielder Terrmel Sledge came over from the Texas Rangers in a six-player trade on Jan. 4, 2006, a deal that has turned out to be one of Towers' best.

"These are the type of individuals we want wearing the Padres name on the front of their jerseys," Towers said. "These are the type of guys we'd like to have around, the guys that are championship-winning type players."

Young was 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA last season, when he came within two outs of the Padres' first no-hitter on Sept. 22 against Pittsburgh. He also took a no-hit bid into the eighth against Colorado in May.

He also became the first Padres starter to win a postseason game since 1998 when he won at St. Louis in Game 3 of the division series, throwing 6 2-3 shutout innings with nine strikeouts. The Padres lost the series in four games. San Diego was swept by the Cardinals in 2005, their first time back in the playoffs since being swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series.

Hitters have struggled against Young because of his deceptive delivery.

"Hitters just don't get a good look at it," Towers said.

"He reminds me a lot of Trevor Hoffman, but a a starter," Towers said, comparing Young with the Padres' closer, who is baseball's career saves leader with 484. "It's tough to track his arm with the downward plane and the stride. His fastball is very deceptive. He's smart and he's got a lot of Hoffman-type intangibles. He's a fierce competitor, establishes his fastball and never gives in to the hitter."

Dating to June 25, 2005, Young is 9-0 with 16 no-decisions in 25 starts on the road. Only one other pitcher in big league history went undefeated in 25 straight road starts, with Allie Reynolds also accomplishing the feat during the 1948 and 1949 seasons.

Agent Lon Babby said he and Young prepared in the offseason in case Towers approached them about an extension, which he did at the end of spring training.

"I'm very happy with the way it worked out," Young said. "It's a great deal for both sides and I look forward to going out and concentrating on baseball."

The deal will allow the Padres to avoid arbitration, and the option year is the first season Young would be eligible for free agency.

"To avoid that process is great and to control one year of free agency is huge for us," Towers said.

Babby said the option year "is at a number that's slightly below market value but one Chris can live with. It's pretty fair compensation.

"You hope with a deal like this that he outperforms it," Babby said. "That means he's doing great, and that's good for club. He goes into it with the expectation that he'll perform at a level that justifies that and beyond."

Use what you learned in this article to dominate at Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball '07

Updated on Tuesday, Apr 10, 2007 6:48 pm EDT

San Francisco Giants Begin 2007 Season Struggling

By David
Kaye

A new manager, a healthy Barry Bonds and $126 million spent on an ace pitcher was not enough to prevent the Giants from starting the season 1-4.

Due to a group of aging veterans, a poor bullpen, shaky starting pitching and inexperienced young players, it was forecasted for San Fran to have a poor season and finish either fourth or fifth in the NL West, but it was not expected for them to begin the 2007 season by losing their first four out of five games.

San Francisco has only been outscored 14-10 to begin the new season and that is an indication that their starters have pitched pretty well. Matt Cain is an up and coming right-hander who's primed for a monster season, Noah Lowry is a quality left-hander who had a superb outing last night, Barry Zito did not pitch particularly well in his first start as a Giant, but has the opportunity to defeat the Dodgers' tomorrow afternoon, Matt Morris is looking to improve on a disappointing 06' and Russ Ortiz has not been impressive in his return to the Bay Area.

They can survive with the pitching staff they currently have, but their bullpen is very uncertain. If San Fran begins to fall deeper out of the race Brian Sabean would not hesitate to trade closer Armando Benitez and past him the Giants have no other reliever they can trust. In the NL West where most teams are evenly matched, having a strong bullpen can separate you from the pact. L..A. and San Diego have terrific late inning relief and that is a testament to why they're always competing towards late September for the division crown.

There is an abundance of buzz around the city of San Francisco because they will be hosting this July's All-Star Game and their favorite player Barry Bonds is only 20 home runs away from breaking the immortal Hank Aaron's record. Having a winning baseball team would add to the buzz and excitement around the Bay Area.

Atlanta Braves Complete Three-Game Sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies

By David
Kaye

The Braves entered Thursday afternoon's game against the divisional rival Phillies with one goal in mind. That goal was to sweep them and return to Turner Field 3-0 for the first time since 1994. It would be a tall order against right-hander Adam Eaton who was making his Phili debut, but the Braves' bats were ready for the test.

With shortstop Edgar Renteira on first Chipper Jones hit a weak grounder to Ryan Howard who in an attempt to complete the double play wildly threw the ball into left field. As a result of Howard's miscue, Brian McCann who had been 5 for 9 in the series leading up to this at bat, ripped a 2-run single to put his team ahead.

Opposing Eaton was young left-hander Chuck James who has been picked by many to have a breakout season. James was aided by the frigid temperatures yesterday in Philadelphia and the fierce wind was able to hold in two monsterous shots hit by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Pat Burrell put the Phillies on the board in the bottom of the 4th with an RBI double to left. Left fielder Ryan Langerhans misjudged the ball and had it roll all the way to the wall. In the same inning with runners on the corners, Aaron Rowand struck out, followed by a fly out by Rod Barajas to end the threat.

