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LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Dodgers’ magic number for clinching the NL West is down to zero—finally. After a season-worst five-game losing streak, they came through with one game left in the regular season and beat the stubborn Colorado Rockies 5-0 on Saturday night with a five-run seventh triggered by run scoring hits from pinch-hitters Ronnie Belliard and by Mark Loretta and six scoreless innings by 21-year-old lefty Clayton Kershaw. The Rockies, who were 15 1/2 games behind the Dodgers on June 3, entered this three-game series having to sweep to win their first division title in the franchise’s 17-year history.

Workers at a cryonics facility mutilated the frozen head of Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams, the author of a new book alleges. In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., describes how Williams' frozen head was repeatedly abused, the New York Daily News reported. The book due out Tuesday alleges gruesome behavior at the facility, where bodies are kept suspended in liquid nitrogen in case future generations learn how to revive them. Johnson writes that in July 2002, shortly after the legendary slugger died at age 83, technicians with no...

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I recently rewatched 'Angels in the Outfield', the original one, the *good* one, with Paul Muni. And the same question that comes to me each time I watch it, once agin came to mind, and I thought i'd asik here, to see if maybe someone knew the answer. In the movie, there is at least one scene where the Manager(Munii) sits down to dinner, and puts Ketchup on it.... My question is...Was there a time where this was a common practice that some people did, or was this just a writers ploy to show how curmudgeonly the character was? I...

NEW YORK (AP)—Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees wrapped up the AL East title and home-field advantage throughout the postseason with a neat bow, beating the Boston Red Sox 4-2 Sunday for their 100th win of the year. Hideki Matsui’s go-ahead single in the sixth inning energized the damp fans and put them on notice that a party was coming. The first real celebration at the new Yankee Stadium began with a most familiar scene—Mariano Rivera(notes) on the mound, closing out another clinching victory.

When Religion Is Involved, a Game Is Just That This is a most wonderful gesture, having the Yankees and the Red Sox play at 1 p.m. on Sunday. It could even be the start of something better. Instead of putting the game at 8 p.m. — prime time, as the networks call it — ESPN and Major League Baseball are accommodating thousands of fans who at sundown will be observing Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Not only that, but the N.F.L. has allowed both New York teams to play at 1 on Sunday — Jets...

Just saw the tail end of the Sotomayor throwing out the pitch to Molina. I wonder if she underhanded it? Any video?

Big League Stew Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:17 pm EDT Matt Carson will not pay $10,000 for his first big league homer By 'Duk You thought that Milwaukee's Happy Youngster drove an unreasonable bargain for Chris Coghlan's(notes) first home run ball earlier this season? Well, then be prepared to be even more disgusted after reading about the jerk who caught Matt Carson's(notes) first big league home run in Oakland on Monday and then said he'd only return it to the rookie in exchange for some cold, hard cash.

Those who know Angel Villalona are stunned that the young San Francisco Giants minor league prospect - who they say is afraid of dogs and even carnival rides - has been charged with murdering a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic. Villalona, a first baseman with what scouts have described as enormous power potential, won a signing bonus of $2.1 million from the Giants in 2006, just four days after his 16th birthday. It was the most the team had ever paid for an amateur.

Pitcher Chapman awaits MLB's ruling Comment Email Print Share By Jorge Arangure Jr. ESPN The Magazine Archive Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in the world, petitioned Major League Baseball for free-agency status recently and is likely only weeks from becoming a free agent, according to his agent. Early Monday, Chapman's representatives announced that the left-hander has established residency in Andorra, a tiny country of about 84,000 that borders Spain and France. By establishing residency outside the United States, the 21-year-old Chapman avoids being subject to baseball's amateur draft. MLB must study...

Couldn't find the video I saw on Fox earlier, but this is funny. From last night's Phils-Nats game, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFliWtF5le0

Derek Jeter galloped ahead of the Iron Horse last night, passing Yankees legend Lou Gehrig for the team's all-time hits record and giving Bombers fans around the Big Apple a major league thrill. "Awesome!" said Kathy Leogrande, 63, of Long Island, who was among the 46,771 excited fans who watched the record fall. "This is the best thing that has happened to this city in a long time."

2722 Damn Yankees. :)

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs assured the Pittsburgh Pirates of a record-breaking 17th consecutive losing season, getting two homers from Derrek Lee and an effective start from Ted Lilly while winning 4-2 on Monday. By losing their 10th in 11 games, the Pirates will finish below .500, just as they have every season since 1993. The string of losing seasons is a major league record and the longest for any team in the four major North American pro team sports. Only the Phillies (1933-48) have had as many as 16 losing seasons in a row.

"On the scoreboard in right field, it is 9:46 p.m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles, California. And a crowd of 29,139 [has seen] the only pitcher in baseball history to hurl four no-hit, no-run games. ... And now he caps it. On his fourth no-hitter, he made it a perfect game." The date was Sept. 9, 1965, and it seemed appropriate that Vin Scully, the best baseball broadcaster since World War II, was telling the world that Sandy Koufax, the most dominant pitcher of that period, had achieved the ultimate...

