Baseball

Catcher Doesn't Have Heart To Throw Out Stealing Johnny Damon

ISSUE 47•34 | 08.31.11 | Sports News in Brief

ARLINGTON, TX—Compassionate Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli could not bring himself to throw out Rays’ 37-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon as he attempted to steal second base Tuesday, allowing the two-time All Star to safely take the bag in... more»

Level-Headed Yankee Fans To Take Curtis Granderson's Excellent Season Into Account Should He Struggle Down Stretch

ISSUE 47•34 | 08.29.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—The New York Yankees fanbase, known for its level headed and reasonable disposition, released a collective statement Monday claiming that, should MVP candidate Curtis Granderson begin to slump come September, they would carefully take into ... more»

Dan Uggla

ISSUE 47•34 | 08.21.11 | Strongside/Weakside

Uggla's 33-consecutive-game hit streak was the longest in the majors in five years. Is he any good? more»

Dustin Pedroia Asks Buddy To Watch Second Base For Couple Innings

ISSUE 47•33 | 08.16.11 | Sports News in Brief

BOSTON—Suddenly needing to “go take care of something,” Boston Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia left second base in the care of his 34-year-old buddy Dave Scholl on Sunday. more»

With .163 Average, Adam Dunn No Longer Considered A Baseball Player

ISSUE 47•33 | 08.12.11 | Sports News in Brief

CHICAGO—After his batting average slumped to a historically low .163 this week, White Sox DH Adam Dunn received an official notice from Major League Baseball Thursday informing him that he no longer met the minimum requirements to be labeled an offi... more»

Ryan Braun Not About To Look Like An Idiot By Attempting Diving Catch In Outfield

ISSUE 47•32 | 08.10.11 | Sports News in Brief

ST. LOUIS—Saying he wasn’t about to make an idiot out of himself on national television by splaying across the field like some kind of asshole, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun opted to play a fly ball on a hop Tuesday night instead o... more»

Pirates Acquire Lee, Ludwick To Bolster 2nd-Half Collapse

ISSUE 47•32 | 08.06.11 | Sports News in Brief

PITTSBURGH—In order to deepen some holes in their lineup and increase their chances of a second-half collapse, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Derrek Lee and outfielder Ryan Ludwick Sunday. more»

Visa Calls Indians To Confirm They Actually Did Intend To Take On More Salary

ISSUE 47•32 | 08.05.11 | News in Brief

CLEVELAND—According to Indians team sources, an investigator within the fraud department of Visa phoned Cleveland owner Larry Dolan Thursday to discuss unusual activity on the team’s credit card—a $2.8 million purchase of Rockies pitcher... more»

Doctors Concerned As Joe Blanton’s Goatee Flares Up Again

ISSUE 47•51 ISSUE 47•31 | 08.03.11 | Sports News in Brief

PHILADELPHIA—Team doctors expressed their concern about the future of Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton Tuesday after the goatee that has plagued him nearly his entire career once again flared up. more»

Tim Wakefield Tries To Get Line Drive To Put Him Out Of Misery

ISSUE 47•51 ISSUE 47•31 | 07.30.11 | Sports News in Brief

CHICAGO—Facing the cruel prospect of winning 200 grueling games in his interminable 19-season career, 44-year-old Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield tried to get a line drive to hit him in the head Friday to finally put an end to it all. more»

2011 MLB Season Dominated By Pitchers, Hitters, Fielders

ISSUE 47•30 | 07.29.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—Baseball experts agreed Thursday that the 2011 MLB season has become a year defined by pitching, hitting, and defense. more»

Twins Shocked To Learn You Can Score 2 Runs In Same Play

ISSUE 47•30 | 07.27.11 | Sports News in Brief

MINNEAPOLIS—The fourth-place Minnesota Twins finally came to realize baseball teams can score more than one run in a single play when, in the fifth inning of their 4-6 loss to the Cleveland Indians last Monday, they witnessed their opponents do just... more»

Yankees Talking To Several Teams About Robinson Cano: ‘He’s Good And We’re Going To Keep Him’

ISSUE 47•30 | 07.25.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—According to sources around the league, the New York Yankees have held discussions with multiple teams about All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, specifically concerning how vital he is to the Yankees’ success and thus how important... more»

Pirates Starting To Pay Attention To Themselves

ISSUE 47•30 | 07.23.11 | Sports News in Brief

PITTSBURGH—Finding themselves six games over .500 and vying for first place in the National League Central Division, members of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization are beginning to take notice of the surprisingly competitive Pittsburgh Pirates. more»