Adam Eaton had been pitching quality baseball until he entered the top of the fifth and saw the Braves bats come a live in a hurry. After committing a cardinal sin by walking the pitcher Chuck James, Kelly Johnson clobbered a breaking ball into the right field stands. This was his first hit of the season and first long ball since August 15th of 2005. Atlanta continued the onslaught in the fifth as Andruw Jones smacked an RBI double to deep left center and Jeff Francoeur added an RBI single to knock Eaton out of the game.

After blowing the first two games of the series, the Phillies bullpen was out for redemption. Unfortunately Scott Thorman of the Braves had other ideas as he belted a 2-run double to right to give Atlanta an 8-1 lead. In total, the Braves scored six runs in the fifth and handed starter Chuck James a seven run lead.

If not for his high pitch count [92] James would have lasted past the fifth inning, but he was still in line for his first win of 2007. Oscar Villarreal, who struggled during spring training, came onto pitch in the sixth and surrendered a leadoff double to Burrell. The Phillies left fielder later scored on a ground ball to make the score 8-2, but his team would not have enough offensive fire power from their big bats to attempt a comeback.

Philadelphia went onto lose the game 8-4 and have now started the season 0-3 as they head to South Florida to begin a three-game series with the Marlins.

Notes: Pat Burrell missed a fly ball in foul territory in the eight inning and was heavily booed by the crowd. Relief pitcher Clay Condrey came on in the seventh inning and struck out the first five batters he faced. The record for consecutive strikeouts by a Phili reliever is six. Philadelphia left fourteen base runners stranded during the game.

A's Pitchers Dan Haren and Rich Harden Experience Success, Despite Having Low Salaries

By David
Kaye

Oakland's star pitchers Dan Haren and Rich Harden are two of the best at what they do, but are not compensated like their colleagues. Both men are 26 and 25 years of age respectively, but will make a combined $4.5 million this season. In societies standards that's a handsome salary, but not in the world of baseball when the league minimum is $380,000.

Both pitchers had impressive outings to start the season with Harden pitching seven scoreless innings last night to pick up manager Bob Geren's first career victory, and on Opening Day Haren surrendered zero earned runs in six innings of work, but was the hard luck loser to the Mariners Felix Hernandez.

I began to take a look at other teams around the American League and what the salaries this season of their two top starters are. When healthy, 2005 AL CY Young winner Bartolo Colon is the ace of the Angels staff and along with Kelvim Escobar both men will make an astounding $25 million this season. Haren has won 28 games and pitched 440 innings over the past two seasons, while Colon and Escobar have combined for 36 wins and pitched 528 innings.

Haren, who is making a mere $2.25 million this season, has won 8 fewer games and pitched 88 less innings by himself than Colon and Escobar have done together. Not to mention, both starters are constantly plagued by injuries and Haren is extremely durable. I think this tells you something about how the A's allocate their resources compared to how the Angels allocate theirs. The difference is both staggering and troubling at the same time.

Other pitching duos who are breaking the bank for their clubs include: Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman of the Tigers who will make a combined $12.5 million this season, C.C. Sabathia and Jake Westbrook of Cleveland who will make a combined $14.875 million, Jose Contreras and Jon Garland of the White Sox who will make a combined $19 million, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling of Boston who will make nearly $20 million, Kevin Milwood and Vicente Padilla of the Rangers who will make a combined $19 million this season.

The one-two duo who takes the cake in terms of salary this season are A.J. Burnett and Roy Halladay of Toronto who will make a staggering $25.95 million this season when you add their salaries together. These figures are preposterous, but remember that none of these players can match the salary of A-Rod. The Yankees third baseman will be raking in $27, 708, 525.

New York Mets Begin 2007 Season on a Hot Streak

By David
Kaye

The Mets entered Bush Stadium with revenge on their minds after being eliminated by the Cardinals' in last year's NLCS. Never did the Amazins' think that they would sweep the defending Champions and outscore them 20-2 in the season-opening series.

Tom Glavine outpitched Cards ace Chris Carpenter Sunday night and lead his team to victory. With the victory, Glavine now has 291 wins for his career. To make matters worse for St.Louis Carpenter will miss his next start and by all indications the Cardinals could use any form of help in an effort to record their first win of the season.

Tuesday night I sat down eagerly with my uncle to see if 37-year old Orlando Hernandez has anymore tricks left up his sleeves. In seven innings of work El Duque surrendered five hits and one run to the Cards batters. He even chipped in a 2-run double down the left field line in the sixth inning.

The first two nights of the series witnessed quality pitching and timely hitting by the Mets. Last night, New York put on an offensive display as they smacked three home runs and produced twelve hits. 25-year old right-hander John Maine mowed down the Cards offense over seven scoreless innings and only gave up one hit to Scott Rolen. If Maine can pitch the way he did last night he has the opportunity to be one of the premier number three starters in the NL.

Offensively, the Amazins' did not disappoint as slugger Carlos Beltran blasted a solo shot and a 2-run dinger. Speedster Jose Reyes who is not known for his power added a solo homer in the seventh and a 2-run double in the top of the 8th. Both men combined to drive in seven of the Mets' ten runs.

I was shocked at how easy it was for the Mets to trounce the defending Champs and how poorly the Cards played. It appeared as if New York received the memo that the season had begun and St.Louis was still in spring training mode.