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DETROIT (AP)—Ernie Harwell, the 91-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers, said Friday that he has inoperable cancer. Harwell told The Associated Press he has a tumor near a bile duct. He said he knows he may go through some painful days, but is in good spirits and appreciates the good wishes he’s received from hundreds of fans. Harwell spent 42 of his 55 years as a broadcaster calling Tigers games, from 1960 to 2002. He said he has been “flattered” to hear so many people tell him about the role his voice played in their lives. “It’s...

Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest" in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Curt Schilling, best known for his bloody-sock pitching heroics, may step up to the plate and run for U.S. Senate. The retired Red Sox [team stats] ace said today in a telephone interview with NECN that even though his “plate is full,” he’s been contacted to consider a run for the open seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy. A Jan. 19 special election has been set by the governor to fill the post.

Yup - the boys from Chula Vista, near San Diego won the Little League World series. First time for a California team. Good job boys.

The federal appeals court ruling against the government Wednesday in the long running Major League Baseball drug-testing case has several far-reaching ramifications. The decision means that leaking the names of steroid-tainted players to Sports Illustrated and The New York Times likely constituted crimes, and that an investigation could be launched to identify the leakers. It also means that the blockbuster revelations about steroid cheating by Alex Rodriguez(notes), Sammy Sosa(notes), Manny Ramirez(notes) and David Ortiz(notes) were based on evidence gathered in an illegal search by lead BALCO investigating agent Jeff Novitzky. Unless the Ninth Circuit decision is successfully appealed to the...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—The infamous list that tarnished America’s pastime and some of its biggest stars soon will be back in the hands of the Major League Baseball Players’ Union. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that agents had no right to seize baseball’s anonymous drug-testing results from 2003. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for the players’ union, which has argued for years to have the results of the 104 players who allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 returned. “This was an obvious case of deliberate overreaching by the government in...

The Boston Red Sox honored the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy before their game on Wednesday night, paying tribute to a lifelong fan whose family was as much a part of Boston history as the team itself. The U.S. flag flew at half-staff at Fenway Park, where Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day, 97 years after his grandfather, Boston mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald christened the ballpark that is now the oldest in the major leagues. A lone Air Force bugler played "Taps" as both teams lined up on the baselines — a tradition usually reserved...

For those folks who didn't know that girls can play in the Little League World Series, here's another revelation that might come as bit of a shock. The ladies can win games for their teams, too. In what tournament organizers said was most likely a LLWS first, Katie Reyes hit a game-winning two-RBI single in Canada's 14-13 win over Germany on Tuesday afternoon in Williamsport, Pa. Fifteen girls have played in the LLWS since 1984, but apparently none had logged the game's top highlight until Reyes had three hits and three RBIs on Tuesday. She also caught the game's final...

Wow, first pitch, Jeter hits it out of the park before I even get a chance to post this. An auspicious beginning.

NEW YORK (AP) - Second baseman Eric Bruntlett turned an unassisted triple play to end the Philadelphia Phillies' wild 9-7 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday. It was the 15th unassisted triple play in major league history—the second that ended a game. Detroit Tigers first baseman Johnny Neun also accomplished the feat on May 31, 1927, completing a 1-0 victory over Cleveland, according to STATS LLC. Bruntlett's triple play preserved a win for Pedro Martinez in his return to New York and quashed a Mets rally against closer Brad Lidge. With runners on first and second in the...

In the category of baseball controversies that not only don't die but don't even taper off a little bit, we have now had two decades of the argument regarding Pete Rose. We have come to the 20th anniversary of Rose accepting a lifetime ban from baseball for gambling on baseball. In every single moment during these 20 years, you could start a heated debate among baseball fans anywhere, by uttering these four simple words: "What about Pete Rose ..." It is a classic debate. Against Rose is the fact that he violated the game's first commandment: Don't bet on baseball....

Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice today criticized the approach current major leaguers have to baseball, telling youngsters at the Little League World Series that players such as Manny Ramirez set a "bad example." "You have these baggy uniforms, you have the dreadlocks, that's not part of the game," Rice said after mentioning Ramirez, who played for the Red Sox for nearly eight seasons. In the same breath, Rice mentioned New York Yankees Alex Rodriquez and Derek Jeter as he described a baseball culture dominated by huge contracts and the accoutrements of wealth, with players more interested in Rolex...

20-7 Yanks. I just wish the game would be over already. It's embarassing for the Red Sox, and given the propensity for the Yanks to give up leads, potentially embarrassing for them.Pitching, pitching, pitching.

After retrieving a loose ball he wanted tossed out in the fourth inning, [Toronto Blue Jays] rookie left-hander Brett Cecil — forgetting to call timeout first — chucked the live ball into the Jays dugout as he walked back to the mound. Umpires sent Jason Bay, who had walked to lead off, to third base because Cecil had thrown the ball out of play. Bay had stopped briefly at second; Cecil's error was so unusual, it took umps a moment to realize Bay deserved another base. Cecil threw up his arms at first as if to ask, "What did I...