Vladimir Guerrero Placed On Disabled List With Old

ISSUE 47•30 | 07.22.11 | Photo Finish

Manager, Pitcher Go Through Entire Bottle Of Wine During Really Great Mound Visit

ISSUE 47•51 ISSUE 47•30 | 07.22.11 | Sports News

MINNEAPOLIS—Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta and pitcher Justin Masterson said they "shared a great baseball moment…a great human moment" while splitting a bottle of chilled white wine during an "exceptional" mound vis... more»

Derek Jeter Relieved He Can Go Back To Not Hitting Ball

ISSUE 47•29 | 07.16.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—After reaching the 3,000-career-hits milestone last week, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter told reporters Monday that he felt a great sense of relief that he could once again go back to not hitting the ball. more»

Great Home Run Derby Moments

ISSUE 47•29 | 07.15.11 | Sportsgraphic

The Home Run Derby has become almost as compelling as the All-Star game itself. We look back on how this came to be so. more»

Brewers Grounds Crew Fills Up Stadium With Soapy Water For Prince Fielder's Bubble Bath

ISSUE 47•29 | 07.15.11 | Photo Finish

Baseball Fans Excited For All-Star Matchup Between Best Available Non-Injured Players Willing To Play In Game

ISSUE 47•28 | 07.12.11 | Sports News in Brief

PHOENIX—Baseball fans across the country have registered their excitement for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star game, saying they can’t wait to watch the league’s annual showcase of its best players who aren’t injured, aren’... more»

Very Lenient Umpire Tells Base Runner Next Time He Gets Tagged He’s Out

ISSUE 47•28 | 07.12.11 | Sports News in Brief

MIAMI—Umpire Laz Diaz displayed an unusual amount of leniency Sunday, allowing a clearly tagged Hanley Ramirez to take third base regardless of his failed steal attempt, on condition the Marlins shortstop understood he could not count on the same tr... more»

Kevin Youkilis Puts Sign-Up Sheet For Threesome In Red Sox Dugout

ISSUE 47•28 | 07.11.11 | Sports News in Brief

BOSTON—Third baseman Kevin Youkilis reportedly posted a sign-up sheet for a threesome in the Red Sox dugout Monday, encouraging players and coaches to join him for a great opportunity to “get their fuck on.” “Let’s do this, g... more»

Derek Jeter Just 6 Squib Grounders, Shallow Bloops Away From 3,000 Hits

ISSUE 47•24 | 06.15.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—Yankees captain Derek Jeter hit a seeing-eye wormburner through the left side of the infield for his 2,994th career hit Monday, leaving him just six toppers down the third-base line, Texas Leaguers, or check-swing humpback liners short of 3... more»

Baserunner Caught In Rundown Bites Cyanide Capsule To Avoid Falling Into Enemy Hands

ISSUE 47•24 | 06.15.11 | Sports News in Brief

SEATTLE—In order to avoid capture by the visiting Minnesota Twins Thursday, Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez bit down on his team-issued cyanide capsule during a run down between second and third base. more»

Jose Bautista

ISSUE 47•24 | 06.12.11 | Strongside/Weakside

After struggling through most of his professional baseball career, 30-year-old Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista is now leading the majors in both hitting and home runs. Is he any good? more»

Cole Hamels Disgusted By Opposing Pitchers Leaving Trash On Mound

ISSUE 47•23 | 06.08.11 | Sports News in Brief

PHILADELPHIA-—During a post-game press conference Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels expressed disgust with opposing pitchers who assume he has no problem picking up their used tissues, candy wrappers, and empty cans between innings. more»

Justin Upton Accidentally Takes Lead Off First Base In Wrong Direction

ISSUE 47•23 | 06.03.11 | Photo Finish

Gruesome Home Plate Collision Reawakens Nation’s Love Affair With Baseball

ISSUE 47•22 | 06.03.11 | Sports News

SAN FRANCISCO—The people of the United States confirmed this week that seeing a horrific home plate collision fracture the left ankle and shred the ligaments of Giants catcher Buster Posey on May 25 provided exactly the spark they needed to renew th... more»

Joba Chamberlain Holds Stuffed-Animals-Only Meeting

ISSUE 47•22 | 06.01.11 | Sports News in Brief

NEW YORK—Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain reportedly led a stuffed-animals-only meeting on the floor of the team’s clubhouse Thursday, addressing confidants Wugsy the Bear, Cuddly Monkey, Fluff Fluff the Kitty, and Tiny Horsey. more»