My posts about baseball the way it used to be, including my nostalgia for pennant races, have prompted my conservative cousin from New York to offer what he "modestly consider[s] the best baseball reform since The Agreement of 1903 which recognized the American League's equality with the Nationals and established the World Series." Here's how it would work:

Last night I was watching the Texas Rangers play the Boston Red Sox, and I ended up seeing one of the most incredible odd-defying feats I have ever seen at a baseball game. In the 5th inning Josh Hamilton for the Rangers was batting and hits a foul ball into the stands. Not that big of a deal right but the really cool thing is it was caught by a 12-year-old boy (the only info we have is his name is C.J. from Cedar Hills, Texas) with his glove cleanly. It was smiles and high-fives all around and I was...

Baseball will try to grow globally after IOC setback Thu Aug 13, 3:23 pm ET NEW YORK (Reuters) – Major League Baseball (MLB) will continue its push to grow the game internationally despite losing out on Thursday in a bid for the sport to be included at the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said baseball's next chance to become part of the Games would be in 2020. "Baseball has enjoyed great international growth in recent years and today's decision by the IOC will not deter us from continuing our efforts to grow the game globally," MLB said in...

<p>CHICAGO (WBBM/AP) - The daylong search is over and the person believed to be beer tosser has turned himself in, police said.</p> <p>During the fifth inning of Wednesday night's Cubs-Phillies game, one Wrigley Field bleacher dweller took out his frustration with the Cubs' poor performance on Shane Victorino.</p>

In a recent Los Angeles Times article, the conclusion was drawn that Vin Scully will retire after 61 years as the Dodgers' announcer following next season. Since this is Scully's 60th year it had been speculated he might retire after this one. But Scully made it clear that won’t be the case.

Pfc. Jonathan Chavez, Charlie Company, Special Troops Battalion, tags a runner out at second base during the "Lone Star Double Play" softball tournament held in July on Camp Victory's ball field. Photo by Spc. Amburr Reese, 114th Public Affairs Detachment. CAMP VICTORY — When you think of Soldiers serving in a combat zone the last thing you might envision is a group of troops sitting in bleachers lacing up cleats and talking about what the batting order will be for the next game. Since 2004, the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department here has been supporting one of America's favorite...

The A's have given Jason Giambi his walking papers, ending his return to Oakland and, most likely, his controversial career. Given Giambi's performance this season, it's not exactly surprising news. However, I find it funny that Oakland took the measure of pointing out just how bad the 38-year-old was this season while announcing his departure. Check out the third paragraph from the A's press release: "However, Giambi was placed on the 15-day DL July 20 with a strained right quad. At the time he went on the DL, he had the lowest batting average in the majors and fourth lowest...

Say what you want about their win-loss record, but the Royals' 2009 season is definitely running in first place in the bizarre moments category. The Royals lost earlier this year in Cleveland when the Indians' game-winning hit ricocheted off a seagull in center field. Feel free to read that again. This time, there was a cat sighting on the field of Kauffman Stadium. Trailing the Mariners, 8-4, in the top of the fifth during Wednesday's 11-6 loss, a mysterious gray cat wandered out onto the field. "Was I smiling? I don't know if I smiled or not," said Royals manager...

Pitch #1: 1.2-Seam Fastball. Will cut down-and away. The typical strikeout pitch. 2.Power-T position before the throw. Generates hip drive for max. velocity. 3.Eyes on the target. 4.Pitching hand cocked back so batter can’t see ball during delivery. 5.Business slacks. He ain’t here to play, hes gonna break the catchers hand. ASSESMENT: Strike three – batter looking. Fastball looked inside coming towards plate then broke away on the inside corner Pitch #2:

The most lasting image of Matt Holliday remains a winning experience, his face-plant slide scoring the deciding run in the Colorado Rockies' playoff win over the San Diego Padres to reach the 2007 postseason. The most recent image, developed in the 22 months since, is of a player constantly exposed to "learning experiences." Those experiences include the Rockies' hard fall after reaching the '07 World Series, his refusal to accept a four-year, $72 million extension and a curious subsequent trade to a small-market American League team that flipped him to St. Louis as part of the Oakland A's latest reinvention....

Today, the New York Times provided a report that confirms what a lot of people have suspected. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were among the 104 major league players listed as having tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003, lawyers with knowledge of the results told The New York Times. The two were key members of the Boston Red Sox World Series championship teams in 2004 and 2007. The lawyers did not name the substances Ramirez and Ortiz tested positive for, The Times reported.

Boston's erstwhile slugging duo reportedly on list of 104 According to lawyers who spoke to the The New York Times, and whose names were not revealed, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are on the list of 104 players who tested positive in Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing for performance-enhancing drugs, testing that was agreed to and conducted only on the condition that the results would remain anonymous. Ortiz and Ramirez were members of the Boston Red Sox at the time and helped the club end an 86-year streak in which they hadn't won a World Series. Results from the...

Boston's erstwhile slugging duo reportedly on list of 104 According to lawyers who spoke to the The New York Times, and whose names were not revealed, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are on the list of 104 players who tested positive in Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing for performance-enhancing drugs, testing that was agreed to and conducted only on the condition that the results would remain anonymous. Ortiz and Ramirez were members of the Boston Red Sox at the time and helped the club end an 86-year streak in which they hadn't won a World Series. Results from the...